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[Ilyse]

 

Chapter Three: Every Flavor of Murder

 

“Knighthood lies above eternity; it doesn’t live off fame, but rather deeds.”

 

-Dejan Stojanovic, The Sun Watches the Sun

 

Twentieth Floor of Grand Hyatt Hotel in Buckhead

Atlanta, Georgia

Time: 14:57

 

What does it mean to die on a battlefield? They give you whatever honors and stuff if they can find your body, but let’s say your head was removed – they’d have to use the coat of arms on your shield, but you can never trust the damn pillagers not to take the shields. Humans really don’t have any respect for those that have fallen in battle.

 

You work your way up through your chivalrous deeds, and you prove yourself to an entire country that you are worth the title of ‘Sir’. But out here, my fate would be the same as any common soldier. I am nothing. I am nothing at all. Here, I am but another one of the corpses that shall die here today – not a knight, nor a count, nor a figure of justice. Such is the fate of those that die in war.

 

Dear God, why have you lead us all to such a lonely end today?

 

As the sword pierced through the red light that gleamed out from behind the phantom’s visor, the ghost of Tristan de Clermont did not roar as the coin simply flew out from the back of its head. There was no blood, no gore, nor pain – except for the strong feelings of regret. To be called back forth, only to die once more in battle; truly an ironic end, an ironic existence, but who was Tristan de Clermont to challenge fate?

 

To die with honor – that was the ending expected upon those who walk down the path of the samurai. Should you shame your name, you prove your courage and worth the to people and the heavens by disemboweling yourself, and in a situation like this, I can only pick such an end. My fighting days are now over. I can no longer serve my lord.

 

My companions were too kind. They offered to help. They offered to push the blade into me, and allow everything in me to spill out. But the duty is mine to keep.

 

The silver blade is cold to touch, but I imagine it will be much warmer after I’m done.

 

The spear hit true, as the coin flew out from the phantom samurai’s back, and as Saigou Takanaga kneeled on the floor, its empty eyes continued to stare down Gideon, the emotions associated with death seemed to return to the ghost. What did he feel about death? Was he reminded of the sword that had cut through him that evening? Was he reminded of the pain, or was the glory of the eternal honor powerful enough to make the pain vanish? The ghost did not know, and indeed, Saigou Takanaga might’ve felt nothing when his life ended so many years ago.

 

The mages all sheathed their weapons, losing at the two quarters that were now on the floor – apparently, twenty-five cents was enough to buy another person’s soul. It didn’t take long for the authorities to barge into the suite, as loud noises as well as a woman who was “caught by a large shadow while falling” was enough for the police to come and investigate.

 

Despite the protests from the mages, they unfortunately found themselves effectively disarmed and forced to spend a miserable night in the county cell. It smelled pretty bad, and there was no place to lie down and sleep – it seemed as if the Atlanta forces did not appreciate having to work through the night for such people, so the experience must be a lesson.

 

As all three of the mages were released the next morning, apparently on bail but with a stern warning not to come back for a long time, a tall dark-haired man stood in front of a classic Buick model. It appeared that this mysterious man was the one that had paid for the bail, and the three mages looked at each other, wondering whether or not they should approach the man.

 

Spoiler

 

____________________

 

Empty School

Paris, France

Time: 16:12

 

The hooded man felt a surprising amount of force slam into him, causing him to fly backwards through the hall and onto his back. The wind had not been “concentrated” enough to create blades capable of cutting the man, but it did leave him stunned. Alaina herself was shocked, but she knew the man wasn’t down for the count, and without wasting a moment, she ran over and grabbed Michael by the other arm, and began to run.

 

She led him outside of the school, never letting go. She didn’t know how far the hooded man was willing to hunt them down, but she wasn’t going to take any chances. In another universe, this would’ve felt like a scene from some romantic movie, but it’s fairly unfortunate that their was a mad killer in the picture.

 

After nearly twenty minutes, both Alaina and Michael were out of breath, standing outside a café near the aquaducts. It was a surprisingly beautiful place to be outside of, and the two of them silently took a seat at an empty table near the water. Now that the panic disappeared, shyness returned to Alaina’s face once more. What does she say in these situations? She’s never sure – she was rarely alone with a member of the opposite gender.

 

“Um…um…I’m Alaina Favre. Nice…to meet you…”

 

With that, Alaina looked down at the table, too embarrassed to look up.

[Officer Judy Hopps]

Minerva Fairchild

A Pitiful End for a Noble Soul

Her blade struck true, the Knight's Helmet coming flying off, and the coin alongside it. With a thundering crash, the pillar of armor came collapsing to the earth in a calamitous fashion against the softened carpet beneath him. Whipping around as she seized the coin in the midst of its trajectory through the air, Minerva inspected it closely while the soul she had defeated slowly dissipated into thin air.

Skeptically staring at the coin, its reflection in the sunlight revealed itself to be no more than a simple American Quarter. Not the French Coinage she had expected to see coming from a legend of old tales. Pocketing the coin for further inspection and flicking her blade to clean off the blood that wasn't there simply by instinct, she smoothly sheathed the weapon before finally clasping her fingertips around her wounded shoulder to begin with. As blood seeped between her fingertips, Minerva looked wearily to both Gideon and Annabelle, but could not help but a sardonic smile. Apparently, the cut had gone deeper than she thought.

"Seems like we won, for now. Too bad I earned myself a bit of a scratch. Now...to business. Anna, what did you-"

"DROP YOUR WEAPONS AND GET ON THE GROUND NOW!"

Minerva's eyebrow raised in irritation as she slowly turned to see a handful of uniformed police officers. Freshly having departed from the confinement of the elevator only to draw their weapons, their primal firearms, and aim them at the young woman who held a sword, and a young man with a spear. Gritting her teeth, the Magi glanced over to Gideon and softly nodded, it was a subtle signal. There was no reason to injure these men and women, as annoying as Americans could be.

"Now now! Please! Be reasonable." Minerva exclaimed, her lightly British accent resounding clearly for them to hear. The peculiarity by which she talked only drew greater tension, and it came with another order.

"Miss. DROP THE WEAPON OR WE'LL SHOOT."

"Honestly," the Fairchild muttered beneath her breath in her native tongue of French. "These imbecilic Americans have no sense of common sense or subtlety. Ugh." Rolling her eyes in disgust, she reached slowly for her belt and unfastened her weapon to slowly settle it upon the ground. She would not drop it; after all, a blade as sacred as Durendal deserved far more respect than a common soulless firearm.

The officers moved forward and roughly cuffed her alongside her compatriots.

It was not long after she found herself in a holding cell. Alone. With Annabelle as her cellmate. Glancing hesitantly over to the troublesome cook, the mischievous glint in Anna's eye made Minerva realize that she too was very well conscious of this thought.

Tacked on with the sudden realization that it was a tightly secured ten by ten foot cell, she also realized that being trapped there with Anna meant it was going to be a very, very long night. Not only that, but it surely meant that her Uncle would hear of this.

