Infinite Powers

[Oddood198]

As they descended into the darkness, Saify held out her hand and conjured a ball of light that floated just above her palm, casting more light than a torch, with a pale green hue.
She looked closely at every nook and cranny, moving her light to eliminate any of the shadows in the given area she was searching. Systematic and thorough, that was how Saify was at the moment.
Finally, when Ashimitaya began his farewells, she turned her attention to him. "Yeah, sure thing, I'll message you if I need anything else, thanks. I think I'll just stay here a bit longer and take a look." She said, and then her temporary companion was gone, leaving her alone in the ravine. She searched the area for several more minutes and didn't find any sign of Arachni. Just where did you go now, Pierce...? She thought, looking up at the distant light above the gaping maw.
Finally, she sighed. He wasn't there, almost for certain he was gone. She stepped on the shadow platform Ashimitaya had left for her and began the ascent back up. Well player, Pierce. She thought, extinguishing her light and throwing herself into darkness. You win this one.

[Wolfsong]

/Pierce/Arachni/
Slowly, shadows bean to pool in the snow, and Arachni manifested in them, sitting crosslegged and smiling as he watched Ash and Saify go. That had been an entertaining addition to his sword practice, now for reflection. He needed to think about a few things, particularly the dramatic events of the past three days. One day he’d been hero of IFF. Next he was the outcast, the hunted once more. Time to review and see if any answers would rear their horrid, truthful heads. He rested his hands on his knees and closed his eyes.
His mind first wandered once more over the mess that was the Cataclyst, to going on the run as the enthusiasts began their bloodlust, to hiding out in the deep country, to finally having a console again, to the meeting with Maximius who had helped him return to the game, to the chaos thereafter…
The battle of Megiddus stood out strongly, for a lot of critical events had happened right there. He thought on the Nescalan general Valdus, who had claimed to be the future king of Nescala. The man had said much and Arachni puzzled over it. Something about that figure bothered him, something familiar in its manner,. As well, he was well informed for a soldier. Arachni thought over it, then realized the key may be in the man’s words. What was it he had said…
No, not what Valdus said. Arachni slipped into his inbox, searching until he found what he was looking for: Maximius' pm before the battle. 'Arachni, I will not be joining you on the battlefield, well, at least not on the IFF side. I will be heading to the battlefield among the armies of Nescala. You will notice me soon enough. Don't worry about me spying on you, I'm always watching you.'
He didn't read anymore, he'd found the missing pieces. Interesting. So it hadn't been a minor he'd been yelling at, he'd back-talked to the almighty idiot himself. That thought made him laugh, at the irony triggered by pride and fool temper. Truly hilarious. He returned to his contemplation, wondering if there were any other hidden puzzle pieces to be discovered in his monologue. A lot seemed to just be ego, but some phrases did stand out. And one led to unpleasant possibilities...
'Your master, his ego knows no bounds. I wonder, what would a man who proclaims himself as “the god of Infinite” need from a self-proclaimed demi-god as yourself? And a failed and lowly demi-god at that. How do you think you got into Infinite without being noticed by the IFF or the moderators? It was him...He killed Andonowin, the one who started this whole charade, he killed the moderators, and it was he who planned for you to meet your new “hacker”. Issa was it?'
"While I could argue a couple of those things, I doubt he'd be receptive," he murmured. "Issa...how are you connected to Maximius? Have we had a traitor in our midst all this time?" Then the icon leapt up, telling him he had a new pm from Garrison. He opened it and his eyes widened at the contents. This...could not be happening. So it was more than Issa in this?
He stood, stretching. As he moved to log out, he pondered, "I wonder how things would have been different if I had complied and let Maximius defeat General Kent." He shook his head. "But...I'm not sorry for my choice. I could not let a good man die." He logged out.
--- --- ---
"Nevan?" Pierce slid into the chair next to the computer geek who's face was plastered to his screen. "We need to talk."
"Sure, what about?" He leaned back slightly, but remained focused on the computer.
Pierce was quiet, rubbing the back of his neck. How to go about this...this could tear their group apart. But still, Garrison's pm and Valdus' words needed an explanation. "Just a minor curiosity. What is your connection to Maximius?"
Issa blinked, but that was the only change in his expression. “What makes you ask that?”
“Because not only did he practically tell me so, but I just received word from Garrison that Nebris and Creed were out trying to kill him, “despite” your orders. I’m ready for the truth, Nevan, the whole truth.”
“I see,” was his response. He leaned back, head turning toward the opening. “Yo! Josh! Andy! Get down here and help me, I need more hands on the computers.” His chair swiveled around and he faced Pierce. “Sorry mate, it wasn’t anything personal…okay, maybe it was. You caused everyone a lot of trouble back during the Cataclyst. It was quite the party.” He glanced at the computer. Two others dropped down, Josh the tall athletically built and Andy the whiz with various gadgets. Pierce noted Nevan nod at them, and there was a subtle change in the atmosphere. Andy settled on one of the computers close by, and Josh leaned beside Nevan, watching. Pierce shook his head.
“So Issalidor, Jhereg and CodeCreed. You guys were against me all along.”
“Don’t forget me,” Luke dropped in, grinning. “Cat’s out of the bag, huh? What gave?”
“You were, you and Creed. Idiot, why couldn’t you have just followed the orders I laid out?” He shook his head, glancing back at the computer. “The enthusiasts will be here in approximately two hours. We could have let them handle this.”
“I see. Explains so much.” Pierce shook his head, hand fiddling with a pencil on the table. “How long.”
Nevan shrugged. “Since the Cataclyst. We were going to leave eventually, but we got offered the job of watching you and trying to take you out of the picture.”
Pierce surprised him by smiling. “Impressive work, my friend.”
Nevan tensed, but Pierce made no move, just sat with his head resting on his fist, smiling and fiddling with the pencil. He accidently knocked it down, and bent under the desk to retrieve it. “So…we’ll make this quick if you’re quiet.”
Pierce’s smile grew, showing a lot of teeth. “Of course, gentlemen.”
Nevan nodded at Josh, who stepped towards Pierce, pulling a gun out of a hidden holster. Pierce suddenly brought his hidden arm up, holding a live wire. Josh shrieked before collapsing on the floor. Pierce dropped, grabbing the gun as Andy leapt up with his own. Luke dropped behind a desk as Pierce fired a shot, shooting Andy in the shoulder. He overturned the desk, ducking down as Luke fired. Glancing around, he saw Nevan making for the trapdoor. Pierce leaned over slightly and shot the switch, disabling the door and forcing it closed. “You gambled Nevan!’ he shouted. “Now its time to pay the piper!”
Andy, bleeding heavily, leapt over one of the desks, dodging a shot from Pierce. Luke stumbled when he came over and Pierce got him in the knee, felling him as his legs gave. Luke screamed from the pain. Pierce checked Andy’s position, then rushed from the desk at Luke, who was trying to get his gun back into play. Pierce hit him hard on the head, knocking him out cold, and took his gun. Andy fired again, grazing Pierce’s face. Ignoring the blood trickling down his left cheek, he returned fire, shooting directly at Andy with one gun while he flicked the other gun and shot the cord holding one of the lights. It fell, striking Andy on the head. As Andy fell, Pierce checked on Josh to make sure he was still immobile, then turned toward the front of the room.
Nevan was struggling to push the trapdoor open, looking more and more frantic. Pierce raised the gun and shot at Nevan’s grasping hand. Nevan jerked back with a startled shot as the bullet ricocheted off the wall, then turned with fearful eyes to meet Pierce, who towered over him will all his anger, rage and pure hatred in his eyes.
“You son of Hades,” he hissed. Nevan tried to pull a knife out of his sleeve, and Pierce knocked it away. “All your sweet words of family, and all the while you tore us apart from inside.” Nevan shrank back. Pierce snarled, “On your knees, worm!” He raised his foot, planted it on Nevan shoulder and forced him on his knees, then suddenly shoved him onto his back. Nevan gasped in pain. Pierce smiled cruelly. “Go ahead Issalidor, crawl. Beg for your miserable life, you filthy snake.”
Nevan whimpered something inaudible. Pierce chuckled. “That’s right, traitor. Fool, where’s your Maximius now? Is Hadrian here to save you now? What of your employers? No, my dear Issalidor, you’re all alone.” He cocked the gun, pointing it directly at Nevan’s head between the eyes. “When you get to hell, tell Lucifer I said hi.”
The slide door suddenly opened. Cherry stuck her head in, mouth open to say something, then fell agape when she saw the mess. “Pierce, what-“
He snapped the gun in her direction. Nevan involuntarily raised his hand. “No Pierce! She isn’t one of us! It was just us four!” Pierce glanced down at Nevan, who was almost weeping. “It was just us. Our only target was you! I wanted as little bloodshed as possible, and I was sure they’d scatter if you died.”
Pierce was quiet, studying his face, then nodded and raised the gun. “Glad it was just my head you wanted,” he said dryly. “But it won’t save you. Its time to pay for your sins.” He bent down, putting a knee on his chest, and held the gun to his head.
“Pierce, wait!” Cherry cried, dropping in. She grabbed his shoulder, pleading. “Don’t kill him! There can’t be anything he’s done that deserves that!”
“He betrayed us!” Pierce snapped. “He’s been playing us for fools all along. He’s with Maximius and the enthusiasts!” He glared at Nevan. “He deserves worse than death!”
“Pierce, you have no right to judge a man worthy of death!” she protested.
“I am a god in my world! It is my right!”
She looked desperate. “Pierce…” she knelt down beside him, staring into his eyes. “Remember your brother Stephen. Don’t do something you’ll regret in time.”
He grimaced, hand tightening on the gun. There was no mercy in his eyes. He raised the gun again, leveled at the head. Nevan closed his eyes, shrinking back. Pierce held it a moment, then raised the gun and smashed it against his head. Nevan’s eyes rolled back and he collapsed utterly. Cherry tried to say something, but Pierce shoved her away, standing, and marched to the computer. On the screen were various windows concerning Fafnir, teleportation, and location. There was a window up, saying ‘subject ready for delete. Are you sure you want to delete this model?’
“Clever devil,” he muttered, canceling the application. Ignoring the ‘cancelled’, he turned to face Cherry, who was staring at the mess around them. They held each other’s gaze, his hard and cold eyes and hers almost pleading. He began to shake, and the gun dropped from his fingers, clattering to the floor. “Cherry, I….”
There was a tremor in his voice, the first she’d ever heard from Pierce. Her eyes widened; was Pierce finally going to break? But then his shoulders straightened and his face cleared; the man of ice was back. “I think we’ll leave these for the enthusiasts. Blind rage is more up their alley than mine.”
Garrison, or Michael in reality, dropped in. His eyes widened at the chaos surrounding. “I take it you took matters into hand?” he asked Pierce.
Pierce gave him a weak, bitter smile. “Alert Meradith to gather what we need. The enthusiasts will be here in two hours, give or take a minute.” He grabbed a console, continuing. “I have something I need to do, then I’ll be back to help with the computers.”
--- --- ---
The instant he returned, he pulled up his inbox and prepped a pm, wasting no time.
My dear benefactor Maximius
I heard about your exploits in Tiera. It was quite the performance, though I do pity Nathanial and your AI. You’re welcome for Fafnir’s timely intervention, consider it my gift for helping me to return to this splendid world. But I digress, I’m here for another reason, namely betrayal. You were behind Issa and the others all along, weren’t you? I must say, I’m flattered you thought so much of me as to do that. Its nice to know there are people who care. I must remember to return the favor.
I imagine you’re moving on to Nescala now, correct? I’d wish you luck, but I imagine you have things already planned out. Perhaps I’ll pay you a visit if I have time. Tell me Hadrian, should I look for Maximius or Valdus?
Yours faithfully,
Pierce
He looked it over once more, then sent it. Perhaps not what he had in mind, but losing his temper and railing as he had in the valley would only earn him mockery. No, he would acknowledge the move, Hadrian would surely put the rest together. He was no fool, that man.
Snowfall. Siccilan was so beautiful when it snowed. He raised his eyes to the heavens, watching the gentle crystals fall, blanketing the world in a soft coat of white. Who knew that beneath this viel of innocence was an impending trial that only he was no able to see?
He had a choice, to act upon his knowledge and attempt to stop whoever was behind it, or ignore it till he had finally asserted his power and claim. He didn’t know, he had no clue what he desired anymore, nor what was truly right. Sighing, feeling a burden resting heavily on him, he logged out, prepared to relocate their base and home once again.

