RPG Crossover

[GuyYouMetOnline]

[COLOR=darkslateblue]Kiva looked up as a young man approached the front desk where she was seated. Kiva recognized him immediately; Sako was one of the regulars, coming almost every day. Although he'd been absent for the past couple weeks, he was a regular [I]Crossover[/I] player and had been for two years. His had a membership at the EWorld VR facility where Kiva worked. For regular players, memberships were much cheaper than paying on a per-visit basis, so most regular players had them, Kiva included. Hers was an employee membership, too, which among other things allowed her to use the 'reserved' VR units, virtually garunteeing that she'd be able to find a unit even on the most crowded days.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=darkslateblue]"Well, what do you know?" Kiva said. "Haven't seen you in a while, Sako."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=darkslateblue]"Yeah," Sako said. "I was visiting my grandparents. They live in a little town way the hell out in the middle of nowhere, so I haven't had access to any VR units. I don't mind-it was nice to see them-but it does mean I'm behind on recent in-game developments. Think you could catch me up?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=darkslateblue]"Sure," Kiva said, "although you've probably expected most of it. War between the nations of Tameth and Faltia is basically underway. As usual, it's Tameth that's initiating hostilities. Tameth's army has entered Faltian territory, and the Faltian army is moving to meet them. It looks like the armies will run into each other in Liashak Valley later today. As usual, many players will be joining in on the battle, myself included, so I might see you in battle."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"You better hope you don't, 'cause I'd kick your ass. Why are you with Faltia, anyways? Tameth's a lot more fun."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Maybe for you," Kiva said, "but even though I enjoy a good war, Tameth gets into way too many for my taste."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Whatever. Anyways, has anything else happened?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"No, not really."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"All right, then, could you get me a unit?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva nodded, and turned to face the computer. "All right, let's see here... okay, Sako, you're in room 2, unit G."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Thanks," Sako said. "You get off work at the usual time?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Of course. I'm done in ten minutes, then I'm logging in to [I]Crossover[/I] myself."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"I'l see you there, then," Sako said as he walked off.[/COLOR]


[COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva positioned herself on the VR unit and entered her password on the keypad. The standard welcome message appeared on the display, along with instructions on how to position one's self on the unit. Kiva was already properly positioned, so she hit the OK button and waited as the VR unit began the process of entering her into VR. Soon, there was a familiar feeling of disorientation, after which she was in the world of [I]Crossover[/I].[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva had appeared in Kalton, a town close to Liashak valley, and thus a convenient place to start, since she was planning to participate in the battle at Liashak. That's why she'd ended her previous session in Kalton, and she wasn't the only one. Many other players had done the same thing. But Kiva had chosen the area for one other reason. Goblins were common in the area, and just as they'd been in stories and games for years, [I]Crossover[/I]'s goblins were small, weak, and stupid, but there were a lot of them. Like many players, Kiva liked to use goblins as a warm-up, and near Kalton, they were always easy to find.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva was about to leave the town to go hunting for goblins, but she didn't need to. A commotion nearby drew her attention, and she saw that a horde of goblins was actually attacking the town. They were fighting just as poorly as always, with numbers being their only advantage. They probably couldn't have taken the town even under normal circumstances; with the number of players currently in the area, they didn't stand a chance. Many players were already fighting the goblins, and Kiva decided to join in. But first, she called two of hte Etheria.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Calling etheria was usually very simple. Some, usually the ones with large egos, demanded more complex summoning rituals, but aside from them, calling Etheria was simple, though the exact method did usually differ between Etheria. Of the ones Kiva used, Sineaes prefered a slightly more complex summoning ritual, but goblins, being small and quick, weren't ideal opponents for him. He'd certainly do well enough, mainly because weak goblin attacks wouldn't do much harm to him, but Liquid and Arsia were better against goblins, so they were the Etheria Kiva called.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"What's happening?" Liquid asked as she and Arsia appeared beside Kiva. "Ah, so it's goblins, then?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva nodded. "Indeed it is. I thought we could use a little warm-up before the battle later, and these goblins were kind enough to give us a perfect opportunity. Just try not to do any damage to the town. That means no huge windstorms, Arsia. Besides, I wouldn't want to deprive the other players of their warm-up."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Arsia laughed. "Like I need anything huge to take out goblins." She ran ahead into the goblin horde, leaving Kiva and Liquid behind. Some goblins turned to face her as she approached, but they were gone before she was there. She blew them back with a gust of wind, slamming them into other goblins and causing a chain reaction of collapsing goblins. She ran right into the mess, blowing goblins away on all sides. Being small and light, goblins were extremely easy targets for her and her wind-based abilities. She was tearing through the horde at high speed.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Come on," Kiva said to Liquid. "Let's get in there before Arsia's taken them all out." She drew her sword, and she and Liquid ran straight into the battle.[/COLOR]

