RPG Final Fantasy Incarnations

[Sandy]

[center][b][u]FINAL FANTASY INCARNATIONS[/u][/b]
[i]We were born at the dawn of the world. Through myriad of eras, we lived in the nature, among its creatures. But then came the time when some of the creatures developed a higher consciousness. They became the race that now rules the earth: humans. They knew us as the Ancients. At first we lived side by side with them, but ultimately we knew our time was over. We transformed into spirits, but all the time, we existed in the ether, observing the actions of the humans. But we didn?t like what we saw, as we noticed that the humans were abusing nature and its resources, making it suffer. We heard the cries the earth let out then, and we hear them now. Every day the noise gets louder and louder. This made all of us get together, and we decided that life couldn?t continue this way ? we had to intervene, although in the past we decided not to. And thus happened that we left the ether behind and descended among the humans. Our own figures would have been too intimidating for the humans, so we changed our shape to look like them. As these incarnations we were meant to find the main sources causing pain to the world, and stop them.[/i]
-Ramuh, keeper of the Chronicles of Ancients
*****[/center]

[size=1](Here is the list of the people who have signed up for this game: )
Sage - ancient: Ramuh - incarnation: Torean Trifle (job: gambler)
Ohkami - Fenrir - Aiko (wizard)
Draagul - Madeen - Rurori Asukion (paladin)
DJ Professor DM - Typhoon/Chupon - Dragus Trosul (knight)
The Harlequin - Diablos - Ciiahn (ninja)
ShimmeringFeyd - Sylph - Calais Brose (mimic)
DeathKnight - Alexander - Dohatri Kamrio (gunner)
ZeroSaber - Leviathan - Trey Nemos (knight)
JJRiddler - Cerberus - Josh Nicos (sage)
aYokano - Anima - Ki Lee (dark knight)
G/S/B Master - Bahamut - Zerano Encarta (dark knight)
Gargoyle God - Phoenix - Gargoyle (thief)
James - Atomos - Zara Slade (illusionist)
Zero-Life - Ifrit - Strife (mystic knight)
Zeh - Shiva - Aradia Larong (alchemist)
Ultima Legacy - Tritoch - Ivan Nallast (mystic knight)
***
As I said in the recruitment thread, more sign-ups are still accepted if you sent me a private message with the needed details.

Let us start![/size]
***

Slowly I opened my eyes. I saw nothing but a ceiling made of rottening boards. Just the thing I was supposed to.

I lifted myself up from the bed, and tested my new body for the first time. Yes, two hands... two legs... one head... yep, a blad one. Just the way I had planned it to be. Slowly I took my first steps in this form. It all felt quite strange. I felt somehow... mortal.

I walked across the small room - with no more furniture than the bed full of lice and a stool - to the only window. I looked out, and I instantly I became dazzled. All the noise, all the lights... all the life! This place was what the humans called The Core - city in the middle of the world. This was the largest structure the humans had ever built, and everything important considering humans was decided here, in the innermost districts.

I remembered the reason why I was in this city - my mission. My, and all of my kind. Many had descended to this dark place like I had, each to a place where the figure they had chosen would fit the best. I, as a grim gambler, appeared here, in the middle of outer city slums, of course.

From the window I could see the sparkling signs of huge casinos and hotels nearby. That was where I was going to start. People with influence came to that sort of places, and somebody of them must have some idea of this disease the humans are spreading to the Earth. I decided to take my chance with the humans, and walked out from the room. After all, the worst thing that could happen to me out there was to get killed and return to Ether as my original self - Ramuh, the Thundering Sage.
***

[size=1](So, each of you will appear in different districts of the city, according to the position you have chosen to yourselves. As some of you have the same jobs, you can team up with that person immediately, but evrybody are sure to bump into each other sooner or later. Just remember that EVERYBODY must appear to the city of The Core, not anywhere else. If you want any kind of idea what The Core looks like, think Midgar from ff7, and enlarge it about ten times. ;) )[/size]

[Zero-Life]

I began to move my hands and then my legs. I tested my body. I thought to myself " So this is what being a mortal feels like". My surrounding was dark. At the end of the alley dim lights could be seen. I began to walk among the shadows. A group of people walked by discussing about how amazing The Core was. My guess was that I was in The Core. I could sense a few other Ancients forming in to the world.

I thought it would be best to go look for them before doing anything else. I walked out of the alley. The place was crowded. There were people everywhere and it was noisy. There were bright signs with names of shops and advertisements. This part of the city was not that rich. There were some poor people living on the streets begging for money or for something to eat.

There was so much sorrow eveywhere. I began walking down the streets trying to trace the energy source of the other Ancients while also hoping to find a better part of the city.

[Sakura]

I woke up to see a plaster ceiling.I moved around seeing what it's like to be mortal.I decided to wake up at that time so I got up and looked around.It was a nice room.The walls were white without a stain.I turned around and looked at the bed.It was a nice single with red blankets and ared plump pillow.I wondered how or why she was in such a nice place.

I exited the room and walked through the foyer and out the door for a look around.I was surprised by the look of the city.It looked so rich and posh.There were lots of skyscrapers and tall buildings and lots of people walking around.

