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Hijinx
Exalted Player
Posts: 591
Joined: Thu Apr 03, 2003 11:28 pm
Location: New look, check it out!

Post by Hijinx » Sun Apr 01, 2007 12:06 am

Well, that had been another fun excursion. Nothing cheered her up quite like annoying the elites. There had been an abnormally high occurrence of death on their side, but given the sheer number of enemies they had to face down, it balanced out in the end. Still, that was over and done with. Now was the time to figure out what these new messages meant, why alarms were going off, and why she couldn't assess the situation from outside Pandora. At least, that WAS the plan until she gated back into the hideout.

Several things revealed themselves immediately upon entering, all of which were prioritized before anything else could be done. First, they had a renovated hideout. To what extent remained to be seen, but there was a promising air to the place. She secretly had hoped they would put in windows, but the chances of that were fairly slim. Sure, it was a place to hide from the prying eyes of those who would do them harm, but did it have to be gloomy too? Technically, they should have no problem finding a place like this anyway, proving them inept or cocky. Filing it under her "What I would do if I were them..." bin somewhere in the back of her head, Hijinx moved on.

Next was the unconscious body of Phoenix. His present state wasn’t really an issue in itself, but if he didn’t stop lying in the middle of the floor, someone was bound to trip over him eventually. Simply placing 4 orange cones around him solved that problem, freeing up some space to consider Nighthand’s predicament. Nall had said something about cutting data, and their heavy blade ally had taken a pretty nice slash across the face. If he was lucky, he would get a cool new scar or something, so he could use it to impress Royce. They did have certain chemistry between them, mostly in the sense that he ended up getting molested and/or killed. There was really only one way to find out for sure though, wasn’t there?

Back to the common room she went, finding her prey as soon as she walked in. There was only one problem, this was not their Nighthand. Something about the way he carried himself was different. He also had a great big scar over one eye, presumably disabling vision from that side, but that was to be expected. Walking over and leaning in close, she narrowed her eyes at his one good one before smiling cheerfully and waving a little, keeping one arm behind her back.

“Hiya! I’m Hijinx, and this…” A magician’s hat was pulled from behind her back, held upside down. Almost as quickly as she had produced it, she turned it over, dumping a confused Armina out of it and sticking the hat on her head before continuing the sentence.

“Is a cat in a hat!”

OOC: Sorry for the rough drop, mina! I'll get you ice cream or something later :P !
Hijinx the Lucky Former Rabbit
Level 35.000 Fist Fighter
Equip: Fist Guards, Wyrm Hide, guard cap, Snow panther, silver bracers
Item: 5 ressurect, 2 antidote, 10 healing potions, 6 Emperor's Soul, 3 Raging Earth, 5 Ice Floe, 4 Gale Breath, Knights Bane, 10 Speed Charms
Money: 1103gp
"The problem with life is there's no back-ground music."

Zan
Exalted Player
Posts: 206
Joined: Sat Jan 22, 2005 10:28 pm
Contact:

Post by Zan » Sun Apr 01, 2007 1:10 am

Everyone in the Hideout seemed to be in a general lull, most of the conversations having died down and a handful of the members either gone or napping. Zan was too lazy at the moment to conjure up a topic of universal conversation that would address the group as a whole. Eh, he'd wait for more of them to rouse from whatever activities they were engaged in before he even began to think of what he'd say. Hell, Nighthand...er, Silverblade...would probably get to it first. Maybe. That was a topic he hadn't quite mulled over yet. The AI had only ever spoken to him once and that was when he had decided to rejoin the ranks of the Freedom Fighters all that while ago. As far as he could tell the guy was rather sound and controlled. That wasn't to say that Nighthand was insane and in a constant rage, but Silverblade seemed to have a general air of knowledge and faith about him, like he believed in the group on a basic level. This, sadly, was more than Nighthand ever gave them. Still, Nighthand was a better leader than Nall, so Zan could hardly complain. He'd follow his fellow Heavy Blade miles and years farther than he would the Blademaster. Why? Well, aside from the fact that Nall tended to act on instinct and be more or less useless in the majority of their fights, the lycanthrope really didn't know. He just wasn't a fan.

Yawning a bit, Zan finally mustered up enough energy to end his slouch and actually sit up, eyes glancing over the remainder of the common room. Rayo was still slumbering away and most of the others were off...doing whatever. Healing, sleeping, training, eating, etc.; the possibilities were now vastly expanded thanks to Raine. Eating...eating...should he? The lycanthrope had already decided against it before on the grounds that Nulus would probably make him go all crazy with hunger and basically make him look like an oinker. Oinker. Pig. Pork. Bloody, squealing meat with its innards spilled out over the ground...mmm. No. Wait. Damn it, this was exactly why he didn't want--that hadn't been Nulus. Zan's mental walls were still slammed in place, keeping all but the Shade's words out of his head. Those hadn't been words, but feelings, sensations, and needs. His own Beast was starting to break loose from the chains he had so aptly set it in at the probability of food that Zan kept denying it. The Lycan wasn't afraid of losing control, not really, but the distraction of his inner animal throughout the next hub would be a little too much. Perhaps it was time to indulge a little. Just a little. Sighing in defeat, Zan rose to his feet, stopping by Rayo to plant a vile of Mage's Soul next to sleeping form with a 'From Zan' tag hanging loosely from the cork. The Wavemaster needed it more.

The kitchen was...nice for a quickly programmed place to grab a bite to eat in-between scrimmages with the Elites. For a while the NPC cook simply stared at him with that sort of dull, mindless stupidity that most of them did, the same question falling from its lips every ten seconds or so. What did he want to eat? Did he go for what everyone expected and get a nice juicy slab of raw steak, or did he aim for something a little less obvious? Fuck it, he wanted what he wanted. A minute later and he was sitting down at one of the single-seat tables, a stack of five raw, completely uncooked steaks stacked up like pancakes with watered-down cow blood dribbling like stake over the edges. Also on the table was a big black jug filled with a whispered drink, something Zan was careful to keep low and between him and the cook. This he ignored, for now, while he stabbed his fork into the middle of the first steak, biting into it with huge gnashes of four inhuman canines. The lycanthrope had managed to make it through three of them this way before he simply set the fork aside and grabbed the steaks with both hands, bringing them into the darkness of his hood, the sound of tearing meat hitting the kitchen air until there was nothing but air left in his hands. His stomach was sated, but still he reached for the jug, picking it up with both hands to dip into that darkness, great gulps following the shudders of his hands in a notable pattern. When the black jug was finally empty, Zan set it on the table, a steady, thick drip of red pooling from his hood and onto the table in turn. Maybe it had been fruit punch. Or tomato juice?

Wiping his mouth, feeling oddly dizzy...floaty more like. It was almost as if, after years of starvation, he had finally been given exactly what he had always craved. Zan had grown so good at ignoring the impulses of his Beast that he hadn't realized how much it wanted the meat. Not to this extent. It didn't matter now, things were perfect. Things were as they should be. Lowen. That one word took away his buzz, mind sobering up in but a second as he waded into the common room once more. Sadly, it was just as he had left it, only a person or two reclining here and there. Huh. Finding more time on his hands then he thought he'd have in their break, Zan began to ponder again over what he'd suggest to everyone, what would be best for the group as a whole. As far as he knew they only had two more hubs left and some of the others had already gone through the second for at least an hour or so. That gave them insight. Going to a hub that was completely alien to them was unavoidable, but if they could start out with something part of the group already knew something about then (theoretically) they'd have an advantage, right? First thing was first, though, everyone needed to gather and hear what the people did know. That way they'd all be in the loop and wouldn't have to worry about last minute shocks. Though, with the luck of the Freedom Fighters, the whole field was different by now.

People were too spread out to talk to verbally, so he'd have to start this via flashmail.

Flashmail!
To: The Party
From: Zan
Subject: The Next Hub

Well, as much as I'd like to sleep for fucking ever in this place, I think we should start considering our next move. Primal was tough, I know, but he was also only the start of this thing. Before we make any real decision on where we'll go, I suggest everyone whose able come to the common room. When that's accomplished, Rayo and whoever else went to the last field can give us some insight into the hub they visited (even if it was only for a small while). Since we'll have some insight into that field and, ideally, time to prepare, my suggestion is to hit that hub station again.

So yea, everyone who can, come down to the commons, if you would. The sooner we get this started the sooner we can rest again and the closer we'll be to being past this whole hub ordeal. I'd appreciate it.

See you soon,
-Zan

Flashmail! End


That done, Zan once again simply waited on the couch, wondering what he'd do to pass the time while everyone (if they chose to heed his advice, anyway) gathered. There was plenty to discuss, plenty to be prepared for, and hopefully the cards Rayo had given him were a sign of what they'd need in the hub to come. That or he was just giving out random items to be nice and helpful. Either way, he was grateful. Mind wandering a bit, the lycanthrope had the mental opportunity to wonder why Nulus hadn't even tried to break down the walls of his inner shields to experience the meal. Zan couldn't help but grin at that. He knew he had control over what Nulus could and could not do, but this much? Against the First Beast? The Oldest Wolf? Or was it First Wolf and Oldest Beast...eh. Zan was losing track of the glorifying names Nulus liked to be referred to as. Either way, it seemed almost impossible. It was then the Lycan realized just how much his 'friend' had lost in the transition from Shadow to The World, how much it had cost him to turn from cookie file to a stable piece of data. Zan wanted to laugh, to point and cackle at the annoying AI's misfortune...but he actually felt bad. Nulus was a prick, but he had given a lot to cure his cub, to cure Zan. Sure, he got his freedom...but Zan kept him imprisoned within himself most of the time. Surely Nulus had anticipated this. Then why did he do it? It was...fatherly.

Luke, LUKE...I am your father! Mocking laughter ensued, as was expected.

Stop quoting ancient movies, dumbass.

I got it from your head, 'dumbass.'

Zan was silent. Then... Shut up. Another pause. And besides, how did you read what I was thinking? I thought I was blocking you hard enough. You couldn't experience me eating, I know you couldn't. I would have felt it.

It was Nulus' turn to be silent. Annoyed, by the feel of it. Eh. Your shielding still has cracks here and there. When you patch up one you open or reopen another. It's amusing how far you have to go.

