Blayze

[size=1]Ok, thanks for the advice, Sage. I think you're right as well, that it would be a good idea to escape the boundaries of the four elements, as they have been popping up a lot in my most recent RPs. Maybe a change will do me good. The use of the Oriental elements is interesting, though, they could prove to make an interesting RP. And you're right, I should pick one idea and work on that one, and leave the other for a while at least. Thanks for your input, it has been most helpful. [/size]

[size=1]Hey, its me, Fallen. I was trying to come up with some ideas for new RPs, and it seemed to me that ones planned here in the Underground seem to take off better than ones not thought through as thoroughly. So I have decided to post a couple of ideas here for people to look at and give me feedback on, telling me if they would join it or not, and any changes they think I should make. So without further ado, here they are: [u][b]Idea 1 [/b][/u]This one is loosely based on Final Fantasy 7. The world is one called Terra, ravaged by nuclear war, all that remains of once-great industrial civilisations is huge metal skeletons of buildings, swarming with creatures created from the nuclear dust that swirls around the wastelands. Human settlements are few and far between, with very limited technology, and few research labs to discover new medicines. The massive plains that cover the ground between towns are roamed by beasts formed from nuclear dust. All the people of Terra have left is their faith, and even this is shattered by the impact of a meteor, which turns out to be something none of them expected... I don't want to give too much away, but essentially you would be playing as mercenaries charged with saving Terra, and the storyline would thicken as it went, with lots of twists and turns, crossing and double-crossing. There would be magic involved as well, based on the four elements. [u][b]Idea 2 [/b][/u]This second idea is an X-Men RP, which, instead of allowing you to take control of a character you have invented, you will be using characters from the existing Marvel universe (not just limited to the X-Men), simply thrust into a new environment. The story goes like this: As Magneto engages the power of his machine which will reverse the Earth's magnetic field, killing all humans who dwell on this planet, Joseph, a clone of Magneto, goes in to stop him. The X-Men watch on, helpless, as a dark figure emerges from mid-air, and cuts Joseph down, leaving him to die without stopping Magneto's machine. This unravels the timelines, creating an alternative future, where Magneto's machine worked, and wiped out billions of humans all over the planet. Professor Xavier, seeing this as a war crime, waged war upon Magneto. All mutants were forced to join either side, and war began. However, there are a few more sides to choose from. Cyclops and Jean Grey broke away from Xavier, seeing him as mad, out of control, and formed an alliance of Freedom Fighters, including Cable, Sabretooth and Nightcrawler. Another side is Gambit's thieves, a sort of modern-day band of Merry Men, including Shadowcat, Jubilee and Psylocke. Wolverine is a playable character, but is not on any side but his own, choosing to be a lone mercenary, and assassin. Cyclops and Jean's main aim is to revert the timelines back to their original state, whilst Magneto's aim is to wipe out Xavier, Xavier's to wipe out Magneto, and Gambit's merely to steal as much as they can to make a living for themselves. Wolverine's aim is to make as much money as possible by killing, although he could be swayed to join either side. Obviously, these are both just skeletons of stories, that need fleshing out to some degree, but if you could give me any initial ideas or comments on the two ideas then that would be appreciated. Thank you in advance for any input. [/size]

[size=1]Having just on Saturday witnessed the awesomeness that is Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children, I have become a little obsessed. So, the challenge falls to you, people of [b]Art by Request[/b], to make an Advent Children banner and avatar for me, Fallen. I have included a couple of pictures, which you may or may not use, if you find a better one, then feel free to use that. Here's what I'm looking for: [b] Avatar: [/b]My name, and the first picture attached, of Cloud with the sword, possibly with a funky curly frame around the picture [b]Banner: [/b]The three SHM, using the other pictures attached. If you could blend the three pictures in together, with the same frame as the avi, if you put one on, with writing simply saying: Mother... in one corner. If any of this cannot be done, then PM me and tell me, I'm not very good with graphics. Also, as I said before, if you have any better pictures, then feel free to use them instead of the ones provided. Thank you in advance. [/size]

[size=1]The first part of this post should be an apology. I am sorry to all those who signed up for this RP, but I regret to inform you all that it is no longer going ahead. I did not receive enough posts of high quality to begin the RP properly, and my experience indicates to me that starting such an RP would result in a thread full of spam, or it woulf fizzle out and die in a few days. I have also resolved to plan my RPs better, and not just stick them up in the Inn when I think they are good enough. I am going to make sure that the rest of my RPs are well-planned, and of a much better quality than this one. I apologise again to those whose time I have wasted in getting sign-ups, and I hope I haven't offended any of you. Thank you all for your sign-ups, though, it was nice to get so much interest. [/size]

