Moving the troops

[Touch of Ruin]

Celestia hotel (top floor)
A tall man clad entirely in black noticed that the boy was following him and nodded. “Good choice. I have some people on the outside that can help us.” Stopping suddenly, the man held out his hand and waited. A low buzzing noise began to grow louder and the man cursed. “We’re about to get company, and no it isn’t the swat team. Get ready for a fight.” Pointing his pistol at the window, the man waited. The buzzing grew louder and louder until it was right over head. Then through the windows came troops swinging in and firing. The man overloaded the cameras and bugs he had placed as well as the lights near the windows then watched them blow the first wave of troops back out the window then he started firing.
 
Celestia hotel (ground floor)
The group stopped in the lobby as they heard the buzzing and the explosions. Then behind them the doors were blown off the hinges and black clad troops carrying machine guns stormed in and Mr. Free started to speak.
“Battle stances boys. Zeelan you go ahead up the stairs and try to find the VIP. Go straight to the top floor and take no prisoners. Veryon you start clearing floor by floor. They might have planted a bomb and if there is one, try to defuse it or… hell just throw it out the window high up in the air as you can for all I care. Get it out of here. Check each room and look for a shiny box or anything suspicious. But go quick alright? Throw open the doors and if you don’t see anything, move on. Qilong stay with me. Let’s deal with these smucks then double check the rooms behind Veryon. I know who this group is and they like their explosives. Oh and guys? Everyone who aims a gun at you is a threat. Kill on sight if you choose.” Then he charged the group while Shave it up started playing on loop.
 


OOC: Sera's and Amelia's post coming soon

[Youmu Konpaku]

--POV: Zeelan--

After hearing the faint buzzing overhead and the subsequent explosions, I knew this would be a hell of a ride. Immediately afterwards, I’m told I have to go to the top floor to go find the VIP. Fine by me.  I would then at least have a challenge waiting for me. But first, a little detour…

I look around the hotel and eventually find an empty bar. This could be of some use. Heading over, I pick out a bottle of absinthe. This will do well. I’m not even sure why I want this, actually. Well, I’ve been having a bad day so far, I had a fight with Mr. Free that felt like it took ages, and it feels like I’ve been in the lobby for weeks. Guess the only cure for that is to smash this into some sap unfortunate enough to fight me, and proceed to light him on fire. Yeah. That’ll do.

Concealing the absinthe under my cloak, I make my way to the top floor.

OOC: Back on track. Good.

[Contemplator]

As soon as I walk into the hotel my paranoia is proved reasonable as guns start blazing, never a dull moment.
*Sigh* What a life I lead.

I start walking towards the bar as Mr.Free yells orders, creating a barrier around the open doors these gangsters are pouring out of, it won't do much when they reach it but it'll stop any bullets hitting me and probably send quite a few ricocheting back at them, ah mayhem and confusion how I've missed you. i suppose it will also allow my companions to make their way along to their various tasks without distraction, though I doubt they'll notice or care.

Next I create a simple beam just above ankle height right at the door that should trip quite a few of the intial men coming through the door, which will cause issues for those behind them and be amusing to watch.

Satisfied I sit down behind the vacated bar just as one of my companions picks a bottle of liquor from it, I chuckle amused, can't blame him for wanting a drink, bit of an odd choice but hey I don't judge... no wait yes I do. Anyhow still thirsty I pull out a prepared apple cider for my bag and sit down to watch the chaos ensue.

[Primusa]

Will definitely get around to posting soon, but only after Tuesday's exams.

[Primusa]

I immediately froze time as soon as I saw the men crash through the windows and briefly speculated on their origins. Considering that they descended from a helicopter and swung inside the building in a very deliberate fashion, it was clear that they had some form of military training. Perhaps they were part of some organization somewhere sent to kill me and this mysterious companion of mine for some reason or another. I have to admit, it was a pretty impressive surprise attack, and I might have even been killed without my Temporal Wristwatch. Of course, when I am in possession of such a device, it doesn't matter what powers or abilities you have, or what tactics you employ against me. All who would try to oppose my goals will crumble before its power. When I use this device, I am god.

Because twelve hours had passed since the encounter with the thugs at the Blood Bath Tavern, the thirty seconds stored on my watch had been completely restored to its full duration. While time was stopped, I took my pistol out of my back pocket and carefully placed fatal shots to the head on each of the men currently in the process of swinging through the window. Before resuming time, I studied my companion, he appeared to be frozen in time just like everyone else in the world. He had said earlier that he would be able to kill me "even with that little time trick" so it was clearly the case that he had knowledge of my abilities. However, I am not quite sure about what method he would use to counter it, and it might well be a bluff. I'll look into this further at a later time. I then resumed time, still having 20 seconds on the clock.