Zan didn't dignify that obvious truth with a response. No, instead he wallowed in the fact that his brain wasn't as fantastical as he had allowed himself to believe. Shucks. Shrugging, plastering over that chink in his mental armor and knowing full well it just opened up something else to Nulus, the Heavy Blade continued to attempt to busy himself while he waited for the people to gather. Again, it was only a vague hope. Zan, though he had proven himself to be as interested in the group's safety and success as anybody, wasn't their leader. He would never expect to be. All he wanted to do to help and, hopefully, that's all anybody had seen from his flashmail. Yawning, quickly losing that perfect pose in the couch, Zan was slumping once again, continuing to put off the necessary visit to the training center. It was too much physical work. The man needed just a littttttle more rest and he'd be good to go. Yea, yea, yea. Excuses. Was that his thought...or Nulus'? Sometimes, annoyingly, it was hard to tell. Shrugging it off, not wanting to flip out over something so small, Zan continued to sit.

And wait.
Lv. 50 Heavy Blade
Wishlist
Special: Levels, GR Sendai, PL Sakai, Darklore.
W: Tonosama Sword, Mineuchi, Jundachi.
A: Samurai Helm, Able Hands, Rare Greaves.
I: Holy Sap, Treebane, Cooked Bile, Nightbane.
EX: Elemental Summon (Lv. 2), Overdrive (Lv.1), Elemental Attacks (Lv. 2), Enhance Dark, Elemental Breath (Lv. 2).

User avatar
Lighteria
Well-Oiled Machine
Posts: 176
Joined: Fri Oct 01, 2004 12:59 am
Location: :noitacoL

Post by Lighteria » Mon Apr 02, 2007 3:33 am

Lighteria's face turned a deep crimson red... whether it was out of embarrassment or the fact that he was furious at this point is anyone's guess. As Reinier leaves the room the twin blade collapses to his knees and grips his arms to try and steady his body from shaking too much.

This situation had spiraled even further out of control than anticipated. Ditching the dark-eyed twinblade... whatever his name was, he didn't actually say... was probably a good thing in the end, having been led to the hideout... but just the thought.. just the NOTION of having some random gamer playing around with...

DAMN IT!!! Why'd that jackass have to go and say that? Now not only did I blow it, but I've got this unshakable vision in my head of my own body at the mercy of... that... IDIOT.

His head raises from staring at the ground and tilts back to watch the ceiling, tears starting to form in his eyes. Everything was seemingly more and more insane and out of hand. How did he let it get this far? How can it be fixed? Can't I do ANYTHING from here? Questions swirled but, as usual, no one came by, sat down and explained the answer to each one in exquisite detail like you wish they would. Instead, Lighteria picked up a pillow, searched around the hideout for a quiet corner no one was near, plopped the pillow in front of his face and screamed.


Two minutes of muffled agony later...
"Glad I got that out of my system." He remarks casually, stepping back into the commons.

Ok. Flash mail is out, no way to post on the BBS... Man, how do these people LIVE like this?

Silently resolving to never find out EVER, he turns and heads back to the couch to take a load off. The pillows 'foof' under him as he relaxes back, staring at the ceiling again, trying to think. As rejected solution after rejected solution cycles through his head, the pillows 'foof' again and the twin blade glances over to see a small, gray kitten staring at him. ...Could SWEAR it was smiling.

"Mew mew! Meow mew mew meow mew meow mew mew!" (Welcome back! I was worried when I lost contact in the last field!)

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Mew?" (Lighteria?) Lighteria quickly turns his head away and looks back to the ceiling, grimacing.

"The cat is NOT talking to you. You are imagining it. Focus." He mutters grimly to himself.

"...Mew mew meow?!" (Can't you understand me?!)

"Stop that." He mutters, shutting his eyes, trying to drown out the random strings of meowing.

Meow mew mew? Mew mew meow! ...Mew, meow mew mew meow MEW mew! Meow meow. Meow mew mew mew mew. (What's going on here? Lighteria can't understand me! ...No, he doesn't even act like he KNOWS me! Something's going on here. I'd better find out what and fast.)

"Mew." (Lighteria.)

"...bulletin boards are all in game..."

"Mew!" (Lighteria!)

"...asking another player is out. I don't know anyone and they'd just think I was craz-"

"LIGHTERIA!"

"OH MY F**KING GOD YOU TALK!!!" He says in what's less than a shout voice but waaay louder than what's necessary to get the point across. He scuffles backwards against the couch cushions like he's scuttling away from a creature in an alien horror flick. Kit jumps up onto the back rest of the couch so she's at face level with him and stares at his face.

"Geez, calm down." She says, frowning. Lighteria takes a few deep breaths, just staring at Kit.

"..." He shakes his head. "...Video game." He hits his forehead with his palm lightly. "Yeah... It's a video game. Cats talk here. It's not freaky, it's quirky and cute and attracts the animal lovers." He groans and looks back to Kit, talking directly at her now. "This place keeps blurring between real and not-real life. ...But why the heck do you know my name? You some kind of advanced AI or something?"

If you'd been watching Kit this whole time and somehow had developed the ability to read kitten facial expressions (they're quite limited), you'd notice Kit's taken aback by this question. The actual reality of why she was a conscious entity was something she'd never actually dwelled on. Up until the day she had been brought to Theda: Beautiful Fated Fallen Angel, she had never even passed a thought beyond her mewing. That day though, had brought far more than milk and yarn balls. Her mind expanded that day. Things started making sense... like waking up from 3 hour surgery after getting enough anesthetic to knock out a buffalo. buildings were more than just things yarn bounced off of, kitchens were no longer a place milk could be raided from, dogs were no longer Enemy Of Kitten Kind. Instinct gave way to... reason... and by evidence, she certainly she gave things more thought to things than the average human. As to WHY or HOW though, she'd never thought of that. The internal questions of ones existence, after all, never truly change much. After all, even if she did find out why or how, it wouldn't make the milk less tasty or the belly rubs less enjoyable. Life progressed in any case no matter how much of it you figure out. Ultimately how much you understand about the yarn is simply going to be less FUN than batting it against a wall. Thus, her introspection comes to an end. Something was missing here, and that something was purring.

"Belly Rub. Now." She says suddenly, jumping into Lighteria's lap and rolling over. Lighteria looks down, a bit miffed at the demand but ultimately deciding it's easier to roll with it than to argue with a kitten. He rubs her belly. She purrs. All is right with the world.

"...Ok, let's assume I lost my memory." Lighteria starts out, watching Kit as she stretches and purrs like a motor boat. "Not saying that's what happened, but it's way easier than explaining the whole thing. Given that, what should I know about you?" There's a pause and Kit yawns lazily, sprawling out on his lap and relaxing more.

"You're obviously not him." She starts out between purrs. "Mew meow mew meow" (Not one stutter this whole time) Her tail swishes lightly. "You give good belly rubs though, so you can't be all bad." She beams with a sort of pride. "I'm Kit, you're Lighteria. You give me back rubs and milk whenever I feel like it and take me with you on your adventures due to my invaluable support skills." Lighteria nods a little, taking it all in, not realizing the rather large embellishments along with the fact that Kit tended to more often tool around root towns and garner affection from random cat lovers than helping Lighteria in his quests.

"You know, I can TOTALLY see him turning to a kitten for support." He jokes for a moment, glancing around the Commons. Before anything else is said, a flashmail pops up. The twin blade opens it calmly and reads the contents, taking everything in. After a second he sighs. "We'll talk about this stuff later... in English if you don't mind. Things are going to get crowded around here soon I'm sure."

"Hey, HEY!"

Lighteria blinks and looks down to Kit's sudden demanding voice.

"Less talky. More Petty."

There's a pause before Lighteria sighs in defeat and starts rubbing the kitten's belly again.

This is going to be a long day.

((OCC: Nothing to see here, move along))
Lv. 37 Twin Blade (180 SP)
Weapon: Rashou (Thunder Coil- 30, Suvi Lei- 20, Mumyn Lei- 30) (Life Drain)
Armor: Holy Tree Mail (Juk Kruz- 20) - Scarab Earring (La Repth- 20, Rip Maen- 40) - Time Sandals (Ap Do- 15) - Forest Gloves (Juk Kruz- 20)
GP: 14384

Wish list (In order of priority): Angel halo accessory, chibi angel wings, Bone Armor, Professional

Lighteria: "Obsessively updating my profile since Fri Oct 01, 2004 7:10 pm"

Armina
Exalted Player
Posts: 321
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2003 4:10 am
Location: Zanarkand, when not in The World
Contact:

Post by Armina » Tue Apr 03, 2007 4:19 am

What came from Hijinx's hat was a very confused petite LongArm, her short auburn hair rumbled and the blue bandana she always wore when not in a "safe zone" askew from suddenly being yanked from the wood field she had just been on, deliberating how to search for her players-in-arms. She landed forcefully on her rump, the flap of her blue skort flying open making her very glad she was wearing the skort instead of a skirt. Her new spear fell across her lengthwise, The heavy pointed end bonking her on the head. This jarred the bandana the rest of the way off showing the furred cat's ears half hidden in her hair.

She blinked cross eyed up at the woman in white, unable to read her username when she toggled her. The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but Armina kept her mental shields up feeling the others around and slightly afraid to pick up much more than she was already getting. She wondered if hitting herself in the head with her spear when she fell gave her a mild concussion. The rest of the room she was in was a blur, but she instantly noticed the lack of even the World's artificial sunlight & missed it.

Armina smelled the medium-rare steak and wine, and her stomach rumbled. She took in the white hair of the seated player at whose feet she lay sprawled, blinking at the silvery white hair and trying to make a connection. "Nighthand?"

Then as her eyes crossed again she lost a bit of her mental shielding and winced at the barrage of thoughts, quickly closing her shields up again but sending out her thoughts quite loudly Where am I? Then, "How did I get here?"

If this was Nighthand, and not a dream, where were the others? Gingitsune, Nall, Ramza, Rayo, Hijinx, Kayin...

Armina put a gloved hand to her head. Ow, but thinking hurt. After the rollercoaster of what she had to put Ranger and herself through, she was not quite ready to give out a mental roll call just yet. Maybe in a few minutes. When the room focused and stopped moving on her.

Wait... she was the cat in a hat? How had she gotten into a hat? Or come out of it? Maybe this was a dream after all.
Image
Level 33
Skills: JukRepulse (WoodL2), RaiWipe (ThunderL2), RueKruz(1:S:Water), DekGanz (dec. Earth), RaiRom (1:Thunder), Repth, RipTeyn
Specials: LifeDrain
Items: 4Antidote, 2Restorative, 23Health Drink, 10Mage'sSoul, 5Ressurect

Rayo
Exalted Player
Posts: 485
Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2003 7:21 pm

Post by Rayo » Thu Apr 05, 2007 4:03 am

The wavemaster finally stirred, having gotten enough sleep for the time being. Sleep, food, basic acts of hygiene… there were many things unnecessary for their bodies while in The World. Yet, the mind was there, and at the very least it requested a break now and then. How much of what resided in the hideout was unnecessary? The beds provided a place to sit down, but wasn’t a kitchen mostly for show? Eh, whatever. Cereal might not be so bad, and breakfast wouldn’t hurt the waking up process.

