Fantasy DEFINE / DEATH - A Zodiac RP

[Azukai]

It's just Business
KnightThanatos ( Boss )

Zenith stared back, unflinching. He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the blood off his cheek. Then, he walked past the guard that had slashed at him without any emotion showing on his face and walked out of the room. He didn’t look back. It was clear the guard was only meant to serve a warning -- Athena wouldn’t have set a bounty on him if she meant to have her guard murder him.

Furthermore, the guard was not human. There was no debate about that as the cut didn’t feel like any weapon he had ever seen or used before, coupled with the insanely fast movement the guard had displayed. There was no time to dwell on that though, not with a five million dollar bounty on his head.

Zenith’s personal driver was waiting for him once he exited the building.

“Mr. Ryder! What happened?” his driver exclaimed, after seeing the cut on Zenith’s face as he slid into the backseat.

“It’s fine,” Zenith dismissed, pulling out the first aid kit in the backseat. He quickly cleaned the wound and bandaged it. His driver nodded his acquiesce and began driving back to the Ryder building. Then Zenith called his father. The phone rang three times before Zenith’s father picked up.

Tersely, aware of the limited time he had, Zenith explained what had happened in the meeting. There was silence on the other end as his father digested what had happened.

“Your security detail will be doubled,” began his father. He then went over some other details with Zenith, concerning his security. His father had always been somewhat paranoid -- perhaps because of Athena, Zenith realized -- and had assigned a security detail to both of his children. Sure, both Zenith and his sister were well-trained, but his father had insisted.

Zenith’s security team consisted of a four man team. They had been waiting outside the building for him, as was the norm on all business negotiations. That would be changing now though. It simply wasn’t safe for him to attend business deals without further security -- it would be the perfect situation for his enemies. His father updated his security detail with the situation and informed them of the changes.

Finally, his father finished. “Zenith…” there was a sigh. “I’m proud of you. You stuck with your values and did what was best for us. I’m afraid when I was younger, I was brash and too ambitious. I was more concerned with expanding the business and making money then my family’s safety. I didn’t quite understand the risks associated with making a deal with Athena until much later. Listen to me, stay safe, don’t take any unnecessary risks. Trust your instincts, five million is quite an amount and you’ll be sure to attract some takers. Be prepared to defend yourself. Call me back when you’re in a secure location.” The call ended.

Zenith allowed himself a moment as he thought back on everything that had happened so far before he turned back to the situation at hand. He would need all his wits with him if he were to survive. And he would need his weapons.

---------------------------------------------------------------------​

"It's begun." Elena said to no one in particular. She was alone in her personal lab; her eyes fixated upon the tablet computer which she held in her hands. Its screen depicted a map of downtown Blue Springs, using a blinking red dot to track the location of a particular, moving vehicle. She licked her lips in anticipation for what was to come. There wasn't anyway to view the actions of her mark; there was, however, vitals being monitored on the sidebar of the screen. For now, the values were normal, translating to the fact that Zenith was relatively calm about everything that had happened. "Let us see how long you last." She giggled. "Apparently you are speci--..."

Her ramblings were cut short by a sudden flurry of feathers that burst through the room's sliding door and grouped towards center of the lab. For anybody else, it would have been a startling experience; however, Elena barely even batted an eye. "Welcome back, Athena." She muttered under her breath. Sure enough, the woman in question stepped out of the cloud of feathers and snapped her fingers. Instantly, the cloud began to dissipate, leaving nothing but her own self behind. “Things are going as planned, I presume?” Athena questioned in a stern tone.

“Of course...” Elena began with a nod. “I’m tracking the boy as we speak, and Artemis is on schedule with the field test. Any moment the action should be starting. Five million is more than enough to get some hosts on the move. That alone should be enough to keep the local enforcements and….them...busy, were they to care.”

Athena clapped her hands together, just as a smirk began to form on her face. “All as planned. Now let’s see just how strong you really are, Zenith Ryder.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------​

All Zenith needed to do was reach a safe location. Unfortunately, doing so was far more complicated than simply driving away. SMASH, a single .50cal bullet smashed into the windshield of the car and instantly shattered the length of the bullet-proof glass. It wasn’t enough to pierce into the interior, but it did away with most of the visibility the driver had. Out of panic, he thrust the steering wheel into a sharp right turn and slammed on the pedal as to accelerate the car. Given that a sniper had just assaulted their vehicle, staying out in the open was a literal death sentence. As such, he had taken a detour through the nearest side street which provided high-rise cover and a moment to consider the next appropriate move. “We are under attack, sir. I suggest an urgent change in our rou--”

CRASH

An SUV sped out of an adjacent alley and smashed into the side of Zenith’s vehicle.

BOOM

An explosion ripped through the body of the SUV and sent Zenith’s car tumbling off into the nearest building wall. The force of the discharge was considerably weaker than any major bomb; however, it was still more than enough to cause noticeable damage to its surroundings. In the distance, sirens were already beginning to sound--emergency vehicles that were rushing to the scene of utter chaos. Ordinary cars that had been unfortunate bystanders were strewn across the street, while many of their inhabitants were already dead on arrival. Windows were shattered, walls were destroyed, and fires were beginning to break out across the immediate block.

In the distance, on the roof of a high-rise, were three individuals--one of which was a woman with stark blue hair and sleeves of tattoos that covered her noticeably revealed skin. Next to her, were two men, each dressed in combative gear and armed with military grade equipment. “Do we finish him?” One of the men asked in a heavy Japanese accent.

“Ie, mimasu (No, we watch).” The woman responded--her cold, icy blue eyes fixated on the scene and Zenith’s next move.

 

[Azukai]

The Price of Fame
LazyDaze

The moment Danny put the headset on, his conscious was overwhelmed by an all-encompassing voice that only he could hear. It was female in nature, though its underlying robotic tones and somewhat irregular intonations alluded to the fact that it was not human, but rather an artificial intelligence. Nonetheless, it was more than capable of holding a conversation; as well as processing the immediate thoughts and memories that were in Danny's head. "Welcome, Daniel, my name is Lore. Before we get started with your engaging enthusiasm, you will first need to complete the necessary calibration. Please prepare yourself for two small pricks." Sure enough, the AI's warning was shortly followed by two sharp pains that originated from the micro needles which burst from nodes against his neck. Two drops of blood each, were absorbed into the device and subsequently analyzed in a matter of seconds. "Your unique pattern has been recorded into my database. You are now registered as the sole owner of this device. Initializing calibration with your immediate surroundings..." The world faded to black, just as a wave of fatigue washed over Danny's mind and left him somewhat woozy. It wasn't enough to cause him to faint or even lose his balance, but the discomfort was still there for the entire duration of the calibration. Piece by piece, elements of the bar began to re-appear, until finally, everything was back to how it was. "Calibration complete. Now initializing a room-scale render of your desired outcome." The same waves of fatigue returned to his head, though this time, the room didn't fade away. Instead, individual elements began to digitize and morph. The colors of the walls began to shift; the material of the floor began to change; piece by piece, every detail was becoming a perfect representation of Danny's inner desires...