[Oneal812]

Well isn't this fantastic. I think Mr.Free is drunk and/or he forgot my main character trait on the long drive over because he decided it would be a good idea to send ME to "dispose" of explosives. Then again, who am I to question the completely sane judgement of a magical boom box wielding teacher who is sending students to fight the SWAT team. Or was it fight with them? Eh, who cares. He told me to clear floors and throw explosives at things! It seems everyone else on the team is getting drunk which is nice. I should probably start now if I want to "remove the explosives" before the building gets lit up. As I climb the stairs to the second floor I notice a large group of armed men covering the hallway and carrying a small ticking box. This can only end well.

[Touch of Ruin]

OOC:

Hello all. While I'm sure you are all hoping that this was the new post, I am sad to tell you that this is not the case. I am working on that as we speak however and it will be up sometime in the next week or so. What this post is about is something else entirely. As most of you know, I've been starting to delve into the world of 3D modelling and animation. (While challenging it is quite a lot of fun and I recommend that if any of you are interested then use a program called GMax.) Now, I've been sitting here trying to plan an end project to create and I realized that we have put together a rag tag team of fighters who would have utterly amazing fight scenes, so why not try bringing that to life? I'm planning on animating a fight scene with our characters and I hope to have some help. You see, these characters are yours not mine. And therefore they should look as you want them. What this means is that if you are interested in helping then I strongly encourage you to either a) Draw up your character or b) if you have no artistic skill like me, ask a suitably talented friend to draw it for you. There is no deadline for this project as learning modeling and animation will probably take me most of the summer. But its something to think about if you are interested. Talk to me either through Pm or in person if you would be interested in giving feedback on the animations as they come. Cheers and may you live in interesting times.

[Primusa]

Samson Fairfax: Age 11 (Principium: Altohall Orphanage)

It had been about six months after the formation of the Orphan's Crusade, and things were proceeding nicely. Everyone shared the magic book I had obtained, and devoted an hour of their day to learning its contents. Since there were twelve of us, this worked out perfectly, with everyone exactly getting one hour every day to practice. Some of us picked it up better than others, and chose to specialize in elements they found the easiest. I don't mean to sound arrogant or full of myself, but it was pretty accepted that I picked it up the best. Unlike most of the other orphans, I picked up the five schools of magic: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, and Arcane to an equally high degree, and had learned each of them to an intermediate level. By this point I figured that I could apply for the Beacon for Poor People at any time I liked, but I couldn't abandon my friends. I was determined to stay and help them each learn magic to the same degree I had, and we could all enter together. Nobody was to be left behind, that was the universal rule that we had accepted as our core tenet.

It was then that the nun who ran the orphanage called us all into the main hall, she said that she had something important to tell all of us. She spoke: "Seth Fairfax is coming to the orphanage tomorrow, potentially looking to adopt". There was nobody among us who wasn't shocked at this turn of events, but the room was silent. There were very few among the citizens of this country who hadn't heard of the prestigious Fairfax family of the aristocracy. They were like royalty in this nation, and as we all knew, the king was just a puppet in the hands of the aristocratic families. The nun then interrupted the silence and said: "So I expect you all to be on your best behavior, and you might be out of here very soon." The minute she left, we convened a meeting among the crusade members. Somebody asked the question on everybody's minds: "So what should we do?" Another person said: "We shouldn't talk to him, doing that would forfeit the mission of the crusade itself". Hearing that, the agreement was unanimous, we would ignore him so that nobody would be adopted, and our mission would continue as usual. I slept that night plagued with doubts and premonitions of fear.