Stretching his arms, the magic user bumped his arms into a bad and a generic Mage’s Soul that was by his side. One was from Zan, while the others weren’t labeled. The contents were made up of Sport’s Drinks, so they were probably intended for him. Maybe. Hopefully. If someone complained about missing items later, then he’d burn that bridge later. Given that the items in question were of his favorite element, Rayo might also burn the person, depending who it was anyway.

The mage stumbled out of the barracks, mostly awake but not fully, into the common room. Surprised by what appeared in his field of vision, the wizard rubbed his eyes after giving up on blinking it away. However Hijinx had managed to pull his former tournament buddy out of a hat was beyond him. A lot of what the fist fighter did fell under that category, but those were just things that he learned were easier to accept. Breakfast was put on hold, as Hijinx had managed to remind him of a matter he did feel needed to be taken care of.


“Hey! It’s been a while Armina. Been doing okay?”

After giving the long arm a chance to reply if she wanted to, his eyes searched the room and found Raine. The planner walked over to her to see if she might be able to whip up what he was interested in.

“Hey, we don’t happen to have a blackboard around here, do we?”

"No... did you want one? It shouldn't be too hard to add somewhere."

Perfect. With one of the simple tools teachers relied upon, getting a few points across to a group of computer literate individuals could only be so challenging. Well, assuming they didn’t all ignore it.

"Yes, if it wouldn't be too much trouble. It'd probably be bothersome to actually get everyone in the same place until it's time to go, and I want to make sure everyone catches the news updates."

"Good idea. It's hard enough keeping track of just a handful of people, let alone a group this size." She paused. "I'll make one by the gate room in the commons, does that sound good?"

"Very much appreciated."

As soon Raine finished her work, the mage scurried over to where she had placed the board. Kindly enough, chalk had even been provided so Rayo wouldn’t be forced to go back across the room to ask for some digital writing instruments either. Ignoring the sound of an occasional beep, Auth set to work on explaining his changes. If the rest of the party understood how his powers worked, then they’d be more likely to provide aid to strange requests.

Step one of communication, pictures. A quaint stick figure was drawn, with a zigzag line clearly meant to represent a bolt of lightning striking the plain circle head. The wavemaster etched two horizontal and parallel lines next to his first picture, and continued by adding two new stick figures. There were two people this time, with a sideways bolt striking the person on the right, extending from the hands of the person from the left. An arrow was drawn to the third picture, which still showed the leftmost figure in the basic posture, while the one who had been struck by lightning was a skull. Examining the diagram again, a smile was added to the face of the individual in the third picture. To prevent any confusion, the artist wrote his own name down below it, while adding a few basic bulleted points. ‘By being hit with a spell (no summons), Rayo can then use that spell.’ ‘Rayo will know this spell until leaving the field.’ ‘Rayo still has to spend SP in order to call upon the magic.’ ‘If Rayo dies in the process, no spell is learned. (Do not PhaAnything Rayo).’ Just to make his point really clear for the sake of his own survival, a second picture was added where a lot of lightning bolts were touching the stick figure, and another where a summon monster was attacking him. For the first it showed a skull, and the second had a frown on it’s face. That should do it.

Having realized halfway through his second drawing that the incessant beeping was a flashmail, Rayo went ahead and read it. Zan was thinking ahead as well, it would only be right to offer up a helping hand. The boy dragged the chalk down the middle of the blackboard to separate the two halves, and went on to fill out that half too. ‘The Failed Hub Summary: Upon arriving at our field, we were in a forest. Shortly in, we were attacked by monkeys. While they were clearly not natural, these hacked monsters could only boast some agility, and it definitely fell short of Primal. (chucked rocks at us too.) Also, we kind of set that part of the field on fire. Be warned, the fire may still be active. We next ran into a puzzle that was right in front of six possible paths to walk. The yellow trees did not seem to bring up to the proper path, but I don’t have the clues memorized. Check with the others for that. We encountered a at least outwardly friendly fairy named Elin before she went missing. She wanted us to save her sisters. There were gargoyles capable of reflecting both offensive magic and summons. Do note, they were vulnerable to status magic and physical attacks. The cave past the yellow path was extremely dark, and only gained some light after we destroyed black spotlights. A snake/obelisk boss combination was defeated in order to escape up to the light above. Only the obelisk portion appeared to take damage, and striking the snake’s eye was the most effective way to stop it from clinging to our target.’

Feeling there was nothing more he could write or remember, the wavemaster put down the chalk and sat and walked over to the nearest couch and took a seat.
Rayo
Lv.47 Archer 745HP/311SP
Bell, the Silver Grunty of Thunder
Skills/Spells-Shocking Arrow of Voltage(30), Arrow of the Burning Stars(10), MeRai Rom(40), Rai Kruz(10), La Repth(20), Rip Maen(40), MeRai Kruz(20), GiVak Kruz(20), MeRai Don(20), Rig Saem(15)
Weapon/Armor/Book-Golden Royal Bow/Thunder Torque, Thunder Cloak, Able Ring, Ivory Greaves/Thunder Magic
Wishlist: YL Fukuoka, Stormlore, Winter Stone, Silver Grunty

User avatar
Nighthand
Master of Games
Posts: 1265
Joined: Mon Mar 31, 2003 9:23 pm
Class: Bladesmage
Location: ...Tracking...please wait...

Post by Nighthand » Thu Apr 05, 2007 5:51 pm

Silverblade blinked, as a player from the past was revealed before him. Not HIS past, of course, but close enough that he could fake it. As usual, Silverblade wondered just where Hijinx got her powers, and also as usual, he just shrugged it off. Probably the same place the rest of them got theirs, anyways. Hers just... weren't as logical. In any case, they had another new member, or old member returning, or whatnot.

“Nighthand?”

”Armina? Wow it's been a while. Well, it's been a while for Nighthand. I'm not him, but close enough it doesn't matter, and would take too long to explain for the moment. I'm sure we can talk later. Good to have you back with us, and good to know the hackers haven't caught up with you.”

“How did I get here?”

”It... looks like that's Hijinx's fault. And to answer the question you no doubt have, there aren't many of the same people you knew when you were with us still here. In fact, I don't think you'd actually know any of us except Hijinx, Myself, and Nall. But... uh... welcome back?”

He sighed, leaned back, and sipped at his wine. The group had lost so many over the years... And yet, why should he care? He was, after all, a creation of a hacker. He wasn't really a part of this group. He knew the memories he had were not his own. He could, quite literally, read them like books on a shelf if he wished. But then, he was in Nighthand's body, and this was Nighthand's fight. He was stuck with it, at least until he got his own body.

Now there's a thought. Why hadn't he bothered to do that before? Maybe he couldn't exist without this body; after all, taking away Nighthand's mind would leave him with very little left.

Flashmail!
To: The Party
From: Zan
Subject: The Next Hub

Well, as much as I'd like to sleep for fucking ever in this place, I think we should start considering our next move. Primal was tough, I know, but he was also only the start of this thing. Before we make any real decision on where we'll go, I suggest everyone whose able come to the common room. When that's accomplished, Rayo and whoever else went to the last field can give us some insight into the hub they visited (even if it was only for a small while). Since we'll have some insight into that field and, ideally, time to prepare, my suggestion is to hit that hub station again.

So yea, everyone who can, come down to the commons, if you would. The sooner we get this started the sooner we can rest again and the closer we'll be to being past this whole hub ordeal. I'd appreciate it.

See you soon,
-Zan


Silverblade nodded in response to each line. Not that Primal was the hardest thing they had ever faced, he knew from Nighthand's memories, he had ranked up there.

Flashmail!
To: The Party
From: Silverblade
Subject: The Next Hub

I know I'm not Nighthand, but I'm in his body and I have all his memories and I've been here long enough to know everything Nighthand does. I'm basically Nighthand, anyways. I suppose I'm the pilot of his body for a while, at the least. Anyways, Zan's right. We can't loaf around here forever. As well as this place is hidden, Raine and Sheena can't be expected to hide us forever from the Elites, who no doubt are searching for us even as I write this. Some of you they don't know, some of you they definitely do. I know they probably wouldn't hesitate to kill me if they found me in a dark alley.

Primal was tough, and the way Marionette was talking, I fully expect to find another of his guardians at the end of whichever hub we choose to assault next. The best we can say of him at the moment is; he hasn't killed us. That's more than we can claim about the other hackers we've faced. But remember; he IS a hacker, and part of their organization, or else he wouldn't be protecting these hubs. We can't forget he's the enemy, as passive as he seems to be. Assuming it's a he. We don't know much.

Also, I was there at that other hub as well, so I can offer what insight I have. Once we're all gathered up, we can discuss our next move.


Flashmail sent, Silverblade marveled at how different he was from Nighthand, even with the same memories and body. He knew, somehow, that he wouldn't be able to call forth Nighthand's favorite sword, and he knew that his own power, while like Nighthand's in some ways, was fundamentally different. On top of it all, while they had the same memories, they had different minds.

While they had been talking and Silverblade had written his flashmail, Ryao had struck upon a better idea. Raine, at his request, began a minor project not far from where Silverblade was sitting, near the exit to the gate room. Always one to want a LITTLE flourish to her work, she put her hands to the wall, and from them a grid appeared. A lattice of blue lines covered a decent size rectangle of the wall space, before covering over in a light blue film. A fade into white, and then into black, and the hideout had it's very own blackboard. Complete with a chalk tray, an eraser, and no mess. The hideout itself was reasonable self-cleaning, so whatever chalk dust happened to coat the area would immediately be absorbed back into the code.

Rayo instantly took advantage of the board by explaining his powers and adding what he knew of the hub he had visited first. Silverblade, while he had guessed somewhat what the mage's ability was, still was interested as it was more fully explained. The power to hold onto spells? If Nighthand had been the one to have that, on top of his other powers, he would have been an extremely happy man. As it was, the power would no doubt prove invaluable again and again. Hell, if they could get someone like Raine to charge their mage with spells before each field, it would make all these elemental-based puzzles just that much easier.

Flashmail!
To: The Party
From: Silverblade
Subject: The Next Hub

Me again. Raine added a chalkboard to the common room, and Rayo has written what he knows of the other hub on it. Just thought I'd make sure everyone knew.


Silverblade once more sipped at his wine. The group was still scattered, and it would take some time to get them all back together. In the mean time, there was no real reason not to rest.