[Raiha]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"][i]Renalori Grace left the relative quiet of her house, and drove down to the VR facility she'd spent so much of her life at. The associate on duty took one look at her and sent her off to the first room available. It wasn't that surprising though. It wasn't like she was an unknown gamer, trying out Crossover for the first time.

She settled back, relaxed herself, centered her mind, or did whatever it was that gamers did before entering Crossover, coming out in one of Tameth's smaller towns. The familiar sights were soothing to her, and every stress of the real world faded away under a haze of gaming induced ecstacy. Renalori leaned her head forward slightly and moved her left hand as if plucking the strings of a harp. Her right hand gripped the shaft of her lance tightly, before she thrust it straight up, as if to split the sky.[/i]

"Come to me. Metarka."

[i]Metarka, her very handsome, very tall Dragon Etheria appeared in a burst of black smoke right above the point of her lance. He didn't bow to her, but she curtsied to him slightly, simply to ensure their continued good relations, and he tilted his head down to look her in the face.[/i]

"Do I smell a war?"

"You would even if there wasn't one. But yes. War there is. And to war, we go." [i]If Metarka could've bounced up and down on his heels, he would've. Instead he settled for flaring out his wings in a burst of unholy light and laughing with bloodlust. Once his burst of passion was over, he lowered his head once more to her level and spoke in the same rumbling tone he'd always used when speaking to his mistress.[/i]

"Is Kemmler coming too?"

"If you want him to, I guess I could call him." [i]Renalori's tone was conversational, utterly unconcerned. Her smile was reflected in her Etheria's huge ginger colored eyes. The vertical slits narrowed in appreciation, and he hunched back slightly, enormous wings folding back like a cape. Renalori flung her hands out, the sleeves of her robe flaring out around her. She moved her lips silently, then turned and knelt down in a burst of motion.[/i]

"Kemmler, one who is lost in darkness seeks your aid. Kemmler, scion of Evil and Solitude, guide me with your wisdom. Bring your power and with it your aid."

[i]As the last phrase of her chant was uttered, the great Serpent himself, the purple scales of his hide rippling in the partial sunlight. He flicked his tongue through too large teeth and opened his mouth in a partial grin. Meanwhile, keeping up the charade of humility, Renalori kept her position of servitude, kneeling beneath the flare of his hood and the coil of his body.[/i]

"So... ...you call me to aid you in battle?"

"I did oh Kemmler. We are to destroy the enemies of Tameth. Will you give me the comfort of your guidance and strength?"

"For you my lady, I will."

[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Annie]

[size=1][b]OOC: Just for s 'n' gs, this is what Triston looks like in game.
[url=http://openmediagroup.com/mads_mikkelsen/images/arthur.jpg]Here[/url]
and
[url=http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z140/Aribeth89/gawain/gawainandtristan1.jpg]Here, on the left[/url][/b]
******


[b]“Good morning, Mr. Masters,”[/b] the petite girl at the front desk smiled,[b] “Will you be joining the battles today?”[/b]

Triston smirked quaintly, admiring the girl’s new hair style. Bleached to the point of being frosty white, with lavender dye on the tips. Last week, it was jet black with neon green streaks framing her face. What a cute, friendly face she had. And the best part, she had the softest personality to match her attractive appearance.

