398 replies to this topic

[SL the Pyro]

Shadow was surprised at Jordan's sudden change of attitude. "He likes fighting, but not killing... he's more suited for monster hunting than the battlefield." he thought. An insane thumping caught his attention, followed by an aggravated scream. It was the ship's captain, and he was furious. "I wouldn't let go of your bloodlust just yet, Jordan. I don't think the battle is over..."

"That wasn't how it was supposed to be!!! All those soldiers are useless as always!" the captain groaned.

Shadow's eyebrow twitched as he sensed the captain's emotions... and found nothing. That wasn't right. "What the... he's just had his entire regiment slaughtered and beaten up, but I don't feel any grief from him... what is such a vile man doing in the army?" he asked himself. "Oh well, doesn't matter. He'll be dead in a second anyway."

That last sentence caught the captain's attention, and he stepped back. "Umm... I think I've overstayed my welcome. Toodles-y!" he said. A gust of wind picked up the captain, and he began to fly away.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going!? Get back here, you chicken!" Shadow hissed at him; he was going to try and Hookshot the captain's leg, but he'd already flown too far away. He was fast. The only reply Shadow got was his insane laugh. His fist shook in anger; he hated it when people ran off in the middle of a fight. "Ugh, coward... well, at least we can have at whatever they were transporting."

[31-Year-Old-From-Georgia]

There were a few ways to approach Jordan now. One way was to congratulate him on being so powerful. Another way was to sofly console him as he was clearly spooked by himself, to the point where he was shaking. A third way was just to ignore him. What was XI considering the best way to interact with Jordan at this moment? To get him off his knees. For all any of them knew, several soldiers were still on the ship somewhere. That captain, who was appearantly missing, was a major concern also. Sweaty and bloody, XI picked up his feet and stood over Jordan. It was time for some tough love.

"Jordan," XI spoke gruffly, "It doesn't matter... These people were scum. They were attacking us. We were on a merchant ship. A ship filled with innocent people! I think one guy even had a baby with him. These people were scum. You kinda got a bit carried away there, yeah... but again, these people were scum. They deserved it. Now get off your ass. That captain guy could be anywhere."

Edited by 15-Year-Old, 02 July 2007 - 12:58 PM.

[JRPomazon]

Jordan listened to what XI had said. He was right about the enemies he just killed. "Sorry about getting all pathetic. Its just the first time I've been covered with human blood, I'm normally cleaner when I defeat my enemies."

He chuckled to himself nervously. He ashamed that he let himself go beserk.

"So, how about that treasure?"

[SL the Pyro]

Shadow looked at the ship's captain flying off over the horizon with his own wind magic. "Well, since the captain just flew the coup, there probably aren't any more soldiers on board. We might as well take it." he said as he walked inside. Not too far from the entrance was a large, metal door with a large lock on it. Bother; the captain probably flew off with the key. "Stand back, guys..." he warned, pulling out his bomb bag and taking a out bomb twice as large as the ones he usually used. "FIRE IN THE HOLE!" he shouted for fun as he lit and tossed the bomb at the door, scrambling outside to avoid the explosion.

When the smoke cleared, only the door's hinges were blown off, but thankfully that was all he needed. A good whack from his hammer knocked the door down.

"Well... we've struck gold. Literally." Shadow mused as he walked inside. The room had a couple of smile piles of gold coins, and a pedestal in the middle of the room. On top of the pedestal was... a pair of red boots. Shadow twitched. "The treasure they were guarding on this armored ship was a pair of boots? Hmm..." he said, not very amused. But he took his black boots off and tried them on anyway. He was surprised; his legs suddenly felt stronger when he put them on. He tried sprinting; he went from one side of the room to the other in the blink of an eye... but couldn't stop running and hit the wall. "Ooph... gotta work on the brakes..." he said, falling to the ground back first in a daze.

[JRPomazon]

Jordan looked at the amazing surplus in gold. It was enough to keep one alive for years, if not more. He reached for his carrying pouch and started to fill it with gold. The only things in the pouch were his carving knife and a piece of paper, so room was available.

