Infinite Heroes

[Wolfsong]

[quote="Oddood198". "A maze. Great." She said. "we've got the three most powerful players in the game all here for this trial, and... Zare. Sorry. And we get the one where we have to pick the right path? You've gotta be kidding me."


Trial of strength, of course it would be the trial of strength. They had a newbie player with a support class and a girl without a weapon. [/i]Why do these things happen to me?[/i] Clear wondered, and the thought occurred to her that she should have tried to borrow the -</Aeon\>- account for this mission.[/quote]
OOC - ain't I a stinker?

Excellent choice, by the by.

Also, I'm just calling Pierce by his name now, and only use his game name for distinctions. Its just too much bother.

/Pierce/Arachni/
Pierce blanched, realizing he was about to be stuck with Saify. Alone. None of his options wrre very good, but Saify? Then again, at least she'd be semi-predictable if she turned on him. Zare hated him for hurting Ash. Ash couldn't seem to make up his mind. Saify despised him and wanted him dead more than anything...his chances sucked for leaving this place alive, or at least in one piece.
"Well then, lets go, by all means," he said in a cranky tone, marching down the path.
The path zigzagged, and there were several points he could have sworn the path crossed over itself. Yet, there no breaks.
Most unusual.
"I wonder if we messed up already," he said wryly. Then, up ahead, they saw a silver arch on thw path Head, a new sign on its head.
This is the path of choices. Life is filled with constant decisions to be made. The right ones lead to happiness, the wrong to misery. Be cautious, sometimes what seems right is in truth quite wrong.
There were two doors in the hedges now, a blue and a red. A small table sat in between them, bearing two filled glasses and a card. Pierce glanced at Saify, then leaned over to read it.
'There are many dragons in Infinite, the most famous of which was Fafnir. The legendary red dragon had a brother, and a son. Where either ever defeated? -blue is yes red is no -'
Pierce glanced at the card again, then the doors. "Um...His brother was Raynag, right? I don't really remember..."

/Stephen/Ashimatya/
Pierce and Saify went down their prospective road, while Ash and Zare started down the left one. This one kept branching off, forcing them to choose a direction to follow. Ash, without telling Zare, had sent out what little shadows he had to scout out the path. He didn't trust this unusual garden, not one bit.
“This whole place is wrong,” he murmured softly to himself. “But for the life of me, I can't see it.”
Could be my fault. Perhaps because you force me out so.
He stumbled, startled by the sudden rise in the monster within. “You...quiet down. You have no place here!”
This place...makes me feel strong. There's so much energy...I could take you over easily.
Ash braced himself just in time, as it felt like everything inside him had turned against him. Clutching his head, shadows writhing between his fingers, he collapsed. Hissing through his teeth, he struggled to regain control, trying to quench the monster.
Give it up! You're mine now!
“Not...on your...life.”

/Lily/
She stared up at Clear, then nodded slowly. “Okay Clear. I trust you.” She skipped back quickly as Clear chose.
The five pictures glimmered, save the fifth one which shone. When thelights cleared, the other pictures were gone, and the flamboyant man stood before them.
He instantly leapt back, but instead of throwing his knives, he launched a card towards Clear. From the card rose a noxious mist, a faint violet hue; it seemed poisonous. As Clear reacted, he began throwing his knives, skipping about the room with the grace of a dancer.
Lily, crouched behind a pillar, watched with wide eyes. “I want to help,” she whispered. But what could she do?

[ClaecElric4God]

OOC: So laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate, sorry...


/Eric/Zare/
Zare was still fuming a bit from Saify's comment about "the three most powerful players in Infinite...and Zare". He'd thought better of saying anything at the time, but he couldn't help but be self-conscious about it. Had Saify ever even seen him fight? Sure, he wasn't the most fantastic player ever, but he'd poured a lot of energy and level-grinding into this character over the years. And to be shrugged off like he was just a newbie...
"Hey, Ash," he said casually. "Am I really-"
Zare stopped short when he turned to see Ash crumple to the floor, his hands clenched around his head. Not this again... Without even knowing what he was doing or why he was doing it, Zare dropped to the floor in front of Ash, grabbing him by the shoulders. He didn't know what was going on, but he wasn't going to sit back and watch.
"Ash, what's going on?!" He shouted, shaking him roughly. "Who are you talking to?" Zare didn't know what to do. For all he knew he was making things worse. But what else was he supposed to do? This place...this place was a mess. He'd felt uneasy about it from the start, and he had a feeling if he shifted into cat form the stench of evil and deception would be overpoweringly evident to his heightened senses. Whatever it was, it must be messing with Ash and his often delicate mental state. Zare wasn't at all certain what he could do to protect Ash from..whatever was happening. The best thing to do would be to get him out of here, but that wasn't an option right now. Did he need quiet, patient coaxing; or to have the snot beat out of him? Growling in frustration, Zare tightened his grip on Ash's shoulders.
"Ash, you idiot! Listen to me! Let me help you! Quit trying to do everything on your own!" Zare didn't even know why he was shouting. For all he knew Ash was just in physical pain and all this shouting was making it worse. Maybe he just needed a second to gather his wits. But something inside Zare told him that wasn't the case. That something horrible was going to happen, if not now then later; and that something had to be done about it.

[ClaecElric4God]

OOC: Double-posting. Get over it.


/Jenna/Hael/
The wind whistled past as Hael sprinted up the stairs. Looking back, she probably should have waited more than three seconds for that girl to respond before darting off. But Hael had never been one to wait. Besides, a nagging feeling told her if she didn't make it to the floating island in time, she was going to miss something big. And it seemed like an endeavor only an experienced and ambitious player would make. Hael refused to be looked down on and ignored as a lesser player. If anyone was going to clear this new level, she was. It wasn't even a passionate determination that drove Hael. She was calm and collected; she just knew this was something she was going to do, because she always pushed the limits of her abilities. It didn't matter what everyone else was doing or how they compared. It was only about how far she could go.
And so it was Hael had chosen the dark and foreboding staircase. The rainbow bridge hadn't sat well with her. It was such a contrast to the dark one that there were really only two options. Either it was for low-level players and wouldn't present a challenge at all, or it was some sort of trick, filled with mazes and battles of wits and ridiculously nonsensical things that didn't interest Hael at all. The dark bridge was straightforward and obvious. It was for high-level fighters who expected to do battle with their opponents. And that's what Hael was good at.
At the top of the staircase Hael didn't miss a step. She darted into the cave, ready for whatever she might face. She skidded to a stop as she entered, taking in her surroundings. The interior was more like a building with detailed architecture, and off to one side of the room were two young girls. One sat at a piano, doing who knew what, and the smaller girl hid behind a pillar. And in the middle of the room stood a richly dressed man. Hael couldn't tell if he was a player or an NPC, but before she could react he threw a card at the girl with the instrument, from which rose some sort of smoke. With that move, Hael didn't waste a second, but sprung into action.
Clang. The sound echoed through the cave as Hael swung her katana in an arc, deflecting the knives as she darted in front of the bard girl. Placing herself between her and the man, Hael watched him as he moved. She'd tried to hold her breath and avoid the mist that rose surrounded her, but she'd already inhaled some of it, and it made her cough. It stung her eyes as well, and she could feel tears coming to the surface. She wasn't sure what it was doing, but she did notice the knife wound that had scraped the side of her leg. She ignored it however, unwilling to take her eyes off her opponent.

