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 Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 9:37 pm
((So as not to confuse anyone, Balien was taken over rather quickly, so the parade that Drake saw happened before Ace had even arrived at Zedo's house.))
Ace quickly looked away. A wyvern was a dragoon's soul. His every being was poured into it. A dragoon's ability to sync with his wyvern in battle is one of the main survival tactics of the mighty dragon warriors. "Do you know why?"
"Well if I knew, don't you think I'd have fixed it by now?!" His tone was aggravated. He obviously didn't want to talk further on the subject.
"I'm sorry Zedo. Really, I am." Ace made sure his sword was secure on his waist, a nervous habit of his.
Zedo quickly changed the subject. "Well, are you ready for this?" Ace answered with a puzzled look. "You know, it's not like we can just walk right in and kill the leader of a country."
Ace laughed a little. "Of course not. But when has any mission that we've undertaken been anything short of suicide?"
Thoughts of countless battles flooded Zedo's mind. Fights against great beasts, squadrons of innumerable odds. He nodded to his longtime friend, "Yeah, I guess it'll be just like when we tried to take Fort Xelanx down on Ch'televen Island."
Ace become quickly lost in thought as he and his longtime friend reminisced about great battles and sweet victories long ago. Hoping that they would remember this one the same way...
********************************************************
He was a master of the trees, considering he lived in one. He lept from branch to branch with ease, hardly making a sound. The only indication he gave of his existence was the slight rustling of the leaves.
Duck here. Jump. Slide right. Jump to the left again. Kick off the trunk. Flip. Catch the branch. Swing. Don't fall. Never do. Easy.
The ninja swung from the branch, flipped and landed gracefully on the ground, breaking into full sprint. It had been 3 days since the procession in Balien. He was close to home. He could feel the magical pull already. He stopped suddenly. He began to walk forward, slowly. Ever so carefully. Stop. He manipulated his hand in the all-too-familiar position as he raised it between his eyes. He shut his eyes and concentrated. Before you could even notice, his arm had fully extended to his right, and a great pillar of dark energy had exploded out of the ground in front of him. The pillar of energy widened and formed an archway. A quick glance around him to make sure there were no followers; and he walked through. As he did, it shut behind him immediately and disappeared into nothing.
Almost there. He thought to himself.
He walked the rest of the way, no longer a need to rush. A few minutes later, he had reached his destination; a small town, although it was not ordinary town. The entire town hung in midair, connected to the trees surrounding it. Elves, mithra, viera, taru-tarus and moogles of all types flooded the scene. Our hero walked up to an elevator made of wood and concentrated again, making the same motion with his hand and arm. This time, a beam of energy flowed like an upwards waterfall beneath the elevator, carrying it to the top. As he stepped out, the waterfall descended slowly, and dissipated as the elevator reached the ground again. These techniques were essential in Luxema. Essential for their seclusion. A right turn, a left turn, straight for a while, another right and he was there. Walking forward into the dark hut, he detached his weapons and laid them on the ground outside; they were forbidden inside.
The inside of the hut made it look like a luxury hotel. Furnished wonderfully, the hut was actually about the size of a normal home in Avealon. Various priceless magical items were displayed in glass cases around the room. At the far back, a long table was set. At the table sat an Elf, a mithra, a taru-taru, a viera and a moogle. The moogle sat in the middle, and was the eldest of them all. As our warrior drew near the table, he knelt before them.
The moogle stood high on his stool and looked down at the mighty ninja. "Drake, we welcome your return with the finest grace. Please, tell us of your travels to the other countries."
"The primitive have begun their wars again." Was all that Drake muttered. The members of the council discussed the news amongst themselves in whispers. The ninja continued to kneel silently as the great leaders discussed. At once the whispers stopped, and the moogle stood high on his stool again. "Thank you Drake, once again you are one of the finest assets of this great nation. Please, rest. Your journey has been long and tiresome I assume." When the moogle had finished talking, Drake rose to his feet.
"Thank you sir. I look forward to having the honor and privilege of serving you once again." With that, the hero turned and exited the hut. Outside, he bent down and fastened his weapons to his belt. Straight, back to the left, this time a direct right. He ended at his home. He walked in, everything was as he left it. He unfastened his weapons and laid them in their respective cases. He donned a light robe and collapsed on his bed, weary from the trials of his journey. He slept long and deep.
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Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 10:31 pm
Sogue dismounted the gold chocobo. He was near the border now. Only been riding for a few hours.