OOC- I think that's my first gun fight ever, so if it sounds stupid or anything, please forgive my newbness. Also, I got a little carried away with Pierce, so...if there's any real problems with anything I said, please let me know and I'll try to adjust if need be.

[Koneko-chan]

OOC: I honestly am ashamed to say I have no excuses for the shortness. XD
Meeka glanced at Lydia's hand and smiled, she shook her hand warmly "I hope so too." Meeka never really got a good look at Lydia, she seemed to be very friendly and confident, Meeka admired that. She pushed a piece of snow white hair behind her ear anxiously "So.. "Meeka began "Where should we start? We got lots of land to cover." she smiled bashfully at the shorter girl.

[FreddyCast]

Dean Solis and Trent Solis

Dean says in an irritated manner: It’s not about manners little girl, it’s about being cautious. I don’t trust people running away from their problems.
Trent: Aaaaand that’s why no one trust’s you.
Dean: What’s that supposed to mean?
Trent: You don’t trust anybody, nobody will ever trust you. You should put your faith in people sometimes. But don’t worry you still have me (Trent puts on a smile).
Dean: Why do I not feel comforted by that. *sigh*
Trent: Hmph! Brother, that was not cool.
Dean: Whatever! (He addresses Zara) Anyways, the tall kid grabbed his short buddy after I knocked him out with my baseball. It was a really good swing by the way (acts proud at his achievement, but then sees the baseball goes up to pick it up). So there’s the baseball.
Trent protests: That ball is what made Zara fall off the tree. You’re too wreckless brother.
Dean: Look who’s talking! Atleast no one had a gun pointed at me.
Trent: Bu.....Darn, you got me there. (He starts laughing)
Dean: Where was I? oh yeah, those two punks started screaming and cursing at me saying they’d come back. Didn’t say when, though.
Trent: That’s it? We should call the cops.
Dean: I don’t think so. I don’t want the attention. Let them come. Our house is a fortress, plus they’re stupid kids. No point in ruining their lives by sending them to jail.
Trent: That’s.....awfully nice of you, brother. I guess you do have a heart in that cold, stony body of yours.
Dean: I hate it when you rub off on me. Just don’t expect too much kindness from me. (Trent begins to realize that Zara is there with them)
Trent: Forgive us, Zara. We look like to idiot brothers fighting (laughs). So, um...you got some place safe to go? You could stay with us if you like?
Dean: NO!
Trent: Oh come on bro...
Dean: NO!
Trent: Bu...
Dean: NO!
Trent: Pleeeeease. (A vein starts to pop on Dean’s forehead.)
Dean: You’re such an annoying kid.

To be continued.....

[Wolfsong]

/Stephen/Ashimatya/
The Hall was busy, as it usually was. Still, that did not deter him. Some even recognized him, and hot out of his way. He just ignored them, aiming for section ten of the Hall. The Adventurer's Hall was divided into sixteen sections, each one housing a specific area-of-quest or booths. The place changed on a weekly basis, but never too drastically.
He had just reached section four when someone, a kid of about twelve years, suddenly ran up and ducked behind him. "Please help me sir!' he begged. "They're trying to kill me!"
Before Ash could question him, three men and a woman came running up, looking agitated. Ash sighed and crossed his arms; why was this happening to him?
"If you don't mind," one of the men, a huge brute, said. "Hand the brat over. He took something that belongs to us."
"It was a quest item!" the boy protested. "I beat you to it! Its mine now!"
"What is the item in question?" Ash asked.
"Peace here is an alchemist," the thin, wizardly one said, gesturing to the woman. "The quest was for an item that is relatively rare, and of great importance to a recipe she's trying to make."
"Its a Basilisk's Eye," the boy clarified. "A friend of mine needs it, that's why I took the quest. And I got it done first, so its miner!"
"Its our by right, you little brat!" Peace snapped. "We're higher levels after all. We'll take it if we have to!"
"In other words, your only claim to it is the threat of brute force," Ash said. He sighed and stretched his arms. "Fine, what are your levels?" They glanced at each other, then gave their levels. The brute was 51, the wizard 39, the third man, a werewolf, was 43, and the alchemist was 49. Ash nodded and then questioned the boy, who was 10. Ash nodded like that was what he had expected. "Fine. I'll be the boy's champion. Come at me one-on-one or all at once, its all the same to me."
The four glanced at each other again, then the brute chuckled and equipped his iron knuckles. The wizard raised his staff, the werewolf transformed, and the alchemist took out a book. Ash gestured for the boy to stand back.
The alchemist began reading chants out of the book, which sounded suspiciously like status buffs. The brute suddenly glowed with a bright red light, an increased attack, as he charged swinging his fists. Using shadow, Ash faded into pure shadow so the brute went right through him. Then he manifested and, blading his hand, stabbed him in the back in a dozen different places. As expected, the brute collapsed, greyed and disappeared, a fallen player.
Ash smiled, flicking the blood off his fingers. The others looked rather annoyed, for he had crimped their style in the first act. He'd seen this sort of thing before many times. While the brute attacked headlong, the were would be pressing his back, while the wizard unleashed spells from above. The alchemist, using status buffs and healing items, would keep the warriors covered. Not a bad idea, but now that they were missing their frontal distraction, they would need to alter their style. Or surrender, but that would be asking too much.
The werewolf charged, taking the place of the brute, but he dodged around trying to also cover his usual course. The wizard started casting spells quickly. Ash toyed with them, standing just in reach then dodging away or changing to shadow. You could see the frustration in their faces. Suddenly, he made his move and the wolf was down. The wizard blinked, and Ash was upon him in that single instant. Ash now faced the alchemist, who staggered back fearfully from him.
"You're...the Dark Angel, aren't you?" she gasped. "I remember you now...back when you were with Nescala! We were in the same division!" Ash smiled, wriggling his fingers to loosen them. Her eyes widened. "I...I give up! I'm sorry!" she turned and fled.
Ash nodded and the shadow blades covering his hands disappeared. The boy walked up, his eyes wide in awe. "You beat them without any problems whatsoever!" he said. "And she surrendered just knowing your name! You're totally amazing!"
Ash smiled faintly. "Thanks. Now get going, your friend will surely appreciate what you did."
"W-wait!' the boy grabbed his sleeve, talking quickly. "I wanna fight like that! Make me your apprentice!"
Ash stopped cold, his face clear but his mind reeling. What the...he turned slowly to face the boy, who looked both fearful and anxious. After a moment, he smiled gently and bent down till he was eye-level with him. "What's your name?" he asked.
"I'm Tskusna!" the boy said quickly. "But most people call me Kuna."
"Alright Kuna," Ash said. "And how old are you?"
"I am twelve, and don't tell me that's too young!"
Ash chuckled. "Okay Kuna I won't. Now, is the only reason you want to be apprenticed to me because of my fighting skills?"
"Well, yeah, I want to learn from the best, but no one can find Cyrano anymore, and I couldn't find anyone who'd take me." The boy looked annoyed. "Please don't turn me down too."
Ash studied him a moment, thinking. Then he said, "Well, I'm in the middle of an important quest right now, so I cannot accept as of yet."
"Take me with you!" he protested. "I could help you."
"This is something that could easily kill me. Tskusna..." Ash shook his head. "When this is over, I may take you up on it. However, I want you to think about it, think about what you want from me, and consider what you might also learn. You cannot be close to a person and not learn something of or from them. Ask around about one called the Dark Angel, and decide if that's the kind of person you want to be near, to teach you things. Do you understand?" Kuna nodded hesitantly. Ash nodded. "Think about it, then pm me. My name is Ashimatya Brand." He turned and walked away, his thoughts full.
Section ten. He glanced to the back, noting the cloaked figure behind the pillar. He quietly walked over. The person watched him closely, appearing almost stiff. Ash stopped before them, crossing his arms. "So a brown cloak today?" he asked.
A smile crossed this person's face. "Yes, it keeps the sun out. Good afternoon Ashimatya."
"I have two questions before I tell you what I've learned. First, why do you need this information and who wants it?"
"I...I cannot answer the latter," they said hesitantly. Ash shrugged and turned away. "Wait! Okay, fine, just...erg." He turned as they pushed their hood back, revealing a girl with bright sky blue hair and sea green eyes. "I hate when people do what you're doing," she grumbled.
"Nancy?" he said, an eyebrow raised. "So....its Cyrano, isn't it?"
She nodded. "He needs help. He's been caught up in the slaver's madness, which is what we've nicknamed their sudden return to power, and is unable at the moment to look into the rest of the mess. For instance, there's a lot of controversy in the factions, stuff that makes no sense. There's even rumors that this whole war was staged, though I think Cyrano knows the answer to that one. Either way, I was trying to help him find some answers and you...well you're....good. You're really good. So I had hoped you could find out what others hadn't."
He closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead. Then, slowly, he began to tell her. When she heard Pierce's name, she stiffened like a board, eyes wide in shock, then narrowed in bitter anger.
"And that's it," he said. "Good day."
"Hey wait-" but he vanished. She looked around frantically, but he was gone. She sighed, then said, "So Pierce returns...I wonder if Saify knows." Her hand clenched into a tight fist.