[Wolfsong]

/Stephen/Ashimatya/
He froze suddenly, and the dark tendrils dissipated. Slowly, he raised his head, looking dazed and somewhat confused. Something shifted, and Zare realized something.
Those were no longer Ash's eyes.
Ash suddenly grabbed Zare by the throat, rising to a standing position. Zare was held just off the ground as Ash studied his surroundings. Slowly, he turned to study Zare, a still somewhat confused expression on his face. He blinked and it cleared, his eyes lighting up with comprehension.
"Ah...you're that cat..." He glanced around again. "I do not recognize this place however..." He returned his attention to Zare. His grip tightened. "Tell me, where are we?" he asked in a frighteningly pleasant voice.

[Oddood198]

Clear frowned as the man she had chosen to fight appeared from the light, launching an attack immediately. "What, no pre-battle banter?" Clear asked, shouting across the cavern, "You are the worst boss fight EVER!" Her first action was to lift her piano and use it to block the thrown knives, but before she had the chance to put that into effect...
Clang! With the resounding clash of steel on steel, a newcomer had placed herself between Clear and the knives, deflecting them with only her sword. Clear grinned, giving the swift warrior a clap n the shoulder, "Hey, nice timing!" She said, then ran past the girl, carrying her piano with her. She leapt up into the air and slammed her piano down on the ground and, more specifically, over the card that was emitting the noxious gas at them, and then proceeded playing her high, fast battle song to invigorate her allies. "Go for him now!" She shouted back to her new ally.



Saify was silent during the long walk through the maze-garden with Pierce. The air between them practically crackled with tension, and it seemed to be making Pierce feel very uncomfortable. And that was OK with Saify.
Saify didn't say a word during the walk, and kept her eyes resolutely forward, scanning out the path ahead, and she took turns and branches in the path without a moment's hesitation, if nothing else than to avoid showing uncertainty in front of her sworn enemy.
When they came to the silver arch with the two doorways, however, it became a different matter. Saify waited with her arms crossed while Pierce read the letter on the table, then she looked up to the doorways, one red, one blue. "It's like my life just turned into the Matrix." She muttered, then addressed the puzzle directly.
"Fafnir's son was the one that would have come from gathering all the Dragon Gems." She said, "So we can rule that option out. I've seen Raynag, he's strong. I haven't heard of him being defeated." She crossed her arms, shooting Pierce a hard look, "And I suppose you have no special information to add to this? Maybe something from your fantasy world where your lies shape the world around you?"

[Wolfsong]

/Pierce/Arachni/
He glanced at Saify, not even trying to hide his own disgust. "For the record, my 'fantasy world' isn't really that different from Infinite...or at least, what it was before this mess." Stepping arouns the small table, away from her, he said, "I don't belive Raynag was ever killed. I know he was fought several times, but I don't know anyone actually killed him. So! Since you've obviously left the decision to me..." he stepped up to the blue door and pushed it open.
More hedges. He stepped cautiously forward. A bunch of confetti fell over him, much to his obvious annoyance. He turned, giving Saify a sardonic smile. "I think its safe," he said unnecessarily, his sarcastic smile firmly in place. He motioned for her to enter.
Better her in front that behind him.

/Lily/
The man responded quickly, throwing two more cards against the walls. They opened up into two large mirrors. One caught Clear's reflection, and the reflection fell from the mirror.
That looked bad. Lily realized she was actually quite near the other mirror, and ran to it. If she could break it before it caught another reflection...She raised her fists to smash it, then paused.
Her own reflection was blurry, as if it wasn't sure what it was. She fluttered there a moment, then someone else did, a woman with blue hair. She didn't stop to think about it, just raised her hands and smashed the mirror.
Meanwhile, the man had lunged towards Clear, his knives aiming for her throat. Clear's doppelganger had already started a fast-paced song, and it had noticeable affect on the boss' s speed, making him move faster.

[Oddood198]

OOC: So, there's no internet at the new house yet. Managed to hitch a ride to the coffee shop across town to post today. I should be getting full internet connectivity on Monday.


Saify watched Pierce walk forward through the blue door. She was tensed up, ready to fight, flee, and, if necessary, protect Pierce. It seemed counter intuitive after how long they had been enemies, but for the moment they were allies, and Saify was no team-killer. Still, she was fairly certain of their decision; Raynag was a powerful dragon, Saify had even challenged him herself on two occasions, and had been backed by Cyrano and other high-level players the second, and even all their efforts couldn't stop the beast.
It wasn't so much of a surprise to her, then, when Pierce stepped through the door and was showered with confetti and a forward path. She returned his scorning smile as she took point, "Ladies first, is it?" She said sarcastically as she passed him, "My, aren't you just such a gentleman!" She resisted the urge to stomp on his foot as she stepped past him on to the path. Barely.

[Wolfsong]

OOC- well, at least you'll have it soon, right?

/Pierce/Arachni/
He saw her foot twitch, yet surprisingly she resisted. Not that he minded, of course, it was easier to walk a maze when you could walk and not limp. Smiling softly as he brushed off the last of the confetti, he followed after her with his hands clasped behind his back.
"Always, my dearest Saify," he replied with his familiar smirk. "You are after all perhaps my most unshakable follower yet, more faithful then even my current companions. Your dedication is an inspiration! I should treat such devotion as it deserves, don't you think?"
Grinning, he moved up alongside her, smirking somewhat condescendingly. "It is quite interesting, frankly. The one who was once a mouse clinging to my coattails has grown so much. You've become brash, strong and proud, a warrior and a hero to the people. Everyone knows your name. And yet," he added, grinning sidelong at her. "You've remained fixated on me all these years, never tiring in your search for me. I wonder what that means..." he moved furhter ahead now, past her, then suddenly turned to face her, really grinning now. "You're still latched onto my coattails, for all you've done Saify! You still depend on me to be your anchor! Isn't that funny? Are you quite sure you haven't fallen for me?"
He kept moving back, smiling sweetly at her. Funny. Much as he tried for Cyrano's dying wish's sake, she just. Was. So. Bloody. Obnoxious!
As Saify responded, they entered the next room. This time here were three doors, and another card on the table. This one read:
'The last hero wanders a lonely maze with her monster. The first hero lies lonely in a crypt. Who is the lost hero? -Mirage/blue - Remus/red - Valerian/green -

[Banana Lobster]

OOC: Hey guys, uh, what's up?

