Infinite Heroes

[Oddood198]

Saify sighed, letting her shoulders rise and fall visibly; Mercenaries... She thought. As soon as they were out of the woods, trust a mercenary to go right for the gold.
Saify cocked an eyebrow at the purple-haired merc commander, "Oh? I believe the deal was that payment was to be administered upon our safe arrival at Central." She said, "You've done well so far, but just because the worst of it is over don't assume you can go around annoying the employer."

That said, it was only an hour later when the once-great walls of Central city came into view. Most of the players in the company gave a great sigh of relief and ran forward, others cheered, some just dropped to the ground where they stood, too exhausted to move any more.
Saify gave a small smile and crossed her arms, looking out across the small open plain that separated them from Central. She looked up at M'kalna, "All right, Master Fool," She said, taking the title from the name of his own group, "This will be close enough. I believe I gave you the right to name your price, so, name away."

[Wolfsong]

/David/M'kalna/
He broke down laughing.
"Master Fool!" he guffawed. "I like that!" Shaking his head and grinning, he said, "Well then miss! Considering the numbers of those creatures we had to fight, the number of people that were being idiots, yourself and icecube down here excluded, on top of the nicked axe blade that'll need replacing, etc..." Tallying it all up in his head as he spoke, he sumed it all up, finishing with: "200 grand."
That, even after being split up with the group, would leave enough not only to get that special axe he'd been hoping for, but perhaps even help...
One could hope, anyway. If he had the money needed, even remedies for lost limbs were obtainable.

/Stephen/Ashimatya/
"Okay," he said, glancing around. "He said a clawed-up tree..."
Wispy Hollows Swamp. It hadn't changed in all these years. Perhaps its monsters had increased in level, but it had remained otherwise the same.
He glanced around, then sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "I...don't see it.." He laughed. "Can't see the tree for the forest..."

[Banana Lobster]

Azure Archer

"Yeah, you could call me Archer if you wanted, but most call me Azure," Azure threw a smile over her shoulder. "As for my abilities, as you can see, I most often use a bow, but I have a knife for extreme situations. I heal quickly, and can also heal others, to an extent. I usually try and stay at a distance, but usually I travel alone, so when with a group, I'd say I'm a mid-distance to close-quarters fighter. I know 3rd likes his hammer, so he's close-quarters, and you've got a staff, so I'd say mid-range to long-range? Strength, protection, and attack spells and such?"

Azure straightened up, nocked, drew back, and shot an arrow in the space of a second, and up ahead a lizard, about the size of a large dog and a dark gold color, fell to the ground with a warbling shriek. She turned back to them, "Sorry, you were saying?"

[Oddood198]

OOC: PHEW! It's good to be back. Sorry for my long, long absence. I was sick, really sick, for some time. Right mess. I'm almost over it now though, and ready to get back in the game.



Saify cocked an eyebrow as M'kalna named the price for his services. This was, plain and simple, highway robbery. No mercenary band in their right minds would charge such an exorbitant fee for only one day's work. But, then again, the stakes had been raised in the business, and the Fool's Legion had delivered and helped the whole group get to Central.
And besides, 200 grand was like pocket change to Infinite's biggest celebrity.
"Very well." Saify said simply, taking a pouch from her belt with a jingling of coins. She tossed it to M'kalna, then turned away and started walking to Central. "Well, thanks again for the help. Maybe we'll see each other again. Try not to die out there."



After some time of walking, avoiding hostile-looking monsters and players, and fighting some small fry on the way, Clear was close to the flying city she had seen from Central. Now, she was in what looked like it had been some kind of valley, but there was a huge gaping hole in the middle of it where she assumed the flying landmass must have come from.
Clear looked up at the flying island in a puzzled manner, and then back down at the ground. After thinking for a few seconds, she reached her arms up toward the island and jumped once, twice, three times, barely making it off the ground with each attempt.
"Aargh! This is stupid! How am I supposed to even get up there?!" She shouted at the sky, as if it would answer her.

[Cheetah]

Sholl & 3rd

Sholl's heart skipped a beat and began racing wildly as Azure quickly dispatched a nasty looking lizard. She stood stunned for a minute, unable to answer the question.
"Wow, nice one!" 3rd said with his usual enthusiasm and a big grin. "Looks like I'm gonna have my work cut out competing with you."
Sholl looked nervously back at Central, wishing they were safely back there again where these monsters couldn't just show up out of nowhere like that. At least they seemed to have someone who was used to this sort of danger along with them. Sholl quickened her pace to catch up with the others. The floating island was looming ever closer the further they went. Sholl could only hope that there was no way of actually getting to it. Or at least, 3rd would get bored and give up before finding it.

[ClaecElric4God]

OOC: Welcome back, Odd. Good to see you still alive. That said, I am so horrifically sorry for being so absent of late. Life has been crazy in every way imaginable, and night shift is not kind. But I, too, hope to be back in the game, with things calming down around here.


/Jenna/Hael/
Icecube? Hael raised an eyebrow, but said nothing during M'Kalana and Saify's exchange. But when the pair parted ways, Hael decided that following Saify was the lesser of two evils. Especially since the strange axe-wielder didn't seem to have an agenda, and there was little Hael loathed more than wandering aimlessly.
"So, what now?" Hael enquired disinterestedly as she jogged to catch up with Saify.

/Eric/Zare/
Zare facepalmed.
"So...why exactly did your stupid brother send us into a bunch of woods looking for one random tree? Is this a thing you guys like to do, overcomplicating everyone's lives?"
Zare sighed, dropping into cat form.
"Well, I'll take a look around and see what I can find. Might as well put my speed skill to good use for once."
And with that Zare was off, weaving between the trees and glancing at as many as he could as he dashed past.
"Stupid main villain, making things as hard as he possibly can just for the sake of it," he growled to himself.

[Wolfsong]

OOC - good to see you again sir, I hope you are feeling better.
And my apologies for bejng absent as well. I have a job now, at the time I used to get on, so....adjusting to new schedule....fun. XD

/David/M'kalna/
Catching the purse, he gave her a mock salute. "Many thanks, ma'am, and same to you. Goodbye, icrcube." and he urred his horse into a gallop, shooting past the both of them and directly into the city. Spotting Etheral, he waved energetically to him. "Het Et! Find everyone and bring 'em in. We've got our pay!"
Nothing calls s mercenary group back togethwr than the mention of getting the paycheck. Within minutes, all of them were gathered inside the gate, collecting their share.
"You're free till this evening. We'll meet back at the White Raven Inn tonight, alright?"
They dispersed after that, some in pairs and others by themselves. M'kalna trotted off himself, quickly running through streets with purpose. He scanned the faces of the people, but could not find the one he sought. Growing more and more anxious, he began talking to people, describing the person he sought. Eventually, someone claimed to have see him, up on the walls. M'kalna was puzzled by that, but he thanked the person anyway and hurried along. It was possible, he supposed, considering who it was.
He was in the wall, M'kalna found. "J'ntova!" he shouted, waving.
J'ntova turned, smiling as he waved back. "M'kalna, you old rascal! Still among the living, huh?"
M'kalna trotted over, clapping a hand on his back. "I finally have some coins, Jn. Wemight be able to...?" He finally noticed the change. His eyes widened, as he stared at the healed leg. His mouth opened, but nothing came out. J'ntova grinned wryly.
"Closeyourmouth, David, you'll catch flies."
"How?" He finally managed.
"Come, let's talk. "

/Pierce/Arachni/
He glanced over, curious, when he saw the large amount of people coming towards Central. It looked like a migration, and it took him a moment to realize it was just another bunch of refugees. Only, it seemed to be a whole town's worth of people this time....
Saify was leading the group. He didn't recognize her at first, witb all the armor. He wondered if she'd read his pm yet. Well, whether she had or not, he had no intention of meeting her here, where she had backup. He turned and walked away, towards Wispy Hollows. Surely someone was there now.
He glanced back, watchjng the group behind him.