[size=1]Kaine was not at dinner. James noticed this about three minutes after walking into the dining hall. He looked around, trying to find him, but could not. "I'm gonna go try and find Kaine," he said to Jacqueline, getting up from his chair, "Make my excuses to the Master, will you?" He slipped out of the door, and crept to the guest's rooms. He found Kaine's room, and edged the door open a little. He saw two shadows from the bathroom, one obviously Kaine's, the other a young woman's. "This toilet isn't blocked," she said, "And if the toilet isn't blocked, then why did you call me up here?" "I called you up here for one thing," came the reply, a gruff voice, and then a muffled scream, as though a hand had been clamped over the woman's mouth. James saw a scuffling of shadows, and a woman being thrown on the bed. Kaine jumped on her, and ripped open her shirt. James gasped, and edged back to his room. He grabbed the knife from under his bed, and crept back to Kaine's room, the knife dangling loosely in his hand. He opened the door, and saw Kaine on the bed, openly straddling the young woman. "Sick bastard," whispered James. But he said it too loud. Kaine looked up, and saw him there. "James!" he shouted, "What are you doing here? This is my room, and if I want to entertain a lady friend, then you have no right to interfere!" "Well, if you're entertaining her, then why is she tied to the bed with a sock in her mouth, and why is she struggling so much?" asked James coldly, walking towards Kaine, hiding the knife behind his back. Kaine edged backwards into the bathroom, looking more and more nervous as he went. "Dude, what are you doing?" he said, stammering slightly. "I don't want the girl to see this," he said. He threw Kaine to the floor of the bathroom, and kicked him in the ribs. Then he revealed the knife. "What the hell!? Are you psychotic? What are you gonna do to me?" "What someone should have done a long time ago, Kaine. I'm going to take the rape from the rapist." He lifted the knife, and brought it down sharply... * * * [i]Twenty minutes later... [/i]James walked slowly out of the bathroom, drying his hands on a towel. The young girl was still tied to the bed. James walked over and untied her. She sat up, crying, and cradled her stomach slightly. "Oh, God," she stammered, "I hope he didn't hurt the baby." "You're pregnant?" asked James, "How long?" "Six months. But I'm kind of embarassed about it." "What are you embarassed about?" asked James, moving towards the girl, putting an arm around her. "I don't know whether its my husband's or not. I had one night with this guy about six months ago, and I haven't been able to contact him since, so I can't get a DNA test to verify it. It's the worst thing in the world, not knowing whether your unborn child belongs to the person you love or the person you made a mistake with." James ran through a list in his head, thinking about his task. The last thing he needed was right here. But could he take it? He grabbed the knife, and pulled it slowly out of his shoe. The girl was crying more and more now, obviously traumatised by her experience. * * * [i]Another twenty minutes later... [/i]James walked into the dining hall, slightly dazed, and sat down. He was wearing different clothes to the ones he was wearing when he left, and his mouth tasted slightly of vomit. He felt woozy, and when he moved the chair, he practically collapsed into it. Jacqueline looked at him, worried. "Are you alright? You were gone a long time. And where's Kaine? Did you find him?" she asked. He turned his head to look at Jacqueline, and nodded slightly. The Master's own personal manservant came in at that exact moment, and made an announcement. "Ladies and gentlemen, please do not be alarmed," he said, his voice loud and clear, "But there is a killer somewhere in the mansion. One of the contestants, a certain Kaine Maxwell-Kingsley, has been found, murdered and mutilated in unspeakable ways, in his room. Please return to your rooms, and preferably stay with one or two other people when in your rooms. Do not wander the halls alone, and if you need anything, please call the servants, they will bring it up to you. Good evening." "Jacqueline," said James, "Will you stay with me tonight? Please? I feel as though I have a bond with you. We shouldn't be alone, and it will give us a chance to get to know each other a little better." (OOC: Astdis, its up to you...) [/size]

[size=1]Carthre ran upstairs to his room, slightly stunned about everything that Commander Yuri had just said. He had come to the city to try and join a group that would be going on a mission, but he had just assumed they were going to claim some newly discovered land, or at the very least go on some sort of covert mission to Gwar, but he had never expected anything like this. The success or failure of this mission could result in the destruction of the world. "I'm not used to this kind of pressure," he said, looking at himself in the mirror, "I've never had to save the world before. Why am I talking to myself in the mirror. I've got packing to do." He grabbed his cloak and a few essential personal items, throwing them into a small bag. He knew that he couldn't take too much stuff, as this would be a long journey, and heavy packs would only slow them down. He threw on some clothes that he would need to take, and grabbed his swords, sheathing them on his back, so it was easy to get them out in a battle situation, and put the bag on top of them. He had his black travelling jacket on, so he wouldn't get cold if they had to venture further north, and his armour plates were firmly attached. He walked out of his room, and down the stairs to the courtyard, where he dropped his belongings and waited for the others to come... (OOC: Sorry for the short post) [/size]

