Retribution

I'd be delighted to make this banner for ya. Would it be okay if I got another picture of Cloud? The one you provided was sort of small and indescript. Or I could just find another one, if you want. Either way will work for me.

OOC: Yeah, I like where this is going. I amended my profile, in case anyone cares (xD). This should be good! IC: "Once more! Faster!" James, Rion's father, shouted at him. Rion was breathing long and deep through his nose, and gripped his rapier with his right hand tighter. He stepped forward quickly, and sent it through the cushioned target, in the bullseye for the millionth time. There were other punctures around the target, where he had penetrated inaccurately when he was younger... much younger. "Father, I tire of this. May I duel you?" He asked curtiously.His father gave his a gentleman's bow. "I accept your challege." He said, and put on his gear. His father was old now -- nearly 50 years old, but he proved to be quite the duelist. Rion smiled, and they both took their positions in the fighting area. They both bowed to each other, then got their bodies into form, pointing their rapiers at one another. James tapped Rion's rapier to signify the start of the match, and lunged forward. Rion quickly parried the attack, and made a feignt for his father's stomach. James blocked once more, and spun Rion's rapier in a circle, and stepped back. But Rion allowed no time to pass, retracting his rapier quickly, and thrusting it at his father's head. The rapier penetrated the glass-head protector, and went just a few centimeters wide of James' head. Rion bowed, and let go of his sword, allowing his father to take his visor off, and remove the sword. They both grinned fully at each other, and Rion gave a light laugh. "That was excellent! I'm not sure if I can't teach you anything else. You truly [i]are[/i] my son." "Thank you father, your words are too kind." He replied, and they both walked out of the garden, past the pair of guards who were on duty at the entrance to the garden, and into the mansion. His sister was at the south entrance to meet them. "Rion, His majesty has requested your presence at a royal dinner tonight." she said in a dainty voice. She had just finished reading a collection of Plato's lectures in the study with Yora, his mother. Yora walked up behind her. "I'd be delighted. Father, may I go?" he asked, knowing the answer would be yes. Asking for permission was just protocol, as they all knew what happened to the nobles who didn't show up for these events. "Yes, you may. Go, ready yourself for it. I don't want you to look as you do now." James said. Rion noticed that no one else from his family was invited, which was strange. He shrugged off the thought, and walked into the changing room, selecting which suit he would don for the party. He finally decided upon his favorite red suit, with golden fringe. (see my profile picture) By the time he had put it on, it was time for him to leave. He belted his prized rapier on his left hip, and slipped a dagger in his left sleeve. One could never be too prepared, he thought. He walked downstairs, and signaled for his carriage. There were ten horses with knights mounted on them going before his carriage, and ten more mounted knights going after. All the horses were black, with his family emblem stamped on them. He got into the carriage, and sat down on his satin seat, feeling it pull off. His mother and father waved him good bye, and very shortly, he arrived at Daimon's castle. A knight opened the door, and two of them stood at-arms to either side of the entrance. Several people noticed his entrance, as he was escorted in by two of his knights in black-and-gold armor into the castle.

I'm afraid of death more than anything, and all the situations that could cause it. But I'm not overly concerned about it to the point where I won't live my life normally. I'm afraid of being in a situation like D-Day on Omaha Beach. Which is basically because I'm extremely scared of dying and pain. With death spitting all around you, taking your best friend off to hell, I'd be really scared. I'm also afraid of losing a loved one. But not of losing them to death. I mean if my brothers were to be kidnapped or something. I'd go nuts, and become like Batman, trying to prevent the same thing from happening to everyone else. And yeah, I'm not exactly afraid, but wary of things that could hurt me. Guns, jellyfish, bees, all that stuff I'm careful about. Once I had an AK-47 pointed at my head. But it wasn't loaded. But I tell you, it was the scariest thing ever. I felt like death was holding my hand or something... Anyway, I have a question. If a person with a phobia were forced to confront it, would they suffer mental damage, or overcome it? As in if a person with aracnaphobia (sp?) were to be locked in a room full of spiders for a few hours. My guess is that it would damage them further.

Thank you! Yeah, I duplicated the layer that Morpheus was on, then fragmented the duplicate and blended it in some strange fashion to give the feeling of motion. I can't exactly remember how I made Morpheus look green and all. And the trace program I wanted to throw on there. I searched for it on the transcripts ... I couldn't remember what it said exactly.

I submitted this for a contest at XionBox forums, for the main image. Tell me what you think: [URL=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/mechinfinity/xion.jpg][b]XionBox Splash Image[/b][/URL]

[b]First Grade[/b] - Ms. Lynch Just because of her name. I later learned what lynching was, and could not but help laughing when I thought of her. But it was one of those... creeped out laughs. [b]Second Grade[/b] - Ms. Rudolph She had a MAJOR crush on Gus Ferrotte, the Washington Redskins quarterback. She had all this Gus-signed merchandise... it was strange. And she always tried to relive her younger days. >_>;; [b]Third Grade[/b] - Ms. Beckerman I knew more about computers than her back then. She thought that the computer was on the verge of death when it made those clicking, loady sounds. She would spazz out when it did that, and shout at me to not touch the mouse until it was done 'thinking.' Weirdo. She also had a son who was on the US National Soccer team. [b]Sixth Grade[/b] - Mr. Harris/Ms. Donahue Mr. Harris rubbed Gold Bond lotion on his corned feet to make them soften. In class. At his desk. He ... was always on a power trip, screaming at us to "SHUT UP!" whenever we whispered. Strange. Ms. Donahue was a major [i]w[/i]itch. She actually did have a favorite student, and she admitted it openly. Teachers aren't supposed to do that. They're supposed to at least [i]act[/i] like she likes us all equally. [b]Seventh Grade[/b] - Ms. Fadli/Ms. Chaudry Ms. Fadli was hands down the coolest teacher I've ever had. She would let us cut class sometimes, and actually cover for us. She would allow us to play cards, even when it became against school-policy to do so. She said "You kid's will learn to gamble anyway. Might as well teach you young." which was cool. Man she was awesome... Ms. Chaudry didn't have a strong grasp on a grading system, and valued 'honor' so highly, it sometimes counted more than doing the work itself. For example (this is forreal): "Did anyone cheat on this test?" she asks. "I did." one kid says. "Cheating is bad. But being honest is good. You've done justice to yourself and everyone else. You get an A." was her reply. In retrospect, she could've been fired for that, but I didn't really know/care back then.

I wouldn't mind getting stranded with Dagger. On a deserted island, you need smarts, and Dagger's got them. Besides, it never hurts to meet new people. I think it would be cool to be stranded on a desert island with Reise. It'd be awesome to talk to him in person, and being on an island with nothing better to do would be a perfect place to converse about the Matrix, and whatever else is interesting. But of course, the pow-pow wouldn't be complete without the one-and-only Juu. She seems extremely nice, and again, I'd love to talk to her. I like her photos... but I suppose photography wouldn't save me on a desert island. But then again, neither would talking to Dagger or Reise. *shrug* So yeah, Me, Dagger, Reise, and Juu would talk about whatever, and eventually get around to making some shabby raft. We'd float into the open sea and nearly die, but get rescued by some ... Spanish Warships! And then we'd bestow upon the Spaniards the knowledge of photography, anime, and the Matrix. Not that they wouldn't know that. xD Good topic!