/Pierce/Arachni/
The road was longer than he remembered, but they continued onward anyway. No car, everything they had they carried. Pierce and Michael shared the burden of the computers, Meradith and Cherry carried the supplies and necessities of life. It was, undoubtedly, an odd procession to anyone watching, but the opinions of the people was the last thing on their minds.
Road sign, Pierce glanced at it. One-point-four miles remaining. Car headlights appeared ahead, and he motioned the others to move a bit farther from the road. The terrain was uneven and rocky, but they still kept doggedly on.
Pierce was exhausted, body and soul. If he could have his way, he'd have collapsed here and now and to heck with the rest of the world. But no, he still had three behind him and the world was always watching. If he broke, if he relaxed his guard for an instant, the dogs of the earth would com running, eager to tear him down. No, until he'd finally escaped this world, he would never dare to rest.
The three behind him, could he trust them? Issa seemed to truly believe they were not part of his group, but what if they were their own division? He didn't dare trust them too deeply anymore. He didn't dare trust anyone ever again.
Street lights. They entered the town. After putting what little money they had together, they got themselves a room at a hotel and settled for the rest of the day. Once everyone was set, Pierce left saying he would look into a new base. Once he was outside, however, he ran down the street with no particular direction in mind, just trying to get away from anything familiar to him for a while.
Empty streets, back alleys open. He sat on the curb, staring at the sky. What an empty, meaningless expense. This world seemed so hard compared to Infinite. If only he could abandon this body and escape into Infinite indefinitely. It wasn't like there was anyone left who cared anyway.
Wait. Stephen had said Mother was still alive. Would she still care? Or would she view him as the rest of the world did? So hard-hearted, cold-blooded, a monster that destroyed everything around him. A beast inspiring distrust and betrayal. Were they wrong, or was that truly what he had become? These things certainly seemed to follow him around. Loneliness, the price of his path>? He had dreamed of so much more, but instead he was so much lower than where he started.
Gunshot. Sharp pain in his arm. He cried out as he staggered to his feet, spotting the two men running at him. Enthusiasts! With a not-so-muffled curse he ran down the street, looking for a way out. He had two oft he guns from earlier, but didn't want to use them unless he had to. So run he did, hoping for a way out.

/Zara/Kiari/
Zara bristled at that. "I'm not running away! I was looking for a better place to fight my battle. If I stayed where I was, someone I loved could get hurt!" She fumed inwardly while Dean and Trent talked to each other, trying to control her temper. They did just help her, she owed them manners at least.
When Trent made his comment about himself and Dean, she managed a smile. "Nah, its okay. You remind me of a pair of brothers. I ran into a couple days ago. Its cool." Then he made his comment about her staying with them. She stared open-mouthed while Dean began yelling NO.
Was he kidding? They didn't even know each other outside a name. This wasn't Infinite, and even then it wasn't always safe around new people. Was he always this naively trusting? He didn't even know why those idiots were chasing her. For all she knew, these two could be just as bad as the guys she was running from.
But...the idea did have its merits. The two had already helped her and opened themselves up to trouble. She doubted that would change even if she left. She knew her hunters well enough to know their egos would not rest until they'd had their revenge. And it would be easier if she wasn't fighting alone. But how was she going to deal with Loki-san? She needed to come up with something fast...
"Trent, stupid as this probably is, I'll take you up on that offer." She bit her lip and turned away. "I'm so gonna regret this..."

/Michaelis/Astral/
The cave went on a long ways, and it seemed like it would never end. Michaelis finally dropped Kiari and sat down, exhaling deeply. "What a royal pain," he muttered. "If I wasn't such an idiot, I'd have logged out a long time ago!" Then he paused, thought a minute, then said, "Actually, I can't log out either, so...hmm. It sucks either way."
"Are you alright Michaelis?" Astral asked.
He leaned back against the wall, shaking his head. "You know, most spirits are NPCs, but they tend to just be elemental. Its us players who usually get all the good stuff. But we pay the price for it, don't we? At least we're allowed to fight our way out."
"But this does allow us refuge in the spirit's realm, as well as a boost o our powers. And Kiari isn't so bad."
"No, she only loses her temper or is rude every other minute."
Astral smiled in amusement. "Is the pot calling the kettle black, Michaelis?"
"The pot is in a bad mood because he can't log out."
She stared at him a long moment. "But...you knew that already."
"Yeah, whatever," he said. "I miss home, you know? I wonder how my family is doing..." He rubbed his forehead pensively.
Astral sat down beside him, watching him worriedly. "Will you be alright?"
"I have no clue. What is my family doing at this time? I can only guess."
Astral rested her chin on her knees. "Infinite is going through some really strange phases, isn't it. Is it the work of hackers or was this supposed to happen?"
He gave her an odd look. "That's an odd question. Particularly when you already know the answer." He shook his head. "Itshim." Groaning, he stood again. "Come on, we need to find a way out."

[Oddood198]

OOC: Haha, I can make long posts, too. Probably boring, but still plenty long.


Once she was lifted out of the ravine, Saify hopped off the shadow platform, which evaporated into the air behind her. She started walking back the way she and Ashimitaya had come, toward the nearest city. As she walked, she opened her menu and started composing a PM, setting it to send to Cyrano, Nancy, and Silk.

"Hey guys, just a heads up, I don't know if any of you have heard yet, but Pierce is back in Infinite. I just encountered him a few minutes ago, he's going by the name Arachni. Keep your eyes peeled and ears to the ground. Later.

~SC"

She sent the message and closed the menu, then wrapped her cloak around herself and continued on her way.


Lydia thought for a second before answering, "Well, I have a couple pets I could use, but only one at a time. One of them is really fast and can cover a lot of land, so he'll make our job pretty easy." She grinned mischievously, lowering her voice so the others couldn't hear, "We could even send him out and then casually follow behind him and make it look like we're working, and just report back whatever he finds."
She opened her menu and switched out Kerra for her Tally, her Aksela, the grey weasel-like creature with a single claw on each hind leg. "Tally, go scout the ground, look for creatures, players, and entrances." She said. Tally squealed briefly, then darted off in the direction she specified. Lydia watched him run off, then turned back to Meeka, "Well, shall we go?"



What a pain. Aeon thought, looking ahead of him. He had been trekking through a dense area of jungle, on his way to a nearby information broker, when he had stumbled into a clearing and been spotted by three huge jungle ogres. They were each about twenty five feet tall, with sickly green skin and limbs as thick as trees. One of them carried a club of a tree trunk with a large rock crudely lashed to the end. The trio of monster moved to surround him, making strange, possibly hungry-sounding noises.
Aeon checked through the monster bestiary and saw the entry on jungle ogres. It said they were highly dangerous because of their immense strength, massive reserves of HP, and absurd resistance to physical attacks. The information said to use extreme caution and avoid these creatures, because a single one could easily wipe out an entire high-level adventuring party.
Aeon scowled in irritation as he finished reading, the bestiary entry didn't even give any combat strategies. He closed out of it and saw one of the ogres charging at him from the side, roaring savagely. Aeon sighed, drawing his sword, and then, when the ogre reached out the grab him, Aeon took hold of one of the ogres fingers with his free hand and wrenched upward, throwing the huge ogre over his shoulder.
The other two looked on in hesitation, so Aeon took the initiative. Moving faster than the eye could see, and perhaps even faster than the monster AI could process, he darted behind the second unarmed ogre and lashed out with his sword, hamstringing in in both legs. It collapsed to it's knees, roaring in pain, and Aeon casually climbed up onto it's shoulder and slit it's throat.
The ogre with the club raised it's weapon to attack, and Aeon heard the one he had thrown crashing through the brush and approaching the clearing. Aeon hopped to the ground as the dead ogre he was on fell over, and lifted his sword the block the swinging club coming down at him. As the club hit his sword, the ground below Aeon cracked and his feet sank into the damp dirt, but his guard held. He pushed the club away slightly, then jabbed it with his sword, the blade sinking deep into the boulder. he jerked back, wrenching the weapon from the ogres grasp and flicking it off his sword at the ogre behind him, it hit the beast square in the face, and Aeon heard a sickening crunch.
He walked to the last ogre, which was looking down at him, confused. Aeon made a fist with his empty hand and punched the ogre in the shin. The blow landed with force enough the send the shattered bone shards flying out the back of the ogre's leg, and it fell sideways onto the ground, laying helplessly. With two ogres dead and one incapacitated, Aeon shook the blood off his sword and sheathed it, then continued on his way. A small popup appeared alerting him of the Experience points, money, and items gained, but as usual, he ignored it.

Shortly after, however, Aeon got another popup. This was from one of the other programs he had installed on his computer that gave him an alert in the game. It told him there was a loud noise detected and showed him a sound graph the external microphone had picked up. It showed mostly a flat line, then a sudden spike, and back to normal. Probably a gunshot, from the looks of it. He thought, then quickly went to log out. And there was no button. There was no logout button. Aeon uttered a string of curse words, navigating through all his menus to be sure it hadn't moved somehow. It was gone.
Fortunately, Aeon had several failsafes in place. He was a tad paranoid, and had made sure there were... alternate methods of logging himself out, if there was ever a problem such as this and he needed to get into the real word quickly. He opened hie item list, at the very top was one called "***EMERGENCY USE ONLY***". It had taken just a slight bit of hacking from his team's computer whiz to get this item int the game. It actually acted as a trigger for another program he had installed on his computer, which was ordinarily impossible to do, but when you disregarded the rules of the world and altered it to your whim, anything was possible.
Aeon took the hacked item and equipped it, it was a small box with a button on top, and text that read "brace yourself". Aeon pressed the button, and after just a second, he blacked out.

Jean woke up in the real world, slouching back in his chair, controller dropped to the floor, and feeling a bit numb. There was a small pronged object lying in his lap, connected by a cord to a remote launcher on his desk, pointed at him. put simply, it was a computerized taser, set to shoot at him when he activated it through the in-game item. It was a taser with a modified voltage, made powerful enough the stop Jean's heart for a few seconds and force and emergency logout from the game. Ok, so maybe 'a tad paranoid' was an understatement.
He checked his computer, it had only been fifteen seconds since the noise spike was heard. Jean grabbed his gun off his desk and flicked the safety off, moving to his window. He peeked out, and saw someone running with blood streaming from his arm, followed by two men who looked armed. So, they weren't after Jean. Still, he couldn't, in good conscience, sit by and do nothing.
He ran out of his apartment, hurriedly stuffing the gun into his back pocket. He flew down the stairs, out the gate and onto the sidewalk. He was on the other side of the street from the two goons and their target, and he began running down his side after them. Jean was in peak physical condition, and he started gaining ground on them in no time. Soon, he would draw level and be able to dash across the street and intervene.

[Wolfsong]

OOC- Odd, you paid attention! You're one of the few who ever does! I love you!
lol though, truth be told, at this stage in the game (pun not intended) the inability to log out is optional...its the next thing where its a little more...shall we say, plot important. But thank you, it cheers me to know that someone besides me is keeping up.