[size=1]"Where are you going? The hotel is that way!" said Asariel, pointing down a narrow street to the left as Kraven turned the car to the right. "We're not going to the hotel! You think Rubedo is going to stick around there after we've discovered him?" shouted Kraven over the roar of the engine, "He's moved, and I can feel him somewhere in the centre of town!" "Then how come I can't feel him?" Kraven didn't answer, but swerved into a small park, where there was a man sitting and a woman standing. Kraven recognised the woman instantly, as did Asariel, but the man they did not recognise. "Shit!" said Kraven, slowing the vehicle, "That must be Rubedo with her already! But we're not too late." He turned the car to face the two Guardians, and slammed his foot down... * * * [color=DimGray][color=Black]"So, where to?"[/color] [color=Black]said the Guardian, "I'm bored." He rubbed his hands together, then felt something behind him. A rumbling, and a loud screeching noise. He turned just as a car smashed through the railings that surrounded the park, twisting the metal and buckling it into weird shapes. The black sedan smashed through the bench that Rubedo was sitting on, but the Guardian had stood up as the car hit. He grabbed his sword, and smashed the blade into the side of the vehicle. Three figures rolled out of the doors, landing hard on the damp grass, rolling with the impact and standing up. The car flew over the railings and landed upside down in the road. "What the hell was that about?" shouted one of the figures who had dropped out of the car, a young girl, "You didn't kill him, but you damn near killed us!" "Quiet, girl," said a winged figure who had come out of the vehicle, "We don't need your input right now." This figure drew his glaive, swinging it round and holding it in one hand, ready to fight. The third figure stood, drew both of his swords, and said: "Step away from her, Rubedo." "And who are you to tell me what to do?" said the Guardian calmly, sheathing his sword, "And tell me, demon, why exactly are you trying to protect Reoan? I thought the Dukes of Hell wanted her dead." "They want me dead too," he replied. "Ah, so that's where I recognise you. The Dukes of Hell and the Angels are both after you. How interesting for you. But tell me, how does it feel to be second-rate, after Reoan here, Kraven?" said Rubedo smugly. "Kraven?" said Reoan, stepping in front of Rubedo, "Is that you?" She walked up to him, and looked into his eyes, "It is you. But you've changed a lot." "Well, I have been through Hell," he said with a slight smile, "Now if Rubedo is here, why hasn't he killed you yet? That's what he wants, isn't it?" "Well, actually, my friend, Reoan is off the register for now, but you, however, the angel and the girl, are all fair game. So, demon, prepare to be extinguished," said the Guardian, drawing his sword. He moved like quicksilver, so fast the eye could barely see him. In a second he had crossed the park, and slammed his palm into Kraven's chest, sending him flying back into the railings, bending them as he collided. Kariz shouted something, and her hands burst into flames, and Asariel ran towards Rubedo, his glaive spinning. The angel and the Guardian collided, and a moment later Asariel was sent flying, landing on the ground with a thud. Kraven stood up, his swords glinting in the pale half-light, and dashed towards Rubedo. As fast as the Guardian was, Kraven could match his speed, and his own body now moved fluidly, as though made of molten silver. His blades twirled, as though they were extensions of his own arms, and the blades smashed against Rubedo's own weapon, sparks dropping to the ground. The demon brought his face up to the Guardian's, his face twisted in an image of rage. "Do not underestimate me because of my race, Guardian. I may be a demon, but I am no ordinary demon," he spat, "i have seen more lifetimes than you could ever dream of, I have seen great kingdoms rise, and then fall at the drop of a hat. You are nothing in the face of time itself, Rubedo. You are insignificant. So do not second-guess me merely because I was borne from Hell-Fire. I am so much more that you could ever imagine." He withdrew his blades and walked away. "Kraven," said Reoan firmly, "Rubedo's working with us. Like it or not, he is our ally now. You must trust him as I once trusted you. Do you remember that time?" Kraven looked at the ex-Guardian, the one he had given up everything for, and smiled. "Of course. Now, as you once trusted me to do good, Reoan, I will return the favour upon this Guardian. As long as he grant me the same. You cannot regard me as inferior. We are all equal. Are we agreed?" he said, indicating to Rubedo his trust. "Very well. But let me tell you this as I told Reoan. When the time comes, I will kill you. But not until you have delivered whatever it is you aim to deliver," said the Guardian, extending his hand. Kraven took it. "Well done," said Reoan, "Now, let's get out of here..." (OOC: I hope that's ok for everyone, PM me if its not and I will edit) [/color][/color][/size]

[size=1]Regrettably, this RP will no longer be going ahead. School work and other commitments are obviously a factor in this, but also I simply did not recieve enough sign-ups of acceptable quality to continue. My experience with these things is that without high-quality sign-ups RPs either die out very quickly, or simply end up full of spam. So i regret to say that I am closing down this RP. Sorry to all those who wished to be involved. [/size]

[i][size=1]Vampires were all around them. Sin and Talyn couldn't have stopped them all, and soon they were overrun, vampires all smashing them to the ground, beating them, kicking them until they saw blood. Then, they fled, leaving the Wakanda lying all over the street. Talyn may have been the last to fall unconscious, as he saw the blood becoming a lake in the middle of the street, his friends lying, maybe living, maybe dead, beside him. Then it all went black. [/size][/i][size=1]Talyn opened his eyes to see a bright white, clinical-feeling neon light hanging above him. He blinked a few times, and the neon bar light came into focus. The ceiling was white, as where the walls. The bed he was lying on was hard, with no give at all in the mattress. He shifted his body slightly, and immediately regretted it. He had shooting pains all up his back, and his head felt like it was splitting. He chanced a movement of his head to look around, and he saw the others in similar beds on either side of him. They were in hospital. Priest was already up, and talking to a doctor, but the others seemed to be lying in beds, apparently not awoken yet. Talyn sat up with a groan, and rubbed his aching head. A doctor immediately rushed over to him, but Talyn waved him away. "Please sir, you have extensive external injuries. Let me examine you," pleaded the doctor. "No," said Talyn, "The others are in more need of attention. Go and examine them." The doctor looked as though he was about to protest, but then gave up and wandered over to Fyoura's bed. "Priest," said Talyn, "Can you remember anything of what happened?" "Just about. I remember managing to find you, then being jumped by vampires. That's about it. Can you remember anything else?" "About the same as you. Do you know who is here? Who are we missing?" "Me, you, Sin, Fyoura and Ena are here. Which means that Thayne, Katima, Tegan and Richard must have been taken. We've been badly weakened by this. The vampires must have known we were coming to Madrid. It would have taken weeks to get this many vampires into place." "Unless Malik's residence isn't as far away from here as we thought. And if it isn't, he must have been having some sort of gathering for the vampires. That's how the vampires got into place so quickly." "There is another option," said Priest. "Which is?" "You're not going to like it," he said, "But think about it. Who told us to come to Madrid? Who hasn't been in our ranks for that long?" "Are you suggesting that we may have a traitor in our ranks? And that traitor may be Tegan?" "Just think. He arrives, tells us to go to Madrid, and we get attacked. And did you see Tegan fighting? He wasn't killing any vampires, just removing limbs and injuring them, but not killing them. It all adds up to be pretty suspicious if you ask me." "Well, we can't think about that right now. We have to make sure everyone is alright, and then we need to try and find Katima and the others. That is our priority right now. We can't let conspiracy theories distract us. Understood?" "Understood. We're going to need a leader, though. Who do you think it should be?" "We'll have to vote on it when everyone wakes up. Now go and check on the others, see if they have any chance of waking up soon. If not, we'll have to leave them here." Talyn turned away from Priest, walking over to the other beds, scratching his neck. The bite wounds were beginning to burn again. That meant that he could feel the hunger coming on any time soon, and if he couldn't do anything about it then this entire mission was doomed... [/size]