Yeah, here's my finished sign-up. Yay! [B]Name:[/B] Rion Marquise [B]Age:[/B] 26 [B]Height: [/B] 5' 11" [B]Weight:[/B] 150 lbs [B]Gender:[/B] Male [B]General appearance:[/B] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/mechinfinity/zechs.jpg[/IMG] He doesn't have the helmet, and has a silver rapier at his side. [B]Occupation:[/B] Extremely powerful and wealthy nobility. He has so much money and influence, it is rumored that if he wanted to, he could overthrow the current government quite easily. [B]Bio:[/B] Rion Marquise was born into a powerful family. His father, James, secretly favored him since birth, as he was the first-born male. He had an older sister who was taught all the 'proper' things a lady of noble blood should partake in by Rion's mother. James taught Rion to fence, first and foremost, as he called it "The dance of nobles." He was trained once everyday for two hours a day. All in all, Rion had a very nurturing childhood, and became very smart and cultured. He was taught ettiquite, wines, swordplay, strategy, literature, and philosophy. All of the mentioned subjects were practiced nearly everyday, for his whole life. As a result, he ended up adopting many views he read about the world, civility, and human motives. He arrived at the conclusion that Daimon should be assassinated immediately. First in his mind, he thought that someone as vulgar and unrefined as Daimon should not be King. He had merely spent a few years reading books on noble subjects, then violently overthrew the government. The lack of Daimon's knowledge of ruling shone through, as he was a cruel and heartless leader. Rion's hate for Daimon increased when he tried to take Rion's sister, Ellia, when she was 20, but failed. His family had more than enough money to pay him off, and his family remained silent. It was unheard of for a King to steal noble women. Usually, it was a commoner or a slave girl, but the stealing of a noble woman used to be punishable by death. Not anymore. Rion is kind to all he meets, so long as they are nice and have good intentions. With a gentle smile across his face, he dances the political waltz, gaining both noble and common friends to help him with his cause. However, Rion never shows Daimon his hate for him. Whenever they talk, Rion treats him with only the utmost respect.

Okay... I supose. I didn't exactly want to add it to the Reanimatrix thread, as I will be adding things to it every so often, and I'd like feedback on my works. The Reanimatrix thread doesn't really offer me that. I suppose I could just contact a moderator to change the title, so that it's not a Reanimatrix story submission, but rather just a fan fiction. Sorry about all the mix-up.