[b]“Today? What’s going on today? I haven’t been in game for at least a week,”[/b] Triston scratched at the stubble on his cheek, [b]“Work’s been killing me.”

“Oh,”[/b] she giggled,[b] “Well, I haven’t been in Crossover myself in a while, but I’ve been hearing that there’s some big war going to happen.”[/b]

The girl made a silly face that indicated she really didn’t care, or really didn’t know. Triston ran his fingers through his messy hair and leaned on the counter top. He scanned the flat screen on the wall behind the girl; he was looking at what rooms were being used and what ‘war‘ she was talking about. The girl fluffed her hair lazily as she thumbed through papers in front of her, occasionally giving Triston a quick glance.

[b]“Hm, Tameth and Faltia....Why am I not surprised?"[/b] he muttered.

[b]“Yeah, those places! Whose side are you going to be on, Mr. Masters?” [/b]her hair swished as she leaned flirtatiously on the counter.

[b]“You may call me by my name,” [/b]he smiled, [b]“as long as you tell me yours, that is.”

“Well, I do have a name tag,”[/b] she looked down at her left breast where the bright tag was.

[b]“Never noticed it,”[/b] his voice drained as he read her name, [b]"Madeline."

“Oh yeah, that would be a problem,”[/b]she groaned, irritated.

Triston huffed playfully and pushed himself back from the counter. The girl straightened out her white lace halter top and gave Triston a disappointed smile. He shook his head and pointed at the screen.

[b]“I’m taking Room 4, Unit F,”[/b] Triston tapped the counter and walked around.

[b]“Sure thing,”[/b] the chameleon girl hung her colorful head and pecked at the keyboard. Triston’s name appeared on the flat screen on the designated VR slot.

[b]“Oh, to answer your question: I am a rogue from Salkera. So I probably won’t be participating in this war. Unless there's a nice price.”

“Good luck with whatever you do, Mr. Masters,”[/b] she winked, giving him a thumbs up.

Triston entered Unit F, pulling the heavy curtain softly. This particular domain was his now. The small, glass room hummed as he stepped in and closed the door softly. He pulled out the keyboard and entered his username and password. The hot pink words “Welcome back, Triston Masters.” popped up on the glass wall in front of him. He smiled and hit okay, putting on his electrode gloves and pushed the keyboard back into place. The four glass walls and ceiling frosted, encasing him in privacy and silence as Crossover loaded.

Triston looked down at the floor beneath his feet and felt that stomach-flipping drop as the background and “earth” of Crossover rushed up and surrounded him. The four walls lit up with holographic scenery, the ceiling was a simulated sky with the works of birds, clouds, and the sun. His feet stood on the earth of the town he had left off in; Cyril of Salkera. It was a small, pleasant town. Nothing really went down in this town, it was more of a resting point. A nice, safe haven to replenish your health and build up your weaponry.

Triston walked around the town in suit of getting some more arrows and sharpening his [u][url= http://www.chinatown-shop.com/images/arm_320.jpg]sword[/url][/u]. He saluted passing players, few of which he recognized. He entered a blacksmith’s shop and dropped off his weapon. Satisfied with the days pick of arrows, he purchased a few.

[b]“Elora should like these,”[/b] he admired the arrows.

They were tipped with the best tempered steel the blacksmith could provide. Lightweight and indestructible. They were given special feathers, as well. Apparently, as the tired blacksmith had told Triston, the rare, silver feathers came from Salkera’s one-and-only Pegasus. No one has ever really seen this creature, but occasionally merchants would find a few of its feathers. They’re said to have incredible accuracy and speed.

[b]“Be back in the morn’ to pick up the sword,”[/b] the blacksmith hiccupped.