Sage Shade

Shade watched the girl dart off, mildly surprised; she would have assumed the girl would wait for a response before leaving, but apparently not. Tucking the money bag into the corresponding pouch on her belt, she began running after her. Normally, Shade would probably have just let the girl go after such rudeness, but Infinite had definitely changed for the worse, and that wound worried her. She morphed into her other form, but even then struggled to keep up with the girl, she was fast. She had to change back to race up the black stairs, but that just gave her time to pull out her knives, dread pooling in her stomach. The last time she had been underground like this, she had obtained a Dragon Gem, but she still flinched at the sight of caves. The scene inside surprised her, momentarily distracting her from her fear.

Identical looking bards, a little girl in front of a shattered mirror, Katana-girl with a cut on her leg (how many times was she going to be injured?), another mirror, and the most flamboyant man Shade had ever seen leaping towards one of the bards, knife in hand. Shade slammed her shoulder into him, her own knives leaving quick, shallow cuts across his torso and arms. She grabbed a healing potion from her belt and threw it at Katana-girl. "I really hope I hit the right guy. And sooner or later, we should probably introduce ourselves, I can't keep thinking of you as Katana-girl."

[ClaecElric4God]

OOC: I'm really sorry this is so late. I've been preoccupied.


/Eric/Zare/
Zare's mind raced as he struggled to escape Ash's grip. Though the first thing he realized was that this quite obviously wasn't Ash. At least, not the Ash he knew. Could it be that this was the "monster" that had always accompanied the reputation of Ashimatya, the Angel of Death? A terror began to spread through Zare's body. He groped for any words, suddenly remembering that "Ash" had asked him a question, and in his current state there was no telling what he would do if he didn't get a response.
"I...don't know," Zare gasped. "We came up the stairs to the island and came into this maze."
Hesitantly, Zare dared to add this question.
"Who...are you...?"


/Jenna/Hael/
Everything seemed to be happening at once. First the girl with the piano shouted some sort of a encouragement by the sound of it, then as Hael fought another girl entered the fray. Only because of her speed and quick reflexes was Hael able to snatch the potion that was tossed at her. She glanced at it but quickly shoved it in her pocket, too busy to drink it. She glanced at the girl for a split second, but before she had a chance to reply another attack came, forcing her to focus on the fight. Between the three of them hopefully they could end the fight quickly.

[Wolfsong]

OOC – jeez, this took a while. Sorry guys.

/Stephen/Ashimatya/
“Who...are you?"
He stared at him quietly, a dark coldness glittering in his eyes. He slowly raised his other hand, darkness cloaking over it. He struck suddenly, faster than Zare could blink, leaving horrid gashes in his torso. They were not deep, nor yet fatal, but certainly painful. He released Zare then, letting him fall to the ground.
"Why Zare, you know me." He smiled, but it was a twisted version of the man Zare knew. "It's me, Ashimatya."

/Eshalem/Rasmus/
He could hear Michaelis behind him, gaining fast. How such a tall man could move so fast in such a small area was beyond him. Naturally, everything was against him today. He ducked around another corner, fumbling for his satchel. He had a particular gem in mind, if he could just find it...
He was suddenly drop–kicked to the ground, and his adversity wasted no time pinning him down. Rasmus gasped, surprised, then in horror when he saw the scars of the virus; He was pinned by an Infected! The maroon–haired man grinned at him, then over his shoulder as Michaelis caught up.
"Caught him!"
"Yes, but i hope for your sake you didn't infect him." Michaelis grabbed Rasmus by the collar, lifting him up' Rasmus struggled, almost jerking free, and Michaelis slapped him hard enough to see stars. "You know how he'll feel about that. He's been looking for signs of those two a long time."
Rasmus's hand snatched a gem from the satchel and activated it before even registering what it was.
The whole cave instantly fell in on itself, burying his attackers and himself under who knew how many tons of earth.
All fell silent.

[Oddood198]

OOC: So, remember back on Sunday, when I said "Today or tomorrow?" Yeah, yeah welcome to Friday, where that didn't happen.


Clear resisted the urge to pump her fist in the air with delight as another player joined the battle, and instead kept playing her song to encourage the others. Now it was a three to two fight, counting her clone and not Lily.
Clear glanced down at her piano, lying on the ground over the trap card, and saw that tendrils of poisonous smoke were beginning to worm their way up from the dirt and cover of her piano. Of she stayed here, the gas would overtake her in a few minutes, but if she moved, all the gas she had been blocking would start spreading rapidly through the room. Weighing her options, Clear decided to risk the fight on a single gamble; now, with Katana girl and green-hair, they had the boss outnumbered, and the with the katana-wielding player's speed, and the giant scythe and other weapons green-hair had, they should be able to outmaneuver the boss on their own. So if Clear could just take out the support...
"Hold your breath; toxins on three!" She called, finding herself speaking like she was back in the police than a dungeon raid. It fit, though; this fight was more real than any game.
"One..." Her song moved into the upper pitches, a quick, heartening song to encourage her allies.
"Two..." Her fingers danced across the ivory keys in a complex, melodic series of notes that gradually brought the pitch down lower.
"Three!" The final note of her count was timed with that of the song; a deep, long bass note that reverberated through the cavern. As soon as she hit the key she stomped on the jutting pedal to hold the note without her needing to, then she lifted up her piano by the handles in one side and sprinted across the cavern, pulling the huge instrument along with her.
As Clear approached her doppelganger, still playing her own buffing song, she started spinning in circles as she ran to build up momentum in her piano. When she was close enough, she leapt into the air, angled her piano toward the doppelganger, and let gravity and the conservation of force do the rest. At this velocity, she reckoned, it wouldn't be unlike hitting a ragdoll with a baseball bat.

[Wolfsong]

OOC - Perfectly fine, Odd, but its coming out of your paycheck.


