E|\|7er Th3 W0rl|) &hr0*gH t|-|3 Yamiyo 5e|2\/%R.

Moderator: Nighthand

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

Re: Captured! Jailbreak of the Century

Post by Nighthand » Sat Apr 11, 2009 1:12 am

Nighthand and Sheena, two of the party’s biggest heavy hitters, were effectively out of the fight for the duration. Either one of them could have left their task to the other and joined in, but in a way, it was an experiment. They were watching the group, seeing how they fared without the intervention of one akin to a god. Though Nighthand would hardly consider himself godlike, and Sheena, while confident of her powers, knew her limits.

As it stood, Nighthand was wary, watching the battle from the sidelines near the stairs they had emerged from. Sheena was nearby, but far enough that no single spell would hit them both. Each of them was playing the role of protector, a guardian to one of the less fortunate members of the group. Nighthand stood ready to defend his once-enemy Kelvin, the wavemaster who even now seemed not wholly in this world. He leaned heavy on his staff and seemed to look beyond the walls of the prison.

Sheena meanwhile had her back half-turned on the fight. She trusted herself to notice an attacker, or at the least be warned. So she took the time to tend to Nall, who might never be the same again after this escape. His character was badly damaged, and while he was able to stand on his own now, he would be hard-pressed to defeat anyone stronger than one of the twinblade rogues.

Oddly enough, Royce and Klive hadn’t taken the trio of Twilight Items from Nall and Sheena. Aside from the pendant that not even prison garb could remove from Nall’s care, the Cape of Deceit and the Titan’s Armor had ended up in the chest along with everything else. Sheena had extracted them with the rest of her equipment, and had given them back to Nall once she felt he was recovered enough to handle equipping them.

As such, Nall was granted an extra layer of protection; as long as he wasn’t attacking, the cape would protect him from all attacks. At least, that was how it worked in theory. No one wanted to put it into practice, not right now.

Of Amalo there was no sign. She had followed them up the stairs, sulking in her own mind, but once the battle began she had disappeared. She couldn’t have made it out the door, not without being caught by the mob of enemies. Logic dictated that she had to have retreated down the stairs. They knew she could hold her own in a fight, or at least try to; she had pulled strange weapons against the Corrupt in the previous prison. Not that it had done her much good.

Demorian, too, watched the battle. He guarded no one but himself, and made no move to attack, not right away at least. Now and again he twitched, as though ready to leap into action, but each time the moment was stolen from him. His only movements were to avoid the edges of spells released by the turrets, when one of them had its tolerance removed.

Then, when almost everything was already dead, he found the time to make his move. The headsman was being attacked, being taken down, by the trio of Sekai and her AI, and Dien. The Blademaster was dispatched after a fake-out summon, and the AI was thrown onto the archer in a heap. The headsman followed, his axe raised above his head, the torso-sized blade more than enough to sever limbs and necks, perhaps even whole bodies in half. Demorian knew that if he didn’t act, the pair would lose limbs, if not lives, in one fell swoop.

Using every ounce of his speed, he made it in time, the axe coming to a halt against his ice-and-steel sword rather than crashing to the ground. He held it aloft in one hand, his strength evenly matched to that of the headsman. He smiled, enjoying the test of strength, not to mention the chance to play White Knight for the pair tangled behind him.

He glanced behind and saw the pair coming to their feet, the AI helping the archer up. “Thanks, you wanna take this guy one on one or want some back up?” asked the long arm, while the archer chimed in with "Thank you very much, I owe you."

“I think I can handle him, but watch and see if I need assistance later. For now just make sure none of the others run to help the big guy.” He grinned and angled his sword, sending the axe blade crashing to the floor.

“Handle me? Hah! Who do you think you are?” The headsman scoffed.

“Oh, nobody special. Though, I was you, once. I know how that axe works. Not really my style though.” He slashed at the axeman, who blocked handily with the shaft of his weapon.

The archer behind him, by way of response to his confidence, used several items in quick succession. He felt the buffs for physical strength and accuracy take effect, and his pulse quickened with an Ap Do. He grinned back at her. “Thanks! This should be a snap.” She grinned back, his enthusiasm and confidence proving infectious.

Turning back to the headsman, his smile fled as he saw the axe blade swinging a wide horizontal arc aimed at his waist. He dropped to his knees and leaned backwards, the blade passing inches over his head. If his hair was capable of getting out of place, the blade might have chopped some of it.

Losing his balance, Demorian sprawled onto his back. The axeman swung his blade behind and over him, bringing it down where Demorian would have been, had he not rolled aside. The Blademaster spun into a runner’s pre-race stance, his blade held close to his chest ready to thrust, and he lunged at the axeman.

The stab effortlessly penetrated the headsman’s armor and slid into his side, and the following yank to the side not only tore a large gap in the armor and flesh, but sent the headsman to his knees.

Demorian stood casually over the headsman, who gasped for each breath. “I’m not sure why I thought this would be an even fight. Somehow I thought you’d be better trained, or more powerful, or something.” He glanced around at the ceiling, noting that all the turrets were dead. “I suppose you would have had a lot of healing, but even so.”

The headsman leaped to his feet and brought the axe up in a vertical swing. Demorian, a wry smile playing across his lips, batted the heavy axe aside like it was paper. He kicked the axeman in the chest, sending him sprawling, and jumped. He landed on the man’s arm, snapping bone underfoot and pinning him to the floor, his axe out of reach.

“Well… that’s quite enough of that.” He placed the tip of his icy blade against the breast of the headsman, and leaned, driving it through the metal and flesh until it hit the floor.

The two remaining rogues, seeing their leader so defeated, lost their morale. They cut and ran, but found the door they had come in through to be unyielding. Such was the way of things, in The World; a trap was sealed until one side or the other lay defeated in its entirety.

“Ranki Lei.” Demorian said, gesturing at the nearest of the two rogues. The spell took effect and, as those Confused were wont to do, the rogue started attacking the nearest player. Which, in this case, was the other rogue. The second one started to defend himself, and in the course of backing away found himself backing into Demorian.

“Goodbye.” He stabbed, and the rogue dropped. The low-level twinblades had nothing on him. The second, still under the influence of Confuse, dove to attack and fell to a similar fate.

As the final rogue fell, the door they had tried to escape through swung open. Their exit was clear. Beyond the door was…

Another door. To their left was a staircase, and in front of them was a door. Demorian paused in the entrance and looked over the group.

“We have two options. Upstairs is the command room. It’ll show where the dungeon is, in relation to the rest of the area. There might be someone up there to fight, too. Then again, there’s nothing really stored up there we could take, and it might be to our benefit to get out of here as fast as we can.” Sheena glared at him, but nodded.

“Outside these doors we’ll be safer than here, but also in more danger. Outside is the Wasteland. It’s everything you don’t want it to be. The terrain is always changing, there are wild monsters and failed experiments that wander looking for whatever they want. There are other players on raids, or the ghosts of players who died and were left behind, unable to find their way out. Fortunately, it’s the only place in all of The World that the Elites don’t have full control over. If we can manage to find a safe place there, we could be completely undetected.”

So. The choice was there before them. Did they want to brave the Wasteland, or did they want to climb the rest of the tower, and hope for something useful?

--------ooc:
Sorry it took so long. On the plus side, basically all my homework for the rest of my college career is done.

Hopefully we’ll be able to get back into the swing of things pretty soon here. Mostly me. Also if you want you can take this chance to talk to Demorian about Yamiyo, or whatever else you’ve got to say. =D

User avatar
Takua
Ikkitousen
Posts: 115
Joined: Sat Dec 27, 2008 12:19 am
Class: Wavemaster
Location: Walking the line of madness

Re: Captured! Jailbreak of the Century

Post by Takua » Wed Apr 15, 2009 6:06 am

The rest of the battle seemed to simply pass him by. He'd dealt the damage that he had needed to, and even with his SP regenerating and a full bar of health, he simply...didn't have a target to kill. He couldn't figure out what to target, and before long things seemed to have been brought to an end. What had surprised him was Demorian's sudden...interference. The people that the Wavemaster had figured were the most powerful were staying out of the fight, as if looking at what people were doing and analyzing how well the group fought in a way that made him distinctly uncomfortable. He didn't want allies that simply watched him squirm like an ant under the magnifying lenses, he wanted some that would fight with him. Maybe they were just trying to see how the new people would work out in the group.

Maybe, and perhaps they were just watching to see if they could get a few deaths in, see him die a few more times. Damn his paranoid thoughts, he cursed as the Twin Blades sudden slaughter of the Headsman and the two remaining Rogues was quickly followed by the opening of the path onwards. Funny how this prison had kept with regular The World mechanics for dungeons, where you couldn't advance to another area, or retreat from one, until all of the monsters were dead. God, it had been so long since he had last been in a regular dungeon run and completed the entire thing. Most of the time, it was either hackers, the Highers, or something else...like AI. That reminded him that he needed to get in touch with Vesica after they were able to get out of here...assuming that they could get out of here in the first place. Fuck, this just got even more complicated than it needed to be, and it had already been complicated.

“Then stop bitching and start doing something, sound good?”

Ondine's sarcasm was a wonderful and refreshing rain that made the boy grin wryly. As much as he wanted to chew her out for being a wench, she was right. It was time to start doing something and stop just standing around and doing nothing, which was counterproductive. Right now, that meant putting in his opinion about where they wanted to go...and digging for their virtual treasure trove of information named Demorian. From what he'd overheard, he'd abandoned the Freedom Fighters a long time ago to try and backstab the Elites, but it hadn't worked out. But that also meant that he'd have a lot of information about the place that they were now in. So, who he was in the past (unless he betrayed them in the future) didn't matter to Takua. It was the here, now, and when would he get his first hallucination about when Demorian would kill him.

That led to his first question, the one that was most pressing to the knowledge hungry boy. He wanted to know why the Elites would even let a place that they couldn't monitor and control exist in a place where they, supposedly, ruled supreme. So...what created it? Or why did they have it around in the first place? His voice was level and polite as he addressed the upper level player, trying not to let the hallucinations affecting his sight and hearing effect him to much. "Question for you Demorian. Why do the Elites even have a Wasteland if they can't control it, or why does it exist?"

"Short answer? Twilight. To a certain extent the virus does what it wants, and not even the Elites and their keys can fully control it. Why? Who knows. Could be as simple as Nall's resistance, keeping the final key from them. Could be something more."

Well that was interesting. Twilight created the place or at least stopped its controllers from looking at it...? Shit, that was a seriously complicated virus. He didn't even want to imagine the coding that it would take in order to create the monstrosity. Trying not to reveal his ignorance too much to the obviously more knowledgeable individual, he asked the more pertinent question. "Alright...more to the point I guess, how does one get out of the Wasteland? Or, how do we get out of a place that sounds to be...rather unwelcoming?"

"Oh, that's easy. You just walk out of it. It's got walls on either side, but there are plenty of gates they let anyone through."

Just a...little easy. Didn't they watch those walls or something like that? Seemed that their security was even more lax than the Highers in some places, and this seemed like one. Then again, he corrected himself with a cynical smile, maybe they didn't need to worry too much about security. After all, they could control bodies...and maybe someone within their group was a spy keeping their eye on the Freedom Fighters, feeding the information to their hidden masters. Sure, it was possible, just like Demorian had tried to spy on them...and maybe this was just their way of getting someone into the group. Maybe there was good reason that Sheena didn't like him. "Ah. I guess that does make things easy. And beyond the walls are the main parts of Yamiyo? The part that the Elites have under their complete control?"

"Yeah. Think of it as a giant moat. The castle in the center is the citadel of the Elites, Luchairt Cradh, for which the town is named. Outside the moat are the various districts."

"I see. How could we get back to the regular five servers? I'd imagine that it's inside of the town itself, but wouldn't it be rather dangerous to be walking around in their home base?"

"Actually, less so than you'd think. There's only six of them. There's no way they can monitor the whole population. They track you on the main servers because your infections stick out like giant red flags, but here, everyone's a little touched."

Well shit, that complicated things. He didn't like the idea of being tracked simply because he was comatose. Still...interesting that the lion's lair, as it were, was the safest place to hide from the lion. He was about to say suspicious, but then Ondine wrathful green eyes pierced his ocean-blue ones, and he stopped himself. So hard to keep himself from being paranoid. This was going to be an even harder struggle than he had thought, even with internal thought police. "...Oh. So going around in the main servers is tantamount to placing a bullseye on your head and demanding an execution? Sounds interesting, and a little odd, that we would be better off hiding here than in the servers. No offense, I'm just new and was playing with the Highers before Xenobia dropped in."

"None taken. Yeah, we're actually better off here, except for a few things. For one, it's a dangerous place. PKing is not only possible but frequent, there are a lot of people more powerful than us here, and if the Elites did happen to spot us, we could easily become vastly outnumbered. Not to mention we're cut off from our allies and new recruits, and even the Admins. Believe it or not, the Admins do add a lot of protection, if only just the threat of them finding out."[/color][/b]

The admins add protection? Sure, the teenager could see the man's point, but at the same time, he wanted to laugh. From what he had seen, the admins didn't even want to see the truth behind what was happening and refused to believe it. Pointless greed once again screwing everything up. He wondered now how they would try and spin it if they ever did get out of this coma and back into the real world. With so much testimony, it would be hard to stop the outcry and the crushing amount of people waiting to testify that they had been trapped in a game this entire time and that CC Corp had done nothing to stop it. Whatever, that was a good point. Perhaps the admins would be smart and one day wake up to the fact that they had a separate fucking server and people who really controlled this world. Of course, to fight against it they'd have to destroy the servers, and that would kill their revenue...

He shook his head, driving those thoughts from his mind. That wasn't the point right now. What they needed to do was to keep the entire group safe from the Elites. Forcing himself to think in terms of the entire team and not just himself, he had to remind himself that what kept them all safe was good, not just what kept him out of danger. Alone, he'd be destroyed. With a group, he might survive. "Not exactly the best situation then, but alright. At the very least, we can survive, assuming that we don't piss off the wrong people or walk into any of the Elites. How could we get back? Is there a Chaos Gate that we could use of sorts?"