[size=1]"Zodiac!" Kraven shouted to the newcomer, as his sword cut through a demon, "These demons hate fire! Create a ring around us, and we should be safe!" The Zodiac nodded, seeing that there were too many demons to take down physically. She summoned a ring of fire, which jumped up around them from the ground. The three fighters backed against each other in the centre of the ring, protecting themselves as much as possible. "What's your name, Zodiac?" asked Asariel. "Kariz. You are a demon, are you not?" she replied. "Not really. He is, however," Asariel said, indicating Kraven, who was crouched, touching the ground, "I am a fallen angel." "Really? And what's the difference?" she asked. "Big difference," said Kraven, "Maybe I'll explain it to you one day. But for now would you two shut up for a second. I'm getting something here." "What have you found, Kraven?" asked Asariel, "Is it Reoan?" "It could be," he said, "I can't be sure. I just felt a massive surge of power a few blocks south of here. In a hotel, I think. I saw dinner plates, maybe a restaurant. It was definitely the power of a Guardian." "So it could be Reoan." "Yes," Kraven replied sullenly. "What's the matter?" "Well, if Reoan's been masking her power all this time, then why did she just uncover it? The more likely option is that it is the energy signature of the other." "You mean..." "Yes. Rubedo. A powerful Guardian, but he will slay anything in his way to achieve balance. There is a good chance he will kill Reoan, and we can't allow that to happen." Kraven ran and jumped in the car, sheathing his swords. Asariel jumped in the passenger side, and Kariz got in the back. "Who said you're coming, girl?" asked Asariel coldly. "Oh, yeah, like you're gonna leave a girl to deal with the demons alone. I'm coming with you whether you like it or not." "Fine. Just don't get in our way," said Asariel. Kraven gave him a sour look, and Asariel shrugged. "Hold on tight," said Kraven, slamming his foot down on the accelerator. The car sped forwards, blasting through the wall of flame and on towards Reoan... [/size]

[size=1]Carthre looked at the sun coming up. It was coming up to morning. He thought that he should get up, and try and ignore the dream of the previous night. After dragging himself out of bed, he pulled on some fresh clothes, and washed his face and hair. He jogged slowly down the steps to the main courtyard, and almost everyone else was there already. He looked at the ground in front of him, not looking up to make eye contact. He was a little ashamed of the fact that he was almost the last one to get there. Commander Yuri was nowhere to be seen, and the others were all standing around nervously, not quite knowing what to do with themselves. After a little while, the others arrived, and Commander Yuri strode out in front of them... (OOC: Sorry for the length, I couldn't really put a lot else. Hope this is ok for everyone) [/size]

[b][size=1]Name: [/size][/b][size=1]Schwarz [b]Allegiance: [/b]Predacons [b]Function: [/b]Predacon Hunter/Sniper [b]Beast Mode: [/b]Panther [b]Weapons: [/b][i] Primary Weapon-[/i]Long-range plasma rifle (sniper-esque) [i]Secondary Weapon-[/i]Long-range plasma pistol equipped with a zoom scope [i]Tertiary Weapon-[/i]Beam Sword [b]Height: [/b]6'3" [b]Quote: [/b]"I only work [i]with[/i] Kaos. I don't work [i]for [/i]anybody." [b]Profile: [/b]Formerly a Maximal special ops commando, Schwarz was classed as their best sniper. However, when he was on the battlefront, a sniper from a Predacon splinter group, apparently with no allegiance to Kaos whatsoever, shot Schwarz in the eye. This left the eye damaged permanently, but Schwarz managed to fight through the pain and fire back on the sniper, scoring a headshot. After finding out that the damage was permanent, Schwarz resigned his post in the Maximal army, and went missing for months, leaving no trace of himself. He had, in fact, become a renegade, a mercenary, a gun-for-hire. He used to be the best sniper in the Maximal army, so he would prove he still was, even with an eye missing, and pick up some money along the way. Eventually, after a few years of wandering around, Schwarz decided it was time for a new challenge, and joined the Predacons. He was discovered to be a superb sniper, and was immediately assigned to Kaos' crew, where he has been ever since. When the ship crashlanded on Gaia, he found a panther, and, seeing it to be the sleek, stealthy killer he was, he adopted its guise as his Beast Mode. [b]Abilities: [/b]Schwarz's rifle is a specially adapted weapon that he made himself during his time as a mercenary. Adapted from a wide-bore tunneling or mining blaster, he has fine-tuned the barrel to fire the plasma blast far rather than wide, and attached a sniper scope to the top of the weapon. The same is true for his plasma pistol. His Beam Sword is a standard Predacon beam sword, with a deep crimson blade. [b]Weaknesses: [/b]While equipped with a Beam Sword, Schwarz is not the most proficient close-quarters combatant. He prefers to stay far away from the battle, preferably in a good hiding place, with thi rifle trained at his enemy's head. [b]Sample Post: [/b][Will Edit] [/size]