/Lily/
The doppleganger flew across the room and struck the wall. For a second she seemed like she would stand again, then collapsed utterly and vanished, and a card fluttered to the floor. The boss began a rapid assault, his knives raining down.
Lily watched from her corner, staring at the fighters. How quickly help had suddenly come! She wished she could do something too, but right now, there really wasn't much she was capable of. She turned her eyes to the boss, and figures and numbers raced before her eyes.
It doesn't have much in the way of health, or strength. Its the luck of the cards that decides a hard or easy fight...
Lets play cards.
The boss threw another card, but this one Lily caught. It erupted into sparkles as it touched her hands and disappeared. Lily watched, the strange images still whizzing past her eyes. If she could just keep the deadly cads off, then this would be easy.
She could help her new friends!

[Banana Lobster]

OOC: Hey Claec, Odd! How's it going? Ooh, and if you don't mind my asking Claec, do you know how Cheetah's doing? I can't really do anything with Azure unless she posts.

Sage Shade

The single note seemed like it could hold forever, and Shade could feel the strength it gave her. Glancing over at the bard's previous position (as she ran across the room to her double, scoring a terrific hit with her piano), Shade saw the card, and the toxic gas that rose from it, and how it raced to fill the room. Feeling her waterskin slap against her side, she considered a risky move. "I've got the card!" she hollered, sliding to her knees, and she lashed out with the water and held the card in a bubble. The water quickly began to change color, absorbing the poison, but the magic from the card was just as debilitating, and Shade immediately felt the strain as she held the bubble together. The strength the bard's song had given her helped, but Shade knew they had to finish the battle quickly. The jester (she couldn't help thinking of him as such, I mean seriously, it's what he looked like) almost hit her with his knives, but her sudden decrease in height had thrown him off, and Shade reached out to score another shallow cut with her dagger. Maybe I should start coating my weapons with some poison of my own, she thought.

[Oddood198]

Saify put off her biting response as they entered the next room. She read the note on the table and, with a sinking feeling, ralized that she had no idea what the answer was. OK, OK, that was fine, most MMO players didn't know the first thing about their game of choice, but she was a part of Infinite's lore; she could get this.
The riddle indicated that the last hero was a she, and one of the answers was Mirage. Saify had heard of Mirage, the seer with mythical powers of seeing the future, they may have even met at some point, saify wasn't sure. In any case, Valerian and Remus didn't sound like very feminine names, so she decided that Mirage was the answer to the blue door, and crossed that one off.
Then there was Remus and Valerian... two names she had never, ever heard. Well, it looked like it was time for that most tried and true of adventure tools. Thinking this, Saify reached into her coinpurse and withdrew a single gold coin and flipped it. The coin landed on heads, telling her that the green door, Remus, was the correct answer, and she stepped toward that door.
Just before she went through, however, she remembered her 'polite' exchange with Pierce and looked back to give him a reply.
"I saw the last woman to fall in love with you. Your deceit and trickery lead her to her death. I'm not that stupid."
And then Saify walked walked through the doorway into whatever lay beyond, leaving Pierce with that cold statement.

[ClaecElric4God]

/Eric/Zare/
Zare gasped as the wounds cut deep, letting out a grunt as he fell ground like a discarded object. His first instinct was to shift into cat form, but he realized this was a delicate situation and every move he made would determine his survival. This was crazy. How had he gotten himself into this situation? And what was he supposed to do about it? Even now, the burning pain reminded him that this was no joke, this wasn't a game; his life was in danger. And with Ash the way he was right now, there was literally no telling what might happen. In an instant, before Zare could react, he could be...
No. Zare mentally berated himself. This was not the time to panic. Not the time to freeze up. He had to think if he wanted to stay alive. Insanity...that he was struggling to figure out how to survive his closest friend.
What are you doing, Ash?
Zare dared to sit up slowly, not even allowing himself the relief of pressing a hand against his chest to alleviate some of the pain. He simply watched Ash, uncertain what it was safe to do or say. If...this guy...would just give him a chance to prove that he wasn't a threat, that he could be useful if kept alive, then maybe he could find a way to get Ash back. For now, the most important part was just staying alive.
Zare hardly dared to breathe as he waited to see what "Ash" would do, and what move he would be allowed to make. He didn't dare try to make a break for it, especially in his far more sluggish human form.

[Wolfsong]

OOC - Well I....you....ruined....why Odd?

/Pierce/Arachni/
He crossed his arms behind his head, still smirking. He hung back and let her answer this question, though he was more than a little nervous when she pulled the coin out. Random chance was not a friend of his, and he held his breath as she opened the door. A shower of confetti coated her and he relaxed, sauntering in after her.
He was really amused by her answer. She merely addressed the obvious tease and ignored the rest. Oh funny, funny Saify...
"What, her? Jeez, that was just a silly crush on her part, and it sorta required ending, don't you think? Its not like she was making a great choice anyway." Walking alongside her, as if totally ignoring the fact she might just do him serious bodily harm at any moment, he glanced around at his surroundings. The whole world was soundless save the crunch of their feet on the gravel path, and he found it strangely disconcerting. "I wonder what happens if we pick wrong, or something like that," he remarked.

/Stephen/Ashimatya/?
He smiled faintly as he watched Zare slowly sit up, staring fearfully at him. He crouched slightly, watching him with awfully bright eyes.
"Come come, Zare, why so frightened? Its only me, after all. Why so unfriendly?" He held out his hand in an almost friendly gesture, with no noticeable threat. "Come on, Zare, shan't we keep moving?" He laughed, then leapt back to his feet, watching him. His eyes danced with amusement, but there was a dark glimmer of cold calculation; what did he have in mind?

[Oddood198]

OOC: Huh? What?


Clear took quick stock of the situation; the katana-wielder was going toe to toe with the boss, green-hair was using some type of magic to hold onto the poison card, and Lily was playing with glitter. Clear thought for a second on the best course of action, should she go and try to club the boss with her piano, risking a tight melee with an incredibly agile opponent? Or should she start playing her piano again to get buffs out to her allies, hoping that would help to turn the tide? Or... Wait, why hadn't she thought of that before?
clear hoisted her piano up over her shoulder and carried it with her across the room, back to where green-hair was holding the toxic card in a now-polluted bubble of water. "Hold tight, I've got an idea." Clear said to her unnamed ally as she set her piano down and reached into the poison water bubble. Clear took the card in both hands and, like any person with half a brain would do right away, she tore the card in half and broke the gas-emitting magic on it.
"There, now you can just dump the water somewhere and we can get back to the fight." She said as she shook her hands off and wiped them on her clothes to dry them.