I walked around going into shops and looking around.Suddenly I saw an area of dark where the lightness and happiness stopped.I wanted to see what it was so I walked into it.

Suddenly it was like I had entered a whole different world.People were sick and sleeping on the streets or begging for money and food.My heart cried out to help them.The buildings were made of bits of metal,wood or any materials they could find.It was dark and damp.I walked around surveying this different part of the city.
'How could two places be so different?'I thought.
'Being a mortal is terrible if it turns like this...'I thought.
I continued to walk around.Everywhere she looked the streets were littered with rubbish and beggars and beggars under the rubbish trying to use them as blankets.I couldn't take it any more.It was too horrible!I ran!I ran as fast as I could out of the area and back into the hotel/inn.

I sat on my bed and lay down.It was so terrible.the pictures ran through my head.The brightness and greatness of the rich side and the darkness and sadness of the Poor side.I continued to think and I soon fell asleep in my thoughts.

[Dj Professor DM]

*Dragus sits the training arena with a few friends.*
Dragus:"I say we should take a little bit of a break."
Knight1:"Good idea Dragus... But why..."
Knight2:"I know why he wants to see the illusionist that is in town..."
Dragus:"Maybe..."

[Ayokano]

"This is what has happen to this world?"I said,"All my life I have felt pain,is this because of these humans?"I walked down the slums of the Core.I Anima,was reformed as a human.Since then in this mortal form I do not fell the pain anymore...but somehow I still do.Is it because of these sad humans?
"Spare some money.",said a begger.I tossed him a coin,"Thank you sir!",he said as he ran down the steert.
"It's Ki,",I said,"and you're welcome."I walked in a clean sector,and looked around.
I smiled for the frist time in my life.

[G/S/B Master]

[i] Zerano opened his eyes and saw the plate above him [/i]

" Grrr, So this is what being a human being is like," growled Zerano. " Feel so powerless... can't even fly."

[i] Suddenly there was a rush of wind behind him. He sensed someone there. [/i]

" Who's there. COME OUT YOU COWARD!!! " yelled Zerano.

[i] He pulled his Katana out of his Shealth and got ready. [/i]

[Ultima Legacy]

[I]Somewhere in the core...[/I]

"Ugh... so this is what it's like to be mortal. Waking up to a world filled with poverty, death, and destruction. It's like the War of the Magi aftermath." Ivan says in his mind.
"Hello!" a little girl says, "Woken up have ya,"
"Yes it seems I have." Ivan responds,
"Well here you go!"
The little girl hands him a gold colored rock.
"Well than-, wh... where'd she go? Oh well I should keep this. Let's see who else is here. I'm sensing some other Ancients forming nearby."
He grabs a sword and heads out.

[Ayokano]

I looked around,this place looks new.I go into a weapons store.
"Hello,do you want somthing?"said the store owner.
"Why?"I said.
"To buy."he said.I heard a bell ring and a beutiful girl walked in.She was wearing a pink dress,and had black eyes and hair.
"Hello daddy."said the girl.She looked at me,"Hello sir."
"My name is Ki."I said as I stared at her.
"Mine's Dianna."she said,"Do you have a place to stay?"
"No..."I asnwered.
"You can stay here Ki."she said.

[Sakura]

OOC:I'm sorry to say this but Cowboy!Yokano's right.This isn't a chatroom.Please delete both of your unneeded stupid posts or else we may have to report you to the mods unless they've already seen it.And Yokano don't be so harsh.You're still a Newbie too.But you're right.
-----------------------------------
I got up again and left the building.this time I tried to be braver.I entered the dark,poor area and looked around again.A beggar asked if I could spare some money.I searched my pockets and found that I had some money.I gave him a coin I had and he smiled and me.Maybe the first smile he had given in days,months or even years.I sighed heavily and walked on hoping to find one of the other ancients here.

[Desbreko]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by aYokano [/i]
[B]It's not a chat room,so delete your post.You stupid newbie,read the rules.[/B][/QUOTE]
[color=indigo]I think that maybe you should also read the [url=http://www.theotaku.com/rules.shtml]rules[/url]. If you do, you'll find that insulting people goes against them, and is usually considered worse than posting a couple spam posts when you're still getting the hang of the board. (As seems to be the case with SpaceCowboy156).

If you see a post in the future that you think is against the rules, just use the "Report this post to a moderator" link at the bottom of the post. Posting to tell someone that they're breaking the rules is unnecessary and is spam in itself. That's what moderators are here for.