Hey everybody. I decided to post this here, instead of the Reanimatrix thread. I didn't want to stir it's grave, so I'm just making a new thread. I'm still working on it. Feel free to tell me what I should change or whatever... ---------------------------- [b][SIZE=3]God of Dreams[/SIZE] Chapter 1: The First Step[/b] Julius fastened up the last button on his winter trench coat in a desperate attempt to keep out the biting snow. He turned his head quickly, looking down the block, signaling for a cab. After all, he wasn?t about to drudge the next twenty blocks New York City blocks knee deep in quickly descending snow. Stepping off the curb, he looked at the cab that had just pulled up in front of him, then opened the door and sat down inside. ?Nice weather we?re having, huh?? the driver asked him amiably as Julius shut the door. ?It?s like we?re in a snow globe? it just doesn?t seem to end.? He answered wistfully while gazing outside. The rest of the trip was silent, save for the radio quietly playing on a local radio station. It?s shy voice spoke softly above the dead silence. [i]Hello hello I?m at a place called Vertigo It?s everything I wish I didn?t know Except you give me something I can feel, feel?[/i] Then the cab sputtered to a halt in front of his apartment. Julius stepped out of the cab, and gave the driver his fare. He nodded at Julius as a sign of gratitude as he shut the door. The cab coughed to life from its dead stop, and drove back down the road. Shifting his attention from the cab to his apartment, he started walking down to his door stoop. The apartment had a single vine of ivy creeping across the fresh red brick. Julius fished through his pockets, and with great difficulty pulled out his house key and attempted to put it in the keyhole. His fingers were losing dexterity from being out in the cold so long. But finally, the door opened, and Julius brought himself inside, firmly shutting the door behind him. ?What a day?? he trailed off, plopping down in a black leather lounge chair in his bedroom. He rubbed his head, as if it would eliminate the stress of the workday. Julius took off his work clothes, and changed into more casual clothes. He hung up his suit in the closet, and plopped down into his computer chair, swiveling to face the computer. He opened up AIM so he could talk to his brother in Los Angeles. The program quickly presented itself on his desktop, and he signed on. Almost immediately, his brother instant messaged him. [b]+AIM Client Sign In+[/b] [b]\\Chat Will_Do:[/b] [b]Will_Do:[/b] Hey, Julius! How was work? [b]JulesVerne:[/b] It could?ve been better. I was left with the task of having to dream up some sort of creative scheme to rebuild the Brooklyn Bridge. Julius looked at his desk, scattered with blueprints of the Brooklyn Bridge, as well as many other bridges that has the same structural make as it. He sighed lightly, trying to temporarily forget the task that awaited him. He could not force the work from his mind, so he opened up an engineering program. He entered in the structural details of the Brooklyn Bridge, and turned his mind inside out looking for a practical solution. All the while he chatted with William. It was a welcome diversion. [b]Will_Do:[/b] I hope you can pull things together. When does this solution have to be presented to your co-workers? [b]JulesVerne:[/b] Tomorrow. I?ll talk to you sometime next week. [b]\\Will_Do signed off[/b] He closed the chat window, and reopened his engineering program. After about two more hours of consulting different books on his shelf, files on the Internet, and racking his brain, he was near completion. His fingers moved slowly for the hot key ?ctrl+s? to save his progress. But the screen went completely black. ?You?re joking, right?? He asked the computer incredulously. He had his fingers still on the hotkeys, and decided to press them just in case by some divine miracle his work would be saved. But there was no on-screen confirmation. He only saw green lettering on screen giving him a simple but intriguing message. [b][We?ve been watching you, Morpheus.][/b] ?What the ?? he trailed off idly, trying to understand what exactly was happening. Had the computer been possessed? [b][Yes, hard to grasp. But we?ve been looking for you, Morpheus.][/b] Julius decided to type back to the person, trying to see if his words could come up on screen. [Who exactly are you? And why are you calling me Morpheus?] [b][I am but a White Bishop. Meet me under the Brooklyn Bridge at 2410 tonight.][/b] Julius moved to type back, but the screen cut back to his work, all of which had been completely untouched. He smiled gently, saving it as quickly as possible so as to prevent losing it. But his grin faded, as he wondered who had contacted him. He tossed his thoughts around, finally deciding he would meet this mysterious ?Red Bishop? in person. They probably wouldn?t hurt him, but one couldn?t be too sure in NYC. He rethought his position, realizing what they had said could mean serious trouble for him. ?You?ll never live if you don?t take a risk a few times in your life.? He finally completed his thought process. Tonight he would take a new turn, wherever that may lead him. Tonight he would take a chance. Tonight he would change. Taking a look at the clock, he realized there wasn?t much time to spare; he had spent so much time on the engineering program, and now he would have a tough time getting to the Bridge by 12:10 AM. He stared at the neon green LCD numerals reading ?11:54 PM.? He broke himself away from his thoughts; put on a pair of shoes threw on his winter trench coat, and bolted out the door, firmly closing it behind him. ?Need to hurry.? He whispered to himself, thinking of the fastest way back to the Bridge at midnight. The Metro. The course of action was a relatively easy one to plan out. During rush hours, the Metro lines would take forever, but with them empty, it would only be a ten-minute ride. He sprinted through the several inches of snow that had accumulated on the ground, and swung onto the avenue, only another half-block from the Metro stop. He darted past a homeless man, who was holding a bottle of Jack, spouting out nonsense at him. He had no time for drunkards. However, as soon as Julius squeezed by the man, his body was distorted, almost painfully so, for a few instants. The homeless man twisted into a clean-cut man in a freshly pressed business suit and an earpiece. ?Contact going southbound. He?s taking the Metro.? The cold, lifeless voice spoke into thin air, as if someone would actually hear him. His eyes, although hidden behind a pair of sunglasses, were locked directly on Julius, who had just run into an empty Metro station. Julius glanced at his Rolex watch, seeing he had nine minutes to make a ten-minute trip, quickly purchased a ticket, fed it to one of the ticketing machines, and got onto the train. He looked at his watch again, trying to calm himself down, then looked at the other passengers on the car right behind his. An old black woman was knitting, and a few teenagers were being rowdy, cracking jokes and standing on top of the seat. He directed his attention to the window, as they zipped by the cityscape, moving closer with each passing second to his destination. [I]Next stop, Brooklyn. Doors will be opening on the right.[/I] The message was music to his ears. He stood in front of the doors, ready to sprint again when they opened up. [i]Doors opening.[/i] [b][SIZE=3]God of Dreams[/SIZE] Chapter 2: Welcome to the Desert[/b] Gentle chimes sounded throughout the car, and the doors slid open. He took off, and caught a glimpse of a businessman sprinting in the same direction he was going, but he was gaining on him quickly. Julius guessed that he must have somewhere important to be, but in the back of his mind, a creeping dread dripped. Why would a well-dressed businessman be out at midnight in the middle of Brooklyn? The thought only made him sprint faster. He looked over his shoulder, and did not see the man anymore. But Julius knew better than to slow down. Regardless of a man chasing him, he still had to get to the bridge in another minute. He ran onto the on-ramp that led to the bridge, and hopped over the guardrail, and jogged to the bottom of the embankment. He saw an Asian man, probably in his mid to late twenties. The stranger was garbed in what he could only guess to be some sort of traditional oriental attire, and a pair of well-fitting circular sunglasses. ?Good evening, Morpheus. I?m glad you could make it on time.? He said coolly to him. His voice was soft, yet confident. Julius panted for breath, snatching whatever oxygen his lungs could grab. The run had exhausted him. ?I suppose you?re the White Bishop. But why are you calling me Morpheus? And what?s you?re name?? He asked, not quite as smooth as White Bishop?s tone, but it was the last thing on both their minds. ?Yes, I am the White Bishop. My name is Seraph. But you will find out the reason I call you Morpheus soon enough. But for now, you must come with me.? He pointed at a black sedan, speeding down the other side of the bridge. Honks could be heard from other cars, probably telling him ?learn how ta drive!? or ?get off the road!? Julius opened his mouth to protest, but realized that the businessman he was being chased by might have some sort of connection with the sedan. But Seraph silenced him, running to a black sports car, and getting in the driver?s seat. Julius hopped over the door into the passenger?s side, and buckled up his seat belt. Seraph reached for a cell phone. It flipped open like a switchblade and automatically dialed a number. ?He needs to be evac?ed. Where?s the closest point? I?m out.? Was all he said into it. ?What was that about?? Julius inquired in a worried tone. Seraph put the phone in his pocket, and shifted the car into gear, speeding away from the Bridge. The car fishtailed around a turn, then accelerated down a back-alley. ?When I stop the car, you?re going to run into the building with a sign saying ?Auto-Repair.? Go to the third floor, and stay in that room. You?ll be with friends.? He felt nervousness rising into the pit of his stomach, hoping that he wouldn?t be in serious trouble. As if to answer his thoughts, a bullet glanced off the side of the car door and ricocheted into a brick wall. The car behind them was firing. ?Take the wheel for a moment.? Seraph said in a commanding tone. Julius leaned over, and make sure they didn?t crash. The car meandered back and forth slightly, but was stable for the most part. Seraph pulled an M16 from behind his seat, slammed a clip of ammunition into the bottom, and took aim at the car. He pulled the trigger, sending bullets into the trailing car. Sparks emitted from one of the headlights, and the right wheel had been shot out. The sedan lost ground, and soon was out of sight. Seraph took the wheel again. Then the car stopped, and Julius didn?t hesitate. He hurdled over the door once again, and ran into the designated building, which looked like it would fall apart if he sneezed too hard. Climbing the flights of stairs, he got to the third floor, and opened the door, and saw several people, all of which were dressed in black trench coats and sunglasses, with some sort of firearm on their hip. He panicked. ?Who?Who are you all? The friends Seraph told me about?? He stuttered from the shock of all these thug-look-alikes. ?Relax. We?re here to help. My name is Naiobi.? Said a woman who was sitting down. She looked to be African-American, maybe 5? 