"Render complete. I cross-reference every memory in the last ten years and determined this outcome to be the most desired. If there is anything I could do better, please inform me." The sheer capabilities of the headset were awe-inspiring. Not only did it modify the entire atmosphere and make-up of the bar, it had done so in a manner best suited for Danny's performance. Every detail down to the sheer make and model of the surrounding instruments were exactly how Danny had once imagined them to be. Slow claps interrupted the silence, from Artemis who was beaming his usual glowing smile. "This is perfect, literal perfection and an immediate success. I don't think the day could get any better." In a single, prancing leap, he closed the distance between himself and Danny and wrapped his arm around the boy's shoulder. Using his free arm, he waved it in an outward arc, as if to pronounce the changes that had been made. "In fifteen minutes, all of this is going to be packed with your fans and those soon to be. Now first and foremost, I want you to put on the best show of your life, but when you're done, I want you to come see me." He pointed at a wayward door that was labeled with the words Strix Manager Only. "I unfortunately have business to take care, but afterwards, you and I have a contract and next show to discuss." Two pats and a wink later, Artemis was waving goodbye and walking towards his office.

All in all, fifteen minutes were hardly much time, and sooner than later, screaming fans were soon pouring into the room...

 

[Boss]

2:30 PM
The Space Bar | JakeLand
May 20th ​

Jakeland was a special kind of shithole. Proximately one month ago, the entire region began to suffer from power outages due to a recent gang fight damaging a major power line. The city's official services refused to conduct a full repair simply due to the volatile area in which the repairs were needed. It wasn't an unexpected decision - there had been numerous reports of tools gone missing - to even entire maintenance vehicles being stolen behind a technician's back, and those were the least-worrying cases. Jakeland had unofficially grown independent with its chaos serving as its border guard. As such, many apartments and businesses unfortunate enough to exist in such a place don't have power at all, save for a small selection that energizes their buildings with generators. With barely any police to control the area, Jakeland had to look after its own.

The Space Bar was where Ashley met her contact for work. It was blessed with having its own power and a neverending supply of alcoholic beverages. Naturally, it was also a place to stir trouble. It stunk of cigarettes and blood and the jukebox playing old blues was drowned out by angry, shouting patrons. The Space Bar took on a classic 70's interpretation of a walk-in diner, and was once established into the territory of Jake's gang: 'Ill-Bloods'. After a large-scale heist - its bounty being the son of an important figure - Jake won his gang a region to call their own, almost two decades ago. Nowadays, the Ill-bloods are nothing but a legend - idols for the insane and unruly, especially Jake himself. The tale suggests he 'cracked' on the battlefield and was never the same - unlike his twin brother Jack, who was once enlisted in his younger brother's gang until the 'big op', where he openly defied his brother by forming the 'Rangers', a pocket of criminals with a sense for stability over complete insanity. The rumors suggested that Jack off'd Jake at some point, and his gang scattered into the darkness to never be seen again, but the truth was always a fickle concept here.

'Ashley''s contact sat in his usual seat, at his usual table, smoking his usual cigar under the veil of his unusual... hat? With the way his upper face hid behind the long-lipped hat, the contact almost seemed like a desperado out of a western film. Regardless, they were scheduled to meet for important business. According to the contact's text - who referred to himself as the Owl - he had information about her 'investigation'. A lead, but not for free. The Owl silently dragged on his cigar, even as she arrived, as if waiting for her to announce herself.

 

[Randomfella]

Ashley Smith
Abandoned Flats -> The Space Bar | Jakeland​

A large whiff of breath forced the powdered substance through Ash's nostrils, a stuttering arm quickly moving toward her face to wipe away the remaining mucus that attempted to claw intruders from her sinuses. "Ahh..." The girl suddenly let out a sigh of relief, as if the sudden inhalation had mended her senses, brought her mind back into clarity. *Bzzt* At the sound of the vibration from the corner of the room, Ashley leapt from her half-rotten stool, almost breaking the fragile wood in the process, accidentally flipping the table in the process, files dropping dramatically to the dank floorboards as she tightly gripped her pistol, pointing it forcefully toward the vibration, almost letting off a shot in the process. One of her many break phones, notifying her of a sudden message, they didn't usually last long, but she still didn't trust them, just the idea that someone could find her through them... That was if they were even on her trail yet.

With a slight shrug of the shoulders, Ash's body relaxed slightly, though it was visibly clear she was still worked up as she approached the mobile device, picking it up to check what was so urgent that the 'Owl' as he called himself would contact her before she found him. Her eyes bulged open at the sight of the message. A lead? She had told him little about what she was looking for in the city, but it was enough to look into her suspicions on the Blue Spring's gang involvements in the conspiracy itself. Still... This was strange, normally the man was only out to use her as a tool for his own fame, or perhaps infamy. He had grown quite sure of himself over the months, however.

Ash moved through the cover of her hood, and the alleyways that connected the various streets of Jakeland, the most dangerous path, for sure, but she could handle herself. Every few steps the girl would look over her shoulder, glance to any footstep, though she wasn't just searching for simple muggers, government agents were the ones she feared, even if she had no evidence of their presence in the town. Eventually she made it to The Space Bar, taking an alleyway entrance, though some would prefer to call it a window, rather than the front door that seemed to be watched constantly.

A downtrodden frown entered Ashley's face as she spotted the man in his usual spot, moving inconspicuously toward the table, her hood shrouding her face as she began to sit opposite him, her eyes frantically scanning her surroundings, her fingers nervously twitching over her concealed weapon. "What's with the hat?" An almost frustrated tone escaped the girl as she sat, she clearly didn't like it, covering his face made him harder to read, then again, his voice usually gave more than enough away. "This better be good if you have the gall to message me... I assume you want something done?" The girl's voice was a strange mixture of a hushed calm, doing her best to keep their meeting quick, while keeping their words between them. It wasn't like this Owl had nothing to lose if she was found out after all, it could drive his reputation, the only thing he truly had, down into the dirt.