Anyway, I deleted the two posts. And SpaceCowboy156, she was right, however; this isn't a chat room. I suggest you read the [url=http://www.theotaku.com/rules.shtml]rules[/url] before continuing to post on OtakuBoards. Thanks.[/color]

[Sandy]

[size=1]offgame: There isn't any SpaceCowboy signed in for this game, so I wish that person wouldn't post here in any case. (though I don't know what he posted...) Oh well, it's time to get some flesh around these bones of a story, aye? ;) [/size]
*********
ongame:

As I walked towards the bright-lighted district I noticed that it wasn't just the nature suffering - some people were starved and begging for money or even just a piece of bread. Suddenly I was approached by a little boy wearing torn clothes. He had an eyepatch over his left eye.
Kid: "Kind sir... Wouldn't you have a gilder to throw?"
Me: "Sure. Here you go."
That instant I was surrounded by all the beggars in the streets, and more were slowly approaching me.
Beggar woman: "Please, sir... I have three babies to feed!"
Beggar girl: "My mother is sick! Please, I need some money!"
Blind beggar: "Please, I'm starving..."
I thought my head was going to explode. Through the sunglasses I saw so much pain, so unconceavable... I felt the storm rising inside me.
Me: "GET OFF!!!"
A bolt of thunder hit the crowd. Some of them fled in terror, some just lay there, immobile.
Me: "Oh Ether... What have I done?"
I ran away.

I didn't stop running until I reached the district where there was only happy, well-fed people walking, chatting and gambling in the casinos. I concentrated myself, and entered the wealthiest casino I could see.
Portier: "Welcome to 7th Heaven Casino, sir! May I have your name?"
Me: "Trifle. Torean Trifle."
Portier: "Thank you, sir. You can change your money to game coins at the counter over there. Enjoy your stay!"

After changing a good amount of money, I walked to the hall full of all kind of tables, slot-machines and golden decoration. Everywhere I saw people laughing and smiling, but their eyes told of greed and jealousy. Somehow I managed to blend myself in. Then a waiter girl wearing nothing but a red bikini with moogle-ears and a pair of purple wings attached to the back glued herself to my side.
Moggy girl: "Hiya, mister! Can I be of any service?"
Me: "Yes, infact you can. Can you show me the wealthiest players here? I'd like to challenge them."
Moggy Girl: "Oh, a real money-man, are we? Well, there's the Prime Council Gojo himself playing over there. You know, the man next from the president?"
Me: "Sure. Well, would you like to join me? I didn't catch your name..."
Moggy Girl: "Just call me Meg, mister...?"
Me: "Trifle. Torean Trifle. Now, let's go meet mister Gojo over there, shall we?"
The Prime Council was a fat man wearing all white clothes. So I made quite a contrast to him, with my slim body and black coat.
Me: "Excuse me, can we join in?"
Gojo: "Why not - if you have the money and the luck to beat me!"
Me: "You can count on that, mister Gojo. Now, what are we playing?"
Gojo: "This is called "Royals". Only the richest people can play this, so high are the demanded bets."
Me: "Sounds intriguing. I'll bet one million gilders."
Meg: "Whoa, you go, Mr. Trifle!"
Gojo: "I'm impressed. One million and one thousand from me - we are just beginning, are we?"

After an hours play, the Prime Council had lost almost every game - the ones he won were because I let him -, so he was losing a great pile of gilders.
Gojo: "Whoo boy, you're good, Mr. Trifle!"
Me: "Just call me lucky. Meg dear, would you fetch Mr. Gojo here another drink."
Meg: "Sure, sugar!"

I glanced behind the girl pitifully - she was hypnotized from the amount of money being bet.
Gojo: "So, how about one last round? I'm sure my luck will turn now!"
The fat man had already drank quite a few drinks, so I decided it was time to make my move.
Me: "Sure. By the way, you wouldn't happen to know anything about the minings at the Crescent Mountains, would you?"
Gojo: "He he hee, that's top secret, mister, you ought to know. Why do you ask? Are you from there?"
Me: "Well, not really, but I'm interested in some... investments. I do have your money to spent, don't I?"
Gojo: "Ha haa! You sure do! You reallyare one tricky weasel, aren't you, Mr. Trifle?"
Me: "Well, I suppose I am."
Gojo: "Listen. Come to my office at the Central Administrative Building tomorrow afternoon, and I'll have a chat with you. Okay?"
Me: "I'll be there. Now, let us play one last round."
Gojo: "You bet you!"

[DeathKnight]

[color=crimson]His eyes opened.

He saw people. People walking, a crowd in one direction, another in another direction across the street. Raising his hand, he gazed at it in a form of wonderment, before forming a fist and squeezing as hard as possible. The man was leaning agaisnt a wall, coarse building material scrapeing at his gropeing hand.

[b]Dohatri[/b]: Interesting..

He was dressed in a camoflauged color of jeans, midnight black shirt, and a belt with several forms of ammonition- just like he had wanted. But there was no weight of a gun. He glanced down and saw his machinegun, ready to be fired, leaning against the same wall as he was.

[b]Dohatri[/b]: I suspect i'm in some sort of business district..

Neon lights shined down on him, advertising various things. Several large, towering stores lined the street, with smaller stores shoved in between the behemoths. Dohatri hadnt the faintest clue as to where the other ancients would appear, and he judged that to get anywhere in this world he would need the one thing human's value over all else- currency.

[b]Dohatri[/b]: Hmm.. I know that there are others forming scattered across the city, but none seem to be appearing in this sector.