Despite the agreement the previous night, everyone was crowding near the front window and hoping to catch a glimpse of his car. Only I stood back, an increasingly bad feeling taking root in my stomach. When his luxurious car came into view, there was a widespread sense of shock and awe that emanated throughout the room. These children had never seen such an amazing car in the slums of Principium ever before. When Seth's manservant opened the door of the vehicle and he stepped out into the sunlight, the excitement building in the room exploded. He was a somewhat aged man, with gray hair and eyes, but he was wearing the most wonderful suit that we had ever seen. Even I was taken aback by the luxuriousness of it all, I had only had one change of clothes for the past two years, and it was a bland gray set. I felt sick seeing all of this excess, why was it that he had so much, and I had so little? When the door to the church was opened for him, everybody sped for the door, tripping over and trampling each other in the process. They then swarmed him, talking to him and frantically trying to get in his good graces. I simply stood there in shock, had the Crusade meant so little to them? We could sit there making promises and telling each other that we would change the world, but in the face of greed, that didn't matter anymore. I looked up to the ceiling and became filled with despair and anger at my naivety. Seth broke the silence by asking "Who's that boy?" to the crowd surrounding him while pointing at me. One girl said in a truly despicable tone: "Oh, that's just Samson, he's a dirty boy and not a bright one". I completely lost my temper and pointed at them while shaking. "YOU'RE ALL FUCKING DISGUSTING! I GIVE YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE YOUR LIVES THROUGH HARD WORK AND PERSEVERANCE! BUT NO, YOU HAVE TO TAKE THE EASY WAY OUT BY GROVELING BEFORE THE POWERFUL IN THE HOPES THAT THEY'LL DROP SOME BREAD CRUMBS FOR YOU! I'LL NEVER SUBJECT MYSELF TO SUCH DISGRACE! YOU'RE ALL FILTHY STREET TRASH, AND I HOPE YOU'LL WALLOW IN THE POVERTY YOU HATE!" I then wheeled my attention and angry rant onto the now-terrified girl who spoke out earlier. "YOU SAY I'M NOT A BRIGHT ONE! YOU'RE A STUPID BITCH WHO CAN'T EVEN COMPREHEND THE MOST BASIC OF CONCEPTS WITHOUT EXTENDED HELP FROM ME! IN FACT, I'M THE GREATEST MIND PRESENT AT THIS ORPHANAGE, YOU'D ALL BE USELESS WITHOUT ME!" After my rant stopped, I comprehended the cruelty and malice of what I had just said. Was that what I truly thought, or had I just said it in a rage? I never thought that I was capable of saying something so horrible. The nun quickly tried to usher me away from Seth and the other children while reassuring Seth that the other children were better. He then stopped her and said: "I'd like to speak with the boy alone" while looking me with a mixture of admiration and zeal.

We sat across from each other in a side room with a window. The last throes of the evening were beginning to slip away into darkness as the sunlight moved across the table. "What do you want to talk to me about?" I asked him, expecting an extremely angry response. His demeanor became that of a kindly old man, and he talked to me in a gentle voice. "Would you like to come live with me and my family?" I responded: "I'm not sure, what are you adopting poverty-stricken children for?" He said: "I believe the same things you do, only people who are willing to work hard should enjoy a life of success, and I've worked to ensure that brilliant, hardworking children like you have a chance at success". "Does that mean you've adopted other children as well?" He responded with a smile: "Yes, if you accepted, you'd have many brothers and sisters who are just like you". "Just like me?" I responded with an increasingly excited tone. "I'm sure they'd be glad to have you in the family, you would have plenty of friends" he said. I couldn't quite understand, but I was still unsure about the prospect despite his reassurances, it was something about how he spoke that made me uneasy. However, I couldn't point to anything specific, and dismissed that thought from my mind. "Yes, I would like to go live with you" I said as the dark night set in outside the window, and on my life. I departed the orphanage in Seth's luxurious car with a melancholy feeling in my stomach, as the angry shouts of the children crept in from outside, and egg yolks stained the car windows.

OOC: Because of the extreme delays between posting times lately (mostly due to me, sorry about that), I've decided to start posting regular backstory segments in between my main story segments in order to keep things more interesting. Also, I think this marks my return to the conspicuously long posts I've been known for until recently. In addition to this, I have questions about the concept art for the 3D modelling. They are as follows: How detailed should each of the concept art drawings be? As well as: Can they be drawn in a digital art program as well as in real life?

[Touch of Ruin]

OOC: Okay so Ive realized that the explanation I gave wasn't very clear. So here is hopefully a better one. Yes, you can draw it in a digital design program, actually that's recommended so I don't have to scan anything to my computer as well as the program has drawing tools to help one along. The detail of the design should be as detailed as possible and yes, I am well aware that most of us are rather terrible at drawing here. Also I ill need front, back and side views of the characters in T stance. (If you don't know what that is its when the characters stand with both arms out to the side raised like a t and the legs are together) any more questions and I will happily answer them. Cheers

[Touch of Ruin]

CELESTIA HOTEL (top floor)

After coming out of the time stop, the man dressed in black smiled. It seemed the rumors of the boy’s power was true. It was a good thing he had the fail safe, although he hoped not to use it. Quickly turning and blowing more cameras and explosives around them to kill the various waves of enemies, he ran down the hall not stopping to see if the boy would follow. If he was smart, he would. Making it to the stairs he quickly fired a volley of shots down the hall then made tried to make his way to the main floor. Walking into the stairwell he saw flames ignite the stairs.
“What the fu-.”

