Golden Sun: Shades of Darkness { PM } { M } { The Story Begins }

"Listen well to the words I have to say, adept. Long ago, in the Golden Age of adepts, an age long past, human civilization was at the height of its development. Because of Alchemy, life was effortless, easy. Humans could have whatever they wanted with mere thought thanks to Alchemy's power. So with such infinite leisure time, mankind devoted itself to crafting Weyard into an image of perfection. A domain fit for gods. And indeed it was. Weyard became the closest thing to Heaven ever seen on the mortal plane.

But as with all ages, this age came to an end. Those who hold power will inevitably abuse it. So it was with humans. So it will be again and again until mankind destroys itself. The wondrous power of Alchemy, the power of Creation, became the power of Destruction. For creation and destruction are merely two sides of the same coin. Humans began to destroy one another and their creations. War ravaged the utopia of Weyard and tore it asunder. It was only through the effort of four wise adepts that a shadow of mankind was saved. These Wise Four sealed the Golden Power away by constructing four elemental lighthouses that I'm sure you are familiar with. By sealing off Alchemy, the Wise Four prevented the eradication of human kind. Yet civilization halted and began to regress. The shock of losing Alchemy caused many to go mad with longing for that wondrous power. Many ended their own lives rather than live in a world without the ease and comfort of Alchemy.

But the Wise Four were not without hope for mankind. Before they sealed Alchemy, they created keys with which to undo what they had done. A desperate hope that one day, mankind would be ready to use Alchemy appropriately. You know them as the Elemental Stars.

The Wise Four also created one last thing after they sealed Alchemy. They each cut out one of their eyes and with their remaining power, they gave birth to a Guardian with whom they left all of their memories and power. The Wise One, a culmination of all of mankind's knowledge and power. Myself.

I watched Weyard decline, yet my role was merely to be a watcher; an impassive observer until events forced me to intervene. That time came fifteen years ago. This is the beginning of knowledge, I'm sure, that you are at least partly familiar with. In the village Vale built under the shade of sacred Mt. Aleph, a young Venus Adept named Isaac ventured into the heart of Sol Sanctum with his close friends and took the elemental stars from their resting place. 'Has the time come at last? No. Mankind is not ready to use Alchemy again.' I remember thinking as I set Isaac and his friend Garet on a task to recover the elemental stars that were stolen by two Mars Adepts from the frozen wastelands of Prox.

I underestimated those adepts. Fourteen years ago, Isaac and his eight companions released the final lock on Alchemy atop Mars Lighthouse. The time at last had come. The Golden Sun, the essence of Alchemy, began to rise. My role as Guardian was over. But I knew that there was a man who sought to use Alchemy's power for Destruction. Perhaps I could at least prevent that. I returned to Mt. Aleph and clashed with that man. A man called Alex. As the Golden Sun rose over the mountain, Alex received a part of it's power. The power that had shaken Weyard to its core ages ago. My power was greater than his, though only just. I buried him with the mountain and left him for dead.

The release of Alchemy was necessary. For without it, Weyard would have eroded. But there came a backlash nobody expected. I felt it almost immediately. A taint cast over the Golden Sun, corrupting it...corroding it. It was Alex's retaliation. The flows of psynergy and Alchemy became dark and twisted. As all things are composed of Alchemy, they too, became corrupted. The land cracked and divided, rent by fire and ash. The oceans dried up and deserts flooded. Stone turned to dust and wood rotted into nothing.

Though the land suffered, it was nothing compared to the blow felt by adepts. The corruption was enough to drive many mad. And in their madness, they inflicted further pain on the world. What was not destroyed in the initial backlash was sundered by horrific earthquakes, incinerated by fierce flames, obliterated by devastating lightning, and crushed by everlasting ice.
Isaac and his eight companions, hailed as heroes at first, were blamed for the disaster by mankind. They were hunted down. Those caught were executed. Poor Sheba never stood a chance. Felix fought hard to rescue her, but was eventually overcome and killed in battle. Piers and the King of Lemuria were tried by the Lemurian Senate and sentenced to beheading by Conservato who became the reigning king of Lemuria after. Garet was taken by the madness and killed Kraden. He was put down by his own companions. Those who remained struggled to find a way to reverse Alex's corruption. Isaac, Jenna, Ivan, and Mia...the only four left. They fled and went into hiding.

This is what resulted in the world you live in. A world of madness and despair. Though the madness that ran rampant fourteen years ago is not what it once was, there are still some adepts who can hear his voice. They hear Alex calling to them. A voice that could drive anyone insane. I have done what I can for the people of Weyard. I prevented the complete destruction of the world. But my power is finite...I used much of it fighting Alex and the rest to preventing the world from destroying itself. I am old...my power is failing.

And so now I reach out to you...you and others like you. As I tasked Isaac and Garet fifteen years ago to save the world, so now do I do the same to you. You are Weyard's hope. Find a way to reach Mt. Aleph...stop the corruption...and cleanse the Golden Sun. I will not last much longer...but I will help you while I can...seek out the remaining companions of Isaac. Jenna...Ivan...and Mia. Find them and Isaac and your task...should be easier.

Go now, adept. Go, and know that you are not alone. There are others like you...fate will see you brought together. Go...you will...find one of the four near Mercury Lighthouse. Northern Angara...I implore you..."



Such was the message heard by a group of adepts spread out across Weyard as they dreamed of earlier, easier days. Dreams interrupted by the image of a floating eye and his incredible tale.

~Characters~

Name: Cin (Ishilar)
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Adept Type: Mars
Djinni: Flash
Appearance: Like all of those from the harsh wastelands of Prox, Cin's skin color is a shaded gray. His short cut hair is a dark red. Most remarkable about Cin are his orange eyes that seem to blaze with fire when he delves into his psynergy. Cin travels in black martial arts gi made by the finest Xianese weavers. Beneath his gi is a light, leather jerkin and on his legs, as though to contrast his light armor, are a pair of greaves made from Orichalcum. Cin also dons a matching pair of gauntlets from the same material over his gi.
History: Cin was born in Prox. Growing up, Cin looked heavily to Saturos as a mentor and idolized the man. At eight years of age when Saturos and Menardi returned to Prox from a raid on Sol Sanctum, Cin first met the fifteen-year old Felix as well as his parents and Isaac's father. The two children got along well and learned from one another, quickly becoming as close as brothers. Three years later, Saturos and Menardi left along with Felix. It was the last time Cin would ever see his idol and his brother-figure. Saturos would be killed atop Venus Lighthouse along with Menardi. Cin was whisked away by Hama at the age of 11 with the Jupiter adept claiming that Cin would play an important role in Weyard's future. The Proxians, glad for one less mouth to feed, let him go. Cin was taken to Lama Temple where he met Feizhi who escorted him to Xian where he was trained in the use of Chi and the martial arts. The two struck up a friendship that was cut off abruptly when Feizhi left a year later to search for Isaac. For eleven years, Cin conditioned his body rigorously, but could never quell his incredible temper. At the age of 22, Cin left Xian to see what had become of his home.