Zan
Exalted Player
Posts: 206
Joined: Sat Jan 22, 2005 10:28 pm
Contact:

Post by Zan » Sat Apr 07, 2007 1:42 am

Lounging around as he was, Zan could only wonder if he had always been this lazy on the in-betweens that occurred from quest to quest. Technically, yes, he had already cracked this particular puzzle. The emotional workout with Xael's murder and the shattering of his shallow vanity had been draining. That wasn't under the microscope right now. No, the lycanthrope found the mental lacking that had affected his body more or less gone...but he was still tired. It wasn't the sort of tired that actually had a weight on his muscles or his eyes threatening to close or anything of the sort. Rather, it was a fatigue that he simply couldn't seem to itch. He knew it wouldn't affect his performance in their next quest, but it was making him immensely lazy now that he had the option to be. What was it? Was this the aftermath of his remission from the defeat of the Plures Vultus Mortis in his body? If that was it, well, Zan could easily take this backlash. It was better than feeling like you had about ten different cancers of varying and agonizing intensities as he had during the last field. Who was to thank? Nulus of course. With how tightly the Heavy Blade's mind-guarding was sealed, the Shade couldn't read him. But if he opened it up to ask why he was feeling so...slackerish, more so than he usually was, then maybe he could get some answers.

Do you know what's wrong with me?

Nothing.

Nulus? Hello? Another pause.

Huh? What? Oh, yea, sorry about that, I was just watching the little movie in your head of your night with Lowen. The bastard whistled. I don't know what being on drugs is like, seeing as you don't, but that has to be close.

Zan could mad, he could get furious, but it would only egg the First on. Do you know what's going on with me? Why I'm being so...bleh?

You realized your life is worthless and you're no better than a puppy that huffs around all day whining?

That was it, Zan couldn't take it. Listen here, you son of a bitch-

Relax, relax. Yes, I know what's wrong. I felt it on my side far before you did and did a little data-scanning. It seems both of our data sets are trying to assimilate because of the massive similarities. The effort you're subconsciously taking to keep us from merging is causing some fatigue. It'll never go away, but as far as I can tell it's not getting worse either. Though it would be interesting to see what would happen if-

Not. Yea, isn't happening.

With their mental link severed and his mind-guards back up in full strength, he had time to ponder this...interesting little revelation. They could merge? Zan could only imagine how messy and nasty something like that would turn out. Would it have Zan's body with its gigantic head and knife-like fingers or, perhaps, would it have the hulking figure of Nulus with Zan's tiny (in comparison) limbs sticking out here and there? There was no way the lycanthrope was ever going to indulge either of their curiosities and find out. Plus, with his luck? Something like that would end of being permanent. What would a merging do to their minds, anyway? Would they still be separate people or would they become something entirely new and alien? The Lycan couldn't help but shudder at the sheer range of possibilities. That noted, however, he couldn't deny that he was tempted to see the results. The fact that it could potentially make them more powerful and that much more of a weapon for the Freedom Fighters? That's what made it worth mulling over, if only jokingly. Zan supposed, if nothing else, that they could test it and see what the hell would happen if they ever got in a big enough snag in a battle. Or would it make things ever worse? Bah, too many questions.

The hacking of a blackboard into the Hideout turned Zan from his own room of thought to notice everything else going on around him. Sometime in the recent past Rayo had stirred from his nap and, apparently, requested something he could write on. Why he had requested such an outdated blackboard when he could have chosen something at least mildly recent like a whiteboard was beyond him...but eh. There probably wouldn't be any chalk dust to clean up. It was just the feel of chalk that made Zan's skin crawl a little that deterred him from being too immediately excited. Not long after its appearance and the high-leveled Wavemaster was jotting down what appeared to be a rather humorously executed cartoon. As the story developed and notes were made, Zan realized it was more a map of who Rayo had become. So that was his hack, how his Twilight had chosen to manifest as of late? Damn. Nighthand/Silverblade would have a joygasm with that kind of power in conjunction with their powers at hand. Did Silverblade even have the same power as Nighthand? Hadn't he mentioned that somewhere? Eh, whatever.

When Rayo had finally gotten around to reading the flashmail Zan had sent out (that everyone seemed to be ignoring; where the hell did they all go?), the tactical mage began jotting out the past experience and observations in the field they'd probably be going to next. Monsters that threw rocks at you? What the hell kind of monsters did that? Usually the things hounded you down and just went apeshit on you that way. Apeshit. Were they apes or monkeys or something? Haha, nah. That'd be ridiculous. Moving on, he quirked a brow at the mention of a faerie of some sort. That's...interesting. And gargoyles? And huge, evil snakes? Sounds like they had it easy compared to the bullshit 'Team Rayo' had to face in the other hub. Alright, so that was mildly sarcastic, but still potentially true. Either way, it was still good to know at least a modicum of what they were about to go up against. Sure, there was still a chance that some foolish member of their scraggly group would suggest going to the field they knew nothing about, but hopefully Zan could be able to metaphorically sniff them out and remove their brains before they could speak a word. Hehe. Ehehehehe. Whoo. Either Nulus was twisting his sense of humor, or Zan's laziness had turned to dull boredom (a symptom of such being lame jokes and the like).

What should he do now? Adding something to the board came to mind, but Zan couldn't immediately think of anything useful. Were there things people might need to know about his abilities or his arsenal that the didn't already? The lycanthrope's first answer was no, as his ability, at this point, had been seen more than enough to get the gist of the general physicality of it. So was there--Nulus. The Shade didn't have any added abilities at this point that Zan was aware of, but there had to be something people might like to know about the thing's power, right? Zan could only imagine the ream of bullshit Nulus would love to feed people if the Lycan gave it control of his hand...but then again, doing so would probably end up on it attempting to strangle Zan rather than waste time on its freedom jotting down bullshit on a blackboard. Eh, perhaps he needed to go back to the telepathy thing and get some info on the Oldest Beast. He had to know something notable about himself, didn't he? If there were no special abilities, then his stats. Yea, those were worth jotting down. People might want to know whether or not his pet was a think of physical power, speed, etc.

I'm going to ask you a question and you won't respond with some poorly thought-up, witty comment. It's about you, so you should be sated to cooperate. No interruption, hoorah. Alright then. Can you tell me anything about your stats? Accuracy, defense, etc?

Nulus didn't hesitate. I was wondering when you might poke around about that. I seem to have your HP and SP, but my other stats resemble those of a Twin Blade of the same level as you possess. Thirty, if I'm not mistaken.

Rudely shutting down the link once more, knowing Nulus would only go off again to search down private moments to use against him later; his mother's suicide, his father's transition from father-of-the-year to abuse drunk, his slaughter of the pack and of Lowen in The World, all of it. Zan, taking up part of the board for himself, made a quick note about possessing a 'pet' (something he knew would piss the Shade off to no end) now and everything else Nulus had let him in on. The HP, the SP, the level 30 Twin Blade stat part, etc. When that was done, Zan finally aimed his eyes over where he knew the Training Room to be and figured, hell, it was time to give it a shot. If everyone was going to take so long and, ideally, if Dien and Zhao were done, he should get in some practice time with his new...partner. Walking around with Nulus and not being able to know what it was capable of was unbalancing. The Lycan needed, needed to know what he would be unleashing in the battles ahead with his friends. The First was too weakened by the transition to delete, those powers gone from him, but no reason to risk it. Zan had a quick thought about Phoenix.

Okay, so not many.
Lv. 50 Heavy Blade
Wishlist
Special: Levels, GR Sendai, PL Sakai, Darklore.
W: Tonosama Sword, Mineuchi, Jundachi.
A: Samurai Helm, Able Hands, Rare Greaves.
I: Holy Sap, Treebane, Cooked Bile, Nightbane.
EX: Elemental Summon (Lv. 2), Overdrive (Lv.1), Elemental Attacks (Lv. 2), Enhance Dark, Elemental Breath (Lv. 2).

User avatar
Lighteria
Well-Oiled Machine
Posts: 176
Joined: Fri Oct 01, 2004 12:59 am
Location: :noitacoL

Post by Lighteria » Sat Apr 07, 2007 5:35 am

With Kit purring steadily in his lap, Lighteria glances over the flash mails he'd received.

...

...Yeah, I'd better get used to slinking into the shadows here. These hackers they're... I guess WE'RE dealing with are... obviously some pretty sick freaks. We're talking about way, way more than hacking up a rare item or making a field different. These guys are going so far beyond the boundaries of the game parameters they're practically making a new one. What the heck could they possibly gain from this anyway? Apart from getting a small band of random players really, really pissed.


"More rubby." Kit suddenly says. Lighteria glances down to his lap again and growls under his breath, rubbing her back again.

...I can't believe I'm taking orders from a cat. But with these other players here, I can't just argue with the thing. They'd think something is up... suspect foul play where there's just mistakes, yadda yadda. Then nothing but trouble. Best to just lay low until the potential for idiocy wears off. In the mean time, I'll have to start making sense of these hubs and elites and junk. ...And that's easily the silliest picture I've ever seen.

Reading the chalk board from over on the couch, the twin blade steals a glance towards the dining area. The smell had been bothering him for the past few minutes with people going in an out of there, eating and what have you.

...Wait a minute. ...I actually SMELL the kitchen. That's just all KINDS of wrong. Video games should never be this real... just period.

He shudders a moment and picks Kit up in his arms, to avoid any abandonment confrontation. Kit looks up, whiskers twitching lightly, towards the twin blade's stoic face.

"Mew... (Where) ...Where are we going?" She mumbles out between purs, Lighteria's hand still stroking her back.

"If I'm putting up with this, I'm gonna make damn sure I enjoy part of it." He mutters to himself grimly.

After a few steps towards the doorway, he stops in his tracks, seemingly remembering something just then. Standing straight, he turns his head towards the semi-silent wavemaster, really not directing the comment to him specifically but it was clear he wanted someone to hear it... it may as well be someone who LOOKS like he'd think about it.

"I'm going to the other room and get something to eat. I'll be back for the meeting... I'm just sick of sitting on the couch."

With that, the twin blade heads into the cafe, almost storming up to the counter. Kit watches in curiosity (like most cats do) as his hand lifts into the air and slams onto the counter in front of the cook. His face, taking on a dire, serious expression.

"You." He says in a low voice, staring the NPC square in the eyes, his brow furrowed in a gaze that would pierce your soul with its gravity.

The following is said without pause: "Sundae. Three scoops vanilla, three chocolate, one strawberry for flavor. I want chocolate syrup in the cracks. None of that half-way to taffy crap either. I want it syrupy, light, and non-chewy. One inch thick layer of whipped cream on the tops of each scoop, no more, no less. M&M flakes are to be sprinkled on the top of the cream. Sprinkles are used sparingly on the ice cream itself. Cherries on top, amount equal to the number of people in this group. It does not melt in the bowl. If any part of it is sugar-free I kill you."

