432 replies to this topic

[JRPomazon]

Gate had finally escaped the lock down in the Imperial City. After resting from the several mile trip he made to reach the city's border, he decided to head back to the small boat he had left behind on the other side of the island. It would take him almost an entire day to get back to where he started, but it was no matter. The first order of business was to find the main road. From there, he might be able to find that small village he first arrived at. Being on the lake side of the island, he would have to walk around the city in order to find himself facing inland once more. But with the Imperial City on high alert, he might be spotted by the surplus of watchmen and brought in for some form of questioning. Damn it all. He would have to be silent while he made is venture around the city.

[Nightshade]

"Gwen, you can come with me or wait here, the choice is yours but either way I must get moving."

Gwen thought about it for a moment.

"I'll come with you, but lets get going fast." She helped nameless and Lotus get through the brake in the wall, and then turned to Arato, smiling. "Lead the way."

[Arato]

"I'll come with you, but lets get going fast." She helped nameless and Lotus get through the brake in the wall, and then turned to Arato, smiling. "Lead the way."

"Alright then," Arato turned and started walking as fast as he could, which was still pretty slow because of his injured legs.
"I need you to take me to the main Library. From there I can get Adrasteia but you must remain at the Library until I return with her, I have sworn not to reveal the location she is at to anyone..." he trailed off, thinking to himself "unless circumstances are dire," but he knew these were dire circumstances. He still did not fully trust this tiny fairy, nor did he want her to pursue the subject of the Neko's location.

[SL the Pyro]

Unknown to them all, Shadow watched from the rooftops with displeasure. While he desperately wanted to blame the fairy for this -- her disclosing his plan to them is a perfect example of why he never accepts help -- it would mean nothing as the cloaked man was smart enough not to reveal her location. The only way he would find the Neko now is by following the cloaked man, which would make staging her suicide impossible as there would be a witness. Such a situation would only increase the duration of the lockdown and tighten security, the opposite of what he wanted.

He had no choice but to think of another means of escape as he disappeared into the night...

Edited by Shadow_Link, 21 January 2009 - 08:41 PM.

[Nightshade]

"I need you to take me to the main Library. From there I can get Adrasteia but you must remain at the Library until I return with her, I have sworn not to reveal the location she is at to anyone..."


Gwenned nodded. "Umm." She began. "This way." She turned right and headed off down a side street. She felt for a moment as if someone was watching her, but when she looked around she saw no one. After a few moments, the feeling went away. It's just your imagination, you know how vibrant it can be. She wanted to believe the voice in her head, after all, it was probably true. She zigged and zagged through buildings until she finally came to the Main Library. She sighed, happy to be able to rest at last. She turned to Arato as they reached the back entrance of the large building. "I'll wait for you here, but hurry back, and make sure you keep her out of sight. If the guards find you, your goose will be cooked!" She smiled at him again and headed into the Library.

[cubeboy]

The ferry had arrived in a timely manner, and Cecil was exiting when he was approached by a gaurd.
"The cities in lockdown currently. State your business." Cecil was a bit curious at this moment, but he knew he had to enter the city at some time, and he would greatly like to know why the city was in lockdown. Prehaps this could provide him with extra information that could help him if he chose to remain in Kinaan. With no urgent reason why he was entering the city he had to think of a quick solution.. once again his quick wit aided him.
"I'm an a trip to see some relatives here. I'm just an old man i'll be no trouble."
"Ok, you can enter. Can't be too careful in these situations, gotta talk to everyone, but I dont think anyone wants this lockdown to last much longer." With that Cecil went on his way. The sun had begun setting, Cecil would not be able to go to the palace now, but there was enough time for something, so he decided to head to the largest library he could find. After asking a couple people, he learned where the main library was, and headed towards it. Once inside Cecil began looking through the sections of books.

Edited by cubeboy, 22 January 2009 - 07:42 PM.

[Arato]

"Umm." She began. "This way." She turned right and headed off down a side street.

Arato followed the fairy as best he could, he was amazed at her speed. More then once she had to slow down in order for him to catch up. As he walked he could feel some of the strength beginning to return to his legs, though they were still very sore. But something just didn't feel right. Soon enough they were at the library.

"I'll wait for you here, but hurry back, and make sure you keep her out of sight. If the guards find you, your goose will be cooked!" She smiled at him again and headed into the Library.