7?, and sat down in a leather chair. ?Take a seat.? Julius took her advice, and sat down across from her. ?I know you have a lot of questions, but please, shut it til I?m done.? A few people shifted their weight, as if to show their disapproval of her methods. She paused for a few seconds, and then continued the speech. ?You?ve known it all your life. You?ve known that there was something more real than this life you?ve been living -- something intangible, but something so real. All your life, you?ve wanted it, searched for some higher purpose for your life. That?s why you?ve always been switching religions.? Julius wanted to know where she got that information, but knew he had to remain silent. The woman grinned at him slightly, knowing exactly what he had been thinking. Then she continued? ?If you wish for the truth, take the red pill. Then you?ll see just how far down this rabbit hole goes. If you want, you may take the blue pill. You?ll wake up, think this was some sort of dream, and submit that Bridge schematic tomorrow. What do you want?? He took a moment to pause, and consider his options. Somehow, the woman spoke such truth about his life that he knew that either he must have been dreaming, or she was a stalker. He hungered to swallow the blue pill, the one in her left hand. But his soul screamed in protest. Then he remembered his promise to himself. He would take another risk. He reached out, but his hand faltered, still deciding which pill to take. As if this was some life-altering choice, he thought. Why not? ?Please remember, ignorance is bliss.? Naiobi smiled sweetly, as if she wanted him to take the blue pill. But he willed himself to grasp the red pill. She pushed a cup of water across the table to him. Everyone standing around whispered amongst themselves, as he swallowed the pill, and set down the glass cup on the wooden table. ?Come this way.? He said, ushering him into another room. A few of the crew scurried into the backroom before he did, punching in commands to several computers. One had a headset on, and was talking into a phone-jack. Julius could only guess what this was, aside from a meeting at the AV club. ?Welcome to the desert Morpheus.? She said in a grim tone. He looked at her, casting a worried look, and felt himself sinking into the ground as if he was the melting. He turned his attention to the ground, only to find discover he was melting, as if it were hot candle wax. The slow process of his body liquefying wasn?t painful, but shocking to say the least. ?His brain waves are normal.? A Hispanic-looking man said in a monotone voice, as he stared intently at the screen, which was constantly scrolling down new information. He seemed to be processing it with practiced eyes, as he skimmed from line to line. ?Heart rate at 80 beats per minute and holding. We gotta move quickly.? Naiobi said in a commanding tone. Gasping desperately for breath, he felt his body shake slightly, and he was sweating bullets. Perspiration completely soaked his underarms and neck. Shuddering once again, Julius completely passed out, as his vision faded to black. [b][SIZE=3]God of Dreams[/SIZE] Chapter 3: The Journey to the Surface[/b] Julius? eyes opened wide in pain, and were greeted with a warm, pink fluid. He exhaled violently, making bubbles quickly rose to the top of the incubation pod. The pod?s top opened up slowly, as if it were a flower blossoming, and a flying machine, closely resembling a demonic-squid, inspected him. Its pink lenses focused, and several antennae probed outside of the squid, then retracted quickly. The machine?s tentacle moved to the back of his head, and unscrewed a cord, which lead into his cerebral cortex. It unplugged with a sickening sucking sound. Julius was overcome by a sense of vertigo, hoping that it would come to pass. He had no idea where he was, and he wasn?t about to find out any time soon. The incubatory fluid flushed out of a shaft, and he slid down with it, twisting and turning down a tube, going where the liquid took him. Finally, the shaft ended, and he felt into a pool of murky water. Julius decided he wanted to die; closing his eyes, he began to sink under the cloudy surface of the water. But some sort of leviathan hovered above him, the mechanical parts accentuated in a pale electric blue. A crane arm shot down out of a pair of doors, and closed around him. The claw retracted back into the hovercraft, and Julius hung there in limbo. It felt like he was in the process of going to hell. Have I died? What?s happening? His tired mind searched for the answers, but could arrive to no conclusion. He began throwing up as the crew took him out of the crane?s arm and wrapped him in a rough blanket. ?I?is?? he spluttered in mid-sentence, choking on more puke rising in his throat. He fought it down, determined to get at least one question out before he died. ?is this ? r..real?? He battled to keep his eyes open long enough for the answer, but no one was in a hurry to give him a response. ?Yes. Go to sleep, it?ll help. You?re in good hands now.? Naiobi said gently to him, as if he were a baby being lulled to sleep. Julius could fight his fatigue no longer, and gave into it, throwing up once more before passing out on deck. ?Switch, Dozer, get him cleaned up. I?ll take us back to Zion.? She said, looking at the crew, and walking back into the cockpit. The doors gave a loud clang behind her as they shut. The crew looked at each other nervously. ?You heard the captain. Switch, get over here. Someone else wipe up the deck.? Dozer said in a deep tone as he crouched over Morpheus inspecting him with great interest. After a few seconds, he picked him up, and carried him into the electro-acupuncture room, took off his blanket, and set him down gingerly on the table. Switch turned on several life-support systems, plugging them into his wrist and left arm. The plugs slid into the sockets Morpheus had on his body, supplying him with vitamins and nutrients he had lost as a result of living in the incubating pods. ?So you think he?ll make it? We?ve lost so many already.? Switch said to no one in particular. She activated the needles, charging them with electricity and setting them on a metal dish next to the operating table. ?Yeah. He?s strong. His heart rate was great while he was being unplugged. Most people die then and there. Besides, his neuro-signals and vitals are all steady.? Dozer said, as he started for the door. ?You got it from here. Later.? He exited the room, back out onto the deck. Switch sighed and began inserting the needles into Morpheus? body. The process took hours, but if done correctly, would stimulate the muscle tissue that had atrophied from years of not using ones appendages. * * * Morpheus awoke with a start. The calm meditative state he had been in for the past few hours was only a diversion from what was really at hand. He remembered he had been in some sort of sac, and then he was onboard the ship. But his memory ended there. He remained laying down for a few moments, gathering his mind together, and mustered the strength to sit up. When he did, a dull aching arose in his stomach muscles again. He rubbed his eyes, and looked around the room. It reminded him of being in a submarine, with the metal walls, tightly sealed cabinets, and funny looking doors. Morpheus turned himself so his feet dangled off the cot, and he stood for the first time. His knees wobbled under him, but soon became accustomed to his weight with little difficulty. Then he looked at his arm. A ? wire was attached, no, plugged into his arm. He furrowed his brow, not completely remembering what had happened what seemed like a lifetime ago when the squid unscrewed his plug. He looked at it, deciding if he should remove it or let it stay in. ?I hope this doesn?t hurt.? He said to himself as he gripped the cord and plugged it out. It slid out of him with a metallic click sound, and a stabbing pain shot through his arm, but quickly subsided. He winced in pain, opening twisting the door latch several rotations with his right hand he before it creaked open. ?Well good morning, sleepy head! How are you today?? Tank said to him amiably. ?Things have been better? but what?s happening to me? Who are you? What am I doing here?? he inquired in a rising tone. ?Whoa, whoa man? calm down.? He gestured with his hands, as if they were pushing back an invisible person. ?The answers will come soon enough. But if you?ll take a seat right here,? he pointed to a chair with a plug at the head rest ?the madam will be right with you.? Morpheus sat down, and idly touched the back of his head. He tapped a metallic outlet, which sent a brief, stinging sensation down his spinal column. He tried it again, but there was no effect. Feeling curious, he sat up, and looked around at the deck of the ship. Crates were stacked in corners, while wires snaked across the floor, which happened to be metal grating. Different types of computers hung on the wall, each vying for room enough to hang on the cluttered walls. Most of the equipment was worn, with paint chipping and duct tape holding together monitors. Directly across from where he was sitting was another room, with some ammunition rounds spilling out of the threshold. He could only guess it was a gunnery. But Naiobi came from behind he was sitting, rubbing her hands together and grinning. ?Today, you learn everything. Today, you become Morpheus,? she paused, letting the idea sink into both their minds. Morpheus felt slightly nervous, but at the same time eager to learn exactly what was going on. ?Tank, load the construct.? Tank tapped away at the keyboard that was adjacent to Morpheus? seat. ?But, this?ll be a little? uncomfortable.? She said to him, and then shoved the plug into the back of his head. His body arched in pain, and his mouth opened wide in a silent scream of pain, but as soon as it began, it ended, and he was soon weightless. He floated for a few seconds in nothingness, seeing bits of code zip by him, and white panels flying into place. The panels made up a white expanse. [to be continued]