“Yes, but... those they do monitor. I'm certain we're flagged too. We'll be able to leave, you can count on that, but leaving safely will take some effort."

Alright, there was the security that mattered. The Chaos Gates, and multiple ones apparently. That was both good and bad. Good in that there were multiple ways out, bad in that leaving without getting brutally annihilated would take a bit of effort. Not exactly what he had wanted to hear, but it worked he guessed. "Ah. Alright, thanks for filling us in."

"Of course." Demorian glanced over at Sheena. "Gotta prove myself and whatnot."

What did he do anyways? He didn't know and wanted to now. Although he wasn't likely to find out for a while. He could ask...but somehow, that seemed like a bad idea, considering that Sheena looked like she wanted to rip someone's head off at the moment. "...well, since I don't know what you've done or haven't done, you've got a clean slate here at the very least."

"Good to know."

He looked around to the group at large, having made up his mind on the way that he wanted to go. Looking around and knowing what was around them would be good, especially if they could find out where they were in the Wasteland. That was where his vote was doing, and that was what he voiced.

“I think we should explore the rest of this place. It'd be good to know where we are in relation to the rest of the Wasteland, and that could be crucial if we want to stay alive.”

A sudden question struck him and he turned back to Demorian, voicing a concern that all of the newly comatose probably held. "Oh, 'nother question. We couldn't send flashmails in the cells, but can we do that now or would it even be a good idea to do so?"

"You can probably send them, but I dunno if they'll get through. I did have you cripple the communications in Yamiyo. They should work between people here, but outside of the server probably not."

Hmmm...interesting. Nodding to signify that he was grateful, the Wavemaster began to construct the flashmail and hoped to hell that it went through. It was good that they couldn't monitor flashmails now, although he had to wonder what the Freedom Fighters had been told to do by Demorian. He wasn't too surprised when the flashmail to Centrus bounced, although he was now more than a little worried. He had no way to check up on his real life body, which Centrus was supposed to check after several hours had passed. The odds were that he was already hooked up to the IV stand, or was on his way over there right now. Shrugging with helplessness, he closed his eyes and began to think...and about how to fight against wave of paranoia that had washed over him.
Last edited by Takua on Mon Apr 20, 2009 7:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Takua - Lvl 57 Wavemaster
Image
Image
Image
Wishlist: Levels, Stun Rod, Hag's Wand, Wand of Truth, Ex-Level, Ex-Spheres, and Myth: Demiurge, FL Fukuoka

User avatar
Talal
Ikkitousen
Posts: 123
Joined: Sat Dec 27, 2008 2:50 am
Class: Twinblade

Re: Captured! Jailbreak of the Century

Post by Talal » Sun Apr 19, 2009 9:04 am

Catching her breath only took moments but that’s all it took for the better part of the battle to be over. The group they were traveling with were just like the Eventides in the sense of immediately going into get in and get it done mode. Several of them took severe hits that ghosted a few who were then quickly resurrected. The Twin Blade marveled at the ability to fight and keep a watchful eye. She wanted to be like that but there were too many thoughts ravaging through her mind currently that kept her from focusing on any one thing for too long.

Healing was being thrown around like candy from those that had the ability to cast for more than just themselves. Another thing she couldn’t really do yet which increased the number of thoughts to include a trip to a store or two for some armor upgrades if she should ever get the chance. Now back at full health, she would just let her SP regenerate on its own.

There were two, or rather four, people along the wall. Two of them were looking out for the other two. Talal recognized one of them as the guy with the battered wings that Sekai had helped out of the cell. Physically he looked better but there was obviously more going on than she could tell. Offering her assistance came to mind but then what could she do that those already helping couldn’t? Another glance at the player tagged as Nighthand sent a shiver down her spine. She knew his look all too well and it wasn’t one she enjoyed. He was watching everyone, especially those from her group for whatever reason. Most likely to see how they fought under pressure. She chuckled to herself at that since obviously she wouldn’t be winning any medals stopping to rest after her first fight. It was better than getting irritated about being watched, even if she could feel it building up inside.

It was then that Demorian went into action stopping the big guy with the axe from taking Sekai’s head off. Talal’s hands slapped themselves over her mouth at that, not because he intervened but because the small Archer nearly got beheaded and the young girl wasn’t sure she could handle seeing that sight right now, swallowing in an attempt to get the lump that had instantly formed in her throat to go back down or away or wherever it needed to go.

She watched the fight with the Headsman that seemed to almost happen with ease on the jester looking fellows part, making her uncomfortable to be around him. Were the rest of the Freedom Fighters just as powerful and perhaps not showing it? The inward inquiry brought several more thoughts to the table, none of which she even wanted to consider at the moment since most of them would send her into an instant panic or make her paranoid. What she did do was move slowly closer to one of her own, Takua being the closest.

Listening to the information about where the door that had opened led to as well as the inquiries made by the Wavemaster, Talal wondered what was really the best option. The Wasteland sounded random and rough until you found one of the walls to exit by and staying inside the prison sounded just as rough but somehow better. She of course wanted the quickest way out to somewhere she or someone else could get off a quick flashmail. That was truly her top priority. Still, there was one question that didn’t really get asked and she was not about to approach Demorian herself with it which left her with one obvious option. She waited for them to finish and for the blue robed Wavemaster to offer his opinion to the group before softly tapping him on the shoulder.

”Do you think it would be right to assume there is a gate somewhere within the prison? I mean, they obviously wouldn’t drag us through the wasteland to get us here, unless I’m missing something which is also very possible.”

In hind sight, she looked down a bit feeling that she probably should have at least asked him if he was okay first before grilling him on escape routes, but her thoughts were so scrambled. She was lucky enough at the moment to speak an actual coherent sentence.

There was a bit of an amused look as the Wavemaster looked at the Twin Blade. Well, somewhat amused. Definitely wry amusement. Beyond that…well, who knew.

”They’d have to be retarded to put a Chaos Gate in the middle of their prison. It’d be like leaving the door unlocked to a maximum security prison and then not posting guards around it. It’d give us an easy way out. Not intelligent to do.”

Still the mentor and she was still coming off as a dumb blonde. She rolled her eyes at the stupidity now that he completely dismissed her line of thinking with pure and simple common sense. Okay, so how exactly did they get so many unconscious people into a cell? Her expressions held a menagerie of confusion and deep, perplexing thought. After the brief introduction of a Highers prison, she understood the need to explore every room but if they already knew they wouldn’t find anything of value, why do it?

”Right. How…stupid of me.” She attempted a small laugh but wasn’t sure it was very convincing. ”I’ll just go hold up the wall some more.” She motioned towards the nearest wall and began to walk away, stopping after just a couple of steps and turned slightly back to him with a concerned smile. ”You doin’ okay?

He flashed her a quick and somewhat wry smile, scratching at the back of his head as he did so. He spoke quickly, perhaps too quickly, although it was hard to tell if it was simply haste because he was lying or haste because he still had adrenaline pumping through his veins.

”Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve been like this a lot more than you have, so I don’t have quite as large an adjustment period.”

The dark brown eyed girl gave him a sideways glance in a small attempt at rebuttal, but this wasn’t either the time or place to get into that discussion. Part of her was somewhat relieved that he still was slipping hints about things to her even if he didn’t mean to. Turning back, she walked over and leaned against the wall with her arms crossed and one leg bent allowing the bottom of her foot to rest on the wall.

Obviously the girl would follow the group decision. She wasn’t stupid enough to go off on her own and she didn’t think they would split up. Having numbers on their side was definitely the best way to go in case they found themselves in another fight. It was the fight they had just finished that had her thoughts mixing in large circles. Had she really stopped because she was tired or had she stopped out of fear? Had she really gotten over her PvP issues like she thought she had? The answer felt like a yes, but doubt of many things was still running heavily through the small framed girl.

Maybe it had more to do with not knowing how the game mechanics really worked, especially now. If she died in battle, would she ghost and be able to be revived, even if she hadn’t been found in the real world yet? Or would that throw her system into a complete and utter downward spiral that would end in total shutdown before her ghost had a chance to form? Her hands that rested on opposite arms ran up and down trying to rub away the goosebumps that had just formed.

How careful did she need to be beyond the obvious? Talal eyed the group one by one, trying to get some sort of read off of each player's body language. Wondering who she'd be able to trust to give her the answers she felt she so desperately needed.
Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Walk beside me that we may be as one.
***************************************
Talal
Image
Level 39 (0/1000 EXP) Twin Blade

Weapons/Armor: Mukuro (Swirling Dark, Dark Dance), Ice Hunter Cap (Repth), Wristbands (Juk Rom), Fishing Gloves (Rue Kruz), Wyrm Hide (Gan Don), Snow Panther (Ap Vorv)

Wish List: Scrolls, Tarot Cards, and Armor higher than level 30.

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

Re: Captured! Jailbreak of the Century

Post by Lord Canti » Thu Apr 23, 2009 12:16 am

(It was shortly after his bit with the Turrets that Canti found the rest of the opposition swiftly put to an end. More people put to death for their sakes. Granted, his own moral compass had a way of spinning the needle and losing magnetic north, but they were still ending more lives than they themselves were worth. But then...Canti never found other people's lives to be worth much at times, because he'd found that he himself wasn't high on value either. At least, that's how he thought in the past. These days, he more selfishly clung to life on the basis of fight-or-flight instincts plus realizing how far from scraping the bottom of the barrel he was. Now that he WAS about as low as you can go, it was his decision to fly again, so to speak.)

Canti: I need to put it all back together. I'm not gonna let anyone take me without a fight. Not like this and not EVER, goddammit!

(So, that's how it was, and with the fall of the Headsman at Demorian's hands, they were ready to leave this place behind...or so he thought. Because even though the former puppetmaster had finished the job, taking the last dredges with only some effort involved, it wasn't quite over yet. They went through the door and found a fork, and it was explained that one way went outside...while the other went upstairs to the control area for this place. Canti listened to the details that were given, and thought as others asked their questions. The bits about Twilight, other districts, the citadel, and other things caught his attention especially. It got him to re-think the plan that he'd had in mind from before... He decided to get some more information from the source. Waiting for others to finish, Canti spoke up.)

Canti: Demorian, I had thoughts of a prison revolt to make things even less controllable around here. But the question is...would that actually make things worse for us or what? I didn't know we had a veritable hell outside.

"It probably wouldn't help. At best, one or two prisoners would make it through the waste and cause trouble. At worst, they'd gang up on us. The reason the prison is so isolated is so that escapes, if they do happen, don't matter."

Canti: Makes sense, so the quieter we are, the better. But even with the Elites unable to control things out there, they should be able to spot us once someone realizes 'Hey, those idiots we put away busted out', right? Honestly, how long until they notice and we're dogmeat?

"Could be minutes, could be months. Chances are, they won't even find us, if we stay in the wastes. They never were much for looking under their own noses."

(Chances, he says. Yeah, let's play those odds and see how far they take us. With no solid clue and no control to be had, they were looking to be carpet-bombed from upon high and scatter-blasted without quarter, just for causing the Elites this much trouble. That's a gamble Canti would rather not be taking if at all avoidable, so it was best that they DID find some untraceable refuge like the man said.)

Canti: I'm a skeptic, espcially under the circumstances. But nevermind. You mentioned Twilight. Is there anything out there that could screw us up worse than usual? More than dead in a way not recoverable? The virus has already made a mess of things.

"Oh, very definitely. There are unkillable monsters, there are data-wraiths, there are sub-viruses, and there are even lesser hackers who would like nothing more than to shred your data and add the relevant pieces to their own."

Canti: Thanks for confirming my worst goddamn fears.

(Ease up on the sarcasm there, Canti-me-boy. In all seriousness, though, Demorian hadn't exactly inspired confidence there. Granted, he was being honest, but to put it in such a morbid fashion was much less than helpful. This crew didn't need the heebie-jeebies, especially the ones who were freshly comatose. That part, he immediately thought of Talal for, since she now had to deal with the trouble of real heights besides all this. Still, this was gonna be a nightmare for even the veterans here. Then...something occurred to him.)

Canti: Unkillable by even Twilight-made powers?

"Any that I've ever seen. The reason they're in here, rather than making up an army, is that they won't obey."

(Point, Demorian. The logic fit the case.)

Canti: Right, and when you say sub-viruses, you mean 'The damn Twilight mutated', I'm guessing. Well, fucked as that sounds, we don't really have a choice but to go out there. I guess we gotta blend in at one of those districts 'till we find the way out?

"Not really Twilight mutating. It does that on it's own. More like.. other viruses, ones unrelated but given free reign here. Here, and nowhere else, because Twilight doesn't like competition. But yeah, basically, blending."

Canti: You know that's gonna be a bit hard. Pretty much everybody IN those districts works for the Elites, don't they?

"Sure, but here's a question for you: when you go to, say, New York, even if you're a wanted criminal, who recognizes you?"

(A good question... And though the immediate answer was that someone still could and pretty much ruin your stay - especially if you're a criminal - he had a point on that too. There was a chance...and that's all that they would need...if they were lucky.)

Canti: Alright, I see where you're going with that. Hopefully, that's how it'll play out. Obviously, no one will know you in there, anyway. Anything else I should know about, danger-wise? I get the feeling I'm missing something.

"Oh, all kinds of stuff. Basically anything can happen here. Just keep your arms and legs inside the car and you should be fine."

Canti: I'd just about kill for a car right now...