Boss

 

[Azukai]

Genius === Prestige?
Elowyn

Three sharp knocks slammed against the front door and signaled the arrival of an unexpected guest. Had it been Luka’s mother, she would have simply walked in--happy to be home and in time for the food that was being made. With her out of the question, that left only a few potential options. Either it was one of the neighbors looking for a fresh victim to bare the details of a new tall tale, or it was a door-to-door salesman looking to grab a few more commissions before the sun set for the day. In either case, they would have waited for a response, and simply moved on were no one to answer the door.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK...

The knocks grew louder and more impatient as time went on. The fact of the matter was that their source was here with the intention of garnering an audience with Luka. Given the prestige of the organization they represented, “no” wasn’t an answer they were willing to accept; at least not without a conversation first. There were two people waiting at Luka’s door. One of them was an obvious bodyguard dressed in a suit and heavily tinted shades. Their bulk alone was menacing enough, and their towering six plus height only added to the mix. The other individual was the literal polar opposite--a thin, scrawny individual who gave off a businessman aura thanks to his clean cut appearance and his well tailored suit and tie. On his coat pocket was a silver trinket emblazoned with the crest of Fracture Academy, and his name which read Victor Crone.

“Luka, if you will. There are important matters that must be discussed.” He announced in an elevated, yet eloquent tone.

He'd opened the door expecting one of several possibilities, but the sight before him was not one of them. This alone put him off but he managed to regain his composure after a second. "Who are you? Why are you looking for me?" he asked, a wary look in his eye. The sight of these two preened and prepped gentlemen at his door would only incite the neighborhood gossips. Resentment built up in his chest. All he'd ever wanted was a nondescript and average life. He hadn't signed up for this.

“Hello Luka, my name is Victor Crone, a representative from Fracture Academic.” He offered his right hand for Luka to shake, though its acceptance was irrelevant in regards to the continuation of his introduction. “I am here on behalf of your school, Armstrong Academy. If I’m not mistaken, there are reports that your talents exceed the expectations of Armstrongl--that your potential is being limited by the shortcomings of its curriculum. This is why I have come to talk with you, especially since you have made no moves in applying for Secondary Education at our esteemed campus.”

He shook the man's hand briefly. "Fracture…Academics," he murmured while thinking to himself. The name sounded awfully familiar. Then he remembered. It was a fairly prestigious academy about an hour or so away. Ah, so they were recruiters. It was true college was on his mind. His parents had been pressing him to choose a school for months, but he was delaying. "Sorry, but I'm not really interested." There was a university across the country he had been dreaming of going to since he was 13 years old. The institution had repeatedly rejected him for this reason or that. Right now he was focused on getting an internship in the field he wanted to go into: biomedical engineering. He'd been told once he demonstrated a better work ethic they would accept him.

Victor sighed in response to his rejection. He had been warned that Luka would be somewhat difficult, but needless to say, he wasn’t ready to just turn around and leave.

"If that's all…" Luke said while moving to close the door. Hastily, Victor reached forward and held the edge to prevent it from shutting in his face. “I would rather it not be.” He responded, with a hint of urgency in his tone. “After conversing with your advisor, I feel as if you haven’t considered every option that I can offer you on behalf of Fracture. Perha--...”

HISSSS

His explanation was cut short by the sounds of an angry cat--from Nyanko who was standing off to the side of the yard and postering in an aggressive stance. Feral snarls continued to emit from the feline’s throat, leaving Victor in a relatively awkward situation. “Ahem, um, perhaps we could continue this inside? Away from the threats of the local wildlife?”

Luka sighed. He was a persistent one. "Alright," he replied with an air of wariness. "If you must." Stepping back, he cast a glance at the stray. Cyren was likely long gone by now to be of any help. She tended to go hang out with her female friends or go shopping. Luka decided that he would hear this Academy guy out so that they could move on to better things. Was Fracture Academics so eager to recruit? Or was he special in their eyes somehow? At this point, only time would tell.

 

[LazyDaze]

It was more intense than Danny expected. Nothing like those cartoons where the main character is suddenly thrust into an alternate reality; moreover, it wasn't simply a voice, but it seemed to come from within. Speaking to him, through him. Danny was half ignoring the voice due to the overwhelming presence as well as the big robotiky words it was using, such as "calibration". However, he became alert when he was notified of two pricks. "Wait what-," but it was too late. For a second he thought he was shot by the worlds tiniest bullet as a sharp pain arose. Then the robotic talk returned with a vengeance. "ALRIGHT GIVE ME A DAMN MINUTE!" He shouted in frustration as he did his best to remain upright. He honestly felt as if he might throw up here...in front of everyone. However, the effects of becoming synchronized, calibrated, etc disappeared relatively quickly. Danny blinked a few times to make sure he was alive. Just as he was about to say something, the fatigue occurred again.

"Damn the fine print," Danny cursd under his breath.

This time the bar was morphed without little input from Danny, or at least until the point that he would need to concentrate heavily. It was hazy at first but as he came to he was suddenly in one of those fancy bars from downtown. He was certain that several people may hve not even got a whiff of the street let alone the bars in that area. Once everything was complete the shady business man looked pleased with the results. "...Something you could do better? How about not stabbing me in the head...," Danny grumbled to himself. He was so perturbed he didn't even jerk away from the overly zealous Artemis. However, Danny did feel a little strange when he left. It was odd, but with the sudden rush of fans Danny had the strong urge to call him back from his office.

"Best show of my life huh," Danny said as he waved to the crowd who immediately swooned over the short gesture. The newly added piano played in the background. He started the show off slow. Playing to the crowd while displaying the capabilities of his new 'accessory'. It was obvious that the audience would probably be confused even if they seemed to not pay it any attention. Then he actually began to perform. He started with a slower song that was sure to get the women...and to be frank even some guys invested. It would also be a good way to test how well this VR system could adjust on the fly. Needless to say, it did not fail to meet expectations. The rest of the show went smoothly as he shifted to more upbeat songs and got more comfortable with the virtual reality. It couldn't have gone better; however, in the back of his mind Artemis' words. Other performances...contracts? What could he mean? With any luck Reina would arrive to settle all this, he knew she would be pissed.​

Azukai

 

[Boss]

2:33 PM
The Space Bar | JakeLand
May 20th​

Ashley's 'alternative entrance' was more eye-catching than she had probably anticipated, being the only individual to open and shuffle through a window with the front door being perfectly operable. She could feel the many judgemental eyes trailing her in silence as she made her way over to the Owl and took her seat. Under the security of her hood, her identity was largely a mystery, but such was the typical people the Owl interacted with. Ignoring her opening question with the hat and the natural hostility in her tone, he responded. "The Owl has eyes everywhere. he see every little deed done in this city, thanks to his little birds. They tell him of a secretive group of people who arrived in Blue Springs not long after you appeared. At first the Owl paid no mind - until a bird sings that they are hunting a certain woman - a woman who hides her true self under the appearance of another."