Hey. I decided I'd make you a banner. Anyway, the banner wasn't quite big enough to accomodate both you AND Sayne AND your MechAnimas, so I just put in you two. I was assuming that you and he were more important in the banner than the mechs. Hope you like them. I made two different ones, and I suppose you can pick the one you like better, or tell me how to improve them. [B]Banner 1:[/B] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/mechinfinity/blah.jpg[/IMG] [B]Banner 2:[/B] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/mechinfinity/blah1.jpg[/IMG] EDIT: I just realized these have no borders >_>;; Sorry I forgot. If you want them, I'd gladly add them.

[SIZE=1]Wow. I added alot more. I sure hope this does well. :p [CENTER][B]: Pilot :[/B][/CENTER] [B]Name:[/B] Keiji Miyamoto [B]Age:[/B] 22 [B]Gender:[/B] Male [B]Origin:[/B] SS3 Star Cluster [B]Appearance:[/B] [url]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/mechinfinity/amon.jpg[/url] [B]Personality:[/B] Keiji has become quieter in the last five years. His experiences with the MechAnima pilots spurred him to train more, and to still himself to become more calm. He has changed from a personable loud-mouth to a gentle, soft-spoken young man. When around friends, however, he will show sparks of his old personality, talking and laughing as if he was 17 again. [B]Bio:[/B] Keiji was always fascinated with flight. So he read about it. Eventually, he became rather obcessed with it, digesting any and every book related to the history of flight, physics of flight, combat in flight, or how flight may advance in the future, as well as a good base of ancient strategy and tactics. From a young age, Keiji had a hawk, which he taught how to hunt. From studying the mechanics of flight, he always observed how the phenominon occured. After a while, he could tell you everything there was to know about nearly any type of flight. All his studies paid off in high school. He became an intern at an Aeronautical company, where he was even offered a low-paying job there. The job he got was small-aircraft repair and maintainence. Against company rules, a test pilot him out for a spin, and a few times let him take the yoke of it. After a few runs, the test pilot saw how he had a natural knack for flying, and they eventually switched places, but the company never knew. His father is CEO of a huge software company, equivalent to Microsoft. This, of course, makes Keiji a very rich teenager. [I](5 Years Later)[/I] After piloting with the other MechAnima pilots, he realized what he wanted to become. Stronger. So he moved off to the SS3 Star Cluster with Amatu. Using his father?s money, he lived richly, and outfitted Amatu with the best parts money could buy, and made some special modifications himself. He didn?t have to work to sustain himself ? the money from his father did that. So he could train all day, and sometimes all night, bettering himself. Amatu has kept pushing his limits farther and farther, to help Keiji succeed in his training. As a result of constant training for the past five years, Keiji has adopted Amatu?s personality. While fighting, he is extremely calm. He has trained extensively in both zero gravity and various settings of gravity ? his money could buy him simulators. These sims also allowed him to vastly enhance is reflexes, mental capacity, and physical limits. [B]Weakness:[/B] Sometimes he bites off more than he can chew on missions, trying to fight harder than he is able to. This is hard, however, as he can fight extremely well, so it takes a lot to overwhelm him. [B][CENTER]: Tournament MechAnima :[/CENTER][/B] [B]Name:[/B] Amatu [B]Personality:[/B] Amatu has vastly matured, which also forced Keiji to mature as well. He loves to push Keiji?s limits, acting as a father for him. He also has trained Keiji so well, that they now are permanently synchronized at 100%, even while out of combat. Therefore, Keiji can essentially process information and act upon it as fast as a machine can. Amatu is still very calm and discerning. He has done away with the fiery personality he had once possessed when he became angry. They both center themselves before any battle. [B]Appearance:[/B] [url]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/mechinfinity/wu-felix-hawk.png[/url] Green and Silver Chrome color scheme. [B]Abilities:[/B] - Amatu, being a hawk, can fly many times above the speed of sound. Even the Griffin, Tiger and Cheetah are envious of such the finely tuned machine's speed. Several new thrusters have been installed in aerodynamic points around Amatu?s frame, efficiently enhancing his abilities with the best technology the universe can offer. These thrusters are activated and deactivated to minimize stresses on Amatu, and increase overall speed. The only way Keiji can survive this is the Gee-Nullifier inside the suit, which reduces the acceleration Gees to nearly nil. - Aside from Amatu's breakneck speed, it has beam talons and a beam beak, allowing for it to swoop down and gut a machine in literally, a blink of an eye. - The Amatu also has thousands of micro-missiles stored within its wings, in a modular fashion, so as to utilize all possible space, and making it as light as possible. All the micro-missiles are heat seeking, but can be switched to a ballistic mode. Also, these missiles aren't really 'micro,' just about a third of the size of a regular missile. Keiji has also added in two gatling guns, that are computer guided. The targeting computer relays the information to the gun?s computers, and they lock on. The gatling guns fire at a rate of 1,200 rounds per minute, and are very accurate. - After all the training with Keiji, Amatu has been very accustomed to his strategies, and has programmed in a system that relays all past information to his brain. Keiji?s brain accepts or declines certain courses of action in instants, and Amatu uses his machine speed to augment Keiji?s reaction time. All in all, Keiji has become a combat machine. - Beam Needles are shot out when in close quarters combat at considerable speed, so that the enemy cannot evade such a barrage. The beam needles shoot thin beams, which are ignited from a needle-base. They are fired in a pre-determined direction, for more precision. Several hundred can fire at a time. The beam needles to not cause severe damage to an armored MechAnima, but it does weaken the Mech?s structural integrity. [B]Weakness:[/B] The hawk is particularly vulnerable while standing on the ground, as it cannot utilize its speed. If one does manage to lay a blow on the Amatu, it will do considerable damage, since it has little armor, for the sake of more speed. [CENTER][B]: Legendary MechAnima :[/B][/CENTER] [B]Name:[/B] Amatu [B]Personality:[/B] Amatu?s personality doesn?t change at all, as his Normal form is already as exacting and creative as modern technology allows. [B]Appearance:[/B] The green and silver chrome is still there, but Amatu gains an elegant luster, with silver sparks issuing from the thrusters. [B]Normal Abilities:[/B] [same as Normal form] [B]Special Abilities:[/B] - [i][B]Limit Break:[/B][/i] This is when Amatu is commanded to change its personality into a combatant one. By no means does this hawk become a reckless fighter, only a fierce one. When Amatu's personality is changed, Limit Break takes place. Limit Break allows for Amatu's processors to double their efforts, meaning lock-acquisition takes a half as long, and Amatu's reasoning matrix is doubled, making it an all-the-most fierce fighter. - [i][B]Evasive Maneuvers:[/B][/i] The Amatu's speed makes it extremely difficult to lock onto, but if perhaps, one manages to attain a lock, Evasive Maneuvers are engauged. Once this happens, the Amatu, upon confirmation of Keiji, will begin to twist and turn, in an attempt to break a lock. The Amatu's thruster output is increased, so as to make it harder to keep the lock. If the lock remains on Amatu, it will either decrease its speed and then hit maximum throttle in another direction, or launch heat-seeking micro-missles to collide with the incoming missles. Weakness: Pushing Keiji too hard will result in a break-down of the Legendary mode. However, Amatu has trained Keiji sufficiently to take a severe amount of physical and mental fatigue, however most of this is nullified by the Gee-Nullifier.[/SIZE]

What exactly is the plot behind this? Just random tournament battles, similar to Zoids, or a tournament with a purpose behind it? I'm still toying with the idea of joining.