/Pierce/Ashimatya/
It took him a few seconds to notice a man on the opposite side of the street, running after them and closing fast. "Another of these idiots?" he thought with bitter resentment. "I should just shoot the lot of them." His hand strayed to his pocket, then snapped away.
He turned down a corner and onto a different block. However, there was a dead-end at the back of this street. There were still two other ways to go. The question was what was best?
Another shot. He ducked his head involuntarily as he kept running. "You can't run forever!" one of them was shouting.
Pierce grinned. Yes, yes he could. Until the day he died, in fact.
Three of them. Tricky. How could he lose three?
The dead-end was coming up fast. He glanced back to see how his hunters were doing, his hand straying once more to his own gun.

/Silk/Cyrano/
Silk and Cyrano were sharing a conversation, when Cyrano suddenly went quiet. Silk paused and waited patiently. Cyrano sighed, putting his hand to his forehead. Silk leaned forward. "So?"
"Saify's aware of Pierce's return," he said quietly. "Seems she ran into him already. Just a minute, I'm going to pm her what we've learned." and he went to his inbox.
Silk watched a moment, then shrugged and returned to his laptop. Pierce. He wondered if that guy still harbored a grudge towards him. After the Cataclyst, they'd planned on starting over again, but then he'd gotten together with Cyrano, Saify and Nancy and had changed his mind. He liked them, and they were his friends. Which was funny, considering that Saify had tried to maul him the first time they met! He suddenly received a pop-up icon, telling him he had a message. He saw it was from Saify, and guessed it was the same one Cyrano had received. He smiled faintly.
"Okay, sent her the details," Cyrano said. "Now-again?" He pulled up his pm, and when he saw the sender's name his eyes widened. Silk smiled patiently. Cyrano read it over, then said, "So the head of the slaver's guild is showing up after all. He says he has something for us."
Silk grinned. "So he actually followed through? Amazing."
Cyrano stood. "Come, lets prepare." As he started walking off, he murmured, "I wonder if I can convince him to disband the guild..."
Silk grinned. "That or a sword through his heart. And honestly, with you stalking him all the time, I wouldn't be surprised if he became extremely pliable, particularly since you've become aware of his actual name."
Cyrano grinned and didn't reply. "Come on Arystar, you can stand with me when our guest arrives," he told the man behind them.

[Oddood198]

Saify looked up as she saw the icon for a new message. Carefully, not wanting to expose any more of herself to the freezing wind than she had to, she reached a hand out of her cloak and tapped it. She kept walking as the read the PM from Cyrano, containing information of Arachni's activities since returning to Infinite.
So, this seems to be more complicated than I thought... Then again, why was I expecting Pierce's return to be simple? She thought, smiling ruefully, then she sighed, her breath fogging in the cold, I never did like keeping track of politics like this...



Jean watched the pursuit as he ran, keeping an eye particularly on the pursuers, if they raised a weapon he would have to try to stop them then and there, but he would prefer to get in close before that happened. Then, contrary to his hopes, one of them raised his gun and fired it at the fleeing target. I'll have none of that now.. Jean thought, pulling the gun out of his back pocket. He would have preferred to drop to one knee to stabalize himself and get better accuracy, but he wasn't about to lose the distance he had gained on them.
Still running, he flicked the safety off his gun again and raised it, held in both hands. He fired it twice, a fraction of a second apart, both shots aimed at the goon who had shot just then. Without waiting to see the results of his shots, Jean ran across the street, narrowly avoiding a car speeding down the road, and came onto the sidewalk just a few steps behind the pursuers. He aimed his gun at them again, "Stop, now!!" He shouted at their backs.

[Wolfsong]

/Pierce/Arachni/
Pierce paused when he saw the third man fire at his pursuers, not himself. Perhaps this was a neutral party? Or maybe just a miss. Maybe he was that bad an aim. Just then, the third man made it just behind the enthusiasts and threatened them. They stopped, as hoped, and when they saw him with the gun already aimed, they looked extremely green. Suddenly they bolted, one going left, the other going right, one shouting, "Regroup!" and they disappeared. Pierce shook his head. Kids, that's all they really were. Kids trying to play an adult's game.
Pierce watched the third man, trying to decide if he should run or not. Then it occurred to him it wasn't just his shoulder that was warm in a wet sort of way...With mounting agony, he realized a bullet had struck his calf. He couldn't tell the depth of the wound, but it was bleeding quickly and profusely. "I'm in trouble," he thought quietly. He raised his eyes, meeting the third man's, his uninjured arm trailing to his wounded shoulder while his free hand, limp as it was, grasped uselessly at the gun in his pocket, just in case.

[Banana Lobster]

Sage Shade

Shade sighed, looking around her as she galloped along. The sandy seabed was empty, except for seaweed forests, a few large rocks, some fish, and the odd shark. She had just finished searching a nearby reef, with nothing to show for it. A thought sent the seaweed flat to the ocean floor, revealing nothing. Shade slowed to a canter, then a trot. There was nothing here; this had been nothing but a waste of her time. Not that she had really expected to find anything, even for a hacker, this was an incredible distance from the coast, farther out then she had ever been before. The reef was as far as she'd ever gotten, before heading back. It made more sense for the hacker to have his base somewhere on the continent, closer to his work, but not so close as to be easily found. Perhaps up a river, or up a mountain, or in the middle of some forest or jungle. Either way, she was wasting time out here, when she could be searching elsewhere, someplace more promising.

Shaking her head, she turned back and quickly came up to a gallop again. It took some time to reach the reef again, and longer for her to make her way through it. Not long after, she was back in sight of the coast, and turned towards the mouth of one of the rivers that fed into the ocean. She was farther away from her starting point then she thought; she couldn't even see the rock pillar that stood at the entrance to the . Up ahead, she could see the mountain range that ended near the harbor town. More specifically, she could see the biggest and tallest mountain, Mount Quietus, which was oddly named, since there was nothing there.

[ClaecElric4God]

OOC: I am soooo sorry, Wolf. I somehow managed to miss the post you made with Ash and Caesar, and I've been sitting here all this time, waiting. Please forgive me!

/Eric/Zare/
Zare skidded to a stop at the teleportation station in Central. Casting about for any sign of Ash, his shoulders slumped in disappointment when he didn't see him.
"He must've moved on," Zare said to himself. But then there was always the chance that he was still in town somewhere. "If I was the Dark Angel, where would I be?"
After transforming into human form for convenience, Zare wandered around town a bit, keeping an eye out. A conversation on a street corner caught his attention.
"Yeah, I heard someone say it was the Dark Angel himself."
"Really?! Aw, what I wouldn't give to have been there."
"Yeah, I guess he took out a whole squad of 100+ level warriors."
Zare quickly turned and walked toward the group, politely butting in.
"Excuse me, but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. You said something about the Dark Angel?"
"Yeah, he just owned a super elite fighting battalion in a 10-second fight!"
"Oh, I see," Zare said, trying to sound casual. "And where exactly did this happen?"
"Over at the Adventurer's Hall. Down the street a ways and to the left. You can't miss it. That is, if it's still standing."
"Thanks," Zare nodded, turning and walking a short ways, before breaking into a jog. The Adventurer's Hall was still very much intact, as Zare had suspected. Word traveled fast, but msot of the time it changed quite a bit along the way. Chances were Ash had gotten irritated and roughed up some guys that were bothering him.
It had been a long time since Zare had visited the Hall, and he'd forgotten how big it was, divided into the different sections, and he hadn't thought to ask where Ash had been when the fight had occurred. Finding him was going to be quite a task. And for all he knew, Ash was already gone. Zare sighed, running a hand through his indigo hair.
"Where are you, Ash?" He sighed.

Karissa/Kenji/
"Oh, yeah, the horse," Kenji grinned ruefully, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, that couldn't be helped." But Regal had already turned away. Kenji followed after him, listened interestedly to his expert haggling, then followed him to the snapperbirds. Kenji whistled in admiration when he saw the birds. He'd seen them before, but it had been a long time, and he couldn't remember if he'd actually ridden one or not. But he hopped nimbly into the saddle like he'd done it a million times, rocking back and forth awkwardly as he situated himself. Almost losing his balance as the bird zoomed out of the exit, Kenji clutched the saddle, finally getting the hang of it. After a bit, he was guiding the bird back and forth along the ground in a zigzag pattern. He tried to get it to do a barrel roll, but it protested by snapping its head back angrily. Kenji frowned at it, crossing his arms, finally accustomed to the speed.
"Fine, be that way." Then he turned to respond to Regal's directions. "Sure thing! Fun stuff it is."

[Oddood198]

Jean watched the two armed thugs, who he now noticed were younger than he had expected, bolt in different directions, shouting to regroup. He slowly exhaled the breath he had been holding and lowered his gun, putting it back into his back pocket and tugging his shirt down to cover it.
He sized up the man sill standing, who also seemed to be watching him. The guy was bleeding from a shoulder and a calf, probably wouldn't even be able to stand much longer. Jean knew he should be a decent human being and help the wounded man, but he wasn't so naive as to ignore what just happened. "So, what'd you do to get on their bad side?" He asked, jerking a thumb in the direction one of the kids had run off in.

[Wolfsong]

OOC- hey, its okay Claec. I do that a lot so don't feel bad.

/Stephen/Ashimatya/
He didn't hang around the Hall once his job was done, but retreated outside. Having climbed to the roof he leaned against the flagpole and stared at the sky, his expression empty. Cyrano.
It had been many years since the last time Ash had seen him. Sure, there was always the news and stuff everyone talked about, but that wasn't really seeing a person. How had life affected him after all this time? Ash still saw him as the kid with the big smile and the laughing eyes who would take any challenge offered him. Had that changed? By how much, if so? It was almost tempting to try and find out, but he feared Cyrano still held a grudge. What had he been planning to say back there in the alleys of Central? Ash was too afraid of what might happen to find out. So no, he would stay put and avoid his once best friend. It was...best.
Jeez, was Zare ever going to show> Or had Ash missed him> The thought sent a chill down his spine. Just then, he saw Zare run into the Hall, looking a little worried himself. Smiling in relief, he slid off the roof and landed on his feet, startling a couple of people. He rushed into the Hall, hurrying after an indigo-haired figure.
"Zare!" he said, throwing a hand out and just managing to grab his shoulder. His eyes widened slightly, surprised by his own action, but didn't let go till Zare turned. He smiled faintly. "I was starting to fear I'd missed you."