"The Owl could help, but as it happens, a business opportunity has presented itself." Reaching one hand into the sleeve of another, the Owl withdrew a folded photograph and pinned it to the table with his gloved finger as he slid it over to Ashley. The contents of the folded photography bore the image of Zenith Ryder sitting in the backseat of an armored car. "A rich boy has earned himself a bounty of five million. Zenith Ryder. Sharpen your dulled fangs and bring the Owl his head. Blood for information is not an uncommon transaction in this place." As their conversation occurred, the two could feel the attention of multiple people on them. Their hidden stares bore a level of murderous intent that only trained killers could recognize. With this realization, the Owl smiled. "But of course, you won't be the only predator. Even if you should decline, you'd do wise to look over your shoulder - these wolves prefer to hunt unhindered."

 

[Azukai]

Genius === Prestige?
Elowyn

Victor being invited into the home didn’t sit well with Nyanko. As Luka stepped aside to allow the Fracture representative inside, the cat shot past his legs and ran somewhere into the house. Everything that had happened was something of a blur, and ultimately, the cat was nowhere to be found in any visible segments of the home. “Ah, I wasn’t aware that it was your cat.” Victor announced with a sheepish expression and a hand over his chest. “I apologize if I offended you over them. I can only hope that they are more welcoming to my presence once we are inside.” With that, he stepped into the home and began inspecting the various decorations that lined the inner hall. Only once he had had his fill, did he step aside to allow Luka to shut the door and offer him further directive. “It is a wonderful ho--...” He began, yet his praise for the home was cut short by a loud, nearby meow. Nyanko was standing in the nearest doorway with a particular trinket hanging from his mouth--a locket which glistened in the waning sunlight and taunted Luka with its sudden removal. Another meow, and the cat burst forward, through the half-open door, where it turned to stare at Luka from the other side. Its eyes twinkled with a hint of intelligence, and its face demonstrated what appeared to be the attempt of a grin, daring Luka to come take the locket back. And with that, it began to prance away.

"Well, the cat isn't really mine…" he started to protest then thought better of it. Luka raised a brow slightly at the man's formal and stiff way of talking. This one was going to be drier than the Kalahari Desert. He groaned when he saw the cat take off with the trinket in its mouth. "Oh, shoot. That's an heirloom. I'll be back," he called to the agent. "Really, Nyanko?!" he shouted after the cat who was making good time. "I feed you and name you and this is what I get?" A moment later, he shook his head. "Man, you must really hate that guy," he panted trying to catch his breath. He'd never been athletic in his life and that was not helping. He knew his mother would be very upset if the stray got away with the locket which had been passed down from generation to generation. He had to get it back.

From time to time, the cat stopped fleeing to allow Luka to catch up. At each break, it turned around to flaunt its lead by dropping the heirloom and licking its paws; only to pick it back up and continue the goose chase once Luka was close. Five minutes...ten minutes...gradually, they were running further and further away from the house. They were hiking up a familiar trail which led to the usual spot near the hill-top shrine. Rather than continue to that very spot, however, Nyako opted to dash in the direction of the shrine, after which he soon disappeared into its dimly lit interior.

The Bookfield Shrine was a bit out of place in regards to its East Asian thematic and design. Its exterior was constructed from red-colored wood with a black tiled roof to top it off. Thin sliding doors and panels defined the exterior walls, and allowed for only a single entrance at the front of the shrine. Little to no natural light spilled inward, leaving it relatively dark and reliant on the occasional candles which the walls of the open interior. Plush, red mats were evenly distributed across the wooden floor, some of them occupied by local practitioners who were lost in their prayers. Towards the rear most wall was the focus of the shrine--a spectacle of various statues that represented various iconic figures such as Sylvanus, Diana, and other mythological deities of nature. Nyanko was busy grooming himself near the center of the altar, where an offering bowl existed with his heirloom inside.

The longer the chase went on the more sure Luka was that the cat was playing him. He was being toyed with by a stray! They ended up in the shrine and Luka had to remove his shoes and creep quietly as to not disturb the ones deep in prayer. The audacity of that cat! sitting in the center of the altar. A priest, likely the same balding old man he had seen a few other times, shooed the cat away. Luka assumed a demeanor of piety, dropping his voice to a reverent whisper. "Um, excuse me sir, but that locket that's in the offering there? The cat stole it from me and dropped it there." He wasn't sure what the response would be, but there was an unwelcome suited man in his house, it occurred to him, and he couldn't really afford to waste any time.

“Ohohoho.” The elder tutted in response to Luka’s plea. He set aside the broom in his hand and reached into the bowl where he retrieved the small locket. He began running the silver trinket through his hands, inspecting its floral design and eventually popping it open to read the initials that were engraved within. “An item of great importance I feel it is, yet claimed by another it has already become.” With a careful grip, he gently closed the locket and tossed it back towards the center of the bowl. Seconds went by, but the clatter of silver against steel never came. In fact, there was nothing in the bowl despite the locket having clearly fallen in. Nothing about the situation made any sense at all, yet the elder seemed entirely nonchalant in regards to what had occurred. He reached for his broom and began sweeping the floor. It was only after several steps later that he paused to speak, announcing a small bit of insight for Luka to ponder. “Perhaps, if you require it back, you should speak with the Lady of the Shrine. She is quite fickle, but perhaps with enough devotion she may take pity on your cause.” Humming drowned the tail end of his words, as he continued with his cleaning and soon walked away.

In the meantime, Nyanko had returned and was now rubbing against Luka’s leg--purring with sheer happiness in regards to what he had done.