"This should more than be compensation for that horrible attack earlier." He said with a smile.

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

Wanderer sat on the ship's deck, breathing in hard as the others went in to get some compensation from the cargo stores. He laid against a piece of the armored transport, his stamina wrecked from the whole experience.

"Damn... I don't want to be weak... I wish I could have been able to take them all on myself..."

Wanderer stared for a while at the short blade in his hand, then at the heavier sword he still had strapped at the back side of his waist.

"Gah!" he shouted in frustration, tossing the lesser blade to the plated deck.

After a little while of moping, Wanderer thought he heard an odd sound. He walked in the direction it seemed to be coming from, also seeing that a trail of blood led in the same direction, and discovered a loose piece of deck plating. The noise was not quite so quite now, and had company. He heard a hissing sound along with some heavy breathing. After feeling around the plate, Wanderer found it to a be trap door. He managed to open it and bring himself down a short ladder, and to his surprise managed to find a near dead soldier, standing near a quickly disapearing fuse. The spark on the fuse dispeared into a small hole in the wall.

Wanderer ran over to the soldier and seized him with his good arm, bringing the soldiers face to him.

"What did you do?" Wanderer demanded.

The soldier simply laughed, making the corner of Wanderer's mouth jerk into a snarl.

"What did you do???" he shouted into the soldier's face.

The soldier laughed again before speaking.

"Did you honestly think we would not have a backup plan in case this happened? Heh heh heh..."

"Answer my question!" Wanderer bellowed.

"Heh heh heh... It's quite hilarious you see... We have packets of a very potent explosive hidden throughout the hull... And when that spark meets one charge... It will cause a chain reaction... making the ship go *boom!*... heh heh heh... see you in hell..."

Wanderer began to panic as the soldier slumped over entirely. He then bolted to the ladder, going as fast as he could.

"Everyone, we have to get out of here now!" he shouted.

Wanderer ran to the door and only went a few steps in before giving another shout.

"The ship has been laced with explosives, and one of the soldiers lit the fuse before dying! We have to get out of here now!"

The young man ran to the rope connecting the the two ships and tugged on it as hard as he could until slowly moved over close enough to jump to. The ships banged together again as Wanderer made the jump over.

[SL the Pyro]

"Say what!?" was Shadow's reply as he went wide-eyed. "Crap! Take what you've already got packed and run! We need to get the merchant ship to a safe distance, not to mention save our own hides!" he told the others, hastily putting on his normal boots and running out to the deck; he didn't want to risk another mishap with the magic boots, which he was carrying in his hands. He jumped across the ships shortly after Wanderer did.

[JRPomazon]

Jordan stood dumbfounded when he heard the news. He ran outside along with the others, his pouch filled with gold. He looked over his surroundings, his face devoid of all emotion. This ship he was standing on was going to explode, their was no question about that. For some reason however, he didn't feel the slightest bit of urgency. It was like he had let go of everything that had value in his life and was like a shallow husk of his former self. He didn't understand his feelings right now and he didn't care. He took his pouch and shoved into XI's hands.

"You take care of yourself XI." He said as he looked at his companion.

"I've got to take care of some things right now, but I promise to meet up with all again."

He raised his spear and slammed it into the ship's deck, sending XI onto the merchant ship via a blast of wind. Jordan then spun his second spear and directed the rotating weapon towards the merchant ship.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly to himself.

A powerful wind picked up from the spinning spear and like a fan blew the merchant ship a considerable distantance. Jordan looked at himself. He knew that the ship would blow at any minute and would die in the blast. The flying techique would ultimately kill him as well, so that was out of the question. He wounds were already reopening from the wind manipulation he just did and his energy had all but left him. There was something happening to Jordan that was beyond his control. The very idea of this ticked him off. Blood dripped from his wounds, seeping from the bandages he had recieved in the inn at the port town. He looked at the sky, with a look of true helplessness as he surrendered to his fate. The ship exploded in a burst of flames shortly after.

[31-Year-Old-From-Georgia]

XI stood still.

