Neko

Wonderful, wonderful! So far we've got four people officially in as vampires, with a potential fifth, so vampire sign-ups are now closed, unless someone PM's me with an exceptional character. WE NEED MORE HUMANS! It may seem like a boring job, compared to an angel or vampire, but I promise humans will have just as interesting a role in the story as anyone, maybe even better at some points! On another note, I'd just like to thank everyone who signed up as an angel, in particular. You can't really hold a war between two enemies if everyone is on one side, can you? So, let's just get one or two more (three, four?) angels and humans, and we can get this story on the road! -Wave

[size=2]You're all fine, except Dante (sorry, but put a bio in and you'll be good to go) [b]Name:[/b] Viktor Silvermoon [b]Age:[/b] 21 (5250) [b]Race:[/b] Vampire [b]Bio:[/b] Viktor is a stereotypical vampire, tall, slender, hauntingly handsome, and mysterious, and has become one of the more powerful vampires over time. He has mastered the dark arts of black magic, and has even created customized spells to fit his personal liking. Instead of the ritualistic drinking of a human's blood, he much prefers to use his charm to attract the unwary (especially females between the age of sixteen and nineteen), then bite them, turning them into his servants. His palace, [i]le Château du Fichu[/i] (the Castle of the Damned, for those who don't speak French), is very old, and at any one time has between two hundred and three hundred possessed humans residing in it, eager to do as Viktor wishes. Victor's hobby lately has been to 'collect' humans by possessing them. His collection is quite impressive, and now includes members from all major ethnicities, most minor ethnicities, and both genders of several racial backgrounds. He even has in his possession a male werewolf which he affectionately considers his 'pet'. However, as much as he tries to divert his attention, he never forgets a time from many years ago. There had been a war between angels and vampires long ago, that had carried on between the years 500 B.C. and 22 A.D. For some reason only known to them, the angels would not give the vampires domination over the human realm, and there had been many a bloody battle between them, all without the humans ever realizing what was going on. Viktor had only been a relatively young vampire back then, and had come very close to losing his own life to an angel who had thrown a vial of purified water at him in the middle of a busy town. The only reason he wasn't slain was that a young human girl got in the way, and the vial broke over her instead of him. Out of gratitude, he took her under his care until she had healed completely. (The angel, having failed to kill Viktor, had fled instantly) Viktor admires angels for their grace and agility. He even dreams of one day turning an angel, so he may have an angel among his servants. This is a feat that has yet to be accomplished by any vampire in the course of history, owing to the fact that the average vampire is severly burned upon touching an angel's skin. Even so, Viktor is fairly confident that he shall eventually fulfill his goal. That's my sign-up, and that's all for updates, aside from a reminder to Dante that I know [i]exactly[/i] where he lives, should he choose not to modify his Bio. (sorry, Dante, but I just [i]had[/i] to say that)[/size]

12:14, Full moon cycle A youthful girl, late in her nineteenth year, perhaps, walked slowly down the sidewalk. A pale figure hid in the shadows, waiting for her. Just at the exact moment that he decided would produce the effect he wanted, he stepped out of the shadows nonchalantly. Mystery, fear, and curiosity, all, were the emotions he was looking for in the girl, and he was rewarded by the expression on her face that told him he had achieved that precise feeling of presence. His black suit seemed to shimmer slightly in the glorious moonlight as he approached her. She recoiled for a moment at this mysterious figure, seemingly no later on in years than his early-twenties, this charismatic face, pale in the moonlight. Yet she was inexorably drawn to him, as if by an unseen force of human emotion. He grinned lightly as he approached her, his gaze piercing her like the burning rays of a million suns. "Do not be alarmed," he said in a deep, echoing voice that seemed like the voice of a golden angel. "I do not wish to harm you." He held out his hand, lifting the girl's head up to look into her green eyes. She looked up into the eyes of a dreamed man and blushed, overtaken by emotions. The man laughed lightly, exposing his teeth, and the girl lept out of his hands. She pointed an accusing finger at him. "You...you're a vampire!" she squealed, horrified. He merely gazed at her and nodded sorrowfully. The girl was off at a moment's notice, dashing blindly through the night to escape the creature that had come so very close to making her his. As she looked back, she saw him, just standing there, waiting...waiting for something... He looked down sternly, furious with himself. Humans are quite irrational around the likes of me, he thought. He stepped back, melting into the shadows. With the aid of some black magic, he moved by way of shadows, becoming a mere shadow, covering ground faster than the most agile mare. In mere seconds, he had caught up with her. The girl looked back again, only to find that the creature was no longer there on the sidewalk. She breathed a sigh of relief. Then, a faint, ghostly wind over took her, and she ran straight into the monster, who had magically appeared in front of her. She was knocked onto her back from the impact of hitting him. "I meant it, you know...what I said about not wishing to harm you...But instead you ran. Now, I'm afraid I shall have to relieve you of your mortality." He came down of her gently, yet firmly, and held her head back. "I promise you, I shall make this as painless as possible." And his fangs slowly penetrated her warm flesh. There was no pain, as she would have expected, but it felt more like...more like a fading feeling. Over the course of a few minutes during which she was restrained there, she simply felt as though she was slipping away, slipping...into the afterlife. At last, he was finished. He rose slowly, wiping his mouth with a handkerchief from his left pocket. He looked down regretfully at the girl, drained now of her essence. Pity, he thought to himself. She would've made the loveliest little vampire... A bright, impossibly white feather blew by. Curious, he reached for it. He grasped the feather lightly in his slender hands. The feather smouldered, the fluffy edges blackening. He cursed loudly as he cast away the feather. He glared down at his hand, where was now imprinted, in his lightly burned skin, the image of a feather. "That was no mere feather..." he whispered, awstruck, "That was a feather shed from an angel...could it be?" The same night, 4:27 "So it's true then," Count Viktor Silvermoon muttered to nobody in particular, sitting down on his overlarge bed, examining the feather imprint on his palm. "The Angels have returned...I shall have to inform the others immediately. The bloodline will combat this new threat!" I thought up this story while taking the "which anime vampire are you?" quiz. The basic storyline is that there is soon to be a war fought between Angels and Vampires, a war that must be fought without the humans realizing it. (inevitably, humans [i]do[/i] get involved, or there would be no reason to have human as a possible race selection. The story takes place in 2005. Here are the sign-ups: [b]Name:[/b] [b]Age:[/b] (put apparent age as well, if you are angel or vampire) [b]Race:[/b] (vampire, angel, human, half-breeds allowed, but not recommended) [b]Bio:[/b] (you know the drill) I'll post my sign-up after the first person to join.