Following the next morning, a flustered and frustrated Minerva with her hair all sorts of a disaster emerged from her cell. Desperately trying to smooth out the heated mess that was her strawberry-blonde hair, the swordswoman seized her blade from the clerk at the desk from processing as she was released. Duly with both Anna and Gideon, former of which looked mischievous and the latter possibly a touch more jaded, Minerva's eyes affixed upon a gentleman, of which according to the Policeman escorting them outside; he had paid their bail.

Casting a scalding glance at the officer before tensely strutting towards the suited man, Minerva did her best to smile without the least amount of disdain.

"Can I help you, good sir?"

Edited by Feisty-Pants, 04 February 2015 - 06:38 AM.

[Vafhudr]

Frederico Fulc-Este

Maestro

Meeting the Master 

 

Frederico knocked at the door, exhausted and dejected. And hungry. The events of the supper played out in a way that he didn't even get a bite – just a mouthful of soup. And what mouthful. And what shame he felt now that his anger subsided. He really thought he had hurt the girl there for a moment. His rage was momentarilly dispelled, the shock washing over him like a bucket of ice water. Frederico is not exactly a violent man. He just has... outbursts. A well of emotion from within bursts forth and spills out. Usually this is what let's him play music like it's no one's business – but sometimes it finds expression in ways other than creative applications. Such as spontaneous violence and mayhem. Now he felt drained and tired. Like child who had temper tantrum. Which was basically what happened. He felt sweaty. He was also still covered in soup. Blood still poured from the cut on face, but let's face it, it is a shallow cut. He had a napkin pressed on it. He was more worried about whether it would get infected or how it would look in the morning.

 

He knocked on the door, ready to make the absolute worst first introduction he has ever mustered in his life. As a Jerbiton mage, this was a humiliating defeat even before he had opened the door. A voice comes from beyond.

 

“Come in.”

 

Head low, Frederico shuffled in the room. The man, dressed in plain shades of dark, brooding elegantly out of the window's side, juice in hand, looked at his future disciple with a raised eyebrow.

 

“Are you okay?” he said, with a touch of actual worry.

 

“I am fine.” Frederico said weakly. “I simply need to... clean myself. Yes. If you will excuse me. I would like to wash and dress. Do you mind if I use the washrooms?”

 

“Oh. Uh. Sure. I don't mind. You got another set of clothes?”

 

“I do. Where is my luggage...” He looked around. He just had his violin case in his hand. He had left it downstair. In the ante-room. God damn it. This was truly a terrible day. An expression of discouraged resignation shaped on his face. He sighed. His mentor put the pieces together pretty fast.

 

“You can use some of my stuff. We seem to be about the same size. Here. Nothing fancy. I want them back, though.”

 

“Thank you so much.” He replied with genuine gratitude.

 

His troubles were not exactly over. The bathroom proved to be built with Japanese predilections in mind and it showed. He could barely fit in that shower, his face shoving itself in the showerhead. After some acrobatics, he managed to wash away the soup, soaping very hard to remove the stench. Frederico takes long showers, but the current state of discomfort discouraged his usual habits. He stepped out of the shower and into the cramp space of the washroom – in this country it really lived up to that name, and clear the mirror with his forearm. Echymosis was already setting around his eyes, dashing his cherubin look. Ha, who was he kidding. His round face looked tired, like a pockmarked and sullen moon which had received another crater. He found some bandaid in the cabinet below the sink and shoved one right over the cut.

 

He emerged from the bathroom clad in clothes that kind of fitted him, but not quite. They seemed off on him and made the shadows beneath is eyes look even deeper. His usual soft brilliance was faded and that was only accentuated by these alien clothes. He joined his new mentor in the kitchenette. The room was better described as a small, sober appartment. Kind of like a more minimalist hotel room for those who live there year-round. He took a seat at the small table. The man joined him.

 

“I am not really one for small chat, but I guess we will be hanging out together for a while. We should probable get to know one another a bit.” he said as he took a seat, carefully placing his glass on the table.

 

Frederico weakly nodded, trying to rally and be a proper guest. His head was spinning. Fatigue. Hunger.

 

Oh. Hunger.

 

His belly growled. Audibly. Frederico froze, embarassed. Abramson assessed him not without some concern in his face.

 

“Are you okay? I thought they were giving you a welcome feast down there?”

 

Frederico, again, could only smiled faintly, though this time it was at the irony.

 

“Well, it did not exactly go as planned.” was his cryptic, wizard answer.

 

“When is the last time you had to eat.” Abramson asked, continuing his cross-examination.

 

“Uh... let's see... 25 hours ago? Maybe more like 28, I think. I don't think those salty on-flight snack really count, do they?” Frederico asked, rubbing his forehead with his hand.

 

“No. It doesn't. What happend to your face? Was that also not planned?”

 

“It was not. Me and one of our covenant collegue did not start from a good foot. She threw soup at me. I slammed her with a chair.”

 

“Is that how you talk to girls?”

 

“Please. I was given a most rigorous training from my benefactor in the ways of seduction and proper relation with the fairer sex in the most revered Jerbiton traditions. I just got carried away. That's all. No magic was involved. Just a sudden outburst of unsollicited violence. Our host had the other initiate brought in a rather rough manner, so I can't really blame them, in retrospect, if they didn't exactly take well to the reception.” he said, sighing.

 

Abramson brooded on this for a moment, then he asked:

 

“So, uh, want to get some takeout?”

 

“I already had one dire encounter with this country's cuisine today. I don't think I'll live through another one.” Was Frederico drama queen response.

 

“I know a few good spot. I had plenty of time to walk around the place while waiting for you guys to show up and get the party started. Come on. I'll pay. Plus we need to get that luggage situation of yours sorted out.”

 

Frederico finally surrendered, pressured by his stomach to accept at least some kind of food that night. There is always a certain pleasure to walk at night. The breeze that comes from the sea helps wash away the viciated miasma of the day. Your body tingles with a quiet happiness. Frederico was feeling a bit light-headed, in fact, as his new mentor accompanied him, trading some tidbits of info about this or that location. They finally stopped by what looked like a rather traditional establishment – a sort of outdoor noodle bar.

 

“I have been eating here for the last few days. There noodles are out of this world.” Abramson said as he shoved the curtain aside and waved at the chef behind the bar. The man's face ligthened up and he shot a few bribes of very enthusiastic english at the two of them. A few minutes later, a big bowl of noodles, vegetables, beef and things Frederico was confident he had never seen before floated in front of his eyes. Following Abramson's lead, he dug in enthusiastically. They were alone, bar another customer working his way through an impressive bowl of soup.

 

“This is wonderful.” exclaimed Frederico after a few awkward slurps. His chopstick game was not strong.

 

“You got to hold them like this.” Adamson motioned the appropriate movement.

 

Frederico immitated as best as he could the movement. Adamson snickered playfully.

 

“Clearly you are a promising student.” he said, smiling.