The two year-long journey was perilous and at its end, Cin was greeted by a land buried in snow and ice, completely impassable. The Mars adept could only assume the same fate had befallen his village and people. Cin then returned to Xian to find it ravaged by an earthquake. Among the rubble, he found Feizhi and together, they rescued as many as they could and moved them Fuchin Temple. There, Cin's training resumed under a new master where he been for the past three years with a larger focus on training his mind rather than his body. Recently, Cin dreamed of a floating eye and its message that would begin his journey.

Weapons/Items: Only his Orichalcum greaves and gauntlets that have been tempered to withstand even the hardest impacts as well as a deadly array of martial arts techniques whose power is only increased by Cin's use of Chi. Additionally, Cin also possesses a masterful manipulation of Mars psynergy.

~*~*~*~

Name:Gale Odision (bbb7002004)
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Adept Type: Jupiter
Djinni: None
Appearance: Medium height, light but muscular build. Messy, dirty blond hair, moderately long. Eyes a vary light sky blue. Typically wears a long hooded coat, unbuttoned across the chest, over a silverish mythril shirt. The coat is an off white color with light green swirls dyed throughout the fabric. Plain grey pants and boots.
History: Born and raised in the mystical city of Anemos. Gale is a fun-loving, happy-go-lucky kind of guy, always looking for entertainment or a laugh. Very free spirited, he grows bored of things quickly, happily moving on to something else more novel when he gets the chance. Hence, after receiving the Wise One's psychic message he bolted from his home as quickly as he could to explore the surface world. He rarely makes attachments to anything, be it objects, places, or people.

The effects of the Golden Sun's corruption were barely felt at all as Gale grew up in Anemos, due to its isolation from the world at large. Cases of mental instability were still rare, due to the psychic nature of the Anemos to begin with. Hearing voices in your head is the most common form of communication for the community of Jupiter adepts, with speech limited almost entirely to raising children who have yet to develop the mental capacity to handle a group consciousness. However, the city of Anemos and its culture has seen massive declines since the Golden age, similar to Lemuria. Most startling is the continued decline of the city and its people, specifically the lack of children...
Weapons/Items:Primary weapon is a specialized Halberd, a long handled axe. The long pole is made of psynergectically infused wood, making it both incredibly light and strong. The steel of the head is made of similarly infused metals, giving it more strength and light weight. The axe blade is crescent shaped, with center of the blade etched out. On the other side of the pole is a squarish hammerhead, approximately as big as a fist. The top of the weapon ends in a 12" long spear head, sharpened to perfection. This weapon allows for a variety of attacks, slashing like a sword, stabbing like a spear, and blunt force like a mace. Gale is also proficient in powerful Jupiter psynergies, including the ability to read minds, reveal the truth, and glimpse the future.

~*~*~*~

Name: Mina Balqis (Zero_is_just_cool)
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Adept Type: Jupiter
Djinni: Haze
Appearance: Stands approximately 170 cm tall with a graceful and slender build and beautiful, suave curves to her body. Her skin shares with cotton both its feel and color, her hair is of a tone of blond so light that seems to shine silver under the moonlight, and her eyes are mauve in color. She wears a long white silk robe, adorned with several details in light green, light pink, red, yellow and purple, with the addition of generous touches of gold. Underneath, a long light pink silk “belly dance” skirt, as well as having her body mostly wrapped in white silk, only her arms and belly showing skin. Wears Pointe shoes, of course, light pink in color.

History: Until her nine years of age, she lived peacefully in the town of Lalivero. It was only after the death of Babi that, with Sheba dead and now missing a hostage for the people of Lalivero to complete his lighthouse, Iodem, Chief Minister and now ruler of Tolbi, ordered her to be taken as a guarantee that Babi’s dream would still be finished, even if now lacking purpose.

In Tolbi, she was thoroughly educated in the sciences of man and the use of her psynergy, by the castle scholars, as well as her homeland’s customs and dances, by Laliverian maids. Her unparalleled beauty and her origins earned her the nickname “Desert Rose” and Mina became the closest thing the city had to a princess, loved by both the court and the common folk. It was only when her fame as a dancer surpassed Tolbi’s reaches that she was also loved by the rest of Weyard and with that fame was passed along her fame as a masterful Jupiter Adept.

At the age of eighteen, she was finally allowed to, with a Tolbian escort, travel to both Air’s Rock and Jupiter Lighthouse, in order to further study her powers. After learning from Air’s Rock and heading for the lighthouse, however, the ship was attacked by pirates, who while didn’t beat a single Tolbian soldier were capable of taking Mina in the heat of battle.

Binding her by black chains, the pirates demanded that she used her Adept powers, which’s existence they learnt from rumors, to help make their home back the way it was. Before they had a chance to torture and abuse her for not cooperating, however, the chains reacted to her psynergy and fully bound themselves to Mina, then proceeding to slaughter the pirates, as well as everyone near them.

Mina proceeded to wander Weyard, seeking to learn to control her newfound power, as well as to master her Adept Powers. Having been turned down access to Jupiter Lighthouse several times over the past two years, she is now nearing Tolbi, in hopes of being welcomed back home and, with luck, being allowed to take soldiers to help her in her task towards the Mercury Lighthouse, a task given by a floating eye.

Most people believe the dancer from Tolbi to be dead and have forgotten her in the first place, so that only people who have actually seen before her would know her identity, though they would surely recognize her in that case. Also, Mina’s experience with the outside world, not to mention her chains, has made her into a strong woman, even if she will never be less feminine.

Weapons/Items: The black chains are tightly wrapped from under her chest to her navel, normally hidden under her clothing. Mina can direct several sorts of offensive or defensive measures, doing this in sync with her traditional Laliverian dance movements to confuse and distract enemies as well as adding momentum to her attacks, and to some extent even use them for movement. The “magical” nature of the chains means that they have no actual length as the number of links is hardly constant and varies seemingly instantly according to its master’s wishes.

Made from pure Dark Matter, they were originally made with the intention of binding an adept’s powers as well as the body, but surprisingly the chains developed something as a will of their own, sometimes even going as far as becoming extensions of the adept’s body through which one can cast psynergy. Removal of the chains is, also, apparently impossible and Mina has found that, over the time, they slowly tighten and even burn her skin as they dig into it. Although they have the tendency to attack anything on sight, Mina has developed some degree of control, impeding them from attacking at random or even creeping out of her clothes, which would surely cause a commotion. Such control, however, might waver over intense physical, mental, or emotional stress.

~*~*~*~

Name: Naia (Aulis Vaara)
Age: 22
Gender: Female
Adept Type: Mercury
Djinni: Mist and Tonic
Appearance: Naia would have been a beautiful young woman, were it not for the many scars her body bares. Though most were expertly healed by herself or other Mercury adepts, most still left a pink streak across her otherwise pale body. Most notable among her scars are a big blotch all over the left side of her abdomen that was healed from a large burn wound, and a long straight line diagonally down her back, obviously healed from a sword wound or something similar. Most of the smaller wounds have healed better and are more difficult to see, though there are some places on her body where there are so many clustered that they are still clearly visible.