/Carter/Valerian/
Well, so far, the mountain tops he'd searched had proven empty of everything except monsters. He dodged the dive of an Eastral Eagle and put some distance between himself and its nest. "Sorry!" he shouted. "Didn't know that was your nest!" It screeched warningly at him and he left the area fast.
"Well that was interesting," he chuckled, perching on a narrow ledge, taking a breather. Man, what a great set-up. It would be next to impossible to find anything in this fog. Well, actually, it was clouds, but that was what fog was, so...same thing. He kept bumbling into things like that eagle nest. So darned annoying. He needed a new plan, a new idea, a new plan-of-action.
A pop-up alerted him that he had a pm. He pulled it up. As expected, it was from the boss.
New party members, eh? Heh, seems I am fated to be aided by forces outside my control. Ah well, that means fate is on my side. Listen, our target was last seen in Siccilian. His comrades just logged on in Central and are making their way toward the sea continent. There will be a map with their exact coordinates included with the letter. Follow them and see what you can learn.
Halleluiah, information he could work with! So much better than blind searching. The gift icon in the corner was lit up, so he selected it. Seconds later, a very interesting device was in his hands. About the size of a hardcover 9-by-6 inch book, a large screen took up most of it, and there was a keypad beside it. Three names were already imputed, Ky'Tala, Garrison, and Shaka Amity. On the screen was a map, with the option to zoom in or out, and three markers representing the names selected were currently on the ocean between the original and the sea continent. He studied it a moment, watching their movements and using his own knowledge to second-guess where they would land. Grinning, he stowed the device in his inventory and took off.

/Pierce/Arachni/
He watched silently as the man stowed the gun, his eyes taking in placement in detail. This was was a stranger and potential threat, even if he had just aided Pierce. He didn't dare give this man even an inch, not yet.
He felt his leg starting to give, and leaned against the wall, putting his weight on his good leg and trying to pretend he wasn't as injured as he was. dang it, he was starting to feel light-headed. He needed something to block the blood flow fast. "Oh, just things," he answered. "An accident where someone got hurt. Some people take Infinite way too seriously." He rolled his eyes, enjoying the irony of the statement.

/Rowan/Caesar/
They covered ground quickly, and Caesar soon saw the Wispy Hollows Marsh up ahead...as well as Cyrano's camp. The head man himself stood there waiting, a white-haired kid and an indigo one beside him. Caesar reined the bird in about ten feet from the group, eying him cautiously. Cyrano grinned as he dismounted, their eyes never leaving each other's face.
Caesar waited a moment, weighing his options, then said, "So you got the gold?" Cyrano nodded, holding out a bag. Caesar nodded slowly, then grabbed Noriko and walked over to his nemesis, tense as a coiled spring. "This is Noriko Nescala. She should be able tot ell you what you want to know." He took Rolf's letter from his bag ad held it out for Cyrano.
Cyrano took the letter, studying Noriko, then he nodded slowly as he began to grin. "You certainly went beyond my expectations."
"Right," Caesar said. "If I may, my pay please?"
Cyrano handed him the moneybag, which Caesar quickly placed in his inventory. Cyrano turned back to Noriko. "So you're Nescala's jewel, huh?"
She snorted. "Once upon a time. No, they've already moved on from me. Some other brat has taken over now, So I'm at your service, Infinite's grandest hero."
"Then I guess I'm done," Caesar said, stepping back. "You'll enforce my pardon, correct?"
"Unless you start up again," Cyrano answered. "How about just disbanding the guild?"
"In your dreams. I'll consider it," he told Cyrano, then mounted the snapperbird with the ease of familiarity. "So long hero, I hope you meet your public's expectations."
"Well at least there's more expected of me than to steal the food out of their mouths and sell their loved ones into bondage."
Caesar bowed low, and then flew off on the bird. He sent a quick pm to Artemis warning him to move camp quickly, then he turned to Kenji. "Well, you have anywhere you want to go? I'm clueless, as of the moment." He smiled at Kenji. He was still unwilling to admit how much he liked this unpredictable man, but he had come to like him very much.

[Oddood198]

Jean's entire countenance changed in response to the man in front of him said the word 'infinite'. His eyes grew slightly wider, and turned cold and serious, and his face took on a grim look. Quick as a flash, his gun was back in his hands, pointing it at the man. "If you make one move, I'll take your ear off. Move again, and it'll be your hand." He threatened. After that, he remained quiet, watching the wounded man for a response.
As far as Jean was concerned, this man could very well be one of the men working for <-/Aeon\->, and Jean wasn't about to let him get away easily if that was the case.

[FreddyCast]

Dean and Trent Solis

Trent: See, she said yes.
Dean: Hmph! Fine! But this is your problem not mine. You take responsibility, Trent.
Trent: That’s cool with me. (He addresses Zara) Come on Zara, let’s go inside. (The three go inside the house) You can sit down on the couch over there. I’ll get you something to drink (Trent goes to the kitchen and gets a bottle of water, while Dean heads back to the garage. Trent returns to Zara) Sorry, we don’t have anything else right now. Um...it’s been a long time since we had someone else at our house so I’m not sure what to do.
(Dean then comes back inside heading straight to his room upstairs)
Trent: Brother, are you going back to your room.
Dean: Yeah, I want to hit the sack already, Call me if those morons or their friends come back again. They make for a good stress reliever. (Dean stretches his throwing arm)
Trent: Haha! I bet. Oh before you go. When do you want to head back to Infinite?
Dean: Ugh! Just let me go to sleep first. We’ve been in that game for too long.
Trent: Aww, but it’s so fun.
Dean: Sage and Saint can wait. Pay attention to what’s in front of you first. You don't want to be a lousy host to your guest, do you? (Dean leaves to go to his room and Trent looks at Zara laughing nervously)
Trent: My brother’s right, I shouldn't be so caught up in a game. Anyways, how is it you got mixed up with those kids back there?

Maximius

(While Maximius’s armies reach the borders of Nescala, Hadrian as changed into his Nescalan persona, General Valdus and appears before the Royal Court of Queen Saphira where many high level leaders of Nescala are attending at present. The Queen is sitting on her throne)
Queen Saphira: General Valdus, I am delighted to see your presence. (Valdus approaches and kneels before Saphira)
Valdus: As I am to see yours my Queen.
Saphira: Why were you not at your victory celebration? Did you not wished to be honored for your valor and bravery in battle?
Valdus: Forgive me my Queen, but there were other matters which were pressed upon me. I could not ignore it for a moment of vain glory. The safety of Nescala was first in my mind, not my glory.
Saphira: How noble of you, however, these matters that you speak of, do they have something to do with the armies of Councilor Maximius drawing near to our borders.
Valdus: Yes, this is why I am here. Maximius has come to...(Saphira holds out her hand to silence him)
Saphira: Enough Valdus, I know what Councilor Maximius is doing and why he is here. I will not agree to an alliance of all three factions.
Valdus: I did not know you were aware of the situation. But I’ve come here to...
Saphira: Persuade me? I am sorry, Valdus. I respect your judgment and I am honored to call you my close companion. But the words of a close friend will not sway me to do something as reckless as agreeing to a dubious alliance. I’ve heard what happened to the capitol city of Tiera. Phosphoros is in ruins. And the IFF council is nothing more than an empty hall.
Valdus: No, my Queen, I have not come here to persuade you to join forces with the demon Councilor Maximius.
Saphira: You’re not? Then why have you come.
Valdus: I ask that you make me your King. (Everyone looks at Valdus stunned at his petition)
Saphira: Make you...my King?
Valdus: Why does this come as a shock to you? (Saphira blushes, but quickly becomes enraged and gets up from her thrown)
Saphira: EVERYONE, LEAVE MY COURT. General Valdus, stay here. (Everyone leaves the royal court) Stand up, General Valdus. (Valdus gets up to his feet.)
Valdus: My Queen....
Saphira: DO NOT SPEAK!.....I grow tired of seeing the faces of these so called leaders of Nescala. Making deals behind my back with the Slaver’s Guild, and supporting them every step of the way while my heroes struggle to put an end to them. I am merely a symbol of this countries unity. My people flock to these leaders when they proclaim my name. But I have no power outside these walls. I’m not even allowed to leave this city....*sigh*....Do you know what these so called leaders call me behind my back? They call me “NPC”. Every turn I make their conversation is “Wow look at how realistic this NPC is”. What does that even mean? (She puts her hand on her forehead feeling stressed out) They talk another language as if they’re from another world. One of them even said that he was from a world called “Earth”. I’ve never heard of such a place. I feel like I’m the stranger here. While I’m caged in this palace, these greedy fools go on ridiculous battles fighting for land and resources while ignoring the plights of our heroes and adventurers. I’m just sick and tired of it.
Valdus: May I speak, my Queen? (Saphira waves her hand in approval) If you wish to be free of these rulers who take your name in vain, then I would be glad to get rid of them myself for you. If you wish to be set free from this palace and see the world with your own eyes, then it will be my pleasure to take you there. You are not a stranger, you are Royalty, you are a Queen, the pride of Nescala. Make me King, and I will fulfill your wishes and reclaim this world for you. In your name I will make this world your home.
Saphira:....To be King....You will not only rule this nation and all it’s armies....but you’ll rule my heart....I can’t allow you to do that.
Valdus protests: My Queen...
Saphira: Don’t ask this of me.
Valdus: Saphira!
Saphira: Stop it! (She begins to feel sadden by Valdus’s suspicious behavior)
Valdus: If you do not make me King, then these leaders you so despise will fall against Maximius’s more powerful armies and you will no longer be Queen of Nescala. Half of the Tieran forces have joined him and the other half is in disarray. The Tierans will not be able to aid us against Maximius.
Saphira: And who will aid us against Valdus if he becomes King?
Valdus: What?
Saphira: I admire what Maximius is attempting to do, but he’s going about this the wrong way. I know that without more help, Nescala will fall. That’s why I’ve decided to put my trust in your abilities, Valdus. You must be the one to stop, Maximius. (Valdus twitches his eyebrow after hearing this)
Valdus: Me? Stop Maximius?
Saphira: Yes, you.
Valdus: What is it that you’re asking of me?
Saphira: I’m asking you to stop this charade. I’m asking you to stop your other half. Can you stop your other self? (Valdus’ eyes widen after hearing this)
Valdus: Since when did you know?
Saphira: I’ve known since the moment you fought Arachni’s forces. Do not think that just because I am imprisoned here, that I’m somehow ignorant of what is going on outside these walls. As Queen of Nescala I can see and hear everything my subjects do. I am the All-Present Queen after all. I did not want to believe, but my suspicions were realized when you asked to become King. (Valdus ponders, “I thought I was immune to her powers”)
Valdus: How can you think that I’m Maximius?
Saphira: Do you remember what you told Arachni? “I will bring an end to this war and finally bring peace to Infinite. Is this not what your Master wants?.....He and I are after the same thing after all.” (Valdus bites his lip, knowing full well he’s been discovered)
Valdus: Saphira, What I do.....I do it for you. (He approaches Saphira, but suddenly he’s pushed back by Saphira’s power)

LINK

Saphira: Don’t you dare approach me. You may be my dearest friend, Valdus, but you are just as corrupt as the pompous leaders of Nescala.
(There’s silence for awhile, but the silence is broken by Valdus’ laughter)
Valdus: Even in this world, you will not let me get close to you. You truly are the Hannah I know.
Saphira: Huh? Who is this Hannah?
Valdus: It doesn't matter. I anticipated that you might say "no" to me, though I hoped you wouldn't. Therefore, I have gone ahead and given the order to destroy the Nescala’s leadership while you and I were conversing.
Saphira: You did what? (Saphira tries to sense the presence of the Nescalan leaders with her all-seeing powers.) I can’t see them. I can’t sense their life force anymore. But, how? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, VALDUS?
Valdus: I’ve done exactly what you wished for. I got rid of the pretentious and foolish leaders. You might be the All-Present Queen, but your sight is limited to only one subject at a time. You can’t be anywhere and everywhere your subjects are at the same time.
Saphira: Have you gone mad?
Valdus: Mad? I suppose I am. I was rejected by my Queen just a minute ago. But do not worry my Queen, I will do no harm to you. However, since you are merely the symbol for Nescala’s strength and unity, you yourself hold no true power or authority. Instead I will take over the throne of Nescala and rally the armies around me. And I will sign that alliance with my other half.
(Saphira raises her spear towards Valdus)
Saphira: NO, this isn’t what I want. I can’t let you destroy my home. (She charges at Valdus, but he grabs the tip of her spear with ease.)
Valdus: My Queen, this is unbecoming of you. Like I said before, what I do, I do this for you. (Saphira tries to move her spear, but can’t get it free from Valdus’ grip. Valdus yanks her spear forward and catches Saphira’s body, taking hold of her between his right arm as she tries to free herself from his grasp)
Valdus: Do not fight me, my Queen. (As Valdus attempts to steal a kiss, two female warriors come to Saphira’s aid with spear and sword striking from both directions. Valdus let’s go of Saphira and dodges the incoming attacks.)