Saify stopped walking after Pierce replied, gritting her teeth and clenching her fists in barely controlled fury. That was it, that was the last straw. Even switching topics like that to wondering what would happen if they chose wrong, as if the former matter was entirely trivial to him? "You just did." She told him.
Saify darted forward and grabbed Pierce by the shoulder, slamming him into the hedge wall and then summoning a dozen spears to go through his limbs, three apiece, and pin him to the wall. "I expected a response from you with that one. I thought you would show some regret, some sorrow, at least a moment of silence out of respect!" She shouted, and as she spoke bricks began forming in the air and placing themselves on the ground beside her, forming a wall and slowly arcing over them to make a ceiling.
"She died for you, Pierce! That wasn't a silly crush, it was real love! Even you should know better than to trample on her feelings like that, whether it was a smart choice on her part or not." Tears were beginning to form in Saify's eyes from the sheer emotional intensity, and her clenched fist was shaking. "But you... you just laughed it off! You're a monster, and I was the foolish one to really believe that you could hold Infinite's best interests at heart when you don't even have one!" She released her finger-whitening grip on Pierce's shoulder and stepped back, then turned away and continued down the patch. "I don't travel with monsters or NPCs." She said, and the bricks began to build downward, sealing Pierce in, "You can stay there, think, bleed, rot, die, I don't care anymore. We aren't allies, and if I ever see you again, I will kill you."
Just before the bricks reached the ground, Saify recalled that Pierce used shadows to fight; she snapped her fingers and created four glowing orbs of bright light hovering inside to minimize the shadows, and then the bricks she was forming finished, completely closing Pierce in the dark confines of his new prison. They would stay there as long as Saify had the energy to sustain them, which wouldn't be forever, of course, and it would be even harder if Pierce managed to attack the bricks, but long enough for Saify to distance herself from her foe. If nothing else, the act was very satisfying for her.

[Wolfsong]

/Pierce/Arachni/
He was startled when Saify suddenly reacted violently, practically screaming at him as she closed him off in a brick dome. Instead of doing anything, however, he just remained there and let the wall close over him. The spears hurt, now that he thought about it, but he didn't bother trying to remove them.
"Well ain't you sweet," he murmured softly, staring at the ground. "How can you speak about someone you didn't even know with such..." Glowing orbs appeared, but he ignored them. "When did you get so sanctimonious..." He glanced at the hedges, noting where his arms were trapped, and pulled on the shadows from there. Instantly the orbs were destroyed and the spears shattered as his shadows swirled around him. He ignored the dome, though, allowing himself to sit on the ground, still leaning on the hedges. "What do you know?" he asked, staring at the bricks.
Amber.
Why...if he didn't act like he did, he'd never keep his composure. He'd just be useless, unable to hold it together. If he let the pain in, he'd never be able to function. That's why he tried to remain aloof. If he let those thoughts in, how could he even hope to help Cyrano...
Cyrano. He was dead. Amber was on death's door, dead herself for all intents and purposes. They were both dead. And why? Because of him. Because of his stupidity. Both of them were dead.
It was all his fault.
"WHAT DO YOU KNOW???" he screamed suddenly, tears beginning to pour from his eyes. Almost viciously he attacked the wall, breaking it down. With surprising savagery he attacked the remnants as well, grinding at them till they were merely dust. He collapsed then, his entire body trembling. Tears poured like rain from his eyes.
"Amber...Cyrano...I'm sorry. I'm so...sorry..."
How long he was there was hard to say. Eventually, he raised his head, eyes red-rimmed and still somewhat wet.
"Guess I should go catch up with Saify," he said with a wry laugh. "Not that she'd want me, but I did promise Cyrano to try...perhaps if I kept my distance?" Still muttering to himself, he pushed himself up and started walking again, keeping his shadows wrapped close to him like a cloak.


The next place Saify reached looked exactly like the others, save there was only one door behind the small table. A black circlet rested on the table beside the card. The card there read: 'The Chancellor created this during the early stages of the game, but deleted it later as 'too dangerous'. Was originally made for the Slavers' Guild, but is known more for the use the renowned hacker Pierce made of it. Declare to the door the name of this dread circlet.'

/Lily/
While the others were fighting, Lily found she could easily second-guess what cards were coming, and found she could turn them to her team's advantage. Capturing three different cards, she's used the first one, which amplified their strengths and abilities. She used another, and found she could see the boss' s health.
It was quite low.
"Its almost dead!" She shouted encouragingly. "We've almost won!"

The jester dove away from Hael, only to find Shade in his way. He performed a forward flip over her, driving two knives at her back. Once he landed, he instantly spun on his heels to deliver a lethal blow to Shade.

/David/M'kalna/
Some time earlier...
Night had fallen, and FoolsLegion was celebrating. M'kalna had located Jn'tova and he had miraculously recovered from his losing a limb, though it wasn't explained how. But with the whole team together again, they were all in a celebratory mood. So they were partying, and expensively.
And they were all planning to foist it off on M'kalna.
He had other plans, however, and escaped after making some excuse about checking the quality of the ale some of his men were enjoying. They were a little too far gone to realize the bird had flown the coop till it was too late.
Chuckling to himself, M'kalna decided to climb the outer wall and take a look. Sitting on the stone edge, he looked with some bemusement. Hard to believe the once bustling city was now only a ghost town for the sick and depressed, for those who had nowhere else to go. The countryside, once safe save a few low-level monsters, was now teaming with hostiles of varying sizes. All were poised to kill, eagerly and mercilessly.
What a nightmare this had become.
It reminded him of how Jn'tova described living in the army, particularly on the eve of a battle. That feeling of impending horror, of wondering if this would be your last night alive, that kept you awake all night, he understood it well now. He'd gotten used to it, one can only live in a place so long before one adjusts to it as normal. He wondered if he ever returned to reality, if he could readjust. This place may be, or may have been, a game, but it was leaving very real scars in people.
Something caught his eye, a woman in obviously newb gear running for the city, the lizard-like creatures h'd been seeing around after her. She held a sword awkwardly, clearly having no clue how to use it. She'd be dead meat when they caught up. Sighing, he slid off the ramparts, taking his ax in hand.
The first one caught up with her, swinging its curved sword. She just dodged, and it only cut her arm. She screamed in pain, clutching the wound s=as she kept running.S he slid to a stop when she saw M'kalna coming, uncertain.
"Drop! Now!" he shouted, hoping against hope she'd listen. She did go down, avoiding the second creature's blow. It came around to try again, but M'kalna had reached them. It came around to try again, but M'kalna had reached them.
With a wide swing, he cleared the second's arm off. It screeched, scrambling back while it hissed at him. He thrust the butt of the handle into the first one behind him, flipped it upwards to kick it on the chin, then swung the ax around directly into its stomach. It disappeared, and he turned his attention to the other. It launched itself at him, unarmed save its cruel claws. He held his ground, bringing his axe straight down through its head, splitting it all the way down to the tail. He stood there a moment, just breathing, then turned to grin at the woman. "Its dangerous to run around alone out here, particularly if you can't fight," he said, offering her a hand.
She stared at him uncertainly, still sitting in the dirt. She was awfully pretty, he distantly noted. Her braided hair, forest green, rested over her shoulder. Her eyes were a silvery grey, watching him fearfully. He chuckled grimly, bending down slightly to grab her arm. "Come, more will appear if we hang around. Lets go in."