 

“I don't think we have properly introduced herself. I only know your name from the slip I was given. Who are you, Mr. Abramson.” Frederico asked, resting his chopsticks on the side of the bowl.   

[Wasted]

Yvette van Rooyen

Breakout

 

Yvette watched curiously as the man died. Shock, fear, confusion and anger passed his features in succession as he realized his partner had shot him. Eventually the emotions intermingled as he bled out, grip and strength failing him, until one by one the emotions left him. First shock passed, then anger, then confusion. The man who had intended to rape her died with fear painting his features. His he breathed his last breath fear finally left and all that remained was despair. If one went in for an afterlife, and Yvette did, she imagined that nothing good would be waiting for him on the other side.

 

She looked over to the man who, although being a part of her detainment and possible murder, had just saved her. Up until now she had not paid all that much attention to him, being more preoccupied with the man intent on raping and murdering her. He looked to be slightly younger if not her own age, but he had a solemn air about him. Of course it was possible that was more cheerful when he hadn't been shot in both shoulders, been part of aiding a rapist and murder and killing his partner.

 

”I’m probably the last person you’d want to talk to after what had happened,” he said as he struggled to regain himself.

 

That was the question wasn't it? This man had been party to her kidnapping and had seemed perfectly alright with the other man killing her. He'd only seemed to become squeamish when dead man had intended to rape, probably because it had been unnecessary. Could she trust him then? Perhaps he felt there was a reason she should be dead. 

 

”But if you want to live, then I suggest you follow me.”

 

The man proceed to a window where he looked down into a dumpster below. It appeared he intended for them to escape by jumping out the window and break their fall in trash below. A bit dangerous and foolhardy, but it appeared they had limited time what with the noise coming from upstairs reacting to the gun shots.

 

”I know this doesn’t seem like a good plan, but anything’s better that sticking around here.”

 

True enough. The man was already half-way out the window, looking back at her expectantly. There was still unfinished business in the room however. She gave her would be rapist's dead corpse a vicious kick in the head before walking over to where the man had dropped the gun. It's clip may be spent, but it might still come in handy. Besides even if whoever had kidnapped her knew both pf her name and the man now accompanying her it would not do to leave evidence for the authorities behind. She made sure she had the ropes that had been used to restrain her and checked to make sure the clip of the gun was indeed spent before joining the man by the window.

 

"Alright," she said, "But let me go first. You're still injured and you might end up worse if I crash down on top of you. We'll talk after we get to a safe distance."

 

Not giving him a chance to argue she pushed past him to drop out of the window.

[Diabolical Rhapsody]

 

Marut Zvijer

 

The look in the eyes of the princess was of loathing, so tangible that he could almost taste it. It seemed to him from her eyes that she considered him no higher than a rat running in her palace or probably worse. Ecaterina had been a surprisingly good judge it seemed. Had she not been so mesmerisingly beautiful he wouldn't have given her a second look but he was still lost in her as he gawked at her wide-eyed.

 

But then the the redhead dolly began talking and he found himself drifting in her lovely voice as she harped on about some guy name Emil and another Aleph. What broke his mood though was the mention of the method of tracking him down. His father, that scum. These people knew him and he was probably a magician.

 

"Damn! does this mean killing him won't be easy. Fuckin' fuck!" he grumbled in Turkish as he watched the surroundings whizz by. Apparently she really did mean an Underground when she mentioned it. They soon drove up a ramp and into the fading light towards a lonesome building before things turned for the bizzare. 

 

The question he wanted to ask, remained lodged deeply in his mind as he felt the sudden gush of air waft in from his right and Ecaterina wanting to jump. The one on his left reacted quicker and he felt vines seemingly emerge out from her to get a hold of the girl. Gashing a big cut on his leather jacket and his abdomen. His chest also sported a big gash from the thorny lady that sat next to him. He didn't know her disgust for him ran this deep. Maybe, he wasn't as lucky as he thought. Here he was with an obviously violent woman who hated him and another who knew magic and can probably have his ass broken should he try to put his moves on her. Plus, the one who had offer the most hope had deserted him and his opportunity for a dance.

 

He gently pried the thorn from his flesh as he left the extend thorn bush on his lap before he asked the redhead.

 

"So, are you telling me I am a mage as well of this Qua...ae..sit..ooor and that you where my father is?"

Edited by Diabolical Rhapsody, 04 February 2015 - 04:13 PM.

[Imnostrong]

Dark Tunnel
Unknown City, Unknown Country
Time: Unknown
 
 Damn!! this is scary!!
Iam walk down the dark Pathways
 
He look at his surrounding as he quicken his pace.
 
His eyes already accustomed to the dark.
 
other than the girl in front of him, He can't see where his fellow kidnapee is
 
but since there's no fork on the road they should be in front of him.
 
 
 
after walking for a while he saw the other had stopped and waiting for them.
 
He saw the other girl waved at them.
 
Once they gathered, the other girl starting to whispered
 
 "I know we're strangers who happened to get wrapped up in this mess,

and are under no obligation to listen and follow through on it,

but I may have an idea of what to do with him, "
 
she referred to their kidnapper.
 
"Introductions can wait but Will you hear me out?"
 
Iam nodded silently.
 
"Now, it's quite a simple plan, yet highly risky,

considering the one we're up against and the confines on this tunnel don't allow us much wiggle room.

But first off, did any of you also pick up some of the scalpels off the ground?"
 
Iam showed her his one rusty scalpel...
 
The other seems to pick up more sturdy and clean sharp scalpel than his..
 
Well, everyone has their own opinion.
 
"Now,"
 
as she glancing to the girl,
 
"Since the both of us have the most of them,

we should stay a good enough distance behind him,

but enough of a distance to where you feel comfortable hitting the target.

Given what we have to work with, hitting him isn't the goal here.

We need to distract him, keep him off balance, so he,"
 
Looking at the black man, she continued
 
"Can catch him by surprise and stab him. If you don't have a scalpel of your own to work with, I'll give you one of mine.

Now, if you can't get a good shot on him, don't try to act like a hero and go for another swing if you don't see an opening..

When you get the chance, try to push him down or kick him in the legs or just find a way to get him to go down.

I'm sure all of us aren't stupid to simply believe he's actually unarmed because he is.

Hence the reasoning. But first, we should have him,"
 
Now turning her attention to him
 
"act as a decoy. Or bait have at you. He'll run past the man and gain his attention,

then we'll throw the scalpels to turn his attention back to us,

All the while giving him the time he needs to catch him off guard. Questions?"
 
She finished while looking around at him and the other to see if we have any issue with her 'plan'.
 
Iam Gulped...

 

In such a short time this girl has already grasp the situation.

 

Planed our movement perfectly with precise detail.

 

Usually someone who are in this kind of situation would panic and crack, and yet

 

she's so composed and calm.

 

Iam couldn't helped but think that she is no ordinary girl.

 

Either she had this kind of situation before or she already experience something worse than this.

 

and suddenly..