(Oh yes. A good high-test beast of a vehicle, like maybe something out of Mad Max or Fallout 2. Run down the entire countryside with a powerful V-8 engine that could kill the ears of anyone nearby, driver included. Yes, Canti did love cars. He loved working on them and test-driving the HELL out of them. Just a little something he was looking forward to, once he got back in his body and all. Everyone else probably had their dreams. This was his. And while flying was fun, he'd trade it for his life, easy. No contest on that one. So now...the Twin Blade was just waitin' to move out.)
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
Talal
Ikkitousen
Posts: 123
Joined: Sat Dec 27, 2008 2:50 am
Class: Twinblade

Re: Captured! Jailbreak of the Century

Post by Talal » Thu Apr 30, 2009 7:15 am

((OOC: Afterthoughts once I posted. Gotta love those. XD))

Flashmail wrote:To: Talal
From: Takua
Subject: You had wanted to ask about…

Earlier, you said that you wanted to talk to me about something. Well, it’s unlikely that we’re going to be able to get any alone time to talk, so use Flashmail instead. So, what’s up?
The familiar ping of a flashmail sent the girl’s mind reeling with thoughts like she had just been freed from chains. As she read the contents however, the young girl began to fidget with her dark hair, much easier now that it hung freely. She knew she needed to talk to him, but in the same respect didn’t want to either. Her eyes looked to him from her vantage along the wall. He’d seen the look before when they were under the bridge; an inner struggle mixed with fear of the unknown. Why was it that she couldn’t hide that crap from him? Shutting her eyes and turning her head, she went to work on a reply.
Flashmail wrote:To: Takua
From: Talal
Subject: Re: You wanted to ask about…

Do you know how long someone can survive like this without being… What I mean to say is, my cousin is the only person that knows me personally that plays The World and I’m pretty sure he’s the last one I should contact for the same reasons you didn’t want to tell me anything…right?

And…does this mean we can send flashmails to other people outside of here?
All she wanted to do was curl up in a ball. The whole issue made her very insecure feeling and even though she was surrounded by a bunch of people, including the fact that the Wavemaster was only feet away, she’d never felt so alone.
Flashmail wrote:To: Talal
From: Takua
Subject: Re: You wanted to ask about…

…you’re right, you shouldn’t talk to him.

Right now, chances of reaching the main servers are very low with a flashmail, but we can’t wait to break out of here. The body can only survive a few days without water. If you send me your address, I can send that to someone I know and trust, who already knows about this, and have him call the police up there. Even if it doesn’t get through the first time, I can just keep trying.
She began pacing, her hands constantly folding over one another. Someone he trusted? What about her? This was her home address, her life. Trust was also something she wasn’t just handing out these days if he hadn’t noticed. She continued pacing back and forth along a short stretch of the wall. What else could she do? She couldn’t expose the truth to her cousin Zane, she didn’t want him stuck too. At least he was still part of the family unlike her. If anything happened to him, they would be devastated. Perhaps this was the better way anyway. No one needed to know, needed to fuss over her. Besides, what did she really think the Wavemaster was going to do or could do from inside here, stuck just like she was. At least he was offering to help and for that she was very grateful.
Flashmail wrote:To: Takua
From: Talal
Subject: You wanted to ask about…

I suppose it’s my only option as it stands. If you trust them, then I guess I will have to as well.

528 Sterling Ct #212, Cannon Beach, OR

Thank you.
Once the message was off, her brown eyes looked over at Takua but all she saw was a blank stare. Was that how people look when they are reading flashmails? Somehow, whether it was her current state of mistrust or not, she felt it had more to do with him hiding something.

Her eyes wandered further and found another recently familiar face. The dark clad fellow Twin Blade had really come through for her. Not that she wanted something to happen that would cause anyone to need assistance, but the hope was there that someday she’d be able to return the favor. Canti had decided to ask some of his own questions of the brightly dressed player. Considering her predicament, listening to any of the information he may have could be advantageous. Talal approached slowly and cautiously, listening to the last tidbits of Demorian and Canti’s conversation; none of which calmed her nerves or thoughts for that matter. Put that with what she had overheard of Takua’s conversation and she really wasn’t feeling the warm and fuzzies. What it did do was leave her still curious about a few things that hadn’t been answered to the detail she would have preferred. Without any introductions or ‘pardon me’s’, Talal picked up where Canti left off.

“You told Takua earlier that they let anyone through these gates in the walls of the wasteland. If they let “anyone” through, what is to stop the ones that are in the wasteland for good reason from getting through and out of the wasteland?”

”Nothing, really. Players can wander in and out, dead or alive. It’s just a matter of finding those gates. It’s easy to go to the central towers, but harder to leave. The wastes have a way of disorienting you. As for the monsters, experiments, and other forces of nature… well, they just seem to like it there. Some do occasionally attack the town. Usually they’re repelled. On a rare occasion one of the various faction leaders or something will come out to throw it back or kill it.”

"Are the walls noticeable? I mean, do they look like an actual wall of brick or stone, or are they...invisible, making the player or monster think they are looking at a never-ending oasis?"

Demorian chuckled. What did she say? There was no humor or joke to her question.

”That depends on how the waste feels that day. The key thing to remember about the wastes is they’re always, always changing.”

She frowned a little. That certainly didn't help her any and it wasn’t going to help them get out any quicker if everything keeps changing. His knowledge of things though was rather interesting, like he’d been through it all before already somehow. Sometimes, it didn’t really pay to come into the scene after a lot of history had already been played out.

"If you were alone, where would you go from here?"

She wondered if he still had a separate agenda like a few of the Freedom Fighters seemed to think. She watched to see if any gears began grinding before he responded but whether he didn’t have anything to hide or was just really good at playing a good poker face, she couldn’t tell.

”Personally, I’d head for the town. Staying here won’t do any good, and heading for the center towers would just get me killed. Of course, I’m just one man. I won’t be as big a target of the predators in the Wastes, and I can usually handle myself. This large a group… Well, let’s just say our options are the same, but our chances are slimmer.”

”Do the gates change along with the wastes?"

”Nah. Just how you see them. It’s not rare to find them half-buried, or overgrown. It’s impossible to have them completely blocked, though.”

She raised an eyebrow. "Which must mean you know how to get us from here to the closest gate in the quickest fashion and then once in the town, we look like everybody else and can send flashmails to the other servers...yes?"

”A tall order you have for me.” He grinned. ”I can certainly try, anyways.”

She was about to turn and leave when one small thing was still unclear in her mind and she knew it was her own confusion causing it but nevertheless, someone needed to set her straight and it might as well be him.

”Speaking of the town brings me to one other thought if you don't mind. The "effort" you spoke of about leaving the town sounded like there is something more than just gating out? This might seem like a stupid question to you but getting to a gate with this group I would have already imagined would require at least a fight or something. What other effort might you be speaking of, if any?"

”I don’t know. I have no idea what sort of flags they put on our data when they jailed us. For all we know, accessing a gate could have our destination automatically re-routed back into the cells, or worse, into the towers.”

That certainly wasn’t something she had considered yet. Just went to prove how green she really was to this whole thing still.

"You have a very good point, several actually."

Talal paused, mulling things about in with what brain power she had left considering most of it was in overload. It was all just a little too much too fast but she didn’t have much of a choice. She had so many more questions, but the feeling was too strong to sort through all that she had just learned first. Hopefully someone else was listening in and could sort faster or pick up where she left off.

”Thank you, Demorian, for your time and for answering my questions." She paused briefly. "My order may be tall, but I do hope you can fill it with ease when the time comes." A slight smile escaped her lips before she turned and walked away catching a glimmer of a grin on the man’s face.

((OOC #2: Yes, for any who are wondering, the address is ficticious, although the city itself does exist))
Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Walk beside me that we may be as one.
***************************************
Talal
Image
Level 39 (0/1000 EXP) Twin Blade

Weapons/Armor: Mukuro (Swirling Dark, Dark Dance), Ice Hunter Cap (Repth), Wristbands (Juk Rom), Fishing Gloves (Rue Kruz), Wyrm Hide (Gan Don), Snow Panther (Ap Vorv)

Wish List: Scrolls, Tarot Cards, and Armor higher than level 30.

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

Re: Captured! Jailbreak of the Century

Post by Lighteria » Sun May 03, 2009 5:53 pm

Lighteria rubs his temple with his left hand, fingers easing back and forth just a little too slowly to be natural looking. The fight had taken it out of him and the stat drains have still left a bit of a strange ache in his system. They've since worn off of course, the battle end seeing neatly to that. Still though, the repercussions of the rather brutal fight didn't fade away with the combat mode message or a repth spell. The rather deep cuts he suffered left more than fast fading scars, they left a dull and rather obnoxious pain lingering. That soreness, coupled with the fact Demorian is once again affably chatting with the team gives the twin blade a nigh instantaneous headache. His fingers slowly, slowly rub his temples, just trying to pretend the advice he's giving is coming from some random prisoner. Maybe some Elite who saw what he was doing was wrong and decided to put a stop to it... Yes, a defeated hero. That's who he'll pretend he is, a defeated hero. Not a creep who uses people like tools and does whatever's convenient for him at the time. Certainly not.

...Ow. My teeth hurt now. I shouldn't have ground them so hard. ...Crap, I hope they can't break in here. I don't think dentists even exist in The World. ....There's a lot of unanswered questions in terms of the little things when you think about it. ...Then again, I'm sure a chipped tooth could be repthed up like any other wound. It does tend to heal just about everything there is. Though it doesn't detract from the pain a whole lot. We need an anesthetic with the repth... a repthesthetic. Or maybe just come bloody painkillers. If I ever learn how to make medicines that's the first thing I'm developing. A painkiller. And I will carry around a MILLION BOTTLES of them. Yes. Good plan.
...Wait. I still need a plan for the prison thing don't I? Riiiight incarceration. Almost forgot that. Where's a pretty anime chick in a skirt to make a dramatically appropriate jail rescue when you need her anyway? NO WHERE, THAT'S WHERE. You FAIL me anime cliches! YOooou faaaaaiiil meeeee.


…Right. In Jail. In jail with a bastard. Focus on that.


With one last temple rub the twin blade gets to his feet, looking haggard and exhausted. Alright… So there’s a high probability that we’re flagged for something or other by someone or something. On top of that, the only way to get into even moderate safety is to run through a zone where physics is curb stomped along with its friends code stability and general sanity. If we stay here we’ll probably be found and either killed or imprisoned again, so really what choice is there?

He stops muttering to himself, looking right past Demorian to Sheena, flatly ignoring him with his eye giving off a twitch of irritation knowing he was thanked for all this. “So tell me… Do you think they have the code they flagged us with in the tower here? If so, it may be worth letting someone search around for it while... the general group beats feet. You know… someone quiet and able to sneak around.”
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"

User avatar
Dien
Exalted Player
Posts: 226
Joined: Fri May 12, 2006 1:59 am
Class: Blademaster
Location: The "Who's Online List," Stalking People...

Part 7

Post by Dien » Fri May 22, 2009 4:42 am

What were you thinking with that last move?” Danielle’s stern rebuke was at the very least legitimate. His last act of that particular life had been a suicidal fake-out. While Sekai and Kira’s support likely could have kept him alive and fighting, it was starting to get very boring. All of Dien’s strategies had been exhausted, and his attacks were about as harmful to this man as if he’d been stubbing his toe. Repeatedly. With every sword-strike. It would have been a better strategy if he’d been fighting alongside someone who could have taken better advantage of the momentary confusion he’d created. Instead, he was killed, and as per usual when death occurred, he sauntered over to the wall and sat against it, watching but paying no attention as Demorian saw fit to enter the fight.

“It was getting old,” he replied to the girl who’d appeared next to him—a girl he wasn’t used to seeing in a black matte jumpsuit, “besides, when he can do that, I think it’s a bit of a waste of my time to so slowly whittle away the enemy’s health.”

You’re just lazy,” she replied, watching as the strongest blademaster among them made quick work of the opposition. Dien couldn’t deny her claim. He would much rather be fast about something and get it done quickly than be tenacious and have to wait for it to be finished. A wash of blue, bubbling light covered his form, and he was alive again, though he didn’t feel like getting up quite yet. It was starting to get old, this notion of being trapped in a video game. The constant battles and fights for survival were quickly becoming tedious: especially when the opponents were getting stronger and stronger. While there were tactics and methods to deal with stronger opponents, all of their battles broke down to the same basic principle: hit it until it’s dead. Sure, there may be tricks involved in the process of hitting it, but there was only so much stabbing a person could do before the novelty was lost.

“I want to get out of here,” he said, leaning forward and standing to his feet, “some would kill for this kind of thing to happen to them: not me.” For once in a very long time, Danielle didn’t respond. It made sense; feelings like this were bound to confuse the girl, who had not breathed a single breath of fresh air in her entire existence. While this game endeavored to portray reality, it was simply impossible to get it right. What was here was fallacy, fantasy, and fiction. Some of the fundamentals were there, but so much was imperfect that there was no real comparison.

But at least you have her,” the girl behind him commented quietly, causing him to turn, “Amy, I mean. You can at least be with her, right?” Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and Danielle rose to face the man she inhabited.

“Danielle-”

So The World is fake! So I can never know what it’s like in the real world! So I can never really know death! So what! This is real, Jed! One person together with another! What does the setting matter?!” She reached up and gripped both sides of his face, fixing his gaze on her. “Don’t EVER tell me that what we have doesn’t matter, that our friendship is for nothing! Don’t say that our-” the girl choked, looking down as the fit of emotion overwhelmed her, “that our love isn’t real.” Dien didn’t know what to say. Was it love that tied him to her? It had been weeks—a month at most—that she’d existed, let alone that they’d known each other. But she had a point…

“I’m sorry,” he conceded, “I didn’t mean…well, I…” There wasn’t anything he could say. The damage had been done. Even if love was the farthest thing from his mind at the moment, he couldn’t deny that she knew him better than any of rest of the present company. That she stuck around after knowing so much about him was a miracle—but why was she pointing to Amy? Why was she pointing back to the girl who’d torn his heart out and crushed it underfoot? And yet, why did he agree with her? He wanted to be there with her, helping her recover. It would be a much better use of his time than swinging his sword like a madman and trying to light things on fire. It was then that he overheard Demorian’s conversation with Talal.