As with any other Mercury adept, Naia's hair is a clear blue. She wears it loose, lengthy and wild; a reflection of the time she lives in. Her eyes are an icy blue and her lips are to the frosty pale side as well. Considering her origins, Naia tends to wear thick clothes and usually a white cloak to hide her from view in the snow. Underneath she also sticks with white and blue clothing in imitation of Mia.
History: Naia was born in Imil twenty-two years ago, before the beacons were lit. She was a girl like any other and thus her life was quite unadventurous. While she was not of the Mercury clan herself, she still looked up to Mia around once she began to understand what the girl did for everyone. When Mia left, Naia was more devastated than most of the other villagers, she cried for days. Her tears had seemed to be endless, but eventually she got over it, like kids do.

When lighthouses were lit and the madness struck, Naia's parents carried her out of Imil, trying to save her, but in a twist of fate, they were killed by a band of adepts fleeing north to the healing waters of Mercury Lighthouse. Naia was taken along with them, back to Imil. The madness had struck hard by that time, though only a few had been killed to stop them. Megan and Justin were hard at work to preserve the sanity in as many people as they could. Though they were tired, they worked on, clinging to their own sanity as much as they could.

At this time, something clicked in Naia, and not thinking about it, she layed her hands on Justin and Megan. Though they were not as new, they had still received a small but effective boost. It was this act that prompted Justin and Megan to train her as well as they could, trying to keep each other as well as their student sane. The adepts that had killed her parents remained in Imil as well, using the water of the fountain of Hermes to heal themselves, they staved of the madness and added their own knowledge to Naia's teachings. It was not much, as the adepts were skilled in other elements, but the knowledge would still help her in years to come.

The years progressed, and though Weyard was torn by madness, Imil managed to survive, but not without scars. More adepts had fled to Imil, but they had had to bury as many as they saved. Naia came to be on par with Justin and Megan, and not long after that, she surpassed them. It was not that Justin and Megan were bad adepts, but their focus had lain more on keeping the village sane and alive than on learning, while Naia had been able to focus more on her training.

It was in that same year that Mia and her friends returned to Imil briefly, slightly surprised to find it in good condition. Still, they left as quickly as they came, leaving no explanation why they left. Naia could not accept that a second time, however, and gathered her precious few belongings and marched south, the direction she thought that Mia had left in.

She was determined to find the woman again. She travelled a long time without picking up as much as a rumor of Mia, but she did not give up. Regardless of her determination, she began to doubt herself. There was no-one to monitor her sanity here, and she could not depend on herself to realize when she went over the edge. She thought of turning back, but if she had gone mad, she would only be a danger to the villagers of Imil. So, with grimness on her face, she walked on, wandering Weyard for nearly six years.

Lost and alone, her mind balancing on a thin thread, she still wanders. Sometimes she forgets why, but it always comes back to her. She is not sure of her other memories though, more and more things she doesn't feel sure of.
Weapons/Items: The clothes on her back and a staff that used to belong to Mia are all she has. How she got the staff, she does not seem to recall. It is possible Mia gave it to her when she was in Imil, or it might be she found it some other way and recognized it. She hangs on to it because she knows whose it is.

~*~*~*~

Name: Kushluk Von Shimazu (Kushluk Shimazu)
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Adept Type: Venus (Earth)
Djinni: Haldor, a huge black bear that has protected Kush since he was born. This Djinn was killed during the initial wave of violence by protecting her original master from a mob, yet despite his sacrifice his master was killed and then the mob brutally slew Haldor in turn. The spirit of Haldor was too strong to simply die though and it came back to terrorize the countryside.

It was only until a group of adepts posing as mercenaries managed to subdue Haldor and calm the spirit by putting it's bone's to rest. Haldor then chose the leader of these warriors to be his new master by vowing to defend his firstborn son, this being Kush. Haldor has immense Strength that can move or smash through almost anything known to man, also being a spirit means that when injured Haldor can retreat from this world into the spiritual realm to rest and recover, but will not willingly leave unless told so by Kush.

The young Shimazu and the Djinni thus have a unique bond, almost as if they both spoke to each other through subtle motions and thoughts.
Appearance: Spiky Brown hair with baby Blue eyes, 5'10' 210lbs Well built Caucasian: Wearing a light Brown leather jerkin with forest Green trousers that is supported by a fine wee belt, and a Blue bandanna around his forehead. He has his father's ring on his left hand, a sapphire crystal on a golden band
History: The son of fallen priestess and a leader of wandering mercenaries known as the "Teivel Dogs" Kush is a a fierce and proud individual raised on the road along with his family, Kushluk trusts no one until he has fought with or against them. A firm believer in "eye for an eye" he treats everyone with proper respect and courtesy until they have proven themselves inept to that standard. Suspicious of any religion, he follows only his own moral code of ethics and honor. He favors those who can turn anarchy into order and those who put themselves at risk for another at the risk of their own lives.

Despite trying to act tough though he turns out to be a loyal friend and a joker even when you first meet him as you can often find him being the center of a prank and he will laugh like no tomorrow even if he is the victim. It is rare to ever see this young fighter silent as he favors the method of act now and think later. His goals are to be as skilled, feared, and respected much like his father and to explore the whole world. A warrior to the end, you can always count on Kushluk to fight with you when the outcome looks bleak.
Weapons/Items: Two Fransica Axes:which are hung on his belt, A small buckler is fastened to his left arm which can absorb a small amount of a pysenergy. His primary weapon a mithril forged Double Voulge known as Havard, which has an intricate steel chain inside that can extend one of the blades to a range of twenty yards and embed itself into whatever it hits.

As for his pysnergy Kushluk can encase his body into stone, cause minor earthquake, lift pieces of earth to fly upon, and also when he is focused he feels the planet of Weyward and can on some level shift the very terrain or facility he is in. The young warrior also understands many creatures and even communicate his intentions to some.

~*~*~*~

Name: Xalin Terracut (Rex the Water Rider)
Age: Seventeen
Gender: Male
Adept Type: Venus
Djinni: Gaia. When used, it allows the wielder to summon a massive sphere made of earth and attract it to his weapon and attack the foe instantly paralyze the foe.
Appearance: 5'4" tall. Brunette colored hairs, wearing glasses, a brown adept cape, a pair of hiking boots, unusual black gloves with a gem inserted in each one. Wear regular vest with leather armor under it. Wear a pair of long dark brown pants.
History: Born in village west of the Weyard, his family was a poor earth adept explorers. He was born a true adept of his family. The village feared him and tried to kill him. But his family hid him in a wagon and off he went. He had seen his family being slaughtered by the nervous villagers. He wanted to avenage them but he knew he must fix the errors in his village so he trained himself in a small forest, nearly killed himself. Luckily a nearby villager found him at blink of death and saved him. This very villager told him about the corruptions that had been going on for fifteen years, this had finally gave him a guide to repair his now corrupted village, and he setted off on a quest to end the corruption.
Weapons/Items: Carries an iron sword and some herbs

~*~*~*~

Name: Alice Daidalos (Chroma)
Age: S-E-C-R-E-T~!
Gender: Female
Adept Type: Mars
Djinni: Corona
Appearance: Alice is a girl who is not particularly feminine, nor is she particularly masculine. She lacks the female allure of busts, hips, or an exceptionally beautiful face. However, she is still identifiable as a girl and has a somewhat charming appeal. Alice doesn't seem to let her string-beaninsh nature bother her in the least, and finds it useful in her line of work. (She has found she can squeeze into tight areas with relative ease.) Alice has short, neatly groomed blonde hair tied back with a long red sash. Her clothing is easy to move in, but despite the amount of loose cloth upon her outfit, she doesn't seem to make any noise when she walks. No ruffling, no slight sounds of cloth rubbing together... not even the sounds of her footsteps can be heard. She wears black, opened-toed sandals with a ribbon that snakes up her ankles.