Kit whaps his wrist lightly with her paw.

"...And a saucer of milk."

The cook, realizing that this might not be the best person to make small-talk with... like, ever... simply nods and slips away to the refrigerator, returning after a minute with a semi-large bowl filled with the ice cream to his exact specifications. A moment later, a saucer appears on the countertop. The npc skillfully grabs a carton of milk, twirls it around in his hand like a bartender with a wine bottle and tilts it about an inch over the saucer, filling it to the brim. Kit instinctually licks her lips.

Lighteria inspects his bowl like you'd inspect a bomb for a few seconds, nods in approval, and lifts the bowl with one hand, the saucer with the other. "...Thank you." He says shortly, walking back into the commons, Kit practically nipping at his heels, waiting for the milk to reach lap-level.

The twin blade walks into the commons with utter silence. Normally one would have to chuckle at the sight of a thin, pale twin blade carrying an elaborately made bowl of dessert about the size of his head whilst having a small saucer in the other... especially with a kitten at his feet halfway demanding access to said saucer. But, with the utmost dignity and straightest face, he walks back into the room, largely ignoring everyone else, and sits on the floor in front of a low-set coffee table. Placing the culinary confection onto the wood and the saucer onto the ground, Lighteria reaches into his belt-pack unsheathing a spoon like you'd unsheathe a sword, holding it aloft and at his side straight up in the air. With Kit ignoring his antics and diving right into the milk, purring like a motorboat, the twin blade looks solemnly down at the cherry in the center of the cream. "Tonight, we dine in hell." He says in a dark, scratched voice. Immediately after, the twin blade digs his spoon into the sundae and ravenously attacks the dessert like a wild beast, shoving spoonfuls of cream and vanilla into his mouth, making smacking and slurping noises all the while. Clearly, enjoying this treat was his top priority.

If I can have a virtual brain freeze, I only pray this one knocks me out.
Lv. 37 Twin Blade (180 SP)
Weapon: Rashou (Thunder Coil- 30, Suvi Lei- 20, Mumyn Lei- 30) (Life Drain)
Armor: Holy Tree Mail (Juk Kruz- 20) - Scarab Earring (La Repth- 20, Rip Maen- 40) - Time Sandals (Ap Do- 15) - Forest Gloves (Juk Kruz- 20)
GP: 14384

Wish list (In order of priority): Angel halo accessory, chibi angel wings, Bone Armor, Professional

Lighteria: "Obsessively updating my profile since Fri Oct 01, 2004 7:10 pm"

Armina
Exalted Player
Posts: 321
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2003 4:10 am
Location: Zanarkand, when not in The World
Contact:

Post by Armina » Tue Apr 10, 2007 12:57 am

((not my turn... *pokes to General Discusion* Figured I'd get it in when I could. *hugs* Sorry, will be short.))

Armina blinked up as Rayo walked over. "Rayo?" She said incredulously even as a brilliant flash of happiness at seeing the Wavemaster lit up her blue eyes. "I...I'm good. Been learning basics..."

She shook her head in disbelief, wondering how this had all happened. Then she caught on to what Nighthand -or who she thought was Nighthand- had said. "You're not Nighthand? How...?"

Blue eyes studied him. She had never been close to Nighthand, but from the brief mental touches she had of Nighthand before the fight with the Crimson Guard where Desmith had spirited her away and saved her life she could detect a difference though she could not place it. And there was something about how he acted... Armina could not put a finger on that either. So many other things had changed.

"Hijinx?" The LongArm looked back to the woman in white with shorrt blonde hair standing above her. "Um... weren't you a bunny?"

She squeaked at the FlashMail. Armina had forgotten all about that feature of The World and mentally chided herself for the lapse.

Then the questions she dared not voice sang from her mind. *Where's Kurai? Gigi, Nall, Ramza?* Their images accompanied the names in the sending, along with the images of the others she had known before that battle. Along with it cave a wave of hope mixed with dread, showing both the LongArm's unrelenting optimism along with fear of hearing who had died.

Of course betrayal never entered her thoughts.
Image
Level 33
Skills: JukRepulse (WoodL2), RaiWipe (ThunderL2), RueKruz(1:S:Water), DekGanz (dec. Earth), RaiRom (1:Thunder), Repth, RipTeyn
Specials: LifeDrain
Items: 4Antidote, 2Restorative, 23Health Drink, 10Mage'sSoul, 5Ressurect

Lord Canti
Exalted Player
Posts: 300
Joined: Sat May 13, 2006 3:58 pm
Location: In da' plains of hell, natch.

Post by Lord Canti » Tue Apr 10, 2007 4:43 am

(A Long Arm and a Twin Blade soon materialize into the Cultural City of Carmina Gadelica. That is what they called it, right? Sometimes, he heard it wrong. No matter. He always loved the look of the city. It had a colorful nightlife that he could just sit down and watch forever. This made him think of the Long Arm nearby, Senna, whom he'd found by the main canal at Mac Anu, just watching... To make a long story short, Canti had gone there to find Senna and convince her to stay with the rest of the Freedom Fighters, rather than strike out against The World alone. Having succeeded, they were now on their way back, hopefully without anyone even noticing their absence. The last words of their exchange flitted through Canti's head as he turned to face the Chaos Gate once more.)

"No you don't. Don't apologize for that. What happened to me is the fault of two people, myself and that Marionette bast... heh. Like you said. I knew. I could have left. I chose not to. Don't dare worry about that."

"Alright, alright... You win. But let's make a little agreement, shall we? In addition to watching each other's backs, you keep me from saying or doing something stupid like that again and I'll... Well, I dunno, but I'll think of something. Deal?"


"Sounds good. Deal."

"Let's go back. They're waiting for us."


(The 'I'll think of something' part suddenly caught relevent to the situation, now that he thought of it. Assuming they noticed a certain lack of hellish Twin Blade and skilled Long Arm, the first thing that Canti expected as a reception upon their return was trouble. Trouble as in alot of shouting and blaming and stuff that was partially Senna's fault for running off and partially his own for not even telling anyone that he was going after her. The danger that he'd spoken of was real. There were people trying to kill them, or worse. They had appeared in Mac Anu, defying not just the Freedom Fighters, but the Admins of The World. It was serious business. So, to himself, Canti agreed that he would keep his mouth shut about this, probably even lie if he had to, rather than cause a whole lot of unrest over this issue. He'd taken care of it and that was that. Now, they just had to GET back. Eyeing Senna briefly, Canti let off a smirk.)

Canti: Don't worry. I got a key. They made sure to do that before we left for the Hub.

(That was the sort of thing you would have to thank Raine and Sheena for, whichever one was responsible for the coding for the hideout key. In either case, he was naturally glad to have those two on their side. Canti initiated the transfer from Carmina to the hideout for both him and Senna. The process was instantaneous, harmless, and pretty much like any teleportation. As soon as Canti got in, though...he heard voices that he was not familiar with. Not I-am-cuckoo-bananas kind of voices, like ones in your head. These were new ones from new people. Or...maybe not REALLY new. The point is, Canti understood them to have guests. Perfect. A nice diversion to make it appear as though they were simply overlooked. Walking in with a general form of confusion, Canti wanted to know what was going on here. New faces, new problems, new nightmares... And...there was a guy in the kitchen dining on a sandae...that HE KNEW! As soon as he'd walked in there, blending into the hideout's nonchalantness and unquestioning nature, he immediately saw the Twin Blade from before!)

Canti: Agh! When did you get here?!

(He wasn't asking that way to be offensive. He was just surprised.)
I'll have a doozy of a sig later, I swear. It'll reflect ".hack//CODE" an' everything.

Hey look! A profile! It's got items and stats and things! Cool! If it isn't fully up to date, it will be, so don't worry 'bout it.

User avatar
Lighteria
Well-Oiled Machine
Posts: 176
Joined: Fri Oct 01, 2004 12:59 am
Location: :noitacoL

Post by Lighteria » Tue Apr 10, 2007 11:28 am

At some point you would start wondering why Lighteria wasn't reacting to having eaten pretty much half of an entire barge full of ice cream by himself without stopping. One would think that after a certain point your body would react to that in SOME way, even a digital one. Though smart money was betting on the cold not effecting him because of the glaringly obvious anger boiling just under the surface... keeping him warm I suppose. Perhaps though, he's just not used to the new body of his.... yet.

This is so very, very messed up. I have been at this... this beautiful, perfect mixture of dairy products and fruit blended together and kept at cold temperatures. ...Oh my God this has been the greatest Sundae I've ever eaten in my life and WHY hasn't anything happened yet?! I mean... I can take the random people sitting in here. I can take the apparent hallucinations of people coming out of hats, which I SWEAR I am not going to even attempt to make sense of... I can even take this stupid cat ordering me around. But this... this is wrong on so many level-... oh Lord I think I got strawberry in that bite. That was the greatest mix of flavor on my tongue I've ever had in my life.

...And NOTHING. THAT... that is messed up! I mean, God knows I've gorged myself on ice cream before and I always end up either feeling a lot better or getting such a brain freeze to I sink my head into a pillow and scream until the pain goes away, but that usually puts things into perspective or at LEAST gets me to stop thinking about what's bothering me for a second and I still feel a lot better than I was before I started eating ice cream. ...So really it works out both ways. And that happens every time. NOT this time though! Not here! THAT is just WRONG. When my cure-all, my panacea fails to work... what am I supposed to do?! What is a delicate flower like me supposed to do when put into high-stress situations?! HUH?! Sonofabitch... My ice cream... This is... just SO my breaking point. I hope being this emotional is normal and no one calls me on it... cause I am so angry right now I am going to SNAP.


"Agh! When did you get here?!" A familiar voice chirps into his ear, causing his eye to twich by itself. He cocks his head to the right veeerry slowly, going to meet Canti's dark eyes with his own angry/crazy eyes, a tuft of his hair just missing cherry #12.

...Must... resist... urge... to punch him... in the face...
Maintain dammit. Take breath. Keep act up. ...You. Can. Do. It.


With his eye twitching again, Lighteria stands up and flashes him the same kind of warm, reassuring smile you'd expect from a person in a mental ward with disheveled hair carrying a 12" butcher knife in his hand.

"SO!" He starts out with the same smile, kind of half lurching towards Canti. "I see you found her! That's great! I was" Don't care!! "really worried about you two."

Keep it up! Doing good!! He thinks as his mouth starts going into un-interruptible mode.