Elsewhere...
Twin bridges descend from the island, one dark as night and one all the colors of the rainbow. The rainbow descends from the left, and the dark one from the right.
Be careful, brave explorers...

[Oddood198]

Clear watched in surprise and no small measure of awe as a dark, pitch black bridge formed at the island and extended to reach right in front of her. She blinked in surprise, looking at the bridge, stepping on it carefully to test it.
"Oh, that's how." She said. She took a glance behind her to see if, perhaps, any other players had been drawn by curiosity and were near enough to aid her, but she couldn't see anything through the thick marsh trees. She turned back forward and shrugged, "Well, it's not like a bard is completely reliant on other party members, right?" She asked herself as she set off to climb the bridge.


Saify looked down at Hael, what now? What was that supposed to mean? "Now," she thoughtfully replied, "we're here, in Central. All the lower leveled players are safe, and you're under no obligation to stick with me. Unless you were looking for payment, too?" She asked. They hadn't discussed it, but perhaps Hael was the type to only mention payment after services were rendered.
Saify sighed; should have expected it, warriors of Hael's caliber rarely came free. "All right, so how much did you..." As she was asking the question, Saify just noticed the flashing icon indicating an unread PM. "Sorry, just a sec; I have to take this." She said, tapping the icon to open the message.
It didn't all sink in the first time, so Saify read it a second, and a third. When she was done, she blinked a few times and looked down at the ground, letting the message window disappear. "Pierce..." She whispered, and that was all it took. A second later, her mouth contorted into a sneer and her eyes sharpened."Pierce..." Her voice was a growl this time. If any single individual could have caused this calamity that sealed them all away inside the game, it would be him. After all, that had been his goal when they first met, hadn't it?
Her anger felt ready to burst out of her. She howled at the sky, "Pieeeeerce!!!" Ignoring every look of surprise, every glance from a bystander, Saify looked around like a wild animal until she found a landmark she was sure went in the direction of Wispy Hollows Swamp, and took off in that direction, full speed.
Twice now, he had slipped from her grasp. But this time, she would not let Pierce escape.

[ClaecElric4God]

Hael raised an eyebrow as Saify dashed off. Well, Hael had met crazier. Regardless, Saify had been mid-sentence when she abruptly ignored Hael in favor of reading a PM and then going psycho over it. Something about that irked Hael, as everything about Saify seemed to be doing lately.
Sighing, Hael watched Saify disappear into the distance. Whatever...it didn't really matter. And why Saify had been rambling about money was quite beyond Hael.
Turning to head back into town, Hael stared at the ground absently, trying to figure out what she wanted to do next. It had been nice to stretch her limbs and get some exercise, but now...
Hael took a step, and then abruptly sagged to one knee. Oh yes...that wound...Of course, she'd distributed her few health potions to a handful of newbies before they'd left for Central, and she'd managed to completely forget about her injury in the rush to get the group to Central. But now she found herself unable to ignore it. She'd lost a good bit of blood, and the pain was starting to get to her, now that it had managed to break down her mental barrier. Sighing, Hael shook her head, as if to shake off the fatigue. With a heave of effort, she rose to her feet again, and in one smooth motion swayed sideways and toppled over. Grimacing, Hael looked up to see a figure running toward her and kneeling down to put a hand on her shoulder. He was saying something...something about a healer... Hael gave up trying to make it out and closed her eyes, giving in to unconsciousness.

[Wolfsong]

OOC - ...well, something's about to happen to Pierce now XD This will not be pretty.

/Pierce/Arachni/
He froze when he heard the sudden screech behind him and instantly used the teleportal. Yeah, she was going to listen just fine. He knew this had been a bad idea...
It took him a few minutes to find the old tree, the one Saify had torn up to reach Silk so long ago. The werecat - Zare was his name? - and Ash were sitting under the tree, looking winded and peeved. Apparently they'd had trouble finding it. He almost stepped forward into their line of sight, then paused. He really didn't know what kind of reception he'd receive. He knew Zare hated him, even if he had sided with Pierce it was only because of Ash. Stephen...he had joined up, but that was only because he didn't approve of them trying to kill Pierce. How would he react now? Most people believed he was the soulless monster who'd made Infinite this way, and had killed Cyrano.
He really hoped he had enough defense stats to withstand them, particularly when Saify showed up. If they chose to gang up on him...
Using an item to up his defense, he stepped forward suddenly feeling awkward and uncertain. "Um, hi," he said awkwardly. "Sorry for choosing such an...out of the way spot."

/Pierce/Arachni/Stephen/Ashimatya/
Ash had been grateful when they finally located the tree. It felt like they'd been walking all day.
And now...here was Pierce.
He said nothing, just stared at him quietly. He stood slowly, menacingly. "You'd better have a good explanation, little brother," he said softly.
Arachni winced. Yeah, this was going to go well.
"I'm sorry. I've done a lot of stupid things. Heck, I helped make this mess. But I swear, I never killed anyone, least of all Cyrano."
Ash said nothing, and Arachni fidgeted nervously. "Well....when Saify gets here, I'll explain...when she's calmed down." He leapt into the tree, hoping for a boost when she tried to take his head off.
Then she came rushing into view. Naturally, she would remember the tree.
This...was not good.
"Um, hi," he managed, getting ready to move in a hurry.
Ash stepped back with Zare, watching.

/David/M'kalna/
"That is...hard to believe."
J'ntova shrugged. "So is this world now. We're trapped in a video game, David. I'll believe anything at this point." He paused thoughtfully. "Imagine...if I hadn't asked you to complete one last mission with me before you went on that business trip...We might not be here now."
"What, you'd have missed in on all the fun?" M'kalna asked with a wry grin. J'ntova casually leaned over and smacked him upside the head.
"Right, I have the chance to watch everyone I care about get mauled by some kill-crazy monsters. Just peachy." He shook his head. "How's Keeto?"
"Well as can be expected. With his antics, I'm shocked he hasn't killed himself and the rest of us off."
"Eh, we can't all be perfect."
M'kalna nodded softly. They were both quiet after that for a time. "I miss home," J'ntova said finally.
"One grows accustomed, but yes, I understand."
"What, are you afraid Myrna will be gone when you get back?"
"I rather expect it, honestly. She's already made it plain she hates me."
J'ntova sighed, throwing his hands into the air in exasperation.
"Man...when we get home, I'm going to bang you two's heads together, see if that knocks any sense back in."
"Lets go meet the others, its late," M'kalna said sharply, suddenly turning and marching away.
J'ntova followed after sadly. "Just...brother...when are you gonna figure it out?"

/Eshalehm/Lily/
Lily wanted to enter the new valley, underneath the continent. Rasmus didn't particularly want to, but Lily insisted, so he went along with it.
He was regretting it.
The torn and untamed landscape was treacherous, uneven an hard. There were pits everywhere, and it was very easy to miss them.
"Lily! Slow down!" Rasmus gasped, struggling to keep up.
She paused maybe ten yards away and glanced back ."Sorry Rasmus. Its just, you're so slow..."
"I don't see how this is so easy for you." He climbed up onto the ledge. "This is amazing...?!"
The ground beneath him suddenly gave way. With a loud cry, he plunged into the earth. Lily rushed over, when another landslide occurred and sent her tumbling deeper into the valley, opposite Rasmus's plunge.
"RASMUS!" she cried, stumbling, but she couldn't reach her feet, and was sent sprawling into a new valley. Crying, she scrambled to her feet and started running. But she couldn't find him, and just wandered around randomly till she reached a dark bridge. Someone was already on it, a woman with a keyboard strapped to her back. Forlornly she wandered over, reaching up to tug on her sleeve.
"Excuse me...I'm lost, and I lost my friend," she said softly, eyes filled with tears. "I don't know what to do...I lost him. The ground ate him." She started crying.