Fire. It burned all around him. It burned in his mind. Even now, Jessie tossed in his subconsciousness. Flames lanced across his existance, blackening his flesh. Demons danced around him as he burned. He felt the heat. It was so real...he writhed in pain. His senses blurred for a moment as a thought intruded on him: And I...and I play with this all the time...? Yes, that was it. Fire had been his life. Now it was his death. Fate has a sick, twisted sense of humor. Somewhere very far off, he heard a dull thud, beating over and over again. The demons around him began to chant and, he saw as he opened his eyes in terror, a greater being emerged from the mad blaze. A large red figure stepped forward, brief flames flaring from it's nostrils as it breathed. It held up a clawed hand, and the imps halted in their chanting. It stepped forward to him, and as it did so, the inferno raging all around bent toward it, like the creature was some kind of fire magnet. The faint thudding ceased. It's body towered above Jessie's, and as he looked up, he saw great red eyes glaring down at him with the intensity of a million suns. When he looked into those eyes, the crazed fire didn't burn him so badly...he had to look at the creature to avoid being incinerated. As he gazed thoughtlessly into it's eyes, he breathed heavily. "...Mas...ter...?" Master...you have done something wonderful. Thank you for giving me the gift of death. Now I may truly be greater, now I may ascend to power...among your people... his mind droned on, worshipping the great devil, lord of the damned, lord of fire. The great god of Hell laughed harshly at him, and roared in demonic tongue: It is not your time. Begone! And out of it's mouth poured a massive stream of molten lava, flowing over all Jessie's body. "NOOOOOOOOO!!!" Jessie screamed, his eyes snapping open as he awoke. He threw a body off of him. Matt crashed into one of the rotted tables adorning the main room of the bar. Jessie looked down at himself. The fire hadn't even touched him. "A dream...it was all...just a dream..." he whispered to himself. "Ugh, what the hell was that for, man?!" Matt muttered irately as he got up from the table, rubbing his head from the crash. "Matt...? What...what happened?" Jessie asked, holding his head in his hands. Out of the corner of one of his eyes, he saw Hazel standing off to one side of the room. "Well, that little sqaure cut trick of yours worked, and then Hazel had me crawl in to get you. The fire made a sort of circle around you, like it didn't want to touch you or something. Then, when I dragged you out, the flames just sorta...died, you know? It was really wierd. How'd you start that fire, anyways?" "Ummm...Not with this little zippo lighter...?" Jessie replied, holding up his zippo. At that moment, another group of kids walked into the bar through the door he hadn't been able to get through. Jessie made a wide, beckoning gesture to all of them as they walked in, and addressed them sarcastically. "Welcome to our little hellhole of a bar! May I take your order?!"

Jessie heard something in between the snapping, burning, killing fire. He pressed his ear against the door. "Maybe I could try to kick the door down!" came a voice. It's that Matt kid! Jessie realized. They must've found me! He quickly backed away from the door, just in case Matt was strong enough to kick in the door. He heard a dull thud, and the door jiggled a bit, but it didn't fall down. He also heard the subsequential "OW!" coming from the other side of the door. "Good luck kicking this thing down, guys...I've already tried ramming it a bunch!" he shouted above the roar of the flames. Keep it together...he thought, Materials! What do we have available to use? He started frantically searching through his trenchcoat pockets. A half-dozen empty 'cig cases...damn, I need to find a 'cig store if I get through this...My zippo...yeah, I don't really think that could be of any use right now...My CD player...I wonder how the batteries are doing...A folded up picture...whoa! How'd that get there?! "Hey, Matt! Is that Hazel girl with you?!" Jessie shouted. "Yeah!" came the response. "Okay, Hazel! Were you serious about what you said about that metal fan of yours? About slicing stuff up with it?" A crazy plan, Jessie knew. But there, his entire life had been one giant stream of crazy ideas, so why not? "Yeah, but I don't think I could actually cut through a door with it..." Hazel said from outside. "That's okay, Hazel! I just need you to get into the wood a bit. Make a box about...ummm...about one-and-a-half feet by three feet." He hoped it would be enough. "try to get in about two inches or so!" There was a distinguished sound of wood getting carved up from the outside. He'd have to give her some time to get it done. But how much time to I have to give? The flames crept slowly up the floor towards him. To make matters worse, he was running out of breathable air. The smoke filled the room, and Jessie started coughing, unable to breathe through the thick, acrid smog. "Okay, what should we do now?" came a voice from outside. "Just *cough* try kicking that *cough* spot again, Matt!" "I'm on it!" Maybe it would work...maybe a few inches would make the door just weak enough. Maybe...maybe... Jessie's eyes closed, and he collapsed onto the floor, coughing. :faint:

[SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkRed]Jessie decided to check out the place. Even if he couldn't find an exit, he was sure to stumble across some...[I]stuff[/I] while searching. Of course, being a straight and rational thinker, he made a straight, rational line to the storage room. [B]"Woah!"[/B] he said, surprised, as he looked at the dates of some of the liquor. [B]"Some of this stuff's over a hundred years old!"[/B] [I]Just a sip,[/I] he told himself, [I]it could be poisoned or something...[/I] Lucky thing Jessie took really big 'sips'. [B]"Hey, this stuff's pretty good! Kinda salty...thst's odd, and a little thick, but it's pretty good!"[/B] He muttered. [B]"I wonder what brand this is...I might recognize it..."[/B] Checking the label under the light of his zippo, his eyes narrowed as he realized what he had just finished. [B]"What the...human blood?! What the hell!"[/B] He tossed the glass, which smashed against the wall with a red splash. He bent over and hurled. [B]"What the hell kind of bar [I]is[/I] this...?"[/B] he muttered weakly, wiping the slimy vomit off his mouth. He reached for the doorknob, but it was jammed. He took a few steps back, then threw himself against the door, but it didn't budge an inch. There was absolutely no way to get out. [B]"Great..."[/B] he mumbled, sliding to the floor. It was blacker than night out, so he fumbled around for his lighter. He flicked it open, watching it flare. [B]"At least I've got [I]you[/I]..." [/b]he whispered in a melancholy tone. A breath of wind blew through his hair. [I]What?! There aren't any windows in here![/I] he thought. [I]Hey..windows...that's it! That's how we'll get out![/I] He didn't even notice himself fall asleep. All he knew was that as his eyes snapped open, it was bright. Too bright. He picked himself up and realized why he smelled smoke. His lighter lay there, amidst the blaze that it had started while he had passed out. He picked it up carefully, so as not to get burned. [I]How could you betray me?![/I] he silently asked his only real care in life, the little zippo. He returned his attention to the blaze. He couldn't douse it waith anything in the room; all the alcoholic beverages would just light up, making it worse. He began to frantically hammer on the door, screaming. [B]"Hey! Anyone! Get me the hell out of here!"[/B] he shouted. He turned to rest his head on the door, watching the burning sea. [B]"So, this is it, then? Killed off by my own flame? How ironic..."[/B] Extremely ironic. He laughed maniacally at it.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

Holy crap! Limit of two or three posts per day?! Jesus, I'll be surprised if I can pull off one post a day! I didn't realize things were gonna go so fast 0.o Well, I guess I'll manage it somehow... Thanks [b]once again[/b] for letting me into this story late, by the way! Oh, and how [i]do[/i] you do that HTML table thingy? I can come up with a background, but I'd like to know how you do that sort of thing... Thanks! -Wave