Triston just gave the man a sharp nod and left the shop. He trudged through town, and over the cobblestone bridge to leave its gates. The drawbridge lowered over the moat. Triston stuffed the satchel of arrows under his cloak. While Cyril was a lovely little town, there was still danger of petty thieves. Not that Triston was worried about a fight, but he didn’t underestimate the sneaky devils.

Once out into the woods, the dark rogue looked around to make sure he wasn’t followed. He stood perfectly still and crouched to the ground, feeling it for any vibrations. His breath caught and he held it momentarily to listen. No one. He smiled and sat Indian-style and placed his palms together in his lap.

[b]“Oh, Elora, Mistress of Nature. I call upon thee for thy divinity and kindness.”[/b]

He sat in stood up, and for nearly thirty seconds before he sensed his boundaries were being invaded. It was, however, a welcome ambush. He heard her soft and gentle trot. She wasn’t doing her best to keep her whereabouts undetected because he heard every snap of a twig and every crinkle of dry leaves.

[b]“Yes, my handsome knight?”[/b] Elora’s whimsical voice floated along the crisp breeze.

[b]“It is my pleasure to see you once more. Thank you for coming,” [/b]he breathed, feeling a tingle of happiness he hadn’t felt in quite some time…although he got this feeling each time he called upon her.

[b]“What are we up for this day?”[/b] Elora crossed her hands in front of her stomach.

[b]“I have a gift for you. I want to apologize for my neglecting you,” [/b]Triston bowed politely.

[b]“There is no need to apologize, my dear. I understand,”[/b] Elora’s tail swayed in excitement as she saw the arrows emerging from Triston’s cloak, [b]“Oh you didn’t have to!”

“Of course, I did. You deserve them.” [/b]

Elora smiled, seeming to force the sun to shine a little brighter in the thick of the woods. Triston kissed her hand and motioned for the two to start walking.
[/SIZE]

[GuyYouMetOnline]

[COLOR=darkslateblue]The fight was winding down. Not many goblins were left, and the few that were still alive had finally realized they should run. Not many of them were actually able to escape, though. They were quick, but the faster Etheria didn't have much trouble catching them. Arsia in particular got quite a few, and Liquid took out more than her fair share. Kiva was able to catch a couple herself.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Well, that was fun," Kiva said as she cleaned goblin blood off her sword.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"That's for sure," Arsia said. "It was a nice warm-up, too."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Liquid nodded her agreement. "Yeah. Too bad goblins aren't good opponents for Sinaeas. I assume you'll be using him in the battle, Kiva?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Of course. He's perfect for that sort of thing. I'll start with Arsia out, too; she can wreak havok against fliers, and there are bound to be plenty of those. But don't worry, Liquid, you'll get a turn. I'm sure there'll be enemies you're perfect for."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Don't worry about that," Liquid said. "You just do what you have to do."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"All right. Well, shall we get going?"[/COLOR]


[COLOR=black][I]"It's confirmed, Keith. The object is undoubtably the objective, though it seems that only the armies' commanders know it."[/I][/COLOR]

[I]"Are the object's properties as described?" Keith said.[/I]

[I]"We don't know yet, sir. The current estimation is a 50% chance that the description is real."[/I]

[I]"Well, shit," Keith said. "Okay, we have to work on the assumption that it is. That means we have to assume alterations to [/I]Crossover[I]'s code will be necessary. Has your team made any progress?"[/I]

[I]"Yes, sir. As you know, we started work on it as soon as the possibility of a necessary change arose. We've found a couple bugs and are in the process of fixing them. The altered code should be ready within the hour. But we can't put it in as a regular update; it'd be too late by then. The change would need to be made before the object is found within [/I]Crossover[I], and there's only one way to do that."[/I]

[I]"Yes," Keith said. He pushed a button on the wall and spoke into the PA system. "Attention. Attention. I am declaring Sinwall. I repeat: I am declaring Sinwall. All team leaders, report to me immediately, and you know what you'll need to bring." He turned from the PA interface to the man standing next to him. "I'll be in my office. You get back to work, Chris. We need that code."[/I]