[Oddood198]

Saify was in full-on Pierce hunting mode. That lying, backstabbing, no-good rotten all around unpleasant maniac was at it again, and now he had the gall the call her out and ask for help? No, no. That was not going to play out how he wanted, not this time.
She burst into the area housing the scratched up tree without any weapons or armor, but one could tell just from looking she was an entirely different, much more dangerous person than the brave hero who had lead the charge to Central. Now, she wasn't a noble, dignified warrior; she was simply a very, very angry person ready to start clawing at eyes.
She saw two figures standing a little away fro the tree, but they weren't Pierce; she immediately dismissed them. It took her only an instant to lock onto him; so smug, so self-important standing up on the tree limb where he could look down on everyone else. In no time at all, Saify bunched up all the muscles in her legs and gave a great leap, sending her soaring up to the branch Pierce was standing on. She flew right past him, it seemed, but she reached out and grabbed him by the neck as she went by, dragging him down to the ground with her. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she bounded forward, still pulling Pierce by the neck, and slammed his back into the nearest tree.
"This is sick and depraved, even for you!" She growled, drawing back her hand to start beating him, "Give me one good reason not to outright murder you and see how you like this completely real Infinite you dreamed of!"



Clear looked back at the tug on her sleeve, and actually looked side to side for a second before she spotted the young girl standing below her on the bridge. She was a small girl with very, very long hair and and such an air of 'I'm an innocent little kid' about her that Clear couldn't help but feel tugging at her heartstrings just looking at her panicked state. The girl said she had lost her friend, who had apparently been eaten by the ground, and then she burst into tears.
Claire dropped to one knee and put her hands on the girl's shoulders, making shushing and cooing sounds. "Shh, shh, don't worry, it'll be OK." She promised, wiping at the girl's eyes. "I'm here to help, okay? Now just calm down and tell me what happened, all right?"

[Wolfsong]

OOC- couldn't help but laugh...oh Saify XD completely misunderstood why he was in the tree. Lol

/Pierce/Arachni/
He had been ready. He had been ready. it still didn't help him.
He was braced when Saidy came soaring up, but that was it. As his head was smashed back agaknst the tree, he was grateful he had put the extra defense up.
"Good old Saify, self-restraint still isn't your strong suit," he said wryly. "Wel, at least something hasn't changed. You're doing quite well, actually, you make a good leader since..." Cringing, he bit his lip sharply. "You've come a long way.
"As for your question, do you really believe this god-forsaken place, where I'm at the bottom of the social ladder mind you, is really my ideal world? If I show my face I get a town-sized tail of killers behind me. Add to that the fact I've yet to find the devil that killed both the people I care about...yeah, this is one he** of a dream come true. Everything I've ever dreamed of...I'm not that demented Saify, all this death was not what I had in mind.
She still wasn't letting him up. Sighing, he said, "But if you choose not to believe that, then lets try this. You need me. Yes, you do." He grinned. "I have knowledge you don't, skills you don't. Even dear Silk doesn't know what I know, nor can do what I can do. How is the little blighter, anyway? Still kicking?" Shaking his head, smirking, he said, "Seriously though...will you please hear me out before you try and kil me? I really would appreciate it."

/Lily/
Sniffling, she said, "I wanted to walk in that valley, even though he said we shouldn't. But I didn't want to go around, I thought that would take too long. So he went along anyway. Then the ground got loose, and now he's gone." She burst into tears again. "I killed him! I killed my dear friend! And now he's gone forever!" She flung her arms around the lady, buried her face in her diaphragm, and wept.

[Banana Lobster]

OOC: Really sorry about the long wait guys, won't happen again. And Claec, I'm dropping Shade with Hael right now.

Sage Shade

Shade dropped the small pouch into the healer's hand with a jingle of coins, watching as he grinned and walked out. For an NPC, he was a greedy one. 'Still,' Shade thought as she glanced over her shoulder at the pale-haired girl on the bed behind her, 'he's good.' Sighing, she sat at the foot of the bed and stretched her arms above her head. She had seen the girl collapse shortly after Saify had run off, shouting about Pierce or something, but given the blood that had covered the girl, Shade wasn't surprised. The healer had seen her as well, and Shade was glad she had caught up with them; the girl would be disoriented from blood-loss, so she didn't need him bothering her for gold when she woke up.

Azure Archer

Azure grinned at 3rd, "Thanks! If you kill the next three monsters, I'll give you five gold pieces, how's that? A little friendly competition!" Pausing, she glanced back at Sholl, her smile dropping. "And he gets too close to my line of fire, I won't shoot, okay? I won't risk any injuries." She wasn't worried about the gold-she had enough for now, and a little competition would help keep them on the lookout, but it was too dangerous to show off.

[Cheetah]

Sholl & 3rd

3rd grinned back at Azure and grasped the handle of his hammer.
"It's on."
Sholl grimaced. This was just getting worse and worse. 3rd was exceptionally reckless when he was competing. Azure must have noticed her look of concern and quickly reassured her that she'd be careful. Sholl smiled gratefully. It was nice to know that at least one of them wouldn't be blindly hacking away.
"So, how long have you been playing Ifinite?' Sholl asked.

[ClaecElric4God]

/Jenna/Hael/
Slowly opening her eyes, Hael caught movement out of the corner of her eye. In some confusion, Hael groggily looked up to see a girl with dark green hair. For some reason that was the first thing that stood out to Hael.
Trying to assess the situation, Hael looked around. She was in some sort of room, in a bed, not even remotely similar to the condition she'd lost consciousness in. So apparently this had been the person who'd found her in the street.
"Thank you," she said quietly as she sat up, looking at the girl. "You aren't by any chance the healer, are you?" Hael brought up her inventory, looking for her money pouch.
"I'm not sure what the fees for healing are anymore..." She mumbled as much to herself as the other girl. It had been a long while since she'd allowed herself to fall into a condition of needing a healer. "You don't happen to have any health potions for sale, would you? I know supplies are running low..."

/Eric/Zare/
Zare was totally unprepared for the sequence of events. At one point he'd been ready to punch Pierce's lights out, but the guy hadn't given him a chance, and next thing he knew there was Saify. Now that was one person Zare hadn't missed...
But Zare suddenly realized that maybe Saify wasn't so bad, as she instantly lunged at Pierce, knocking him out of his tree and preparing to bludgeon him to death. Wow, that girl had some fire...Zare almost felt like he needed to intervene just for the sake of decency, but he of all people knew how bad of an idea it was to get between a wild cat and it's prey. Besides...she was just saving Zare the trouble of getting his hands dirty on that...jerk. So Zare crossed his arms and leaned against a tree, watching the sequence of events unfold, as Saify barely held herself back and Pierce tried to talk his way out of it like the weasel he was. Not like there was anything he could do anyways. He turned and glanced at Ash, wondering how he was going to react to his brother's life being threatened.