[size=1][COLOR=DarkRed]Jessie glanced around for a moment, making sure no-one was watching. Slowly, he took out his lighter, flipped it open. The flame danced to life in an instant. He had had his little zippo for a while now, and had long since mastered all those quaint little tricks you can do, lighting them on your pants, as you open them, upside down, whatever. For a moment, he just stared at the flame. [i]Fire dances so beautifully...[/i] Then he lit up a cigarrette from his pack. He only smoked it briefly, and after about a minute, he tossed it into the trash can. The can set ablaze within a few seconds. He watched the garbage crinkle and smoulder, then start ablaze. Laughing slightly, he turned around to leave the school, flipping the fire alarm on the way. By the time he had got to the front of the school and picked up his skateboard, there were already other kids running around out of the school. Seeing him, one of the girls ran up to him and asked somewhat comically, [B]"Did you pull an inferno again?!"[/B] Jessie shrugged comically, hopped onto hisboard, and kickflipped the entire staircase. As he sped down the sidewalk, he reached for his CD player and flipped on [U]Breaking the Habit[/U]. He flipped open his 'cig case. [B]"Shit!"[/B] he shouted, seeing that it was empty. He veered off the sidewalk into oncoming traffic, dodged between a few cars, and finally jumped back onto the curb on the opposite side of the road, right in front of the cigarrette shop (Lowest legal price!). He kicked up his skateboard, caught it, and reached for the door handle. [CENTER]-Flash-[/CENTER] [B]"Damnit!"[/B] he shouted, before crashing into something hard, blacking out. He woke up, and tried to get up. he couldn't. Suddenly he realized that his arm was caught under s familiar looking girl's leg. Also, he realized ironically, his right leg was twisted somewhat inconveniently through one of the stools. He would now correct his unfortunate position, he decided. [B]GET THE HELL OFF MY ARM!"[/B] he shouted. The girl jumped up in response with a slight yelp. Jessie then used both of his free arms to yank his leg out from under the stool. He stood up awkwardly, flicking a cigarrette butt out of his hair. [i]Well, there are cigs here, at least...where am I?[/i] he wondered. Then he noticed that there was also another boy in the room. [i]So, there's me, this girl, and that guy over there, huh?[/i] [B]"Okay, what the fuck is going on here?!"[/B] he demanded, glaring at the two. [B]"I dunno..."[/B] the girl replied uncertainly. [B]"Search me,"[/B] the boy added, shrugging. [B]"Well, has anyone here at least got a cig I could borrow?"[/B] Jessie asked, irritated. The boy picked a half-smoked cigarrette off an extremely dusty table and held it out like a fish that had recently gone belly-up. [B]"This good?"[/B] [B]"Just, never mind,"[/B] Jessie muttered, rubbing his forehead.[/COLOR][/size]

[size=1]-I guess I was a bit late, but I saw this yesterday and I wanted to join...So thanks for letting me in after starting the story, Ouka! [b]Name:[/b] Jessie Lexington [b]Age:[/b] 15 [b]Gender:[/b] Male [b]Items:[/b] A Zippo lighter with an engraved japanese character, and a CD-Player with a [U]Linkin Park: Meteora[/U] CD in it. [b]Bio:[/b] Jessie was born into a stereotypically rich family (complete with a big mansion, huge bed, 72 butlers and [I]five[/I] types of dinner forks), and his parents took very good care of him. They even sent him to a public school on his request, even though they wanted to see him go to one of those preppy private schools. Even though he was wildly popular due to his tendancy of getting into entertainingly serious fights with the teachers (not to mention his habit of beating the hell out of anyone that didn't like him), he was made fun of because he had a 'girl's' name. This eventually built up on his mind until one night, in a fit, he took 14 bottles of kerosene to his bedroom and lit it up with his favorite lighter (it was well known that he smoked even though he was under-age). He burned down the entire mansion. He became obsessed with fire. He made it his goal to watch something burn every night. Of course he still went to school, but that was just so he could hang around the girls. He didn't even bother with classes, but whenever the teachers tried to send a letter to his parents, he'd just rip up the notice, because he'd had his parents cremated, and with the massive storage of money he had 'inherited' from his parents, he'd had a company do that trick where they turn a person's ashes into a diamond. He wore that diamond necklace everywhere. As a pyromaniac, he couldn't resist the temptation. He finally started burning buildings, although the town firefighters always managed to douse the inferno before the buildings would collapse. That's what everyone begane to call him: inferno. He'd already made it perfectly clear that he didn't like being called 'Jessie', so this new moniker just came natural. Next, he took up skateboarding. He quickly mastered the art of the 'kickflip', and after a numerous number of scratches and bruises, got down the 'impossible' as well. Even though he got good, he never tried to get better, he just kept his skateboard (Element, if you must know) so he could get around faster. Pyromania took over his life again. He knew he coulddn't target anything large, or he'd get in legal trouble. Even so, he lit up a car, a trash can, a molotov cocktail, and, subsequentially, the 'old lady''s pet cat. Then, one day as he was on his way to the cigarrette store, there was a brilliant flash as he was taken to 'the town'. [b]Description:[/b] He stands about 5' 11'', and when he gets teleported to 'the town', he's wearing really torn-up jeans, a red t-shirt that says 'don't play stupid with me, I'm better at it',and over it, his favorite black leather trenchcoat (lighter in left front pocket, CD player in right front inside pocket), and of course, the diamond necklace that is his parents. His hair is a shiny black, but at the ends of the strands his hair turns into a sort of blue-ish color. His Eyes are deep purple. I'll draw him, and eventually just post his actual appearance. If that's in any way unsatisfactory, just let me know![/size]

I gave it a shot, but this is just the basic layout of the avitar. I could do some neat things with it if you'de like, as well. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v224/Cursed_Vortex/Yunsung1.jpg[/IMG] How's that? Source: [url]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v224/Cursed_Vortex/Yunsung1.jpg[/url]

Adding on to what Yunsung just said, Sora, I already PMed you about this (I think), but since your character is a Viera, that automatically makes her a female. On a lesser note, Lrb, 'dual samurai longswords' is not a valid weapon in the Final Fantasy Tactic Advanced world, and your S-Ability slot will have to be 'double sword' now because you are using two swords. As for the actual weapons, might I suggest the 'Blood Sword', 'Victors Sword', or 'onion sword'? Those are pretty strong weapons (for soldiers, that is), but I'm pretty sure they'd be acceptable. Ask Yunsung. -Wave