 

the mad man Laugh, maddening laugh while waving his weapon.

 

Startling him and the other three.

 

and as they about to composed themselves.

 

Another rumbling noise echoing from behind them.

 

Getting louder and louder.

 

Sounded like something are coming their way.

 

and it doesn't sound friendly....

 

"We've got no choice now. Move!!"

 

after hearing the girl loud whisper, Iam Start to run.

Aargh the Hell with it, Here goes nothing!!

and with that in mind, He run as fast as his leg could take him.

 

His role is to be the bait.

[Ilyse]

 

Chapter Four: The Idea of Sorrow

 

“The white man’s happiness cannot be purchased by the black man’s misery.”

 

-Frederick Douglass

 

The Streets of Johannesburg

Johannesburg, South Africa

Time: 11:24

 

As both Yvette and Lee fell into the dumpster below, the smell was seemingly unbearable but the cushioning was enough so that they didn’t die. Both of them, with trouble, attempted to climb out of the dumpster, but then they felt themselves seemingly dragged even deeper into the garbage. A pawed hand that smelled like pine covered their mouths as both of them almost screamed for help, and Yvette and Lee disappeared in the small pool of trash below.

 

The gangsters, assuming they escaped through the window looked outside and saw nothing. It was unlikely that the two of them managed to run out of the alley with the short window of time they had, so bullets were fired into the dumpster below. There was no response, but there wasn’t any need for any – more or so likely, Yvette and Lee were hiding underneath the trash bags, and with the amount of bullets fired, they were definitely dead.

 

But that was further from the truth, because Yvette and Lee were far from that dumpster, in a place that definitely did not look like any location in South Africa. It was a seemingly large cavern, with an opening on the roof to let the light through. Directly underneath this gigantic bask of light was a tree, twisted and ancient. It pulsed with a seemingly red glow, and both Yvette and Lee felt themselves overwhelmed with sadness.

 

But before they collapsed on the ground, ready to give up, the two of them were dragged away by some small thing, into some other tunnel far from the vision of the tree. Yvette and Lee took deep breaths, but the surprising thing was that their injuries had been healed, and what stood in front of them was…a bunny.

 

Spoiler

 

“I wouldn’t go near that thing if I were you – it drove Mister Criamon mad after he tried to examine it – we faeries call it the Idea of Sorrow, and we like to steer clear from it. Oh, right, where’s my manners! My name is Baggins the Faerie Rabbit, and welcome to the Faerie Realm!”

 

As far as the bunny was concerned, the whole experience of it all was probably incredibly difficult for these two humans to process. The area they found themselves in could easily be a trick of the mind to deal with all the external stresses from the earlier encounter. But why would both of them have the same hallucination?

 

Was this the afterlife? Because if it is, then it most definitely sucked.

 

____________________

 

Airplane Lot

Outside of Moscow, Russia

Time: 11:35

 

Meera put the car to a sudden stop right in front of what appeared to be a hanger building. Putting her sunglasses back over her eyes, Meera seemingly ignored Marut’s question while she checked on Ecaternina, who was halfway between the car and out of it. Lowering her glasses, Meera removed some alcohol swabs from her pocket and tended to the gash on Ecaterina’s arm, before wrapping it tightly with a white bandage. Smiling at both Draga and Ecaterina, Meera stood up once more.

 

“Believe me or not, girls, but I’m here to make sure all of you stay safe, although this is definitely not the place or time to do so. I’m not sure what your mother or adoptive father has been telling the two of you, but at least I’m here to be your companion.”

 

Turning to Marut, the smile faded from Meera’s face, and with a sigh, she placed her hand on Marut’s right shoulder. She brought her head close to his left ear, and whispered the truth.

 

“I’m not sure what kind of thoughts you have towards your father, but tracing bloodlines in itself is a magic. We don’t know where your father is. I’m sorry.”

 

Retreating from Marut, Meera turned towards the hanger door, and as everyone grabbed their luggage from the back, knowing that it might be a bad idea to try and run, they entered the hanger as well.

 

What stood inside was the cleanest private jet all of them has seen, as well as a pilot that stood near the entrance of the plane, saluting Meera as she approached. The two of them conversed far from everyone’s hearing, and then Meera motioned them all to board the plane with her.

 

Everyone sat down on the soft chairs, and Meera especially felt herself relaxing, pressing her back against the reclining cushions. Brushing her hair away from her eyes, Meera grinned as she held up a bottle of an orange-colored drink.

 

“If you guys don’t like what you see, I’ll send you straight home, but for the next two days, I welcome all three of you into the ‘Thoth Covenant’! So go ahead and take a bottle of this magician’s nectar, it hits the spot!”

 

As Meera laughed and tiled her head back to start drinking the nectar in large amounts, the three guests opened up the bottles of the drink that sat near them on a small table. It tasted incredibly nostalgic, with the flavor varied between each guest – for this was the drink of memories, to remind them of the good in life, and in many ways, the taste was enough to calm down the three of them and temporarily remove doubts from their head.

 

It was true that they were being forced into this situation, but as of the moment, it didn’t seem like it mattered too much. The plane left the hanger, with all four guests cheering happily from the passenger’s lounge. In a matter of minutes, Russia was almost out of sight, and on the television screen located behind Meera’s head said their destination was in the Northern American Empire.

 

An adventure awaits.

[Nualie]

Dark Tunnel
Unknown City, Unknown Country
Time: Unknown

 

Laura

 

Laura listened to Onee-san's plan. It was a good plan. One of the best they could afford. 

So good she actually had nothing to do.

The creepy rumbling behind them made her hold her blades tighter. She had a bad feeling.

If Blackie misses... Maybe I should help and jump behind him? No, he might hit me in the dark.

But... 

Laura set her mind as se saw the plan getting itself prepared.

 

If he misses... If I get the chance, I'll strike. 

And if it's necessary, of course.

But till then I should keep an eye on this weird noise.

 

She then turned around and gave a worried, but attentive look to the corridor they came from.

Her instinct was literally screaming to her something among the lines of...

RUN! DANGER! RUN, YOU IDIOT! YOU'RE NO MATCH TO THEM RIGHT NOW!

 

She sighed, annoyed, and the plan was put in motion.

 

 

[Misty]

Ecaterina had gone along with everything quietly, not exactly out of fear, but there was a healthy portion of that in there…still every action was met with a slight amount of resistance.  Even when Meera neared her with a bandage and medicine she’d glared at her with a look of total mistrust and kept her arm away until Meera had simply grabbed it and bandaged it while receiving a look from Ecaterina that reminded her of an untrusting cat. 

When she said adoptive father, Ecaterina’s eyes flared, but having remembered the still unsettling sight of the vines reaching for her she only muttered to herself in Romanian, “My father was a goddamn hero of the revolution and he died for it.  That man will never be like my father, he isn’t even my uncle although I understand for political reasons why he put that down.”  