CELESTIA HOTEL (ground floor)

Mr. Free finished sending a group of soldiers flying then stood back and admired his students work. It seemed that Qilong had simply decided to… well screw with the soldiers as oppose to fight them. Which was fine, for now at least. Knocking more soldiers left and right, Mr. Free fought his way to the doors and slammed them shut. He then picked up the main desk and smashed it into the doors wedging them closed. “That should hold” he thought to himself. Turning back he ran after Veryon and yelled at his student.

“QILONG GET THE HELL UP AND LET’S GO.”

CELESTIA HOTEL (2nd floor)

Pulling the bombs along the hallway, the eight soldiers turned and saw a lone man looking at them. “Hey bud are you lost?” Chuckling cruelly a few of them turned, aimed, and fired.

BLACKHAWK HELICOPTER, EN ROUTE TO CELESTIA HOTEL

The soldier glanced at the two females across from him. A beautiful woman and a small girl. Both deadly and efficient. He was just glad they worked with him and not against him. Cradling her rifle, Seras looked back and smiled a grim smile.

“What’s the plan Jack?” She said.

Playing with the controls on the table between them, a 3D hologram of the building sprang up.

“This,” he pointed to the top floor, “is most likely where the VIP is. He is your target. Capture him at all costs. The building is also being assaulted by a terrorist group known as Impisi, or simply Wolf if you prefer English. They are a secondary target. Clear as many of them as you two can. There are reports that few students from Beacon for Poor People are there as well. If you can, leave them alive or better yet capture them as well. But they are acceptable losses. I will be going in with you to provide some extra fire power. Got it?”

Seras nodded and shook Amelia, who had fallen asleep.

“It is time Mist. Let’s go complete the mission.”

As Amelia woke, the chopper flew into position and Seras, Jack and herself grabbed drop lines, and fell to the roof. Quickly moving to the roof hatch, Jack broke it open.

“Ladies first.”

OOC: SORRY GUYS I KNOW ITS LATE BUT ITS UP NOW SEE? Dexter, feel free to kill them all. Ari, please don’t kill the man. It won’t end well for any of us.

[Contemplator]

OOC: Oh great.... more crazy people.... because there weren't enough already.
  Also a question. Now I admit I can't draw. But I'm even worse with computer drawing programs. Would I be able to draw it by hand? Or would it be necessary to have it on a program?

[Youmu Konpaku]

--POV: Zeelan--
I sigh as I continue my tedious walk up to the top floor, hoping to find something interesting. As to whoever this VIP is, he better damn well put up a fight.

While not managing to find anything intriguing, I can see a small group of terrorists in the floor I have just ascended to, one before the top. I suppose I could have some fun here…

Igniting myself with my flames, I dash towards my unsuspecting foes. One of them turns around and realizes that I’m here. Unfortunately, he does so a split second before my flaming fist makes contact with his face.

The resulting impact sends him flying towards his friends, of which several are knocked over by the human projectile. I aim the shotgun which I managed to take from him and superheat the shells inside, along with some additional charge from my magic. As I laugh at the scene before me, I fire my weapon towards the group. With a bang, molten shrapnel comes flying out of the barrel towards my stunned opponents. The corridor before me is set ablaze upon contact with the scorching fragmentation.

A chorus of screams fills the hall, as soldiers attempt to flee the hellfire. One is lucky enough to run out, relatively unscathed. However, he has made the mistake of running in my direction. Creating a strong current of heated wind, I send him flying to the other end of the corridor, right next to the stairs.

I casually walk over as he attempts to get up in a daze. Now on his knees, I pull out the bottle of absinthe I had been carrying with me. The soldier turns to me with sheer terror in his eyes.

“Heads up.” Following that statement, I hurl the liquor bottle at his head which shatters loudly on impact. Now that this unfortunate sap is drenched in 80% alcohol absinthe, this should make quite the show.

He struggles to get up once more. It appears he’s a resilient one, this guy. Walking over, I simply tap him with an ignited finger. The instant burst of flames is music to my ears. Everything around me is engulfed in flames. The fire rapidly climbs up the stairs, and to the top floor. Must have come to a shock to anyone up there…

I walk up the blazing stairs to the top floor, where two people are already there to greet me. One of them, clad in black, appears to be quite astounded at the sudden fire breaking out. The other is some blond-haired high class person who I couldn’t care less about. But as far as I’m concerned, they appear to be working together. Might as well go for both of them.