[Wolfsong]

/Stephen/Ashimatya/Pierce/Arachni/
Stephen watched the exchange between Saify and Pierce without expression. As Pierce replied to Saify, he suddenly stepped forward, grabbed Saify by the collar and yanked her back, restraining her. Before Arachni could move, Ash planted his foot on his chest and held him down. "There. Now that we're all here, explain yourself Pierce."
"May I stand up please?" Arachni asked. Ash didn't respond, and he sighed resignedly. "Alright. I know who did this to Infinite, and us, and I have an idea where his general location is."
Saify snorted, and Ash responded by using shadows to gag her. He then returned his attention to Arachni.
Arachni seemed somewhat unnerved by Ash's cold silence, though truth be told he was growing a little unsettled. With those two, Ash and Saofy, he really had no clue what to expect. Saify wanted to kill him, undoubtedly, but what exactly did Ash want? He suddenly found himself wishing Cyrano was still around. Even if he was also...somewhat unpredictable, he was levelheaded and smart. Without him, light knew what to expect from these two.
"During our last...reunion, I became acquainted with a man who called himself Dynos Aegis. Wel, I suppose it would be more appropriate to say he dropped in on me. He...used me. All along I thought I was in control...he used me to get everyone in one place, in Siccilan and in Central." Arachni looked a little embarrassed now. "Worse yet, he took the glitch virus I'd planned on using to confuse things and made monsters out of them. The new virus? That's what he did with my work."
Ash looked a little ticked now. Arachni licked his lip nervously. "Listen, I never wanted this to happen. This was never what I wanted, not the death, not the horror, none of it." Ash just stared down at him coldly. Arachni started to panic. He was completely at their mercy, and if they used that... "I swear!" he stammered, losing his cool. "I never wanted this! Ever! I lost friends too, Ash! Please, you have to believe me! I can stop this, I know I can! I can make everything right again!"
"And those who lost their lives?" Ash reminded hi quietly. "Can you bring them back?"
Arachni looked away. "I...don't think so."
Ash stared at him, then suddenly released Saify. Arachni's eyes widened, then he shut them tight. So this was how it ended...not fighting, but lying down. He'd tried...it just wasn't to be.
Ash looked at Saify, who stared back. He glanced back at Zare, and they all nodded at each other. Saify kicked Arachni's side. "So, if we were to go looking for this Aegis guy, where would we look, and why would we need you?"
Arachni opened an eye, finding all three of them standing over him now. Quietly, he answered, "The new continent, the flying one. I will be honest, I have no concrete proof, but what little I know of him I'm certain he's up there. My part is to fix the virus, try and solve the login bug, and try to recover the lost souls."
"So why do you need us?" Ash asked.
"Because I can't do it," Arachni admitted. "Despite all my best efforts...I'm not strong enough. I want revenge for Cyrano and...my other friend, her name was Amber. Aegis killed them both. But I'm not strong enough to take him myself. I need your help, Cyrano trusted you so I know you're good people."
"Hold on," Ash and Saify said almost simultaneously. They glanced at each othwr, then Saify said, "When did you ever care what Cyrano thought?"
"You hated him at the end," Ash added.
Arachni shook his head, and amused smile o his face. "No....I hate most everyone, but him I did not hate. Out of everyone...he was my closest friend. We fought all the time, but...somehow, I think he felt the same way." He laughed suddenly. "Heck, you, Cyrano, Saify, and Amber, you're the closest friends I have! Out of everyone, I know you all the best! Isn't that pathetic?"
Ash glanced at Saify, whose expression he couldn't quite make out. Finally, he said, "We consent, but on one condition. You are never alone, without Saify, Zare or I with you. I don't trust you alone."
"No worries," Arachni said quietly. "I hadn't planned on any secrets right now. Can I stand?"
Ash removed his foot, and he scrambled quickly to his feet. Brushing himself off, he said, "First off, I want you to meet my remaining co-workers. Please follow me." and he started into the marsh. Ash glanced at Saify and Zare once more, then started after him. Saify trotted to catch up, a blade I her hand. "Make no mistake Pierce!" She said. "If I so much as think you're double crossing us, I will kill you."
"I love you too Saify. Please tell me something new and unusual instead of the same old same old killing crap."
"I can't help but feel we're mad," Ash said softly to Zare. "And yet...I don't think he was lying. I know him well enough, I think he actually lost his composure there for real, unless he's a better actor than I thought." Sighing, he added, "I only hope we don't regret this."

[Banana Lobster]

OOC: Wow, suddenly Shade seems like a chatterbox, at least in comparison to how she was before.

Azure Archer

Azure bit her lip, thinking. "Three, no, almost four years now." She reached out and laid a hand of 3rd's arm, stopping him while she took a closer look at the area ahead; the steep inclines to either side made her nervous. "Hmm, don't like the look of that-too easy for a landslide to take us out. Safest course would be to fall back and find a way up." She pulled 3rd back a few steps so they could regroup. "What do you guys think; go straight or fall back and find a way up?"

Sage Shade

Shade jumped, surprised at the sudden questions; she hadn't heard Hael wake up. "No, I'm not the healer and no, I don't have any extra healing potions. However, I do know where you get some, though they are a little pricey. And the rate used to be 20 gold, but it's gone up to 30 now-I already paid the healer for you." She shifted position, pulling her legs up on the bed to sit cross-legged. "I help Saify out every now and then-she seemed busy, so I figured someone should make sure you were okay; especially after you helped get that village through the woods and back to Central. Nice work with that katana."

[Oddood198]

OOC: Oh, look: I'm alive. Sorry for the absence, guys. I'm working on a borrowed computer now, hoping to get mine fixed soon...



Saify crossed her arms and turned away, not even wanting to look at Pierce anymore. He always rubbed her the complete wrong way and she ended up, well... clawing things like a wild badger, as he put it.
There's just... No reason to get along with him. She thought. In the whole time she'd known him, barring the first few hours, Pierce had only been a manipulative, uncaring, selfish, power hungry control freak who was willing to do anything to anyone to get his way. And yet...
If he's telling the truth, then working with him may be the only way to get out of this game and back into the real world... Saify sighed, then turned back and shot Pierce a glare. Of course, he could just be making everything up to trick us, again!
She looked up at Pierce, who was, irritatingly enough, a good deal taller than her. "And just to make sure there are zero misunderstandings, you and I are not friends." She said, "I was fooled at first, but I know now we never were friends, and never will be. So don't call me that again."



Clear looked down, worried and confused, as the girl flung herself forward and started clinging onto her, crying like Clear was a giant pillow. Clear blinked rapidly, trying to figure out what to do about the girl. Claire hadn't really dealt with children since Katherine was little, and that was by no means recent. In the last ten years, Claire had held a gun more than a child.
Finally, after several awkward moments of hesitation, Clear put her arms around the girl and started stroking her hair, trying to calm her. After a few more seconds, she had another idea.

"Hush now child, hush, be still,
For you are safe now, in my arms,
Even if the world falls, you won't feel ill,
So please calm down, and please don't cry.

"Look now child, to the sky,
Unseen for now, shines the sun,
Just as in the sky, look to your heart,
And know that one day,
All clouds must depart."

Clear let out a breath after her song was done, she hoped that would work to calm the girl down. It wasn't bad for a spur of the moment performance. She thought, then puffed her chest out and smiled to herself, Well, of course, I am a bard after all!

[ClaecElric4God]

/Eric/Zare/
"You and me both," Zare replied resignedly. Whatever the case, he was going to stick with Ash; if nothing else, to make sure he didn't get himself in trouble and Pierce didn't do anything stupid. As much as he tried to see Ash's side of it, Zare still found absolutely no reason to trust him.

/Jenna/Hael/
"Thank you," Hael replied, in a rather apathetic tone. She wasn't really thinking about the compliment, just the 30 gold that she now felt she owed this stranger.
"Do you want gold or an item?" She asked as she skimmed her inventory. Actually, she didn't really have much to spare. Just paying the girl would probably be easier.


OOC: So late, so short. Sorry, guys...

[Banana Lobster]

Sage Shade

Shade noticed her comment went unnoticed, and shrugged. "Gold's fine, I have enough items to keep myself in pretty good condition. Do you want me to show you where to get some extra healing items, or did you have somewhere else you were headed?"