[i]Okay, that last raid didn't go so well...[/i]Frida thought, stabbing her katana deep into the soft ground. [i]I have to get better![/i] She got up, and began a trip to Baguba. She thought maybe she'd have better luck with the bartender there... [CENTER]-----Baguba-----[/CENTER] Thanks to the fact that she was extremely fast, she arrived at Baguba the next day. [COLOR=Indigo]"this place has changed a lot since I was last here..."[/COLOR] she muttered under her [COLOR=Blue]Reaper Cloak[/COLOR]. She walked around aimlessly for a while, keeping a sharp eye out for any judges. After about two hours of careful observation, she figured that there were two judges in Baguba at the time, both of which had a regular patrol route. Thinking, she decided that her best opportunity to raid the pub would come in about a half hour, and that she would have precisely fourteen minutes to pull of the raid. [i]Easy enough,[/i] she thought, though she was still tense from her previous raid's faliure. She walked casually into the pub, not even wearing the hood of her cloak over her head. [i]Maybe I'll look less suspicious,[/i] she thought. Sure enough, the pubmaster gave her a jolly smile and asked happily what he could do for her. [COLOR=Indigo]"Why, hello, there, what you need? Can I get you some food? A drink? Or are you here for an adventure? The notices are over there,"[/COLOR] he said, pointing to a numerous number of scraps of paper pinned to the counter near the backroom. [COLOR=Indigo]"I'd like a glass of your finest ale, please,"[/COLOR] she replied with utmost courtesy. The pubmaster looked down at her doubtfully. [COLOR=Indigo]"You look a bit young to be drinkin', miss. How old are you?"[/COLOR] he asked, leaning down over the counter. After all, Frida wasn't exactly the tallest Viera in Ivalice. [COLOR=Indigo]"Eighteen, thank you very much!"[/COLOR] she lied, trying to fake her age by four years (she was really only fourteen) [COLOR=Indigo]Well, I highly doubt that, miss,"[/COLOR] he smiled, and began to turn back to tend to cleaning glasses and plates. [COLOR=Indigo]"A hundred gil,"[/COLOR], Frida said suddenly. [COLOR=Indigo]"I'll pay a hundred gil for your best drink." "Bribery, eh? Hmmm..."[/COLOR] the bartender replied, thinking. A hundred gil was grossly overpriced, even for the best, most wonderful,most entoxicatingly alcoholic beverage in all of Baguba. [COLOR=Indigo]"Tell ya what,"[/COLOR] he said finally, [COLOR=Indigo]"You pay your gil, promise to keep this hush-hush, and I'll mix you up that there drink. Agreed?"[/COLOR] He extended his arm to shake hands on the deal. [COLOR=Indigo]"I promise,"[/COLOR] she said, and shook the pubmaster's hand. She paid him, took a seat in one of the counter seats, and waited patiently for the ten minutes the bartender said it would take to mix up the drink. [i]It doesn't matter,[/i] she thought merrily, [i]I'll just steal the gil back later![/i] To avoid suspicion, Frida got up and strolled over to the notice board to look at all the errands being requested. While pretending to take interest in the papers, she thought silently [i]people these day are just too damn lazy these days. This person here isn't even willing to go out and pick a flower on her own![/i] Then one small paper caught her attention. [COLOR=Navy]I am Prince Mewt Randell, and I have decided to start a clan. Meet me in Aisenfield in twelve days from the date on this post.[/COLOR] [COLOR=Indigo]What?! That runt Mewt's back?!"[/COLOR] she exclaimed incredulously. [i]Well, I'll be damned...[/i]she thought. Another person came up beside her. [COLOR=Indigo]"Hey, can I see that for a sec?"[/COLOR] he asked, referring to the list of errands pinned to the counter. He looked like he was in a hurry. [COLOR=Indigo]"Sure,"[/COLOR] Frida replied, stepping aside, [COLOR=Indigo] "Hey, what's your name?"[/COLOR] she asked, pretending to be curious as the boy bent over to examine the papers. While he was preoccupied, she carefully...relieved him of his gil. [COLOR=Indigo]"I'm Wedge,"[/COLOR] the boy replied, not looking up. [COLOR=Indigo]"Oy! Little girl!"[/COLOR] the pubmaster shouted from across the room suddenly, [COLOR=Indigo]"I got that...er...thing you wanted!"[/COLOR] Frida smiled at Wedge. [COLOR=Indigo]"Well, I guess I'll talk to you later, Wedge."[/COLOR] [i]Yeah right![/i] she thought. She walked over to the pubmaster, and he did that funny little trick bartenders learn to do, sliding the beverage across the counter to her. she caught it, placed it in a safe place on the shelf, and walked back to the counter. [COLOR=Indigo]"It's been really wonderful, you know, doing business with you,"[/COLOR] she said graciously to the pubmaster, [COLOR=Indigo]"but I think I'm going to have to ask for my money back now. In fact, I'm going to be needing all the gil you've got." "Eh?"[/COLOR] answered the pubmaster, somewhat confused. Frida drew her katana before making herself clear. [COLOR=Indigo]"To put it excruciatingly bluntly, I'm demanding all the gil in the pub, and in return, I'm letting you live. Fair enough?"[/COLOR] Frida checked her memory. Unless her judgement of time was off, she only had three minutes before one of the judges came around! She jumped the counter, smacked the pubmaster against the wall, and held the tip of her blade to his throat. [COLOR=Indigo]"The gil, or your life,"[/COLOR] she stated again, somewhat unnecessarily. The pubmaster nodded feebly and pointed to a safe-like box under the counter. Frida took her blade tip away from his neck and sat down in front of the safe. [COLOR=Indigo]"How do you open this thing?!"[/COLOR] she shouted at the bartender, tugging furiously at the lock. The bartender, however, had silently grabbed a bottle of whiskey, and now, having noticed the huge gash on her arm left from that infernal chocobo, shattered the bottle against the wound. Frida screamed as the fragments lodged into her, as the alcohol hissed on the wound. Furious, she turned quickly and with her good arm, executed the most lethal technique she knew: [i]last breath[/i]. She plunged her hand into his stomach, her fingers piercing his flesh. The attack would normally end after this, but before executing the final step of the attack, she twisted her wrist, digging deeper. Finally, she concentrated magic into her palm and delivered a powerful electric surge through the pubmaster's body. He slumped, unconscious, to the floor. The Wedge guy ran screaming out the door. Frida looked at her good hand, now stained red with blood, and frowned. [i]I lost control again,[/i] she said silently. [i]I hadn't meant to do that.[/i] she looked over at the unconscious pubmaster. [i]I hope the judge gets here soon,[/i] she thought, [i]or he could die...[/i] She walked over to the errand list, memorized the date she would have to appear in Aisenfield, and grabbed her drink off the shelf. [i]I'll teach that brat of a prince a lesson he'll never forget![/i] she thought, and easily slipped past the judge on the way out, right on time. It was the best drink she had ever tasted, she decided later as she sipped from the glass while tending to her wounds on the outskirts of town. [COLOR=DarkRed]OOC-oops...sorry, Mr. Pubmaster! :devil: [/COLOR]

Okay, first: HO-LY-CRAP! You drew that?! I almost cant believe it, it's done so well...I hatesss you now, for being able to draw better than me! (j/k) Secondly, although I'm not particularly into FFXII at the moment, and therefore haven't seen much about it, but I have seen this 'Fran' character. I agree that this drawing does bear an eerie resemblance, but I can't bring myself to connect your drawing with Fran. Third (although this last has nothing to do with the picture), as a fellow member of Yunsung's RP, I'd like to congradulate you for having such good taste in games and adventures (but that's just my opinion). Over all, I humbly submit a 10 out of 10 score for this picture, though someone not quite as hopelessly infatuated with the subject matter as I might want to knock off a point for whatever stupid reason...great job! -Wave