[Banana Lobster]

OOC: Late, late, I'm late again! How's this look, Wolf?

Sage Shade

Crying out in pain as the two knives hit, one scraping her shoulder, the other lodging in her arm, Shade instinctively lashed out with the water. It whipped across the jester's face, throwing him off balance and leaving a long gash across his forehead. Still moving on instinct, she spun around, equipping her scythe and slicing him neatly in half as he fell backward across the blade.

Azure Archer

Sometimes, Azure wished she had boots instead of sandals. Usually it was when she was racing across difficult terrain, like now, with lose rock and wet grass underfoot, when looser footwear heightened her chance of slipping and falling. Which she couldn't do--or else. She didn't dare glance over her shoulder at her pursuers, but she didn't need to; she had gotten a good enough look back when she had fired arrows at them with the intention of getting them to follow. Which they were doing. Hopefully giving 3d and Sholl time to get back to Central. Which she couldn't worry about or she would get distracted and slip. And be lost. Perhaps even infected. Some of these monsters looked pretty nasty, especially in the light of dusk, with just enough shadows to make them look truly grotesque.

A stable-looking rock tipped over and rolled under her foot, almost throwing her. She was lucky she was on an incline, or she wouldn't have been able to roll back to her feet in time. As it was, sharp claws caught her leg, score at least two long cuts. She couldn't even check to see the damage, but she could feel what she hoped was just poison pumping through her veins, and not this Virus that turned you into some kind of zombie or something--the rumors were just that, rumors, with no one having survived an actual encounter. Glimpses of such players had happened, but trying to talk to them, or trying to destroy them? No, no one had ever come back from those quests.

Up ahead, the walls of Central appeared in the distance, and Azure put on and extra burst of speed, only her lack of breath keeping her from screaming aloud in agony as her cuts burned.

Just a little farther, almost there, just a little farther....

[ClaecElric4God]

/Eric/Zare/
Zare let out a slow, quiet breath as "Ash" stood up, placing at least a small bit of distance between them. He was frightened all right. Very frightened. And he definitely didn't like that amused expression, a twisted, dark version of Ash's usual sense of humor. Right now he didn't even have time to worry about Ash. The bigger question was whether he himself would survive this.
No. He had to. He just plain couldn't die. Zare narrowed his eyes, refusing to back down. He raised his shoulders and looked Ash straight in the face, making no effort to hide his distaste for this new creature that had replaced his close friend. Playing weak in front of this overwhelmingly powerful player wasn't going to do him any good. He needed to be sharp and prepared for anything. Because deep down he knew that this new version of Ash would have no reservations about cutting him down where he stood, simply because he could. Pretending to comply with his standards wasn't going to make Zare's chances any better, of that he was sure. He was also sure that no matter what, he wasn't going to die here, in a virtual reality, with absolutely no purpose. Ash needed him to drag him out of his darkness.
And more than that...Zare felt a lump in his throat as he pictured his mother's face, creased with worry over every time he'd suffered hardship. He couldn't die...
Zare stood up, giving Ash a defiant look that didn't bother to hide his animosity.
"Yes, friend," he replied. "Why don't we? I'm sure you won't mind me shifting forms, to be of more use should opposition arise."
And without hesitation or fear, Zare quickly slid into cat form, watching Ash's every move as he did so. He realized this move was a bold one, but he'd determined that he wouldn't spend another second with the odds so greatly against him being able to outrun or at least hold his own against Ash. He slowly stalked down the path, daring to take his eyes off of Ash as he passed him, only to turn and glare at him again.
"Coming?" He asked, no hint of emotion in his voice.

/Jenna/Hael/
"Tch." Hael inwardly berated herself for falling just a second too short to block the attack that came at the girl in blue. She'd been caught off guard, and as quick as her reflexes were, she'd been far enough from the strange water girl that she hadn't managed to intervene in time. But she was there just as Shade struck their opponent, and followed it with her own attack, charging forward to drive her katana through his chest with a churning motion. The foe slumped and Hael drew her sword back, remaining poised as she waited to see what would happen next, in spite of their apparent victory. Hael refused to let down her guard till she knew the fight was truly over.

[Oddood198]

Once Saify had gotten a good distance away from where she had imprisoned Pierce, she felt her conjurations shatter as he broke free of his constraints. Mid-step, she formed her armor around her, a longsoear in her left hand and a shortspear in her right, ready to launch into combat as soon as Pierce came into veiw.
soon, she came across the next doorway, and with it, the next question. To most people, the question presented to her would have been difficult, nearly impossible barring very lucky guesses. But she was Saify Calling, the bane of the Slavers' Guild, and she knew a lot about them that most others didn't, even many of their own members.
"Slave Crown." She said, resolute and unbesitant. Without waiting for confirmation, she walked toward the door, ready for it to open itself like a motion-detecting one at a store.



Clear watched from across the room as katana-girl and scythe-lady finished off the jester, then she picked her piano up and hung it on her back, grinning widely.
"Man, you guys had some great timing! Lucky you showed up when you did, or I woulda had to get serious there. Nice work, everybody." She told their new and unexpected allies. "I'm Clear, bard class. And this cute little thing is Lily, and before you ask, she's all mine." She added jokingly, taking her young companion under her arm warmly.

[Wolfsong]

OOC - procrastination. Sorry.