A passing man stopped and stretched, yawning a bit, before glanceing at Dohatri. It took him a few seconds to take him in, and the ancient realized that he was quite a bit taller than most of the other people- and the only one that blatantly armed.

"[i]I should use this to my advantage..[/i]"

[b]Dohatri[/b]: Excuse me sir-

[b]Malone[/b]: Malone. Call me Malone.

[b]Dohatri[/b]: Alright, Malone. I seem to be- lost. What sector is this?

[b]Malone[/b]: This? This is the main business sector. You're right near the outskirts of the town- Supposedly, they shoved this sector here to that travellers could easily spend some cash here. It aint that convinent for us however..

[b]Dohatri[/b]: Well, you can consider me to be one of those travellers..

[b]Malone[/b]: You sure as hell look the part.

He muttered that as he started back on his way, Dohatri ignoreing the sarcasm and silently stepping out into the street, resting his large machinegun on his shoulder- Locating the nearest Ancient, he started to walk there immediately...[/color]

[Zero-Life]

Strife had been walking in the streets trying to find a better part of the city when he suddenly saw a white flash and heard the sound of thunder. He ran quickly down the street and turned the corner. As he turned the corner he almost bumped in to one of the beggars but he was able to stop fast enough for the beggar to run past him and down the street.

People were running away from the flash of thunder in terror. Some were on the ground not moving at all.

Strife: What in the world just happened here?

Strife did not know whether it was an evil force or an Ancient. He could also sense one of the Ancients not so far away. He ran down the streets until he reached a place full of bright signs and casinos. He walked slowly while looking around the bright and merry place.

Strife: There doesn't seem to be many feelings of sorrow here.... But many feelings of greed.

Man: Hey come back here!! Somebody stop that robber!!

The robber pushed people out of his way while running through the streets. He shot his gun in the air to try to scare people so they would get out of his way. People screamed in terror and fled the area. It was chaos. Everybody was running around. The robber was then accompanied by 9 more robbers, each armed with guns. Strife struggled trying to get through the crowd but it was no use.

Strife: Get out of my way!!

A force of energy came from him and pushed the people around him to the ground not causing any serious damage. The people continued fleeing amongst the chaos. The robber looked in his direction and were puzzled by what had happened. They instantly thought Strife would be a threat to their plan a aimed their guns at him getting ready to fire.

[Ayokano]

I lay in my bed,staring at the celling.The door opens and Dianna stands in the door way."Hello."she said in her light voice.
"To you to."I said.She layed down next to me on her side and put her right hand on mine scared chest.I never felt somthing like this before.
She put her mouth to my ear and wispered"I love you."
This is what I felt.Love.

[ShimmeringFeyd]

Eli Johnson walked down the steps of the building with a calm demeaner that even the deadliest natural disaster couldn't have broken. He was always this way. The son of one of the cities wealthiest men, Eli knew everything would always go his way. He strode confidently down the perfectly paved streets. There were no beggers here on the upper plate, this part of the city was populated solely by the rich and powerful. And they begged for nothing...well atleast not on the streets.

Yet today Eli stopped in mid stride for the first time in all his 33 years. For there was something most odd on the side of this street. At first he thought it was a child, yet it was wearing what seemed to be armor. Black armor, and it had a sharp object in its hand. Some part of his body tingled as fear began to seep in.

Some vagrant had somehow reached the upper plates and was about to attack him was his first thought. Yet this vagrant wasn't attacking, it seemed to be standing there. No not standing, moving in a circle...dancing?

Eli could only stare in complete amazement as this child like knight danced an odd pattern around him. As it got closer he soon noticed it wasn't a child at all, but a doll. A very life like doll but a doll none the less. Its armor was nothing more than cloth and its strings were still attached to its arms and legs. Yet this made Eli even more worried, for the doll was moving. Something was pulling its strings, something that he couldn't see.

[COLOR=seagreen]"Poor poor man, what a sad jesters suit you wear..."[/COLOR]

Jolting back into reality Eli nearly wet his pants from the sudden break in the dolls movements. The soft voice was not coming from the doll at all. It was definately female and had a very soothing element to it. The doll knight had stopped dancing and made a gesture with its arms before it began moving to the side of the street.

What was left of Eli's imagination, the child part of his mind told him this doll was leading him to the girl who had spoken. The rational part of his mind told this couldn't be happening and tried to make him turn, make his legs run and get away. Yet he couldn't, he had to follow that doll, to see who had spoken. Something in the back of his mind just had to do this. And so Eli moved, following the doll.

It led him to a small building, a jewelry store if he remembered right. His mother always shopped there, one of the most expensive places in the city. Yet today, like many things today, it was not normal. For today there was a rotting old box on the side of the building. And someone was setting on that box.

This was the puppeteer that had controlled the doll, he knew this even before the knight had zig zagged its way over to her and crawled into her lap. He knew because this was no ordinary girl. Her green hair and eyes were too perfectly matched, and her skin just too flawless, not a scratch, not a blemish. Yet her clothes truly set her apart.