I don’t know. I have no idea what sort of flags they put on our data when they jailed us. For all we know, accessing a gate could have our destination automatically re-routed back into the cells, or worse, into the towers.” Of course. Just when he realized how much he wanted to ditch the group again to go be with Cait and Cobalt, the bomb was dropped that there was no exit. His excursion would have to wait, but he wanted to be sure.

“So I take it leaving Yamiyo is out of the question, right?” he asked after the new girl had finished, the concern for his comrades showing through his eyes. Demorian had to remember all that he’d gone through, the details of his ordeal and the attachment he’d rediscovered.

For the moment, the immediate future, pretty much. I mean you could leave. Or try to. You might end up back here. You might end up in a tower. You might get off scot-free and lead the hackers to anywhere you choose to go. No way of knowing yet.

“So safest bet is that we’re stuck here?” he asked, sighing as his gaze drifted to the floor, “…and just when I thought here I might be able to actually help again.”

Just don’t go doing stupid things in the town and we should make it out just fine. I know a guy who can help. Assuming ‘out’ is the direction you want to take.” Dien paused for a moment, pinching the bridge of his nose before he answered.

“But then getting back in is a pain in the ass too, right?” he paused again, letting his hand fall as he looked up, “we need to milk this opportunity for all its’ worth.”

Demorian’s gaze shifted as well, fixating itself on the door that they would eventually take with a penetrating, deeply fascinated stare. “Indeed. This place is…difficult to find.” The younger blademaster responded with a long sigh, tilting his head from one side to the other to crack his neck as he stretched.

“Stairs or door,” he finally said, thinking aloud, “stairs might give us another fight, but as long as you don’t sit back and wait for us to get slaughtered this time, we could probably handle it. But the information would be almost invaluable: who knows what we could learn from the control room of a structure like this? Not to mention I could probably at least take a peek through their file systems if there’s an interface up there…” His voice drifted off as did his thoughts, and for a moment his gaze lined up with Demorian’s fixated on the curiosity of the door. Just leaving willy-nilly would be foolish—they wouldn’t know where they were, what they were up against, or even what direction to go. Who knew what kinds of crazy creatures lurked in the wasteland? No, getting into the control room would be well worth whatever fight they faced--if anything.
“Tell me one thing,” he said finally, turning to face Demorian, “if there is someone in the control room, how strong do you think they’d be?”

Chances are it’s empty. Usually it’s the headsman’s job to be there.” He glanced up the stairs. “However, there’s always his boss. The Commandant doesn’t usually hang out here, but there’s a chance, with high-profile prisoners…” He shrugged. “Not likely to get much info from up there though. Nothing pressing, anyways. Nothing you couldn’t get from me.

“…do you know the lay of the land?” he looked at the door again, “I mean, if we just walked out, would you be able to figure out where we should go with relative ease?”

Oh, that’s not too hard. If there’s one thing about Yamiyo you’ll learn, it’s navigation. In this case? Put your back to the towers and walk.

“‘The towers?’” Dien responded, raising an eyebrow.

The towers of the citadel, the heart of Yamiyo. Each Elite has one, and they surround the Master’s tower, taller than any of them. One hell of a landmark.

“That mean Nall’s got one?” he looked to the disabled blademaster, “or rather, had one?”

Had, perhaps. No idea which. That was before even my time.

“Sheesh,” Dien continued, “how long has this place been around?”

In one form or another, since the game began.

“No kidding,” he paused, “I take it you wouldn’t know much about the towers, then?”

Some more than others. They change at the whim of whoever runs them at the time. They’re… open to the public, I guess? Hard to describe. You’re free to fight your way up them whenever you want. If you make it to the top, the Elite in question just might take you into their employ.

“You’ve given me a few ideas,” the blademaster replied after a second’s thought, “but for the moment, I’m content either way we go—though I think there may be some useful information upstairs that’s worth the risk of a fight.”

General consensus seems to agree with you.

“Then I’ll see you upstairs,” the blademaster smirked, “Ap Do.” And with that, he began to climb yet another staircase. What it was with the Elites and stairs was beyond him; especially when portals were so easy to create…
Image
Image|||Level 35 Blademaster (+200 EXP)
Wishlist: EXP, Ends of Earth, Armor with Status Effects

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

Re: Captured! Jailbreak of the Century

Post by Raquar » Sun May 24, 2009 1:54 am

The best thing to do now was wait and listen. He was never overly fond of the decision making process, and here he was again. Lately his opinions seemed to differ quite radically from that of the group, and although he rarely ever voiced these opinions it still chafed a bit to have to listen to people who were only concerned with running away. Sure Nall was seriously injured, and they were escorting some other injured guy, but all they were doing were trying to escape. As far as he knew no wars had been won by simply running away, especially not wars where the opposition had you outmanned, outresourced, and in more ways than one outmatched, and that’s what this had become in his mind; a war. And then as the boy eavesdropped on Dien’s conversation there was another matter that he wanted to know more about, although this was personal. The Towers.

His ears perked up at Demorian’s explanation of the winner-take-all system of the Citadel’s towers. He wondered if perhaps that’s where Klive could be recuperating. It was worth a shot to ask Demorian about it anyway, the man was proving to be an invaluable information source. He waited for Dien’s impatient ascent of the stairs to begin before he approached the man.

“How hard would it be to battle your way through one of those towers?”

"Who knows? It's punishingly difficult, of course; hardly anyone ever makes it to the top. Then again, every tower has been conquered at least once. Your problem is less getting to the top, which I'm sure we have a reasonable chance of doing. Your, or our, problem is killing the Elite at the top. On their home turf, as close to their center of power as physically possible.

As much as he didn’t want to hear it, it made sense. "We blasted Klive with the same gun contraption that put Nall in that state. We didn't see any physical signs of the damage, but I have to believe that he's feeling something. If we could get to the top would you have the ability to kill him, since I think you're probably the currently most powerful who's not currently occupied on babysitting duty?"

"I... don't rightly know. I have no idea how I compare to him." He gestured to the blade that glinted half-frozen and half-metallic. "As a relatively ice-centric fighter, I tended to stay as far away from him as I could."

More things he didn’t want to hear but more things that made sense. "I guess that eliminates that as a possibility then. Earlier you gave us 'bombs' that we used to damage the Flashmail hubs, is there something similar that we could use to structurally damage part of this server? A tower, part of the town, something?" He was not longer content with just sitting and waiting for something to fall in their lap. They needed to take some sort of decisive action.

"This server? No. It's completely set down and locked out by the Elites. Anything that DOES manage to get through and scrape at the data of the town is shunted into the Wastes."

Today was just not the day for news he wanted to hear. "How dangerous would it be for us to split up here?"

"Like, half of us up the tower and half of us into the wastes?"

"Yeah. Getting the injured out into the Wastes so they can get a chance to recover while some of us poke around in here to try and find information or allies or whatever."

"I'd need to head out into the wastes with that group, and considering your strongest players are injured or helping them... IF there's anyone at the top, you'd be hard-pressed to beat them."

"That's what I figured but was hoping otherwise." The boy sighed and turned toward Sheena. "Sheena, how long do you think it will take for Nall to recover?"

She gave Nall a quick once over. "I'll need some serious time to work on him. I can't say how long now."

More bad news. "It's probably not terribly important but I think the best thing is to get out of here for now. We can come up with a plan or strategy while we wait for people to recover. And it gives us time to train and get stronger while we're waiting. For what its worth.”
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
Nighthand
Master of Games
Posts: 1265
Joined: Mon Mar 31, 2003 9:23 pm
Class: Bladesmage
Location: ...Tracking...please wait...

Re: Captured! Jailbreak of the Century

Post by Nighthand » Wed May 27, 2009 1:31 am

The foremost unanswered question came from Lighteria, and Demorian took the opportunity to answer it. Even though it was addressed to Sheena, the Blademaster likely knew far more about this area than the fist fighter did.

“They won’t have the flag code here, no. Or at least, if they did, it wouldn’t be in a form we could use. There’s no easy button to remove it, just to apply it. In either case, my contact in the town should see to us fairly easily… once I track him down.” He glanced at the door, anxious to get moving, but trying not to show it. The prison wasn’t safe; no place was safe until they could lose themselves in the crowd.

Still, the general consensus was that the group head up the stairs. The control center could hold something useful, that was true, though the chances were slim. Demorian sighed and headed for the stairs first. Might as well be in front, in case there was someone up there waiting.

Sheena, meanwhile, had laid Nall out on the floor. She held him down easily despite his protests, a sure sign of his weakness. Or her strength. It was hard to say. She poked and prodded at him with a variety of instruments she pulled out of pockets hidden away, none of which seemed to do anything that their eyes could see. She looked up the stairs as the Blademaster climbed them.

”I’ll stay here. I can handle anything that could walk through that door, at least for long enough for you all to come back down. Plus I don’t think Nall should make the climb.”

Nighthand, supporting Kelvin, was closest to their strange silent partner Amalo. The lab-woman looked at Nall with a cross between anger and pity. She glared, really. Then she turned and headed for the front door. She was muttering to herself, only some of which could the heavyblade catch.

“…tell them about this… …freedom… …mistake… …reward me for sure…”

Worried, Nighthand followed after her as she slipped, largely unnoticed, out the front door. He could feel Silverblade watching, for once not supplying his commentary. He was worried too. This woman, if she made it out of the Wasteland and to one of the Elite towers, might have a chance to bring everything down on their heads. On the other hand, she would have to fight up the tower of her choice, and by the time she did that they would be long gone. He hoped.

Kelvin stirred in his arms, moaning. Nighthand glanced down, and the emaciated admin was moving. He was showing more activity now than he had since they rescued him. It took a moment, but then he realized why; outside, there was a breeze. Like Phoenix’s attempt, with limited effect, the real wind from an open sky was bringing his mind back.

While he still leaned heavily on his staff, his wings perked up, and he raised his head to the sky.

”Free…” He whispered.

”Yes, Kelvin. Freedom.”

The admin seemed startled to find another person supporting him, and even more so when he recognized him.

”You… But you’re a hacker. Why… No. I know. I had thought I knew before, but…” He sighed. ”We’ve been so blind. And now the power is gone. Myself, captured. Kamui, Tritoch, Balmung… who knows what happened to them. They separated us early.”

”Now you see, though. You can help us, join our fight.”

”No. I can help, perhaps… but not join in your fight. If the rest of the admins, or the knights, or anyone saw me with you, they would brand me a traitor and a hacker. I wouldn’t be able to help near as much.”

”You’re powerful. You’d make a great ally in battle.”

”Not really. You saw how easily they bested us all. No… Instead I will return and work from the administrative side. I’ll… be an informant, for you and for us. I’ll see what I can dig up, and see if I can get support for your cause. I know it’s being shunted under the rug, these comas and the war, but… I’ll do what I can.”

”…Thank you, Kelvin.” The wavemaster sighed again.

”No thanks. We failed up til now. Save your thanks for when we win.”

Before Nighthand could say anything more, the admin spread his wings and vaulted into the sky. His own wings twitched, longing to feel the air under him, but his place was not to follow the admin. Nor was it to follow Amalo, who was now long out of sight.

He walked back inside and began to climb the stairs.

He lost count of how many steps there were when he hit two hundred and gave up. It was only a short time later that the spiraled stair reached its destination. Demorian was paused at a door, waiting for the group to prepare in case foes should reside within. Once they were set, he pushed open the door and leapt through, his sword ready to bear against the ferocious-looking and very deadly…

…empty room.

Well, not entirely empty. There was a large glass table, perfectly circular, in the center of the room. At three points in front of it, side by side, were a trio of pedestals, their top faces angled towards the group. They too were blank glass.

The room was lined with windows, looking out over the Wasteland all around them. It reminded Nighthand of an air traffic control tower, the way it had a commanding view of the surroundings. Off to one side was the central citadel, plainly visible even from here. Who knew how far away they were. Eight spires in a geometrical pattern surrounded a central tower that dwarfed any construction mankind could possibly build. It reminded Nighthand of a space elevator, if space elevators were made of bone and steel, and bled black tar in great waterfalls, some of which he could have sworn flowed upwards.

It was easy at this distance to tell the towers apart. The central one was obviously the Master’s tower. One, Rugudorull’s, was rod-straight and crackling with lightning. One looked to be made of shining crystal, probably Royce’s. One was, apparently, just a column of fire. One looked to be pieced together from stacked chunks of glaciers. Each suited the elite it was made for. The elite that inhabited it, perhaps even now.

Nighthand looked, but he couldn’t see Amalo or Kelvin from his vantage. Turning, he looked in the other direction.

Impossibly far away, a mere silver line on the horizon, stretched the wall of the town. Logic told him it wasn’t as far away as it looked, else the Wasteland would take days to traverse. A cosmetic way for the Waste to keep its victims.

Something interested him about the windows, themselves. He tapped them, and they felt like stone. The view seemed… off, somehow.

“Well, looks like no one’s here. Best we try to get what we can and leave. Oh, and… these pedestals are computer interfaces. The table will highlight data, and the windows are screens that can overlay data. It looks like they were worried about us escaping though; they cleaned this place dry. There’s not so much as a piece of gold laying around, unlike usual.” Demorian said. “We best hurry.”

--------------------ooc:

Read and respond to the global announcement I made if you would. I know it’s not standard English, but the question of a return to weekly posting should be answerable. =D

The three pedestals will turn on when they are approached and a blank cursor will appear. After a moment, it will flicker red and blue, and then the phrase “Wolframe||Gamma” will appear. That’s all the intro you get. The interface looks like a cross between Star Trek terminals and a qwerty keyboard. Strange enough to make data access difficult to proceed quickly, but familiar enough you can use it.

User avatar
Takua
Ikkitousen
Posts: 115
Joined: Sat Dec 27, 2008 12:19 am
Class: Wavemaster
Location: Walking the line of madness

Re: Captured! Jailbreak of the Century

Post by Takua » Wed Jun 10, 2009 5:32 am

Takua rested, eyes flickering over the other people around him. He wasn't really sure what to make of them at the moment. His rather paranoid outlook seemed to be ignoring two people and those two people alone, neither of which he wanted to bug, and neither of which he could talk to at the moment. This wasn't a good place to talk about what he needed to talk about, and if they were here for a large amount of time without getting back to the regular servers...well, things could become a little dicey. Still, he would prefer to do it verbally as opposed to writing it out in a flashmail. Just something that he needed to do.