Smoke decorated the otherwise clear, blue sky. Flaming wreckage floated in the distance. The winds were calming down and the merchant ship began to stop rocking. The head-splitting sound of the explosion echoed throughout the ears of all those present.

"Damn it," XI swore under his breath.

He dropped the punch and copper-stained dagger on the deck. The irony that both were from Jordan didn't even register in XI's brain.

"Damn it!" XI shouted out considerably louder. He dropped to his knees. Blood from his scratches and gashes seemed to be flowing out much more strongly now. Drops began to coat the wooden floorboards. "Damn it," XI muttered again.

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

Wanderer stared at the wreckage of the ship, not sure what to think.

Why did he do it? he thought to himself. He continued to stare as some of the heavier pieces of wreckage sank below the waves. What do we do now?

Some of the merchants began to slowly peak out to see what happened, and upon seeing the enemy ship in pieces began to cheer. Wanderer just turned and walked up to the wheel, making a few adjustments to correct the course to Sornaiid.

"Jordan, I'm sorry I was not completely honest to you about myself..." the young swordsman mumbled under his breath.

Wanderer stared to the front of the ship.

"Next stop, Sornaiid."

Edited by Ken the Wandering Soul, 04 July 2007 - 03:26 PM.

[JRPomazon]

(Out of Character: Jordan's going to be out of the scene for a while [if not longer] but I'll make sure to actually progress the story. Until then, enjoy the NPC's company.)

"Hmph, he was no fun. And I thought Pharos' successor would put up more of a fight." The child-like voice came from a person cloaked in gray robes, standing a few feet away from the others.

"It seems he 'caught wind' of my grasp on his mind and found a way to fight it. Of course, the end result didn't seem to go too well for him."

The cloaked person began to stroll the deck casually.

"He was a truly remarkable person, such a strong spirit. If only I could have played wit him more. Oh well, I enjoyed making him brutally murder those pathetic soldiers even though it was out of character."

He turned over to the others. His face was covered, only revealing his mouth pale complexion. He wore a sick sadistic grin, treating life and death as though it were a game.

"Now what?" he said in a exicited tone. "What will happen next? I just have to know!"

[SL the Pyro]

Shadow looked at the flaming wreckage of the Vanadiel ship slowly sinking as the merchant ship sailed away. "How very odd... Jordan had every opportunity to run out with us, but he stayed behind... either he wanted to commit suicide for some reason or another, or he needed a way to disappear for a while." he thought. "Probably the latter, because I didn't sense any suffering in him. I doubt you've seen the last of him, XI."

Shadow, after taking one last look at the ship, looked at the pouch of gold he had managed to get out of the ship before having to scram. He also looked at the magic boots that increased his speed; he could certainly understand why Vanadiel wanted these so badly. Someone who could run that fast could weave in and out of Uradiel's most secure outposts in a matter of seconds, all the while taking something of great importance. Shadow supposed it was a good thing that they ran into the ship; now he didn't have to go back to Ur'Almen with a failed mission on his record.

"Well, since my mission is complete, I guess I've got some free time. Guess I'll stick around with these guys for a while." he thought. He walked up and joined Wanderer at the wheel. "If Jordan actually went down with that ship, I think we owe it to him to finish whatever business he had. So... what do you think he needed to do, Ken?" he asked, using his real name for a reason; he was getting a bit curious about why he changed his name to Wanderer, and now that the danger was over, he thought now might be a good time to get some info.

Edited by Shadow_Link, 04 July 2007 - 06:17 PM.

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

Ken?

Wanderer was a bit confused at first. He thought Shadow had been speaking to someone else, but he turned around when he heard no response for awhile. He looked to Shadow, meeting his gaze. His eyebrows rose up in curiosity.

“Did… did you just call me Ken?”

[SL the Pyro]

Shadow would've smirked if it weren't one of his friends; instead he frowned, knowing what was wrong. "Just as I thought... you've lost your memory, haven't you?"

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

"Yes, I did..." Wanderer responded, his eyes starting to get wide. He grabbed Shadow by both arms.