[Wolfsong]

/Pierce/Arachni/Stephen/Ashimatya/
Arachni glanced back at Saify, smiling faintly. "Well, if that's how you feel about it. Personally, I enjoyed those first couple hours, they were pretty fun. You were such a mouse then."
They reached a bog near the center. It was not large by any stretch, but it was big enough to trap a man and quite deep. Arachni stepped into it, turning to face the others, speaking as he sank.
"You know those secret dungeons the mods were fond of placing around, like Easter eggs?" he asked, the muck up to his chest now. "Well, turns out Wispy Hollows has more than one secret." and he disappeared.
Ash shook his head, an odd smile on his face from some inner thought. He stepped to the edge of the bog, holding his hands out. The pool was instantly emptied as the mud and sludge practically exploded out of the pool, leacing a gaping hole. Arachni stood in s tunnel underneath, arms akimbo.
"Yeah, that works too, but it does completely take the 'secret' out of 'secret dungeon', you know?" He shrugged finally. "Whatever. Just put it back when you're done, okay?"
"Don't know that its within my power," Ash said, jumping down. "Do I look like a waterwielder?"
"You used shadow to take it out." Ash shrugged. Now Arachni looked peeved. "Fine. Whatever. It was time to move anyway." and he marched down the tunnel, followed by Ash who chuckled quietly to himself.
Shaka came running down the hall, eyes growing wide as she took in the new arrivals. Before she could react, Arachni raised his hand and said, "Friends, Shaka. It's okay."
She glanced at each, eyes widening and narrowing as she took in his 'friends'. Then she shrugged and smiled. "Pleased to finally meet you outside of a battle! I'm Shaka Amity, and I used play the mother-figure who yanked the kids off the systems to meet reality. Now...I just hold the fort." Shaking her head with a wry grin, she motioned ahead. "Come on in."
"'Yanked the kids'?" Arachni repeated incredulously, staring at her. She smirked at him.
"Compared to me, yes, you are very much a kid." and she continued in. Arachni rolled his eyes and followed.
The tunnel opened up slightly, and a large crystal was lodged into this section of the wall. Inside the crystal was a person, a woman with large black wings. Ash studied her as he went past. "Pierce, who's that?" He asked.
Arachni glanced back, then looked ahead very quickly. "That," he said quietly. "Is Amber. Or at least, what's left of her." Unintentionally his fist clenched.
Ash wss quiet, watching, rrying to read this boy who was his brother. Was he lying again? Or did he actually...Ash shook his head softly. Zare was right, how could he trust him? Pierce did nothing but lie, and yet, now Ash wanted so badly to believe that he'd changed.
"I have to be prepared," he told himself firmly. "I have to."
Then Arachni stepped aside, making a hude gesture. "Welcome to our home," he said grandly. It was an impressive room, actually. The ceiling was clear, and the water was visible above, casting an odd light about the room. The walls were lined with red and the floor was paved cobble.
"It used to be the boss room," Arachni said, entering. "It made a nice fort, once we cleaned it out."
"And that," said a brown-haired wood elf seated before a computer. "Was not fun, believe me." He waved cheerily. "Welcome to the worm hole."
"That is Garrison, who took over programing after..we lost some of the crew." Arachni walked over to the computer, leaning over Garrison's shoulder. He stared at something a moment, the returned his attention to Saify, Ash and Zare. "So...I suppose I should fill you in on what happened, after that flash...and what happened to Cyrano." He looked distinctly uncomfortable.
"Yes, you rather should," Ash replied sardonically.


OOC - I'll go ahead and stop there for now. So...if Saify wants to change her mind and bash him upside the head, she has a moment to do so XD

[ClaecElric4God]

/Eric/Zare/
Zare followed quietly, not saying a word as they went into all the strangest places, finally ending up in a renovated boss room? And who were all these people? Zare was having a very hard time keeping up with everything. And all the unwelcome company. He hadn't signed up for this...
A fresh pang of sorrow hit Zare as he thought about home, and how worried his mother must be. As much as he didn't want to trust Pierce, this guy was quite possibly the only lead they had back to the real world. So Zare shut up and listened, biding his time as he hoped against all hope this hacker-turned-good guy would be their ticket out of here.

/Jenna/Hael/
Hael handed the girl a pouch of coins.
"I..." Hael paused, thinking. "I'm really not sure. I don't particularly have an agenda."
Hael looked out the window, cocking her head.
"I suppose finding out what that is would be a good idea, hm?" She said in regards to the island that was floating in the middle of nowhere, a distance off. "Better than sitting around here doing nothing at least."
Standing up and heading towards the door, Hael glanced over her shoulder as an afterthought.
"I don't suppose you'd care to accompany me?" That was the polite thing to do, right? The girl would either be a good fighter and therefore a convenient partner for Hael, or completely useless and Hael would end up making sure she didn't get herself killed. She didn't really care either way. She'd only asked because it seemed the right thing to do at the time.

[Wolfsong]

OOC- totally forgot about her XD

Slowly, Lily quited, calmed by the gentle song. Sniffing slightly, she looked up at Clear with a small smile. "Thank you," she said quietly. "Your voice is pretty." Wiping her eyes, she smiled wide. "I'm Lily! What's your name lady? And are you going up there?" She pointed to the island.
In the back of her mind, though, something stirred. A voice, older though in a mature way, whispered, "So much, so much gone wrong. He has torn the land apart...is it too late to save them?"
Lily smiled. "If you go up, can I come with you?"

[Oddood198]

OOC: Hahaha, I just remembered where Remus was before this. Genius, I am. I wonder if Lily is... Huh, crap just got real over here.


"Oh, but don't rush yourself. We wouldn't want you to accidentally slip in some of your trademark lies and deceit." Saify added, dripping with sarcasm, "Oh, do you need to go fetch some notes to differentiate between the truth and your version? I'll wait."
She took a look around the room, and settled on Shaka and Garrison's faces. "I remember you two," she said, "you were at the battle back then, helping helping him." Here, she jerked her chin toward Pierce, "I have to know, why in the world are you siding with him? Did he win you over with the 'I help newbies' bit?"



Clear smiled back, relieved that her calming tactic had worked. Thank the mods, as Katherine would say. She thought.
"Why thank you, I practice a lot to sound that way." She said, "And it's very nice to meet you, Lily. I'm Clear. Well, obviously not, but that's me!" She said, laughing a bit at her own pathetic joke. Kids like bad jokes, right?
At the mention of the island, Clear looked that way and her face took on a slight smile. "Yeah, I'm going up there. I'm looking for someone, and I think she may be there, an I may be able to help her." Then she looked back to Lily, "Well, I dunno, it's a long walk, and I don't know what's up there. Think you're strong enough? Brave enough?" She asked in that way adults talk to kids, where they just know the answer is going to be a loud "yes."

[Wolfsong]

OOC: Hahaha, I just remembered where Remus was before this. Genius, I am. I wonder if Lily is... Huh, crap just got real over here.

OOC - depends if (a) You remember right about Remus and (b) what Lily might be XD
Isn't this fun?