For now though...now just wasn't the time to really be thinking about it. He could barely think past the fear that was driving him now, trying to drive him out into the Wasteland ahead of everyone else. The knowledge of what this was kept him inside, with the rest of the group, otherwise the hallucinations would have long since driven him outside. Muttering under his breath something that sounded suspiciously like 'fuck it' he charged up the stairs after Demorian and Dien. Standing around wallowing in it would only make him focus on it again and again and again, something that would undoubtedly bring about the end of his sanity (what was left of it anyways) in rather short order.

It didn't take long before he made it to the top of the stairs, although it did take some time before Demorian was ready to open the door. Either this was about to be a trap or he was waiting for something...something that was hopefully good. When the door contained just about nothing but computers and windows, as well as a single table. Listening to Demorian speak, he paused. The Elites, or at least the people under them, had cleaned up this place on the off chance that the Freedom Fighters would break out? That...didn't really sound all that good. At all. He would have preferred to think that the villains were not so genre savvy as to actually be prepared for what might happen if the heroes should break out of their 'impenetrable' prison. Cleaning the place out sounded entirely too much like people who knew what they were doing. Although...sticking them all in the same cell block, although it might be nice and convenient because you only had a single block to watch and could come to gloat fairly easily, didn't really sound like a very good idea.

Whatever, it had gotten them out of here. Better to ignore the fucker in his head by the name of Shadrach and concentrate instead on the computer in front of him. The keyboard looked funny as all hell to use, and there wasn't really an introduction...but it wasn't like he was expecting them to use ALMINT or something like that! Whatever...maybe there was some sort of generic menu that he could get access too? Settling his fingers on the keys, he found the text entry awkward at first, as his fingers hit the wrong key, but he eventually got it right. Then again, with only four letters in the word Menu, it wasn't really that hard.

Text immediately shot across the screen, and his mouth started to hang open slightly before he snapped it shut. Seeing the words, I am the Menu, what do you want? in front of him somehow didn't have a way of calming him down. Great, another sentient, or at least semi-sentient AI. Not that that was really unusual at this point, given that he was always around Kira, but it still bugged him that everything had some sort of intelligence.

List of Prisoners.

A list instantly appeared, scrolling down well below what he could see. He started scanning it briefly for any names that might pop out at him, perhaps an Admin that he would know about. There were probably hundreds of people on the list, and he simply couldn't recognize any of them. Frowning, he was about to type something in, but then stopped. It wasn't like the computer was going to try and help him with what was probably a basic command. Which just meant that he needed to get someone who could help over here...and someone who could recognize the names on the list. Which meant Demorian.

“"Hey Demorian, mind looking through this? I was wondering if you knew any of these people."”

"Oh hey, the prisoner list. Who're you looking for?"

He tried not to sound nervous about asking the man for help, but he was sure that some of it still showed. That had a lot to do with the small little detail that Demorian seemed to be disgustingly higher leveled, and right now he didn't need to deal with inferiority on top of his paranoia about everyone. Plus, having a higher level that he knew next to nothing about didn't help with that either. "Any more admins or people who we might be able to use. Thought you might know if someone on here could be used."

“Hmm... Lemme see." He took over the keyboard, and Takua's eyes widened as the man's fingers danced over the decidedly unfamiliar keys to input the commands that he wanted. Restricting the search for admins, sub-admins and anyone over level 75, the former Puppetmaster had swiftly figured out just who might be important...without many people being left. Kelvin appeared to be the only admin being held in the prison, which was a pity but...still, he was unable to contain the heartfelt words that followed. "...holy shit. Well, thanks for trying anyways."

"By the way. This thing is programmed to interpret plain text commands, so you don't have to go all psuedo-programmy on it."

Oh, now he gets told. Well, that was still a help, assuming he could even think of anything. Still, he couldn't help one sarcastic quip, especially since they were part of the reason that all of them were in this mess in the first place. "Thank god, programmers with a sense of the real world."

Demorian said something in agreement before he began to wander around the room again. Staring back up at the now decidedly short list, the Wavemaster began to think again. Something that the Twin Blade had said pricked his curiosity, and he began to type again, getting more used to the keys as time went on, but still not anywhere near what could be called 'fluent' in it.

Location of Commandant.

Away on business, itinerary unknown.

Well, that wasn't really a help, but at least it made him hope that the man, or woman, wouldn't come back in time to see them breaking out of the prison. Looking out of the window at the towers that were a blatant landmark to where the Elites were, he stiffened and hurriedly typed in his next words.

Location of nearest Elite.

Likely Royce, in the Tower of Light, to which the prison is currently closest.

Well fine, apparently the computer didn't really feel like being helpful today. They probably could have figured that out simply by looking outside...he had just been hoping of some kind of, oh, up to date information about the movements. Which was also the reason behind his next question. He was hoping for something about the movements of the massive monsters and creatures that Demorian had said would stalk the wastes...

Nearest large concentration of Twilight.

You kidding? Yamiyo.

...great, not only did the computer have a sense of humor, but he had been retarded. Of course there would be a huge concentration of Twilight just about wherever you fucking looked in Yamiyo, asking the computer where one might be was akin to asking where a droplet was in the middle of a fucking waterfall. You're doing it wrong. Sighing, he walked away from the computer to stare at the towers, and wondered just how much power the Elites had to wield in order to keep such structures up, even with the way that physics worked in The World.
Takua - Lvl 57 Wavemaster
Image
Image
Image
Wishlist: Levels, Stun Rod, Hag's Wand, Wand of Truth, Ex-Level, Ex-Spheres, and Myth: Demiurge, FL Fukuoka

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

Re: Captured! Jailbreak of the Century

Post by Raquar » Thu Jun 11, 2009 3:44 am

They ascended the stairs into the nexus of control of this tower and emerged into an observatory of sorts. It looked slightly aesthetically awkward, but the view it granted was nothing short astounding. The towers didn’t look pretty or something along those lines, but they looked incredible nonetheless. He turned back toward the group as Demorian launched into his explanation about the data system they had stumbled upon. It seemed like the place they were currently was the place to be, hopefully they could drain this fountain dry and then make a well-informed decision that would suit them best. However he was not the first to approach this system, Takua was the first and the Long Arm used this opportunity to observe how the controls for this terminal were used.

The loading screen was the first thing that caught his eye. The Wolframe||Gamma logo that popped up looked suspiciously familiar, it reminded him of a Wolfram|Alpha, a search engine sort of deal that he had been briefly introduced too back in the real world. That single thought brought back a flood of unwelcome memories, memories that he crushed ruthlessly before turning his attention back to the terminal at hand. Watching the Wavemaster gave him a brief idea of how to use the terminal keyboards, and in a brief interlude between the Wavemaster’s entries he approached a different terminal. The first order of business was to research something that had been in the back of his mind for a while. His fingers tumbled over the keyboard awkwardly and clumsily before he finally managed what he wanted.

Statistical Breakdown – Klive.

Klive - Hacker Elite of Fire. Statistics Unknown. Not that it matters; all stats are hacked to an arbitrarily high value. Twilight Items also inherantly devalue game statistics.The computer spat out answers at a rapid fire pace and Raquar’s session become something like a firing session. Question answer, question answer, question answer.

Location – Klive


Likely location: Tower of Fire.


Difficulty of Ascending Tower of Fire


Arbitrary and amorphous. Chance is unpredictable.


Well that took care of the most pressing mater in the boy’s mind. Feeling slightly disappointed at the lack of informationhe actually received, he decided to do a little research so that he got some useful information.

Profile - Demorian

Demorian. Blademaster, level 84. 1730 HP, 470 SP. Currently equipment: Mercury Sword, Dark Dragon, Ice Leg Mail, Lady's Gloves, Water Beast, Winter Stone. Other abilities presumably ice-related but unknown. Former member of the prison staff, before disappearing. Currently Wanted.

Profile - Nall

Nall - Former Hacker Elite of Time. Statistics Unknown. Again, not that it matters; all stats are hacked to an arbitrarily high value. Twilight Items also inherantly devalue game statistics. Currently Wanted.

The Nall information was more personal curiosity than anything else. After those two searches the boy figured it might be a good idea to actually search for a way out, or their next option, one of the two.

Chance of Survival - Wasteland

Unknown.

Well that wasn’t helpful at all. Pondering then what more information he could pick from the system, he wondered idly if somebody somewhere was watching them now, monitoring what they were doing, what they were asking.

Monitoring – Data Station

Everything is logged for future reference.

That gave him an idea.

Previous Data Logs

What's the password?

He figured that the ex-puppetmaster would have the best chance of answering that question. "Demorian, do you know the password to get into the previous data logs?"

The man hesitated a moment before answering. "Try... nxT4s&3md15%s#."

nxT4s&3md15$s#.

Sorry. That password was disabled approx. 273.3 days ago. No further attempts will be allowed.

He wondered a moment if that meant that specific terminal or all of them. And then his question was answered.

Command-locked data will now be inaccessable until the presence of the proper authorities are present.

Guess that answered that, now it was time for a little visual help.

View - Wasteland

A tower’s eve view of the surrounding ‘desert’ was portrayed on the viewing windows while the table in front of him was enveloped in a blue wireframe showing a rising and falling donut shape patch of land encircling the series of towers where they were currently stationed. That made another idea pop into the boy’s head.

View - Tower of Time

Unknown location.

That was disappointing. There was only one thing left before he needed a question answered.

Map - Prison

Another wireframe showed the prison tower surrounded by eight spokes. A brief animation showing the stair rotation showed that one spoke was accessible at a time. Seeing the map animated there made him curious to see if there was a way to keep it with him.

Download

He was gifted with an error message and decided to leave it at that. He had enough information for the moment, all that was left that was one question. He descended the stairs in a flurry taking them 3 or 4 at a time until he reached the area where Nall and Sheena were left behind. When he reached the two his question was simple.

”Is the Tower of Time still accessible? That would be a great place to hole up and rest for a bit.”

Nall shook his head as vigorously as he could in his tired state and it was Sheena who responded. ”That’s not a good idea.” The tone had a serious sense of finality too it that brooked no arguing. That was that and he had nothing left to do but ascend the staircase once again.
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
Dien
Exalted Player
Posts: 226
Joined: Fri May 12, 2006 1:59 am
Class: Blademaster
Location: The "Who's Online List," Stalking People...

Re: Captured! Jailbreak of the Century

Post by Dien » Sat Jun 13, 2009 2:19 am

What it was with the Elites and stairs was beyond him; especially when portals were so easy to create. Considering his Ap Do had worn off about halfway up, Dien had resorted to trying to run under his own power. After a few more loops, this proved to be a fatal attempt. Even for the enhanced stamina that his in-game body possessed, staircases were killer. So, by the time he’d caught up with Demorian, who lingered at the top of the spiraled, staggered ramp, he was almost entirely breathless. This, of course, struck him as ironic in light of his recent activity in the fire field of stopping his breathing to prevent pain from being induced. Raising his eyebrows and taking a seat on the stairs, he let his breath catch up with him while he waited for his teammates to catch up. If they were smart, they wouldn’t run as hard as he had.

Of course the door opened to reveal no threat whatsoever, and Dien decided to join Nighthand and Demorian in gazing out the display. Somehow the perspectives seemed…skewed. He imagined that with proper identification or clearance or something, one would be able to zoom in and focus on any target on the display. Even without that, though, he was able to tell that this facility was a lone lighthouse in the midst of a barren mess of land. From here, the slight changes being made to the terrain were evident, some faster and more violent than others. Traversing it would be a pain in the neck, especially after so many damned stairs. The blademaster had a half a mind for their return trip to just jump and then down a health potion once he’d broken his fall—and legs—on the floor.

After Raquar was finished, the former Forgotten Wing of Lighthack seated himself at the terminal and interwove his knuckles. Straining them against themselves, they cracked, and he set his hands on the ‘keyboard.’ Typing on the thing was awkward as hell, like the first time he’d tried using a Dvorak keyboard. It was intuitive enough to where he could figure it out, but so different from anything he was used to that it would take time to move quickly. If only there were more time to mess around with it. As it stood, it was likely that their captors were already en route to this very prison tower, so the blademaster was forced to get to it.

“So what do we call you?” Dien typed into the interface, as far as it could be called typing.

Wolframe||Gamma

“Any history behind that name?”

It’s a new version of an old system, developed years ago, called Wolframe|Alpha

“I was referring to the ‘Wolframe’ bit.”

No. Nothing more than what it is.

“Just a clever name by a clever programmer,” he muttered aloud before continuing.

“Perchance, do you have a version history? Like what was changed from Wolframe|Alpha to Wolframe||Gamma?”

No.

Dien let out a sigh. “Do you have any information on a hacker named Suraisu?”

Suraisu was formerly a minor admin tasked with hunting down a certain group of hackers. He was captured, brought here, and broken. Now he serves as a slave-gatherer.

“Any information regarding current status?”

Current location and assignment unknown.

“Is there any information regarding a hacker known as Leek?”

No information available.

“Display all known information about the Elites and their ‘Master’.”

Royce - Elite of Light, Bracelet Des Mirages
All other stats and equipment are arbitrary.

Melzas - Elite of Ice, Eye of Disillusion
All other stats and equipment are arbitrary.

Garaa - Elite of Darkness, Odin's Overshadow
All other stats and equipment are arbitrary.

Rugudurull - Elite of Lightning, Earrings of Raikiri
All other stats and equipment are arbitrary.

Xenobia - Elite of Wood, Master's Crown
All other stats and equipment are arbitrary.

Klive - Elite of Fire, Gloves of Ascendance
All other stats and equipment are arbitrary.


“...nothing about the Master?”

All information is restricted to only specific users.