 

She’d grabbed her things in the most sullen manner possible and when they’d boarded the plane and been handed the fizzy liquid Ecaterina looked at it like poison although she did drink it simply out of pressure.  It tasted like French wine to her.   She could still remember her first taste.

 

He’d let her into the apartment he’d secured for them.  She was still dressed in a t-shirt that was too small for her and pants that did not match.  It had been all the hospital had.   He hadn’t touched her at all, a warning he heeded wisely from the people working the ward.   He’d given her new clothing, told her to bathe and then come to dinner. 

She’d done all of it without really making a sound.  Including the dinner part.  He’d tried to talk to her, but the blank stares or glares he’d received quickly reduced the dinner to a staring match that she’d won when he got up only to return holding the scarf that now adorned her hair – her father’s scarf. 

 

She could recall snatching it from him and smelling it as he poured the wine and then pushed it towards her.  She’d laughed for the first time in years and toasted to changes.  He’d helped her tie her hair up with the scarf.  

It calmed her slightly, just as the wine then had.  She cheered sarcastically as her eyes caught that they were going to America.  Her eyes widened and she turned to look at Meera, “What about Attano?   He was supposed to tell me about this?  What the fuck is going on?” Her eyes turned towards Marut, “Does the existence of magic really surprise no one else besides me?” 

 

She hadn’t realized that her hands were shaking again or that she felt angry, “What the hell is going on?  Stop dancing around this? Who is the Thoth Covenant?  What is Quaesitor?  And if this bitch can produce thorns from her arm what else is possible?”

[Chizzy]

 

[Michael Santos]

 

“Um…um…I’m Alaina Favre. Nice…to meet you…”

 

The girl's face flushed red as she quickly looked down from embarrassment.

 

Mikey leaned back in his chair with a blank expression on his face. There were a lot of things he wanted to ask her, but considering the girl's current state he decided to go against it. Besides, Alaina was pretty cute. It would be a crime if he didn't at least try to get to know her.

 

"I'm Mikey." he replied with a smile. 

 

"This is one of my favorite spots in Paris by the way..." his voice trailed off. "Which is weird because I'm normally the one that has to go out of his way to ask a girl out on a date. This is the first time someone has boldly dragged me along to go with them haha!" 

 

Mikey wasn't sure how the girl would respond. Should he be treating her to drinks? He hardly knew who the girl was though. This was quite a strange situation to be in. Whatever. He'd just have to wing it

 

Listening to the girl's response, Mikey waved for a waiter. He had some cash to spare.

[Darkoda]

Anabelle

Fun with Bondage

 

Once her two compatriots were informed of how to dispel those ghosts the fights ended in short order. Really it was a bit anticlimactic but then it also meant that they could get out of there and find more fun things to do, or in her case, a potentially more fun person. Well until the police came in.

 

“Huh, wasn’t expecting that.” Her indifference to the guns pointed at her didn’t seem to suit the police officers too well.

 

"GET ON YOUR KNEES!"

 

“What? I’m not your mother you brute, I suppose you spend all her servicing time yelling at her too.”

 

Yeah, they really didn’t like that but she couldn’t help herself, her childhood gave her a healthy distrust of officers of the law and besides, they really were acting like a bunch of brutes. Her laughing at Minerva’s accurate commentary in French probably didn’t help. Neither did her offhand comments to her friends about the wonders of police corruption in America in French – hey if she was going to be arrested, she was also going to be a real pain in the ass. The best part was that they couldn’t be sure what she was saying about them.

 

“So my love, what did bring you all the way to America? Family sent you after a mage with no info too?” Being trapped in the cell wasn’t that big a deal; she’d been worse and with worse company. It helped a lot that she had to be in close proximity to Minerva throughout the night, which for her meant far too much fun to be had.

 

Really, she left the jail far happier than when she entered, snickering at her favourite’s state as they walked out to meet the mage that bailed them out – of course it was a family member, who else would know they needed bail money so fast? The question was which family was doing the springing.

 

“Sayonara copper! I’ll make sure not to mention the stolen cocaine to anyone – whoops!”  The glare he shot at her warmed her heart so. The reviews she was going to post about the police force with the names she got would be even better.

 

“Hey baliee, thanks for the help there; on that note which family actually paid for our bail?” It was nice to know whether or not her own had burned off some of the ill will they'd earned.

[Rainbow Dash]

Oscar slowly got up when the woman started unleashing her fury on the grinning man. She was just about finished and was applying the final touches of her healing. Subtle work was hard.

She raised her eyebrows at the woman's violence. If such abuse was the norm, that would explain the chair to the face. Maybe SoupMan was apprentice to the woman. If so his hulk-rage potential had a long way to go. She was a living natural disaster to this man's face. The violent woman took the man to an infirmary, clearly ignoring the fact that Oscar could heal. Oscar probably would have pouted at the rejection if the feeling wasn't overwhelmed by her natural disdain for everything.

Like the psychopath said, there was a note in her pocket. Oscar was sure they wouldn't just let her leave, so she quickly absconded from the gathering and made her way towards the room mentioned. Confronted between the choice of elevator and stairs, she choose the latter. Oscar told herself it was to give herself time to think but it was mostly just so she could keep sulking.

She did consider her choices though and it became readily apparent that she wasn't going to be able to escape this fate any time soon. The hospice was a long way away. Although it tore her up inside she decided to give whatever the hell these people wanted a shot. There was no point just doing nothing, right?



The smiling woman who hugged her smelled like a library underneath the cigarette reek. She didn't reciprocate the woman's embrace

But then, neither did she reject it.

[KDPtheKing]

The Dark Tunnel
Unknown City, Unknown Country
Time: Unknown

DeShaun Campbell
Prodigy

The group stopped for a moment. The man was still talking to himself in anger. They watched how his unstable emotions switched from anger to complete glee. As he began dancing around with a knife in hand. He was very much a psychotic man with undeniable daddy issues. Probably much more than that. Probably got made fun of as a kid and nobody told him he was any better. Who knows, he could just be jacked up. Whatever the issue was with the guy, DeShaun cared not.

As they all caught up with him, the older girl gathered his attention just enough to speak.

"Hey, Hey you." Bracing herself in case he does something rash out of surprise. "This is none of my business...Actually, it is, but tell me, are you honestly going to go after him with out any plan whatsoever and just beat him down with those hands of yours." Well, it actually was his plan. Looking down at his fists, he had been honing them for a few years and he had much confidence in them. But, he did not plan on letting the others get caught up in the fight. His main priority was getting them out.

"Will you calm down and hear me out for a bit? It may be simple but I think it would yield a higher chance of success than what you planned on do."she asked, as she noticed the others deciding to follow and waved them over to their location. Once they were gathered, Eva continued. "I know we're strangers who happened to get wrapped up in this mess, and are under no obligation to listen and follow through on it, but I may have an idea of what to do with him, " referring to the their kidnapped, "Introductions can wait but Will you hear me out?"