MILESTONE UPDATED - Find the "Lady of the Shrine"
[ - ] Find clues on the "Lady of the Shrine"
[ - ] Meet with the Lady of the Shrine
[ - ] Retrieve your heirloom back

 

[Azukai]

A Supernatural Glitch
mikyuu

There was no denying the embarrassment on Issac's face. Nonetheless, he graciously accepted Vivian's hand while his other began sheepishly rubbing the top of his head. "Feels like a couple of bruises, but I think I'm alright." He said with a smile of his own. "A bit odd though, I don't remember feeling pain in any of these dreams, not to mention...WAIT A SECOND!" Issac's outburst was sudden and without warning. He shot backwards and slammed into the nearest bookshelf which rained more books from its upper shelf. One by one, they struck against his head, forcing him into a squat with both hands tightly grasping the top of his head. "OWW." He whined from the pain that pulsated within his cranium. His antics were short-lived, however, as he began staring at Vivian with a mixed expression between fear and curiosity. "Who are you, and why are you in my dream?" He began in a suspicious tone. "And better yet, why can't I get rid of you..." He closed his eyes and furrowed his brow as if he were concentrating on a single thought. After several seconds, he re-opened his eyes only to see that Vivian was still standing there. "Y-You're supposed to be able to control lucid dreams. W-Who a-are y-you?" He sprung to his feet and grabbed the nearest book which he began brandishing as if it were a weapon.

Vivian couldn’t help but giggle at the boy’s flustered reaction. Honestly she probably would have done the same thing if she’d been in his situation. If a random person popped up in her dream, she’d probably have a heart attack. The boy went on to rattle about how she was somehow in his dream and how he was in his own lucid dream. Once he said this though, Vivian stopped her laughter. Her face twisted in confusion and concern. She thought that she was in her own lucid dream. What kind of madness would cause two people to appear in the same dream while they consciously aware of their dream? All she could muster was an equally as confused, “What?”

“I said, who are you!” Issac was growing more and more panicked. Eventually, he began wildly chucking books at Vivian, before scurrying off into the library. Most of the books fell harmlessly to the ground, yet one of them struck against Vivian and brought a sharp twinge of pain. Everything about the mild, throbbing injury felt real--if anything, it felt as if it were actually happening to her body, itself. In the distance, soft whispers began to echo through the air--from Issac who was huddled behind a vine infested corner. There, he was busy chanting the same line over and over, “Wake up, come on wake up already, Issac, wake up from this dream…”

“Watch where you’re throwing those things!” Vivian shouted at the boy as she attempted to dodge as many as she could. Unfortunately one stray book hit her right on her shoulder, she immediately winced as the dull pain throbbed through her shoulder. The pain from the projectiled book hurt much more than she thought it would. It felt much more realistic than she than she anticipated it would since she was in a dream. Vivian rubbed her shoulder as she tried to soothe her pain away.

After taking a moment to regain her composure, Vivian shouted once again at the young male, “My name is Vivan Satoshi! Now will you please stop throwing books at me!” Her hands were still raised over her head in the case of any more flying projectiles, yet it proved unnecessary as her introductions had been enough to somewhat calm Issac down.

Back in his corner, Issac had begun to take several deep breaths, alongside of his vocalized thought process which was busy analyzing the situation. “Okay, I’ve never heard that name in my life. I don’t recognize her face either, which means she must be a student that I saw on campus. My mind is just re-imagining this random person into my dream. It all makes sense now.” He took a couple more deep breaths, before bursting out from under the vine and into the open. His confidence was renewed, backed by the logical conclusion which he used as an explanation for the bizarre situation. With a smile on his face, he returned to where Vivian was standing and offered his hand for her to shake. “Hello, random stranger my mind has opted to create. What brings you to my dream today?”

“I have no idea, I don’t even know how I ended up here,” Vivian replied while she shrugged her shoulders. All she could remember was taking a nap after she’d left the campus grounds of Fracture. Which seemed to connect to what the boy was saying, but she was still consciously aware of everything. Thus made her not just some figment of his imagination. Nonetheless she couldn’t come up with any better explanation so she just rolled with it. “All I remember was having a nightmare and suddenly I was here.” She continued not knowing if the extra information would really help.

“I see.” Issac said with a quizzical expression on his face. “I recently remember reading a story similar to yours. It seems this area has begun to translate my memories into actualizations. How fascinating.” Gone was the former suspicion and fear; now replaced with a rabid curiosity that left him examining Vivian from every angle. Obvious excitement filled his tone as he began mumbling his observations to himself. “A perfect representation of the human form. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were a real huma--...” His ramblings were cut short by the sudden appearance of the hooded child from before. She manifested in the space between Vivian and Issac with her arms already reaching for Vivian’s own. “You must stop them.” Just like before, the child attempted to grasp Vivian’s arm, only to pass through her body without any resistance. The only difference was the staticy sensation that shot through Vivian’s arm and coursed through her midriff. Issac, who had fallen onto his butt, was busy backpedaling across the ground, in every effort to escape the fresh madness that had arrived. “G-G-GHOST!” He screeched at the top of his lungs before turning and sprinting off into the distance.

Completely surprised by the situation as well, Vivian took a few steps backwards. Out of fear, she tried to pull her arm away from the hooded girl. Though this proved to be pointless as she reached her anyway. Vivian left a jolt travel up the arm the girl had touched. It made her body become rigid and she almost fell over. “What the hell!” she exclaimed as she gripped onto the arm the girl had phased through. She had no idea what the girl had done; Vivian was highly suspicious that it was nothing good. Making sure there was a good distance between them this time, Vivian asked the girl, “Who are you and what do you mean by ‘them’? Why do you need me to stop someone or something!?”

The child made no moves to follow. In fact, her entire body remained frozen in place; even her arms were still extended as they were before. It was a peculiar scene that only grew weirder once elements of her body began to digitize and fade. “Y-You are close. F-Find this place. H-Help me. S-Stop them...he has the answers. P-Plea--...” And before they could finish, they were gone, dissipated away as quickly as they had come.

Vivian blinked a few times, stuck in shock from the event. It took her a few minutes before she really registered what had just happened. “What,” she mumbled to herself as she stared at the spot where the child had once stood. Vivian paused once again to gather her thoughts, “What does she mean?” she asked to no one in particular, not that anyone would have the answers. Vivian looked around to see that the boy had disappeared with no trace left. She grumbled in slight annoyance to his vanishing act. From his ramblings she heard earlier from him, he’d probably have some idea as to what the creepy girl meant. With not much else to go on, Vivian began to follow the sound of quiet whimpering.

“Go away!” Issac shouted once Vivian had grown close to his position. “Ever since you showed up, things have been awful again. This was my safe haven, a place to study and be away from everyone at that stupid school. Now look what’s happened…” From his tone, it was obvious that he was beginning to cry, and sure enough, sniffles could soon be heard.