[COLOR=#483d8b]"I knew you'd be here," a woman said as she walked towards Kiva.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Well, hi there, Talora," Kiva said. "I was certain you'd be here, too."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"When have I ever passed up a war?" Talora looked past Kiva at Sineas, whom Kiva had summoned in Liquid's place upon joining the Faltian army in Liashak Valley. "You know, he's always larger than I remember."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva nodded as she looked out over the area that would soon be a battlefield. "What the hell's up with everyone popping in and out of those caves?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Oh, apparently some new passages have been discovered linking caves in the area. It seems there's actualy a large network of tunnels down there. It was clearly added as part of the last update, but of course all the NPCs are saying it's newly discovered but was really there all along. Anyways, there are all sorts of rumors flying around about why it's been added now. Most people think something down there is related to the battle we're all about to fight."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"That does seem possible," Kiva said, "but I don't think it fits. It was clear this was where the battle would happen since before the last update. They might have added something in anticipation of that, but I'd say it's just a coincidence. I could be wrong, though."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Well, either way, you can be sure there'll be fighting down there. I'm just glad we're all in Faltian uniforms, so we'll know who's on which side when the battle starts. It'll be even more important than usual in the tunnels. Things down there are going to be confusing as hell."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva nodded. "Yeah, tell me about it."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"There's motion up front," Sinaeas said, inturrupting their conversation. "I think opening negotiations are underway."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"So things are going to get started, then," Kiva said. "About time."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Tell me about it," Talora said. She turned to face her two active Etheria. "You ready, Arock?" she said.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Of course," the huge bird-like Etherian said. "What about you, Kirmas?" he said, turning to face the large mantis. "You ready for this?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Like you even have to ask. I'm going crazy waiting for this to begin."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Aounds like you're all ready to go," Kiva said. "What about you two?" she said to her own Etheria. They both nodded. "All right, then. Go time. Sinaeas?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"The two parties are returning to their respective armies. Everyone looks to be getting ready to move."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Before, there's been a lot of conversation, but now everyone was silent, waiting. And they didn't have long to wait before the order was given. "All right," Kiva said. "Let's go."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]The armies began to move, charging at each other. Flying Etheria on both sides took to the skies as the armies closed in on each other. On the ground, some people were allready pealing off to enter the tunnels. Kiva and her Etheria stayed aboveground with the main force as the Faltian army collided with the Tamethian army and the battle begun.[/COLOR]

[Venge]

[FONT=Arial]----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=1]Matthew busted out the front door of his home, making a mad dash for the nearest VR center. He always made it when it was crowded, having to wait nearly an hour just to play for only twice that amount of time due to his night shift job. But today would be different. [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=1]Skidding to a halt, Matthew slowly opened the doors of the facility, taking a minute to catch his breath. Only a few people were standing around, so he went up to the counter. A attractive woman, albeit older, looked at him with a smile. [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=1]"Ah, why hello Matty. Coming in early today?"[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=1]"Yep. I don't want to catch the afternoon school rush."[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=1]"I see. Well, you surely made it in time...gotcha set up. Room Fourteen, Unit M. Have fun!"[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=1]"I sure will!"[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=1]The woman winked at Matthew, making him blush as he dashed to the unit rooms. Laying himself down into his assigned one, Matthew entered his password, the usual password he uses for EVERYTHING, and closed his eyes. He didn't like seeing an entirely different world appear before him, so he always closed his eyes as his body was enveloped into the game.[/SIZE][/FONT]