Eli's mother was extravagant to say the least. The outfits she wore cost more than some of the poorer parts of the cities. Yet the fine silk gown this girl was wearing would be worth more than his mothers whole wardrobe. It was a thick silk yet obviously light. It shimmered in the sunlight and its dark blue coloring clashed with the girls hair causing it to radiate even more. It was much too large for her though and flowed out on all sides gathering around the ground like a small pool of water.

So dazzled by the initial sighting, it took his eyes nearly a minute to finally notice. The gown wouldn't be worth anything. Despite its incredible design, it had been slashed up. Deep gashes occupied every part of it, like the girl herself had cut it up with a knife.

As Eli stared at her still too lost in his thoughts to come up with a proper greeting. She just smiled at him while petting her doll with her hands.

[COLOR=seagreen]"Now now, don't strain your mind too much just yet. There are so many questions I have for you. For starters, tell me your name and where is this place?"[/COLOR]

[Sandy]

Dawn broke five hours later. I stood in my tiny room, watching the sunrise from the window. Meg - the Moggy Girl from 7th Heaven Casino - let out little cute noises as she slept on my bed. Well, now I've experienced [i]that[/i] as well... It's wasn't bad, though...

Meg: "Hmm... Uhh.. Oh? H-hi..."
Me: "Morning, Meg. Did you sleep well."
Meg: "Uuh, terrible headache... Who're you again?"
Me: "Excuse me?! Don't you remember? Torean Trifle, from the casino!"
Meg: "Oh yeah, the filthy rich man... Hey, why do you live in a place like this?"
Me: "Umm... Because I want to. Well, it's time for you to go now. I've got business to attend."
Meg: "Oh? Just shoving me off, are you?! What next, you want to [i]pay[/i] me? Well, you just listen, mister Triple or whatever, I'm NOT THAT KIND OF A GIRL!!!"

The girl jumped off from the bed, grabbed her coat and left the room, banging the door on her way out. I sighed.
Me: "Humans!"

But then I remembered the meeting with Prime Council Gojo this afternoon. I had to go shopping somewhere. I couldn't go to the Central Administration Building looking like some kind of robber! I just thanked supreme powers that we had kept such close eye on the human life that I knew how to behave.

I left the crappy motel and headed my way to the shopping district. I was hoping I could meet some of the other my kind on the way.

[Desbreko]

[color=indigo]Ariel Starwind opened her eyes as if she had just blinked and found herself seated at a table, staring down at a book. The book was closed, as if she had just sat down to start reading. She blinked a couple more times, slowly tensing and relaxing her muscles, becoming accustomed to her human body. In form, it was quite similar to the Ancient body she once inhabited, but in strength, much weaker.

Looking around at her surroundings, she saw shelves upon shelves of books. She was sitting at one of a few tables in what seemed like a clearing, much as you would see in a forest. Low over head was a ceiling, bright fluorescent lights shining down between the bookshelves and over the tables and a thick, plush carpet on the floor. It was a dull, sterile gray-white color, matching the shelves, tables, chairs, and ceiling--she couldn't see any walls, for her view was obscured by the rows of shelves. The only real color in the room came from the many, multi-colored volumes set on shelf upon shelf. If not for that splash of color, one might mistake themselves for having gone color blind.

Books, tables, no one about; absolute quiet. . . . [i]I must be in a library,[/i] Ariel thought as she stood up. Out of curiosity, she picked up the book on the table and read the title on the cover. 'Legend of the Ancients,' it read in large bold letters. A thin smile played across Ariel's lips at the irony of the situation before she replaced the thick volume on a nearby shelf and once again returned her attention to the surrounding area.

[i]Which way to go?[/i] She turned about, looking down the various pathways between the towering shelves. Each way seemed identical, not a single marking on shelf, floor, or ceiling. After looking about for a minute, she decided it was no use just standing around, and arbitrarily chose a direction. Walking down the aisle of books, she turned a few corners and bends, but kept going in generally the same direction. [i]This place is like a maze,[/i] she thought as she walked, each shelf looking like the last.

Rounding one last corner, she came to a series of large windows, stretching almost to the floor and ceiling and tiled one next to the other as far down along the wall as she could see. There she got her first real look at herself, in the reflection of the windows. Her fair complexion was contrasted against her dark brown hair, which hung mostly in a large braid down her back, and almost blended in with the white blouse that hung loosely from her shoulders. In front of her deep blue eyes was a pair or small, silver framed rectangular glasses. She blinked, noticing them for the first time, and experimentally took them off; they didn't seem to affect her eyesight at all, but she put them back on anyway. Glancing farther down at the reflection in the window she saw that she was wearing a dark, midnight blue skirt that hung just past her knees with a large pocket on each hip.

Shoving her hands down into each pocket, she pulled forth an ocarina from the left side. Like her skirt, it was midnight blue, though it had wavy silver streaks and speckles covering and wrapping around it in a seemingly random pattern. Raising the mouthpiece to her lips, she played a few experimental notes and found that she could play fluidly with little thought.