But to my surprise, the roof hatch breaks open. Accompanying the breaking of glass are three more people. One appears to be an elf. Another is a human outfitted in camoflauge. The last one is smaller and stands out from the rest. And… she just so happens to be one of the few people worth caring about. Amelia. It’s been a while. Shame we can’t even give each other a proper greeting right now, given the circumstances.

And it just so appears that we’re going after the same targets. If it’s her and I together that these two are up against...Then for lack of better words, they’re fucked. If her friends are going to stay a while here, this should be easy.

I nod to her, with a slight grin on my face. The battle should begin any second now.

--POV: Amelia—
That was a hell of a fun mission. Got to claim retribution, had fun with a flashbang… all kinds of good stuff. But I remember it’s not over yet, as Seras shakes me to wake me up.

“Alright. I’m ready, Banshee,” I reply to Seras who tells me to get ready. “It’s been a while since we fought together. This’ll be fun.”

We fall to the roof along with Jack, who goes to break open the roof hatch and gestures for Seras and I to go in first. I take the invitation and jump in, with my guns ready. However, there are three people already there. Two of them are unfamiliar to me, and I presume them to be the VIPs.

The other… is one of my best friends. Zeelan? He’s with the Beacon? Will I have to capture him…? No. I’m afraid that’s one order I can’t comply with.

We both seem to be after the same targets. At least there’s that. It’s been a while since I’ve fought alongside him...

He nods to me with a slight grin, and I respond in the same way, eager to synergize with him. Without a doubt, there will be a fight breaking out real soon…

OOC: ♫Angel with a shotgun...♫

[Primusa]

In the span of a few seconds, a large ensemble of characters confronted me and my new companion. It appears that they have come to the mistaken belief that I am working with him. Perhaps following him was a miscalculation on my part. Regardless, I have no doubt that I could freeze time and kill everyone in the area if necessary. I still had 20 seconds on the clock after all. However, this crowd seemed different than the rest of the common thugs confronting us earlier. Considering that my companion appeared to be their primary target, I decided that it was in my best interest to remain passive for the time being, and let him do the fighting instead. By doing this, I could both learn more about my companion's true capabilities, as well as those of this new cast of characters and their motivation for having been here. If I just killed everybody, I would learn nothing from their corpses and this whole trip will have been a waste of my time and effort. I turned to the man in black and said: "The ball's in your court now".

OOC: I appear to have written myself into a corner with the way Samson's special abilities work, at least when it comes to action sequences involving other characters. With the way the time-stop works, Samson could instantly kill any character he encounters in no time at all without even giving them any chance to fight back. It doesn't even matter what abilities they possess. On the other hand, because Samson only has the physical capabilities of any ordinary human, if he doesn't do this immediately, he would likely die horribly of burning to death while clawing out his own throat. I've thought of several strategies to defeat Samson, but most surefire involve catching him by surprise without giving him any chance to stop time. An example would be setting up a sniper from a long distance away, and assassinating him that way. Shutting down the Temporal Wristwatch is also a possibility, like this character dressed in black (who manipulates electronics) may be able to accomplish. Additionally, Samson is only as strong as the conventional weapons he carries. If an opponent were immune to conventional weapons, he wouldn't be able to kill them, despite being able to freeze them in place. The time limit prevents him from doing this forever as well. But the way he's written right now, fighting Samson head on is absolute suicide for most other characters. So I've decided to postpone doing any fighting with other characters until I can figure out a solution to this problem. Feel free to offer any suggestions you can think of.

[Youmu Konpaku]

OOC: This is just backstory for Zeelan. Enjoy!

--POV: Zeelan (6  years before current events, age 16)--

A dark place. Cold and damp. What led me and my sister here was months of research and studying, and it all led to this. A hidden cave, supposedly one of the few remaining ruins, if not the last, of an ancient civilization now known as the Fantasma. They were beings of immense magical power, rumored to have known magical techniques of great intricacy. Opening rifts to dimensions unknown… commanding space and the stars themselves… spells of unimaginable power.
 
We continue to walk through the dark, narrow passage, with my hand holding a magical flare to light our way. My younger sister, Rena, walks close to me, feeling jittery, but still looks ready to defend herself should something attack us.
 
“Do you really think it’s here…?” She asks me in a worried tone.
 
“With a supposed Fantasma ruin, you can never be sure. They were said to have left the face of the Earth thousands of years ago. But this is the best lead that we have to work with. We’ll have to take it.” Looking over my shoulder, I can see that she is still uneasy, and give her a warm smile. “Don’t worry. If something in here tries to hurt you, you know I can burn it to cinders, right?” I chuckle as I reassure her. “And you’ve got your own magic too, you know.”
 