[FONT=Arial][SIZE=1]Reappearing in a small, unnamed settlement, Matthew opened his eyes. Circling around for enemies, he sighed relief as no hostiles were nearby. But as Matthew started walking away from the settlement, he heard a small rustling in the nearby bushes. Reaching behind him, hand steadying over the handle on his scythe, Matthew stared at the bushes, waiting for either an ambush or a small animal. He got the former.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=1]"Dropped your guard!"[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=1]Swirling around, Matthew pulled the scythe from its 'sheath' just in time as a small iron sword clanged against the steel of his blade. The weilder of the sword recoiled backwards, stumbling. It was a younger player, seemingly in his early teens. The rustling from the bushes loudened as another young player emerged.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=1]"I thought you said it was gonna work Jason!" The girl yelled.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=1]"Keyword: THOUGHT. There was no garuntee!" Jason replied.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=1]"Hmph! Should we attack him at the same time?" [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=1]"Did you HAVE to ask!?"[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=1]The two kids charged at Matthew, weilding only a small sword each. Pulling out a small, golden bracelet from the pouch, Matthew gripped it tightly, causing it to shine brightly. In an instant, his Etherian Broly materialized out of no where, smashing his gigantic knee into the boy. The girl skidded to a halt, suddenly paralyzed with fear at the form in front of her.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=1]"Kerala, come!"[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=1]From behind the girl, a midnight blue sabertoothed tiger appeared, stopping beside her. The boy, recovering from Brolys attack, stood up and whistled. A panther, midnight blue as well, appeared beside him. Matthew smirked at the two, wondering why these two players kept harrasing him by challenging him each time and losing.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=1]"Again, little ones? I guess you haven't learned a thing...Broly, lets go!"[/SIZE][/FONT]

[CENTER]-----------------------------------------[/CENTER]

[SIZE=2]As Athena did, the new attachment is my characters in game look.[/SIZE]

[Allamorph]

[SIZE="1"][align=justify][B]“I hear Tameth and Faltia are at war again, Maitiú.”[/B]

Matthew Collins darted a glance down at the black timberwolf loping through the forest underbrush beside him.

[B]“Yes,”[/B] he answered simply, his eyes riveted to the passing earth. Night and the absence of a moon made it difficult to spot the signs he watched for, but four years of experience had honed his vision, and his pace did not slow.

After the pair had put a few more miles behind them, Matthew pulled up behind a large oak and crouched low; Conrí took a position a few meters off. The wolf spoke again, his voice barely carrying the distance.

[B]“And we are not getting involved, as usual?”[/B]

Matthew nodded. [B]“I had intended so,”[/B] he answered in the same low tone. He silently drew an arrow from his quiver and nocked it.

The wolf glanced ahead into the brush. [B]“And this?”[/B]

[B]“This,”[/B] Matthew returned, pulling the string taut, [B]“is just a little spy-hunting.”[/B]

He released the arrow, and it flew into the darkness with nothing more than a whisper. A second later, a sharp yelp of pain told them his arrow had found its mark.

[B]“An ankle shot,”[/B] remarked Conrí. [B]“Very nice.”[/B]

[B]“I don’t like to PK,”[/B] Matthew said, firing a second into the trees. [B] “That was just to let him know I’m onto him. He’ll be running now. Circle around him,”[/B] he continued, motioning with his hand. [B] “I’ll drive him to you. Remember: all I want to do is scare him.”[/B]

The wolf nodded and slunk off.

[B]“But first,”[/B] Matthew told himself, [B]“I’ll call Uilleag.”[/B]

[B]“And I will come and find you, Maitiú-hunter,”[/B] said a young voice to his right.

Matthew shushed the eager-eyed Etherian. [B]“Hide-and-seek time,”[/B] he told the boy, ruffling his hair. [B]“Quiet, or he’ll hear.”[/B]

The boy grinned. [B]“Find him before he find us? I like this game.”[/B]

[CENTER]----------------------------[/CENTER]
The man had dived behind the nearest tree after an arrow had unexpectedly bit his heel. When a second had whistled by him, embedding itself in the trunk of another tree, he had known the first wasn’t just some hunter’s stray arrow, and after waiting a minute for signs of pursuit, he’d taken flight. The letter-sized parcel inside his cloak bumped against his chest, reminding him constantly that he carried sensitive material, and his master would be extremely angry with him if he failed to return it.