As Ariel returned the ocarina to her pocket, she looked again at the window--no, not at the window, but through the window this time. Gasping at what she saw, she took a couple staggering steps back, turning her head away from the sight. Over what was once rich, beautiful land there now spread a gigantic city that stretched for miles and miles, polluting the land, air, and water all around. Great plumes of exhaust drifted up into the atmosphere from smokestacks in the industrial districts, and tall skyscrapers stretched up to the heavens in the commercial and residential districts.

Starlet, before she took on her human form as Ariel, had known the humans were hurting the planet, but the extent of the damage only now became apparent to her. Appalled by the view from the windows, she walked along the wall trying to both avert her eyes from the scene below and look for a way down. She didn't want to go down into the city; in fact, she was now having seconds thoughts about having come at all. But she had made up her mind to come, and it was too late to turn back now. She had to go look for other Ancients in the city.

Finally coming to an elevator, she looked at the number next to the door which read '56th.' And though there were two elevators, neither of them had an Up button, only Down. [i]This must be the top floor of the building, where they keep all the old books,[/i] she thought as she pressed one of the buttons and waited. When the door slid open she stepped inside, waiting for the door to close behind her before pushing the button marked '1st.'

Whatever was out there, like it or not, she would have to face it. Ariel just hoped that she'd be able to find one of the other ancients soon.[/color]

[James]

[color=#808080]The two women were both remarkably different and oddly similar. Both were tall and slender. Both were immaculately manicured. And both had a link through time that defined their very existence.

And yet, one was as overt as she was refined. While the other was quiet, both in personality and in physical form. One demanded attention by default, but never appeared to notice it. And the other somehow managed to be a wallflower, despite her noble and powerful history.

The woman with the long dark hair and vivid green eyes sat at one of the enormous metal desks, which ran across the library's white-floored lobby, like dark pinstripes on a light suit. The library was filled only with those who made books their life; teachers, secretaries, geiko* and philosophers. The rest of the population were either shopping in The Core's thousands of boutiques or watching digital television at home. Either way, libraries were considered far from interesting in modern human society.

The woman with green eyes (who was also adorned in what appeared to be a garment of taut white latex) sat silently at the desk. In front of her sat a bulbous book, bound in dusty leather. She opened it with delicate fingers and began browsing its pages.

At the other end of the lobby, the woman with the plaid skirt was watching her. She had just exited the elevator and seemed somehow fascinated with the other woman. At first, she merely stood there, as if unsure what her next move should be. But finally, she approached. She crossed the lobby gracefully and sat down opposite the latex-clad woman.

"Hello, my name is Ariel," said the woman softly. She smiled. A pleasant smile that seemed to warm the air around them.

The woman opposite her peered up from her book and nodded in acknowledgement.

"Yes, you're an ancient force, aren't you?" she queried with a look of certainty in her eyes.

Ariel paused and nodded briskly. "I am, yes. How did you know?"

"I can tell," said the woman cryptically. "My name is Zara. I'm the same as you."

Zara did not extend her hand for Ariel to shake, which made Ariel feel somewhat uncomfortable. Uncomfortable in a way, but Ariel also felt the warmer air...as though she and Zara shared a common, intangible link.

"I'm not quite sure where to go," said Ariel, after a brief silence.

Zara nodded slowly and closed the old book. "That's okay. I have been living in The Core for several months now. I have an apartment on the northside that you can stay at, if you so desire."

Ariel smiled. "Wow, that's very kind of you!"

"My pleasure. We have to stick together if we are going to solve the situation out there," said Zara.

Ariel nodded and stood up. "Shall we walk there now? It must be a long way," she suggested. Zara stood and pushed her chair under the table.

"Yes, you're right. But I must warn you; the streets can be dangerous at this time of night."

Ariel ran a hand along her neck absently. "Yeah...I am a healing force, so I am not offensive," she said.

"That's fine, Ariel. My powers are gravity-based, so we'll be fine. We can work together."

Ariel's smile quickly returned. She seemed genuinely happy to have found a partner so early in her mortal life. And while Zara was not outwardly excited, she too was relieved to find one like herself - especially in a neighbourhood that was notorious for being full of thugs and gangs of all kinds.

The two woman walked side by side through the lobby, toward the library's massive entrance. This was the start of their journey.

(*Geiko = Geisha, a traditional Japanese hostess, who is highly educated. Look up "Geisha" in the dictionary if you don't understand. ~_^)[/color]

Eep...I hope that was okay. I had zero creativity in my body when writing that. I've been way too overworked today; 'breko, feel free to do what you will with this. ^_^

[The Harlequin]

[font=gothic][color=crimson][I]Ciiahn settled backwards, one hand outstretched, in line with his arm. The other was palm upwards, guarding his solar plexus. He found it quite amusing that the first place he ended up was in an arena.

The man in front of him, bald, sneering, and muscled like an alley cat, simply raised his hands. He looked like a boxer. Ciiahn breathed in, holding it slightly, then letting it go in a silken whisper. Someone gave some kind of signal, Ciiahn wasn't paying attention, merely grinning like a maniac. The other man responded, a feral twist of his mouth. With that he stepped forward, a simple right hook.