Looking at the two of them to see their response, she continued. "Now, it's quite a simple plan, yet highly risky, considering the one we're up against and the confines on this tunnel don't allow us much wiggle room. But first off, did any of you also pick up some of the scalpels off the ground?" she asked as she produced 5 that she picked up on her own. Listening to their responses, she continued "Now," glancing at the girl, "Since the both of us have the most of them, we should stay a good enough distance behind him, but enough of a distance to where you feel comfortable hitting the target. Given what we have to work with, hitting him isn't the goal here. We need to distract him, keep him off balance, so he,"

Looking at DeShaun, she continued "Can catch him by surprise and stab him. If you don't have a scalpel of your own to work with, I'll give you one of mine. Now, if you can't get a good shot on him, don't try to act like a hero and go for another swing if you don't see an opening.. When you get the chance, try to push him down or kick him in the legs or just find a way to get him to go down. I'm sure all of us aren't stupid to simply believe he's actually unarmed because he is. Hence the reasoning. But first, we should have him," Now turning her attention to the boy [b]"act as a decoy. Or bait have at you. He'll run past the man and gain his attention, then we'll throw the scalpels to turn his attention back to us, All the while giving him (deshaun) the time he needs to catch him off guard. Questions?"[\b]Eva finished while looking around at them to see if they have any issue with the 'plan'. DeShaun had no objection, mostly because he wasn't calm enough to come up with his own plan. He was still very angry, he just sat and nodded as the rest did.

After confirmation, the boy took off running as fast as he could. Immediately after, the girls ran after him. DeShaun wasted no time following the girls. When the boy was close enough, he avoided the man's lolly gagging with the knife and kept running like his life depended on it. The girls then stopped while DeShaun kept running. The two girls three the knives at the man.

DeShaun was charging the man with scapal in hand. He aimed for the moment the guy turned around to see who was throwing things at him. He would catch the inside arm of the man, pin it to his body. Then lean into him and jab the scapal into his neck. Then take off running with the rest of them. He didn't know it but, he could feel it. Something sinister was behind him. It wasn't a sixth sense or anything like that. It's that feeling you get when you know if you don't act fast you will die. That feeling kept the four of them moving faster than they had ever run of in their life.

[Wandering Rogue]

RADICULUS

 

 

Why were this not in first class?  Radiculus in all his years of life had never once been forced to sit in such pedestrian seating like he was some kind of normal person.  It was super insulting.  It was almost like the leader of his family/triad didn't actually think that highly of him or something which was super funny as a joke.  In fact, it was so funny he laughed and laughed to the immediate discomfort of the people around him.  They actually looked at him as if he was doing something wrong.  If they didn't want other people in their personal space and bothering them they should of paid more for their tickets. Idiots.  He wanted to complain to Maxxy boy and get him to have the other people to stop staring at him but for whatever reason his servant seemed distracted.  Which was weird.  Ohh, wait, there it was. Radiculus could hear the voice now too.  What a stupid little sniveling voice.  The kind of voice you hear in those bad cgi movies full of bugs and the like.  Radiculus laughed at it and continued laughing as Max guessed.

 

"Nah, nah it's got to be that one right? They were one of the ones you said.  I'm sure of it.  Or whatever I don't care.  This is stupid and you are stupid for wasting my time."  Radiculus randomly pointed at one of the others that may or may not have been pointed out to them by the squeaky voice.  He didn't really care.  This was a bad game and the voice should feel bad.

[Ilyse]

 

Chapter Four: The Idea of Sorrow

 

“People in the business will stay with you through drugs and alcohol and divorces and insanity and everything else, but you have a failure, pal, and they don’t want to know nothing about you!”

 

-Don Johnson

 

Dark Tunnel

Unknown City, Unknown Country

Time: Unknown

 

What was the itch that was starting to grow from the back of his head? Mark always made sure to apply the most potent conditioner in his hair to avoid this itchy feeling, and yet, it continued to persist. Perhaps he had head lice? Not that it matters too much, shaving off the hair wasn’t too much work, and he wouldn’t lose much for having a bald head for a bit of time.

 

And yet, what was this growing irritation? As one of little bug, although quite big to be a normal insect, ran straight past Mark, his emotions and anger exploded out once more, and laughing like a child, Mark chased after the insect, waving his scalpels around. Cut it open, watch it silently scream with its creepy “eyes”, cut it, cut it, cut it!

 

As Eva’s plan somewhat ended in failure, as Mark had more or less chased after Iam, leaving the three to run after Mark and away from the darkness coming straight at them. Iam and Mark were surprisingly fast, making it difficult for the rest of them to catch up; and yet, Iam was not fast enough, as Mark was closing the distance, scalpel raised while he continued to laugh.

 

Iam acted almost by instinct as Mark grabbed his shoulder to steady his pretty as he cut him open. In one quick motion, Iam removed the rusty scalpel from his jacket, slashing it upwards caring very little where he hit. The scalpel sliced Mark’s face from the left side of his lower jaw all the way to his right temple. With a roar, Mark released Iam, who dropped the rusty scalpel and continued to run.

 

As Mark kneeled on the ground in pain, the other three ran past him, not stopping to try and finish the man off, for the blood worms were now right on their tails – but the smell of the Mad Pervert’s blood made them stop in their tracks, and almost immediately, the worms converged onto the bleeding man, making him disappear into the darkness of the tunnel.

 

All four of them continued to run without looking back, and when the light broke out, all four of them dived for it, tumbling out of the tunnel into what appeared to be…a city. The orange light seemed to indicate that the sun was currently setting, and Iam and Laura turned around to find that DeShaun and Eva were both gone.

 

Unknown to the two children, a man wearing a red jacket grabbed both DeShaun and Eva, wrapping both of them in darkness. The two who were kidnapped once more found themselves on the rooftop of an apartment building, kneeling on the ground in front of their white-haired kidnapper. They had not seen where the exit of the tunnel is, but the change in scenery was way too sudden. Whipping out a cellphone, Jack Allen let out a great, majestic laugh.

 

Spoiler

 

“Yo, boss, Jack Allen got the kids! I’m going to bring ‘em out of this Eastern shithole city and fly back to base, capiche?”

 

And without a reply, the mage closed the phone, and grinning at DeShaun and Eva, meanwhile ignoring their protests, he grabbed both of them and slung them over his shoulder, and laughing, Jack Allen literally phased out of existence, carrying both of his hostages with him to god knows where…well, actually, they found themselves in a field reminiscent of Superman’s childhood farm, where a barn stood.

 

“Well, ghost traveling is a weird experience, but it’s different for each individual. Anyways, over there is where the Thoth Covenant is meeting tonight. So go on, enter the barn!”

 

The red-coated mage began to walk forward, walking the several hundred yards to the barn, as DeShaun and Eva were unsure of what to do.