[size=1]"I've been searching for the last two years, Asariel," said Kraven, whilst also trying to keep his mind on the road, "I've looked all over the world, from Australia to New York. Let me tell you, things aren't looking good for the world. Almost all of the major towns in Northern Russia have been taken by demons, although I'm not sure who they are commanded by. Beelzebub is in Egypt, doing God knows what. As of yet I'm uncertain as to where Adiol is, but I'm pretty certain that Rubedo, the Guardian that Reoan has been searching for is somewhere in Europe. I know that gives us a lot of ground to cover, but it's a start. Reoan is begin particularly tricky to find at the moment, though, although I know I'm getting close. I need to find Amber and David, and then they will know where Reoan is. I'm guessing that Reoan is hiding out somewhere, using underworld connections to find hiding places, which means it will be a lot harder finding her. Do you have any ideas?" "Well, I have one idea that you can talk for your country, Kraven. you never used to be this talkative," said the fallen angel. "Well, things have changed. i needed to give you a large amount of information in a small amount of time, so that was the easiest way to do it." "Why did you need to give me the information in such a small amount of time?" "Because we're being followed." Kraven turned and looked out of the back window. There were huge, hulking demons, at least four of them, barreling down the street after the car. "Take the wheel, Asariel," he said. The fallen angel grapsed the steering wheel, and Kraven opened the sun roof. He grabbed something from the back seat, and hoisted his upper body out of the sun roof. "Take this!" he shouted, and fired the shotgun he had grabbed. One of the demons was blown backwards, its body shattering into millions of dusty particles. Kraven laughed, and cocked the shotgun. Another two shots dispatched a second demon. Then, as he tried to cock the weapon again, it jammed. "I never liked that thing anyway," he said to himself, throwing the gun away. He drew his trusty USP, and fired three rounds into the nearest demon. Three bullets to the head stopped it in its tracks. There were more of them coming. "Kraven!" shouted Asariel, "We have a problem!" He stopped the car, swerving it so it stopped across the road. There were at least a dozen demons in front of them, and around six behind them. They were surrounded. "This is my favourite part of the job!" said Kraven, pulling himself up through the sun roof and drawing his swords. "Come on, Asariel, you're missing all the fun!" he shouted. The fallen angel blasted the door off the car, and stepped out, the [i]Ashen Hand[/i] now in his grasp. "You're going to regret the day you ever tried this, demons," he said, and charged the demons in front, the glaive flashing in the pale moonlight... [/size]

[size=1]James dropped the hard, white thing on the floor, and the knife clattered down as well. He ran to the bathroom adjoined to Allegra's room, and threw up. He knelt with his head in the toilet for at least half an hour, as he had been doing a lot recently. He stood and washed his face with cold water. He poked his head out of the bathroom to see Allegra wrapping the stump of her finger in bandages, the blood soaking them crimson. She had picked up the bone of the finger and thrown it into the waste paper basket. "Allegra?" he asked, "Can I use your toothbrush? I'll get you a new one as soon as I can." "Sure you can," she said, her voice stammering, her hand now cradled in the other hand. James took the toothbrush and squirted a generous amount of toothpaste onto it. He brushed his teeth for almost ten minutes continuously, until the foam around his mouth turned pink from blood that had been drawn from his gums. He rinsed and threw the toothbrush away. "Thank you," he said, wiping his mouth. Allegra was crying as she cradled her injured hand. James went over to her and put a comforting arm around her. "Listen, this guy is sick. I can only imagine what runs through his mind, but he has made some people do some pretty disgusting stuff. God knows I have to. So just don't cry, and we'll get through this. Ok?" She nodded, drying her eyes. "Good. Now let's go down to dinner. We'll show this sick bastard what we're made of." [/size]

[i][size=1]It's been a while, [/size][/i][size=1]thought the demon as he raced through the streets. Rain pounded the street, and great, rushing torrents of it flooded down the gutters. He was looking for someone, someone he knew was here, someone who knew him, but not as he thought. He squinted through the lights in front of him, trying to make out the dark figures ahead. Then he felt it. A sudden rush of energy, a burst, like seeing something you knew was there but was just out of view. He knew where the person he was looing for was. A sharp right turn would take him almost directly there. * * * The fallen angel walked slowly along the street, his wings tucked in to hide them. He seemed to be following something, but people watching him couldn't quite make out what it was. His head was hung, his chin almost touching his chest. Suddenly, a car swerved directly in front of him, blocking his path. He looked up slowly, ready to destroy the driver for his insolence. The passenger door swung open, and a voice said from inside: "You want a ride? Its freezing out there." "I don't take rides with strangers. Especially not ones who annoy me like that," replied the fallen angel his voice cold and unemotional. "Well, what about old friends?" asked the driver. The fallen angel looked in to the car, and although there was something vaguely familiar about the driver, he couldn't quite place him. He reluctantly got in the car, and the driver sped off. "So are you going to tell me who you are, or am I going to have to kill you for wasting my time?" "That's classic Asariel for you. Never with the trust." "How do you know me? Who sent you?" "I sent myself, and I know you because we were with each other when something happened to me almost two years ago. There was another as well, I don't know what happened to him." "Stop being so cryptic and tell me who you are!" said Asariel, his voice rising slightly. The driver laughed. "You really don't recognise me? And I spent the best part of a year trying to find a body that matched my old one. Well, I guess war can do that to a body." "Tell me who you are, or I will kill you right here and now," said Asariel, the [i]Ashen Hand [/i]now pointed at the driver's throat. "It's me, Asariel. Kraven." The fallen angel started a little, withdrawing the glaive which was placed against his former team-mate's neck. He turned and watched the road for a minute. "But I watched you die," he said, not believing what the driver had just said. "Yeah. I died a couple of dozen times before that, and since this war started, I must have died at least four times. I'm a traveller. I travle between bodies, switching as each one dies. How do you think I've lived fo so long?" "So, when you died on that rooftop, you found another body?" "Well, that time was different. I don't really want to talk about that right now. But we have more pressing matters at hand right now. We need to find Reoan. I guess from what you were doing that you're trying to follow Amber's power trail?" Asariel nodded, still slghtly shell-shocked about the whole thing. "Well, I've been trying to do the same thing for weeks now, and I tell you, its not easy. Her energy signature has been jumping around all over the place. One minute she's supposed to be in California, the next she's in Northern Russia. They must have been doing something to try and fool Adiol and the other angels, but unfortunately it means we can't make it out among other signatures. We're going to have to do some manual searching for her." "Well, I had expected that. Amber's signal has been jumping around so much in the last couple of hours it was giving me a headache." "Guess its out on the open road for us, then," said Kraven, slamming his foot down on the accelerator... (OOC: Hope that was ok, Seibzeihn) [/size]