Arato felt nervous, though he was not sure why. He shrugged the feeling off and headed toward Jacob's house. after a few wrong turns he finally found his way back to the house. The feeling of uneasiness returned but he ignored it again. He opened the door and saw Jacob preparing some more soup for Adrasteia who was sitting at a table. He smiled at her as he entered, then quickly approached Jacob.

"Jacob I need to get her out of the city, I've already found a secret exit and some of my friends are waiting for me on the other side of it. It's just not safe for her in this city. Can you give us supplies for a few days?"

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

?Lotus, go to the woods and wait for us there.?

Lotus nodded his head and let loose a small affirmative grunt.

As everyone else went on their way, Lotus looked back down at himself, to his outlandish appearance. He knew he would need to disguise himself to be able to find a way out.

Lotus considered the drab, gray blanket he carried on himself and unrolled it, wrapping it around himself. It would cover his clothes and hair, but his tattoos still stuck out on his face. He looked around, trying to find something else when he noticed a barrel with a pipe leading into it. Lotus remembered seeing similar storm drains before and walke dover to look in it. There was not a lot, but it would be enough for Lotus' idea. He dipped hand a hand in the water, splashing it on himself. He then took a fistful of dirt and smeared it across his face and over his hands. He looked over into the water, waiting for it to calm. After few more tries, he managed to dirty up the spots where his tattoos would have other wise been visible.

Lotus stepped out into the main street. There were still a few people out, and few more were coming at as the initial scare wore off. The dancer walked out into the street, feeling somewhat discouraged with having to hide his nature. He had to convince himself several times that he should not ashamed for hiding what made him unique, that even though the marks upon his body showed his pride as a Mogili, such pride would be the death of him in this city.

Lotus stumbled along in this way, looking at the ground. Anyone who even bothered to notice him just figured him to be some poor sod walking along to nowhere. Anyone that is, except until Lotus had walked far and long enough.

The alert had ruffled the feathers of more than the city guards. Among the other organizations centered in the city, the Jinta had become a bit high-strung. As Lotus passed through part of a street, he unknowingly approached done of the Jinta checkpoints. Lotus' disguise looked pretty damn suspicious to the guys there, and so rose and strode over to block Lotus.

?Whoa there missy, just where do you think you are going??

Lotus would have laughed at another time, but the pressure was definitely on him. He briefly opened his mouth to speak, to lie, but he closed it when he realized that his accent would only make things world. On of the Jinta men got uncomfortably to Lotus.

?Not a talker, huh?"

[JRPomazon]

Gate walked slowly along the borders of the city. There hadn't been much sight of any guards patrolling the city walls, their forces to Gate's knowledge more focused on the people inside than those that could be out. But still, it paid to be cautious. One wrong slip up cold have dire consequences. He stuck close to the shadows, darkness was his only ally now.

[Crimson Lego]

Now on the borders of the city, Leo took one last look. Turning around, he caught a glint of light in the trees; staring, he walked into the small group of trees. A medium-sized battleaxe lay against the tree, red bladed and rusted. Picking it up, Leo felt a thrill of strength flow through the weapon and inot his arm. He spun around; nobody was nearby. Weird.. Ignoring the feeling, Leo hefted it and swung it at a tree. With a few more swings, it toppled over. Satisfied, Leo continued down the path.

[Shekey the Green]

(OoC: Sorry it's been a while, guys.)

Adrasteia sat confused. Where did Arato go? Why did he leave her with a strange man? Thoughts like these drifted through her blank mind. Coming out of a berserk did those things. She wasn't scared, or nervous; she just was. There was nothing she could and could not feel. She was left emotionless, which was a good thing given the circumstances.

Another unfortunate aftereffect of the Berserk energy was her inability to form details. She looked around the room. She couldn't make out any details. To her, it was just a room. She turned and gazed blankly at the wall. Her hands resting on her claws. She didn't know this man. She didn't know anyone; but that's how she liked it. Reclusive. Drawn out. The man walked in.

The room stayed silent for a moment. She could feel his semi-inviting aura. He wanted to talk. She stayed silent.

"Look, there's nothing I can say or do to make you trust me. Food on the table. I know you're hungry. Nature magic and Berserk energy don't mix. You're lucky you're alive. Do you kn-"

"Yes," she said sternly. "I'm not here for a lecture. You aren't my father."

He paused. "Then why are you here?"

"Dragon Lords. I need to know who they are." She turned around to face him, but he was sitting in a chair. How...trusting of him.