/Stephen/Ashimatya/Pierce/Arachni/
Arachni stared at her a moment, as if comprehending what she was saying. "Notes?" he repeated slowly. He blinked, straightening suddenly. "My gosh, notes!" He whirled around and rushed to a desk in the corner, attacking the drawers as he shuffled through the papers.
Garrison watched him a moment, then shrugged. "Huh."
Shaka chuckled, then turned when Saify started talking. Once she finished, she was about to answer, when Garrison piped up, "It was more like the 'C'mon, it'll be fun!' draw."
Shaka whacked him upside the head, then turned her focus back to them. "Its Saify, right? I suppose you would wonder, considering." Sitting on one of the desks, she said, "Its actually quite simple. When he's not being a spoiled little child, he's actually a fairly great guy."
"We joined him because, in the beginning, it was just to up our abilities, allow us to do things and get items we couldn't ordinarily get," Garrison said, taking over. "The first time we learned what exactly Pierce had in mind, we all were kinda meh about continuing. Most of us stayed, though. Some, like Silk, decided their reality just was too horrible to stay with. others...I dunno. I stayed cause I was bored with my life. Everything was perfect, peachy, the same. Boring. Scene. Day in, day out." He shook his head, chuckling. "Now I'd give anything to have it back. Go figure." He glanced at Shaka questioningly. "What about you, why'd you stay?"
"That I'll keep to myself. Now Amber's reasons, she loved him, you see. She's seen who he was, past the spoiled child, and loved him for it. Its how she..." Shaka paused.
"How she wound up dying," Garrison finished. He suddenly jerked forward, gasping in surprised pain. A small notebook fell to the floor. He glared back at Arachni, who's back was to them. Sighing, he looked away. Shaka shook her head.
"He's grown lately, though he's still a ways to go. Had a lot happening to him recently," she said softly. "I understand how you feel, you've good reason to, but I ask you...please give him another chance."
"Michael, catch."
Garrison caught the notebook thrown at him this time, opening it as Arachni came over. "You might find some of what you need here," he said.
Garrison's eyes lit up, and he refocused on the laptop. Arachni sat down beside Shaka, facing the others again.
"Well...not sure where to start," he said. "I met this man, he called himself both Lucem and then Aegis, though I think the latter is his actual name. He was trying to demonstrate a point, that's how Cyrano was killed..." He looked decidedly uncomfortable suddenly. "I don't know how to explain this," he muttered finally.
Shaka, rolling her eyes, shoved him off the desk onto the floor, and opened one of the drawers. "Let me, then," she responded, pulling a small device out. She set a few dials, then set it where Arachni had been sitting. A holographic image appeared from it, depicting a scene. Arachni stood in the barren field Siccilian had become. "This was just after the explosion," Shaka explained, as the recording began.

NOTE- What you are about to read is not quoted from the old text. This is a new and (hopefully) improved version.

"Guys?" Arachni said, his voice choked with dust and smoke. "Where...are you?"
"Gone," came a new voice, one he recognized. "Oh, they may still be alive somewhere, but why would you care? You don't trust them anymore, you did all you could to show them that. Especially poor little Amber."
"They were...my friends. My brother. His friend." Arachni turned, facing the man now behind him. "Who are you really?"
Aegis smiled. "I am the creator of this world, one of its fathers. You people knew me once as Chancellor. And in the world you know as reality, I was Vincent Carroll. I was creator of the game of Infinite, and the creator of the world to be."
"That's-" Arachni shook his head. "why then? You set them on me, and then helped me?"
"Helped you?" Aegis smiled. "Quite the contrary, you helped me, Pierce. You gave me the means to begin." He chuckled. "I suppose its only right you be the first to see my new world, you've dreamed of it for so long after all. When the dead are gone, you will have to share with the living, but you've managed before."
"The...dead?" Arachni shook his head. His mind felt so fuzzy... "Its a...game. You don't die in games, not really. What do you mean, then?"
"Pierce!" Cyrano came up behind them. He glanced from Arachni to Aegis, eyes narrowing. "You...are you Lucem?"
"I am. Though, You may know me by my name, Aegis, hero."
Cyrano approached cautiously, sword raised. "So...you played us for fools all along." He shook his head. "The Chancellor...you claimed to be him, but he's really dead, isn't he?"
Aegis studied him a moment, then turned back to Arachni. "Yes, it is a game, but in the end, its as real as your world. New lives can be built, just as lives can be destroyed. If you still don't understand..." He faced Cyrano again, smiling. "How about a demonstration?"
Cyrano rushed forward, as Aegis released several spears of light. Deflecting all of them, Cyrano struck, though Aegis nimbly dodged. Cyrano turned, when the spears came back, landing in the ground around him. A pentagram appeared in the ground, and glistening lightning filled the figure and snared Cyrano. He gasped in pain, but somehow remained conscious. Struggling to move, he stabbed the broadsword into the earth, using it to pull himself forward as he tried to escape the pentagram. Aegis raised a sword of his own, a longsword with an intricate hilt. Arachni's eyes widened.
"NO!" he screamed, as if understanding had finally dawned. He thrust his hands forward, releasing a dark spear. Aegis deflected it, and in the same motion impaled Cyrano.
The blade met no resistance. Cyrano stiffened, eyes going wide, then slide noiselessly off the blade and fell to earth.
"Cyrano!" Arachni rushed over, grabbing him by the shoulders. "No, no, no no no no! Don't do this, you idiot! Who's going to be around to fight with now? Ash is just no fun, you...you..." Tears spilled from his eyes.
Cyrano, clinging to the last shreds of life, reached up, grabbing Arachni by the neck. "Well...then," he gasped. "Take over...my job. Save Infinite. You'll have to...be the hero now."
"wha....but...." Arachni stared at him. "I...no! The others wouldn't accept me anyway! Ask your Saify, she'd love to, I'm sure!"
"She can't. Doesn't get the technical, so she couldn't get anyone out. You'll have to help her..." He smiled faintly. "For what we once shared...please Pierce."
Arachni stared at him a moment, then nodded quietly. "I...I will," he said finally. "I'll save this them. I'll get them out alive, whatever it takes. I'll play...the hero this time. I promise."
Aegis suddenly was there, crouched at Cyrano's side. Arachni stared as he reached out, holding his hand over Cyrano's head. Cyrano gasped, a last shuddering breath, then his eyes dimmed and he was gone. A small light came from him, resting in the palm of Aegis's hand.
"This is essence," he said softly. "The proof that Life has become one with the world." He stood, smirking as he surveyed the cold body. "And so Tyler Loxly is no more." He dodged aside as a black spear flew at him.
Arachni was shrouded in shadows, sword in hand. He faced Aegis, a dark look in his eyes. "You little murderer," he said softly. "He's really dead...you really killed him!"
Aegis smirked. "Don't act all saintly now. You hurt him more than I ever could have."
"Be that as it may. I made a promise. I suppose I'll keep it." He lunged forward.
Aegis sidestepped, giving Arachni a small push, where he landed in the working pentagram. He screamed, collapsing instantly. Aegis shook his head, circling.
"So you finally made a promise you intend to honor? How unlike you." He smirked, lifting his hand; the blade appeared once again. "So his passing really did hurt you. How sad. You must be in so much pain." Chuckling, he entered the pentagram, standing over Arachni's prone form. "Please, then, allow me to ease your suffering. I'll let you see him again. Imagine how happy that must make you." He raised the sword.

Ash noticed Arachni quickly look away. He looked back to the screen just in time to see that winged girl, the one called Amber, impaled in Pierce's place.
Shaka turned it off quickly, glancing at Arachni. "Sorry," she said finally.
"No....no, its okay." He shook his head, a hand going to his face. "Where did you get that anyway?"
"Same place the mods got theirs."
"Huh. Forgot about that thing." Shaking his head, he turned around again, no trace of the emotion before. "There's the tale whether you buy it or not. That's the guy waiting for us on that island up there."
"Pierce, these notes are great!" Garrison remarked. "I might actually be able to reconfigure the data to reinstate the Logout function." He glanced up at him. "When did you make these?"
"Back when he was trying to do it the other way around," Shaka replied.
Ash glanced at Arachni, raising an eyebrow. Arachni glared at Shaka. "Thanks a lot. Helpful as ever you is. Anyway." He turned back to the others. "'Fraid there's not much more I can tell you about him, since all I really know is what you just witnessed. Garrison is here to try and recreate the logout, while I intend to go delete or destroy Aegis. Can I have your help in this?"