"How more do you know about me? Please, tell me everything you know!" the young man pleaded.

[SL the Pyro]

Shadow was shocked by Wanderer's sudden actions, but remained calm. "I'm afraid I don't know much, can't say I've known you personally until today..." he said sadly. He cleared his throat. "What I do know is that your name is Ken, Ken Miyamasa, and you're a pirate of the Forsaken Fortress. From tales I've heard from a friend of mine -- his name is Kitsune -- you were actually a nice person. Strong, too. But... that's all I really know. Sorry."

Shadow looked out to the sea, an idea clicking in his head.

"Sorry I can't be of more help... but I do know some people who can help you." Shadow said, a bit more cheered up. "You were planning on going to the Forsaken Fortress for a rest stop, right? You could as XI over there, and ask around the Fortress too. And don't forget about Kitsune; if you ever run into him, I'm sure he'll help you out." He then looked over to XI, who was still moping over Jordan's would-be demise. "I suggest you ask XI first; I think he needs to get his mind off of what happened."

Edited by Shadow_Link, 05 July 2007 - 06:12 PM.

[31-Year-Old-From-Georgia]

Indeed, XI was moping. He was leaning on the rail of the ship again. A hollow sensation echoed throughout his chest; the death of a friend was not an enjoyable event. XI sighed and shifted his view to the deck. That pouch and dagger were around somewhere. He spotted them near his feet almost immediately. The dagger was crimson in color now, but it seemed like a good cleaning would return its original white color. It was the tooth of a giant snake, after all.

As XI leaned down to scoop up his possessions, he noticed his own state. He was more scratches up than he had thought. Just about every inch of his body seemed to be bleeding. The pain of his back wound was now throbbing. XI's clothes weren't in much better conditions; both were also red now, the formally white shirt much more notably so than his blue shorts. If said shirt wasn't a pile of rags before, it was now. Hardly any of the shirt was left, leaving XI's torso more exposed than usual.

The fang dagger was returned to XI's belt loop and the pouch just manged to fit in XI's left pocket. Now that he had his belongings back, XI observed his surroundings. Wanderer and Shadow were talking and seemed to be very deep in their conversation. Hardly anyone was on-deck yet. XI wondered if most of the ship's passangers were even aware that the danger had passed. With a shrug, he found his way to the entrance to below deck.

"Hey, y'all! It's safe now," XI shouted without much initiative. His voice was hoarse and cracking.

Feeling as if his job was done, XI walked along the deck. What was their plan now? Would the three of them split up now? That was probably what Wanderer and Shadow were talking about. Looking at his sandaled feet, XI strolled along. Of course, without looking up, one could easily walk into someone. XI did so.

"Oh," XI muttered, without even looking up, "'cuse me."

"Not a problem," said the cloaked figure.

XI continued walking and made it to Wanderer and Shadow. The person with the child-like voice watched as he continued to smile like a maniac.

Edited by 15-Year-Old, 06 July 2007 - 01:25 AM.

[SL the Pyro]

Shadow looked at the approaching XI and smiled. "Ah, you can ask him right now, Wanderer. In the mean time, I'm gonna get some rest; this whole ordeal left me tired." he said, walking off of the deck and leaving XI and Wanderer alone. As he walked into the door, however, he froze. He sensed evil, and that was never a good sign. His head quickly turned to the cloaked figure walking around the ship's deck. "Whoa, that was weird... there's something strange about that one. Better keep an eye on him... but first, sleep." he thought as he continued walking inside.

-----------

(EDIT: I'm back. You didn't have to stall the RP if that's what you were doing, though, unless you were gone for the weekend too. Just to let you know that you don't have to wait up for me.)

Edited by Shadow_Link, 08 July 2007 - 06:04 PM.

[31-Year-Old-From-Georgia]

Ooc: Oh, I just didn't have anything interesting to post. ^^; May as well give it a go.

"Where's he going...?" XI mumbled, watching Shadow. Growing bored in an instant, XI turned his attentions to Wanderer, who looked very keen to say something. A bit unsure, XI began to talk quickly.