“Who are those users?” The computer then printed a list of names about thirty long. Only eight of them were recognizable by Dien, though to others they might mean something. Danielle, can you— Already on it, Jed. He was lucky to have an AI who could read his thoughts like her, and who knew how he thought. She had probably already logged all of the information they’d been keeping track of. Of course, it was only the logical next step to try and convince the computer to give him the information anyway. He picked out a name and typed.

“I see my name on that list.”

I may be a computer but I’m not stupid.

“No really! My name’s right there!” And he pointed with his hand, as though the computer could see that.

Access Denied. One more attempt to fool me will result in the activation of an SOS.

“Oh you’re no fun! But say, for instance, I WAS that person, only I’d encountered someone who was able to swap bodies and extract specific memories and was left in this state? Not that I actually am, but wouldn’t that give you cause to let me access those files?”

Negative.

“So is there any other information that you have that would be useful to a group of escapees?”

Eat your vegetables.

“But there AREN’T any vegetables in The World!” A none-too-cruel fact he remembered. Even at the mention of his beloathéd vegetables, he longed to fill his mouth with taste—any taste.

There is everything in The World.

“Even data terminals that I can hack?”

Correction: No known implementation of children’s toys.

“Was that an offhanded insult? Display a map with any data terminals in the Root Town of Yamiyo that can be used to access the internet at large.”

Data set unknown.

“How about any computer terminal in the Root Town of Yamiyo?”

Unknown.

“No siblings, eh?” Dien comments aloud.

“Do you have a map of the Root Town of Yamiyo?”

Yes.

“Can you display said map?”
“Oh, and what’s the town called?”

Luchairt Cradh. With this, a map appeared on the display. It looked like a big ring, separated into four parts, with the uppermost two quadrants further subdivided. Organized and interesting, but useless for now.

“Any places we ought to avoid?”

Indeterminate. There are threats everywhere, to all users.

“How about restaurants? Know of any good ones?” Oh for the love of food…

Indeterminate. “Good” is a function of individual taste.

“True enough. One last thing, is there any way to access the inventory of other prisoners being held in this facility?”

Free access to the Box requires Command Access

“So my name would have to be on that list to loot the Box, then. Thanks Wolframe|Beta, you’ve been slightly helpful.” At that, Dien rose from the seat, content that he would get no more information from the thing.

Uh, you do know it was Wolframe||Gamma, right?” Even though she knew the answer, Dien could only smile. Nah, but let’s pretend it was an insult. Meandering back to their acting leader, he took up posture next to him and began conversation.

“So this Master character seems kinda shrouded in secrecy. You know anything about him?”

Not really. I know he could take out any Elite he chose, if he chose. That’s how he got to be the Master. Beyond that, not much. Also, beware what you hear in the town. Most of it is rumor, heresay, or falsehoods.

“So as we are now, we’re no match for him?”

Pretty much. We can take out an Elite if we’re lucky. Maybe two, if we get really lucky. The Master…I don’t want to think about getting tangled with.

“And I take it he has no tower of his own?”

Heh…” He turned and looked out the ‘window.’ “Whose did you think the center was?

“I thought it was simply decorative,” Dien replied, covering his ignorance with even more folly as he followed Demorian’s gaze, “in the mean time, we should probably get going. I don’t think there’s a whole lot left for us here—unless you’re willing to let the system send out an SOS…”

Oh, I’ve no doubt someone’s already on their way here. I’ve mostly been counting on the Wastes to slow them down, at this point.

“That’s...comforting,” Dien replied, turning towards the stairs, “I’ll be waiting at the bottom.”

Bring my hellos to Nall and Sheena.” Five minutes’ worth of stair-climbing later, and he took a seat across from the disabled blademaster.

“Demorian says hi, by the way…”
Image
Image|||Level 35 Blademaster (+200 EXP)
Wishlist: EXP, Ends of Earth, Armor with Status Effects

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

Re: Captured! Jailbreak of the Century

Post by Lord Canti » Sun Jun 14, 2009 8:51 pm

(The waiting game was never something that Canti enjoyed playing. It was the sport of the airplane terminal, to hurry up and rush off to the damn place and wait for as much as hours just to go somewhere far for a while. Now, that situation had come to pass in the form of being stranded from his body, and it was like he was fighting to get his passport back. And after all that, they had come to a stopping point in a most dangerous place...to sit it out while everyone made up their minds on where they wanted to go. The dark Twin Blade, to his credit, favored expediant withdraw. Get the hell out of Dodge. This prison isn't big enough for the two of us and all that nonsense. The rush was in the possibility that time was running out to escape to some relative safety. The wait fell to indecision, which was soon cast towards not leaving. Suffice to say, that got the hackles up on the winged player, since this was far more dangerous than a mission. You can retreat from those. This WAS a retreat, and if it failed... He didn't want to think about it. He didn't like the options his mind was conjuring up. They'd never get the chance to escape again, so it was slavery or death...or one other alternative, the one that he'd faked earlier. But he immediately despised himself for thinking about it seriously. Because...he was human, and human beings could falter in their courage. He hated the thought because he knew it was possible for him to turn... Nothing is ever definite. Certainly not in The World.)

Canti: I was a bastard for even trying it as a fake-out. The Warden almost believed me. I almost believed me.

Because you are weak. Because without darkness...you are empty and devoid of strength.

Canti: Shut up, shut up, SHUT THE FUCK UP!

(The virus, a parasite which thinks his thoughts. Twilight wasn't inventing AIs in his head or anything. It was just giving its power and determining which side of Canti was the better half: The one that tells the truth? Or the one that lies to itself? Well...if he was to tell himself one truth, it was that his subconscious freaking Id taking over - Xenogears style - would probably either take out an Elite or be taken out. That'd save everyone else some trouble right there. Not everything can go to a happy place. That Amalo was off, practically brainwahed. Kelvin, their only Admin sympathizer at this time, would be of no immediate use. Nall was still mostly out of it. In his current state, Canti could probably knock him out. Not that he'd try. Both Sheena and Nall were the ones he respected. In any case, the decision was made. Up we go. Up the new set of spiral stairs, all the way to a room which...lacked occupants, barring themselves.)

Canti: Well, this is anti-climactic. Not that that bothers me right now.

(Wishing for blood at this time would satisfy a need to stick it to their enemy, but it wouldn't help them out of here. No way or freakin' how. But...this place was a vision of the future. Neat angles and advanced consoles, all in a room with a mighty panoramic view. Oh ho ho ho... This wasn't just ANY brilliant future. It was like new and exciting Space Needle! Canti had been there once, a long time ago. The thought made him uneasy, like an emotion of wanting surrounded him. Just the base desire to be back again... Dammit, he'd taken so much for granted, content to wallow in his pit of a life instead of doing something. He could've traveled, seen the sights, gotten over himself, and moved on instead of getting stuck here. Ah well. Demorian identified their surroundings.)

“Well, looks like no one’s here. Best we try to get what we can and leave. Oh, and...these pedestals are computer interfaces. The table will highlight data, and the windows are screens that can overlay data. It looks like they were worried about us escaping though; They cleaned this place dry. There’s not so much as a piece of gold laying around, unlike usual. We best hurry.”

(A wise idea. Now that Demorian wasn't a nut for secrecy and ugly message font, Canti felt more comfortable around the guy. It was his bizarre offhandedness and callous behavior that had made him hard to deal with. As Marionette, he wouldn't agree to even the smallest of support, which the Twin Blade had attempted to negotiate before. Now that he was exposed, perhaps the resources could be pooled now? One could only hope. Now, consoles had been met bby a couple others, at least. Canti waited for the opportune moment and then decided to also sit himself down. He wasn't a brilliant hacker like Dien, but he could do something. Besides, Demorian mentioned that you could work it in a more casual layman's sort of manner. Now, the console warmed up for him.)

Wolframe||Gamma


(And that was it. Screen was up. Let's get cracking. Only...Canti wasn't a brilliant typist either. Just your standard World-user, really, so he ended up working the thing with much care, having to delete or edit his mistakes in typing. This was a work in progress. He gradually got better at it. Now then... To Canti, there wasn't a whole lot that he was concerned about that either hadn't or couldn't be answered by Demorian. His questions about the wastes had given him reason enough to believe they had a chance. However, there were other things that weighed on the Twin Blade's mind, and not all of them involved escape. He typed, and the computer answered.)

"Status/Location of player Suraisu."

Last known location: Yamiyo - Stitcher Sector.


Canti: What?!

"Locate Stitcher Sector."

North-West Sector of Uncommons District, which is the North-West District of Yamiyo.


Canti: Holy...shit.

(He wasn't dead. He actually had real and proper proof that the lightning boy wasn't actually dead. Put simply, if they had killed Suraisu or managed to capture him, the information would say so. It was list him dead. Instead, he was hidden, out there somewhere. He was in almost the same situation they were. On the run and trying to keep out of sight. This was both shocking and utterly perfect. Well, not exactly perfect. But it meant the possibility of taking care of something that had been bothering him from the very beginning. And now that that was somewhat handled, let's focus more on the getting-out-of-here matter at hand.)

"Locate server Chaos Gates."

There is one gate in each District enabling faster travel between Districts. Travel between Districts is free and unregulated. Travel into and out of the server is monitored. Additionally, there are gates in the peaks of each Tower, save the Master's, but they are open by invitation only.


(Very useful to know. He tugged that data into hindbrain, wondering though...who was the Master? A World-based Timelord? Nah, that was practically Nall. Actually, it didn't take much thought to figure an answer there. The Master was the leader, probably the most formidable hacker in the business. It didn't take a rocket wizard to figure that out. However, something else bugged him. The computer said the Chaos gates would be monitored, so naturally Canti wondered...)

"Query: Is there a record of the actions taken at this station?"

Everything is logged.

"Are these records remotely accessable?"

Access is currently denied for this command station until the proper authority has arrived.


(Whoa... Touchy computer. It appeared as though the console was locking out the appropriate nugget of joy he was hoping for. That was problematic, because it meant that they would have a record of what happened here...and he couldn't erase the history! Secrecy would've been preferred. He'd hoped to get away with that, but apparently that wasn't going to fly. Maybe the lock-up prevented remote access, and that the jig would only be up when...)

"Expected time of arrival for next command-level user?"

Unknown.


(Crap. Oh well. This wasn't helping anymore. Canti looked up from his work to see if the Puppermaster was busy.)

Canti: Demorian, is there anyway we can sabotage these things?

"Well...not really. They're pretty impervious to damage. The best you could really do is attempt to hack it or something, and piss it off enough to get it to shut down. That's just a delay though, nothing really damaging."

Canti: I see. Well...we should do something. They'll be looking at these later, knowing everything we've asked.

"We could try to shut it down before we leave, but for now make sure everyone else is done first."

(He nodded at this, then got back to the console. Canti decided to ask a little about resources, and inquired about the main Twilight research centers. However, he was unable to get anything specific on the matter. Apparently, research was everywhere. Kinda' made them guinea pigs, didn't it? The Twin Blade stood up from the console and stood back from all the business. He found himself now very absorbed in what he'd learned. It put the pressure on, mentally. So immersed was he in this that he did not notice Talal come up beside him.)

"A penny for your thoughts."

Canti: Eh?

(She'd spoken in a soft tone. The winged player replied not too loudly, keeping attention drawn away from him.)

Canti: Learned a few things on the console. Like about the guy that started this mess. He's almost certainly alive.

"You mean comatosed players wasn't an accident in the programming of the game?"

(She'd tilted her head, contemplating his statement, but giving him a look that indicated she hadn't quite gotten the gist. This was odd because...they'd gone over this before.)

Canti: No, I...mentioned before that the Elites can do it to you, as long as they have Twilight. I also mentioned our guide on a quest that Dien, Zhao, and I were on; Suraisu. We came to the end and he tried to kill us.

"I'm sorry. You did tell me that. Were you able to find out where he is?"

(She must've been embarassed for forgetting. Canti shrugged, indicating no harm done and that he had gotten something.)

Canti: Last known whereabouts. Doesn't say he's dead, so he probably isn't. Probably in hiding like Demorian said before.

"You seem troubled somehow though, or at least your wheels are turning. Anything I might help sort though?"

Canti: Ah, well...

(Damn, she'd read him like a book, or at least a good set of cliffnotes. There were any number of things that had been bugging him in the last however-long-they've-been-in-this-place all vying for his attention. Looks like his expression was quite readable. But there was no sense throwing every damn thing on her. Talal was still getting use to this. Best to keep most of this on the surface of things. Only problem was...Canti seemed hesitant, mostly because he wasn't sure how to put this in words. Best to stay on topic for now.)

Canti: Little argument I had with Dien before. I'm not sure if I want him dead. Knowing what I know about the Elites, I don't think he had a choice. Dien thinks otherwise. I have a chance to find him and at least learn the truth. Who knows? Maybe he'll join...

"I think you're right to keep a notion set aside about him that there is that small chance that he had no choice. As long as if and/or when you get the chance to confront him, you have the ability to feel out the lies from the truth. Another on our side with inside intel is never a bad thing either. It's worth a shot in my opinion."

Canti: I'm pretty much sold on 'another on our side'. Suraisu is at least formidable, capable. I just hope he's reasonable. Still, that's if I get the chance. Last thing I want is to track him down only to find the bads on my trail. That computer records everything we ask it.

"Just means you need to have some back up with you when you go! I won't charge of course."

(Her sudden good humor caught him off guard, anf it was almost immediately infectious. This was why he looked down upon Nighthand. You needed the team, and the team knew it. Talal was merely a victim in all this, but she offered to help him out without knowing the score or having even any direct involvement.)

"At least you were able to get helpful information out of that sentient thing. I hit a security password roadblock."

Canti: Well, you're right about that much. And actually, I hit one as well. I was trying to figure out if the computer was remotely accessable. It wouldn't tell me and it asked for a password for authorization. I wanted to delete the history, but we can't. Best we can do is delay them. Fortunately, I know something they don't. I know that I can find him. And if nothing else, I know all the exits too.