 

_________________

 

As Laura and Iam looked around, shocked at the fact that DeShaun and Eva suddenly disappeared, a boy with dark bags under his eyes and earphones plugged into his ears walked over, yawning. He was dressed much like a student at a nearby private school, but here in Tokyo, Banri Miyamoto was much more than that. He was the ever-present guardian of the city, and a mage of House Bjornaer – but that’s just a chunnibyou fantasy, and Banri was honestly just feeling incredibly tired due to exams. He stopped right in front of the kids, and it seemed like Banri towered over them although he wasn’t even a head taller than Laura. Shifting his bag over his shoulder, Banri addressed the two children with perfect English.

 

Spoiler

 

“Yo, Koshima said you two would be here. You’re Laura and you’re Iam, I’m guessing? I’m Banri Miyamoto, and welcome to Tokyo. You’re far away from home, both of you, but if you want an opportunity to learn your current situations, then follow me.”

 

And without another word, Banri walked away, leaving the two children behind as he made his way to the train station, taking the transportation to the very last stop, located near a forest marked as a natural preserve.

[Unbelievably Majestic]

Airplane to Haneda Airport
Somewhere Between Shengzhen and Tokyo
Time: 5:32

Rudy's experience of the plane trip so far was, in a word, disappointing. It had been great for a start. The excitement of being about to soar through the air! The little road trip to the airport was fun. Finding out Nicole was afraid of flying was like finding buried treasure. He made sure to try and casually bring it up every chance he got, and every time she seemed to have gotten her mind off of the coming flight. All had been great.

And then they arrived at the airport.

Waiting. Sitting. Being taken into some back room office place to answer some questions because he was, as they put it, acting overly excited and asking suspicious questions. After that it was clear there was no fun allowed in an airport. The food was awful. He couldn't get a good drink. Playing 'count the lighbulbs' was boring after the second time. And Nicole getting more and more tightly wound, snapping at everything he said. Whenever he imitated plane noises she'd freak out and probably slap him. I mean, okay, sure, that last one was pretty enjoyable apart from the slapping.

Actually flying turned out to be just as bad. He couldn't get to a window seat and enjoy the greatness of flight. He couldn't annoy Nicole. He could annoy that Max guy apparently, just by being nearby him it seemed, but Rudy didn't know him, so where was the fun in that? So, what could he do to enjoy himself a little more? There was only one solution. He drank a whole shed load of miniature vodka bottles, charging them to one of Nicole's usual cards. He sat there getting more and more drunk, and laughing to himself every time he thought of Nicole's face when she would eventually find out what he'd done. He also laughed anytime he saw her sleeping one seat over, completely oblivious to any and all of his mischief. Needless to say he was giggling to himself quite a bit.

The little fun he was managing to have was interrupted by what Rudy could only call the weird bug voice freaky thing and it's stupid game. He didn't really know the rules of the game as he had been paying much more attention to the miniature bottle in his hand than the details. But he got the gist of it. Someone was a baddie. And it was like hide and seek. Or something. He wasn't sure what the bugs had to do with anything, but whatever, he hated knowing the rules anyway. If you didn't know the rules you had a perfect excuse for when you get caught breaking them. Luckily for Rudy, Max somehow seemed to have discovered who the bad guy was, and he claimed it was the child playing games. It made sense. Children play games. That kid was playing a game. And the bad guy was playing a game. The solution fitted together like a jigsaw in his mind.

"The child. Of courshe it's the child. Good work Maxine. It's always the child! Children thing they can get away with anythink! Well not today!" Before anyone could do or say anything else, Rudy was up from his chair, and he was on the move. He stood next to the child in his chair, slapped the games console from his hands, and pointed a rather drunken and wobbly finger right into the boys face. As he spoke his voice started out with a kind of menacing calm like being in the eye of a storm, but quickly slipped downhill into realms only drunken crazy homeless people can achieve. And there was an argument to be made that that was exactly what Rudy. "I'm onto you laddie boy jim-bob. You can't dodge these eyes. I see you. And you're a real dirtball. You get your a... bugs, out of my hair and you stay with it! You think you can jusht GET AWAY WITH IT?! YOU CAN'T!" He then proceeded to stare the evil villain in the eyes with a silent staring contest. The boy probably didn't know he was in a contest. But he was. And Rudy knew it. That was the important part.

[Juro]

The Streets of Johannesburg
Johannesburg, South Africa
Time: 11:24
 

 

Everything that followed their fall was but a clouded memory for Lee. It might have been due to all the blood he had lost or the amount of stress generated by the whole experience. Either way, Lee could only barely maintain his consciousness as he was seemingly brought to another world; at least somewhere that was no longer South Africa. What he could recall, however, were only fragments of certain instances.
A massive tree that released a crimson-red glow, a figure covered in forest-green fur, and for some reason, an overwhelming feeling of sadness. None of these made any sense, but Lee was far too exhausted and in pain to care. He was preoccupied with trying keep himself awake.

Unfortunately, this was a one-sided struggle and Lee’s defeat was definitely inevitable. He was helpless as his eyelids slowly closed and his consciousness began to fade.

……….

It may have seemed longer, but only a few minute had passed since Lee had collapsed. His body was still aching, but what surprised him the most was the absence of his injuries, including the two gunshot wounds on both his shoulders. How this happened was something he couldn’t explain. Attempting to discover the reason behind this was something he had to set aside for now; it may have been strange, but he had more pressing matters to address. Specifically, the talking green rabbit-like creature in front of him.

“I wouldn't go near that thing if I were you – it drove Mister Criamon mad after he tried to examine it – we faeries call it the Idea of Sorrow, and we like to steer clear from it. Oh, right, where’s my manners! My name is Baggins the Faerie Rabbit, and welcome to the Faerie Realm!”

Still in the process of getting up from the ground, instead of expressing his feelings of disbelief towards what was happening, Lee just silently stared at the so-called Faerie Rabbit. As much as he wanted to make sense of the situation, he just couldn't.

Maintaining his composure, Lee sat crossed-legged a few feet away from Yvette and tucked both his hands into his coat pockets.

Taking a deep breath, decided to speak.

“I’m not quite sure what happened, but I think I owe you my thanks.” Said Lee in a calm manner as he turned towards Baggins.

“Anyway, although it probably isn’t obvious, I’m kinda confused here. As much as I enjoy the strange, these sort of things never happen to me. So please, could you fucking give me an explanation?”

Lee’s voice remained quiet while his face still appeared uncaring, but based from the intonation of his words, he was apparently quite frustrated.

 

"Realms and Faeries? Are you telling me these things actually exist? And what or who in the world is Criamon?"

 

Not sure what to make of the moment, Lee prepared himself for the worst and held on tight to the gun that was concealed in his coat.

Edited by Juro, 06 February 2015 - 06:12 AM.

[SliceAndDice]

 

The fight ended quickly enough, once they knew where to attack. The fact that Odette had use mere quarters as the binding objects utterly disgusted Gideon, but like many things that was past his concerns. What was his concern, however, was the fact that blood was oozing from Minerva's shoulder. A few short steps carried him to her side, and ignoring any protest she raised he peeled back the clothing covering it to examine the wound. It was a long gash, due to the longsword's size, but it was a clean cut and fairly shallow. A strip of white came from his back pocket as he withdrew a hankerchief and pressed it to the laceration, stemming the blood once again.