Crimson Akatsuki: Don’t you dare touch our Queen.

LINK

Scarlet Cross: Please die before our blades.

LINK

Valdus: Hahaha! How amusing. But my time is fleeting. I must leave soon. I’d suggest you leave Nescala, my Queen. And take your ladies with you. It’s dangerous out there. (Valdus turns to leave the Royal Court)
Crimson Akatsuki: WAIT, STOP! (Both female warriors attack Valdus while his back is turned, but they’re struck with lighnting before they can get close to him and are sent flying back and falling before Saphira’s feet.)
Valdus: Forgive me, my Queen.
Saphira: If I leave, Nescala will no longer be united. Not all of Nescala will accept you as their King. There will be a civil war.
Valdus: Exactly!
Saphira: I don't understand! Why are you doing this?
Valdus: You’ll understand soon enough why I do this.
Saphira: Why can't you tell me now?
Valdus: I've set you free, my Queen. You can leave this palace and go explore the world now. I may not rule your heart, but at least I could fulfill your wishes, even if it has set us against each other.
Saphira: Valdus...
(While Valdus departs he sees on the menu that he’s got a message from Pierce and reads it.)
Valdus: Hahaha! So you finally found out as well. Though I thought you would have figured it out sooner. You should have come with me, Pierce. At least with me you wouldn't have had to deal with those idiot enthusiasts. You chose the harder path.
(Valdus proceeds to send Pierce a message in return, and it reads: Yes, thank you for your assistance with Fafnir’s rampage. It was a most wonderful sight to see. As for Issa and the others, did you have fun taking their lives? Or did you grow a soft heart and spared the fools? I care not either way. But please don’t die on me before your time. You are still of use to me. My journey to Nescala is nearing its end. If you can make it, sharpen your blade thoroughly, because I’m afraid you are far from returning the favor, but I certainly welcome an amusing attempt. Valdus and Maximius will be waiting for you if you do come. Please do try to entertain us...or rather, me.
Sincerely,
Hadrian)

[Wolfsong]

/Pierce/Arachni/
He stiffened when the gun was once more pointed in his direction, but kept up his smirk as though he didn’t care. “Then again, Infinite has its perks. I won’t revive if you shoot me here.” He chuckled morosely. Spots were beginning to float in his line of sight, and he became increasingly aware of the danger he was in, even without the guy with the gun included. “I have two questions. What did I say that was so instantly offensive, and may I sit down? Because whatever you have planned, my body’s about to take matters into its own hands.” And like that, he collapsed.
He tried to break his fall, but unfortunately it was the side with the injured arm. A fierce jolt of pain shot up his arm and he landed on his face. He grimaced, but not a whimper escaped his lips or a tear shed. Instead, he turned his head to where he could see the man and smiled. “I suppose you’re going to shoot me for that,” he said almost cheerfully. “I can’t recall, was it an ear or a hand that was first forfeit?” He laughed before continuing. “Well, whichever, you’re going to have to wait. Since you mentioned nothing fatal-“ He pushed himself, using his good arm and the wall, into a sitting position. “I assume you want me alive. I believe I want to live, haven’t made up my mind yet, so I’m going to bind these before I lose anymore blood. You can shoot me afterward. Now, just so we’re both clear, I’m going to pull out a knife. This is to cut bandages, not use against you.” He cautiously removed the jacket and then carefully pulled his shirt over his head, exposing the wound. He pulled the pocketknife out and proceeded to cut strips out of his shirt. As he worked, he chatted aimless, as though he weren’t staring death and worse in the face. Most of it was random, including the recent rumors and news of Infinite, malfunctioning computer software, and, while spoken cryptically, the inability to trust people.
The wounds were bandaged tightly. He’d need something better soon, but for now it would suffice. “Should probably rejoin the others, get some proper medical attention,” he mused thoughtfully. “But then, they might take it into their heads to kill me too. People are funny like that, so selfish and worthy of distrust. Just no good people left.” Then he smiled up at the man. “Either way, I’m done, so you can shoot me now.” He extended a hand, already from a previous wound. “You might as well start here. I moved a lot, so you’ve a lot to shoot. Or, heck, you can shoot straight into my brain and save us both the trouble. But if it’s not too forward, may I have your name? It would be nice to know who my savior/tormentor is.”

/Zara/Kiari/
She chuckled nervously when Trent talked to her, having second thoughts, and then triple thoughts. She couldn't believe it, she was about to walk into a stranger's home...a house with two boys. She couldn't believe it, she was really about to do this.
"Oh no, it's fine..." she murmured, sitting on the offered couch. "Its....fine." She smiled at him, trying to downplay her fear. Dean made it easy, distracting Trent, so she was able to school her face without having the pressure of doing it with Trent watching. And then, they mentioned Infinite, and Dean said...
"Sage and Saint can wait. Pay attention to what’s in front of you first."
She gasped, she couldn't help it. Instantly she coughed, struggling to cover. Sage and Saint?! No, no, it couldn't be. After all, so many characters with those names...but in that combination! Ridiculous, truly. And yet...they were so much alike. But...it couldn't be. It just couldn't.
One way to find out.
"Actually...this incident deals with Infinite too." She smiled at him, trying to pretend. "See, I was part of a guild during my early days in the game. It started out alright, but then it kinda went...well, it joined league with the Slaver's Guild in the shadows. I was...anti-guild, so I tried to leave." She stared forward, hugging her knees to her chest. "It...didn't work out. I was...good. Really good. They didn't want to let me go. So they kept coming back, kept bugging me and trying to force me back. So I threatened to alert Cyrano, and the mods who were on his side then. That's when they killed me the first time." She closed her eyes, resting her chin on her knees. "A few hours ago, I received a message from them, a wish to discuss negotiations. If that didn't work, they'd leave me alone. Like a fool I walked into it. They were right, if I didn't comply, they would leave me alone...because I would be dead. First they tried to kill my character in-game, but I escaped. Then they...started after me in reality." She shook her head. "Its so...stupid...Infinite's just a game. Why must they treat it like...like its real?"
She sighed, then opened her eyes and smiled at Trent. "I'm sorry, that's just a pet peeve of mine. So, I heard Dean say a couple of names, Sage and Saint. Are those your Infinite names?" She leaned forward slightly. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I'd understand." She felt like she'd just inserted her hand into a potential snake den. But then, there it was...

[Oddood198]

Jean watched silently as the man collapsed and then began tending to his own wounds. he was chattering useless babble the whole while, most of what the man said was rumors of Infinite, most of which Jean had already heard, and some useless things about his own life. He did mention problems with computers, and Jean gathered from that that this guy must have had lots of high-end software and hardware, which would make sense if he was one of <-/Aeon\->'s men.
There were cars driving about, so Jean stowed his gun away into his back pocket and pulled out a cigarette, leaning up against a building while he smoked it and trying to look nonchalant to passers-by, but not remotely letting his guard down or taking his eyes off the man.
When the injured man had finally finished treating himself and then started babbling on about where to be shot, Jean walked up to him and lightly kicked him in the injured shoulder, just to shut him up. "Enough. You just don't know when to quit talking, do you? Fine by me. I just have to get you talking about the right things." He said, stepping back a few feet, "My name's hardly important to you, I would think. But, if my hunch is correct, you may already know who I am. I'm Jean Kent, former police detective. I'll be honest, I don't really care who you are." He paused a moment to let it sink in, but continued before the man had a chance to start babbling again. "Now, here's what's going to happen: You're going to stand up and follow me back to my apartment. I'm going to question you, and interrogate you if I have to. You answer my questions, I decide what happens next. Clear? Oh, and I doubt you can in your current state, but if you try and escape, I'll shoot your foot. And if you try and be a smart Alec about it again," He tapped his cigarette, knocking some ash ff and making the tip glow bright red, "Well, I'm sure whatever you think of will be more imaginative than what I have."

[FreddyCast]