(And he said the last part with no undue pride. The computer was volunteering free information. Why not get it to tell the prisoners how to escape? Talal's eyes lit up when he mentioned it too. She'd given him hope, so we'll call this returning the favor.)

"You can't imagine how good it sounds that you found the exits. I wish we could go straight to them but I know we need as much intel as we can gather. I just hope it doesn't take too long."

(She paused briefly, thinking, then...)

"Wait, first you said all you knew was the last know whereabouts, now you say you know you can find him? Great! So where should we go from here?"

Canti: Errr...uhhh... Meant I was confident 'cause of my senses. Place called the Sticher Sector. Doesn't matter where we end up first. There's transport between districts, fast and unmonitored. The ones out are what we have to watch, but I'm sure we'll figure that one out.

(Yeah, it was they that didn't have a clue. Canti fully believed that his instincts would home him in on familiar emanations, like the human tesla coil. However, getting out was still going to be a task-and-a-half. He looked at her, sympathizing.)

Canti: I know you want to get out of here as much as I do, but I wanna handle this first. He may've tried to kill us, but he also saved my life too. Earlier in the mission. I probably would've comatosed anyway, but he stopped the creature we were fighting from killing me, taking the blow himself. I owe him an ounce of my time, at least. Whether we go immediately...or not.

"So you've been to this town before?"

(The winged player's whole face lit up in confusion.)

Canti: What? No, I never heard of the place. I'll be navigating by instinct, unless the HUD map starts working.

(Where did she get that idea? Talal blushed a bright red. Probably hadn't meant to ask that, or something. He didn't know. This girl was as much as mystery as he was to anyone else Sekai knew.)

"Too many questions rolling around in this little brain of mine. Hehe... His actions, though, do sound like he deserves a chance to at least explain himself. I'm sure you'll find him. My concern on time, well, is purely personal. Trusting others to come through on something important hasn't been a strong suit of mine, you could say. Like to make sure things happen myself."

Canti: I've learned to play well with others. You're going to have to yourself, Talal. If we don't, we'll just start breaking apart...

(And that definitely worried him, because Nighthand would do nothing about it.)

"It's not so much getting along as it is trust. I've been independent too long I guess. Generally speaking, I get along with just about anybody once the ice is broken and would still do what I could for them without the broken ice. Don't worry, I'll play nice. Here's a random question for you...do you think the flashmail's will work once we get into town?"

Canti: I use to be like that. I understand.

(Canti blinked. The flashmails? Wait, he knew this one.)

Canti: Actually, I know that Demorian use to oversee the communication hubs for the Elites. He kinda' helped us trash them, so I don't think anyone can call in or out right now. Even then, I don't think we would want to. Might raise a flag.

(He thought about this...)

Canti: Probably still works inter-server...

"Yeah, you're probably right about the red flag. Well, take what we can I suppose. It's too bad we couldn't remove the flags that are probably on us right now so they can track us. That's probably another one of those things we need a password for."

(Well, he knew at least that Raine or someone could remove 'em at HQ.)

"So how are you doing? You took quite a beating down there during the fight?"

Canti: Oh, you mean those turrets. Yeah, I...sort of end up that way alot. Bit reckless, but it gets the job done. When I found a way to kill them, they went berserk. I end up hurt or killed doing what I think will help. I don't mind doing that when with the team. It's alone that worries me. I'm a little afraid of what'll happen...

(Meaning, what happens to him if it's game over? The only answer he had was a comatose body suddenly flatlining. Not a pleasant thought. One of the little niggling doubts in his brain. Talal just smiled and nodded, though, saying...)

"I completely understand what you mean. It feels like a game of Roulette to me. How do we know which ghosting as a comatose player will be our last? I'm sure there's more logistics to it than that, but knowing that doesn't seem to help curb the thoughts any. Glad you're alright though."

Canti: You know, you're right. There's no proof. It's just a fear I have. Thanks, Talal. Uhh, I think I'll head downstairs, keep an eye on Nall and Sheena. Not a good idea for 'em to be alone if anyone shows up.

(Turning, the dark Twin Blade headed for the stairs and actually jumped off, gliding down the stairs with his wings. He had alot to think about, especially if his own plans suddenly came to fruition. What would he say? Or do? He didn't come all this way to pick a fight. In fact, he didn't come all this way, period. It was reverse-polarity serendipity, the kind born of dire circumstance that can be exploited usefully. He couldn't waste this if he got a chance. And if he had ANY chance, he had to get some of the others behind him on it. The only problem was...his ideas about Suraisu... They weren't popular.)
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
Senna
Awakened Player
Posts: 150
Joined: Sat Jul 01, 2006 10:28 pm

Re: Captured! Jailbreak of the Century

Post by Senna » Thu Jun 18, 2009 2:30 am

The fight seemed… somehow anticlimactic. Senna had been set to get back into the fray, but before she could identify a new target, it was all over. Some talk, some posturing, and then they were moving again.

It had been an enlightening bit of time, that part of the fight during which she hadn’t been actually engaged. There was something to be said for the grace with which many of her teammates moved, worked – Dien, Canti, Sekai, even some of the newcomers. Objectively, they were aided by the fact of their infection, she thought. Looking back on how the regular characters attacked, moved, fought, talked… this was so much more natural, and by extension, fluid.

Much as it sucked, maybe it would be worth taking time now and again to appreciate a few good things.

Bemused by the thought, she moved on with the rest, hanging toward the back. The group had moved, stopped, and then moved again, but it wasn’t until the second set of movement that she realized where they were headed.

Ah yes. More stairs. Lovely.

Senna slowly tilted her head back further and further, eyes tracing the next path, mind going back over every stupid moment of unease she’d gone through since joining the infected. Well, being infected, maybe it was time to get her inner zombie on. A smirk settled onto her face. Undeath in the game to get past one of the most foolish obstacles. Ha!

The smirk warped into something a little more… hysterical, but she took a first step. And another.

This is gunna be FUN.



By the time she got to the top, it seemed a great deal had gone on. Some people were looking at what seemed like a sci-fi-based terminal. She briefly entertained the idea of going over and taking a look at it, but after a brief consideration, decided to leave it be. Dien thought extensively, Canti thought from different angles, Lighteria thought in ways that no one else she’d ever met seemed to think – the result was, unless there were quotes from Byron coming up on the screen, she was unlikely to have any more insight on things than the ones who probably took the initiative on it.

The Wavemaster (how odd for that title to be usurped in her mind!) caught her eye. She meandered over and peeked around, trying to not seem too sneaking-up-ish. “Hey there,” she said to catch his attention.

He blinked, obviously caught off guard, but managed a relatively quick grin after he realized that he was being an idiot. "Oh, hello. What's your name?"

Senna,” she replied, half-smiling and holding out a hand. “You?

He took the proffered hand after a moment and shook it firmly, mirroring her own half smile. "Takua. Very new, in case you didn't know, but Xenobia didn't seem to care."

“Xen-“ she caught herself before the full name and its questioning tone got out. New folk likely didn’t need to be inundated with questions about how it happened. Lord knew she didn’t. Here we are, trapped in the amber of a moment. So strange.

Switching direction completely, she gestured with a dip of her spear toward the terminal. “I was a bit behind… you know what that is?”

He nodded and grinned wryly at her for a moment. "A computer system with a bit of a sense of humor I'm afraid. You can ask it anything you want, careful with the keyboard, and it will either answer a question or not. Pretty useful."

Senna’s smile faltered. “A smart computer? Figures.” She sighed and put a hand to her forehead. “the Elites sure do some weird stuff. We sure it ain’t someone just replying with the info and jerkin’ us around?[/b]” She tried to make it clear with her tone she was kidding.

She wasn’t sure she succeeded.

He took a moment, obvious thoughtful, and a bit of a worried look appeared quickly before it vanished. "Well yeah, that's a possibility, but if they were doing that they could simply shut this place down and get us out into the Wasteland."

She chuckled a little. “Didn’t mean it,” she said. “And if they were, sounds like they’re at least… somewhat friendly. Nothing we can do about it either way though, so why worry. What was it Ben Franklin said?” She paused, then nodded once. “Ah. Yes. Keep in the sunlight. Decent if vague advice. Especially when any sun would be fake.” She paused again, then sighed. “Sorry. I ramble when I’m keyed up sometimes.

He chuckled oddly, a little too light and quick to actually be amused by it. "Don't worry about it, we all seem to be tense for one reason or another. If it keeps your stress down, go right ahead and ramble, I don't mind."

And I suppose that’s the sunlight too,” she said. “So… uh… how’re you doing? Er, and tell me to shut up if I’m being too nosey.

Another quick smile, this one more nervous and sheepish than anything else. "Well, if I said I was fine, I'd be lying. Isn't every day that one meets an Elite and gets chucked into a prison. And comatosed. Ah well, at least I have it better than some, I figured it might happen."

She chuckled in return this time. “You have a point. Though… why did you think it might happen?

He paused and waved his hand dismissively for a moment. "I was part of a group that I doubt you've heard of, the Eventide Crescendo. Anyways, I saw someone else go Comatose, I had two other people trapped in the game in the group and a couple other things. Basically, I was playing with fire trying to take out a group of Elite underlings and got burned when an Elite got interested in us."

She nodded. "Heck, that's impressive. I can't imagine getting involved knowingly in something that tough. At least not willingly. It's... impressive." Repeating the word beat the writer in her over the head, but it was what it was.

"Thanks. It was a bit tough but, seems that I've ante'd up to a whole new game at this point. I don't even know what kind of 'ability' I'll end up getting. All I have experience with is magic...of the, you know, normal kind."

"No lack of uses for that though," Senna quipped. "You get to exploit every weakness. Makes me a bit jealous." she grinned.

The Wavemaster chuckled and then laughed outright before sobering. "Yeah but...I just realized, I said magic of the normal kind. There is no normal kind of magic. Oops. That said, I'm a bit of a...collector of spells of sorts, I have a lot of them stored up from way back at level 12 or so."

Senna's eyes widened. "How many you got?"

There was a bit of a muttered "Oh god" before his eyes glazed and he started concentrating. He scratched the back of his head and looked to the side abruptly. "Uhh...sixty or so, give or take a few. Just a bit much, right?"

No such thing,” she responded emphatically. “And I’m sure the Elites’ll find a few ways to test them all.” Here she stopped herself again, shook her head, and said, “There I go *again.* I’d better take my leave before I talk your ear off. There’s a couple things I need to get in order before we move on. But… hey, good to have you. Despite the… circumstances.

He chuckled lightly, twitching slightly as he ran his hands through his hair. "Thanks for the welcome. Get ready to leave though, I don't think we'll want to be here any longer than we have to."

She offered a salute in parting, then meandered off. Time to take an inventory – a REAL inventory – and make sure things were set. Up instead of out. Who knew what they were gonna discover.
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)

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

Re: Captured! Jailbreak of the Century

Post by Sekai » Fri Jun 19, 2009 10:21 pm

Generally, being observant and rather quiet had its downsides more often than it helped. However, listening to the conversations going on and the explanation of the computer terminal managed to brighten her day just a tiny bit, temporarily taking things off of her mind as she watched the other members of the Freedom Fighters have at it with... what looked like varying degrees of success. Some of the expressions during their 'crack' at getting information shouldn't have been as amusing as she found them- especially Dien and Takua's, for some strange reason.

'I almost want to ask for records for prior conversations, if only to see what managed to get that look on their faces.' She thought to herself and shook her head, trying to ignore the sideways look Kira was giving her. Said sideways look also reminded the fifteen year old that it wasn't nice to peek into what other people were talking about and, having someone with the ability to do that almost all the time was absolutely obnoxious.

When it became apparent no one else was going to head for the machine, the vertically challenged Archer slipped over and placed herself in front of it. Definitely not an interface she recognized and- drat, it was an English keyboard. Look at the bottom of the keys, little one. I sincerely doubt that every person in this hacker damned server is of one nationality. Ask me and I'll spell the word out for you if you need it.

Well... this was going to feel awkward, to say the least and Sekai was quickly reminded of how weird the English language was when it came to their sentence structures and grammar. No wonder it was considered a difficult language to learn.

"Location of Kamui, Balmung and Tritoch?" She typed in, biting her lower lip out of nervous habit, placing a secret bet against herself that she'd probably have the misfortune of either setting off an alarm, or accidentally triggering some sort of secret code. Stranger things had been known to happen, after all. That reminds me of that time in the- Her left eye twitched ever so slightly as she cut Kira's comment off. 'Yes. That's exactly what I was thinking of. Let's not bring that back up right now, okay?' A long pause. 'And no, not for that reason. ...if you say what you're thinking, I will have to hurt you.... somehow. Oh stop trying to hide your amusement, I'll get lucky one of these days and give you a good one!'

Kamui: Status Unknown.
Balmung: Status Unknown.
Tritoch: Delivered to central tower 2.5 days ago.


Kira being horribly obnoxious aside, one Admin's location was better than none, she supposed. Though she'd heard of Kamui before and really had no desire to come face to face with the woman who seemed to be in charge of one of the groups she, as a comatose individual, was supposed to be high on her guard to look out for.

She kept the man's name in mind as she thought of her next question and tried to imitate the same format she'd had with her first one. '...what was the English word for this again?' Choosing to be somewhat helpful, for once, Kira told her. Now? Nah, that'll be confusing. Try 'current'. ...and completely threw the girl's attention span out the window. '...okay, that first one sounds like the sound a cat makes. The other one sounds odd too.' Languages are a fun and interesting thing to learn, little one. We'll talk more about it later though, get your questions done so we can get the hell out of here.

"Current location status of the Elites." This was definitely an important one, in her mind. If she knew exactly where they were, they might be able to avoid them in their escape. And that was definitely preferred; she didn't want another bunch of thorn brambles through the eye again. That hadn't been fun in the least.

Information classified, access denied.