XI rapidly blabbed on, "Erm, listen. Real quickly, I'd just like to thank you for all you did last night and today. We couldn't have made it without your help. In the few hours you and I have known each other, we haven't really talked all that much... But you've been a life saver. Literally. I guess this little recently-formed group may split up lately, but I'll stick with you to repay ya if you need me to. My life's in your debt. Anything you need?"

Edited by 15-Year-Old, 08 July 2007 - 09:16 PM.

[JRPomazon]

Everything was coming together. The fog in his mind was clearing, blurrs taking definate shape and color. The darkness surrounding his conscious was beginning to become brighter.

A small stone house with a small farm in the front, the leaves coming off the trees in all shades of the autumn season. There sat an elderly man sat on a rocking chair, watching the sun set from his humble home. His body was covered in old scars, his beard was long and his eyes were sharp. He wore a serious expression on his face, as though he were viligantly waiting for someone. He opened his mouth.

"I didn't teach you want you know just so you could get yourself killed." He said with a tired voice.

"You have the burden of someone's destiny on your shoulders. Get moving."

The scene dissapeared. It was all dark again, just like before. A spark burst from the center of the void and everything as engulfed in flame. A fire, so hot and scroching was everywhere, no way to run from it. A figure began to form in the center of the fray. He wasn't singed nor burned from the flames, as though they were invisable to him. A young man in gray robes held his arms out, holding a ruby pendant in mid air. It was levitating, floating above his hands. His face was almost impossible to make out, the flames distrorting vision. But there was something that could be said about this person. He was crying.

Everything returned to darkness once more. The heat from the flames were gone in an instant. Everything was quiet, for only a moment. The was a metallic clashing noise that echoed through the darkness. There where two spears, Jordan's spears, lying on the ground side by side. It was at that moment, Jordan's mind was beginning to reassemble itself. He looked at his hands, his feet, his entire self took form again. Once fully awakened, Jordan ran to his weapons. He reached out and grabbed them, causing a flash of light that illuminated the dark world he was in.

Jordan woke up on a rocky beach, his armor mostly destroyed and his wounds stopped bleeding. His vision cleared quickly and he got to his feet slowly. The air smelled of strong salt and gunpowder and the sky was dark, probably night. He gazed upon the city-like fortress in front of him.

"Forsaken. . . Fortress. . ." He said quietly to himself.

Jordan turned his head and found his weapons, although they were not in the state he had expected.

(OoC: Yeah, you guys weren't posting, so I brought myself back in this thing. Let us continue the story)

Edited by JRPomazon, 08 July 2007 - 09:27 PM.

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

Wanderer watched as Shadow walked away, and XI approached. He listened to XI and thought for few seconds before beginning.

"Well, there is actually something you could help me with..."

Wanderer took a breath and continued.

"Before we met, about a week before that fight with the snake... I woke up in the company of a caravan, severely wounded and without... Without my memory. They told me they had found me on the beach, almost covered in sand and sea-salt. When I was able to walk by myself, their leader told me get out as soon as possible, since he was afraid that whatever wounded me might come after them..."

Wanderer paused a little bit to take in another breath and think out his request.

"... Well, anyway, I was hoping you help me find out who I am. Shadow said he knew of me, and he told me few things. He said my name is Ken Miyamasa and that I am a Forsaken Fortress pirate. We are going to be at the Forsaken Fortress for awhile, so I was hoping you ask around about me. Could you do that for me?"

[31-Year-Old-From-Georgia]

"Oh... I thought you looked kinda familiar. Yeah, I'll help. Sounds like an easy request," XI prattled on, "Must suck, not knowing who you are... Good thing Shadow knew you somehow."

XI looked at the sea once again. The ship appeared to be moving, so it looked like things were up and running again. The sun was already in the west. Dusk was going to begin in a couple hours or so. XI was unsure of what to say to Wanderer. Amnesia was an odd thing that XI didn't know how to deal with. Growing tired, XI thought One hell of a coincidence that Shadow knew who he was... And suspicious that he didn't mention anything when he first saw us... He recoginzed me, after all, even if I still don't remember how.