/Lily/
She smiled up at the lady. "I don't know if I am, but I have to go up there, so I hope I am." She skipped past Clear, going up a little ways, then spun to face her. "C'mon Clear! Lets go!"


OOC- Huh, speaking of people, I wonder what happened to Rasmus...

[Oddood198]

Saify listened in jaded disbelief while Arachni's companions -friends?- all defended him against her opinions. A great guy? People were wiling to die for his sake? She could barely believe her ears. The serpent has a tighter coil than I thought. She thought to herself. She couldn't help but wonder, though, in the back of her mind, if Arachni hadn't outright revealed his sisnster nature to her, would she be working by their side instead of against them?
She shook off the thought as the recording played, and she watched Cyrano's final moments replaying, and the Amber girl sacrificing herself for Arachni.
Cyrano was her ally, they had toppled Pierce's first attempt to take over Infinite and then gone on to destroy the Slaver's Guild. He had made her a hero. He was her friend, kind, trusting, strong, he gave the shy newbie an earnest chance and kept her close by his side.
And now he was dead.
Saify was quivering with emotions barely held back by the time the recording finished. She had heard the rumors of Cyrano's death all along, but hadn't allowed herself to believe them. It was Cyrano; there was no way he would go down without half the continent going with him. And yet here he was, murdered by low tricks, unable to fight back.
Saify lowered her gaze and trembled as tears and sobs threatened to escape. She sniffed and force them back, wiping the moisture out of her eyes. "I'll help you." She finally said, "I want to see this killer brought to justice, Cyrano avenged. He would want that. But, don't you--" Her voice cracked and she stopped, needing a moment to take a deep breath and keep her emotions at bay. She stepped forward and grabbed Arachni, pulling him close to her and whispering so only he could hear.
"But don't you dare dishonor Cyrano's memory by breaking that promise to him. If you do, I will never forgive you." She released him and stepped back, waiting for someone else to speak up.



Clear frowned, blinking in surprise; that was a startlingly honest and mature answer that Lily gave. "This may be an interesting trip." She mumbled to herself, walking after the girl. "All right, just be careful. Don't get too far ahead of me, and if you see anything too scary-looking, run. Do you have a weapon?" She asked.

[Wolfsong]

/Pierce/Arachni/Stephen/Ashimatya/
Arachni was a little surprised to see Saify breaking up into tears. But then, Cyrano had done a lot for her, he probably had meant as much to her as he had to Pierce, once. He sighed, suddenly filled with nostalgia. He missed those days, actually.
He tensed when Saify grabbed him, but was even more surprised when he heard her speak.
"But don't you dare dishonor Cyrano's memory by breaking that promise to him. If you do, I will never forgive you."
"I'm trying not to," he said softly. He quickly pulled away, trying to hide tears of his own.
I'm with you too," Ash said finally. Cyrano would like that, us all being together and saving the world." He managed a weak smile. But a morbid sorrow had filled the room. Feeling this, he mock-glared at Arachni. "However, I will remember that "Ash is no fun comment", little brother."
Arachni chuckled, some of his humor restored. Remembering something, he turned to Saify. "I'm sorry for not helping you with moving those players to Central. I was following what turned out to be another false lead on Aegis. I saw you entering Central though...did they all make it?"
"Guys, I have the teleport coordinates set up to place you directly before the island," Shaka said suddenly. "Double check your bags, make sure you have all the inventory you need. If you need anything, you'll find something of everything in that chest in the corner." She smiled faintly, but was clearly worried. "Let me know when you're ready.

/Lily/
"No, I have no weapon, but I don't need one. They're just heavy and awkward, and I can't use any. But I protected myself before Rasmus found me," she said, skipping forward. "So I'll be alright." She smiled at Clear, skipping around. "Do you have family here, Clear?" she asked curiously.

/Eshalehm/Rasmus/
Dirt never really tastes good, no matter how you have it. Getting a whole mouthful is really gross. Spewing, it took several washing-outs before he couldn't taste it anymore. Groaning, Rasmus stayed seated, reluctant to try and stand. He'd been buried for goodness knew how long till the earth had shifted again and dumped him in this chamber.
It slowly began to dawn on him that Lily was all alone up there. He'd have to go find her, despite his new bruises. He needed to protect her. She was alone...a strong feeling of dread descended over him. not just that she was alone, but unprotected. He didn't know where the feeling came from, he just knew that she had to be protected at all costs.
Struggling, he managed to stand, groaning as his joints protested. Taking hold of a ruby, he created a fire in the palm of his hand. He heard a startled cry behind him and whirled around, finding himself face-to-face with a strangely familiar man. He knew that face, though he could not place where or how, but it was not a pleasant feeling. This man, he instinctively knew, was trouble. He seemed surprised to see him too.
"You," he breathed. "You're alive." His eyes lit up. "But...this is incredible! He's never messed up a kill before!"
Well, he may remember this guy, but Rasmus had no clue what he was talking about. He began to back away. Purple-Hair stepped forward quickly, holding out his hand, revealing the scythe he held. "No, you're not going anywhere. He'd kill me if I let you go."
"Can it Michaelis," he surprised himself by snsapping. He blinked, then shook his head and glared at him, hand tightening around the ruby. "I'm in no mood to see him again." Of course, he didn't know who he was, but if he'd tried to kill Rasmus, then he was in no hurry to see him again. "Leave me alone, or else."
"Or else what?" Michaelis moved forward easily, smiling. "You don't even have a weapon.''
Rasmus threw his hand forward, and fire burst from the earth engulfing Michaelis. Choking off a shocked cry, Michaelis leapt back, out of the flames though not unscathed. He stared.
"But you're no mage!"
"I'm not," Rasmus agreed, smiling. "I'm just special." Tipping an imaginary hat, he fled in the opposite direction, running down a tunnel. He doubted that fire would hold Michaelis long, so for good measure he used a topaz to pull the roof of the tunnel behind him down. With any luck, that would give him enough time and distance to escape.

[Oddood198]

Saify was a bit taken aback when Arachni admitted he had been in the village before the players moved to Central. She hadn't seen him at all, but that really should have been no surprise; there were dozens of players there, and he was probably trying to keep a low profile. And for once, she had actually been too distracted to be wondering about him, too.
Still a little stunned, she nodded, "We didn't lose anyone, but it was a close thing." She said, and it was a fact she herself could barely believe, by all rights, they should have lost numerous lower-leveled players to the Eyelit Forest, but by some miracle they had gotten out without any lives lost.
When Shaka told them to get ready, Saify started rummaging through the pouches and bags attached to her belt, making sure everything was fully stocked. She carried all her essentials on her belt; with the inventory system down, an actual bag would be too bulky for a light warrior like her, and she could just use her solid illusions for most anything she needed, anyway. And some of the pouches on her belt were slightly magical to hold more than it looked like they could, which helped a bit. Having a fully stocked utility belt also made her feel like Batman, so there was that, too.
"I'm all set." She said after checking all her storage compartments. She created a shortspear in her hand, holding it idly while she waited for the teleport; better to have it and not need it than get there and waste a nanosecond making a weapon.



What a strange girl... Clear thought, looking perplexed as she watched Lily skip left and right across the dark, spooky bridge, not looking a bit unsettled. How old is she? Isn't there some minimum age requirement for this game, anyways? She wondered, then shrugged, well, when had those ever worked?
"I do, actually." She said at the question of family, she smiled as she thought of Katherine, but it was a bittersweet expression. "I came here to find her, and try to help her, but... I don't know where to look. I hope she's OK, poor girl."