[size=1]"Ok, I can help you with your card. But you only have five hours of my time, as I have a few things to do before I go to bed tonight. Do we have a deal?" James asked. Allegra nodded fervently, agreeing to James' terms. They would both have to miss the puppy show, as dinner was to be served straight afterwards. "Give me half an hour, and then I'll come and find you in the entrance hall, ok?" She nodded again, and James sped out of the dining hall. After dinner, he would only have a single day left to complete his task, so he needed to get a little headstart on it. First he would need to wash the knife. Blood always dulled blades, he had read in an SAS survival guide once. He needed his blade sharp for what he was about to do. Secondly, he would have to do a little research into his next target. The Master's instructions were very specific, and he knew that he had to follow them to the letter, or the consequences would be dire. He went up to his room, found the knife underneath the bed, and took it to the bathroom. The now slightly congealed blood washed off with a little elbow grease, and James felt the blade. It was still as sharp as when he had first found it. That was a good sign. He looked at his watch, and, seeing that there was only a few minutes until he had to meet Allegra, he tucked the knife back under the bed, and left the room, composing himself slightly beforehand. He jogged down the steps confidently, and found Allegra waiting at the bottom. "Are you ready?" she asked. "I was born ready..." (OOC: There's your answer, Reiku) [/size]

[size=1]It seemed as though everyone had gone in, so Carthre stood alone in the grounds, staring at the moon as it glowed gently in the dark night sky. It really was beautiful. It was getting late, and Carthre was getting tired again, and cold from standing outside for too long. He wrapped his arms around himself, and walked slowly up the stairs back to his room. Tomorrow was going to be a big day, and he needed all the sleep he could get. That was his thinking. So he opened the door to his room, and fell on the bed, falling asleep again almost instantly. [i]The beast was there. A huge, lumbering, eight-legged spiderlike beast, mandibles dripping with venom. Carthre held his two swords up, crossed over each other in an X-shape, trying to protect himself from the beast. It clambered up the walls, tiny spikes on the ends of its legs digging into the solid rock of the cave walls. Terror sweat dripped down Carthre's face, but his eyes were a vision of pure anger and courage. He walked slowly towards the spider, and then it happened. The spider leapt from the wall, landing on Carthre, who fell to the floor, his legs buckling. He drew one of the swords up and rammed it into the spider's belly. But the hard shell of the spider's natural armour shattered the sword into hundreds of pieces. The spider reared its head up and brought its mandibles down onto him, the venom piercing through his neck and coursing into his bloodstream. Everything went black, and he felt himself slipping away... [/i]Carthre awoke with a start. He had never had that nightmare before. In fact he had never even had a nightmare before, except for one when he was four years old about a monster that lived under his bed. He felt his face, and his hand came away dripping with sweat. His entire body was drenched, and his sheets were soaked, sticking to him. A shaft of pale sunlight was coming through the curtains, so Carthre opened them and stared at the sun coming up over the horizon. It was a beautiful day... [/size]

[size=1]"Nibelheim," said Garrek with a sigh. This was where he had gone AWOL, where his career in SOLDIER had been ruined. He shifted his shoulder holsters slightly, and walked in through the rusty town gates. His new assignment had told him to come hee to meet his new employer. His ticket across the ocean had been paid for, his new employer mysteriously requesting his services in Nibelheim. He was reluctant, but then he saw that the money he would get from this job would see him through until his death. So he reluctantly accepted. Dust kicked up slightly around his feet as he took the first tentative steps towards the biggest job of his life. His guns rattled uncomfortably inside his jacket as he walked, and his forehead was sweating profusely. He had always hated this town. He could feel the residue of Sephiroth's power here, from when he burnt the town to the ground. Even the left overs of that power sent shivers down Garrek's spine. Tifa and Cloud had lived here once, too. Their power had left some residue here too, which filtered in through Garrek's brain, and he sensed the leftover power of their presence. He looked around, trying to block out these distractions, and found the place he was supposed to meet his employers. He walked over to the building, and opened the doors, walking into a darkened room. He was lead down to the basement, where the others were. "I wasn't expecting another one," said one of the men in the room, a silver-haired young man, his long hair hanging over his face. "That's because I hired him, brother," said another silver-haired man, this one with short spiky hair. "I wasn't expecting to be invited to a party," said Garrek, looking around at the others sitting around the table. "Well, the job we need to accomplish is one that requires more than one person, Mr Flynt," said the spiky-haired man, "We require a well-rounded team of powerful individuals to carry out this task." "And what exactly is this task?" asked Garrek. "Well..." (OOC: I left it open for someone to explain the task) [/size]

[size=1]Any questions you may have about the RP go in here, as well as some important information I will be posting as well. IMPORTANT INFORMATION: The names of the Twelve Elders go as follows: Hawke Pilate Prospero Karandra Lilantira Kira Thelma Trinity Michael Grigor Wanda Rubero (deceased-see backstory in sign-up thread) I will also post the names of everyone who is accepted in here, rather than clogging up the sign-up thread. That's all for now, as I said post any questions you may have here and I will endeavour to answer them as best I can. Ciao [/size]