I'll update this when I get home. Sounds like an interesting RPG here... [B]Name:[/B] Julius "Gram" Rellion [B]Age:[/B] 16 & 1/2 [B]Group:[/B] Has not decided which group to join, as he has various requests by multiple groups. As of now, he is going to he highest bidder. [B]Group Title/Place:[/B] Chief Piecer. The title was given to him due to his immense talent with tagging anything and everything. All his graffiti is a masterpiece, so if his crew needs something tagged, they turn to him for quality, speed, and skill in the art. [B]Description:[/B] [IMG]http://www.getchu.com/brandnew/80661/c80661package.jpg[/IMG] He has no cowboy hat, swords, or traditional samurai garb, but he still has the gloves. He wears loose, black cargo pants held onto his waist with a brown belt. He wears a grey shirt that says "Shattered" on the front, and "Shattered" backwards on the back. The text is white, graffiti script, and looks like broken glass. [B]Personality:[/B] Julius is energetic and amiable to all that he crosses paths with; even the cops. Feeds off the energy of those around him, and can make a quiet person into a regular loudmouth. He is up for whatever challenge is thrown at him, taking on ambitious graffiti projects all the time. He loves graffiti, and thinks it another form of art. He is a good listener, but is usually the one talking. He is in general very artistic, expressing his thoughts, opinions, and emotions with a spray can and a concrete canvas. (More to add on here) [B]Biography:[/B] Julius grew in a working-class family. By no means did he have a bad childhood, or grow up in a Red Light District. His father was always working overtime, and his mother was a part-time secretary, who's main job was to bring up Julius and his younger sister the right way. At around age twelve, he became completely obsessed with drawing graffiti on paper. He practiced his words, murals, and even abstractions for three years on paper. His sketches and thoughts became more and more detailed; by the end of the three-year period, he diagrammed his works to scale, wrote notes in the margin on where the spray should be light, dark, thick, overlayed, and dripped onto the canvas of concrete. But he never had the guts to actually tag something. Not until a kid in a gang dared him to. He was chumped around, and made fun of for only drawing his works on paper. They urged him to try applying his complex drawings with real paint. So he tried, and failed for several months, researching the proper techniques and colors that had to be used to make graffiti a piece of art. At age 14, he had completed a master-piece that gang-leaders dreamed about. He boldly placed it on the side of a local drug-store, the place where most of the taggers hung out. It got him instant recognition, and high demand. The word was on the street that a young kid without a crew had insane tagging skills, and was a graffiti prodigy. He tried joining a gang, but didn't like it. At the young age of 14, he wasn't mature enough to run with the big-boys, and got bullied around, forced to do impossible tasks. He quit, but not without alot of grief from his gang. He was attacked at night, and managed to stay alive. He killed the leader with a kitchen bread-knife, and dragged his body into a sewer. The killing still has not been traced back to him. The gang did not think such a young boy would perform such a hideious crime. Julius started signing his masterpieces with the nickname "Gram," which has made this fabled "Gram" the best tagger of their generation. He is still a hot commodity.

Shinji cut the flame off. "Dammit. No one's coming." Stemming the energy for the flame took a while, as it was a large spell. He jumped down to the street, slightly hovering before landing to lessen the impact, and ran down the block. He heard a staff hit the ground, and he turned the corner, readying his staff for battle. "Oh.." he sighed with relief. "It's you." "At least I've found [i]you[/i]." Dyna said to him. "What do you mean [i]at least?[/i]?" he asked her. "Oh, Shinji! You take things too seriously sometimes. Chill out. We need to find the others." He remained silent, following behind her for a while. They walked to the center of the town, where they were reunited with a few more of the group memebers. "Hey guys!" he waved to them. As soon as he began waving, his hand began to glow a dim blue. "What the hell?" he stopped in midsentence. The light spread throughout his body, and once it had passed, he looked different. Instead of an orb at the tip of his staff, there was an old fashioned clock. It was golden, and the numbers where in roman numerals. The second hand ticked away. "What just happened?" He said to Dyna. "No idea. Transforming or something? I dunno, just ask someone else I suppose." "Okay" he said, rather puzzled at the change. He looked at himself, and saw that his silver fringe was now more elaborate than a simple border. He smiled... he like the new change.

[SIZE=1]*sigh* This is why you don't ask a Gundam nerd to sign up on an RPG. I don't really expect any one to read through all this stuff. [b]Name:[/b] Zechs Marquise aka "Lightening Count" [B]Age:[/B] 24? [B]Agenda:[/B] Male. Although, I thought this meant what you planned on carrying out. [B]Personality:[/B] A man of class, Zechs eats and breathes chivalry. He is rather quiet, and has a nearly no sense of humor. The only people he opens up to are Trieze and his sister, Relena. But with Trieze dead, he took it upon himself to be Relena's guardian angel so to speak. He does not open admit his love for her, but does all he can to protect her. A man of secrecy, he readopted his mask. It is his symbol of the shame he carries after killing countless people. He has returned to feeling like a man with nothing to live for but war. [B]Appearance:[/B] [URL=http://images.nonexiste.net/Gundam%20Wing/zechs.jpe][link][/URL] [B]Bio:[/B] Zechs Marquise is one of the greatest mobile suit pilots ever to live. He quickly earned a reputation in the Earth Sphere Alliance's organization of crack mobile suit pilots known as OZ for being the best and most feared pilot on any battlefield Zech's chooses to engage in. Ironically, though Zechs' life is a bloody one full of destruction and terror, his origins are of a surprisingly peaceful nature. A member of the famouse Peacecraft family, the then named Miliardo Peacecraft left his native lands (the Sanque Kingdom) when the ruling family, the Peacecrafts, was destroyed. His younger sister, Relena Peacecraft was adopted by an outside family and Miliardo assumed the role of Zechs. A man with no past, no family, and nothing but war to live for. Zechs quickly became close friends with Treize Kushranada. Treize was the leader of the OZ organization and when OZ (in the form of what would later become the Trieze Faction) made it's move to overthrow the leaders of the Earth Sphere Alliance and assume full control of the military of Earth, Treize essentially became the ruler of the entire world. However, Zechs and Treize would soon find themselves fighting for opposite ideals. Zechs was a brilliant mobile suit pilot and using the prototype mobile suit, the Tallgeese (which served as the basis for the development of most modern mobile suits) Zechs was literally unstoppable on the battlefield. He eventually reached the limits of the Tallgeese however and was forced to find a new mobile suit. By this point Zechs was fighting essentially for the independence of the colonies but his true motivations for any of his actions are constantly clouded in mystery throughout all of Zechs' life. Zechs was one of the first truly capable pilots to get his hands on the Wing Zero, a highly powerful mobile suit much more advanced than the Tallgeese. Zechs would choose to not stay with the Wing Zero though and moved on to the Epyon, another highly advanced mobile suit, making it his permanent home for the remainder of the Gundam Wing series. By this point Zechs was once again fighting for a different organization, the White Fang. He served as their leader in their battles against the forces of Earth to gain freedom for all the colonies. Ultimately Zechs went underground when the great White Fang battleship named Libra was destroyed. He remained in hiding until Mariemia Kushranada appeared and attempted to gain power over the Earth sphere by force. Zechs stood against Mariemia with his recently built Tallgeese III, a suit that was built surprisingly by Treize, Mariemia's father. [B]Mech:[/B] Tallgeese IV: - [I]Armor Materials:[/I] Anaheim nanopaste gundanium - [I]Fixed armaments:[/I] 1 x mega cannon, mounted on right shoulder; 2 x vulcan gun, fire-linked, mounted in head; 2 x beam saber, stored in recharge racks in shield, hand-carried in use - [I]Optional Armaments:[/I] shield, can be optionally mounted on left shoulder, mounts 1 x heat rod, retractable - [I]Powerhouse:[/I] Minovsky type ultra compact fusion reactor, output rated at 8310 MW, later modified to 8732 MW - [I]Propulsion System:[/I] Omega rocket boosters-2x 67,000 KG; rocket thrusters 2x-35,000 KG (w/o minovsky quad-wing-binders); Vernian hip binders 4x 39,000 KG; Vernian drive thrusters 2x-48,000 KG; minovsky drive thrusters 4x 85,000 KG; vernian /apogee thrusters: 44X - [I]Generator Output:[/I] 8310 MW, later modified to 8732 Mw - [I]Thrust Output:[/I] Total thruster output: 796,000 Kg, maximum thruster acceleration: 12.72G's, 180 degree turn in .16 sec - [I]Mobile Suit Info:[/I] Manufactured by Anaheim, but no records of it exist. The symbol is a flying demon. This suit is extremely fast, but has very low armor because it was sacrificed for rocket space. The cockpit has a perflourocarbon liquid gel interior that reduces G forces to almost nill, perflourocarbon is a greyish gel that when mixed with oxygen, becomes clear. It also cools the body, lowers heart rate, and pacifies brain waves. The pilot will feel very little emotion, and physical pain/anxiety. It has many places for storing weapons. The cockpit has also been outfitted with a HALO System, a product of Zech's L6 Colony operation. Scientists there have been working for the past three years, analyzing the Wing Zero's combat data to make another system to match that of the Zero System. As a result, the HALO System is the Zero System's counterpart. Where as the Zero System analyzes combat data, the HALO System increases the pilot's physical and mental capacities. Attributes such as reflex, logical functions, and strategical analysis are sharply augmented when the System is engaged.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Shinmaru]Man, I am seriously not liking the attitude in here right now. People being humble and saying they wouldn't want to be Moderators? Former Moderators telling stories of burn out? You guys are all supposed to be worshipping the ground that we walk on, not demeaning our position. How is my ego supposed to be gratified with this crap you guys are posting? Seriously. [/QUOTE] [b]All hail Shinmaru! All hail Shinmaru![/b] Bwhaha. Anyway, I don't [i]quite[/i] worship the ground you all walk on. However, I do definetly hold a great deal of respect for all the teams. Many people have said that it's easy to look over the down-sides of being a moderator. Yes, I know that there's bad stuff that comes with it all, but I would accept the position in a heartbeat. That is ... if it were a forum I usually visit. Like the O.Lounge, RPG forums, or the Anthology. A guy can dream... :p