Dean and Trent Solis

("Actually...this incident deals with Infinite too.” said Zara.)
Trent: Really? You’re a fellow gamer? That’s awesome...but how does this involve those kids. (Zara smiled at him and proceeded to explain to him how she was in a guild, but then tried to leave it because the guild secretly joined the Slaver’s Guild.)
Trent: Man, the Slaver’sGuild is always bad news. Were you able to leave the guild? (Zara grabbed her knees, embracing them close to her chest as she looked in front of her absorbed in thought. She explained how the guild wouldn’t let her go and killed her character when she threatened to notify Cyrano of the guild’s alliance with the Slaver’s Guild.)
Trent: Tch! Cowards, the lot of them. Ganging up on you like that. So what happened after that? (Zara shut her eyes as she gently laid her chin on her knees. Then she said that several hours earlier the guild sent her a message claiming to want to negotiate a truce with her, but when she went to meet them they tried to kill her again. They failed and she fled, yet the guild came after in the real world. “Its so...stupid...Infinite's just a game. Why must they treat it like...like its real?” she said)
Trent: Yeah, I know how you feel, sometimes I wonder why people take things so seriously. But I guess I could be counted as one of them. (Trent has a flashback of when he snapped at Dean in game, putting a sword to his neck as he has him pinned down to the ground saying, “I wish this was the real world, so I could really have your life in my hands.” Then Trent snaps out of the flashback)
Trent: It really is stupid! (Trent laughs nervously, but Zara opens her eyes as she smiles at Trent and says “I'm sorry, that's just a pet peeve of mine. So, I heard Dean say a couple of names, Sage and Saint. Are those your Infinite names?” Leaning forwards a bit, she continues “You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I'd understand.”)
Trent: Oh...no it’s alright.
(Dean begins to come down the stairs, but overhears Trent and Zara’s conversation and stops half-way, sitting down on the stairs unnoticed.)
Trent: My character's name is Saint Reave and my brother’s character is named Sage Blaze. We joined like 1 year ago. We didn’t have any friends in the game. We were like lone wolves. But, recently my brother and I were on this crazy adventure together and we finally made two friends. The first was this nice and tenacious girl, Kiari. We kind of met her by accident while fighting a monster called the Gila Beast. Though mostly it was my fault really. We kind of got on the wrong foot at first, mostly because my brother was being a jerk. But then, we crossed paths with her again when we met another girl at an inn, Priestess Elian was her name. She was taking care of Kiari, who was unconscious at the time. Then all four of us teamed up together and we helped Elian with a mission to retrieve a dragon gem from a place called the Lair of the 4 Demons. Kiari was amazing fighting off all those monsters along the way before reaching the lair. After we defeated the 4 demons and got the dragon gem we decided to leave the Wilderness for good. I remember that something was troubling Kiari though. I wanted to cheer her up, so I asked her if she wanted to fly with me. She said yes, and I took her up in the air using my “wings of the Fallen”. (Trent tilts his head up as he remembers that moment.) She was so...beautiful...holding her in my arm...resting her head on my shoulder...it was amazing (Suddenly, Dean throws a pebble at Trent which hits his head, snapping him out of the moment)
Dean says to himself: That idiot, all he’s thinking about is Kiari. Did you forget about Eilis then? Moron.
(Trent realizes he said too much and laughs it off)
Trent: Sorry about that Zara, I just really miss her, is all. I haven’t seen her ever since we rescued her from some guys that kidnapped her. She saved my life, and she’s a good friend I care about. Anyways, enough about me. How are you feeling?

OOC- Hey fellow IP rpgers, IT"S MY BIRTHDAY! YAY! Happy 25th Birthday to me. WOOO! HAHAHAHA
Anyways, I love you guys. Christ's blessings to us all. Let's have a grand story to tell in Infinite Powers.
Love, Joy, and Peace of Christ, my friends.

[Wolfsong]

OOC- Well, with an ending like that, how can we refuse? lol Happy Birthday Freddy.

/Cherry/Arachni/Ke'Tala/
Her eyes opened slowly...or perhaps it was more accurate to say his.
Cherry logged on as Arachni, using her own hacking skills to get past security. She stared at his hands, then touched the mask covering his face. "So this is what its like, to be in his shoes," she murmured. "Light...a male body feels so weird." Then she shook her head, focusing on the reason she did this in the first place. Information. Was there a clue in his logs to where he might have gone, or what he now had in mind. Hoping he wasn't planning on logging in any time soon, she rushed to his pms, flipping through them to most recent. Nothing useful, she switched to his inbox. Her eyes widened; he'd messaged Maximius when he logged in those few minutes? Quickly, she pulled it up and read what he'd written. "Pierce..." she breathed, suddenly very scared.
Then an icon popped up - he had a message from Maximius! Hurriedly she pulled it up. Her eyes widened in horror, and her fists clenched. "You pompous donkey - is this how you've treated Pierce all this time?! 'Still of us, don't die on me'?! He's not your tool you dastard!" Without any hesitation, she pulled up the messages and replied.
Greetings, Hadrian. I am...Amber Turner, since we're speaking on a first name basis here. I am Pierce's friend, and thanks to you, as true friend in a bit of a quandary. Would you like to know what the fruits of your labor have been? He distrusts us now, because of Issalidor's deed, and has abandoned us. We who loved him now have no clue where to find him, to protect him from people like you who attempt to use him. He was finally beginning to see beyond a child's dream, but once more you have destroyed what was built and returned him to the state the events of the Cataclyst left him.
I do not know if Issa was your fault. But I do know I will allow no one to abuse my dearest friend as you do! Go on to Nescala, son of the devil! I, Ke'Tala Genesis, the only player to have achieved Angel class, and not just any Angel but Angel of Vengeance class, will be waiting for you there, and I swear you're going to pay for everything you've don to my Pierce!
She sent it, then logged off.
--- ---
There was a note in her box, an invitation from Garrison and Shaka Amity, to discuss what they were going to do now. She smiled softly.
Sorry guys, but I already know what I'm going to do now. I'm going to go kick a certain someone's rear, and then I'm going to find Pierce. No matter where I have to go or what I have to do.
Ke'Tala stretched, loosening up, then allowed her weapon to materialize on her body. Her longbow was slung over her shoulder, though no arrows; she could create them from pure energy by will alone. A slim blade was strapped to one hip and a curved dagger on the other. She smiled darkly, then leapt up, taking flight. From where she was now, and at the speed she was going, she would arrive in approximately ten minutes.

/Pierce/Arachni/
He winced when the man tapped his shoulder, but had to concede that he'd been babbling. As he examined his actions, none of them were that bright either. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to relax and release his tension. okay, so yes, this day had been less than joyous, but he couldn't afford to let his wits go. He was going to walk out of this alive, just like he always did. Plan number one: stop irritating the man who currently had the upper hand.
"A former detective? Sounds fun. Very well, Mr. Kent, I'll come quietly."
Using the wall, he managed to stand. He was clearly favoring the wounded leg, but was able to walk, if slowly. He followed Jean, silent, considering the man before him, the enthusiasts somewhere behind him, and the new battle for his life he found himself in.

/Zara/Kiari/
She nodded to herself when Trent confirmed her suspicions. So it was Sage and Saint after all... but then he surprised her when he started talking in detail about his and his brother's characters. And then...he was talking about her. Kiari. She froze and remained still as he continued on...
"The first was this nice and tenacious girl, Kiari. We kind of met her by accident while fighting a monster called the Gila Beast. Though mostly it was my fault really. We kind of got on the wrong foot at first, mostly because my brother was being a jerk. But then, we crossed paths with her again when we met another girl at an inn, Priestess Elian was her name. She was taking care of Kiari, who was unconscious at the time. Then all four of us teamed up together and we helped Elian with a mission to retrieve a dragon gem from a place called the Lair of the 4 Demons. Kiari was amazing fighting off all those monsters along the way before reaching the lair. After we defeated the 4 demons and got the dragon gem we decided to leave the Wilderness for good. I remember that something was troubling Kiari though. I wanted to cheer her up, so I asked her if she wanted to fly with me. She said yes, and I took her up in the air using my “wings of the Fallen”." His head tilted back, and he seemed happy. "She was so...beautiful...holding her in my arm...resting her head on my shoulder...it was amazing."
Was he...serious? She could feel her face getting red as he continued. Then a pebble came out of the stairs and hit him on the head. Trent blinked, then laughed and said, "Sorry about that Zara, I just really miss her, is all. I haven’t seen her ever since we rescued her from some guys that kidnapped her. She saved my life, and she’s a good friend I care about. Anyways, enough about me. How are you feeling?"
"Really warm now, and freaked out all at the same time." She bit her lip, hoping her face was not so red anymore. "Do I tell? I don't..." She managed a smile. "I'm feeling alright, just t-tired mostly." Great, now she couldn't even keep her voice steady. "S-s-so..." she dropped her head down and hid it in her knees. "I...I....ahh!"

[Banana Lobster]

Sage Shade

Shade groaned, stretching her arms out behind her. Once the stream-bed had started getting rocky, she had switched back to her human form to make it easier to climb. She had followed the river to it's beginning on the top of the mountain, where the snow melted, but had found nothing. Not that she was surprised at this. After all, expecting to find what she was looking for on the first try would not only be dangerous, but downright foolish. There was no telling how close this 'Master' was, and if she wasn't careful, she could fall into a trap.

She fingered the dagger at her waist, reminded of her need to find more. She would surely need them soon. Now though, she turned and followed the winding stream back down to the base of the mountain, to where it met up with another river from the next one over. Sooner or later, she would run into Mount Quietus, the most likely place the enemy's base would be to her thinking. But Shade was nothing if not thorough, so she checked all the rivers and streams along the way.

Shade sighed; this was going to be a long few days.

[Wolfsong]

/Carter/Valerian/
He rested in a tree, watching the two people, a wood elf and a black-robed figure, walk off the magic-made path that let them walk on water onto the land. He blinked, counting again. Only two? Where was the third? He checked the map, and saw that one moving away, towards Nescala's capital it seemed. So it was just these two after all. Well, that was fine by him, it meant fewer to fight if it came down to that. He leaned forward eagerly as they started talking.
"So was this where you wanted to talk?" the wood elf asked.
The black robe shrugged. "No, not quite. True, only the first questers are arriving, but this beach is close to the port." The arm rose and a slender hand emerged from the voluminous sleeve, pointing towards the mountains. "Deeper in, where we're less likely to be disturbed. Come!" and they took the forest path, walking right past the tree Valerian was seated in.
He watched till they were out of sight, then slowly began to count to ten. as the last consonant passed his lips, he dropped out of the tree. As expected, they were a ways away, almost out of sight. Folding his wings tight against his back till they were almost invisible, he followed after them cautiously, always keeping fifteen feet and a tree between them. Eventually they arrived in a clearing enclosed between two mountains and surrounded by trees. The clearing just screamed boss or mini-boss location, but the two he followed chose to stop there.
"Secluded enough?" the elf asked. The black robe nodded, their hood shifting slightly but not enough to reveal their face. The elf crossed his arms, shifting his weight to his left foot. "So...Pierce."
The black robe said, "Issalidor's betrayal cut deep. You could see it in his eyes, in our base and while we fled. He doesn't trust us anymore."
"I imagine Ke'Tala's taking it hard," the elf said. "She seems to care a lot about him." He shook his head. "Shaka Amity, do you believe Pierce is still stable? Cherry told us what she saw down there, that Pierce almost shot Nevan, claimed it was his right as a god. Should we stay with him?"
Valerian, hidden on the edge of the clearing, shook his head in amazement. This guy didn't sound right in the head. He needed to be removed for everyone's safety.
"I believe he is sound, but very troubled. remember the Cataclyst, when other friends abandoned us and the enthusiasts began hunting him. We relied on each other to live, we were closer than family. Nevan's bond may have been false, but ours is true. I know Pierce will one day see that, if this does not break him. I for one will look for him with Ke'Tala."
The elf nodded, a smile forming on his face. "I'm glad, Shaka, for I intended to do so as well. I was worried if you would leave us, so I held my peace for fear I'd influence your choice."
Shaka snorted. "As if. But I appreciate the gesture." After a brief pause, she said, "Chances are, Pierce won't come back. he took a console, as well as a microchip with the data. He really has no further need of us."
"He may return, for us," the elf said firmly. "Come, lets log out and wait for him."
That wouldn't do. The only info here was Pierce was on his own. Sure that was something big, but he hoped for more. Quickly he activated a barrier device, which formed like a dome overhead. This barrier, a gift from his employer, kept those within from teleporting, walking out of the area of the dome, and logging out. Then he withdrew a cloak, also a gift, and threw it over his shoulders, focusing on the image he wanted to adopt. When it settled, he was a blue-haired human in loose white clothes. That done, he walked into the startled duo's view.
"An interesting tale," he said. "Would you share more with me?" He extended a hand, smiling.
The wood elf eyed him with hostility. "Unlikely. Shaka?" For a few seconds, they just stood there, and then he began to look unsettled. Valerian smiled. "I...I can't log out," the elf said.
"Who are you?" Shaka demanded, stepping threateningly toward Valerian, who just smiled smugly back. She swung her arm, and a beam of blue energy flew across the ground toward him. He leapt up, hovering in the air overhead, unharmed.
The wood elf gaped at him, unable to see his wings, seeing only a human floating without outside aid. "Wha-what?!"
Valerian smiled, settling into a cross-legged position. "So lets talk," he said.