Ciiahn leant backwards, letting it pass harmlessly in front of him. His left hand, the extended one, jerked forward an inch then retreated. The man flinched anyway, used to more frontal hits. Ciiahn's left hand came back to his hip, his right came upwards, his fingers stiffened. He struck the sensitive area under the man's jaw, triggering the involuntary gag reflex. His left elbow came back in, a strike to the windpipe. His right hand came back, then upwards again in un uppercut, then rechambered and unfolded into a backhand. He spun to his left, that hand coming around in a spinning backfist. As he completed the spin, his right hand shot forward in a knifehand thrust to the solar plexus. As the man stumbled back, gasping and trying to grab multiple painful parts of his body once, Ciiahn leapt forward, spinning his body right in the air. As he passed, a right sidekick followed by a left backkick left the man on his back.

Actually, Ciiahn had a little trouble landing too. But that wasn't so bad. He managed to get up. The boxer didn't. The judge came forward, grabbing Ciiahn's hand and raising it. Ciiahn looked at him for a long moment, and the judge let him go.[/I]

Ciiahn: When do I get paid?

[I]There was a long, uncomfortable silence.[/I]

Ciiahn: Ah. I see.

[I]He walked out of the arena, now slightly bored. But then, what exactly did he really need money for?[/font][/color][/I]

[DeathKnight]

[color=crimson]Taken by suprise, Dohatri heard the sound of gunshots coming from a nearby Red-Light district, cliche' signs advertising Casinos "Just down the Lane", right twards the sounds of screaming, meshed with gunshots. Suddenly the shots ended, but Dohatri was already makeing haste there.

He stepped up onto a trashcan, leaping onto a rooftop and running twards the end, his machinegun at his side, ready to be fired. Placeing his foot on the edge of the roof, he looked carefully down below, silent as a fox.

There were 9 highly armed robbers, each of them in a crescent moon shape around a single man, the man looking ready to fight if needed. Various sounds of guns locking and loading broke the uneasy silence, as each of the robbers took aim at a different part of his body.

But Dohatri fired first.

The loud sound of his high-caliber machine gun shattered even Dohatri's expectations, as the sound literally began to echo across the emptied streets. His bullets tore through one of the robber's body, holes in his chest quickly draining with blood as a single bullet slammed into his head, his blood splattering on the concrete behind him, sending the other startled bandits to dive behind an odd assortment of things for cover.

[b]Dohatri[/b]: Wait.. I know that aura.. Its another ancient.. Hey-

Before Dohatri could call out to him, several bullets flew past his ears, one grazeing his arm as it flew past. He fell to the ground, more waves of bullets ricocheted off the surfaces around him, most simply flying overhead.[/color]

[Zero-Life]

Strife instantly sensed the power of an Ancient and knew that it was the man that had just fired upon the armed robbers. Seeing that the robbers were distracted with the Ancient Strife took this time as an opportunity to attack. Strife pulled out his katana from his sheath and ran towards the robbers. As he ran towards the robbers he tried to think of a way to get close to the without getting shot at.

Strife saw a sign above the robbers and instantly thought of an idea. One of the robbers had caught sight of Strife and fired at him. Strife instantly dodged to the right behind a building. Some robbers fired at where the other Ancient was and some fire towards Strife. Seeing that a direct route to the robbers would not work Strife thought of another way. He wall jumped to the top of the building that he was using as a shelter from the bullets.

Strife ran across the rooftop to the other side and then jumped over to the next rooftop. He saw the sign that was hanging over the robbers. He ran at top speed and jumped for the sign. As he flew in mid air headed for the sign the robbers shot at him. When he was close enough to the sign he swung his katana at the strings holding up the sign. The sign fell down and landed on the robbers. The leader being the strongest out of all of them quickly dove out of the way. Strife landed on another rooftop not far away from where the other Ancient was. As he landed he got in to a rolling position and rolled on the rooftop as he landed and injured himself a little bit from the hard landing.

As he recovered from the landing he got up and started for the building where the Ancient was.

[ShimmeringFeyd]

[COLOR=seagreen]"Well this is certainly a fine mess, I can't believe we volunteered for this." Calais spoke outloud while she layed back onto the rotting box. The dark knight doll sat on her stomach and nodded its head at her in agreement. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=seagreen]She sighed to herself thinking deeply. "Now I have an idea but we're really not all that good at starting things off are we Cecil?" Once again the doll nodded to her in agreement.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=seagreen]"So the best thing to do would be to wait for one of the others to start something then we should follow up. I mean after all we are much more effective as followers than leaders..."[/COLOR]

"Ummm excuse me?"

[COLOR=seagreen]Calais tilted her head to the side eyeballing Eli with an annoyed look for his interruption. "Are you still here? You can go away now I don't need you anymore."[/COLOR]

Something snapped inside Eli's brain and his old self emerged in a burst. "What the &*#% are you looking at. Stupid crazy girl." He mumbled to himself while he walked away from her."