To put it bluntly, yes, I would love to be a moderator. However, I know that my chances of being a moderator are nil, but it's been a personal dream of mine ever since I struck this page back a year ago. I'd love to do the work. All this time I've been just posting on the boards. Sometimes I wish I could give something back. But on the same note, I might just be detracting from it because I wouldn't be able to do as good a job as the current moderators. Everyone else's comments seem to speak the truth. Being a mod isn't some game; it's work. Therefore, taking the job lightly would only hurt the boards. But truthfully, I don't see myself ever becoming a moderator on this board.

Whoa. I like this alot. I can't wait for chapter 2 to hit the Anthology. In any event, you may want to throw in more details, things seem like they're moving a little too fast. More dialouge and descriptions to make things more involving. Personalities would be good to, so that we get to "know" the characters. ^.^ But I [B]

Heh... sorry about making Shinji learn that fast. I suppose I was over-compensating since you're a member of the "Deadly" clan. I read your sign up, and then I had to edit mine so that your mage didn't eat mine for breakfast. The result was the "Granada" family name. I made them a line of talented mages as well, which could justify my jumps in skill. I suppose the compensation was a little too much, but I just [i]had[/i] to have him fly. Too cool. And I noticed that you copied off the mark on the wrist for the clan name, as well as the general look of your staff. The solitary orb mystically hovering the rest of the rod. But no hard feelings! ^.^ All I did was just add in those three other orbs. And again, I'm supposing the crystals are like ... control of the land or something.

This sort of displays how I feel right now. I love her, but I don't want to. One of those pitiful, stereotypical teenager crushes. Here's to the attempt at my feelings. Constructive crit. is welcome! :p [b]When Love Fell Apart[/b] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/mechinfinity/glass.jpg[/IMG]

[quote name='Panda']How good does a Panda taste?[/quote] *finishes chewing the mouthful* "Oh! Very good. I like mine medium rare. And it almost tastes like chicken." But really, I have no idea. My favorite sodas are: - Any kind of Rootbeer, as long as it's good. - Vanilla Coke - Original Coke - Orangina (I haven't had this for a while) I [b]loved[/b] Cherry Coke back in the day, but then Coca-Cola stopped making it for some reason. It's colors broke from the red-and-white, as it was purple and black. Then it made a comeback recently, but Vanilla has taken it's spot in my heart. But we all know that [b]Rootbeer is God of all Sodas(Pops, Soda Pops, whatever you wanna call it) .[/b]

HA! I invented the weapon evolving. Mu-ha. Anyway, I think your ideas are good, Kairi. For the record, I would like to be a time-mage. And I'm thinking that the marble orb will be something like a time-warp or something, which eases me into the Time Mage job ability. I suppose my element is going to be fire, since I already have a flame-rod. I also intend to purchase a new weapon as soon as I reach the next town. I hope that people stick with this thing 'til the end. I also wish that a strong plot line would emerge. Right now, we're a group of vagabonds with magical powers. I have no idea what the crystals do, or where the RPG is headed. A slight clue would be nice, amgoddess. :p

OOC: Yeah, I can see where you'd have problems with your race being "the world." Personally, I'd be a white mage, but where you're taking it is good too. Anyway... IC: His teeth were gritted tight with anger and burning desire to prove himself. He wanted to do well... no, the best in this mission. And he was already off to a bad start; he had failed to cast a Firaga to warm his friends. "There's no fucking way I'm going to be the number two. I'm going to pull through for everyone." He said quietly, keeping his cool. He and his group had been seperated. He decided to displace the air around him, and he closed his eyes. His body's senses were stretched to the limit, every fiber on it's breaking point, every cell in his body in anticipation for an attack. He thought of powerfully casting a spell. [i][b]FIRAGA!![/b][/i] He thought as loud as he possibly could. The air was displaced in a few instants, dispelling the thick fog around him. Opening his eyes, he saw another black mage looking at him. "O... Orion?" He stammered. It was him. "Yes. Now you die, Canaas of Granada." "Fuck you." He spat back. He readied his staff, and began walking towards him. Orion kept his ground, not moving at all. But somehow, he knew that you didn't have to move to kill someone when you're a Black Mage. Sticks and stones may break your bones, and words will burn you to death. "Firaga!" He said as sharply as he could, as if he was willing the heavens to obey his call. He straffed to the right by flying. The spell was casted with great accuracy, with a huge jets of fire spontaneously combusting in midair. "Shell!" Orion said at the last moment. A green aura encircled him, repelling the flames away from his body. But Shinji did not slow down. He used the momentum of his strafe to run up a lamp post. He forced air to move in the direction of Orion, knocking him off balance. The thought hit him that Orion must've lied to him. He must be some sort of hybrid between Black and White mage. He refused to entertain the thought, as the moment was more important than theory. The vortex of air knocked him off balance, but that was all Shinji needed. He jumped off the lamp post in the direction of Orion. "Thundaga!" Orion spat at him. A lightening bolt completely vaporized the lamp post he had just left. He was a powerful magic caster. But not strong enough. Shinji brought down his staff like a sword atop Orion's shell. The revolving orbs spun faster, and the shell went from a lime green to a blood-red. Light was shining, and time was warping around them. Shinji was suspended in the air by an unseen force for a moment, as if time had froze. [B]"FIRAGA!!"[/B] He shouted with all his might. Fire went inside the crack of the shell, turning Orion to dust. Time proceeded once more, and Shinji collapsed on the ground, panting heavily next to a smoldering pile of ashed. It felt like he had been drained of all his strength. "U...nn...." he groaned. His legs felt tired, as if he had ran somewhere. "Oh hell no! I'm not gonna be the weakest link!" He forced himself to stand. Surprisingly, after he propped himself back up, he felt rejuenated. It felt like he had grown in his skill some way. Looking at the heap of ashes, he wanted to take his staff. But that too was disentigrated. He pushed the pile around a bit, and found an ethereal fragment of the broken shell. Frowning, he put it in his pocket securely. Then he jumped in the air, using the motion to begin his flight once more. He flew around, looking for where everyone else is. "Maybe... I can cast a really, really huge Firaga to make everyone know where I am." He landed at the top of a rather tall building, and concentrated. He was happy when he could cast the spell without much thought or effort. The problem would be to make it strong. He decided he'd try it anyway. Closing his eyes, he summoned forth the strength to cast the spell. He was successful, and when he opened his eyes, he heard a low [i]ping[/i]ing sound like some musical instrument was playing. And it came from his staff. It was one of the orbs, glowing a bright red, and coincidentally, the flame grew and grew in midair. He eventually had to control the magic, as it had gotten as wide as a city block and threatened to burn down the surrounding buildings. Using self-restraint, he slowed the flow of the magic to keep it at a steady burn. "So lemme get this straight," he said to the three spheres orbiting the main orb. "You're for flying," he pointed to the amber one "You're for fire magic," he pointed to the ruby one. "But what are [i]you?[/i]" he questioned the marble orb. It hadn't been glowing at all. Only maintaining it's orbit. He kept thinking as he looked out among the town for his friends.