Alice is of average height for a female, if not just a little taller than average. Though her lanky appearance somehow gives off the illusion that she's taller than she actually is.

Her eyes are blood-red and doll-like, not seeming to shine or reflect light at all. Upon closer inspection, one can see black rings that spiral into her pupils in an almost hypnotic effect. Her eyes instill a sense of unease within whomever makes contact with them. Though, Alice seems entirely unaware of the effect she has on others.

Her skin is an almost deathly pale color, though this probably is the result of her being in the shade 24/7. She seems to sway soundlessly in even the slightest of winds, furthering the ghostly appeal of her appearance. She claims, suspiciously, that when she was younger a demon stole the weight of her body and the pigment in her skin. Alice also claims that her eyes are blue, ignoring the protests or obvious proof that suggests otherwise.

Always wearing a peculiar smile, she travels alone with her crimson parasol....

History: Born into poverty, she grew up knowing what lengths humans could go to for survival. Because of this, atrocious acts do not seem to faze her, and she is more accepting of evil than others. This has given her a blunt personality that others might find hard to swallow. She grew up a gutter rat who had to do many unspeakable things, and this has seemingly skewed her perception of the world and of people's intentions.

Through the filth and hardship, she and her family finally crawled their way to a better plane, and were able to settle down in a small village. Even though one would consider such a change in lifestyle to be the ultimate happiness, Alice was discontent with the new 'her.' Troubled by the sudden appearance of voices within her head, she became a violent and disruptive child. Cruel, vindictive, and spiteful, she drove people away and earned the animosity of the villagers in her new home. She eventually got to a point where she would burn other children (thankfully, not to the point of death) using her newly matured adept abilities.

One day, a mysterious wanderer appeared. Laughing off Alice's scorn and hatred.... he placed a curse upon her.

Severing her tie to the world, he broke her link to the Mars element, shattering her state of insanity.

The village hailed him as a worker of miracles, able to cure the burns and injuries of the villagers and rid Alice of her madness. But laughingly, he told the girl that she would one day come to hate him for what he had done. And with that, he vanished from their lives without a single word.

Though the villagers seemed to forgive her for her behavior up until that point-- Blaming it on an illness that made her 'not right in the head'-- Alice was uncomfortable around them. It felt as though she were in a tight skin that no longer belonged to herself. And so, she decided to leave that place a month after the mysterious man had left. She has been traveling alone since then, sometimes sending letters home to her parents. She searches for something that not even she knows the identity of... aimlessly and alone.

- - - - - - -
Alice has an imaginary friend named 'Asparagus,' who she tends to consult when faced with a difficult decision. It's unknown when she started 'speaking' with Asparagus, or if she's believed them to be there for her entire life. But she is known to have acknowledged Asparagus' existence shortly after she was 'cured' by the mysterious man. Because she so openly discusses things with 'it,' people do their best to avoid confrontation with her. She is not bothered by this, and sometimes values Asparagus' opinion more than an actual human's.

If you were to ever stumble across Alice, you would notice her almost immediately. Either rain or shine, or any other matter of weather, she will always be seen with a deep red parasol. It is said that if an establishment refuses to let her bring an open parasol inside, she will resort to arson against the place in question in retribution. It is also said that she will appear suddenly behind a person, without warning, humming a strange and haunting tune. It is said that at that moment, you will lose one of the precious belongings you carry with you. In some places, its believed that if you don't give her an offering the moment you see her, she will steal your soul to paint her parasol an even deeper red. Because of these horrible rumors, her existence has been reduced to something of a campfire-story.

(Unfortunately, she seems entirely unaware of these rumors. Or if she is aware, she simple does not care and doesn't intend to change her behavior. The free stuff might also have something to do with it.)

Also worth noting is despite her age (Which, despite the fact that she refuses to disclose it, should be in her late teens to early twenties.), she still refers to her parents as "Mummy" and "Papa."

Weapons/Items: Her Parasol is made of a special material, and doubles as both a shield and weapon. Since she is unable to utilize her adept powers, she relies almost entirely on brute force when fighting. Fists, kicks, throwing rocks, kicks to the groin, and other such tactics.

Name:Aldric Hraefn (Legatus)
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Adept Type: Mercury
Djinni: None yet
Appearance: Aldric is rather tall, but at the same time slim. His skin has a very pale tone and his iris of his tired eyes have seperate colors, his left eye being natural blue while his right eye being a darker blue. He has shaven off his blue hair, partially to hide his status as a mercury adept. He most often wears heavy, brown robes that keep him warm when walking on the cold mountains of northern Angara.

History: Aldric hails from a poor and insignificant village in the northern parts of Angara near Imil, which was his home until recently when his fellow clansmen discovered 'his true nature.' He became a hunted man, and had to make his living in the cold wilderness, too afraid of showing up in any 'civilized' areas. Whenever he was found he had to run away again, as that one time he chose to fight back instead, the insanity got a good grasp on him, one that there barely was no return from. It was because he knew the men he had just slaughtered. He knew them well enough that it caused great sorrow within that brought him back to his senses. He did not want this, he had had enough of death. And so he wandered on, until the dream that gave him a goal. A goal he was very motivated to reach.

The events that led him to this are a longer story. He was the firstborn son of the clan's head. While an adept, this was never too apparent in him, even immediately after the corrupted Alchemy was unleashed upon the world. Yet he still felt it, for reasons unknown to himself and his relatives. When the Mercury lighthouse was first lit, he had been taken on a hunting trip by his father; a trip that eventually led them near the lighthouse itself, which his father wanted to show him. And as if it wasn't impressive enough by itself - then it actually was lit before his eyes. He was awestruck, yet he could not truly understand the importance of the event back then. Importance of it to the whole Weyard, and even more importantly - on a personal level - to himself.

Though the power down there was nothing like what it would have been on the top, the trace amount of psynergy that reached him was enough to trigger a reaction in his adept blood that would make him 'ascend' to adepthood. He did not immediately gain any kind of superpowers; rather, he started to change. The release of Alchemy that followed soon after served to further accelerate the process. He became delusional. He began to see 'evil' in all things, living or not. For a long time he was just a weak child, so he was easily restrained, but his change came on many layers, not only on mental layer, but also on physical layer. He never exercised much, yet his strength grew, ultimately making him the strongest man in the whole village, despite his slim build. Even more bizarre was his change in appearance, like growing blue hair.