 

"We'll have to get this sterilized as soon as we can. Since Ms Lyons is now out of reach, I suggest that we-"

 

He didn't get a chance to finish his statement as the local law enforcement came bursting in. Where Minerva and Annabel exchanged venomous barbs at the officers' expenses in French, Gideon kept his silence. Objections would get them nowhere, he knew, and besides which he had nothing to say. When they had been escorted to the holding cells and the ladies had been sent to their own side of the facility, Gideon was thrust into an empty cell of his own in the male block. For that, he was thankful. The quiet would be necessary for the thinking he had to do. As he sat on the cot he was afforded, he withdrew the dulled throwing knife he kept on his person from its hiding place. The knife was riddled with multiple runic enchantments, but none of them were his. To tell the truth, he did not even know what any of them said, save for two. The first was a concealment spell that rendered the knife undetectable to anybody who did not know it was there. The second was a long-range communication spell. There was one other knife like it in the world that could receive the message, and it was held by Lord Verditius. The man who had made the knife and given it to him, to be used as a direct line to the patriarch himself. And as Gideon sat there, he debated using it.

 

The Ultimate Eye. The spell William Verditius had become infamous for, and the one Minerva had invoked. By itself, it was not much of a threat. But what it heralded was something else altogether. The Ultimate Eye was the gateway to William's other, more terrifying spells. This was the sort of thing her uncle would want him to report on. And if it had happened six months prior, he would have done so without any hesitation. And yet, here he was, debating with himself. In the six months he'd served her, Gideon had come to regard Minerva as more than a mistress or an observation target. She had, somehow and someway, become a friend. And he had come to see her as a young woman of noble intentions. She was stern and quick-tempered, that was true, but she was also just and fair about most things. Could such a person truly follow in her father's vile footsteps? He had his doubts. Besides which, he reasoned with himself, the runes for the Ultimate Eye had always been engraved on the sword she wielded. It was entirely possible that she stumbled upon their activation by accident while researching or maintaining the blade, and being a speed oriented fighter she would naturally come to enjoy the effect it provided. There was no need to alert the House Head as of yet, he told himself, and he stowed the knife.

 

The next morning, as the trio made their way out of the police station to meet the agent of their release, Gideon once more held his tongue and stood slightly behind his employer, watching the man as carefully as his eyes were able. Behind his back, where his hands stayed folded, he quietly wrapped one around one of his mother's daggers in their hidden sheathe on his belt. Regardless of apparent goodwill, this man could have any number of intentions. And there was never such a thing as being too careful, from Gideon's experience...

[Nualie]

Dark Tunnel

Unknown City, Unknown Country (Actually: Tokyo, Japan)

Time: Unknown

 

Laura

 

The plan had worked in a way slightly unexpected, but ultimately it did work.

So, Laura was satisfied. Used to the sight, she didn't even flinch to the sight and smell of blood.

Whitie looked a little shaken, though. He was even paler now.

The had ran in the dark toward the light- Human's eternal path, as she had heard.

She felt a little... Distance from reality. Maybe it's a dream, she thought.

When Whitie and her got out, to their utmost surprise...  Onee-san and Blackie were gone.

Hum. Bad. That place was most definitely not France, she had no money on her right now.

So what?

A young asian man with bags under his eyes got to them and told them in perfect english,

 

“Yo, Koshima said you two would be here. You’re Laura and you’re Iam, I’m guessing? I’m Banri Miyamoto, and welcome to Tokyo. You’re far away from home, both of you, but if you want an opportunity to learn your current situations, then follow me.”

 

 

So, Whitie's name was Iam. Too bad, she liked to nickname. It suited him.

"Hello..." Laura said, though she had about a thousand questions.

Banri lead them to a train station, got them on board, and stayed silent the whole time until the very last station, seemingly a... forest.

Laura knew very little Japanese so the signs wouldn't help.

She also learned from Iam he was thirteen, and that he came from Vienna. 

Laura wondered whether he was still shaken from killing Murdy -because he was dead without a doubt.

But she didn't want to ask.

Banri was interesting, too. Her instinct was tickling her, trying to tell her something about him, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

She could just tell she felt relaxed in his presence. In security..?

Despite the situation being completely surreal.

"Could I call my parents to tell them I'm fine or something? I don't have my phone, but I don't want them to worry... Or is that not possible?"

She didn't call out Banri's name because she was unsure on how to call him, even if his presence was somehow reassuring.

But she did want an answer from him.

[I-Am-X]

The Dark Tunnel

Unknown City, Unknown Country

Time: Unknown

 

Evangeline Strauss

"Hex"

 

Well, shit.

 

Honestly, it felt like a reasonable plan at least. Maybe it was if it wasn’t for the nut job they were facing. But what could you honestly expect from something she came up with on the spot? Though, she at least expected something to go her way. The plan called for the boy to run past the bastard and keep the attention on him while Eva and the other girl then caught his attention with their throwing of the scalpels while the black man came up on his blind side to take him down.

 

Instead of that, he ignored them and kept his attention on the boy while making the others play a game of catch up. It wasn’t long before he caught up to the boy. Grabbing the kids shoulder, he raised his weapon and made to strike when luckily the boy pulled out his own scalpel and slashed the bastard across the face as he crumbled to the floor and howled in pain. Without bothering to look back, all of them ran past him.

 

Seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, talk about cliche, Eva thought, the 4 of them dived and tumbled out of the tunnel and glanced at what appeared to a city. An unfamiliar one, it was awfully clear to her she was, without a doubt, no longer in the confines of Germany. Just where are we? Hmm… Moments later, her vision went dark and she could feel herself being grabbed. When her vision cleared up, she was on the roof of an apartment building, knelt down in front of a white haired man. As he took out his phone and began speaking in english.

 

Demanding answers as to where they were, he simply ignored her and kept on talking. It was infuriating, she, of all people was caught. While it may have been arrogance or not, she was completely confident in her physical abilities. Yet she wasn't just nabbed once, but twice. This was too uncharacteristic of her. It was embarrassing to say the least. As he ended his phone call, he simply grinned at them as he slung them over his shoulder as he began to phase out. Just like last time, it was only an instant yet they were somewhere completely different. Who was this man and where in the was he taking them?

 

They soon found themselves in a vast field where a barn stood. After giving them an 'order' he talk forward to the barn, Eva, having quickly adapted to the situation, remained calm. With a blank expression, "The Thoth....Covenant? Don't tell me we're dealing with those kind of people." she said out loud in english. While some people in this situation would call for bolting and trying to escape, common sense decided against that action. Seriously, where were they going to go? They were in the middle of nowhere and even if they did run, they'd just be caught again, after seeing what that guy just did. "Ah, what the hell." They were dragged this far, might as well see why the hell they were brought here.

Edited by I-Am-X, 07 February 2015 - 03:54 AM.