A great Chimera stood before him. 2 heads, the blazing lion, the soothing eagle. Posionous snake as a tail. He smirked to himself as he drew his blade, held it pointed to the ground as he clutched the air with his heavy clawed guantlet. The plated armor he wore wasn't particularly heavy. He wore it light, protecting only vital areas. He wore tight-fitting leather over his other limbs. It still clunked as he pounded his way over to the beast, heaving the sword downward he struck it's body a savage blow. He jumped backward near his chocobo (adorned with armor of it's own) and took up a defensive stance. The golden animal behind him let out a signature 'Wark wark!' to warn it's master of the beast approaching. A chimera was not a small creature, but Sogue's skill as a warrior allowed him to shrug off the majority of the damage the thing's claws did, as they struck down. He deflected the brunt of the attack with his black bladed sword, letting out a grunt of pain. The thing let out a beastial roar as it stepped backward. Sogue dropped his sword downward, moved forward. A chimera attacked in waves, fire would be next in the wave. As the Zeinian warrior neared the creature he let his clawed guantlet jab upward, grabbing the thing by the throat. He heaved the sword up, placing the tip by it's jawline. He shoved it deftly upward with a cry as the beast suffered the mortal wound. The warrior was quickly shoved backward as the thing fell to it's knees, clutching it's lion head in pain. The viper tail struck at Sogue, taking him unawares. He barely managed to block the attack with his guantlet, but spun quickly. He struck, completly severing the tail. It writhed on the ground in pain as he approached the struggling eagle head. It tried to spew a water jet at him, but only foam hit the warrior, bouncing right off him. He shook his head, letting the foam fly from his hair as the eagle looked up for mercy.
"Sorry, fellow, but you're a beast in my path," he let the blade come down hard.
He re-mounted his gold chocobo, patting it on the neck.
"Hup hup, we ride."
And they entered the desert.
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SkittleScion Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 10:37 pm
After a quick stop at Zedo's house for supplies, Ace and his companion headed deep into the desert, Zein in the distance. The warriors knew that even though both of them were two of the finest warriors in the land, Vance's power, and the power of the Felch empire, was well beyond their own; they needed some help. So, they had decided to head for Zein first. It was pointless to try and ask Luxema for help. They would surely refuse, that is, if anyone could find anyone in that expanse of forest. Anyone walking in found themselves at the same place that they had entered within a few hours. After heading to Zein, they would go to Balien. Ace was sure that someone opposed to the empire's reign would have started a resistance movement, and they would try to contact them for help. The plan was simple. Keep numbers small, infiltrate the palace, find Vance and take him out.
The Dragon King had allowed each of them to borrow a chocobo, one of the few that Palance had, to use along the trek across the desert. Red chocobos, native of Palance, were immune to heat, and thus perfect for treks across desert. As Zedo and Ace raced across the desert, they spotted another rider in the distance. His mount seemed to glow.
************************************************************
The next morning, Drake woke up to a letter from the council, requesting his presence as soon as possible. He entered the familiar hut and let his muscles repeat what they had done so many times before. Upon kneeling, the viera addressed him. "Drake Shadow, master of darkness. We have called upon you to ask a favor. This is not an order, as we could never force something like this upon anyone, but I believe that you will see it as your duty to fulfill our request. Are you ready to receive it?"
The elf picked his head up, looking the viera in the eye, and nodded. She started again, "Very well." She paused for a second. "This is no ordinary task. The human that you reported on, this Vance Felch, he has extraordinary power. It is unnatural, especially for a human. We have dealt with him before. He can access our sanctuary. We are not safe from this war."
She paused a moment before continuing. "We, the council, ask you to rid the land of this monster. This "empire" won't stand a chance without Vance's power. Kill him. For your people and your country. It is not an honor, or a privilege, nor is it an order. It is what you were born to do." The warrior continued to stare into the eyes of the rabbit-woman. "His power is great, and you will have a tough time, even with your skills, entering the Great Palace in Hueron. However, we have received reports from other scouts of ours that Ace Wishart, the true heir to the throne of Hueron, was seen in the deserts of Palance. He will undoubtedly try to take the throne. Find him and be his shadow. When he strikes, you will use the distraction he creates to your advantage. He is another unnaturally powerful human, and attracts others like him. Allow him to do your work for you."
Drake nodded once again, and turned to exit. "Oh, and Drake." Called the Elf at the table. Drake turned as the other Elf spoke, "Failure is not an option." With that Drake left. After gathering the few items he would need for the mission, he headed down the elevator. As soon as he hit ground, he broke into a sprint. Headed into the direction of the desert.