[size=1][i]Maybe she was right...[/i]Kia thought to herself inwardly, while she was outwardly laughing at the prize Sakura had gotten. [i]I shouldn't be PKing anyone. Mistral's gonna try to get back at me now![/i] Kia looked back behind her shoulder to make sure there was no-one following her. Then, she did a thorough search of all over Mac Anu. [i]Whew,[/i] she thought after a while, [i]no Mistral.[/i] [i]You don't need to worry about Mistral,[/i] the malicious voice inside her said, [i]if she does try to get back at you, just kill her again.[/i] Kia gave this considerable thought. She [i]could[/i] probably do it again, if need be, and it had felt so good the last time...but then again, what if Mistral levelled up before attacking her? Why did she kill Mistral in the first place? There was a new voice in her head always telling her to kill people. The [COLOR=Green]aromatic grass[/COLOR]? Well sure, she had got it, but she had been more happy about giving Mistral the [B][COLOR=DarkRed]GAME OVER[/COLOR][/B] screen than actually getting the [COLOR=Green]aromatic grass[/COLOR]. It was all so confusing...Kia decided to go do some training. She couldn't level up, she knew, because she didn't really have levels, but all the same, she could improve her fighting skills. [i]So you'll be ready to kill Mistral again,[/i] she thought. She walked up through the warp gate and went to [COLOR=Magenta]Delta-Bursting-Passed Over-Aqua Field[/COLOR]. [CENTER]-------------------------------------------------- [COLOR=Magenta]Delta-Bursting-Passed Over-Aqua Field[/COLOR] --------------------------------------------------[/CENTER] Kia was completely unaware that this randomly-generated level 1 field had been Kite's first field. She only noticed that she was surrounded by four magic portals. There was nowhere to run. [i]I don't want to run now, though, do I?[/i] The four Portal opened simultaniously. Goblins. All totalled, nine of them. Nine short, faster than average, weak on offense, easily killed, garden-variety goblins. As they swiftly approached her, she eyed the daggers they were carrying nervously. [i]Those could really hurt,[/i] she thought uncertainly. No time to back down now, though. The first goblin reached her and made a comical attempt to slash her with the knife. she stepped back to avoid the hit, then quickly lunged back in to rip the thing apart. [i]Their attacks are slow![/i] she thought, and, enfuriated by how easily she had dispatched the first one, she quickly tore through the other eight before they could even change their direction of motion. No more portals. To the dungeon! Surely there would be fairer challenge there...but when she had faught through the entire dungeon, she was still left unsatisfied. [COLOR=Indigo]"Too easy..."[/COLOR] she muttered. She walked into the gott statue room, only to find someone already there. [COLOR=Indigo]"Kite!"[/COLOR] she shouted in surprise, [COLOR=Indigo]"What are you doing here?!" "Oh, hi, Kia...I just...come down here sometimes..."[/COLOR] Kite replied in a toned-down voice. [COLOR=Indigo]"It reminds me of Yasuhi-Orca, I mean..."[/COLOR] and without another word, he warped out. [i]He left the treasure untouched...[/i]Kia thought, spying the chest at the base of the statue, [i]I wonder what could be in there?[/i] Curiously, she opened the chest, and gasped in awe and surprise to find that the chest was filled to overflowing with [COLOR=Green]aromatic grass[/COLOR]. [COLOR=Indigo]"YES!"[/COLOR] she shouted, and grabbed as much of the grass as she could carry, and warped back to Mac Anu.[/size]

[CENTER]-----Cyril-----[/CENTER] A cloaked figure stepped silently into the town of Cyril (mainly populated by Humans) and made it's way to the pub. The pubmaster, immediately noticing a potential customer, looked up and asked, [COLOR=Indigo]"What can I do for you? Food, drink? Or you here for the notices, too?"[/COLOR] [i]There are a lot of clans nowadays,[/i] he thought happily, [i]good for business![/i] The cloaked person stepped forward and held out a hand. [COLOR=Indigo]"All your gil."[/COLOR] came a female voice from under the hood of the black cloak. [COLOR=Indigo]"What?"[/COLOR] the pubmaster asked, somewhat confused. [COLOR=Indigo]"Your gil,"[/COLOR] the girl clarified, [COLOR=Indigo]"Give it to me."[/COLOR] The pubmaster laughed at the joke. [COLOR=Indigo]"You want [i]me[/i] to give [i]you[/i] all of my gil? Ha! For a second there, I thought you were serious!"[/COLOR] Frida smiled maliciously under the hood of her cloak, and she grasped the handle of her katana under the cloak with the hand that wasn't demanding all the pubmaster's money. [COLOR=Indigo]"Oh, but I have no reason to [i]lie[/i] to you, do I?"[/COLOR] she replied sweetly. The pubmaster stiffened, the smile disappearing from his face. [COLOR=Indigo]"Look, girl, if you don't got anything to buy here, you best be hurrying along, now."[/COLOR] Frida drew her blade and threw off her cloak. In the next instant, she was behind the pubmaster, with her blade resting quite comfortably across the man's throat. [COLOR=Indigo]"Now I'm going to ask you once more,"[/COLOR] she said in her sweetest voice as she rested her head on his shoulders, [COLOR=Indigo]"to hand it over. And I'm going to ask you very, [i]very[/i] politely."[/COLOR] Each time she said 'very', the blade got closer to the pubmaster's neck. [COLOR=Indigo]"A-alright, alright! J-just let me go so I can get it!"[/COLOR] The man whimpered. Frida's katana withdrew itself from his neck, and she pushed him against the counter. She wanted to see the panic in his eyes, the stark terror. There was none when he turned around, though. There was a distinct impression of triumph. [COLOR=Indigo]"Hey, everyone!"[/COLOR] he shouted to get the attention of the clan that was chattering in the backroom, [COLOR=Indigo]"This here be Frida! The palace has a ten-million gil reward for her arrest!"[/COLOR] He didn't need to explain further to the clan. He had said the magic words: ten-million gil reward. In a great clamor, the entire clan rose up and drew their weapons. [COLOR=Indigo]"Why that little [i]bastard[/i]..."[/COLOR] she muttered, smiling ironically, [COLOR=Indigo]He tricked me."[/COLOR] A judge walked in, hearing the commotion. That made it an official engagement. There was no turning back now. Unless... Frida began to glow, concentrating her energy. [COLOR=Indigo]"Oh, Kirin..."[/COLOR] she whispered, calling across time and space, [COLOR=Indigo]"Come to me!"[/COLOR] And there it appeared, Kirin, a beast glowing with an aurora of colors. She gave Kirin the command. It wouldn't ask questions; summoned beasts always followed the will of the ones who called them. Kirin charged at the clan and bathed them in a blinding light of hundreds of colors. None of them were wounded, of course, but they were rejuvinated. All the same, the flash of light blinded them momentarily. Even the judge had to shield his eyes from the intense light. In the time it took the clan and the judge to recover, Frida had sheathed her katana, thrown on her cloak again, and made a wild dash to the door. The judge wasn't quite prepared to capture her, but his chocobo waiting outside made a valiant attempt to catch her. It lashed out with talon and beak, just barely missing her. Surprised and enraged, Frida drew and slashed with her sword in one quick stroke. The creature had a soul that would not be denied! Even as the chocobo fell to the ground, blood flying from it's chest, it made one final slash and struck Frida's arm. Even as the bird slumped lifeless to the ground, Frida screamed in pain as she ripped the thing's claw out of her own flesh. The wound would heal soon enough, but that would have to wait. The judge ran out the doorway after her, but a viera can outrun any human, provided said human's steed is broken upon the street ground. She easily escaped, and sat for a brief rest under a tree near the Monster Ranch. [COLOR=DarkRed]OOC-Sorry I got carried away, but I like to make my first posts rather long.[/COLOR]