The bushes rustled to his left, and he masked his presence even as he ran, so that he would appear as just another part of the forest’s shadows and his footfalls would go unheard. Another rustle, this time to his right; his heart began to pound in his chest.

He couldn’t find his trail-markers. He hadn’t seen one for several minutes; was the forest getting darker? A bat flew at him from nowhere, and as he threw up his hands to protect himself a root caught his foot, and he stumbled and crashed to the ground.

He stood up in a small, starlit clearing. His eyes darted around him, and he tried desperately to regain control of himself. The snarl of a wolf from his right made him jump, and he barely contained a startled shout. Another snarl behind him; two more; five more. It must have been an entire pack surrounding him. He could see their eyes glinting just outside the clearing’s edge. How could they seem him? Why wasn’t his camouflage working? He turned in harried circles, his breath coming shorter with each moment. Children’s laughter was mixing with the voices of the wolves; was he going crazy? His hand strayed to his side.

A monstrous shadow bore suddenly down on him, knocking him to the forest floor. A hand pinned him down, another held a wicked-looking sword ready to strike. The man screamed.

[B]“Where is the package?”[/B] the shadow thundered.

[B]“I – I don’t know what –”[/B] the man gasped, his words stumbling over each other in his fright.

[B]“[I]Where!![/I]”[/B]

[B]“My cloak! I-in my – my cloak!”[/B]

A knee dug into his chest, and the hand released its pressure long enough to dig inside his cloak and remove the parcel. The shadow glanced at it and tossed it to the side.

[B]“Who do you work for?”[/B] it demanded, thrusting its hand back over the man’s neck.

[B]“I don’t –”[/B]

[B]“I said [I]who[/I], Etherian!!”[/B]

[B]“I swear I don’t know! I swear! My master didn’t tell me anything.”[/B] He licked his lips, scrambling for something to appease his captor. “[B]Some-sometimes he does work f-for Kash-sh-shimian nobles….”[/B]

[B]“What nobles?”[/B]

[B]“I d-don’t know. He doesn’t let me know specifics.”[/B]

The shadow gave an unsatisfied grunt, but relaxed his hold. The last thing the Etherian saw was a large fist plunging towards his face.

[CENTER]----------------------------[/CENTER]
Matthew stood up as the Kashimian spy went limp beneath him. He bent to pick up the discarded package, and Uilleag emerged from the forest to greet him.

[B]“Did I win?”[/B] the boy asked.

[B]“Of course you did,”[/B] answered Matthew with a laugh. [B]“Thank you, Uilleag. You may go.”[/B]

The boy giggled. [B]“Bye!”[/B] He vanished with an exuberant wave.

[B]“You don’t think perhaps you overdid it this time, Maitiú, do you?”[/B] Conrí inquired politely, stepping quietly to Matthew’s side.

Matthew chuckled. [B]“Aw, he’s just a boy. Let him have his fun.”[/B]

Conrí didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he lowered his head to sniff the body of his quarry. [B]“You were right,”[/B] he said. [B] “He [I]is[/I] an Etherian. Strange.”[/B]

[B]“Indeed,”[/B] Matthew agreed. [B]“An Etherian spy carrying Salkeran documents to Kashimia. Áed will be interested in this bit of news.”[/B][/align]

[CENTER]----------------------------[/CENTER]


[FONT="Arial"]OOC: Hey [COLOR="DarkRed"]Venge[/COLOR]? You don't think you could possibly shrink that last dividing line down a little, could ya? It's stretching things that don't need to be stretched. =P[/FONT][/SIZE]

[GuyYouMetOnline]

[I]"Okay," Chris said, "we've got confirmation. The object's properties are exactly as described, and alterations to [/I]Crossover[I]'s codewill be necessary."[/I]