The villagers became afraid, and so his father, who was extremely suspicious towards adepts, made him the leader of a party that was to lynch an adept who was foolish enough to wander alone into their village. Just before it was time to strike, Alrdic had another vision. This vision was one of an adept wreaking havoc in his home. The element of surprise on his side, he did not hesitate to strike the adept down, as he was convinced that if he did not, it would result in the village's destruction. In a heartbeat, he ambushed the adept, and cleaved him open. In his dying breath, he adept made Aldric realize an uncomfortable fact: Aldric was an adept, too. He had grown to become a full-fledged adept at that point, yet he simply had not realized his power.

Aldric got an uncomfortable feeling that he misinterpreted the vision he just had. He realized that it may be himself who will bring doom upon the village. He refused this fate. He wanted to do everything in his power to stop it from happening. So he moved away from the village and built his own cottage on the mountainside. There he spent his time meditating, writing, painting - he would do anything to calm his mind so that he would not fall to insanity. Years passed, and he stopped having delusions. He thought he had overcome the insanity, and so at the age of 24 he finally returned to his home.

In his years of living alone, he had studied a lot. Many villagers roughly his age swarmed around him, wishing to hear his words of wisdom. Among these people was a attractive girl a few years younger than him, who soon became his favorite student. Even though he knew emotions could be his ruin, he could not help it when he fell in love with that girl. And so hell was on loose. He became almost possessive of the girl, and when he learned there was competition, his delusions returned, which made him enact disproportionate vindication upon one of the men who he believed would hurt his favorite. And so his exile began.

Weapons/Items: He carries a large sword on his back, named "the Adeptkiller" after its blade took down an unfortunate adept who wandered into Aldric's village (read the history part.) It is thought to be a magic sword by the common people, but Aldric himself does not believe so. He thinks it is an ordinary sword, and it was pure luck that he was not killed when fighting that adept. After using this blade to murder his own clansmen, he sheathed it for a final time and swore to never draw it again, unless it was for a truly good purpose.

He also carries a quarterstaff, which he now prefers to use if forced to fight. Not willing to kill or even hurt anyone seriously, expect him to hold back a great deal. Even when faced by a serious threat, he will only aim to stun the foe at worst. For these reasons he has dedicated himself towards healing and utility psynergy and has grown rather skilled with them. He is not stupid, however, and has took some time to learn offensive psynergy, just in case he'll need it.

Name: Horus (GreatPhoenix)
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Adept Type: Venus
Djinni: Geode, Obsidian(Sharp cutting attack that clouds the targets vision), Bane, Crystal.
Appearance: He dresses in a black duster with a black leather tricorne hat. Underneath he wears light deerskin pants and a collared white cotton shirt. His sand colored hair is slightly long and can barely be seen from
in front when wearing his hat. He stands just shy of six feet, has a moderate build, and sharp blue eyes.
History: Known in Osenia as The Black Wolf of the Alhafran Shadows a group of marauders, highwaymen, cons, and thieves. One of the group's founders and most respected(within the group) and feared(by others). Oddly enough he comes from a family raised not too far from Garoh(and no he isn't).
Weapons/Items: Caladbolg (Greatsword of incredible sharpness, unleashes Transcendent Slash), Mythril greaves, and mythril vambrace. He also carries a healing ring and antidotes.

Name: Seraphine (GreatPhoenix)
Age: 24
Gender: Female
Adept Type: Mercury
Djinni: Serac, Tide (evade attack and increases defense with an aura) and Tsunami (crushes foe with a blast of water).
Appearance: Although she keeps her blue hair back in a pony tail, her bangs still hang down just enough to lightly cover her eyes. She wears a light blue halter top and skirt with a triangle shawl over her shoulders.
History: An Apojii Island native who has responded to the call for help by gathering a small group of adepts. After seeing a group of people enter Aqua Rock when she was a child she would later explore it herself. This sort of adventurous naure of hers had at one point or another earned her unfavorable opinions with many of the other villagers. Despite the general opinion it excepted without question throughout the island that she is the best cook in the village.
Weapons/Items: Midnight Cinquedea(A pair of daggers, unleashes Dead Silence) and Apollo's Mace (Unleashes Apollo's Fist).


If you do not see your character here and you've sent it in to me, it means that something may have to be changed about it and I simply haven't responded yet. So be patient and give me some time and all things will be taken care of.

OOC: At long last comrades ... we return home. Song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAL8dMLZrTU)


---------


The weather got worse .... and there seemed no end to it.


The sailors fought for their very lives on the Great Eastern Sea as a massive tsunami threatened to end their journey. The wind whipped at them as they struggled to bring the sails to bear with the storm. The Captain of the vessel known as "Cutter's Love" felt that it was now a mistake to attempt a crossing of the Sea at this time but the money the mercenaries promised him had made him attempt the gamble, now he started to see his eagerness to make a tidy profit as a bad decision.


Magnus Shimazu, the leader of the mercenaries known as the Teivel Dogs had all of his warriors and himself aid the sailors to gain control of the ship as the storm tipped and swayed the ship dangerously. He was a towering figure, encased in all black armored and but wore no helm which showed a battle scared face with deep blue eyes and black hair that now ran wet with the torrent of rain.Although not skilled at sea he and his fighters lent their strong arms to the sailor's in tying ropes down and climbing the fore, aft, and main masts, tying ropes, and pitching water. They had left the continent of Indra to find work in the northern continent of Angara, despite the fact that they where a group of adepts.


As the leader of the Teivel Dogs Magnus forbade his warriors from using their powers yet, he didn't wish to test the good captain if he cared they where adepts or not. Ever since adepts had been blamed for the sorry state the world was in he didn't want any undue attention toward his warriors or his family. His reason for heading to Angara was twofold, one was that they needed to find better paying jobs and rumors grew of promising claims up in the north and that was what he told his people and even his wife who was down below decks treating the sick. However he kept the other reason to himself and his son Kushluk, for he as well had experienced the same dream. It was because of the disturbing dreams of the so called Wise One, he had told his son that he planned to send out Kush to find out what the Wise One meant while he found work for his people.


Magnus gripped the rope tighter as he and three of his warriors and two sailors had another massive wave come crashing down on them. He could of sworn that he had lost his footing but he planted his plate boots into the hull and held firm, grabbing one of the sailors who lost his grip with one hand while holding the rope with the other. After helping the sailor up to continue holding the rope all five of them where smacked down again by another wave that seemed twice as strong as the last. Even he stumbled at that one but remarkably they all held the rope and their place, they then glanced up to see a figure climbing the rope's to the top which was his son. Magnus mumbled a promise that he would never go to sea again as the ship started to tip precariously.


At the top of the main mast Kushluk struggled to keep his hold of the rope ladder, despite wave after wave pummeling him and the tipping of the ship he kept his hold and continued to climb until he reached the top. As he finally tied all fours knots for the sails, the sail whipped upward and smacked Kush in the face, sending him off-balance from the force of blow which sent him careening into the crows nest by sheer lick. He put a hand to his head and felt a warm sticky substance and pulled his hand to show himself the blood, he then quickly felt the cut and figured he best not worry about it right now, his mother would give him hell later and his father would just smile saying he earned it.


The young Shimazu leaned over the crows nest and yelled out triumphantly to his father below at his handy work. Even with the howling winds and the whipping rain Kush could clearly see his father's relief and proud smirk, to which Kush saluted and turned to exit the crow's nest .....