[Wolfsong]

OOC - We appear to have lost the Cheeta...*sigh*

/Stephen/Ashimatya/Pierce/Arachni/
Shaka activated the teleportal. Arachni watched the world around him shifting with mixed feelings. Was he right? Or was he terribly wrong? What if he'd missed something, and this was a greater trap than he realized? He already knew the island had to be a trap, though to what purpose he still didn't know. But what exactly waited for them?
They landed halfway up the rainbow path. It was somewhat steep, surprisingly, and Arachni stumbled a bit before finding solid footing. He glanced over the edge, marveling at the height. "I hope she didn't choose this path because of the color," he muttered.
Ash thought the bridge colors were rather gaudy, unnecessarily bright. Shaking his head, he started up the path without wasting a second. Arachni almost started after him, then hesitated. Ash glanced back. "Everything alright Pierce?"
Arachni shrugged. "You realize we're walking into a virtual trap?"
"Yes, I know. This whole world became a trap. So?" He kept on going. Arachni stared at him as he slowly began to follow.
"You..." Groaning, he kept on going.
Upon reaching the top, they found a garden, stretching from the entrance of the path to the huge archaic building beyond it. The exact distance was uncertain, as there were giant flowering hedges in the way. A white arch marked the way in, a sign posted to its head. Ash paused, studying, while Arachni stopped before the arch, reading the sign.
Welcome to the trial of Wit and Wisdom. A great maze stands between you and your ultimate goal. Withstand the traps and unlock the secrets as you go. Only by finding the black gate opposite me can you enter the castle, and find what you seek. Do not attempt to leave via the path, you will die if you go now. Choose your way wisely.
"Encouraging," Pierce remarked. He entered, glancing around, then turned to face the others.
"The path branches off. Do you want to split up, or should we stay together?"
Ash shrugged. "If we split up, I suggest we go in pairs. Safer that way. If we split up, I'm taking Zare. Frankly, I really don't care either way."


/Lily/
She smiled at Clear. "With a sister like you, I'm sure she's fine." She skipped up a little further, before turning to wave. "Hey! It leads into a big cave!"
More than a cave, it seemed like an ancient hall had been carved from the rock. Four stone pillars lined the walls on either side, curving inwards towards the door on the end. The room had a circular shape to it.
Lily entered, tilting her head from side to side, eyes wide with curiosity. "This is cool. Rasmus would like this..." she murmured. "Adrian would..."
Its like a maze.
Welcome
A voice echoed, not loud but invasive; it spoke into their minds.
You have chosen to take the trial of strength and skill,a path carved of blood and tears. Can you walk this road and live?
Lily crept back slightly, taking Clear's hand as she sought comfort. "I don't like this," she whispered. The area around them shimmered, and they were surrounded by five portraits.
Choose your opponent. Access your abilities wisely, and you may live to finish the test. Do not try to leave the arena, for to attempt to escape the trial is to die. Choose an opponent. Fight them. To live is to continue on to your final goal. To die is to meet the end.
Lily glanced around at the portraits.
The first was of what appeared to be a slender, youthful woman. However, dark powers swirled around her, a stark contrast yo her ghastly white skin, and where her eyes should be were two black holes. No visible weapons.
The second portrayed a huge Minotaur, well-muscled and armed with a heavy broadaxe.
The third was of a dwarf dressed in billowing roves, no visible weapons. Odd markings covered his hands.
The fourth picture contained a man swathed in black, masked, carrying two scimitars on his back as the only visible weapons.
The fifth was a man also masked, dressed in flamboyant colors. He held five cards in one hand, while the other held knives.
Lily stared at them a moment, then shook her head and ducked more behind Clear. "You pick. I don't want to."



OOC - for the record, I don't think anyone will die, but please don't test me XD
Clear's opponents' difficulty will depend on who she picks. I left you hints as to what they are and their abilities in their descriptions. If you mess up....well, more fun for me.

[Oddood198]

First the rainbow bridge, then a bright, lush garden stretching out in a maze of hedges and other shrubbery ahead of them. This did not sit well with Saify. Throughout her years of gaming, most of the dungeons she had come across were dark, enclosed, confining spaces with monsters and savage creatures hiding behind every turn. Everyone had been through those, anyone could fight monsters, navigate a confusing labyrinth, and cope with the blackness. That was the norm, that was safe. Places like this, with bright colors, open to the sky, and without any visible threats? Those places were the dangerous ones.
When the announcement of he test and the rules finished, Saify dropped her shortspear, letting it fade into particles as her focus left it, and she crossed her arms. "A maze. Great." She said. "we've got the three most powerful players in the game all here for this trial, and... Zare. Sorry. And we get the one where we have to pick the right path? You've gotta be kidding me."
She walked down the path until the first fork in the road, with one path going left, and the other right. She couldn't see far down either way, and the uneven hedge walls tricked her eyes and hid future turns from her. She sighed and shook her head. "If we all go together, either we all make it or we all die. If we split up, wecould all make it, or we could all die, or only half of us make it." She mused, walking back to the group. And if Ash had already claimed Zare for their pair, that left her with... Pierce. as much as she didn't want to be stuck alone in the maze with a sleazy liar like him, she couldn't deny the effectiveness of the 'divide and conquer' tactic in these situations.
"We should split up." She finally said, "Ash and Zare go left, Pierce and I will go right, and hopefully, we'll meet up at the end. Any objections?"



Trial of strength, of course it would be the trial of strength. They had a newbie player with a support class and a girl without a weapon. [/i]Why do these things happen to me?[/i] Clear wondered, and the thought occurred to her that she should have tried to borrow the -</Aeon\>- account for this mission.
She looked at the portraits of their candidate enemies, and none of them looked particularly easy to take on. But then, it wouldn't be a test if they were.
The first one Clear crossed off from the list was the pale woman with black eyes. Perhaps not very strong physically, but she was likely to have some crazy powerful magic up her sleeve that they wouldn' be able to understand, much less defend against, before they were wiped out.
Next was the minotaur. It was a huge, scary monster, probably the most simple and straightforward fight, but Lily seemed terrified enough just looking at the pictures; she would probably break and run if an actual minotaur walked in.
The third option to be eliminated was the man in black with the dual swords; Clear and Lily were both completely unarmored, and the thought of a quick assassin-type fighter with two razor-sharp scimitars didn't fully appeal to her.
That left the dwarf and the brightly dressed man. She didn't want to pick the dwarf because, similar to the pale woman,he probably had some bizarre magic that could befuddle and confound them even as it crushed their lives away. And the flamboyant man with his knives, obviously meant for throwing, didn't seem like a good choice for the same reason as the assassin man: a silk musicians outfit wouldn't hold up against flying knives.
Clear crossed her arms as she thought about the decision, then she glanced back at Lily, hiding behind her and waiting for whatever foe was about to be dropped into the room with them. The poor girl was probably scared half out of her wits. Clear crouched down to look her in the eye, "Did I tell you about the time where I fought against a crime lord?" She asked, trying to tell a story to lift the girl's spirits. Bards were good at that, right? "See, I used to be a police officer, I would hunt down criminals and protect the innocent, and I got paid for it, too! That was nice." She laughed, "But one day, I got captured by a very bad criminal, and I had to wait for my friends to save me. I wasn't worried, because I knew I would be saved." She decided it was probably best to skip the part where she had gotten to of her fingers cut off. And the crying, no need to bring up the crying.
"And you know what? I did get saved, my friend came in and freed me, and then I went and beat up the bad guy, with my bare hands! Isn't that cool?" She grinned, standing up and half turning to the portraits. "So don't you worry about this, just stay back, and let me beat this guy up. 'kay?" While she spoke, she pulled the piano off of her back and dropped the leg stand, setting it on the ground and getting ready to play. With one hand, she began to play soft, deep notes that would soon rise up into a battle song within a dozen or so seconds, and with the other hand she reached out to the row of portraits and touched the one of the brightly dressed man with cards and knives, "Let's fight him, OK?"