[COLOR=seagreen]She had already turned away from him and was staring at the sky again. "On the other hand...sitting around is kind of boring. So instead of just waiting for the others to do something how about we provoke them into doing something?" The doll looked at her with an angry look.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=seagreen]She smiled darkly laughing aloud. "Now don't look at me like that. I won't get them in too much trouble. You know ancients they take forever to do anything. I'm just thinking we should give them a little prod thats all."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=seagreen]She sat up quickly leaning in close to the dolls face and began whispering in its ear. "Now Eli says his daddy loves plays and musicals and today is his day off so he should be at the theatre district right now. " The doll eyed her with a most worried expression. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=seagreen]She jumped off the box holding the doll against her chest. "You are too overprotective. I know we're going to have a little problem getting in but I have an idea. Anyways we get to take in a show, and I know you love the theatre as much as I do." [/COLOR]

[COLOR=seagreen]She suddenly held the doll in front of her while twirling in a circle. "Maybe we can even get on stage!!! How great would that be."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=seagreen]She clutched the doll back to her chest and started walking down the street. "And best of all we're not even slacking off. I mean Eli's dad is the head of the security at one of this cities big factories. We'll need him to get the others moving. Now pay attention Cecil, i'll explain the plan on the way."[/COLOR]

[Sandy]

The morning sun warmed me as I walked along the shopping boulevard. Oddly, most of the shops looked like they had never been closed - which probably was the case. In a city like The Core, half of the population lived by day, and half of it by night. Unfortunately the night-livers were mostly criminals, prostitutes, crooks, drunks and addicts. The whole city - well, at least this part of it - seemed to go through a transformation when the morning came. All the passed out people were carried away by the City Patrol, bars changed into cafeterias, and gangs were placed by smiling families. Once again I though of how odd people were...

Finally I saw what I was looking for: a shopping mall called "Shoppers Paradise". It had portiers on the door, and wealthy looking people entered and exited it. That was a place for me to spend my never-ending money resources. It was funny that most of the other Ancient Forces hadn't thought about taking the artifact Bottomless Purse with them - apparently they didn't realize that money was everything in this city.

Both of the portiers looked at me suspiciously, but luckily they let me in. I wasn't as lucky in the shop I entered. Immediately a strickt looking lady almost jumped onto me.
Sales lady: "Well, I think your kind has no business here. Would you mind leaving?"
Me: "Actually, yes I would. I'm here to buy a suit and a pair of shoes. What do you got?"
Sales lady: "The question is, do you have money? Because I think you look like one that hasn't. This mall is also known as "Shoplifter's Hell", you know?"
Me: "How fascinating. But rest your eyes on these."

I literally poured money from the Bottomless Purse to the floor. Immediately the woman's eyes widened.
Sales lady: "Anna! Selma! Come here, we have a customer!!! Hello, sir, my name is Beatrix, the owner of this shop. How can I help you?"

An hour later I exited the "Shopper's Paradise" in a fancy business suit and shiny new black shoes. The portiers didn't even recognize me.

I headed towards the Central Administration Building, as it was almost afternoon. The sun was shining so brightly that despite my shades I hardly saw where I was going. Suddenly I bumbed into another person, and fell to the ground. I lifted my eyes to look at the one I hit, and I gasped from surprise. It was another Ancient Force!

[Sakura]

OOC:You don't mind do you Sage?

I looked up and saw a man in a fancy suit and had sunglasses on.I had been walking around and suddenly this man bumped into me.but There's something wrong.He's an Ancient Force!!

"Excuse me sir.But please watch where you're going."I said and I grabbed his arm and raced him away to a small empty room.
"You're an Ancient force aren't you!!Who are you?!"I asked.
"Yes...I am Ramuh.God of Thunder.And you are?"he replied.
"I am Fenris the Wolf.I'm so happy to finally find another AF!!"I said happily.
"Where are you staying...Miss...."he said.
"Oh sorry.I'm Aiko.And you are?"
"I am Torean.So where are you staying Miss Aiko?"
"Oh just call me Aiko.I'm staying in a hotel across the road.What about you?"
"I'm staying in a poor area.It isn't very good."
"Oh....That place...I have visited there a few times.It's disturbing to see all the sad people and the poor starving people."I said sadly.Torean agreed.We talked for a while and got to know each other.I was so happy.Finally...Someone proper to talk to...

[Ayokano]

"I'm going out,Dianna"said her father.
"Ok."she said,as she cooked breakfest,"Here you go Ki."she pasted me a bowl of grits.I toke a bite,and brunt my tounge.
"Its hot!!!"I said as I toke a drink of ice water.She giggled.I stared at her."Why are you making fun of mine pain?"I said.
"Well of course it's hot silly."she said.
Soon a man crashed into the window.
"Daddy!!!"Dianna yelled.A man steped on his backed,then shoot a bullet to Dianna's father's head,and Dianna started to cry.
"Shout up girl and give me all your money!"the man said.I know who these kind of humans where.They are robbers,humans who kill and steal.Dianna gave them a bag of money."Now that a good girl."the man pushed her to the ground,a shoot her in the heart.
I scearmed in pain.A black arua came around me.Soon black orbs came and where shot at the robbers.Their flesh burned as the orbs digged deeper in their skin.Soon they had died.I kneed to Dianna,and she died in my arms.A tear came down her cheek.