Thanks again for letting me in late, Yunsung! [B]Name:[/B] Frida [B]Age:[/B] 15 [B]Gender:[/B] Female [B]Race:[/B] Viera [B]Appearance:[/B] A normal Assassin set of clothing which she has cast various minor incantations on, and now it is pure white instead of purple-black (she hates purple). On occasion, however, like when she wants to go through a town unidentified, she wears her blacker-than-black Reaper Cloak over her normal clothes, thus casting a mysterious dark shadow around herself. [B]Starting Class:[/B] Assassin [B]Weapon:[/B] Charfire [B]Starting Abilities:[/B] A: Corner: Last Breath (Knocks out targets with a swift shock) A: Summon Magic: Kirin (summons Kirin to bestow Auto-Regen) R: Auto-Regen S: Concentrate [B]Bio:[/B] Ever since she was young, Frida had always dreamed of joining the ranks of the Summoners, Viera who call forth mystical creatures from beyond the abyss. She began her training as a White Mage at age 7, and thanks to sheer determination, learned the most powerful healing spell she could handle, Cura, in less than a month. However, she quickly grew bored with the white mage academy because of the moralistic code that prevented her from harming others. She left the academy and returned home, only to find that her family had been killed by (according to a shocked neighbor) a monster known as an Inverlilith, or a Lilith that can take on human shape and attitude. (Inverlilith is the boss of the Cursed Bride mission) So, Frida found her way across Ivalice with her hatred fresh in her heart, and eventually reached Cadoan, completely by luck, and enrolled among the most venerable mages of all time. She learned quickly, and after six months of hard mental preparation and lectures on spirituality, called forth a summoned creature known as Kirin. Still not satisfied, she set her goals higher: to learn to summon the dragon-god Madeen. She never was able to call Madeen forth, however. Some of the elderly mages at the academy theorized that ?her soul simply wasn?t pure enough for so holy a creature?. Infuriated, Frida immediately stormed out of the academy, and lived out the better part of six years in utter, complete despair, living off the charity of others, for she would never avenge her family with naught but a regenerating summon-spell. It was at about that time that she met Rayne, the most feared and wanted assassin in all the land. Touched by Frida?s story, Rayne agreed to train her in the art of stealth and assassination. After the most productive and hard-worked six months of her life, Frida mastered the Last Breath technique, a fearsome skill that would kill with a mere touch. Rayne, seeing Frida?s determination, also gave her one of her prized Katanas, the Charfire, a weapon Rayne told Frida ?that she had found under a magical tree?. With many thanks, Frida left Rayne?s care to set out once again for the Inverlilith that had slain her family. She found a perfect place to call home; a place no-one ever disturbed her, save for the foolish. She proudly called the jagd known as Helje, the town destroyed by its own magic, her home. She operated from there, with the skills and mercilessness Rayne had taught her, and soon found the Inverlilith, though she failed to slay it. She now continues to reside in the Jagd, and has also become one of the most irritating, irksome, and otherwise downright annoying person the palace has ever had to deal with, on account of the fact that she frequently raids the royal chocobo pen and kills the Judges? steeds.

[size=1][i]Oooh, she's gonna die,[/i] Kia thought to herself as she chased after Mistral. [i]I'll rip her apart with my bare hands![/i] Vicious, cruel, and tantalizingly violent images flashed through her head as she quickly separated from the others that were running after the thief. Kia's blades twitched with the anticipation of the kill. Mistral was fast for a wavemaster, unusually so, but no-one outruns a twinblade. Never. [i]If there was ever one moment choosing to be a twinblade was the right thing for me to do in this game,[/i] she thought maliciously, [i]this is it.[/i] It didn't take long before she caught up to Mistral, and was only prevented from moving up a bit more to slash away by a small, serene and, she thought, utterly irritating voice in the back of her consciousness screaming [i]no! Don't kill her! You're not like this![/i] [i]A mere distraction,[/i] another voice in her head announced, reffering to the other voice, [i]take no heed. She stole your [COLOR=Green]aromatic grass![/COLOR][/i] That was it, that was the reason for the chase. [i]little thief, you'll pay for that mistake with more than one life...[/i] Kia veered up in mid-run so she was right next to Mistral. Surprised, Mistral looked over at her. It took only a moment of looking into Kia's eyes to know what she planned to do... [COLOR=Indigo]"Ummm...h-hey, Kia...how are you?"[/COLOR] She asked shakily, running all the faster. Kia replied with a deadly smirk. [COLOR=Indigo]"I'm fine, Mistral, but unfortunately, you have something of mine. Something I want back. [i]Now[/i]."[/COLOR] Mistral hesitated for a moment, and almost gave Kia the [COLOR=Green]aromatic grass[/COLOR], but that item collector's spirit inside her kept her from handing it over. [COLOR=Indigo]"But this is a really rare item, Kia! I can't just [i]give[/i] it to you!" "Suit yourself,"[/COLOR] Kia sneered, and without losing any speed, slashed Mistral across her face, knocking her over. Inertia kept Kia going straight forward for a second before turning around for a second attack. It was just enough time for Mistral to get back up on her feet. [i]Fine,[/i] Kia thought, [i]all the better to knock her flat again![/i] and struck another blow with such force that it sent them both flying back. Kia landed on top, and wasted no time pinning Mistral down with her blades crossed over her neck. [COLOR=Indigo]"Okay, okay, I'll give it to you!"[/COLOR] Mistral squealed, holding out the [COLOR=Green]aromatic grass[/COLOR] in an outstretched hand. [i]Okay, she's giving you the item, just take it and let her go![/i] the voice urged again. But Kia grinned evilly as she tightened her grip on the two blades. [COLOR=Indigo]"Too late..."[/COLOR] she taunted with a smile, and quickly drew her blades back with a scissor-like motion. She rolled off, stood up, and bent over to gently grasp the [COLOR=Green]aromatic grass[/COLOR] from Mistral's limp fingers just before the body dissolved into nothing. [i]The others...they'll be furious![/i] Kia thought. All the same, she snickered. Then, realizing she had no real reason the supress it, she laughed a full, cruel laugh just as the others whom she had easily outrun to Mistral finally arrived. [COLOR=Indigo]"Oh, hi everyone,"[/COLOR] she laughed, holding up the [COLOR=Green]aromatic grass[/COLOR] and pointing to it, [COLOR=Indigo]"I got it!"[/COLOR] [COLOR=DarkRed] :devil: Hahaha! Evil Kia![/COLOR][/size]

You think the Border is too big? Hmmm...well, I'll get to work on that right away. Or at least, when I get back to my computer that [i]doesn't[/i] suck. Right now I'm stuck using my mom's computer, a crappy Windows ME. It's a Dell, too...(Curse you, Dell!)

Whew...no one else took the Yugi one. I've been working on it since this morning. If ya want it, here it is! [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v224/Cursed_Vortex/yugibanner1.jpg[/IMG] Code: [url]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v224/Cursed_Vortex/yugibanner1.jpg[/url][/CENTER]

Hi everyone! I was feeling a little...how do you say? Sadistic today, so I thought up a storyline for an 'adventure' based on the voices I kept hearing today that were telling me to kill anyone that I saw...I didn't listen to them, of course, but it gave me a great idea for an adventure. I even designed a new banner for it, and would like to know what everyone thinks about it. By the way, the sketchy people in the picture are in fact from the scariest game of all time, [U]Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly[/U]. I figured that would be a suitable game for my...needs. In fact, I'm gonna go play it now! So if you'd just rate it (1-10) for me, I'd much appreciate it. Thanks!