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Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2008 7:37 pm
((Song for this post: Fury of the Storm))
Zedo rode in silence next to Ace as he coaxed his crimson chocobo into moving faster. He had a feeling that perhaps King Encefor knew more than he led on. Why not have them take a small air ship or use a Wyvren booster? Zedo didn't like it, and flicked the chocobo's reighns again to move faster as the shining figure in the distance grew ever closer. Then there was a rumble in the sands... and great growl as a basalisk emerged from the dunes in front of the two. Something is very wrong. Basalisks don't attack chocobos. Or Dragoons.
The great black snake screeched at the sky and reared its head back, slamming it into the ground where Zedo had been. He expertly steered the crimson chocobo to the right as Ace veered left. Zedo removed his lance, Ryunohige, from its holster on his back and sprang high into the air from his chocobo as it dashed farther right then stopped and waited a moment. Raiden swooped in on the creature's face; unleashing a devestating fury of Lightning Breath.
One of Zedo's favorite parts of being a Dragoon was Jumping. When most people jump, they lift off the ground and land within seconds. But when a Dragoon Jumps, he leaps high into the air, hangs there and then slams to the Earth with an unrekoned force. As Zedo made his ascent to the skies, he held his head back with his eyes closed and saw the world through Raiden's eyes. Everything was brighter, almost animated, and he could see the Basalisk's heart beat. Zedo concentrated on this beat. Opened his eyes, and with a Cry for Eternity he flew down on the creature's body; landing at the base of its head. It reared back again and cried loudly, but Zedo gripped the staff of his lance tightly and held on, letting his body go limp as it flailed in the air.
He vaguely wondered what Ace was up to.
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Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 9:12 pm
((sweet Jesus I have power again!))
He brushed the dirt off of his armor as he stepped out of the modest home. He slipped on his helm, and made sure his sword was fastened tightly. He kept his shield around his wrist at all times. All times. He had been caught off guard way too many times before. As he stepped into eclipse square, he noticed the procession going ******** the empire.
He strode along, trying to pick out familiar faces in the crowd. This was where they were supposed to meet.
The least likely of places, of course. Rilryn always was a genius.
He had almost given up, when he saw the unforgettable shade of blue. "Rilryn, about time you got here."
********************************************
"It's more like, 'about time YOU got here.' I've been waiting for the past 8 minutes." His eyes glinted in the light. He could hardly hear the words he spoke, the crowds screams had rose; the new ruler of Balien, Issac Felch, was rolling by on his chariot. "This place is too loud Aleril, we've moved the meeting elsewhere. Follow me." He used his staff as a walking stick as his younger brother followed him out of the crowd. The magnificent rod was strapped on his back. A black figure rushed by him, almost knocking him over. He dismissed it immediately.
Rilryn led him to an abandoned building on the north side of town, far away from the procession. They went inside, checking to make sure they weren't followed. Inside, you couldn't tell it had been abandoned. Chairs and tables were laid everywhere. Card games were being played, drinks being drunk, conversations everywhere. It almost looked like your average town pub. When Rilryn entered, the room quieted. Although he was young, Rilryn's intelligence preceded him, and most members of the community looked up to him. He motioned them all to sit and began, "All right ladies and gentlemen," He paused for a moment, "let's begin."
********************************************
While Zedo was in the air, 3 more basilisks had appeared. The glowing rider was within sight now, and Ace could see by the chocobo that it was a knight from Zein.
Good. A little help, and it'll save us the trip.
Ace leaped off his mount and ran to the nearest basilisk. Zedo had slammed down on the one that had first appeared, and the other 3 had begun to encircle Ace. He loved it. He ran forward, and let a huge burst of flame erupt from his palm as he shouted, "Fira!" It hit the basilisk with full force, knocking it to the ground.
One down. He thought.
He turned to the left, just as the second basilisk reared it's head back to strike. Ace jumped right as the basilisk struck. He drew Excalibur as he landed with a slight thud on it's back. He held on to it's scaly armor as he dug his sword into it's neck. It let out a scream of pain as it fell limply to the ground. He looked up, adrenalin pumping, to find that the other basilisk was already dead. The knight from Zein was cleaning off his sword next to it's body. Ace sheathed his weapon and started to walk towards the mysterious warrior, he saw Zedo in the distance, heading the same way. "We thank you for your help, sir knight." Ace said. "My name is Ace, and you are?"
********************************************
Drake knew that spying from the sands would be an impossible task. Without any cover, he would be spotted immediately, so he opted for a different approach; infiltration. He watched as the Dark Knight approached the Zeinian with great interest.
This is different.
The plan was a little complex, but simple at the core. Befriend the prince and fight at his side. He obviously wanted Vance dead, and would most likely accept help from anyone. Drake walked forward boldly, eager see who this Zeinian was.