"Ah. Now why would you need to know about them?"

"That doesn't concern you."

"Fair enough. Have a seat. Eat. We'll talk while we wait for Arato's return."

She sat down, hesitantly. The food smelled so good.

--

They ignored them. Which was a pleasant thought. Xavier and Alabast were lost, however.

Alabast kept walking, turning corners, trying to find a main street; he still held Xavier in front of him. He couldn't let the boy out of his sight. Night had fallen, and it was dark. He heard muffled rumors of the disturbance that had happened earlier.

Eventually, Alabast turned a corner and found himself in a main street. A guard was walking away from an opening towards a covered figure.

As Alabast walked closer, he thought the figure looked familiar.

--?Not a talker, huh?"

Alabast turned his head. Lotus. He and Xavier stopped.

The guard noticed their presence.

"What're you looking at? Take your son and be gone," he sneered.

"Not without my friend."

[JRPomazon]

Gate was circling around the city, slowly creeping along the city walls. He had made good distance from where he started, he would be able to leave this city behind him once and for all soon enough. He kept his thoughts simple: move, stop, look. Anything else would just be a distraction. He stopped moving, a light shot out from an area several feet in front of him. It was some sort of search light coming from one of the upper parts of the wall. Gate kept still, listening to the murmur of the guards watching from the top of their perch. The light began to move towards his current position. He had to stay still, any noise could attract attention. The light crept slowly towards him, like a wolf to it's cornered prey. If he were discovered, he would have to run. They might send someone after him, but he would run still. He would run as far and as fast as it took to get away.

The light was only inches away now, but Gate refused to move.

Closer . . .

and closer . . .

and closer still . . .

However, the light stopped short of capturing the image of his foot and began to creep the other way. Was this chance or was it the incompetance of the man with the light? It was a lucky break and Gate aimed to take advantage of it. He began moving from the wall and around the light. He moved fast and didn't take his time with looking behind him. He made it out of the light's reach and the vision of the guards on the wall. He began to run, run as fast as he could towards the way he originally came. He was free from the city now, the world awaited him.

[nameless]

Nameless had been following a bit behind Lotus as they made there way towards there exit to the forest. Lotus stopped and muddied his face and threw a blanket around him and moved into the the main street. Nameless moved to the corner and watched as some men confronted Lotus. "That doesn't look good...." Nameless waited. The men continued to talk to Lotus. Alabast and xavier came around a different corner. Nameless waited to see what Alabast would do.

Edited by nameless, 29 January 2009 - 01:36 PM.

[Goose]

Snoogyfoofie woke up. He was.... Somewhere. With a shocking hangover. How long had it been? A while. But as much as his head hurt, he knew it must have been worth it to have been this drunk for this long.

He looked at his surrounds. He was in a forrest somewhere, on what seemed to be a different continent to the one he was on before. How he got there he didn't care, but all that he noted was that he wasns't wearing any clothes.

He was starkers.

He looked around and saw a man run in his direction, like he'd just been through a hell of a lot of worry. On further inspection, it was the giant blue fairy who had told him about the ale. Snoogyfoofie now considered the fairy his friend, because of the ale, so he waited till the fairy was safe from whatever he was running from and snoogyfoofie went up to hug him.

While still stark naked. Snoggyfoofie grinned.

[JRPomazon]

Gate began to slow his pace, he had ran a good distance from the city now. They didn't seem to follow him, meaning it was a clean getaway. That was a nice bit of good news. He came to a stop to catch his breath, exhausted from all the running. He turned around and looked back at the city. Then, Gate felt something press aganist his waist and legs. He quickly looked down and noticed what appeared to be a small man who smelt of dirt and ale. Unfazed by the sudden attack, he shook of the small man and got him off of his body.

Upon further inspection, it turned out that the man was a dwarf. Gate looked down on him.

"You have business with me?" He asked.

[Goose]

Snoogyfoofie hadn't thought this through in his head. Granted, he didn't think a lot of things in his head.

"I want to marry you."

"And drink your ale."

Snoogyfoofie looked at him with eyes that could melt an icebergs heart.

[JRPomazon]

Gate looked at the dwarf for a moment. The fool must be delusional, or just plain spontaneous. Nevertheless, marraige was not in his immediate plans.

"Not interested." He said as he headed back on his path.

"If you follow the lights, there will be a place called the Golden Goose. They have much ale for you. Tell them you are a friend of Turisas, and they will know what that means."