"Um, how did Shadow know who you are?" XI inquired.

[SL the Pyro]

Shadow could hear the conversation out of the open window where he was dozing off. "The Dorm War! That and Kitsune shared stories while we were in Valhalla!" he shouted out the window to answer XI's question.

[31-Year-Old-From-Georgia]

OOC: I'm bored with our current status. Time skip ahoy! Hope you two don't mind if I move your characters for you.

“Oh…” XI mumbled, a bit taken aback by Shadow’s response that came from seemingly nowhere. With a shrug, XI asked, “So, uh, what’s the plan?”

The rest of the afternoon was rather uneventful. It was decided the group were to follow the course they had originally set. Everyone was unsure of what exactly was in Sornaiid, but they were going to try to figure that out once they arrived. On the way there, the group would have to leave the merchant ship when it arrived at a certain island. From there, they would get a ride to the Forsaken Fortress. In addition to re-supplying themselves there, they now had to mission of trying to figure out who Wanderer really was. After staying in the fortress, the group would take a small ship and make their merry way to Sornaiid. It all sounded like a good plan.

Hours had passed. It took considerably longer than originally intended due to the attack. The passengers and crew were understandably spooked. Men gave the three odd looks that seemed to be a mix of fright and appreciation; it was rather annoying.

The trio was resting in one of the ship’s bunk room. Over a dozen bunks populated the room, but the trio had hardly any company. Only an old fat man who smelled odd and a sleepy-looking, horrifically skinny man were in the room, but of which were snoozing away. With the sun already set, darkness embraced them. The only light source was a lamp somewhere on the deck and the stars, both of which could be seen through the open door.

XI was laying face-up with his arms behind his head on his bunk. He had abandoned his trashed shirt, but his body was bandaged up so much it seemed like he still wore one. XI’s thought lay on the day’s events. He had been almost completed healed by snake marrow, met Shadow (a second time, apparently), helped to fight off an entire ship of armed soldiers, and have to deal with Jordan’s suicidal decision. It had been a pretty eventful day, in a horrible way. XI was wondering if Jordan was still able to exist somewhere.

A loud snore from the old man snapped XI into the current situation. The ship had stopped moving; they had arrived at their destination. XI rolled out of his bunk lazily, unsure of whether or not Wanderer and Shadow had noticed they were here or if they were even awake.

“Hey, we’re going,” XI told Wanderer, lightly shaking the mattress the amnesiac was resting on. He turned over to where Shadow was. XI was still suspicious of Shadow, and was a bit ashamed of not being so before. The quite immature kid took out his suspicions by punching the black robed figure in the stomach a bit too hard.

“Get up, we’re going,” XI snapped at Shadow.

XI proceeded to lead the way out the room and off the ship. The trio arrived into a port town on a small island. Now that they were out under the sky, it was much easier to see. A few clouds did block some stars, but between a few building’s lights and the remaining stars, it was enough to see. This town gave off the appearance of an old and dated one. True to a port town, it smelled like fish and salt water. XI, who had been here several times before, led the way. Behind them lurked a very unfamiliar face.

"Ohoho, where are we heading now?" the figure’s high-pitched voice asked rhetorically.

Minutes later, an old man was sure he heard something crash. The old man was brawny and sturdy-looking for his age; he had clearly grown up in tough times. He arose from bed, leaving his also elderly wife in it. The entire shop and living area above it were dark. Nobody lived in this building aside from the old couple. Clearly, someone must have been breaking in downstairs.

With a wooden bat in hand, the old man tried to make his way through the building without making a sound. Whoever was downstairs wasn’t doing the same thing, however. A few voices were talking loudly, all of which sounding a bit hostile. The old man peered down the stairway to see three silhouettes walking through the shop. Hoping they figures weren’t armed, the old man did a stupid thing. He rushed down the stairway and forcefully hit the closest figure with his bat. Once wasn’t enough. The old man continued to swing, trying to make a point to the now-beaten figure’s accomplices.