/David/M'kalna/
He was surprised when another girl appeared, running for the city. What, was this ladies' night out or something? Gesturing for her to hurry, he easily forced the now-flimsy gate open and held it till they were both safely in.
"Someone needs to devote more time to this thing," he muttered as he pushed it back into place. He turned back to the women, both of whom were recovering their breath. Withholding a ish, he said, "Okay, not gonna ask what you were doing out there, I'm not even going to lecture you on all the safety rules like traveling in groups e-t-c. Instead, nearest item shop's two blocks down, four blocks over. There's a good inn along the same street - take my advice and avoid the White Raven tonight, its kinda noisy right now. Good night!"
As he turned, the woman he'd rescued grabbed his sleeve, and that of the other girl who'd come in. "Eh-excuse me," she said quietly, almost inaudibly. "I'm looking for someone, his name is David. Have you seen him?"
"Nope," he replied. "Haven't seen any Davids around. Good night." and he walked away.
He almost went back to the inn, then reconsidered and headed back to the walls; his men were likely still carousing. He leaned on the stonework with a contented sigh. With that last job, and interesting it certainly had been, he was set for a good while. Perhaps he could try and reclaim his guild house...
Something caught his eye, a growing mass on the horizon. He leaned forward intently, eyes straining to see. "What in tarnation is that?" he said.

/Lily/
The boss lay still, a strangely relieved smile on his face as he dispersed in sparks.
Lily beamed at Clear, then stared at the other girls curiously. She stared at Hael, then suddenly pointed at her.
"You're really scary," she said.

/Stephen/Ashimatya/
He stared at Zare with a creepy smile, then suddenly vanished, diving into the shadows of the hedges. Moving quickly, he slipped into Zare's own shadow, fusing completely with it. 'This should be fun,' he thought with a grin.
Don't you dare!
Ash blinked, then his eyes narrowed. 'Sit quietly Stephen, its my turn.'
Don't hurt Zare!
'Oh calm down, child.' He grinned. 'As long as he's amusing, you've no need to worry.'
Silence, then Stephen asked, When do I get back in?
When I'm bored. Shut up Stephen. This is technically MY body, after all. I'm also strong enough to evict you if I so please.
Stephen was silent. Ash smiled and prepared to enjoy the ride.

/Pierce/Arachni/
What a question. Duh, she.d know the answer to that. Just the reminder she needed at this point in time...
The gate opened for Saify, but the path ended there. Instead, before her was a large garden, between her and a great flowered arch. The garden with its numerous flowers of many colors and varieties was beautiful, but it lacked the sounds and visitors such a place should recieve.
Pierce remained a safe distance behind, unarmed noticably but still remaining safely away. He didn't feel like fighting, not when he already knew that was waiting for him at the end.
And once that was over, everything would be over.
He still didn't know how he felt about that. Infinite was his life, sad as that may seem. He felt more alive here than in what was supposed to be reality. Here, he could actually do things, incredible things. In 'reality' he was nothing, a nobody.
What waited for him, once this was over?
Well...maybe he should just focus on surviving Saify.
The door closed behind her, naturally. Not that it'd be a problem. He walked up to it, clearing his throat, then raised his voice.
"Hey, I'm sorry, okay? Not all of us can be tough and stalwart, Ms. Hero, I'm still just the petty villain. I can't do all the big hero stuff you guys are so good at. I'm technically already breaking villain creed here, trying to save the world and all that right now. Do you mind if I work my way through that before I worry about...personal things...? Please? Also, may I please get through this door without getting stabbed? I could do it, but considering the potential boss fight waiting for me at the end of this trek, I'd rather not."
Okay, that would probably still tick her off. Also, it occurred to him, she uses a spear, and how sturdy were these doors?...
Cautiously, he took another few steps back.

[Banana Lobster]

Sage Shade

Shade took a deep breath, wincing as she twisted to look at her injured shoulder. The wound wasn't jagged, thankfully, but it had scrapped bone, and was painful. She decided to remove the knife from her arm and down a healing potion; it didn't heal either wound completely, but it did heal them enough for her to move her arm, and she quickly wrapped bandages around her injuries. Her water had splashed to the floor and soaked into the dry rock, leaving her without one of her more effective weapons, but she would make do.

Turning back to the others, she nodded to Katana-girl. "Nice blow, I don't suppose I could get your name now? And thank you for tearing the card, should have done that in the first place." The second half was to the bard, with her arm around the little girl.

Azure Archer

Grunting in pain as the other woman accidentally pulled her onto her bad leg, Azure shook her head. "Sorry, don't know, distracted a couple of monsters trying to give some other players time to run. Leggo my arm!" She wrenched her arm free and sank to the ground, clutching her leg. "Oooh, that's nasty," she moaned, at last seeing her arteries--turned dark by poison--twisting away from the wound. Already her head was spinning as she dug into her belt pouch searching for some antidote.

[Oddood198]

Saify tightly gripped her spear when she heard Pierce's voice behind her, and she prepared to thrust it through the door and impale him on the spot, but decided to hear him out first.
Well, he was trying to make peace, at least. That was something, she supposed. But didn't he realize it was just a little too late for that? Like, a string of betrayals and two plans of world conquest too late? Still, as much as she hated to admit it, he did have a bit of a point; this was the time to unite against a common foe, not be bickering among themselves. Pierce was a heartless, disloyal, psychotic, sociopathic, egotistical monster with no regard for others, but at least he was aware of it. He wasn't trying to change, but he was making an attempt to patch up a mess he was responsible for. And right now, perhaps an abomination like him was just what they needed.
"Fine." She said, dropping her spear and letting it disintegrate, "Come on. We need to move quick."



Clear grinned at the thanks from green-hair, and waved her hand at her dismissively. "Psh, naw, no need to thank me. I just had a moment of clarity, was all." She said.
When Lily called katana-girl scary, Clear lightly rapped her on the head. "Don't say that, it's rude." She said. She looked at katana-girl for a moment, then whispered in Lily's ear, "Even if it is true, still don't say it."

[ClaecElric4God]

/Eric/Zare/
Zare froze when Ash disappeared, trying to keep up with his movements. Did he just...? Zare stared at his own shadow, narrowing his eyes. This was quickly becoming very irritating, but he refused to let it show. On the positive side, he was finding himself less and less frightened and more inclined to sink his fangs into this new version of Ash. But as angry as he was, he wasn't blind to the danger he was still in, and he chose his actions carefully. Shrugging his shoulders, Zare let out nothing more than a small growl deep in his throat, and then sprinted off down the path, into whatever it held.
"Don't think this is over, freak," he said under his breath. "I'm getting Ash out of here."


/Jenna/Hael/
Hael looked at each of her new companions in turn, her face completely expressionless. She made no response to the smallest girl's comment about her being scary, though it did cause a strange twinge in her gut that she couldn't quite explain. And she didn't miss the bard's whispered comment, either. But rather than dwell on it, she turned back to the girl who had helped her before, nodding a greeting.
"My apologies for failing to deflect that blow. I hope you're all right. My name is Hael."
Hael turned toward the exit, ready to press forward. Small talk was definitely not something she had time for.