"Though I couldn't help but notice, bright eyes" Oh no. Mouth working independent of brain now. "that when you walked in you had a look of... really undisguised contempt that really kind of dug into my head and just RUINED my dessert. Now I know the concept of inner feelings probably seeped out of those sockets you used to keep your eye balls in, but could you at least take a moment from your busy schedule of massaging your knight in shining armor complex to maybe think about the words that come out of your mouth before you say them? That too much to ask sunshine? Or do you prefer-"

Suddenly there was nothing to say. Lighteria's obvious enjoyment of tearing into someone who didn't deserve it suddenly cuts out. His smile drops into a concerned look, his eyes widening.

"...Oh. ...Crap." He says grimly, his jaw dropping a little. Before another word is said, the twin blade dashes to the nearest couch and dives onto it, grabbing the most convenient pillow and shoving it in front of his face, just in time to muffle the loudest and most painful scream you will ever, ever hear from brain freeze. His body twitches and convulses as he screams for about a full minute until he suddenly stiffens and immediately flops belly first onto the couch, limp and pale. There's just a second pause before he turns belly up, eyes half open, his vision blurred, looking like pretty much a zombie with vanilla ice cream on his cheek.

...Yep. God hates me. He let me live through that.

With the twin blade lightly twitching in pain, but ultimately helpless in this state, a small, gray kitten leaps up from the floor onto the back of a chair, looking to Canti and Senna.

"Let me apologize for Lighteria." She says with great dignity considering her tail is swishing back and forth like a viper on crack trying to maintain balance on the chair. "He hasn't been himself lately and assure you, his suicide attempt via ice cream was only brought on by a distinct lack of petting cats until they purr" She leans in lightly, looking concerned... you know, for a cat. "Have... YOU pet a cat today? We're great stress relievers... and I couldn't forgive myself if something happened to you." She frowns with sincerity. "...Really." Subtly, she bows her head slightly to the right. "The back of my ear itches, by the way. Just-... throwing that out there."
Lv. 37 Twin Blade (180 SP)
Weapon: Rashou (Thunder Coil- 30, Suvi Lei- 20, Mumyn Lei- 30) (Life Drain)
Armor: Holy Tree Mail (Juk Kruz- 20) - Scarab Earring (La Repth- 20, Rip Maen- 40) - Time Sandals (Ap Do- 15) - Forest Gloves (Juk Kruz- 20)
GP: 14384

Wish list (In order of priority): Angel halo accessory, chibi angel wings, Bone Armor, Professional

Lighteria: "Obsessively updating my profile since Fri Oct 01, 2004 7:10 pm"

Zan
Exalted Player
Posts: 206
Joined: Sat Jan 22, 2005 10:28 pm
Contact:

Post by Zan » Wed Apr 11, 2007 12:05 am

Flashmail!
To: Nemera
From: Nall
RE: The Watch

I hear you've been beefing up your watch group. While I don't exactly approve if I can help it, getting more people involved... Do you have anyone I can use? Of necessity your group needs to remain small, while mine does most of the fighting. So anyone you can send... tell them whatever they need to hear to get them to Lambda: Chosen Soldier's Station. Someone from our group will be there. Also... Thanks, for the work you do. Keep it up.

-Nall

Flashmail! End


Nemera was leaning against the wall of one of Mac Anu's many back alleys when the flashmail pinged her attention to something other than Sidhe and the two unconscious bodies at her feet. The message in and of itself was a complete godsend. The Heavy Blade, clad in a combination of dark black leathers and green accessories, hair tied in a ponytail like a river of white gold, eyes the shine of rubies, had been arguing with Sidhe for the past ten minutes over what it was they were supposed to do. Nemera, mind locked in the selfish need to find Tiral, wanted to simply leave them there. Who cared if the Elites or the Admins picked them up? The little bastards, especially the girl (who had come without invitation), knew the gist of what they were getting into. So the ultimate suck had happened and now they were trapped in the game. Boo fucking hoo. Tiral was trapped in a crystal burning alive as some mythical Behemoth and probably in the hands of the very people they were fighting so hard against. She was vaguely certain his fate mattered a little more than theirs. Sadly, the Long Arm had continued to insist they find a safe place to keep the two players while they adjusted, while they came to terms.

If they came to terms.

Flashmail!
To: Nall
From: Nemera
RE: The Watch

Tiral is gone and two of our recruits are comatose because of it. Is there any of your Hideouts Sidhe and I can bring them? There's two of them.

I need to find him, Nall. I don't have time to baby-sit the new infectees.

Flashmail! End


Again she stood there, waiting for a reply, the glazed look in her eyes giving away at least the sum of what she was doing to Sidhe. The man grew a ragged bowl-cut of sapphire blue hair. He let's his hair go wild with little care for it. He wears a long blue shirt with an open blue vest/jacket over top, silvery bands snaking around it. His pants match the silvery-blue, with his vest-jacket trailing as a trench coat to his ankles. A pair of deep blue shoes top off his attire. His skin is pale, but not desperately so. It was his fierce, sea-blue eyes that she stared into now. The Long Arm, for a reason she was unable to identify, seemed to be taking particular care of Raquar. Perhaps it was his class, but Nemera was almost certain Tiral had been bragging off to the man just how alike the two were. The aura Sidhe gave off was brotherly, oddly enough, and seemed out of place for a guy he had just met. Unconsciously, at that. No, it wasn't about all that. Sidhe had been good friends, great friends with the absent Twin Blade and was, more or less, taking care of the person Tiral saw great things for. The Archer, this Sekay or Sake or Sekai or whatever, hadn't really been in the group long enough to stir any loyalties from her or anyone else. Sure, Nemera had been impressed by her backbone, but the friendship-courtship had been too short lived. Another quest, maybe, but that option was gone now. She was in the hands of the Freedom Fighters.

Flashmail!
To: Nemera
From: Nall
RE: The Watch

Bring them to that field, I'll send Sheena to get them. What happened? Do you need help searching?

Flashmail! End


A pause before she flurried her response.

Flashmail!
To: Nall
From: Nemera
RE: The Watch

It doesn't matter what happened. You guys don't need any distractions. Thanks for offering, or whatever.

I'll bring them to the field in about two minutes, so be ready.

Flashmail! End


And just like that they were on their way to the Chaos Gate, Raquar tossed haphazardly over her shoulder while Sidhe carried the girl like one might a bride through a threshold (the Long Arm's face blatantly annoyed at her snatch-up of his charge). The assigned keywords were inputted and not a moment later they were in an empty, generic field of grass and stone ruins, waiting. Waiting. It wasn't too terribly long before the high-leveled Sheena appeared before them, the damn woman always smiling, always so high-pitched and fucking chipper all the time. Even with two recently comatose people in their arms she was beaming. And not talking. That last part was creepy enough to draw out words from Nemera, anything to break the silence that her appearance had induced. Where to start, where to start. The two would need some sort of assurance they hadn't been kidnapped, some sort of peace for when their imprisonment dawned on them. A flashmail would be needed for them when they arose, but before that? Well, before that she'd have to get away from Sheena as quickly as possible. Chick gave her the creeps.

"I'll leave them a flashmail for when they wake up. I don't want them to freak out on you or anything, especially because of what they saw last. Prepare to have some initial panic attack just the same." Her voice was tired, spent.

"Thanks... Good luck with finding Tiral! We'll take care of these two!" So. Fucking. Happy. All. The. Time.

Flashmail!
To: Raquar, Sekai
From: Nemera
Subject: There Are No Words

I wish I could tell you how sorry I am for your development, but let me try to explain what has happened. You are both, for lack of a better phrase, trapped in the game. You'll notice you can feel now, feel to an extent that will lead you to believe this is the real world. For you and others like us? It may as well be now.

I have given you over to trusted companions, to a group known as the Freedom Fighters. Do not fret when you wake, but rather listen to them. Allow them to help you. You are at a crossroads, as the cliché goes. You can choose to wallow in sadness for your loss, for your predicament, or you can accept it. Mold it. Make it yours. Only you can choose.

-Nemera

Flashmail! End


---------------------------------------

Sheena, laying a hand on both of the unconscious players, tagged them for the Hideout. A breath later and they were transported to the secret underground location in Lambda, Nall waiting for the still-sleeping players. Raquar in Sheena's arms, Sekai in Nall's, the two might have been amused at how many people were lugging them around as of late. Or, you know, they'd just be horrified at the situation. Probably the latter. Each was placed in the barracks, beds right across from another, as Raine began to run her tests. When they woke they'd see the woman with a blue, transparent screen in front of her, fingers scrying along, eyes scanning this way and that over whatever it is she viewed.

It was the first day of the rest of their lives in The World.
Lv. 50 Heavy Blade
Wishlist
Special: Levels, GR Sendai, PL Sakai, Darklore.
W: Tonosama Sword, Mineuchi, Jundachi.
A: Samurai Helm, Able Hands, Rare Greaves.
I: Holy Sap, Treebane, Cooked Bile, Nightbane.
EX: Elemental Summon (Lv. 2), Overdrive (Lv.1), Elemental Attacks (Lv. 2), Enhance Dark, Elemental Breath (Lv. 2).

Raquar
Ikkitousen
Posts: 108
Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2007 8:28 pm
Location: Hiding in the shadows

Post by Raquar » Wed Apr 11, 2007 3:51 am

The brilliance of the Door of Life superseded any of his grandest expectations. It was a place of warmth and compassion, any feeling of darkness that may have been harboring inside his body was driven out as he was filled with life and a strange knowledge. The memories came flooding back into his head, unheeded by welcomed but it was not just memories that he was granted access to. One glance at the man who had accompanied him granted Raq access to a world of insights that he wished in hindsight that he had still remained impartial to. One glance essentially bared the Twin Blade, the boy now knowing that he loved Nemera as one could expect from one human to another, that the man loved both Raven and himself as one loves comrades as brothers in arms after a particularly harrowing experience. He also knew exactly how Tiral had been broken. The man had been forced to witness each and every devastation that the world had been stage too since its creation. Any experience would be enough to hallow a man, and Raq was grateful that at least for now, Tiral was granted some form of light and warmth.

The eternity that was that instant finally began to slip away, the knowledge and happiness subsiding with it until there were only two men left, standing next to the crumbled ruins of a statue a small shard digging into the palm of the Long Arm’s hand. He looked around, a huge exhaustion settling on his shoulders. Only two of their party was in sight, Sekai and Ko, who were sitting on some perch next to a ruddy red Chaos Gate similar the one that had delivered them from the last cursed field. It was a logical assumption that Nemera and Raven had already gone through it, tired of waiting for Tiral and his accomplice. The thought jolted the boy back to earth as he turned toward the man that had exited with him. The hope and small pieces of light were gone from his body, leaving nothing but that empty shell. The boy was grateful that the man had simply followed him over to the Gate and had not stood there at the ruins empty and unfeeling.