Only when he turned Kushluk wished he hadn't.


A massive wave formed before his eyes, growing impossibly larger ever second as it cane for the Cutter's Love port side, the storm's low roar suddenly dulling as the wave prepared to assault the small ship. Kush then roared down to the deck pointing toward the wave hopping the others would see in time.


Down on the deck Magnus too saw the wave and knew that the ship was doomed, he quickly ran across the deck, slipping once as he made his way to the door of the ship that led below decks. As he reached it the door opened from the inside and then tore itself off it's hinges with the force of the wind which collided with Magnus. An experienced warrior Magnus kept his head low and gripped the deck as the makeshift missile slammed into his form, yet Magnus's had guessed right that his armor would protect him as the door splintered and flew off, nonetheless he was slammed to the deck from the blow and stayed there stunned for a moment until he felt someone picking him up. He looked up in time to see his wife's red hair whipping away from her beautiful face.


Eva Shimazu had been a priestess in the art of Mercury psyenergy for healing the sick and injured, until here temple had come under attack from bandits. After losing her sister to them she had become filled with rage and used her psyenergy power to kill most of the attackers while the rest of them where dispatched by the arrival of Teivel Dogs who had happened along. Magnus was smitten the moment he saw the fiery Eva and helped her finish off the thugs. After the assault though the priesthood told Eva she had to leave as she had let her rage harm another human being thus she was tainted in their eyes. Magnus then took her in and cared for her until she came to return his love, to which she gave birth to Kushluk a year later.


Even now Magnus loved Eva as fiercely and passionately as the first time he saw her. He took off his dark gauntlet and ran his rugged hand through his wife luscious red long hair, her lovely face and deep hazel eyes made him forget the immense wave coming down on them until it tipped the ship, sending Eva into his arms. She then looked up to see the en d coming and understood .... she then clung to Magnus with a death grip as the world around them became a torrent of whipping waves and endless black.


As for Kush the tip of the wave slammed down upon sent the crow's nest off the ship and screaming off to the side of the ship. Kush still kept his sense and still clung to the crow's nest as it bopped up and down on the waves. He then heard a creaking sound of wood and looked up to see the massive wave send the Cutter's Love hull directly at him to which he braced himself for the expected hit from the front but instead felt the slamming of the wave come crashing down directly onto his back knocking him unconscious.

OOC:Dang Ishilar you suuureee post a long one. ._.

-------------


Xalin was having a walk along a dirt road. His djinni started jumping on his shoulder. "What the heck are you doing Gaia?" said Xalin. I'm sensing a nearby djinni!" said Gaia excitedly.
Xalin groaned...Gaia suddenly jumped off Xalin's shoulder and bounce around ahead. "WAIT!" yelled Xalin. He took off after his djinni. Then he lost track of Gaia. "Gaia?" whispered Xalin nervously. "RIGHT HERE!" shouted Gaia who were pretty much chilling on Xalin's left shoulder... The shout knocked Xalin out. Xalin fell badly... A boulder was right in front of him. Xalin had smashed his face in. But he was already blacked out so he didn't feels any pain.
"Oops..." said Gaia as he pick up Xalin with its tiny tail. Gaia groaned and jump bit by bit... Gaia found a likely spot where Xalin can recover and be awake. But Xalin was too heavy for Gaia to hold any longer. So, Gaia collapsed with Xalin on top of it. Gaia was also knocked out too...
Three hours passed, a traveler happened to be passing and found them on the ground. He panics and tries to help Xalin. He wasn't aware of Gaia anyway so he happened to not notice it which had just escaped the weight of Xalin and got squashed. Traveler heard the sound and looks down and took off his shoe. There it was. Gaia was flat out, dead on it. But luckily it pops off and recover. Gaia was angry at the traveler and tries to beats him up.
Little did it realize he was only hope for Xalin and actually lifted him up and... knee-smash him. The traveler was alright, but his knee was slightly cracked. Gaia remembered about Xalin and asks the traveler to help him out. Traveler agreed in exchange that it is to not cross with him AGAIN! Gaia flat out happily agreed...
Xalin recovered and stood up. The traveler asked him for some money. Xalin grumbled and hand some of his travel golds to him. And he left the site happily. Xalin sighed and picked up Gaia and places it on his shoulder. They left the site opposite way the traveler left. Little they realized Gaia had sensed a djinni. They were already ten miles away from the site... They sighed and walks all way back. Eventually Xalin collapsed and went to sleep in middle of the dirt road.

“Whad a babe! Hey zzugar, you loogs lige one of them dancers. Whaay not give ME a dance, presshous?”

Such words are usually carried by a drunken voice, from a drunken man, and accompanied by a drunken laughter. In this case, however, while all those above mentioned might exist, the voice seems to be carried by, originated, and accompanied simultaneously by one thing: The overwhelming smell of cheap booze, piss, and vomit. And all those things have to stand in hopeless awe before the sheer disgust caused by the sight of such drunken man. Maybe because he spits concentrated alcohol with every sound he manages to make. Maybe because each of his tits must weigh more than his brain mass, or even a normal person’s. Maybe because he alone is the source of all those factors, especially the smells. Nevertheless, the reason itself is not of importance. What is of importance is using that information to understand why not a single one of his companions, his brethren and close friends, stands beside him in this bellow. The answer is that they cannot, for tonight this man has become repulsive to such a length that no amount of beverage would keep anyone willingly in his near-presence.

What chance does this woman, this delicate and beautiful woman, has? Little, so she must face away and walk away. Mina Balqis, who wants nothing to do with this filthy man, who fears him and his scum, must get away from this place. How did she get here? That hardly matters and it was merely a thing of chance, that in her wandering she happened to pass through this dark street full of cheap bars and piss-painted pubs. What does matter is that she absolutely must get away.

“Heeey! You loogit’me when I’m tolging to ya! You damn loogit’me!”

But she cannot loogit’im. She cannot, for if she does she is sure this whole affair will only get worse. Still, this blob insists on nauseating people, it’s his right, his duty and calling. It’s his goddamned pleasure, and even better if he thinks it can get him some love-action. In this case, ignorance is a gift as it allows this man-fluids to keep on living unaware of the true nature of the life he lives. If it wasn’t for ignorance, who knows what kind of madness would take over his mind?

No, it is better this way.

“HEEEEY! LOOGAT’ME, YOU BIIITSSH! I’LL FUGGIN’ GILL YOOOU!”

The blob got closer, Mina could tell. Somehow, the stench got stronger, the sound of tits slapping against each other became continuous. He was walking, however unlikely that seemed. From the sound of his steps, he would probably be too heavy for human legs, and no matter how much the woman looks for a logical (or perhaps even an illogical) explanation, she cannot. Maybe not because this fact is so incredibly unexplainable, it might not be. She cannot find an explanation simply because she doesn’t have the time to. He is right behind her and she might be in danger.

And so she loogs at ’im.

Mina turns around and loogs at him for the sake of caution, of self-preservation. She loogs at him so he won’t have the chance to touch her, so his smell won’t pass on to her. But when she loogs at him, he s already heaving towards her, open arms ready to seize her and then do god knows what. Mina Balqis screams and lowers her head, trying to defend herself with her arms by reflex.