“Ow! That hurts! Stop it!” a cracking voice whined.

“…Austin? Is that you?” the old man asked.

“Of course it’s me!” XI snapped, “Who else would be sneaking in to your crappy little store?!”

“Yes, that’s you,” the old man sighed.

With bat still in hand, the old man stopped his barrage to turn on some light. The entire room became surprisingly well-lit in an instant. The trio became clear instantly: two standing, one kneeling over in pain.

“What are you doing here?” the old man questioned.

“Asking for a ride to the FF. And stealing a shirt,” XI announced, indicating a new, white, short-sleeved shirt he had put on.

“…who are your friends?” the old man asked.

[SL the Pyro]

"Call me Shadow." Shadow said to the old man as his eyes scanned the old shop. He was about to sign aggravatedly when he found nothing of importance, but then something caught his eye. A jacket of some sort, black and with a collar, the kind that usually hides one's mouth when done up. He walked over to where it was hung up and looked it over; it seemed to be the right size for him. "Hmm... how much for the jacket, mister?" he asked.

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

Wanderer halted for a little before answering.

"My name is... Ken." he answered, his voice containing a hint of uncertainty.

Wanderer felt as though his heart was being tugged. Ken may have been his real name, the one he had seeking, but it just did not feel right use it.

After shaking off the feeling of awkwardness, Wanderer went back to looking around the shop they were in. He was stuck in an uncomfortable position--his large sword forced him to walk sideways a little bit to navigate around the shop. He scanned the area in front of while still keeping a general sight on the storekeeper.

[31-Year-Old-From-Georgia]

ooc: Remember, these old geezers are NPCs. Control them all you want.

As Shadow and Wanderer (or Ken now) became aware of their surroundings, XI made his way to the staircase. He stifled a yawn as he became his ascent to the upper floor. XI loudly trudged up the stairs, not even stopping for the shopkeeper's barks.

"Where are you going? Explain to me what you're doing here, boy!" the old man snapped.

"I'm exhausted. I'll tell you in the morning. Just get that ship up and ready," XI lazily replied, reaching the top of the stairway. The shopekeeper appearantly accepted this as an explination, as he ignored XI and turned his attentions to Shadow.

Even with the light from the first floor slightly illuminating it, the living area was almost unbelievably dark. It was small and humble, but there was room for three people to crash in. XI absent-mindedly approached the living room until a shadowy figure leapt from nowhere and hit him over the head with a frying pan.

"What did you do with my husband!? Leave! Leave now, you-!" a frail voice screeched as the frying pain the old woman held violently swung through the air.

"What is with you people and bludgeoning me!?" XI shouted as his head throbbed and ears rang.

"Oh, God. Is that you, Austin!?" the shopkeeper's wife squealed in horror.

"Yeah, yeah..." XI mumbled as he stumbled across the hall.

It took what felt like an hour for the old woman to calm down and leave XI alone. Approximately ten "You need to get in touch with your family"s, five tight hugs, twenty "You've gotten so tall!"s, one offer of an ice pack, and thirty offers of chocolate chip cookies later, she finally retired back to her bedroom. XI groaned and nearly collapsed on the small living room couch. The tired kid couldn't bring up the strength to take off any clothing aside from kicking off his sandals. A sharp pain in the leg reminded XI of the fang dagger on his belt loop, so he placed in semi-safetly on a coffee table. On his back, XI's thoughts were jammed withe the day's events.

It had been an extensive day and XI truly was exhausted, but he couldn't get to sleep. Here he was in the home of his grandparents (who he hadn't seen for years) with two people he had only met over the last twenty-four hours right after the young man who he had begun to consider something like an older brother had just blown up. It was a rather unsettling situation to be in. XI felt both wide awake and dead tired at the same time. Unsure of whether or not to even try to stay up, XI simply looked up at the low ceiling.