[size=1][COLOR=DarkRed][b]To:[/b] Everyone [b]From:[/b] Kayla and Sakura [b]Subject:[/b] Heroines[/COLOR] [COLOR=Red]Dudes! We're heroines! Our idiot principal was embezzeling shcool funds and giving some to the Mafia! We are now officially rich and famous (among the police). And, if neccesary, they said we'll be put in the Witness Protection Program! Plus, we're no longer grounded, and have a week of complete freedom. Since the school is closed, and its summer, we were thinking about a ROAD TRIP!!! But......we can't drive...Thats where everyone comes in. We were hoping to meet everyone at a beach, and then all you designated drivers can drive everyone. (You know, like you guys: Kite, Blackrose, Knighty, Helba, Balmung(?), you know who you are!) We need drivers! ... And Passangers! Laters![/COLOR] Kia growled a bit as she recieved the message. Ever since Mia AND Kayla had been so nosy about her [COLOR=Green]aromatic grass[/COLOR], she had detatched herself from the group. She had to get away from all these interrogative people! With the highly irate mood she was in, she couldn't let some idiotic letter like [i]that[/i] go without saying [i]something[/i] about it. [COLOR=DarkRed][b]To:[/b] Kayla, Sakura [b]From:[/b] Kia [b]Subject:[/b] Whatever[/COLOR] [COLOR=Red]Oh my god, you two, shut up. So you busted a principal in the middle of an illegal act. Congratulations. Whatever. But honestly, a road trip?! Don't we have more important things to do with our time?! You make me sick![/COLOR] [i]Okay[/i], she thought to herself as she sent the message, [i]so maybe that last part was a BIT excessive, but we DO have more important matters on hand to do.[/i] She thought a moment more, and decided to go back to the root town. Slowly, she got up off the bench in the chapel and began to walk down the polished walkway. Just as she was about to leave, she spotted something on in the last row of benches. Curious, she walked down the row, and when she came up to the item, she picked it up and squealed in happiness. [COLOR=Indigo]"Yay! another piece of[/COLOR] [COLOR=Green]aromatic grass[/COLOR][COLOR=Indigo]!"[/COLOR] She slipped it carefully into the lining of her left glove, and warped out of the area. [CENTER][COLOR=Magenta]Delta-Aqua Capital Mac Anu[/COLOR][/CENTER] Not knowing exactly what to do, Kia started to walk aimlessly around the town. She walked across the bridge, closing her eyes so she could focus better on thinking. Suddenly, someone ran into her. He ran into her very hard. [COLOR=Indigo]"Hey, watch where you're going!"[/COLOR] he yelled at her behind his back as she got up onto her feet again. This rude guy had the most interesting armor, she saw. It was black, and lined in red. His helmet seemed almost like silver knight's helmet, only it was black, covered his eyes, and the horns were longer. It looked a lot cooler, too. [i]Woah,[/i] she thought, [i]that guy's cool...I wonder who he is? I'll have to look into it later...[/i] Inexplicably happy now, she took a more cheerful stroll around town. She even stopped at the stores to see what they had, even though she was flat broke. [i]Maybe I should apologize to Kayla and Sakura for that message I wrote them...[/i]She thought. Than, after a moment more she thought again. [i]No, damnit, they deserved it.[/i] [COLOR=DarkOrchid][b]OOC:[/b] Kia could maybe use some anger management, no?[/COLOR][/size]

I made another banner, but before I put it in my sig, I wanna know if it's any good. I just threw a bunch of characters together (with my personal favorite in the middle!) and beveled it (made it look like a button) instead of putting a border on it. Score 1-10, and please, [i]please[/i] explain the rating you give it! Thanks! [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v224/Cursed_Vortex/WaveBanner.jpg[/IMG] [COLOR=MediumTurquoise]EDIT:[/COLOR] Ummm...why doesn't this thread appear in the art studio thread list...? 0.o

[size=1][COLOR=Navy]"Seriously, Kia, what do you have that ou don't want me to see?!"[/COLOR] Mia asked again, becoming visibly iritated at Kia's immature behavior. [COLOR=Navy]"I told, you, it's nothing!"[/COLOR] Kia asserted, holding the [COLOR=DarkGreen]aromatic grass[/COLOR] closer to her. [COLOR=Navy]"I know you're hiding something, Kia." "no, I'm not." Yes, you are." "No, I'm not." "Yes, you are." No, I'm not." Yes, you are." No, I'm not!" Yes, you are!" Yes, I am!" No, you're not!" "HA!"[/COLOR] Kia shouted triumphantly, pointing an accusing finger at Mia, [COLOR=Navy]"I got you!"[/COLOR] Mia rolled her eyes in impatience. [COLOR=Navy]"I do [i]not[/i] have time for this!"[/COLOR] she exclaimed. [COLOR=Navy]"If you're not holding anything, then prove it!" "What?" "You heard me. Since you seem to be so sure of yourself, prove it. Hold your hands out so I can see them."[/COLOR] Mia explained. [COLOR=Navy]"No way!"[/COLOR] Kia shouted, taking exception. [COLOR=Navy]"You can't tell me what to do!"[/COLOR] [i]How childish,[/i] Mia thought, [i]nothing like Kia usually acts...[/i] [COLOR=Navy]"Kia, if you don't show me what you're hiding [i]right now[/i], I'm gonna PK you!"[/COLOR] Mia threatened jokingly. [COLOR=Navy]"NO!"[/COLOR] Kia shouted, obviously not realizing it was a joke, stood up, pushed past Mia, and darted with speed only a twinblade can move with towards the chaos gate, where she hastily shouted a random keyword and warped into a field. Mia was about to follow her when she noticed that in her rush, Kia had dropped some of what she had been hiding from her. She picked it up and examined it closely. [i]This is...[COLOR=DarkGreen]aromatic grass[/COLOR]![/i] She thought. [i]Why, that selfish little girl! Everyone knows [/i]I'm[i] the one that collects [COLOR=DarkGreen]aromatic grass[/COLOR]![/i] [COLOR=Navy]"Kia, get back here!"[/COLOR] she shouted, running hopelessly to the chaos gate. [CENTER][COLOR=DarkOrchid]DELTA-Hidden-Forbidden-Holy Ground[/COLOR][/CENTER] [COLOR=Navy]"Whew,"[/COLOR] Kia puffed as she warped into the area, [COLOR=Navy]"now...where am I?"[/COLOR] She looked up at the huge chapel ahead of her. The area had become unstable, and white noise buzzed softly in her ears. Kia recognized the shapel suddenly. [COLOR=Indigo]"Oh...I know this place...what a coincidence..."[/COLOR] [COLOR=DarkRed][b]TO:[/b] everyone [b]FROM:[/b] Kia [b]SUBJECT:[/b] just an update... Just in case anyone wants to know, I'm at [/COLOR][COLOR=DarkOrchid]Delta-Hidden-Forbidden-Holy Ground[/COLOR][COLOR=DarkRed]. If anyone needs me, you know where to find me.[/COLOR][/size]