And her scream, my friends, is why what happened next happened. And it all happened in mere three seconds.

First, from the back of the woman shot out two dark lines, that dug instantly into the earth and there stood rigidly, serving as supports, for they would need much strength and a firm stance next. And following this, two other dark lines darted towards the giant blob. He was, we can see now, seven feet tall and probably almost as wide. He was (God help us all!) shirtless and his brown pants were actually dark with booze and fluids, and also some things not fluid but that smelled twice as bad. But all this would not stop the dark lines, her dark chains to reach his head, so grab and tighten around his neck and forehead.

One.

“Gggkkh… rrwt… ighs dhiirs…” What is this? The words are not at all intelligible, but we make do, merely out of pity. For what are we, if we do not have the decency to hear the words of a dying man? And not all of this difficulty in understanding him is fault of his habits. The black chain that bind his throat is strong, but is the one holding (crushing) his forehead that concerns him the most. His face is red with warm blood. His arms are shaking, only because in his despair he cannot control whatever motion he thinks they are supposed to do. He loogs at Mina, He tries to scream.

Two.

His scream has no sound. And to tell the truth, this single instant is perceived by all nature present (there are no human witnesses, the man here did not wish to see a fat giant rape a young beauty such as this and have long turned away), this single instant is silent. The only thing to break this rule, the only sound to dare and break this most sacred and inviolable dogma is that humble noise that comes when the man’s neck is violently snapped.

And then, there is silence.

…

…

…

Three.

-----

She has learned to cope with it. Yes, she could have held it back if she really wanted to. She could… But she has learned to cope with her curse, to understand its wishes and to stand its consequences. It desired that man’s life, for he would do harm to her. And her chains… her curse…

They would never allow any harm to reach her.

=====

“I must speak with Iodem.” The alluring, sweet voice of this lady charmed Orven deeply.

Once a bodyguard for a merchant of Kalay, Orven’s life took a violent turn when he became no less than a Colosso victor. After what was certainly the greatest day o his life, he was asked to join the great army of Tolbi, to serve along some of the greatest warriors that could still breathe. He somehow felt it all led to this moment, standing before the most beautiful woman he ever had the honor to see, and this mere sight was to him worth all those steps he took until this day. It devastated him to know that he must send her away.

Thank the gods she insisted.

“Milady, I cannot grant you authorization to enter the palace. I beg that you understand.” It was barely noticeable that he would push his jaw a little forward to improve his already irrefutably manly features. It also hit him that a woman with such a beautiful face, such fine body, and such wondrous clothes would never truly lay her eyes upon a mere soldier like him, she was certainly from a noble background. Then he became concerned that someone with skin so beautifully pale would look down upon such a sunburned man as himself. His voice was powerful and imposing, but inside he wept.

“Please, this is of utter importance. He will want to see me.” She said, and he believed her.

Sadly, however, he had not the power to grant her entrance. He was torn between duty and love. And upon noticing this, that he would falter and soon make a mistake, he turned to his companion a fellow soldier of Tolbi, even greener than him, standing also on guard duty.

“I think the lady is telling the truth. Go fetch Garth.” Orven imposed and the man obliged, merely nodding to her before entering the palace. He was probably frightened to be in her presence much more than Orven himself. But I’m not frightened, he tought, I couldn’t be any calmer, any more relaxed. I’m just happy to be here now, to be in her presence…

Sadly, that did not last long. It might have been seconds, minutes or hours of wait, though it was probably the first, but it nevertheless seemed to have come to fast when the younger soldier brought forth the man named Garth, who was the officer-in-charge when it came to guard duty, and that told a lot about how much they trusted him on the frontlines. He was clad in heavy red steel armor, what probably helped him seem higher than his five feet and four inches. And right now, he was also completely and incredibly shocked.

“M-m-m-m-milady Balqis! Y-y-y-y-you are al-alive!” Officer Garth was hardly impressed by stuff and only stuttered when his he deemed the situation so impressive that stuttering was mandatory. Clearly, the sight of Mina Balqis caught him, at the last, off-guard.
“Garth!” Mina leaped forward and crossed her arms around the little man’s head, who was completely surprised to have his head so kindly pressed against a soft surface. The stuttering went worse.
“M-m-m-m-m-milady! T-t-th-th-this is n-nooot appropriate! Y-you must ho-h-hold yoourself b-back!”

After having finished embarrassing, him Mina backed away, half-giggling and half-embarrassed herself. She tried to hide her laughter the best she could.

“It’s good to see you.” She said with her smile still very much wide. He only took a deep breath. “It’s been so long!”
“Yes, it’s been a while. It’s been FIVE YEARS!” He now barked with the most anger he could manage, which was still the littlest he ever let out at once. “Where were you? Weal thought you were dead!”
“Yes, and I… I can explain some of it. But first I must speak with Iodem, please...”

Anything for you, Mina…

-----

The throne room was still very much the same, Mina could tell. It had been the same for almost fifteen years, for the man who now sat on the throne had not the courage to change what once belonged to the greatest man he ever knew, Lord Babi, ruler of Tolbi. For he was not it’s ruler, merely its regent. To Iodem, he was only there to take care of Babi’s city for him, stupid as it seemed. Somehow, it all made more or less sense to him.

“By Babi, Mina!” The man before her got quickly to his feet and walked towards her. It only took him a second to cross all the distance of the room from throne to entrance, and he then held her in a close embrace. “I thought.. I thought you were dead! When the soldiers reached Champa, the city was in ruins. You were nowhere to be found… I thought you were… I thought…”

Iodem sighed and sobbed. He did not cry, but he might have never gotten so close to doing so ever since Babi’s death. Or maybe, ever since her death.

“Mina! Where were you all these years? Why haven’t you returned? Why didn’t you send word?”
“Iodem, I… I…” Mina was, believe me, happy to see him. She was happy to finally be there again, among people who would let no harm come to her. But… she knew it could not remain like that for much time. “I can’t say. Not yet… So much has happened…”

Her voice was heavy, her tone was filled with sorrow. It broke his heart, yet again, to see her like this. To hear her voice in whatever way that did not accuse joy and life. It was the same as killing him. He tried to shrug this away, to bring life back to her even if it meant leaving him with no answers. Forever, if needed be.

“That doesn’t matter anymore,” he said, taking her now at arm’s length by the shoulders and looking at her straight in the eyes. “now you are here with us, and all shall be well.”

All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well…

Mina closed her eyes, because she knew that looking straight at his would be unbearable. And she couldn’t even tell him otherwise, tell him no.