OOC: Yeah, I've taken the liberty to make a training ground exist, solely for the point of sight-seeing. I decided it was a way to stall for time while Shinji waited for everyone to wake up. IC: [b]That Night[/b] Shinji swam over to the barrier, and knocked on it. Ripples resounded from where he had hit on the ethereal wall, and several girls crowded around the location of the ripple on the other side of the barrier. He remembered they could see throught he barrier, and he only saw distorted figures. He slowly backed away, and there was an increase of motion on the other side. Surely they knew that he couldn't see them. He turned, and summoned for his clothes. Remembering they could see him change, he kept the white robe on until he was out of sight, then dried off and threw on his robe, and picked up his staff. He checked to make sure the card was in his inner pocked, and walked out of the bathing all. Turning the corner, he saw girls who were dripping with water, and clothed in the thin white robes. He assumed they were from the other side of the barrier, the ones who saw him. He pointed at him, giggled and approached him. Shinji felt nervous, as he had to get by them to get back to his sleeping quarters. He tried to walk past them, but they created a four-girl chain across the hall so that he could not pass. "uh... Could I get by please?" He asked politely. "Hm... not without a kiss." The leader of the group said. "I'd prefer not, sorry." He said, his shyness taking over when in front of girls. They started walking towards him, and surrounded him. One threw herself on him, and he caught her before she ran into him. But it wasn't the kind of catch he wanted to make, as he had 'caught' the girls breasts. He opened his mouth in shock, and pulled back his hands. Another girl hit him on the shoulder, and they decided to leave. "What... the hell was all that about?" He had to admit, he liked the attention for whatever reason it was given to him. But he still wondered what they were doing. He continued walking, and go to the sleeping quarters. He took off his robe, and went to sleep in his gray shirt and pants. It was easy to do so, as the beds were exquisitely soft and accomodating. [b]The Next Day[/b] He awoke slowly, wanting to sleep more. But he forced himself awake, and decided to take a stroll around the grounds to see what there was to see. He shrugged on his robe, took his staff, and began walking. After about half an hour of sight-seeing, he came upon what looked like a training ground, but with only a few people on it. He jogged over, eager to see what was happening on it. Several people trained with swords, and there was one other Black Mage. Shinji wanted to talk to him first. "Hello. What are you doing here, sir?" He said to the man. He looked to be about 45. "Hello," He said, bowing slightly, "I'm here training. I want to push my limits, and become better." "And how might you go about doing that? What kind of exercises do you perform?" "First, I sit cross legged," The man took the position sitting down, "And I meditate, with the sole purpose in mind to displace the air around me. That decreases the amount of time it takes to cast your spell." "Yes, I've noticed that the air moves away from me when I begin casting. So this exercise would speed that up?" "Precisely. Try it." He patted the ground next to him, smiling amiably. Shiji took a seat. He put his staff on his lap like the other mage had done, closed his eyes, and concentrated. He wasn't exactly sure how to displace air, so he tried mentally casting the spell. [b][i]Firaga![/i][/b] he thought as hard as he could. Quickly, the air rushed away from him. The other mage had been faster at displacing the air, but not by much. He relaxed, and so did the man. Then they began mentally trying to cast the spell again. This time, Shinji became faster, knowing what to do. He only had to put command in his voice, and concentrate more deeply. By doing so, he blew the air away from him so hard, that the man struggled to stay sitting up. The other mage concentrated his hardest, his and Shinji's vortex's colliding monstrously. It was a battle of the minds. Shinji's wind blew ever harder, and eventually knocking the other man's concentration. It looked like a hurracain was striking when he opened his eyes. There was a great deal of air swirling around him, kicking up loose dirt and grass. "That was exceptional! Where'd you learn to do that? I've been training all my life, but I've never been out-casted before." The mage exclaimed. "Thanks alot!" Shinji said sincerely. "I've been doing this for about ... two days now I think. Maybe a total time of 2 hours have been in my training regiment thus far." "That's impossible. You can't have done that. It's much too hard." Shinji raised one eyebrow, and pulled back his sleeve slowly. The words [B]"Canaas of Granada"[/B] were etched in his arm, as black as charcoal in intracate, gothic letters. The man's eyes widened considerably. He stood as quickly as he could, and bowed deeply. "My apologies for doubting you, young prodigy of Granada. Please forgive me." The man begged. "It's really not a problem. Besides, what's so good about Granada?" He man's eyes looked at him incredulously, as if he was insane. "Granada is a noble line of Black Mages. It is said that the very essence of magic is in a mage of Granada's veins. Even young mages are able to perform impossibly difficult magic tasks. You are very gifted and priviledged as a member of the Granada family. You are of noble descent." He rised from his bow. Shinji also stood up, and spun his staff. "Like this?" He gripped his staff tightly, and clenched his teeth, trying to remember how he flew. He became impatient with himself, as he could not do it again. "It is alright, Sir Cannaas. It will come with due practice and time." He said, happy that he could surpass Shinji in at least one aspect of being a Black Mage. He just shook off the man's comments, trying even harder to fly. He pictured the concept of flight, what it meant, and how he could attain it. He connected on a deep level with his staff's orbs, and felt himself levitate off the ground. But he kept concentrating, intent on flying longer than he had last time. He shot forward with incredible speed, at least twice as fast as what he had already flown at. He banked sharply, and came back at the same speed. But the fatigue of concentration and harnessing the necessary magic was unbearble. His concentration broke with him gasping desperately for breath, snatching gasps at the air. And he fell. From the height he was at, 2 feet or so, a fall wouldn't even be noticiable. But it was his speed that made it dangerous. He crash landed on the grass, flipping head-over-heels, kicking up dirt as he rolled along the ground swiftly. He eventually came to a halt in front of the mage again. He was clapping as hard as he could. "Jolly good! That is very speedy improvement. Next time, you'll be able to stop more gracefully, instead of skidding about like you did." He nodded in the direction of his trail of thrashed grass and dirt. "Thank you. And if I may ask, what is your name?" "Orion of SanReon. My family is not nearly as prestigious as yours is, but it is well off." The last name felt vaguely familiar to him. "I've heard that name... 'San Reon' somewhere." He said thoughtfully. He explained he had best be going, and left the grounds. He brushed off the dirt from his cloak, and went to where his friends where.