 

[Azukai]

The Virtual Contract
LazyDaze

And pissed she was, glaring at Artemis from the opposite side of his desk. The two of them and Danny were all situated in Artemis' office where a heavy tension converted the atmosphere into a less than comfortable setting. Reina had arrived before the conclusion of Danny's show, only to see an unfathomable situation that was most definitely not a simple signing session. There were obvious choice words that she had wished to say, though she had opted to hold her tongue in favor of waiting for Artemis' explanation. The flamboyant man was still grinning from cheek to cheek as he tapped the surface of his desk and stared at Danny with a little too much enthusiasm. "I mean at the end of the day, there isn't much for me to explain. Yes, I might have stretched the truth a little, but all of it was for an amazing cause--one that benefits both parties involved here." He began pointing at the headset which still rested on Danny's head, having never been removed since the conclusion of his show. "He is currently the only individual, apart from an administrator such as myself, who can utilize the device. It was well tested, so there was minimal risk involved in him using it, not to mention at worst it would have simply rejected his genetic signature were he incompatible with the device..." Artemis paused his overall explanation and reached into one of his desk's drawers. There, he grabbed a bulky folder which was slammed onto the surface of the desk and opened for Danny and Reina to see. The papers contained nothing more than the legal jargon which defined the contract being offered their way. "I have no qualms with you taking this contract to a lawyer for review. To give you a high level overview, however, you can expect nothing but the best for your career. My organization is only interested in the data obtained from your usage of our device. That alone is payment enough. All remaining proceeds, minus the cost of booking your shows, are for you to line your own pockets with. Certainly, that's enough to look past a little white lie." He gave Reina a quick wink.

All Danny could do was hold an expression as if saying, its not what it looks like. Although it was exactly what it looked like. He had went ahead and got into something that was possibly over his head. The only way he could live with the weight of a decision was to keep telling himself that it was absolutely necessary for his progression into the upper echelon of the entertainment business. However, he was more likely able to deal with the weight because the helmet was designed to be light.

“...Hey Reina…”

“Shut it…,” She said quietly but firmly. It was enough to shut Danny down who was now back in his place. The problem with letting a dog roam without its leash for too long was that it might start thinking its a wolf; however, you could never rid the smell of domestication so easily. She caught on to every bit of jargon the business man was using. She didn’t doubt the contract was legit...well as legit as you could get while still screwing someone over. At least he didn’t sign away his monetary rights. (Well that was still to be determined.) The issue with things that sounded too good to be true...was that they were too good to be true.

“I’m certain you wouldn’t take advantage of a client who was only briefly removed from his agent,” she said with a smile. Her face was the complete opposite of what she felt on the inside, her blood practically boiling. “One can never be too careful, so I’m certain you won’t mind us reviewing these papers with professionals.”

Reina’s animosity towards him was beginning to spur annoyance. And although he did his best to minimize showing it, his tone was noticeably curt when he gave his reply. “Of course. Do as you please.”

With that said Reina tapped Danny on the shoulder and then began to walk out of the building. The ‘puppy dog’ soon followed with a nod to Artemis. “Umm...how do you take this thing off…” he whispered, a bit embarrassed. Silence befell the room until Artemis eventually burst into loud fit of laughter. Soon, tears began to roll down his face all while he braced himself against the desk to hold his body upright. It took a good while before he was finally calm, after which he began a response in between the occasional snort. “You..pull...it...off. You silly, boy. It’s not affixed to your head or anything. I do recommend keeping it on while you are going about your day, however. You might find it useful.” As if on cue, Lore began to inject her voice into his conscious. “I understand you no longer need your current functions. I will now unlink you from the Strix’s AR field. Please hold…”

It was a seamless experience which felt as if a weight had been lifted off of Danny’s mind. Gone was any sense of active pressure, replaced by a general fatigue that was a result of his recent mental exercise. “...You have been successfully unlinked from the Strix AR field. Since you no longer require my services, I will now be entering into stand-by mode. If you require my assistance, simply call my name.” The lights on the headset powered down and became an occasional pulse to signal that it was still alive. Seeing this happen, Artemis began a follow-up explanation as his final thought before letting Danny and Reina go. “Lore has many functions outside of AR. Consider her your personal assistant, be that for directions, suggestions, or even advice. On top of that, she is capable of generating a personal AR field for you to utilize. That function will require some practice, however. In your current state, your mind is strong enough to handle the device’s full capabilities. If your curious later on, ask Lore and she will be able to walk you through a tutorial on using your new toy--assuming your agent doesn’t confiscate it.”

 

[Boss]

TerraBooma | Boss​

B^{APTISM BY FIR}E​

5:03 _PM
Firehouse 131 | Ranger's Cabin
May 20th

The largest portion of the day for the workers of Firehouse 131 consisted of many menial tasks, ranging from the general maintenance of the various engines and trucks to the basic fundamentals of simply keeping the bay clean and free of debris. May 20th was an especially windy day, so the tarmac slope that connected the firehouse to the specialized T-intersection was relatively crowded with trash and leaves. It was mostly Trevor’s responsibly that shift - which was not terribly exciting in the least. Whenever the clearing beyond the station was clear, Trevor’s attention was pulled elsewhere to lend a hand. Jackie wasn’t faring any better. For the better part of the day, she had fallen into a moody silence while she had worked on cleaning and refueling the smaller pickup trucks. A nagging thought in the back of her mind constantly reminded her that this was punishment for not being with her team earlier, as most of her shifts were considerably less mundane.


Like earlier that morning, the engine and the majority of the team that crewed it was sent on yet another call for an M.V.A, thus leaving the station with the remaining engine, now operable thanks to Trevor and Jackie’s hard work. The clock had just passed 5 when it happened.

BOOM​

A sky-cracking explosion shook the core of Quarterly, as a small mushroom cloud of fire began to rise somewhere from within the industrial zone. Trevor found several other crew members joining him outside to gaze at the ever-rising tower of smoke in a mixture of awe and terror. The traffic halted - the voices of bystanders whispered in unison. That was when the station bell began to ring, and Trevor felt a heavy hand pat him twice on the shoulder before realizing that the second engine was noticeably undermanned and in need of temporary crew. A brief moment of eye-contact with the station chief was all the confirmation he needed that he was chosen to ride along to the scene.