She only shook her head.

~~~~~

OOC: Tell me if you recognize The Talisman reference.

PS: Thanks for remembering Enzo for the last RP cameos, Ishilar. Oh wait! You didn't D=

After spending his third day walking up and down the shore line Kushluk finally let his anger and frustration get the better of him. He started kicking the beach sand, swearing and cursing until finally breaking down and collapsing to his knees with his arms hung limply at his side. He barely sounded like his usual confident self as his voice muttered shakily "They're fine ... probably just got cast further down the coast ... they have to be okay." The young Shimazu then forced himself up and let his gaze go out to the full expanse of the Great Eastern Sea that almost killed him.


How he came to survive the fierce typhoon was beyond him, after the massive wave came down on him he awoke to see the stars over head and felt sand beneath him. After checking himself over for injuries and finding only a few bruises he let his ragged clothes dry while he made a shelter with Haldor's help. For two nights he walked the shoreline hoping to see any sign of wreckage, survivors or even bodies but to no avail.


After the sun reached it's height in the clear sky Kushluk then decided his father and mother wouldn't want him to mop and stand there on a beach for too long waiting for them. Thus he called Haldor from the spiritual realm to have some company, the bear's shadowy mist soon formed into it's "Well Hal, we gotta move on, Im sure my folks are okay. Hell if I survived then I know they have, we'll just have to meet them just meet them down the road somewhere."


As he turned toward his makeshift shelter Kush was all of the suddenly consumed by a bright light that overcame him. As he looked around he saw that Haldor was still at his side and growling uncomfortably as the sand beneath their feet was all white as well, yet Kush felt that there was still a surface but everything around him was white without end .... and then there was dull hum sound behind him which made Haldor and Kush turn with their weapons drawn.


But all their was was a floating bull disc with a golden tree. Curious, Kushluk approached the disc and attempted to grab it, only then the disc seemed to shine even brighter than the white around them making both of them shield their eyes. After the brightness dimmed they looked around to see that they had somehow been taken from the beach to a dense forest, and in the distance was a tall slim structure. After a moment Kushluk realized what just happened, and he turned to Haldor "Well Hal, looks like we just somehow got teleported to the forest around the Venus Lighthouse. Well let's go see if anyone's home shall we?" The SHimazu and his thundering companion then made their way through the forest toward the lighthouse unsure of what to expect.

Gale sprawled out on his back, his limbs outstretched on the grayish wet sand. He was panting heavily, face drenched in sweat and sea spray.

“Three… *pant*… Freakin’… *pant*… Days! I…*pant*… Can’t…*pant* … believe…*pant*…It…*pant*… took…*pant*… so long…” He whispered hoarsely between breaths to no one in particular.

Body and psynergy completely spent, Gale just laid on that beach, a piece of driftwood staring up into the malevolent sky. It’s volatile flow, the mixing of red and purple hues seemed almost hypnotic, lulling Gale away from his heaving breaths and immovable body. Yes… so pretty…
--------------


”OUCH!”



Gale shot up, grabbing his now aching ear. He looked to the side to see a small crab scuttle off, sidestepping away until it found a patch of sand suitable to bury itself in. A few puffs of dirt later, and the tiny crustacean disappeared, leaving only a red mark of throbbing pain. Gale shook himself out of his stupor, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with his hands. He looked around, trying to understand his surroundings. He was on a small outstretch of sand butting up to a large cliff. Gale couldn’t see anything on or over the cliff, making it the limit of his current world. The other side was the churning grey waters of the Eastern Sea, the place he had just been walking over for Three. Freakin’. Days. Gale gracelessly stood up, supporting most of his weight on the pole of his Halberd which and remained firmly by his side as he slept. Once up, he began patting the sand off of his clothes, now dry. He must have been out for many hours for the stuff to have dried like that; strange the tide hadn’t come back in…

Gale shrugged to himself, uninterested in the reasoning behind the late tides or the dry sand or the irritating crabs. He was simply glad he was standing on land, not using psynergy constantly, and (relatively) dry for the first time in Three. Freakin’. Days.

“Ugh, I’m starving.” Gale muttered out loud. He was still getting used to the sound of his own voice, something he hadn’t had in use for in nearly two decades. It was a strangely comforting sensation to hear ones one words ringing in both your ears and your head, especially on this lonely beach. Gale took two steps towards the cliff then jumped, blasting the dry sand beneath his feet in every direction. The air pushed him up and up, finally overcoming the cliff edge where Gale touched down gently. In the distance, Gale could barely make out a structure, tall and glowing blue.

“Heh, looks like a lighthouse to me. And where there’s a lighthouse, they’re people with food.” Gale cheered to himself, walking briskly towards the glow.

OOC: Length does not make a post better, Rex. In fact, I for one at least try to make a post as short as possible. For me, post length is an inconvenience caused by having too much to tell.

IC:

'My feet feel so heavy, yet I must go on. I cannot yield now.'

'I don't feel life is worthy of my ideals, but I can at least try to make it better for the rest. Should I? Without doubt. It is right, and the least I can do. But should I strive for even more? Perhaps with Alchemy I can purge all evil for once and for all... To end the nightmare for all eternity...'

'But would it be right or just selfish? I can't make that choice for everyone else, can I? It would be taking away their freedom, and freedom is sacred...'

...

Aldric pondered his philosophy as he approached the Mercury Lighthouse. His robe was all soaked around the legs from walking in that knee-deep snow. He no longer felt anything in his feet, which probably would have fallen to necrosis now had he not been healing them constantly.

He was tired and relieved when he finally saw a familiar-looking village ahead. It was not his home village, but another place he had visited several times. Imil. The word of his misdeeds had reached Imil, so it would mean certain trouble if he just walked there as he was. But he knew that if he desired to reach the lighthouse alive, he'd have to stop there to resupply and warm himself.

He took out his trusty fake beard, which had never failed him before. Aldric looked much older than he was, after all, so he was pretty believable when playing the 'old hermit' role. Confident in his acting skills, he plowed his way through the snow to the village and collapsed on the doorstep of the first house.

*thud*

A young woman opened the door to see what just crashed into their door, and was shocked to find Aldric in that condition, lying there, looking nearly lifeless. He was carried inside on a bed shortly afterward. Acts of kindness had become increasingly rare in the post-Alchemy world while cynicism was on the rise, but abandoning a weak, old man in the snow was still beyond many. Aldric was very aware that taking advantage of people may not be right even by his own standards, but he had to do it or fail in his goal. With no money in his pockets, he could only beg for aid.

While he did not look like it to remain believable, Aldric actually felt comfortable; first time in a long while. Being warmed near a fireplace and being cared for by someone felt like heaven to him after what he had gone through. He almost started laughing of joy, but he had to restrain it to keep his cover. This was helped by the medicine he was offered, which tasted terrible, making him feel a bit less than ecstatic. He coughed it up and on the floor. The girl who gave it scolded Aldric for wasting their valuable medicine and nearly forced it down his throat the next time.

"Ugh... I can't... *cough* take this!" Aldric protested, his mood now very changed, though still trying to sound old.

"But you must! We can't let you die, now, can we?" The girl said as she poured the medicine in Aldric's mouth. "There. It wasn't so horrible now, was it?"

Aldric remained silent and tried to get some sleep.

"Yes, rest now. You'll start feeling better. I'll be here if you need me."

...

'Perhaps this was a bad idea... Perhaps I should have died... That medicine was just... ugh...'

'If my body and clothes weren't frozen, I could have just healed myself with my power...'

'But I couldn't help myself... I am going to need some help if I am to complete my quest.'

...

His thoughts fading away, Aldric fell into deep sleep.