She looked down towards her own sparking hands. Like myself, Rena had picked up magic quite fast, and controlled it incredibly well. Whereas my element was fire, Rena had chosen the path of lightning.
 
“You’re right, I shouldn’t let this get to me, brother…” She replied.
 
“Are you scared?”
 
“…Yes,” she answered as she looked down to the ground in shame.
 
“Don’t be ashamed. Only a fool would deny their true feelings. I’m pretty scared myself.”
 
Shocked, she looks back to me. “Really? Then how can you be so… willing to go forward in this place?”
 
“The promise of knowledge.” Upon my reply, she gives me a look of confusion. “Maybe I should explain… you know we’ve worked for quite some time to find out about the Fantasma, right?”
 
“Of course…”
 
“And that work won’t be in vain. If we do find something here, that would be amazing. If not, we go back and try again. What matters is that we made the first step. We did something about it. And someday, I’m certain we will find a Fantasma ruin. This has been our dream. We’ve studied and researched hard for this. Mother and father left behind a grand library, which we have all to ourselves. We have the information. We just have to work at it to produce the results, and never give up.”
 
After some contemplation, she gives me a soft smile. “You really know how to motivate me, you know that?”
 
I return her smile. “I’m glad you’re feeling better about it. Now, let’s keep going. We’ve got discoveries to make.”
 
After my talk with Rena, she seems significantly more relaxed, walking besides me at a normal pace. Her gray cloak, identical to mine, brushes with it as we walk. Her long, golden blonde hair ever so slightly peeks out of her hood, wavering lightly in response to the drafty corridor. She then turns to me, noticing that I’ve been looking over her. Her emerald green eyes blink once before giving me another smile.
 
A few minutes later, we find the end of the corridor. The path gradually becomes more spacious, leading into a large cave.
 
Hopeful, Rena turns to me with excitement in her eyes. “You think this is it?”
 
“There’s only one way to find out.”
 
The cave doesn’t seem unusual. Kind of how I’d always imagine a cave would be. Dark, cold, and damp. There’s the occasional column of rock, accompanied with short rocky spires. However, the columns do seem unusually neat, despite a few cracks. Almost as if they were built to be this way. Interesting.
 
“You find anything?” Rena asks me.
 
“The columns that we’re finding seem to be quite organized. They also have some sort of vague design etched into them; though they’re too cracked and worn down to tell exactly what they are. Whatever this is, someone or something built it.”
 
“A Fantasma?” She asks once more with fire in her eyes.
 
“Possibly… but look over there…” I point to a smaller structure, almost made to look like some sort of temple. Much of it has crumbled, but at the center of it seems to be some sort of fountain. I could already sense some sort of vague magic. It’s quite weak, but most definitely there. Perhaps this is the source.
 
“…What is it?”
 
“I’m not sure. Let’s take a closer look.”
 
We move closer to the cracked fountain to get a better look at it. Although it’s worn down, it’s still possible to see what it once was. Other than that, it doesn’t seem to be of much significance at first glance. Perhaps it might react to magic…
 
I place my hand on the fountain, and begin to channel magical energy into it, little by little in fear of damaging it. Soon after, the magic elicits a response.
 
The fountain begins to emit a bright blue light, lighting up various runes etched into it that were not visible when I inspected it. A soft humming noise proceeds as a bright blue ball of light begins to come up out of the top.
 
Rena has her eyes fixated towards the artifact in fascination, as do I. I’ve never heard of anything like this… could this be what we were searching for all along?
 
The ball begins to slowly warp, gradually taking the form of a being similar in shape to a human. It slowly floats down to the ground before standing before us. After a few moments, it opens its eyes, which are completely white. It then takes notice of myself and my sister.
 
“You… Who are you?” It asks us in a deep voice, regardless of its lack of a mouth. Interesting.
 
Rena is startled and jumps behind me, shaking. I place a hand on her shoulder to calm her down before turning to the anomaly. “I could ask you the same question.”
 
“Hah,” the creature replies. “Very well. I am Tiraak. I have slumbered for millennia, guarding this place where my people once resided.”
 
“Your people…? Could you possibly be a Fantasma?”
 
“Is that what you humans call my people nowadays?”
 
“It is said that your people had artifacts of immense magical power…”
 
The creature turns silent for a moment, and appears to be in thought. Possibly even worried. I wonder why…
 
With a sigh, he finally answers me. “Then I would be the ‘Fantasma’ you seek.”

OOC: To avoid one gigantic wall of text, as well as to put some thought into what I want to do with this later, I will post this in two (maybe three) parts. Also... where's my sandwich?