[size=1]The young woman flew across the room, smashing into, and part way through a wall. She slid down to the floor, bringing chunks of plaster and a cloud of dust down with her. Blood trickled gently out of the corner of her mouth, and she shifted herself up onto her elbows with a slight grunt. The dark figure walked over to her, his dark cloak flapping slightly as he strode across the room. He knelt down, bringing his face close to hers. Hers was pale, fleshy, bruised and gnelty bleeding, his covered by a dark, plain mask, which resembled an ebony skull. "Where are the others?" he asked, his deep voice resonating around the inside of his mask, "I have asked you once and I don't plan on asking again." "I will never tell you," she gasped between gurgling, drawn breaths, "And even if I did, the Guardians would never let you near them." "But you should know that darkness has its roots in all thigns. Even the Guardians." "You...you've infiltrated the Guardians?" she asked, not believing what she had just said. "It was easy to plant the seeds of betrayal into a young, impressionable Guardian. Then it was a simple matter of placing my mark on his soul to ensure that betrayal never turned on me." "You are scum," she spat. "Perhaps. But if I do not get it out of you alive, then I will simply draw the answer from you soul. Believe me, witch. I will find the Twelve." "As long as I live, their locations will remain hidden within me. You will never draw them from me." "Then you must die," he said, raising his hands. Bolts of lightning blasted from his fingertips, shooting into the woman's body. She writhed and screamed, the pain overwhelming her systems. Then she was still, her dead body smoking from the electricity burning her skin. The acrid smell of burnt flesh filled the air, and the shadowy figure stood over her body and laughed. "It's always been more fun this way," he said to himself, and raised his hands again... * * * At the beginning of this world, there was a council set up, known as the Elders, a council of twelve powerful mages, given the duty of making the decisions of how to run the planet, and to banish the evils that plague this world. But the Elders were vulnerable to physical attack, so a second group was set up to work alongside the Elders. They were charged with the duty of protecting the Elders, and to destroy lesser evils that roamed the Earth. They were known as the Guardians. They use their physical strength to protect the Elders, instead of relying on magical abilities. It has been this way all through the history of this planet. Now, though, in the year 2007, the balance has been shattered. An unknown being of unimaginable dark power has begun to kill members of the Elders' council, leaivng the Guardians distracted by a traitor in their midst. No-one is quite sure what this evil being wants, or why he is killing the Elders, but one thing is certain. He must be stopped. * * * You are the Guardians. Once warriors of the sword and the bow, you have now adapted to become warriors of the blade and the gun, fully adapted to the modern world. The only things which remain the same throughout the ages are your appearances and your names. Here is the information I need: Name: Something old, perhaps something biblical Apparent Age: Obviously you are thousands, even millions of years old, but what age do you look? Gender: Easy one Weapons: At least one melee weapon, preferably something with a blade, and you can have sidearms like daggers and handguns as well Personality: What are you like as a person? Keep this original Appearance: Picture, detailed description or both if you like Bio: Tell me about your life. You don't have to go through every detail, but give some major points in your life Character Snippet: Give me a sample of your writing I will be posting my sign-up later in the week. I am about to set up an Underground thread, so any questions you have can go there. Happy Creating! [/size]

[size=1]"Oh, fantastic," said Talyn exasperatedly, "Now almost everyone knows, and I was trying to make it so that only Katima knew. Now there's here, Tegan, Sin and now you. This is going to make it so much harder." "Make what so much harder?" she asked timidly. "One of you is going to have to kill me," he whispered, slumping against the side of the helicopter, "If I was to turn, then there's no telling the damage it could do. If I turned and joined Malik, then I would be a very real threat to this team, and I can't allow that to happen." "Who have you asked to do it?" "Well, first I asked Katima, but then when I talked to Tegan, he said that I shouldn't entrust this completely with her, so when Sin told me he knew, I asked him to do it, and he seems more able to than Katima." "Well, you can't blame Katima for not being able to kill one of her best friends. I wouldn't be able to if you asked me, so please don't." She walked up, leaving Talyn slumped against the helicopter. He stood up slowly, and followed the rest of the group as they walked their way through Madrid. He caught up to them, and they walked through the streets, looking like an odd bunch as they took up most of the breadth of the narrow cobbled street... [/size]

[size=1]The room was almost empty, save for two people. One was the target, a plump man in his mid-sixties, balding and sweaty, who sat at his desk, writing out a notice for the second man. His purple velvet suit was gathering sweaty patches under the arms, and sweat was literally dripping from his forehead. He finished the notice, and handed it to the other occupant of the room, a young, tanned man with hazel-brown hair, who was sitting lazily in a chair, facing the plump man. "Good," said the young man, "Now the second part of our deal." The plump man nodded, and drew his chequebook. He flipped it open and began to write out a cheque. The young man looked at the cheque, and shook his head. The plump man tore it out and started again, this time filling in an insane amount of gil into the money box. He tore this one out and handed it to the young man, who folded it up and placed it in his pocket. "Remind me again why you did that?" asked the plump man. "First rule of being a mercenary. Always squeeze as much money from a mission as possible." Then he drew his pistol and fired a shot into the plump man's chest, knocking him back to the floor. He turned on his heel and left the building, stepping into the humid, diesel-scented air of Junon. An alarm was sounding, and Garrek Flynt walked in the opposite direction to everyone else. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a group of Turks, dressed in very similar clothing to him running towards the building he had just left. He allowed himself a small smile, then jumped onto his motorbike, and left this town for good... [/size]