[JRPomazon]

The cloaked figure walked up to the small house. Stopping short a yard or two from the front door, the mysterious person's attention was diverted from his current subjects. He turned around, looking off into the sky. He felt like he was being watched. He stood by, waiting to see if this was true. After a few moments, the cloaked figure shrugged off his suspicions, chuckling to himself. He then resumed his current observation of XI and the others.

"It looks like they're not doing much right now." He said to himself.
"Hmph, talk about boring. I'll have to wait untill tomarrow to have some fun."

The mysterious person suddenly dissapeared into the night, vanishing without a trace. It would only be a matter of time before he appeared again.

Edited by JRPomazon, 13 July 2007 - 12:36 AM.

[SL the Pyro]

Shadow had spent most of the day biting back his laughter for what XI was going through. Who were these old people, his adopted parents or something? When nighttime came, Shadow had retired onto the couch. Although his restlessness was worse than XI's; he couldn't sleep at all. Sometimes he hated being so strong, but oh well. It meant he was prepared.

Since he couldn't sleep, Shadow snuck outside into the night and decided to train with his sword, wearing the new jacket he'd bought. He had to make sure it wouldn't cramp his style at all in the middle of a fight, and with a war about to happen and Z and his gang at large, he couldn't afford such a fault. Some might call him a bit paranoid for that, but when you've got seven of the most ruthless and deadly mercinaries this world has to offer breathing down your neck, you can never be too careful.

As he trained on a large tree he had found, hacking at it gracefully with his sword, he began to think about the ship raid that he and his new friends had recently made. "That captain..." was his first thought. "I don't remember hearing anything about a magic-user in their ranks... and the power I sensed from him... I know it's farfetched, but I really hope he's not who I think he is..."

Shadow was snapped back into reality when the tree he was slashing at fell to the ground with a loud crack and tremor. He hoped nobody heard that. It seemed that the jacket didn't hinder him at all, which was good. But this still didn't solve his problem about not getting to sleep. He decided to train until he was tired enough to go to sleep, praying that fallen tree didn't wake his companions up.

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

Wanderer had found himself enjoying the company of XI's grandparents. His face had been forged into a big smile. He watched with little bit of envy at the familial attention XI was getting. After awhile, with XI going to bed, Wanderer decided to retire as well.

After awhile of tossing and turning, Wanderer found himself inside an odd dream.

He stared at what seemed to be a reflection. It was himself, except the other him had no broken arm, and seemed to a hold a fire of confindence in himself.

"Before you can expect to remember yourself, you must be yourself." the other spoke.

Eventually the other him walked forward, drew his sword, and stabbed it into the ground.

"Use it." he commanded.

"But I can't. It is too heavy." Wanderer spoke back.

The other sighed and pulled the sword from the ground, swinging it several times before returning it to its place.

"If I can do it, so can you." the other spoke.

"I told you, I cannot! My right arm will not work!" Wanderer replied again.

The other shook his head.

"Only becuase you are afraid." the refelction said.

"What?"

"Your arm is fully healed. Every muscle is back in its correct place. Every bone is knitted together. Every vein connects as it should. All you have to do now is want to be yourself."

Wanderer stared on, still unsure of what the other meant.

"Just as much as you want know who you are, you still afraid that you can never be whole again, that you can never be yourself completely. You are afraid that you will try to find your memories and fail."

Wanderer turned his eyees to ground. He knew that the other him was telling the truth. The other him walked forward and grabbed Wanderer's limp arm.

"Whither or not you become yourself completely in the end is not the point. It is better to have walked the path and collapse, rather than regret it forever."

The other dragged Wanderer to the sword, and forced him to wrap his hand around the hilt of the sword.

"Stop dragging you feet Ken Miyamasa! Look forward! Realize yourself!" the other shouted.

"Ken..." Wanderer uttered.

"Yes, that is your name! Now, become more than the name! Draw the sword! Embark on the quest for your memories!"

The young man felt both his hands pull the sword from the ground, and with a new found confidence, swung it throuhg the air.

Eventually, the light of a new day shown. The swordsman brought himself to wake up. He raised his once limp hand to his face, and smiled.

"I am ready." Ken spoke into the new day.