A mix of feeling shot through Trevor. Fear, concern, excitement, and then a sense of professionalism. He had a job to do, and whatever happened, there were lives in danger and a fire he had to get under control. Trevor rushed to the lockers and kit himself up, donning his usual firefighter equipment in record time. Whatever this was, it was big. It had been quite some time since he’d been on a big job, and he knew they were going to be overworked, but at the same time, he was excited. This was a chance to prove himself. To prove that he was worth the attention he wanted. After gearing up, he jumped into the driver seat of the engine. With the other designated drivers gone, it was just a matter of getting going. He turned the key and started the fire truck's engine before leaning out.


“Cmon people! We gotta move!” He slipped back into the seat and waited for everyone to board before the firefighter would turn on the lights and gun it out the door, whatever was out there? They had to get to it. And quick. He quickly scanned the engine, trying to see if Jackie made it on board. He didn’t have to search for long. No later after Trevor started the engine, his gaze locked onto Jackie’s as she dropped into the passenger seat. Her eyes were burning with as much excitement as there was fear, but there could be no doubt that she was ready whenever he was.

5:15 _PM
​

With the aid of the vehicle’s blaring horns and flashing lights, Engine 2 had no issue clearing a path to the scene despite it being Blue Spring’s second busiest hour of the day. Many citizens were on the way home at this point, thus the roads were littered in as many cars now as it was earlier that morning. It was an impressive feat witnessing Trevor maneuver through traffic with a great sense of duty - a bar Jackie swore to surpass ever since they met.


It was obvious that they were getting closer. If the tower of flames that loomed into the sky wasn’t enough of a hint, the waves of panicking pedestrians were. They knew when they arrived on the block when the vehicles that had previously been parked outside were now toppled over like toys.


The blazing inferno surrounded by bent iron-fencing was once a lumber mill. Tipped over machinery littered the front entrance. The main lumber processing building itself was further away - built specifically to be isolated from the surrounding building and connected only by a track of gravel. Immediately a concern had arisen - the closest fire hydrant was still too far to use on the building in desperate need of dousing. The hoses on the engine were a tad too short for water to reach, even in a large arch. Jackie pointed this out with an air of worry, but that wasn’t the only concerns they had.


As the engine stopped on the side of the road, numerous bodies were collected all over the lumber grounds - their clothes most reminiscent of the local gang, ‘Rangers’ and ‘Lads’. With a strained look, Jackie turned to Trevor for suggestions on how to tackle the situation.



With the blaze as out of control as it was, Trevor knew one thing already- putting it out wasn’t even remotely an option. It’d be bad enough with a normal fire, but in a lumber yard full of sawdust, chemicals, and god knew what else, Trevor’s priorities shifted. He wasn’t looking to put out this raging blaze, but make sure it didn’t spread further. As he locked eyes with Jackie, he shouted over to her, trying to take on a more responsible role. There was no fire chief here, they were on their own. “Containment and evac the wounded!” He called out a general plan. “Jackie, make sure this thing isn’t going to eat up everything else! We don’t need to put it out, it’ll burn out eventually.” He brought the engine a bit closer, within range so it’s hoses could at least buy them time. “We need to check those bodies, see their condition. If they’re all dead, that’s one thing. But if anyone’s alive we have to get them out of here!” He looked to the others. “Someone figure out how the hell this thing started, where’s the foreman? I’m going in to see if anyone’s trapped inside, we don’t have much time.” He grabbed a fire axe and shifted the compressed air tank onto his back, equipping it to his mask.


“We keep this thing contained and get out everyone we can. I’m going in to look for wounded. Someone check those bodies!” He grabbed a fire extinguisher to help clear the immediate path once he was inside.


“Move people! We got a job to do! Stay alert, if this was some gang thing, there might still be a fight going on, but we aren’t here for the safe job eh?” With that, he started working his way inside, checking the immediate bodies for pulses before carrying any live ones to where a medical station would be forming, then he was into the inferno. He may have been in it for the glory, but he was a professional- he had lives to save. Most of the lumber mill’s interior was covered in infernal flames, stoked by the sudden influx of oxygen from Trevor’s entrance.


The center of the mill consisted of large machinery linked together by conveyor belts. Normally, you’d put a shaved tree log at one end and get something else as an output. Now, the only thing coming out of those machines was hellfire. There were more bodies laid about, yet upon closer inspection, it looked as if each of them died prior to the fire - gunshot wounds and dried blood. The blaze was simply a product of an earlier scuffle.


Trevor’s brief investigation was interrupted by the pained noises of a human being struggling to cling to life. A blood trial formed by a survivor let Trevor to the innermost office of the mill, where someone had been trapped under toppled over filing cabinets. “He-..re..!”


Trevor cursed and ran up to the person trapped under the cabinets. They had to be moved, no ifs ands ors or buts about it. "This is Trevor!" He shouts into his radio. "Found one. Looks critical, moving to inspect." He rushed up to the cabinets, starting to move them out of the way. "Hey! Can you walk!?" He called out as he cleared a path. As soon as he had freed the person from the cabinets, he performed a rapid assessment, trying to see what the most critical injuries were. "Whats your name? Can you tell me where you are?" If he was movable, he'd start transporting them to a firemans carry to get them the hell out. Together with the lack of oxygen and burns across the man’s lower half, responses weren’t a possibility. The last of the man’s strength had been used to call out for Trevor’s attention before falling into a state of unconsciousness.


The amount of sawdust scattered around the lumber mill created many smaller explosions across the interior of the building - one of which ignitied a couple feet in front of Trevor’s path, blasting him and the survivor back into the cabin with a surprising amount of explosive force. As if being set back wasn’t bad enough, the innermost wall was suddenly broken through by a blazing pillar once used to help uphold a part of the ceiling. The foundation landed on top of Trevor’s form before he could rise from the explosion in time. Within seconds, he could feel the scalding heat seeping into his fireproof uniform. The pillar itself was too heavy to lift in that position, and too hot to hold onto even for a moment.


“GRAH!” Trevor called out as the explosion knocked out. He knew the sawdust was going to be dangerous, but he’d been hoping to act before it truly started exploding. Clearly the building was further compromised than he had judged. Shit. Given that he’d been knocked to the ground, he knew his alarm would be going off. He had to get moving, they didn’t have the resources to come and pull him out after all. His suit hadn’t been ruptured, it was holding off the flaming pillar for a little bit at least, he had to move quickly while he still had his protective suit. He still had control of his upper body, so that was what he had to work with. Lifting the pillar wasn’t an option- even touching it was going to destroy his gloves. Fortunately, he was equipped. He reached to his side, still free of the debris, and pulled his Haligan tool free, with a determined shout, Trevor shoved the wedge of the tool into the pillar, using his axe to jam it in deep under the pillar. From there, he dedicated everything he had to lifting. He wasn’t going to die trapped under some pillar! He couldn’t have thought of a more tragic way for him to go out, that’s not where it was going to end. He called out as he tried to lift his legs free. A simple shout that might identify to others that he was trapped, but he was focusing energy on his lever. He just needed an inch to pull his legs free. He was so close!