With that, he left the dwarf to his own devices.

[Goose]

Another Gift. How dashing. The blue fairy must have trully loved him. Once snoogyfoofie had consumed this ale, he'd somehow catch up with the fairy once more and marry him.

Until then, snoogyfoofie would wander around and find this ale.

[JRPomazon]

The dwarf was going to be trouble. He was trouble when he tried to burn Gate alive. He was trouble just a few moments ago. I was clear to Gate that to ensure no more bothers from the dwarf, he would have to kill him. With that settled, he continued on the road heading towards the fishing village. With any luck, his small ferry would still be waiting from him.

[Sephrenia Katrov]

Sephrenia gratefully took the lady?s hand and pulled herself into the wagon. She had to squint just a little to make out a clear, foot-free path to a seat. She sat down heavily and pulled her hood forward just a little, hoping that her thoughts weren?t written all over her face (and if they were, that the cloak now cast enough of a shadow to hide them). So. She was in the company of a lady who was either important or influential enough to require a body guard?probably both, since the two seemed to go hand in hand. Sephrenia was potentially gathering quite a large debt to the lady. Or perhaps she was just gathering a lot of trouble for herself. Or both. Those two ideas also seemed to go hand in hand. She wasn?t naïve enough to assume that all of this was sheer kindness. And then there was the bodyguard. He seemed nice, but nice usually meant hidden motives. Was she to be worried about him, too? She frowned. Nobody had any reason to want to harm her. Why was she so jittery? Taking a deep breath to still her nerves, Sephrenia cast a smile in the lady?s direction.

?I am terribly tired. I hope the ride isn?t terribly long?" And then, as an afterthought, she added, "Ah, are the streets really so rowdy that a bodyguard is necessary??

She was making small-talk. Insignificant, but perhaps not completely useless. If she could get them to speak, they might let something important slip. About themselves, or about her quarry, or even about the city. Anything could be useful. And if they were more intelligent, at least she might learn something of their manner, or character.

[Arato]

"Jacob I need to get her out of the city, I've already found a secret exit and some of my friends are waiting for me on the other side of it. It's just not safe for her in this city. Can you give us supplies for a few days?"

"She needs her rest Arato, but I will not keep you from leaving. I can supply you with food to last a few days, but beyond that I cannot help you."

"Thank you Jacob, I will never forget your kindness." With that, Arato turned and helped Adrasteia to her feet. Jacob returned a moment later with the food in sacks for them, and they were on there way.

Arato's strength was returning faster than he had expected, but he had to slow down for Adrasteia, who was still exhausted. He went quickly back to the main library and waited for the small fairy.

[cubeboy]

Time had passed swiftly for Cecil, the forest of books surrounding him were enchanting him with their seemingly endless supply of knowledge. Though he had been able to read and learn many things about Kinaan, he was unable to find out the information he wanted, this would most likely take more time. As he began exiting the library, he began wondering about the lockdown on the city. He had overheard some people talking about it, but it was on the other side of the library, and with his age his hearing was not able to understand all of it. He discerned from what he had heard though, that it involved a neko. As he was nearing the door, a young man opened it. Seeing the old man walking towards the door he moved aside and held the door open for the man.
"Thank you" said Cecil. As he was accepting the generosity he looked at the man, though he was to Cecil just a child. He noticed a hawthorne staff quickly, and then a dagger. His eyes then met the younger's, his mouth was opening to inquire about the state of the city, but as he stared into the golden eyes of this boy no words left his mouth. He stopped before he exited, in his mind he remembered reading about a man with golden eyes in a legend, and as he looked upon this boy he began feeling there was something special about him. Stopping his current train of thought for a moment, Cecil realized the somewhat awkward situation and quickly spoke, "Do you know the reason for the current state of this city?"

[Arato]

"Do you know the reason for the current state of this city?"
The question startled Arato. He was not expecting this and mentally cursed himself for not thinking of a story sooner. In his haste, Arato replied to the elderly man, "More than I wish--," but cut himself off.

A moment later Arato said, "What concern does it have to you?"

[Crimson Lego]

After a couple hours of walking, Leo had come upon a dwarf and an...elf perhaps? talking. The other dwarf seemed pretty drunk and, after a few words between the two, went on his way. The elf followed the road. When the elf was alone, Leo began to tail him. He's heading for that small village. Showing himself, Leo walked up to the elf. "Hi there. You, uh, heading somewhere?"