Every muscle and line in her body went taut and tense, flight mode ready to activate in a matter of seconds as she waited for the sound of an alarm or anything else that would mean they needed to run like the devil himself was ready to try and pull out their tongues. When nothing happened, Sekai gave her bottom lip another bite, wincing as pain snapped her out of the majority of her panicked response and typed in the next after asking for the proper wording.

"Nearest exit out of the Wasteland?" It was definitely worth a shot, maybe she'd find a map or a route out that might not be heavily guarded. And Trent will suddenly reveal that he's Momoko, loves the Rai element and was only being a- The string of words Kira proceeded to use was more than enough to turn the younger girl's face a rather interesting shade of red-about-purple. -in order to toughen you up.

Entrance to the central towers.

That didn't sound good. At all. Maybe the nearest wasn't always the safest. Central towers in video games usually were where the nastiest bosses and enemies were. Definitely not a good option.

"Safest route out of the Wasteland?" Maybe this would work a little bit better, Sekai thought to herself and waited for a piece of good news.

Unknown.

Drat, shoot and bother.

"List of monsters and threats in the Wasteland?" There, maybe that would help her in some way or another.

...I have to admit, I'm a little impressed. I've not heard of half of the things on this list- hacker made probably, but still. Kira commented as she looked over Sekai's shoulder at the list as they scrolled down and went through most of the list. Sekai's eyes were slightly glazed over as she shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose, making a face in the process that gave her a rather comical expression. Trying to teleport out of here or stop time?

O...kay, and that had probably been the nastiest look she'd ever seen Sekai give another person before in her life- even worse than that jackass priest in the prison field. Probably not the time to make a TV show reference then. Or maybe she just took offense at being labeled a stereotype? Though how that was a stereotype was beyond her and- huh, she was figuring that system out pretty quickly.

"List of monsters and threats unique to the Wasteland?" Just ignore Kira and everything would be alright in that next few minutes.

Unknown.  Unable to monitor every use of every monster, trap, spell, or other threat in The World.

Sekai took a moment and looked up at the ceiling above her, bottom lip between her teeth and a most decidedly irritated look on her face, as she tried to calm the twitch rapidly becoming annoying in her left eye. Pressing a finger against the twitching corner and pulling against it gently, Sekai slowly poked in her last question with her free hand.

"Do you have a 'clear recent history' command?" She was betting it'd be a 'no' or set off an alarm.

No.

“Thank you.”[/i]

Crap. Well, at least it wasn't something unexpected. She typed in one last thing before turning away and heading for the familiar form of Nighthand. As long as he didn't move too suddenly around her, she thought she'd be okay with approaching him... even if he did really scare the heck out of her at times. We're going to work on that inability to handle that element, you realize this.

Sekai decided she was going to pretend she didn't hear that. "Um... Nighthand-san?" She inquired hesitantly, biting her lip a moment before continuing. "Is... it bad when someone is transferred to the central tower?"

Huh. I dunno." She automatically imitated his movement, looking out the window herself and blinked in confusion at the lack of, well, much to see out there. "Presumably that's the Master's tower.  Who knows what goes on there."

“One of the Admins was transferred there, someone named Tritoch-san, I was wondering if he was someone that, well," She paused a moment to try and figure out how to word it. "That could cause a lot of trouble if taken to this 'Master' individual."

"...Damn.  He's the most insane of the Admins...  He could have been brought there for defiance to be killed...  or he could have been brought there to make a deal.  I just don't know."

An insane Admin; that sounded like bad news. Kira mumbled something under her breath about 'The World' being a magnet for insanity and did her best impression of being innocent when Sekai sent her another look. Moving on, the girl thought to herself, temporarily clenching her teeth to try and reign in what felt like the beginnings of a temper starting to boil beneath the surface.

"Which seems the most likely, do you think?"

"With Tritoch?  Either one.  Balmung and Kamui I'd say would fight to their last breaths, but Tritoch..."

"I... see. I think we should let the others know, just in case we wind up running into him... at the very least, even if nothing happens, it'd be good to remain wary." Definitely would avoid Kamui if she got the chance, that woman sounded positively terrifying.

"Good idea."

"I'll go let Sheena-san and Nall-san know, would you mind letting Demorian-san know what's going on?" Maybe the others wouldn't trust him, but she certainly did. After all, he made himself clear on where he stood, for the most part and had kept his word.

"Sure."

Sekai could have cheerfully cursed every single stair in existence. The desire to just sit down and not move for a little while was getting stronger and stronger. By the time she got to the bottom, she took a minute to gingerly try and stretch out her legs before heading over to where Nall was lying down and Sheena was... doing something.

“I'm sorry to interrupt,” She began and nervously folded her hands in front of her. “But there's bad news; Tritoch-san has been taken to the central tower as of two and a half days ago.”

"Bah.  Good.  Maybe they'll kill him and keep him our of our hair." Sheena responded, still focusing on Nall... who seemed to be asleep. Must have really given him hell if he was that tired. Maybe it was a good thing to be seen as an insect, if that's what they did to people with power, Sekai thought to herself.

"Um... that was one of the options that Nighthand thought of, the other is that he might, um, be there to make a deal with the Master." Hopefully she wasn't doing the wrong thing by offering the worst case scenario. "Nighthand-san believes that's just as likely a possibility as the Master killing him for his defiance."

"Damn.  Why's he have to be right...  Tritoch would do that.  Well...  thanks for telling me, I guess.  Not that we can do anything about it."  Definitely not in a good mood and, with common sense kicking in, Sekai wisely let Sheena go back to poking at the sleeping- maybe?- Nall and found herself some place out of the way of anyone else to sit down.

'I never thought I'd say this but, being on the run in a dungeon is actually a bit less strenuous than, well, this is.' She thought to herself and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to block the worry and forcing herself to believe things were okay... even if she knew, deep in her gut, that they weren't and probably never would be again.

Sitting against the wall next to the door was a fascinating thing. Well no, but it was the only thing Dien really could do until the group made up its mind to agree with him that there was nothing more to be gained from asking the computer whether it liked long walks on the beach and piña coladas. Meanwhile, as Sheena continued to work on the practically unconscious Nall, the girl he’d battled alongside decided to descend the stairwell and join them prior to the doorway. A couple snippets of conversation later, and she was able to discern what the blademaster had seen clearly: Sheena didn’t care about anything other than Nall’s recovery.

“Don’t let her preoccupation bother you,” Dien said to Sekai, grabbing her attention away from the couple in the door, “while she’s right in that there’s not much we can do, she’s really focused on trying to get Nall well again.”

Sekai blinked, startled by the sound as she opened her eyes and glanced at Dien in surprise. “Oh, um, I wasn’t bothered.” Not really anyway, she thought to herself before shaking her head and forcing a smile on her face. “All I was doing was, um, passing along the message and Nighthand-san's warning as well, that's all.

“Uh huh,” the blademaster replied, “you can say that, but your body language says that you’re stressed right now. If it wasn’t Sheena’s cold shoulder…mind if I ask what’s up?”

She cringed visibly when her body language was remarked upon. Drat, shoot and triple bother; she could have sworn she had it hidden well enough this time! “It’s…complicated,” Sekai replied slowly, looking embarrassed and not a little frustrated. A weak smile was the next response as well as a small shrug of one shoulder. “I’m not sure how else to explain, other than that.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Dien said, motioning for her to sit next to him against the wall, “but at the very least, you should sit and rest a bit while we wait for everyone descend the staircase again. Methinks we’ve got a bit more fighting ahead.” Looking at it again made him wonder if these long chutes were intentionally designed to be excessively cruel to anyone who wanted access.

Sekai glanced at the spot next to Dien and bit her lip before pushing herself from her place and hesitantly walking over to sit next to the Blademaster. Kira was watching whatever it was Sheena was doing out of curiosity so…maybe it’d be okay to sit next to another person for a while. “I don’t like all the fighting,” She admitted once she’d settled down, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her chin between them. “and something else is strange too, something I can’t figure out how to say properly…it just feels like there’s something very, very off about the Freedom Fighters as a whole.

“Think it’s the new blood?” he asked, letting his head roll on the wall so he faced her, “I mean, from what I understand you guys were sucked off the battlefield by Xenobia; waking up stuck in-game in a prison would be hellish for anyone.”

A pained expression flashed across her face, eyes darkening as she looked down at the tip of the black boots barely peeking out from beneath the green hakama she wore. “…not…really. Takua-san knew what would happen, as…I think Talal-san was warned way ahead of time as well.” She bit her lip again and shook her head. “No, I don’t think it has anything to do with the new members.” An almost helpless looking shrug. “Like I said, it…isn’t something I’m able to explain very well, there’s just something completely different than when I went to go help the Eventide Crescendo.

“Might have to do with Zan?” the blademaster said, the words echoing on a pain that he’d put off for a bit. He really was going to have to punch the guy when he showed up again.

Sekai closed her eyes and buried her face behind her knees, knuckles turning white against the green fabric as her grip tightened. “…he’s safe. I know he’s safe. He has to be safe.” The last short sentence was said with a bit of panic, almost as if she were pleading with him to agree with her as she pointedly looked to the opposite side of where Dien was sitting.

“He’s tough as nails,” the blademaster replied, turning his head to look forward, “I’m sure he’s gonna be just fine.” Truth was, though, even Dien doubted the lycan’s life status. He hadn’t shown up in the prison with the rest of them, and considering how thorough the Elites had been to scrounge all of them up…he was either still in that Juk prison place being tortured, or he was dead. He snorted a smile, “though I am gonna punch him square in the jaw next time I see him. Bastard has the most inconvenient timing.”

She looked back at Dien after the final sentence, looking as close to angry as it was possible for the gentle girl to do so. “If you want to hit him, you’ll have to go through me to do so. No one is going to hurt him anymore than he has been already, am I clear?” …it could be said that her attempt at being tough and angry was like watching a tiny kitten puffing up at the sight of its own reflection.

“Anyone ever tell you you’re cute when you’re mad?” he said after rolling his head to face her again with a smirk, “you can relax, though. I’m just a little upset with him for disappearing without a word and not responding to my flashmails. We’re friends, and I know what he’s been through, but I really don’t like being taken for granted.”

That didn't help matters in the least, it seemed. At least, that would be the conclusion after seeing the way her cheeks suddenly turned bright pink and her shoulders hunched up to her ears. The glare she gave him was probably about as effective as her trying to sound tough. “Everyone says that! I can sound tough and be scary when I’m angry, just like everyone else!” Something that might have been a laugh disguised as a cough came from around where Kira was standing with her back turned to them.

He’s just…not been able to talk to anybody about it, if he was okay enough to talk about it, he would.” Sekai said after a moment, the glare having switched over to Kira for a moment before easing into a worried one, as if she still doubted her own words about him being alright.

“Pft,” he scoffed, “whatever. I’m sure he’ll be back soon, and we can help him work through whatever issues he’s got.” He paused, closing his eyes and letting out a deep sigh. He was tired, and could agree with Sekai that the overabundance of fighting was getting to him—was getting to them all. “You know, though,” he began again, peeking out of the corner of his eye at the girl sitting next to him, “you’re a pretty good combatant, despite how much you dislike it.”

Sekai reminded herself that Dien hadn’t seen what went on in those fields and closed her eyes a moment, shuddering as distant memories teased the edges of her mind. No, she didn’t want to think about those fields right now. “…I don’t want to be left behind,” She admitted quietly, after a long moment of silence. “I would really like to avoid fighting, if it could be helped. But,” A very tiny smile appeared. “I’m glad that my improvement is so noticeable, it means that I’m not too young to be of use in battle.

“Of course not,” the blademaster said, “and who would leave you behind? I mean, you’re far too cute to just forget about—not to mention the much-needed dose of compassion you bring to the group. No, you’re far more valuable than you give yourself credit for.”

Sekai wrinkled her nose and made a face at the ‘cute’ comment. “You make a lot of comments about my being ‘cute’ as if it were a good thing to be,” She complained, obviously self-conscious for some reason or another and fidgeted. “Cute and compassionate doesn’t mean a whole lot when you’re in the middle of a battle that has your life and those of others riding on whether or not you’re able to stay calm.” Her gaze turned distant as she remembered the Juk field. “…no, if you are too young to understand that you’re not just putting your life at risk, but those of everyone around you as well when you're in a battle, then you’re going to be left behind.

It was like she was reciting something she’d been told. Shaking her head, she gave a small, almost sad shrug before looking down at her shoes again. “It isn’t like I’m terribly surprised at what people say,” Sekai admitted after a moment. “After all, I think only…Onii-san, Kira, Zan and maybe Takua-san know how old I actually am.” A pause before she gestured around. “Outside of here, I mean. I’m pretty sure I'm the youngest one here, chronologically.

“First of all,” the blademaster replied after letting the girl finish, “there is absolutely nothing wrong with being cute. You may have picked up on it, but I think very tactically, judging instantly how things can and can’t be used and determining the best course of action. Your ‘cuteness’ can really save your ass if you know how to work it right. After all, if you’d pulled that sad attempt at ferocity on the guard earlier, he probably would’ve let you out.” He laughed slightly before continuing on before she could cut him off.

“In all seriousness, though, it’s that compassion that separates us from them. The fact that you so often second-guess yourself in battle is a very honorable and noble thing; that you recognize that the opponents we kill so often aren’t just nameless, faceless monsters with sharp, pointy teeth, but are actually people who have-” he paused, closing his eyes with a smile, “sorry, had lives on the outside shows a strong moral character that makes you probably more fit to lead this group than any of us.” He paused—was that what he really meant? He had no doubt he’d elicited the attention of Sheena with that last comment, but shrugged it off mentally and continued.

“And who told you that nonsense about understanding whose lives are at risk?” he asked rather harshly, “we’re not soldiers, we’re normal people. It’s a miracle if we can watch our own backs in the heat of battle, let alone worry about the lives of our comrades. Things like staying focused and the like take time to learn. I can help you learn that, if you’d like.” The offer stood—and he wasn’t foolish enough to ask the girl’s age. Dien knew that such questions could only lead down roads best left un-traveled in the confines of a digital world.
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

Locked