[Wolfsong]

/Pierce/Arachni/
Relieved by her surprisingly calm response, Pierce quietly dissolved his figure and slid through the door crack. However, he remanifested a slight distance away from Saify, putting some bushes between them, just to be on the safe side.
He glanced across to the arch, then said, "You know, this whole place is lined with messed-up code? Its like someone twisted it just enough to create this, but left them spastically fixed. The whole thing could collapse if nudged just right." That observation made, he carefully began to make his way over to the arch, thinking about the code. He could use it, perhaps, but how would depend on what came...
Ah, the scores of possibilities. It might even save him from Saify, once this was finished.

/Stephen/Ashimatya/
Ash grinned at Zare's comment, and his shadow thickened slightly. Good, the cat was getting relaxed enough to be angry. This would be fun...
He froze, feeling something, a source of light. What was...someone suddenly stepped out of the maze, the man Stephen recognized from that conflict on the beach - the man who claimed he could fix his world. He stepped before Zare, his hand raised. "Brace yourself," he warned, just as a great light emitted from his hand.
It passed through Zare, but Ash screamed as it broke the shadow, forcing him from it into the open. Gasping in shock and pain, Ash attempted a quick retaliation, only for the man to blast him with something stronger, knocking him back. His eyes glowing, an aura of darkness surrounding him, Ash launched a stream of shadow towards the man, only for him to merely brush it aside like nothing. Before he could move again, the man was behind him, landing a terrific blow that laid him out flat, unconscious.
"I'm sorry," he said, facing Zare again. "I needed him out of the way, so I could talk to you. I mean neither Stephen, nor you, any harm. You see, I have a proposition for you - salvation for you and your friend." He paused a moment, letting that sink in, then continued, "The Dark Angel is dangerous to everyone around him, even the world itself, as you should know. You've been with him long enough, you've seen how he is. Right now...to put it simply, the demon itself has separated from Stephen and is its own entity. Its still just waking now, but it will consume Stephen when its ready, as well as everyone else it can. But!" He held up a finger, smiling faintly. "There's nothing ASH can do...if STEPHEN were to abandon him at this point. So, I'm willing to save your friend, and even you in the bargain. I'll log you both out, you'll be free of this game of death and Stephen will be saved from his demons. Will you...accept this?" He smiled in a friendly manner, extending his hand.

/Lily/
Lily smiled up at Clear, but resumed staring at Hael. As Hael started for the exit, Lily suddenly ran from Clear and jumped onto Hael's back, laughing. "Horsie!" she exclaimed cheerfully, then leaned back to wave at Clear. "Look, there's the door Clearly! We're almost out of this cave!"

/David/M'kalna/
The strange mass began to become more clear, and his face paled. Coming towards them as fast as they could come was a swarm of monsters bigger than any he had ever seen before. All were armed and appeared quite high-level - and all charging directly for Central.
He jerked back, and fell from the narrow wall, landing solidly on his back. Grimacing, standing again, he stumbled to the gateway and began smashing the alarm as hard as he could, sending its well-known clangs echoing through the city streets. The whole city began to come to life as the warning sounded. M'kalna stared into the distance at the growing mass, open fear in his face.
The walls were weak. The people weren't much better. How were they supposed to stand against such a horde???

[Banana Lobster]

OOC: Hey Wolf, what do I do with Azure now?

Sage Shade

Hael, Clear, and Lily. Shade nodded to herself, filing away names for later. "The wound isn't too bad, I'll be alright. Especially with a bard in the group. I haven't worked with them much, but they're quite good when you have them." Following the others out of the room, Shade studied the party in between glances behind them.

Yes, bards, when you weren't defending them, were very useful, boosting all kinds of stats. Clear wasn't a low-level player, so there wouldn't be much need to back her up, since she could look after herself. Hael was very good with that katana, but she kept getting injured, despite her speed and strength, so Shade would have to keep an eye on her health. And Lily; not a combatant, she would have to be guarded in battle, once the monsters noticed her. The jester had left her alone, but there had been more dangerous people in the room, so that was to be expected.

[ClaecElric4God]

/Eric/Zare/
Zare smelled a rat. Maybe he was wrong; but he didn't care for this "instant solution" that just...appeared out of nowhere. Granted, he'd always been bad at trusting people, but this just seemed a little too weird.
Barely holding back a snarl, he took a step back, away from the outstretched arm. He stood over Ash's unconscious form, not willing to leave his cat form. After seeing the display of skill this man had, Zare doubted he could put up much of a fight, but he could hope that if it came down to it, he'd at least have a chance to make a run for it with Ash in tow. Not many could match the speed of a werecat.
"That sounds pretty nice," Zare said quietly. "But how do I know I can trust you? I have no idea who you are or what your motives are. How do I know you can do what you say you can? No offense, but it sounds a bit sketchy to me."
Even as he spoke, doubt nagged at Zare's mind. The man was right, he was more than a little worried about this whole...inner conflict Ash was dealing with. And he had a feeling if they didn't get some sort of help, something very bad was going to happen to Zare's friend. But still...it didn't sit well with him to trust this perfect stranger.
What was he supposed to do?


/Jenna/Hael/
Hael froze in place. It took every shred of self-control not to react reflexively and detach the small girl from herself in a very...harsh...manner. Instead she simply breathed in very sharply, every muscle tense. After taking a moment to gather herself, Hael reached around and slowly, mechanically pulled the urchin off of her back.
"Don't do that." She said curtly, but still without a hint of the annoyance she felt.

[Oddood198]

"You know, this whole place is lined with messed-up code? Its like someone twisted it just enough to create this, but left them spastically fixed. The whole thing could collapse if nudged just right."

OOC: Huh, sounds like my Skyrim installation.




"Let's hope it doesn't all fall on top of us, then." Saify said as she set off through the maze of shrubs once more. She didn't care for conversation, really, especially not given her current company. Why had she just let him rejoin her? Why didn't she just kill him and be done with it? Did she really need him here? Well, she couldn't take the chance; for now, he'd just have to tag along and hopefully he'd prove himself useful.
I wish Cyrano were here. She thought as she walked. The great warrior would know what to do here; he always knew what to do, it seemed. Saify raised an armored hand to wipe her watering eyes as she thought of the departed warrior.



Clear smiled as she watched Lily and Hael... get along? Something like that. Lily reminded Clear a bit of what it was like when Katherine was little, before her shy nature took over and she couldn't look a stranger in the eye. She walked over and patted Lilyl on the head, wishing she could give the girl a ride on her back, but it was impossible with her piano.
"Right you are." She told the girl, then addressed the whole group, "That door must be the way out. Or to the next level. Forward, at least. Let's keep moving." She said, leading the way to the door.