[JRPomazon]

Gate turned around, finding yet another dwarf. They all seemed to pop out of holes. He didn't seem like he would make himself a nuisance, but Gate was far from being in the mood to socialize. He ignored the dwarf and continued on his way, heading towards the dock. He wondered just what the dwarf thought he was? Did he assume he was an elf, perhaps even a fairy?

Gate had been confused for various species time and time again, but most of the time these guesses were wrong. He wasn't quite sure what he was exactly. It didn't matter to him, it was just a trivial detail in grand scheme of things. He arrived at the dock, finding craft he had used to travel here on was still where he had left it. It was a lucky thing no one had taken the vessel for themselves. Gate quickly kicked the boat away from the dock and jumped on board. It was finally time to leave.

[cubeboy]

"More than i wish--" "What concern does it have to you?" Cecil had spent too much time in the dealings of people in Wiesz, so he knew all too well what this kind of response meant.. this boy knew something. Cecil could not quickly find a reason why he would be hesitant, so he decided to be.. a bit.. outright.

"My name is Cecil, I have been searching for a place to live since i was exiled from my hometown. I was just curious what would cause a city such as this to take the measures it has. Actions and the reasonings behind them in events such as this speak volumes more about a city and the people within it than all the books in this library."

"Exiled from your hometown?" Arato replied in a whispered tone.

"Ill-temperment... differences of opinion. My reasons are my own for that situation, but what are you reasons for concealing such a public one as this lockdown?"

[Arato]

"Ill-temperment... differences of opinion. My reasons are my own for that situation, but what are you reasons for concealing such a public one as this lockdown?"

Arato again mentally cursed himself. "Well what is the purpose of revealing ones secrets in a city you are unfamiliar with..."
Adrasteia caught up with them at this moment.

[Selena]

With Sephrenia settled in, Lara leaned back in her seat and then waved at Wilhelm to hop back in. Her other bodyguards in the back of the other wagon would make sure that was carried out. A blessing, really, since Lara was as anxious as Sephrenia was to get moving. It had been a long day and there was still more work to be done. Hopefully there would be no further interruptions or random civilians falling from the sky to get in her way.

"Well, life in a big city can be very difficult," Lara answered the young woman. "It was safer not long ago. Crime syndicates and other lowlifes started moving in a few years back. It's been getting worse and worse. Self-preservation is now an essential part of one's character. I don't recommend that you go wandering at night unless you're particularly adept at fighting. Even then, it's better to travel in a group. Some people can be quite vicious when they desperately want something. You don't seem to be from here. Am I right in that?"

Lara clapped her hands and the wagon began to move, leaving Wil to hurry up and get back in.

[cubeboy]

"Well what is the purpose of revealing ones secrets in a city you are unfamiliar with..."

"You consider a man you've never met, from a place you've never been, telling you he was exiled from a town you'll probobly never visit a secret? And you also still have not told be about this cities lockdown, which I think would be very public information. I am not confident, lad, in your definition of 'secret'." Cecil realized he was being a bit rude, especially to someone who was trying to open a door for him, but his desire to find out whatever this boy knew was overwhelming him. He was prepared to continue talking, when it struck him. A scent he had not yet noticed, slowly becoming stronger. It was a dog.. or a cat.. but not a dog or a cat, it was either a neko or another werewolf. Prehaps some of this scent had somehow gotten onto the young man he was talking with, or prehaps someone was coming. The full moon was only a few days away, so his strength and his senses were heightened. He knew whoever it was would quickly learn his identity, and his current conversation with this boy was not making him feel at ease. "I apologize for being so rude, but can you just tell me why this city is in lockdown?" Another person was approaching during his statement, and though he was in human form, he had the feeling like the fur on his back was standing up.

Edited by cubeboy, 05 February 2009 - 10:15 PM.

[JRPomazon]

Gate had taken off into the waters of Lake Cha, once again heading off into unknown lands on his never ending wanderings. The imperial city was not his true destination after all, but he did not leave empty handed. Fresh new daggers for his ever diminishing supply and information about new contraband. He looked over to the side of the small ferry, discovering that he had reached the point where all he could see was water. Would he end up back at Cha'Firen or perhaps a new location? Gate's vision began to wane, the day's activities had drained him of his strength. He went to the cabin of the ferry and curled up on the floor as the ship began to drift in the waters of the lake.