[I]"Well, shit," Keith said. "That means we were wrong about that. Damn. This isn't just localized, then. At least this isn't something that has had much of an effect yet, but we don't have much time until it will, and we need to add the altered code before then. Fortunately, this won't be a repeat of last year's 'Sinwall Incident'. We've got enough people in place this time to properly distribute the code, including a starting location."[/I]

[I]"The starting location needs more people in-game," Chris said. "That's why we had to break in last year, remember. We didn't have enough people at one location, so we had to add it from outside the game. Are you sure we have enough people in-game this time to initiate the alterations?"[/I]

[I]Keith nodded. "I've double-checked everything with the division heads. We're good to go. We just need your code."[/I]

[I]"Well, we just finished that," Chris said as he handed Keith a disk. "Here it is. Transmit it to our people. Remember, they'll need to remain in one place for proper code integration. They can't move around too much while receiving the code without disruption the code's integration into [/I]Crossover[I]."[/I]

[I]"I reminder will be sent to each person," Keith said, "and we'll wait for confirmation of readiness before tansmitting the code. Don't worry, Chris. We know what we're doing."[/I]


[COLOR=darkslateblue]"Nice try," Kiva told the man lying at her feet. He'd tried to hit her from behind, but she saw him coming soon enough to react. Using his own momentum as an aid, she'd flipped him over her and onto the ground.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva heard noises behind her, and looked to see Sinaeas throw an angelic Etherian to the ground. "Oh, was that one yours, too," she said, turning back to the man on the ground. "Well, again, nice try, but I'm afraid you'll have to do better than that."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]The angel leapt back into the air, firing blasts of light at Sinaeas. One hit near Kiva, distracting her for a moment and allowing the man to get to his feet. Most of the blasts did hit Sinaeas, but he was one tough customer. The angel was clearly not very durable, instead relying on its agility, which didn't serve it very well in the midst of the battle. It tried to escape into the air, but Sinaeas grabbed it again, slamming it to the ground and cruching it under his foot. Before long, there was a distortion effect, after which the angel was gone. It would revive eventually, but it would most likely be out of action for a couple days. It wouldn't be able to participate further in the current battle, that was certain.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Damn it," the man said. He turned and ran off. Presumably, he would call another Etherian to replace the angel, but he clearly didn't want to be vulnerable while doing so. He wasn't an immediate concern of Kiva's however. She was scanning the nearby combatants for another opponent when she saw a bird Etherian falling towards her. As it approached land, Arsia jumped to the ground from its back and, using her abilities, slammed the bird, which was presumably an enemy, into a group of enemy Etheria at high speed.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Something's going on," Arsia said as she ran over to Kiva. "Right before that bird came at me, I saw a small group run into one of the tunnels. Thaise was with them."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Thaise?" Kiva said. "What the hell is the Tamethian army's commander doing in the tunnels? He should be behind the front lines like our commander is."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"That might not be accurate," Arsia said. "I heard one of them say something about Kashe, our side's commander, being after something called 'Saleth'. It sounded like they were talking about a releaser artifact."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva nodded. [I]Crossover[/I] had drawn on almost every sourse imaginable for its content. Since there were quite a few stories about some sort of creature being sealed away, such things did pop up in [I]Crossover[/I]. The artifacts required to break the seals were commonly referred to as 'releasers'.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"So the tunnels are important, then," Kiva said. "I think we should go take a look."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"You're not the first," Arsia said. "I saw several others follow Thaise's group in, though the only one I recognized is Talora."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Well, there's no telling where in the tunnel network they all are right now, but let's try to find them anyways. I saw an entrance over here. Let's go. Sinaeas! We're heading into the tunnels. Make a path to that entrance we saw."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Sinaeas nodded, then turned and charged through the surrounding battle, Kiva and Arsia following. Sinaeas waited for them at the tunnel entrance. Like most underground areas in [I]Crossover[/I], the tunnel was large enough to accomidate even an Etherian of Sinaeas's size. Sinaeas led the way into the tunnel, followed by Kiva with Arsia bringing up the rear.[/COLOR]