Without a word, the party walked through the portal, each nodding at the other in an unspoken agreement to move on. Instead of out like in the previous field, this portal whisked them to the top of some tower, presumably the top of the building they had first seen when they entered the field. In the center of the roof was a huge depression, a space of emptiness. Surrounding them was the emptiness of the sky above the crackling thunderstorm that had been present during their fight with the Dragon Riders. Somewhere below the faint flapping of the giant phoenix may have been audible or it could have been just his mind playing tricks on him. His attention shifted back to the bowl and the fiery inscription now being scrawled on its side. It was another riddle, comparatively quite easy, but still, it was a high price to ask. The boy’s hands tightened on the neck of the spear in anger, guilt shooting through his body as the Ponderer’s warning played through his head. He had condemned one man to be broken and at least another to a sacrifice. What right did he have to do that?

His guiltful musings were cut short by Nemera’s frantic yell. The boy’s head snapped up just in time to see Tiral grasp the crystal formed from the shard fragments. A hushed quiet descended over the area as the man grasped the crystal, waiting, and having chosen to damn himself. Their friend the flaming bird of paradise rose into view, a huge sound echoing forth from its mouth. In an instant the bird exploded, a huge pillar of flame shooting down and consuming the shard, and in essence, the bowl with everything in it. Whether by some glitch or by some sadistic design, the entire party could see Tiral’s exposed silhouette arcing in pain and agony, being consumed alive by the immolation. Raquar’s gut wrenched and he spewed bile over the side of the tower. He vomited repeatedly, the notion that he had condemned one of his most trusted allies to this pain, this fate worse than death was too much. It just wasn’t possible. He had acted selfishly just like the damn Ponderer had said. How could he do that to his friend?

When the flames disappeared Tiral was gone, only the crystal floating there emotionless and unmoving held their gaze. Heartbroken and ragged sobs broke the silence, the female Heavyblade consumed with despair and loss. Each one of those sobs wrenched at Raquar’s very being, each sob resounded within his soul knowing that he had condemned Tiral to a fate worse than death and he had taken from Nemera the one thing that she desperately loved in this world. A brilliant idea flashed in his mind, he could launch himself from the roof and end this torment. He could sever this relation with the Eventide Crescendo and be free from this. As the boy turned toward the edge of the roof, he froze. Snaking red tendrils grasped up at the air gradually rising through the sky. He froze as the tendrils rose up through the clouds, eventually revealing itself as the hair on top of a huge head. The head itself rose up through the clouds, to gaze at the startled young players. It was a gross realization when Raq realized that it was the head of Tiral. He had been transformed into some huge hulking beast, he had become the Vulcan Incarnate. Tears were streaming down Raq’s face. This was his fault, and both he and Tiral knew it. The creature that had once been Tiral uttered a single word, and within it, it brought forth the amount of agony and torment that . . . Raquar refused to think of it as a beast, it was still Tiral and would continue to be Tiral . . . Tiral was dealing with. He had been sentenced to become the Vulcan Incarnate to live eternally, suffering through both the Ponderer’s mental rape as well as the flames that being the Vulcan required.

The one word was all it had time for as the man began to be drawn toward the crystal, the jewel wishing to contain the essence for which it was designed. In just a moment Tiral had been drawn into the crystal, left alone to suffer and fight through the despair and anguish that plagued him. Even in the end the boy had been able to do nothing. Possibly his closest friend was now gone. Is that what he required? Did being his friend demand some sort of ultimate sacrifice? Was he worth it? He barely heard the words of the field proclaiming the field’s instability. He was too busy consumed with his own sorrow. He stood up not wishing to face the scrutiny of the remainder of the EC, when he noticed both crystals, Vak and Rue rise into the air. It was sudden and completely unexpected but the crystals clashed, making an effort to fuse into one solid being ignoring the laws of The World and the fact that they were opposite elements. From their meeting splayed out two tentacles of code . . . not just any code, The Dread Code. The two tentacles shot out at Ko and Raven the second part of the Ponderer’s statement coming to fruition here and now. Mindlessly Raquar refused to give into the beast, he refused to be taken, refused to be controlled, he had already lost Tiral and he wouldn’t lose his other friends. His body moved on its own sending the boy careening into this Blademaster counterpart, the muscle in the last dungeon of the EC. He saw slightly through his peripherals that the female archer, and his fellow clansman, had done the same for the short Heavyblade who was also the target of the code’s assault.

There was an innate knowledge in the boy’s mind, one that knew that anything touched by the code would be consumed completely leaving nothing left. He had already sentenced one man to that fate no reason to do it anyone else. He flew into Raven right as the code struck him. For a moment he could detect a shock in his controlling person, the one playing the game slumping to the floor, white noise and static splaying over the headphones and goggles. It was only for a moment and it was as if listening to someone collapse at the other end of the phone line. There was no time for regret, for as soon as that moment was over the Long Arm himself faded into the darkness.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The nightmare had played itself in an endless loop, over and over while he lay dormant in his unconsciousness. He proceeded to be his own worst enemy regaling the horrid tale over and over each time with more detail and more vividly, until he wished he could rip his very head from his shoulders. His body shook, sweat drenching every ounce of skin. He shuddered once as a horrible reeling spiked through his head. His eyes shot open the light around him piercing his eyes making the pain in his head only that much worse. Just as tightly he snapped them shut waiting as the pain receded to a dull throb. His breaths were ragged and short, the sweat coating his body causing him to shiver even under the comfort of some sort of cover. Wait, something was wrong . . . How the hell could he feel these things?

His eyes opened, slowly this time, as the light surrounding him eventually merged into some sort of room. He was in a room, somewhere, laying in a bed. His head ached and standing at the foot of the bed was a woman, spindly fingers skittering rapidly along some sort of blue screen. Directly across from the him, and behind the woman, lay the frame of another bed whose corners were visible to the boy. He edged slightly to the left, until the slender form of an unconscious woman came into view. He realized with a start that it was a female he was very well acquainted with, it was Sekai. He shuddered again and shook his head, grasping at the bed to comfort him. A small string of mumbled “No’s” poured from his mouth, a huge weight of guilt crushing and imprisoning him. He was trapped for only a few moments before the weight receded, preferring to lay dormant and crush him at some other time. His mind wandered to the fate of Raven and Ko and eventually to that of Tiral, which led him to notice that he had a flashmail, from Nemera no less. His body trembled as he opened it, another wave of guilt washing over him.
To: Sekai, Raquar
From: Nemera
Subject: There Are No Words
Message: I wish I could tell you how sorry I am for your development, but let me try to explain what has happened. You are both, for lack of a better phrase, trapped in the game. You'll notice you can feel now, feel to an extent that will lead you to believe this is the real world. For you and others like us? It may as well be now.

I have given you over to trusted companions, to a group known as the Freedom Fighters. Do not fret when you wake, but rather listen to them. Allow them to help you. You are at a crossroads, as the cliché goes. You can choose to wallow in sadness for your loss, for your predicament, or you can accept it. Mold it. Make it yours. Only you can choose.

-Nemera
He sat there for who knew how long staring blankly at the message. He couldn’t bring himself to type a reply. Not only did the magnitude of Tiral’s fate weigh on him, but also the guilt of knowing that he robbed Nemera of the one man she could have actually loved. He sighed and laid his head back, ignoring the woman with the screen at the foot of the bed. He was now stuck into a similar predicament that Tiral and Nemera had been in. They had been strong and persevered. He couldn’t let them down, not now, not ever.

Only one more thing baffled him. Where the hell was he?
Level 28 Long Arm
Archspear, Newt Necklace, Smith's Gloves, Wyrm Scale, Kuja's Thong Dress
EXP: [700/1000]

WISHLIST
Levels
Weapons: - All
Armor: Head - Scarab Earring
Body - Nothing until Mid 30's. Ninja Garb Hand - Nothing until Mid 30's. Leg - Nothing until Mid 30's.
Items: Cooked Biles, Darkness Scrolls (Any and All)

User avatar
Sekai
Ikkitousen
Posts: 123
Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2007 11:04 pm
Class: Archer
Location: Liminality

Post by Sekai » Wed Apr 11, 2007 6:11 am

Somewhere along the lines; something had gone very, very wrong.

The wait for Raquar alone had been long, every moment that had gone by filled with her silent worrying and noticing the mounting tension between Ko and Kira. Sekai hadn't approved of the way Kira had dealt with the situation and the, well, assassination of Mother or the rage directed towards her but, still... the tension was a little more than uncomfortable to be sitting in. Especially considering that she was sitting between the two of them. No sooner had she been about ready to break their silence and suggest that the two of them, the two being Ko and Kira of course, behave themselves and make up after whatever fight they'd had to clear the air than Raquar and a rather haunted looking Tiral arrived with a shattering of stone from the formerly unbroken statue. Something had happened to the older of the two, there was no way that someone could look so utterly... broken and not have had something catastrophic happen. They'd needed to press on, to follow Nemera and the Blademaster through the Chaos Gate, and finish what they had begun by entering the field and being tried by the three judges.

Maybe... maybe that's where everything had gone wrong, when the crystal had joined, Nemera's yelling to stay away and the sacrifice that Tiral made for all of them. Humans were the only ones who played this game with a soul; AI and the others that lived within the game had their own brand of life and intelligence, a few becoming exceptions to that particular rule but none of them had the soul of a human. She had watched, horrified as the tall man had been engulfed in flames and the scent of charred flesh, bone and burning hair permeated the room. As the crackling of the flames couldn't drown out the screams and the name he shouted out and as Nemera, the one she'd come to bristle at the sight at during the short time, dropped her toughshit, as Kira called it, act and screamed in return for him as well. He had vanished into the crystal, leaving nothing left behind but the shocked and slightly scorched members of his party behind. Sobs echoed in the room from Nemera and Sekai's own eyes had welled up and spilled over with tears of remorse, of regret that there hadn't been time to figure out if there had been another way for the scenario to end other than a sacrifice. The two crystals had met and began trying to destroy each other shortly thereafter.