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Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 1:08 pm
Mitus lit himself a torch of magic above his body and lifted against the parked chocobo at his very own stable. His family legacy was born there and he was off to meet a friend for the upcoming holidays they had always celebrated together.
At this time of day it was reaching darkness and as the sun slid away so did the knowledge of life around the desert parries. On the other hand it was still very present as life was a lot more outgoing in the dark then during the hot days of his country. This was his favorite time to travel as weather would be ideal and both his chocobo and him loved the stars. there were so many at night and the sky lit up like a festival across the long stretch of land.
Mitus nicked the sides of his stead and they where off to the west, climbing closer to his friend Sogue and ready for another holiday like the rest. Other then this Mitus had no other jobs at the current time. nothing seemed to occupy his time except for his family and friends. Well there were many for doing so but he was itching for some action.
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Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 1:50 pm
The Basilisk Zedo occupied continued to reel.
Back, forth, up, down, left right, every which way, Zedo refused to let go. The creature grew weaker, he could tell. It was only killing itself faster by flailing. With a cry of triumph, Zedo shoved Ryunohige deeper through the base of the creature's head. All the way through. And with a horribly high shriek, it slammed to the sands. Dead. And with a mighty heave Zedo removed his lance once again. He swept Ryunohige to the left, right, then high over his head onto his back with little effort. Zedo's own little victory dance.
Turning to the newcomer Zedo said, "Yeah, thanks for your help. I'm not sure my friend here could have handled some giant snakes by himself." Giving Ace a laugh and a light, friendly shove.
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Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 6:26 pm
Sogue nodded soundly, swallowed, smiling.
"Gentlemen," he bowed low, sheathing his sword as he stood erect again, "Sogue, of Zein as you've probably guessed. I'm here to lend a hand concerning the..." he eyed them with a psuedo-suspicious look, "incident. Seems i'm acting as an emmisary. Names should be tossed about, I imagine," he smiled smugly again.
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SkittleScion Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 7:02 pm
Zedo smirked at the chocobo rider's remark of names. "Okay, here catch. I'm Zedo," he said pantomiming throwing something at the rider. "And I'm Ace," the Dark Knight said extending his hand. The pair shook and an impossibly uncomfortable silence followed.
"So... if you're the emissary... do we make way for Balien next? To be honest I'm kind of the secondary character here," Zedo laughed making a motion towards Ace.
"This one's our leader."
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Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 7:07 pm
Sogue shrugged. "We basicially have invasion forces from the empire trying to get into Zein. They're not doing well...but, I think we kinda want this whole mess done with as quick as possible."
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SkittleScion Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 7:12 pm
Zedo nodded pensively. His chocobo had now trotted back to his side and he stroked it with one hand.
"Perhaps we should aid those in Zein for now? The other countries have fallen. And Zein does not deserve the same fate," Zedo suggested nodding to Sogue. Though he did not know the man very well yet, he had a feeling he would.
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Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 8:51 pm
"Hueron's tactic's are simple. They'll send a small wave to each country and test their strength. They will then send a full force against the weakest of them, to build up their numbers for when they attack the bigger countries. I agree with Zedo. Let's head to Zein and mount a small counter-attack. If we can prove that Zein won't be taken without a hell of a fight, they'll back off for now. That'll give us time to rally more to our cause." Ace finished with a sigh.
The fighting had already begun. He wasn't quite ready to face his friends in battle; a counter-attack against the forces of his own country did not sound appealing. Suddenly, they all heard a sound.
Zedo quickly drew his weapon and swung the mighty lance behind him. Ace watched in horror as the mighty dragoon was summarily disarmed. The figure grabbed the lance as it came at him, stopping it in it's tracks. With incredible speed, he then pulled a katana from beneath his robe and cut up, surprising Zedo and knocking the lance from his hands. Sogue had drawn his blade and ran to Zedo's aid as Ace did the same. The robed-figure kicked Zedo to the ground, and pulled another katana from beneath his robe. He held his right hand in front of him, blade held tightly. He whispered to himself, and just as Ace and Sogue had reached him, he threw his arm to the right, shouting "Utsusemi: Ni!" and 2 more of him appeared. Ace and Sogue stopped in their tracks. The figure shouted again, "Peace! I mean no harm to any of you!" Ace and Sogue looked at each other with a look of utter confusion. Zedo had gotten back up and now joined them.
This warrior is clearly far more experienced than any of us...how can he make copies of himself? It's odd that someone would sneak up on us, and then claim to be a friend, but if he's an enemy, one that is a much better fighter than any of us here, why would he wait to attack?
Ace made his decision, and decided to trust the man. He withdrew his blade and nodded to Zedo and Sogue. They did the same. The mysterious warrior became one again, and sheathed his katanas beneath his robe.