[Oddood198]

Some peace, at last. Jean thought as the man promised to come quietly. Jean held the cigarette in his teeth and took a phone from his pocket, keeping one hand free to use his gun if he had to. He dialed a number quickly and hit call. He barely had time to get the phone to his face before it was answered. "Hey, Mitchell," He said, "I need a lift. Meet me at..." He told Mitchell the location he and the other man were at, then hung up, putting the phone back in his pocket.
"My driver will meet us here shortly. Hope you don't mind a ride." He said, leaning against a building again and breathing out a puff of smoke.

[Wolfsong]

/Pierce/Arachni/
Pierce smiled up at Jean. "No problem. I just hope you won't mind blood on the seat."
A few minutes later, a grey sedan came and stopped a little ahead of them. Pierce glanced at Jean, waiting.

[Oddood198]

Jean glanced at the car, then looked back to the man, who was watching him. "Well, go ahead and get in, back seat. Don't worry about the blood, won't be the first time." He said. While his prisoner climbed into the car, Jean took a last breath from his cigarette before tossing it onto the ground, then getting in the back next to their captive. He set his gun casually on his lap with a finger lightly touching the trigger, pointed at the man.
"Try to move, and I'll shoot you. Trust me, we really don't ind the blood." He said.
"Maybe you don't I have to clean it up." Said Mitchell, the driver, twisting around in his seat and lifting his sunglasses as he looked at their newest acquisition. "Hey, kid, man guy, whatever you are. I'm the driver of our band of merry men, name's Mitchell, nice to meetcha." He returned to his original position with his hands on the wheel, "Where to, Jean?"
"Let's do safehouse C, seems a good option." Jean replied. In truth, they didn't have a lot of resources, and they only had one 'safehouse', but they referred to it by different letters frequently to make it seemed like they were better off than they were.
"Right, safehouse C it is. Sit tight, enjoy the ride, and don't get shot." Mitchell said as he began driving.

[Wolfsong]

/Pierce/Arachni/

Pierce smirked slightly, but held his peace and climbed in. "Don't worry," he told Jean. "I hurt too much to move."
He laughed at Mitchell's remark about the blood. "I'll try not to lose too much," he promised.
He listened absently to them discuss their destination, just staring blankly out the window. Already, he was on his way to a new destination, to a new place. Would he live? Or would this man kill him at the end of this road?
"Such a strange world," he thought quietly. "Such an empty world. All the potential was drained from it so long ago. It would be almost a pity, if it weren't for the fact the people were just as lacking." After that dark thought, he stared out the windows at the grey buildings, a storm rolling overhead. There was a sudden rumble of thunder, and he smiled grimly.
The car slowed, then stopped. Pierce waited for Jean's next command.

[Oddood198]

It was a long drive before the trio reached their target destination: A tall, old hotel building that had long since been condemned as unsafe. People generally thought it was a strong gust of wind away from falling in on itself, but Jean's group knew better. When they were all forced out of their usual bases of operation, they found this old hotel and set up inside. It wasn't much, but it was hidden, safe, and easily abandoned.
Jean looked out as droplets of rain began to hit his window, and he opened the door, stowing his gun again in his back pocket.
"Well, gentlemen, this is where I leave you. I have an actual job to take care of, thanks for keeping blood to a minimum.Though I'll still spend all night cleaning it..." Mitchell said. Once Jean and the other passenger had exited the vehicle, he circled around the parking lot and then left, taking a turn out of sight.
Jean watched him go for a second, then turned back to the hotel. "Well, come on in, then. We'll get you situated, take care of your bleeding, and then start the questioning." He said in his usual gruff manner. He led the way into the hotel and up a few dark flights of stairs, stopping at the sixth floor. He stopped at the stairwell door, then pounded on it a few times with his fist, "Claire! It's Jean, I'm coming in with a guest, don't shoot." He shouted, then opened the door and walked through.
In contrast to the rest of the dark, dank and dirty building, floor six was well lit by spotlights hung up on the ceiling, it was well cleaned, swept and dusted, and even a bit warm. The door from the stairs led into a large lobby-like room, some furniture was layed out in a seemingly random manner, and a woman sat sprawled out on a couch facing the door, with an earbud playing music into one ear, and an assault rifle propped up against her shoulder.
"Hey Jean, welcome back." The woman said, smiling warmly, then looked to the new arrival, "And you, you're new! Lemme guess, Jean shot you and abducted you off the street? Don't worry sweetie, happens more than you'd think." She stood up, her black hair was kept in order by a tight braid going down her back, and the expression on her face was cheerful, despite what circumstances would suggest.
"Wasn't me that shot him." Jean said, walking in and kicking a first-aid kit from under a chair, "Couple of gun-toting punks were out for blood. Our friend here said something about Infinite."
The woman's eyes widened for a moment, then she stooped down to grab the kit. "Is that right?" She mumbled, turning and looking at the other man, "Well, that's for you and Jean to discuss, I suppose. Anyway, my name's Claire, how about you? Just have a seat anywhere, and I'll start gettin' you patched up."

[FreddyCast]

Dean and Trent Solis

Trent: if you’re tired you can rest here on the couch. It actually folds into a bed. I can bring you a warm blanket and a pillow. (Trent could see that something was bothering Zara as she struggled to say anything and hid herself under her knees)
Trent: Zara? Did I say something wrong? (Dean then comes down the stairs and suspects Zara is someone familiar) Brother why are you here, I thought you went to go to sleep.
Dean: I suddenly feel like (Dean grins)...stretching my arm....I’m going outside. (Dean again looks at Zara’s flustered face) You two love birds can stay in here for a while.
Trent: Love birds?....huh, that’s not what I....
Dean: Seriously Trent, not only are you naïve, but dense as well. Just stay here and don’t come looking for me. (Dean turns to leave through the garage and says within himself, “I’m just going to welcome our unwanted guests”)
Trent: I wonder what’s up with him. (He turns to look at Zara) Um, Zara...is there something I can do to help? You seem unsettled and anxious.

[Wolfsong]

/Pierce/Arachni/
He smiled apologetically at Mitchell as he climbed out of the car. He heard it leave, but focused on thd building before him. It looked ready to collapse, but Jean went in, so Pierce followed. His opinion of the place didn't change till the sixth floor, then his eyes widened at the transformation that took place. Slowly, a grin formed on his face. This was their idea of a safehouse? If the floor didn't eventually collapse underneafh them, he aould be amazed.
He nodded once at the woman, Claire, hut didn't answer her question. Still, he knew he'd jeed to answer that question sooner or later. He had no intention of gicing his actual name to these people, particularly if they had police connections. These things tended to get recorded, and the enthusiasts had eyes and ears everywhere. Still, he wasn't going to lie either, not until he had an idea of what this man wanted from him. Then he could figure things out from there.
He was silent as Claire went to work. Her hands were gentle and worked well, as experienced hands do. When she finished, he quietly thanked her and looked at his watch. 4:35, late afternoon. That much time had passed?
Maximius! Hadrian was movivng to Nescala, while he was being detained here. His fist clenched tightly for an instant, then relaxed again.
"Mr. Kent," he said clearly, his voice carrying no tracs of the rage inside. "You mentioned an interrogation. Shall we begin?"

/Zara/Kiari/
She heard what Dean said as he went by, and she blushed. Had he somehow guessed who she was? Did he know? She had the sudden urge to strangle Dean for making that remark, except this wasn't Infinite, and she was at a distinct disadvantage here. Stupid Sage. When would she finally get back at him?
Should she tell Trent?
She wanted to, wanted to very much. But was it really a good idea at this point? After Ll, he had just said...that. he called Kiari a good friend, thst he cared for her a lot. Not many did. Most people she ran into thought she was pretty weird. Rude, yes, she probably was. She'd come to expect the worst from people, so she held no respect for thsm unless they'd done something to earn it. Her dad had been one of those few people, and then he decided to leave her mom. He broke one of the biggest promises one could ever make. She still couldn't quite believe it.
If Trent did think of her as a good friend, if he did care, then it would be okay, wouldn't it? Agh, if only her heart would stop pounding, if but for a minute!
"T-Trent?" she said to her knees. "There's...s-something I wa-need to tell you." She couldn't lift her head, too scared to see his face. "I... I, um..." She took a deep breath. "Trent...Saint, its me... .its Kiari." Then she added, in a really low voi e, "And I think partnering up with you and you brother was the best thing that ever happended to me." And she pushed her face into her knees until it hurt.

[ClaecElric4God]

OOC: Soooo late....Soooo awful..... *huddles in corner, sobbing violently*

/Eric/Zare/
Zare jumped when a hand dropped on his shoulder. But the voice that accompanied it was one he recognized, and he instantly dropped his guard. In the same moment it surprised him that he was so ready to drop his guard, even if it was a friend. But he shrugged the feeling off.
Turning, Zare clasped arms with Ash.
"Ah, there you are!" He replied with relief. "Yeah, sorry. My job took a lot longer than expected. Sorry I missed the rendezvous. But thanks for waiting for me. I appreciate it."

/Karissa/Kenji/
Kenji cocked his head at Caesar. Was he really asking him where he wanted to go?
"You realize letting me decide where we go is a really really bad idea, right?" He said. But then he grinned evilly. "Well, I haven't paid Zare a visit in a while. I really think you should meet him!"
Kenji started flipping through his contacts, looking for Zare. If he could just figure out where he was...
"Unless you have a problem with that?" He asked, not looking up. Caught up in what he was doing, he didn't notice his snapperbird eyeing him, noticing its unattended reins. The bird suddenly went into a nose dive, and as Kenji groped frantically for something to hold onto, the bird did a barrel roll, completely unseating Kenji.
I hate animals, he thought as he fell toward the ground.

[FreddyCast]

Trent Solis

(Trent looks at Zara in shock)
Trent: You...you’re Kiari?...Zara is Kiari? (Trent sees that Zara is too embarrassed look at him, so he gets down to Zara's level) Zara I didn’t mean to....I mean I meant what I said about Kiari.....about you......You’re the best thing that happened to us too, to me....I don’t know what to say...Can I see...your face?