[Contemplator]

OOC: I see Primusa's ability to write endless, if interesting posts has spread to Youmu. To the two of us who are left, beware.

As Mr.Free slammed the door on my lovely created chaos and then threw an entire desk in front of it. I sighed, here I was having such a good time, sipping at my cider, but already I had to get up and move, what a pain,my head still hurt from my fight with Mr.Free. Shaking my head as if trying to clear it I drained my drink and followed after Mr.Free. slipping the glass back into my satchel.

OOC: And Primusa I see your problem, unfortunately I can't think of any quick solutions. I'll keep thinking though sorry.

[Touch of Ruin]

OOC: I have a few ideas for you Primusa. Ill work out the kinks then discuss them with you.

[Youmu Konpaku]

I’m in complete disbelief. This is happening for real right now. A real, live Fantasma stands in front of us, making ourselves look so frail in comparison to this ancient being. I never would've thought there was one still alive. I had hoped to find ruins, but this is even better…
 
“You’re really…?” Rena pipes up, peeking out behind me. The now somber creature nods to her. “I thought your kind was extinct…”
 
“Extinct? We are not extinct... in a sense, that is.”
 
“How so?”
 
“My kind, the ones you call… ‘Fantasmas’, are beings made of magical energy. Pure, magical, energy. What brought an end to most of us was a failed experiment, in which they attempted to tamper with the very forces of nature themselves. How foolish of them to even try such a thing…”
 
“What did they attempt to do?” I question him.
 
“Like I said, a very foolish experiment. They attempted to tamper with the very fabric of the universe itself.”
 
“What happened once they tried it?”
 
“The universe resisted the touch of their magic. Not only that, but it produced an energy feedback of enormous magnitude. That feedback was enough to resonate with every one of us on the face of the Earth. In response, our bodies… destabilized.”
 
“Destabilized?” Rena echoes.
 
“We began to grow weak over a period of time. Eventually, when our bodies would take no more, we… exploded, for lack of better words,” Tiraak explained with his eyes closed, most likely thinking back to that day.
 
“So now the important question… How are you still alive?” I press him further.
 
“We are now standing near what was once called the Nexus. Within the Nexus, there is a great source of magical power, along with a library of tomes that are many millennia old. There can be only one tasked with protecting it. And I was chosen,” he begins to explain, as he appears to become more and more cautious. “While I watch over the Nexus, I am hidden away within a pocket dimension. Once the Fall began, I was inside that dimension. The feedback was still able to reach me, though at a lesser scale. I became weaker, yet that was all I suffered.”
 
“That doesn’t quite answer how it’s impossible for your people to be extinct…” Rena interjects.
 
“In a sense, we are not quite yet extinct. As I said before, we are beings of magical energy. Once we destabilized, our energy scoured the face of the Earth, and scarred it much like nuclear radiation. When the Fall occurred, the humans that would later populate the Earth became irradiated with magical energy. The energy making up my people. In turn, this let them use magic. So long as this energy exists, there are still “fragments” of my people out there.”
 
“Incredible…” is the only word I can manage. My sister and I are now possibly the only humans who know the true origins of magic. This is more than I ever believed I would discover in my lifetime… but the most interesting part, is our current location right now, which Tiraak had briefly talked about… the Nexus. “You mentioned that we are at the Nexus. A place of magical power and knowledge?”
 
The being before me now grew increasingly grim. “Yes,” he simply responded.
 
“My sister and I have put everything I have into finding out about your people… your techniques and spells… may we enter?”
 
“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that.”
 
It was now my sister’s turn to be shocked. “What? Why not?”
 
“This place houses power and information that should not be put into the hands of humans. My people tried to alter the very fabric of the universe, and suffered greatly from it. Your kind does not have the affinity to magic that my people do. Should this knowledge become public… it may set forth a sequence of events leading to something much more catastrophic. Knowledge is power... and power corrupts. However… I will promise you this. You may observe the Eye.” He finally concludes. He places emphasis on the Eye, treating it as something of great importance, which it most likely is, considering the gravity of the situation.
 
“The Eye…?” Rena inquires.
 
“The source of power within this place. I shall let you observe it. But nothing further than that. I wish to preserve the balance of the world by keeping what is now hidden as it is. I will have to also wipe your knowledge of this location, and teleport you back from whence you came once you are done. “
 
Disappointing. Here I thought I would get to discover ancient techniques… but this would not appear to be the case. However, I can also understand why Tiraak would deny us access. This is the closest we can get. We’ll have to take it.
 