Ironically enough, she could have sworn that she knew that red and blue combined would have made purple and as such, rationalized her belief and expectation that the code streams that came out would be the same color. But, as The World and life experience the past year or so had taught her, reality and common sense were generally useless and usually mocked from a distance. The color of the base of the lines was reddish while the numbers were in the color she found the least appealing in the world; Orange. Kira'd merged back with her, hackles raised and swearing up and down that she needed to kill the terminal right
now before something really fucked up happened, and had kept her back from the flames as much as possible when the whole thing had blown up. Raquar'd been a blur of shadow in the corner of her eyes, bounding over someone, or something, in order to knock the unfamiliar Blademaster out of the range of the code streams that had targeted him. When she'd seen the same ribbons of data going for her friend, one of the people Kira had trusted enough to let him stay by her side until her return from self-imposed isolation, and someone she trusted herself? There was no time to think, no time to scream for him to move out of the way or to throw something at him to get his attention directed towards the threat those things imposed on his life.

The only thing she could do was push herself to her feet, ignore the tearing in her side she could swear was happening, and kick herself into a run to get to her red clad Heavyblade companion before the code did. Heart pounding in her ears and eyes focused only on her goal at the moment, she canceled and shoved Kira back to where they were joined in within her mind, kept her there and threw all her weight into knocking Ko_Inuyasha over in what had to be one of the most impressive side-tackle someone of her short stature had done in a video game.

'He's done so much for me already; I
won't let him get hit this time. Not today and not while I'm here and able to do something!'

The pain of being hit by the code had only seemed to aggravate the failing organ in her body; the two different kinds tearing her apart despite Kira's own attempts to fight off the effects of the code on their shared body. Silence overlapped anything in her mind as she buckled beneath the pressure and pain in her mind and body, unconsciousness coming for her and the form outside the game seizing up before crashing to the floor in front of the winded girl who'd just come home from a quick and angry job around the block.

The last thing she'd heard before she'd gone completely under was Mika's voice screaming her name.


Her eyes snapped open, heart in her throat as she bolted upright and immediately regretted the action as the left area over her kidney let her know exactly what it thought of that action and made her pay for it. Doubling over with a cry, the white haired girl's arms wrapped around herself and held as she waited for the pain to dissipate. Harsh, ragged breaths slowly evened out and the tears from the pain dried themselves as she became aware of several things. The first of which was the irritating Flashmail symbol and alert about ready to give her pain in another place she didn't need said pain, deciding to take care of that first, the girl opened the message and couldn't decide whether to chuck it when she saw the sender or read it out of polite interest to see what the woman had written.

To: Raquar, Sekai
From: Nemera
Subject: There Are No Words

I wish I could tell you how sorry I am for your development, but let me try to explain what has happened. You are both, for lack of a better phrase, trapped in the game. You'll notice you can feel now, feel to an extent that will lead you to believe this is the real world. For you and others like us? It may as well be now.

I have given you over to trusted companions, to a group known as the Freedom Fighters. Do not fret when you wake, but rather listen to them. Allow them to help you. You are at a crossroads, as the cliché goes. You can choose to wallow in sadness for your loss, for your predicament, or you can accept it. Mold it. Make it yours. Only you can choose.

-Nemera
Silence, save for the sounds of people breathing and someone closer to her letting out a sigh and something that sounded like movement against a bed, and then the realization of what had just happened started to kick in. Frantically, she looked for the Gate Out option, heart nearly stopping when she found the option no longer available to her and panic start to settle in. One hand moved up to grab her chest, fisting in the rough and semi-unyielding leather armor before she froze against the feeling of something tickling her face and brushed at it like someone with arachnophobia would brush a spider off of them. Her hair fell into her eyes with the action and any color that had remained in her already pain-pale face quickly vanished, skin taking on a grayish tinge as she found her vision starting to develop black spots and the few noises around her suddenly becoming faded and distant.

Enough; you're about to send yourself into a panic attack and you're going to pass out if you don't fucking breathe here soon. Take a deep breath, let it out and look around. Someone should be here to explain things to you, if not, Raquar should be around as well to lend a shoulder as well.

Relief in the form of Kira's voice had shaken the girl out of her panic and more into the numbed state she'd been in before, the night when she'd begged Kira to take over for her when she'd been about ready to jump out her window to escape the screaming in her mind. Wiping away tears she hadn't realized were there, the red and tear streaked face of the Archer became visible as she looked around from where she was. As Kira had said, someone unfamiliar was in the room in front of her, typing on... something, she had no freaking clue as to what, and to one side... her heart sank a little. She'd hoped that Nemera had been lying when Raquar's name had appeared in the message as well but, there he was, staring at the ceiling and lying in a bed similar to the one she found herself sitting on as well.

Not wanting to interrupt the silence in the room, Sekai looked around, flinched and placed a hand against the area her kidney would be had she been in the real world. Mika... she thought quietly to herself, shoulder sagging and a defeated expression in her eyes as she remembered the last thing she'd said to her friend, to both of her friends before everything had happened.

Be there for me when I come back, okay?

Against her will, the tears came back to her eyes and started sliding down her cheeks, eyes staring straight ahead as the second part of what she'd said to Mika came to the front of her mind.

You're the only one who can.

“M-Mika...”

-the shy but grateful smile she gave to him as she accepted his gruff attempt at trying to ease her pain with the Health Drink, watching him sit beside her and sit vigil with her as they waited for their clansman and friend to return from his trial.

“Thank you.”


“Ko...”

She'd failed, both of their names coming from her lips brokenly, voice barely a whisper as she felt her hands shaking, body trembling and her head shaking from side to side in her own form of denial. Despite Kira's attempts to calm her within her mind and all the soothing things that could have been said, done, whatever; nothing was getting through to her except one thing. She, Sekai, Operations Officer of the Army of Darkness, as Namino Sekai... and a friend and ally; had failed to keep her promises to everyone that she'd made. The small white haired, gold-eyed girl expressed her grief and the amount of stress she'd been going through in the only way possible for someone with so much on their mind.

She covered her face with her hands, hunched over and cried; loud and broken sobs that were barely muffled by her hands.
Image

Name: Sekai
Level: 54
EXP: 0000/1000
Class: Archer
Clan: Army of Darkness
HP: 835
SP: 347

Currently Equipped:

Einherjar: Kira, December, Zorya

Head: Bat Earrings (Ola Repth 40, Rip Maen 40)
Body: Saint Cross (Rue Zot 10, RaJuk Zot 30)
Arm: Protect Ring (Ap Vorma 15, MeJuk Kruz 20)
Leg: Ninja Anklet (BiVak Rom 20, GiGan Zot 30)
Add-Ons: Forestlore, Wood Magic (permanently raised Wood Offense/Defense by +3 total)

Wishlist: Levels, Summon: Wood, Archer Weapons, Light Armor

User avatar
Senna
Awakened Player
Posts: 150
Joined: Sat Jul 01, 2006 10:28 pm

Post by Senna » Thu Apr 12, 2007 1:03 am

So, she was back here. Again. And already, she was regretting it. She felt a bit of obligation to Canti, who’d come out to check on her safety. However, she wasn’t sure how much of being here she was going to be able to take. There were people, a number of whom she didn’t recognize. How many were there?

Well, she would have to get to know them sooner or later, if she was staying.

Thing was… well, the way she kept thinking of it, the way she was trying terribly NOT To think of it, was that this was a collection of crazy freaks. Which is not to say that her friends in the real world were NOT crazy freaks, but this was a completely different level of weird. Some of them were really good people, but taken as a whole, it was.. well, intimidating. In fact, as they entered, she found herself surreptitiously looking around for the fistfighter, who at least seemed to get a kick out of life.

The glancing search was brought to an abrupt halt as Canti greeted one of the strangers in a rather unusual way. As she turned her gaze on this newcomer, she gave him the once-over. She discovered she did not like the look on his face very much.

"SO!" he said. "I see you found her! That's great! I was really worried about you two."

Okay, this was getting weird. If the words were sincere, it would have been one thing, but they most definitely were not, and the look of this character… well, one eyebrow hiked in skepticism. Who was this character, a friend of Canti’s?

But the tirade that began moments later scratched that idea as well. As it continued, at seemingly no provocation from Canti, Senna found her mental priority list as to members of this group worth listening to coming to the forefront and this guy was falling approximately one place per two words. And then, at the end, he turned and headed for the couch, muffling a scream there with a pillow. Lovely. Angry and unstable. Not the best of combinations in any instance.

Friend of yours?” she murmured to Canti, trying to keep the sarcasm to a minimum. Further comments from here were cut off by a visit from… a talking kitten.

Somehow, she still managed to find enough in herself to be surprised at this development.

The creature started off apologizing for the guy – Lighteria was the name? One to remember she guessed. The kitten on its own didn’t seem too terrible to deal with, but the old phrase “guilt by association” certainly had a place here. Waving a hand in vague farewell to Canti, she murmured to the animal, “Sorry, but if you’re with him I’m not interested.” She wasn’t. Courtesy is free, and while she wasn’t being the warmest of people, she wasn’t going out of her way to be uncivil either. She needed to walk though, or she was going to forget why it was she came back.

The chalkboard that had been made so much of in Flashmails turned out to be a brief and enjoyable diversion. It even had the right smell to it, the familiar sort of dry scent that brought back so many happy memories. Odd, she thought, that the memories that were happy, that buoyed her, were of school. Well… no. Just those brought around by chalk dust. That made more sense.

The board itself held a lot of useful information. Some was about the second place that they were going to (Didn’t these people know of any NORMAL fields?) Some were about the others. If nothing else, some questions and suspicions about the Wavemaster had been quelled. She glanced around afterward. It didn’t look like there was much conglomeration yet for a meeting so she kept wandering.

One of the rooms echoed with the sound of someone sobbing. Senna paused outside that one a moment. Someone new? One of the older members? There was no way to tell or even guess. And it left her feeling a little weird, a little hollow. Of a habit, she tried logging out. It didn’t work. She figured it had been just good fortune that when this happened, she’d been in a fight. It didn’t stop her from freaking out, but it did stop her from having a complete meltdown. It wouldn’t last, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t cling to it while it remained.

It felt odd though, listening in. It was like she was eavesdropping on a private conversation between two intimately close people. It was something she should not hear, and should definitely not keep listening to.

So then, while waiting… it seemed prudent to introduce herself. Looking around, she caught sight of a new face with a familiar class – another Long Arm. She steeled herself – initiating social interactions was not a familiar thing. To that point, though, none of this was familiar. So, she approached the other woman, waited to be noticed, then greeted her with a small bow of her head. “Hello. I’m… new. I mean, I’m Senna. New here, and trying to get to know some faces. May I ask your name?
Senna, level 33 Long Arm (710 HP/180 SP)
Most common kit: Ichigou, Racoon Earcaps, Air Bracer, Snow Panther, Winter Coat, Graceful Book
Spells/Skills: (Critical Hit/Death) Repulse Cage, Ap Corv, Ap Vorv, Rai Rom, Rue Zot, La Repth
Click for full equipment and items
14300 (1/23)

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