[size=1][COLOR=Navy]"Really?!"[/COLOR] Kia squealed, [COLOR=Navy]"That's terrible! I thought they were always tough..."[/COLOR] Together, Kia and Kayla ran through the dungeon like there was a devil at their heels. Finally, they were at the bottom, and as Kia breathed rapidly in and out, the Zeit Statue told them their time. "Your time was 6:03 (six minutes, three seconds). Sorry, but you didn't make it in time." [COLOR=Navy]"****!"[/COLOR] Kayla shouted, the game blocking out the profanity, [COLOR=Navy]"It's because of that stupid Tetra Armor!"[/COLOR] she kicked the statue and turned to Kia. [COLOR=Navy]"I'm sorry...we weren't fast enough to get the item..." "It's okay, Kayla,[/COLOR] Kia assured with a slight catch in her voice, [COLOR=Navy]"maybe it's for the better." "Are you still going on about that Mach-"[/COLOR] Kia's eyes snapped open as though she was staring at a ghost. [i]She stood on the glowing field of the Phases. A horrible monstrosity appeared before her. 'I've found you...' it spoke ominously, it's voice echoing through the eerie high-pitched whistle of the corrupted field. It looked like a curvy...thin...grey thing with three holes in a trianglar formation on what was presumably it's face. The entire entity seemed to be made of stone except...it was skewered through by a large, blood-red spike. It slowly drifted up above her, and as she looked up, to her horror, the holes welled up with reddish liquid which started pouring down on her. Soon she was baptised in the crimson fluid, and it made her sick. She felt so dirty that she could never be clean again. 'You belong to us...' And then, she was falling...falling...falling...[/i] [COLOR=Navy]"Kia? Kia? This isn't funny anymore!"[/COLOR] Kia's eyes fluttered, and slowly she opened them to see Kayla's face. [COLOR=Navy]"What...happened?"[/COLOR] Kia asked weakly. [COLOR=Navy]"Well, first it was like you were in a trance or something. You just stared at me with your eyes open. Then you just sort of passed out and fell backwards. Then you started writhing on the ground. It was...kinda scary..." "I had...a dream, I guess...more of a nightmare, actually." "What did you see?" "I saw..."[/COLOR] [CENTER][i]...The Avenger is coming for you...[/i][/CENTER] [COLOR=Navy]"TARVOS! I saw Tarvos! And...and...he said..." "What? What did it say to you?" "Nothing..."[/COLOR] Kia mumbled, afraid of what it might mean if she told kayla, [COLOR=Navy]"It didn't say anything to me..."[/COLOR] [CENTER][COLOR=DarkOrchid]Aqua Capital Mac-Anu[/COLOR][/CENTER] [i]Tarvos! Tarvos the Avenger! How could I be so stupid?![/i] Kia scolded herself mercilessly. [i]Of course! Fidchell was telling me about Tarvos! But...what does it mean?[/i] She continued, her mind racing. She needed something to distract herself with, and she found it. She pivoted, turning on a heel, to face Kayla. [COLOR=Navy]"Thank you for trying to help me, Kayla. You did your best..."[/COLOR] Kia bowed in thanks, then without another word, raced off to her alley. On her way, some snot-nosed expert player tripped her, and she crashed face-first into the ground, sliding a few feet before coming to a halt. [i]Owww...[/i] She thought. Then, she spied something on the ground. Curious, she picked it up. [i]What's this?[/i] she wondered. It looked like...well, it looked like grass, but it had a certain smell to it...a certain...[i]intoxicating[/i] scent. [i]Hmmm? This is [COLOR=DarkGreen]aromatic grass[/COLOR]![/i] She realized. She ran into her alley and held it in her hands, staring down at it. Kia knew Mia liked this item, but...but...perhaps [i]she[/i] would keep it. Why not? It was a collectible item, and besides, it had that lovely scent to it...[i]Yes,[/i] Kia thought to herself, [i]I think I'll keep this...and maybe try to find some more...[/i] Suddenly, Mia came around the corner. [COLOR=Navy]"Hey, whatcha got there?"[/COLOR] she asked curiously. [COLOR=Navy]"Oh, what? [i]This[/i]? It's, ummm...it's nothing..."[/COLOR] [COLOR=DarkRed]OOC: No, Kia's not getting high off aromatic grass. Still, you wonder why they call it 'aromatic'? I suspect something fishy...like pot or something...:shifty: Oh, and by the way, the Tarvos sequence is actually one of my more...disturbing .hack nightmares![/COLOR][/size]

[size=1]Kia was tired of stressing about the whole 'phase' thing, so she decided to take a look through her inventory. [COLOR=Navy]"One [/COLOR][COLOR=Yellow]Divine Cross[/COLOR][COLOR=Navy]. Wonderful,"[/COLOR] she muttered sarcastically. She might as well just give it to one of the others...she didn't want it. The inventory diversion...didn't last very long. Thankfully, Kayla sped into the alley just then. Kia gaped at her like she was looking at a ghost. [COLOR=Navy]"What is it?"[/COLOR] Kayla asked. [COLOR=Navy]"You can't move that fast...it's impossible,"[/COLOR] Kia said, not changing her expression. [COLOR=Navy]"Oh...that's a little spell of mine. It's called 'Ap Do'."[/COLOR] Kayla's staff sparked, casting the spell on her. [COLOR=Navy]"What?! No! I didn't want to [i]cast[/i]it!"[/COLOR] she complained. Kia managed a half-hearted smile at this. Then she got an idea. [COLOR=Navy]"Hey, Kayla? Can that spell be learned from an item?"[/COLOR] she asked. [COLOR=Navy]"Yeah. You have to go to a dungeon starting with the keyword 'chronicling' (sp?). It's like a mini-game: you try to make it to the Zeit Statue under a certain time-limit." "Awww...I knew there would be a catch..."[/COLOR] Kia moaned. Still, getting a hold of this item would be a great benefit to her: it would be easier to dodge attacks, and she would be able to avoid PKers like that jackass Sora. It could be dangerous to the others, though. When she turned into Macha (and she was confident now that she would), it would be just one more weapon in her arsenal against them. After weighing the pros and cons, Kia made her descision. [COLOR=Navy]"Kayla? Do you think you could help me beat the trials?"[/COLOR] she asked. [COLOR=Navy]"Sure, Kia. I'd be happy to,"[/COLOR] Kayla said abruptly. Her obvious lack of need to think it through startled Kia immensly. [COLOR=Navy]"Um...thank you..."[/COLOR] she said slowly. [CENTER][COLOR=DarkOrchid]DELTA-Chronicling-Forbidden-Aqua Field[/COLOR][/CENTER] As Kia and Kayla raced for the Zeit statue (Kia having trouble keeping up because Kayla was using Ap Do), Kia asked Kayla the question that had been upsetting her since she'd gotten this idea. [COLOR=Navy]"Kayla, why are you...helping me?" "Because that's what friends do, silly." "But...I'm not your friend." "What?" "I'm Macha. Remember? You shouldn't help me...I might...turn on you." "Do you honestly think that's true?" "Yes. I believe it's true. I wish it wasn't..."[/COLOR] Kayla stopped in front of Kia, causing her to run into her and fall backwards. Kayla slowly pointed her staff threateningly at Kia's neck. [COLOR=Navy]"Now you listen to me, Kia. Just because [i]I[/i] think you [i]could[/i] be an enemy, doesn't make it true. You need to stop being so hard on yourself [i]right now[/i]. I'm helping you now because I think...it's the right thing to do."[/COLOR] Kayla withdrew her staff and extended a friendly hand down, trying to help Kia up. [COLOR=Navy]"Come on. We're wasting time."[/COLOR] Kia gratefully held out her hand, and Kayla helped her up. Then, the mad dash towards the Zeit Statue continued. [CENTER][i]...The avenger is coming for you...when he finds you...you shall become one with the wave...[/i][/CENTER] Kia puzzled over the prophecy. [i]The Avenger,[/i] she thought, [i]who's the Avenger?[/i] It seemed like a pretty common nickname a player would give themself. Who could it be? She decided she'd leave the riddle alone for now and focus on the task at hand. A Tetra Armor popped out of the next portal. No sooner did Kia see that blazing red eye than she was in the furthest corner in the room from it. She was all too familiar with Tetra Armors: they had nearly ended her life many, many times. [COLOR=Navy]"Kayla? What are we going to do?"[/COLOR] she whined pitiously as Kayla took a step towards the collosal monster. In her panic, she had completely forgotten that Kayla was a very high-level player. [COLOR=Navy]"Don't worry,"[/COLOR] Kayla reassured, [COLOR=Navy]"leave this one to me..."[/COLOR][/size]