I turn to Rena, who nods to me. “Very well,” I respond. “Show us the Eye.”
 
“Before I proceed…”
 
“Yes?”
 
“…Might I add that you two are quite powerful. Your magic was enough to summon me from my realm. The only reason I am showing you this artifact is because of your strength. Should I show this to anyone else, they would be destroyed solely by the energy it radiates, even though the Eye's power has weakened since The Fall.”
 
Not knowing how to react to the comment, I merely nod. In response, Tiraak opens up the fountain with his magic, revealing a staircase spiraling down. He motions for us to follow him.
 
There is nothing special about the walk down, leaving Rena and myself with the wait, leaving us excited and nervous. What would we see…?
 
Before we know it, we stand in a massive room. In the very middle is a large floating orb, resonating with  energy. It’s enough to react with my own magic, and it almost feels as if it reaches out to me… strange.
 
“Wow…” is all that Rena can manage. I don’t blame her either, not much can be said. We’re standing in front of a Fantasma power source. This is truly incredible…
 
The orb itself has many runes intricately etched onto its surface, which glow a bright cyan, contrasting with the foreign and ancient symbols. The glow is a soft one, which continually brightens and dims the light in the room. I can’t believe we managed to get this far… I can’t even imagine how much our studies would further thanks to the knowledge we have now…
 
If only I had the time. I am suddenly interrupted from my reverie by a moaning. Rena…?!
 
“Rena! Are you ok?!” My sister now lies on the ground, seeming to be in pain. Standing over her, I am becoming incredibly worried… my best friend… the only family I have left… she’s everything I have. Yet I have no idea how to help her now…
 
“It hurts… my magic… it’s… burning me,” she manages to say through her cries of pain.
 
“Tiraak! What’s going on?!” I demand him to tell me, yet he ignores me, going straight to Rena.
 
After briefly looking over her, he turns to me quite suddenly. “We have to get her out of here, or the Eye will consume her!”
 
As soon as those words are uttered, a cackling is heard from within the chamber. “The Eye? This is most certainly not the work of the Eye… It’s been a while, Tiraak.” A bright flash fills the room and quickly recedes, bringing forth a bright blue spectral figure, similar to Tiraak. However, this one wears ornate armor, a set that would be expected to be worn by a high-ranking officer.
 
“You… You were destroyed during the Fall!” Tiraak exclaims.

The new intruder begins laughing. “Hah. Like I could be destroyed. Did you really think an Arch Magus such as myself could fall so easily? I thought you’d know better than that, Paladin Tiraak. But you are not who I seek…” He turns to myself and Rena, who no longer seems to be in pain, and shakily gets to her feet. “You two… I sense a power from you from unlike any other human I’ve seen so far,” he points out to us. "As I was linked to the Eye, I was mostly spared from The Fall... yet I am not at the height at which I once was..." Soon after, he begins cackling as his own form begins to twist and warp, beginning to transform into a terrifying creature. Sparks of red-colored energy course across his new body as his eyes flash a bright yellow. His laughter grows deep and distorted. “I tHInK YoU wiLL dO wEll… tO FeEd Me.”

OOC: Shit goes down. Aaaand that's part 2. Now onto part 3, and that should be it. Hopefully by the end, you'll see why Zeelan is who he is, and why he acts the way he does. Looking back on this, I've really written a lot. This is fun. 

Jeremy and I have been posting books. Now join us, won't you?

But seriously, hurry up with the posts, damn it.

[Oneal812]

This is going about as well as I thought it would. Being shot at certainly is not a good thing to do. I create a field on the wall just strong enough to divert the bullets so I could run into a side room. Making my way across I see that all but one of the eight soldiers start following me. Hiding on the roof I wait for them to all fan out into the room.The last soldier seems to have just finished arming the first charge on this floor. I don't know how many are on the others, but I can handle that later. After all the soldiers were far enough into the room, I exit from my hiding place and enter the hallway with the single guard. Taking out just him wouldn't be any fun though. I "fall" over to the the guard and land with my foot in his face. The rest of the guards ran back out into the hallway and started firing at me. Running into a side room I develop a devious plan because GOD DAMN IT I AM BLOWING SOME ONE UP WHETHER THEY LIKE IT OR NOT. After the entire squad is close enough to fit in one field, I create a strong pull on the bomb sucking them all towards it. Once they are all stuck to it I hurl it out the window. Now I just have to dispose of the bombs on the other floors. But then there are the rest of the inactive bombs. I probably should give these to Mr. Free.... 





Or not.

[Touch of Ruin]

OOC: It appears I have armed Oneal with explosives... This might be a mistake

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