*******************************************************
Drake broke the awkward silence, "I am sorry for startling you all, but it was imperative that I tested your abilities in combat." Sogue, Zedo and Ace all looked to each other, bewildered by the turn of events that had unfolded. "Drake is my name. I am from the land of Luxema." Drake dropped to a knee. "Ace, rightful heir to the Hueron throne, I pledge my allegiance to your cause until Vance Felch is no longer alive."
Drake stayed on his knee, his speech had caused more silence among the group.
Awkward. Thought the mighty ninja. Although I can't blame them for not trusting me. Caution never killed anybody.
*******************************************************
Drake looked Ace square in the eyes. The dark knight looked to the two warriors next to him. He had never seen anyone from Luxema. The forest had always remained a mystery to him. Ace took the time to study the individual a little more. Dual katanas and all black. He had heard of ninjas before, and of their various talents with ninjitsu, but he had never seen one in person. The skill with which he had taken Zedo on was astounding. Zedo was not one to be beaten easily, and yet this "Drake" had disarmed him and knocked him to the ground in seconds. Not to mention, another magic user would always be welcome. He would just need to keep a very close watch; it all seemed very strange.
"Drake. I accept your pledge. We are headed to Zein, to mount a counter-assault. If you would join us, it would be most appreciated."
The ninja thought of combat, and smiled.
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Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 12:41 pm
((so any real ideas of how to get me into this...I would kinda like to join))
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Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 7:43 pm
((Have you read our posts?))
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SkittleScion Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 8:56 am
((Well Drew, Ace's party is about to head to Zein, where your character is based, to hold a small counter-attack against the offensive forces. Your character could meet up with the rest of us there. Especially if you're already a friend of Sogue's. Also, I plan on having two or more groups of people here, in different parts of the world(whether they ever join up, we'll decide later). I've got the two brother's in Balien started, so if anyone would like to join up with them, or create a second character to help them, that'd be cool. Or, you could start up your own little group. Since Ace is kind of the leader of the one group though, feel free to have one of your characters take the leadership role in the group from Balien. Oh, and if you haven't noticed, I color code my posts based on whose perspective it is from. Green = Ace. Indigo = Drake. Orange = Aleril. Blue = Rilryn. Again, my goal is to have two or more different things going on in different parts of the world, as to spice up the story.))
"This isn't our ally anymore. The king of Hueron is dead, replaced by an emperor bent on world domination. For us to let him take us over, we are helping this Vance Felch reach his goal. We cannot let that happen. He'll force our citizens to fight for him, against our real allies. We cannot let that happen. We most fight back against this." Applause rang out. Rilryn smiled. Yes, this just might work.
When the applause stopped, a voice rang out from the back of the room. "And just what do you expect us to do? Have 20 to 30 people go up against an army!? Are you mad?! It would be suicide!"
"I'd welcome death over a prison any day!" Rilryn shouted in retaliation to the odd man.
"Easy for you to say, you and your brother have nothing! You're poor orphans! Easy for you to go off and get yourselves killed. What about the rest of us? We have families to feed and watch after!" Applause rang again, this time, Rilryn didn't smile.
"If we sit and do nothing, then you will be sent off to fight against other countries, and the guards that Hueron will send, and I bet my staff that they will, will take advantage of your families! Have none of you read your history books!? Either we fight; do something before we die. Or we sit here, and wait to be killed. If you would like to do the first, then follow me. Else....well, I take my leave."
***********************************************************
And with that Rilryn left the building, followed closely by Aleril. They walked to the nearest pub and sat down. Aleril looked back at the door; no one had followed. "Spineless bastards. They care for nothing!"
"Aleril, control yourself. We can still rally some to our cause. I'd actually prefer to keep our numbers considerably small, that way, we'd be harder to track and even harder to catch."
Aleril closed his eyes and slowed his breathing. Calm. Rilryn was right, he always was. They'd find someone. He heard a voice from behind him. "Need a thief?" Rilryn and Aleril turned around and saw the owner of the voice. A man sat flipping a coin up and down. "I have talents, that might come in handy for you. I usually charge for my services, but as you lads already bought my drinks tonight, I think that'll do." The man held up a coin-purse; Aleril's.
"You son-of-a-b***h! That's my money!"
"Aleril, CALM." The summoner thought for a moment. "Alright, you may join us. We could use your talents."
The thief stood up and bowed, "You are now under the care of Soloros: Master Thief! Fear not young children, I will protect you." He ended his introduction by patting Aleril on the head.
Aleril concentrated all his efforts on not hitting the man. He knew they needed all the help they could get.
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