[size=1]I have a slight problem when I write out a document in Word, and then paste it on the Reply To Thread page, everything seems fine until I try to post the reply, when it says I can't post it because there are too many images in it, and all of a sudden all these smilies appear in my post wherever I have put a Return, and around place names. Has this been happening to other people or is it just me?[/size]

[b][size=1]Name: [/size][/b][size=1]Garrek Flynt [b]Age: [/b]25 [b]Gender: [/b]Male [b]Appearance: [/b]Garrek looks extremely professional, disguising his mercenary background. His hair is slightly shorter than shoulder-length, and hazel-brown. It hangs over his face in bangs, and the rest is spiked up. His face is slightly tanned, and his eyes are a shockingly bright blue. He has a little stubble on his chin, which is ever so slightly pointed. His body is well-toned, but not hugely muscular, instead being of a sinewy muscle type which disguises his physical strength. His legs are fairly long, making him taller than average, and he stands around 6'8". Garrek wears a simple black suit, similar to the Turks, but with a red tie instead of a black one. On his face are a pair of round, black mirrored shades, which he sometimes wears pushed up onto his forehead, but mostly he wears them on his nose, covering his eyes. [b]Weapons: [/b]Twin pistols, holstered underneath his jacket, with sharp blades attached on the underside of the gun, which are mostly used for slashing rather than stabbing. [b]Materia: [/b] [i]Flare: [/i]Unleashes a powerful non-elemental blast upon a selected enemy. [i]Barrier: [/i]An unusual use of the barrier spell, Garrek uses this power to create a barrier around his enemy, making it easy for him to capture and transport targets. [i]Lightning: [/i]Garrek summons a bolt of lightning, which he can either fire from the sky, or blast outwards from his hands. [b]Personality: [/b]Garrek is a professional, through and through. He doesn't let anything stand in the way of his mark, not another human being nor his emotion. He understands that to get a job done properly, he must leave everything at door and go in cold, no emotion. However, this attitude has leaked into every aspect of his life, and he rarely shows emotion to anybody. [b]Bio: [/b]Garrek hasn't always been the way he is now. He used to be fun, and he had a lot of friends throughout the city of Midgar. Then, just before the Meteor crisis, he joined the Turks, the elite peacekeeping force of Midgar. The training drained ever single drop of emotion from him, and he soon joined up to the ranks of SOLDIER, trying to follow in the footsteps of Sephiroth, someone he admired greatly. However, after the collision of Meteor, he deserted SOLDIER, for some reason, and disappeared fro six months. When he returned to the scene, he was a mercenary, devoted to making himself money. He would take any job, bounty hunting, assassination, anything he could lend his hand to. He had become the best in the business in the space of a few short months, and no-one knew how, or where he had been. Now, after two years, he has been hired by a shady organisation to take out the one known as Kadaj, and stop anything occuring between him and the one known as Mother... (Hope this is ok, Deucalion, PM me if I need to change anything) [/size]

[size=1]Talyn sat facing out of the window of the helicopter, staring blankly into the pale evening sky as the sun set slowly. He was deep in thought, as he had been a lot lately, ever since he had woken up in England. A lot had happened since that morning, and some of it he'd rather forget, to be completely honest. Tegan was back, though, and that had to be good for the team's morale. He was just glad that no-one had found out about his injury, even though Fyoura had come dangerously close. He scratched the scar on his neck that had been caused by the bite, and it began to burn, prickly heat spreading through his neck. He gasped as the pain hit him, and clenched his teeth to stop himself from screaming. The burning sensation in his neck increased, until it felt like his neck was on fire. He began to spasm in his seat, and Tegan turned to see that he was in pain. "Someone get back here!" he shouted, turning to help Talyn. He clenched a hand over Talyn's neck, forcing every part of his body and mind to heal him, even if it was just to relax his mind. White sparks flowed into Talyn, and he stopped spasming, instead sinking back into his seat. He opened his eyes to see Tegan over him, his hands ready to heal again. "Are you okay, Talyn?" asked Katima, who was also stood over him. She stood next to her brother, although she did not acknowledge his existence at all. "I'm fine. I think it's just the injury we talked about earlier giving me some grief," he said, hiding the true nature of his injury from the rest of them. Tegan and Katima turned back and sat in their seats, but Talyn grabbed Katima's arm before she went. "Katima," he said, "You have to forgive him, or at least accept that he's with us for this mission at least. If not for him, do it for Kalei. It's what she would want. You three back together again." "I want to forgive him, but I just can't," she said, tears gathering at her eyes, "It'll come in time, I suppose, but its just so hard finding him again today, Talyn, what with everything else that's going on. I hope you can understand that." "I do, but please just make your peace with him for now. You can go back to hating him after the mission. Please, Kat." "Fine. But just for this mission, ok?" she said, sniffing and wiping the tears from her eyes. "Fine. Go sit next to him quickly. Richard will understand." Katima stood up and went to sit next to Tegan. At least there would be no more arguing this trip. As Katima left the seat, Sin came over to him, and sat down. "I recognise what happened to you, Talyn," he said, "Spasms like those are easily recognisable. You've been bitten, haven't you?" "Yes. But please, don't tell anyone else. I don't want them to have to go through that. But Sin, please promise me that if I turn and Katima can't kill me, and I can't kill myself, that you will kill me. You have to promise." "I will kill you when the time comes, Talyn, but before then you have work to do. Don't let the hunger distract you. Push past it, and you'll be fine." He got up and started to move back to his old seat, when he turned and dropped a couple of phials on the seat next to Talyn. "Those might help. A couple of spare phials of the serum I use. It should keep the hunger off for a couple of days, but beyond that, I can't help you." "Thank you," said Talyn, pushing the phials into his bag and sitting back... [/size]