The rapid degregation of the wooden foundation was perhaps the sole reason why his Haligan was able to free him. With a loud snap of wood, the foundation was severed at the tool, and relieved Trevor of it’s weighted clutches. The bad news was that he could now visualize his situation with his own eyes. Trevor’s left leg had hadn’t faired as well as the rest of his body - the pants-leg was considerably more charred than the rest, and the lack of feeling in his limb didn’t bear any good news either. Any attempt to move the injured leg yielded no results. Above the sounds of rushing flames, failing supports and shouting outside, came the crashing of yet another wooden beam - this time avoiding Trevor and smashing the doorway to the office, effectively blocking it off in a pile of infernal junk.


All hope wasn’t lost, however, as there was an unbroken window between the inner office and the main machining room. Trevor could probably manage to get through it, but not with the survivor in his arms. Trevor could toss the unconscious man through the window once it’s broken in the efforts that another could save him, or jump through by himself and leave the man to his fate. Judging by the concerning creaking of the ceiling above, he didn’t have much time to think on a decision.


He was a firefighter, and he was here to save lives. That much was true. And deep down, there was more than a sense of professionalism driving Trevor to try and save this man, but he knew he had to get himself out alive. He shouted into the radio as he crawled for the door, using the other hand to drag the man as best he could. Keeping low and away from the rising heat. “This is Trevor! Mayday! I need an RIT! Got one but...I don’t know if I can get him out!” He smashed the window with an axe before taking cover. He knew the rush of oxygen could cause a blowback. After it was as cleared out as it was going to get, he pulled himself out of the room, he cursed himself inwardly, but his first boss had told him something once. "We risk a lot to save savable life. We risk a little to save savable property. We risk nothing to save life or property we are unable to save." Plus, if he got buried in a burning room, he’d only be risking the lives of the firefighters who would come in after him to save him. He hated himself, he really did. But he had to get himself out of the room. He crawled over the window before turning around. If he could get out free and clear, he’d at least try to lean back in and pull the man out after him.


He had to at least try.


Oxygen at this point was nothing but a luxury hard to come by. Trevor’s vision was largely blocked by the smoke that rolled out of the broken window, but through it, he could see the form of the man he tried to save. Motionless, the fires that threatened to engulf the man’s body elicited no response. Unlike Trevor, he didn’t have a tank of oxygen. However, before Trevor’s realization fully came to him, a hefty section of the ceiling caved in on his outstretched arm. Pinched between heavy, burning construction and the window sill, Trevor’s right arm tore out of his shoulder in one heartbeat.


The pain wasn’t even there. All Trevor could feel was a sudden numbness, followed by a sudden, almost soothing rise in heat in his bloody stub before beginning to pass out. All of a sudden, the equipment he wore felt so heavy. Gravity only assisted him on the way down, and just before his eyes shut, Trevor could see the terrified look in Jackie’s eyes through her visor.

 

[Azukai]

Genius === Prestige?
Elowyn

Maybe the priest didn't understand the importance of the locket. "Please, show some mercy. The locket is an important family heirloom. I must have it back." Seeing that the holy man was speaking in that mysterious way they tend to, he sighed quietly. Perhaps he couldn't expect any more from him. Strangely, when the locket was tossed into the bowl he didn't hear it clink against the bottom as he had the first time. Stranger and stranger. Yet, Luka was a patient person. These sorts of things would get uglier if he tried to use force or whine. "Then please tell me how I can find favor with her. And where the Lady can be found." He felt a soft thing against his leg and saw that Nyanko, for one, was happy. Luka sighed again, coming to terms with the fact that no answer was forthcoming from the old man. Despondently, he pet the cat. After all, it was only an animal and these things couldn't really be helped. What was done was done. However, determination pulsed strongly within him to retrieve the locket no matter what it took. Hopefully, no one would notice its absence for a few days.

At the entrance to the shrine, the elder had come to a stop. Luka’s words hadn’t fallen on deaf ears, in regards to the fact that he began to respond. “You will find the Lady when you are ready. I sense that you are lost. In the end, one must walk on steady ground if they hope to find that which is on the other side.” With nothing more to say, he passed through the doorway and followed the adjacent walkway to an alternate wing of the shrine. This time, he was gone for good, leaving Luka with another cryptic message that did little to truly answer his question.

More mysterious words that could mean a thousand different things. He thought that religious people probably used the same mumbo-jumbo fortune tellers and psychics used that was so vague it was useless and meant nothing. Shaking his head in bafflement and annoyance, he picked up the cat which was twining around his ankles. Nyanko was a nice cat that usually let him pick him up, unlike some of the more wary strays. This could mean that he used to belong to someone, as he was so comfortable with people. Glowering at the cat he walked outside the shrine and said sternly, “Bad cat! Now you see what sort of trouble you put me in? You better help me fix this!” As quickly as it came, his anger vanished. Jeez, what am I doing talking to the cat as if he could understand me? He trudged on home just as the sun was setting beyond the horizon and a few crows cawed to each other in mid-flight. All in all, however, Nyanko was content with following Luka on his walk back home.

Brookfield was situated at the base of a valley; thus giving Luka a perfect view as he trudged down the hill. Everything about the town was rustic to its core--the small, dated buildings which filled the inner city, the generation of elderly folk who strolled for some afternoon air, even the outskirts which were defined by ranges of country farmlands that stretched off into the horizon. At the end of the day, Brookfield was a peaceful town for anyone who desired a quiet, comfortable life.

With a meow, Nyanko broke the silence the moment they reached the inner workings of the town. Although Luka didn’t live in the heart of the Brookfield, it was still the fastest route to go through the heart and onto the opposite end of the town. It was a common path and one that had been traversed time after time again, even for the cat. Nonetheless, he shot off in a new direction--one that led downtown. There were no turns or bends in the path that he traveled, and after sprinting roughly two blocks, he came to a sudden halt meowed once again. He turned his head to face Luka’s direction and gave him a peculiar gaze that was unbecoming of a cat. With that, he shot towards the nearest building and passed through its animal door.

The building Nyanko choose was peculiar. For starters, every wall was covered with masses of overgrowth in the form of moss and flowering vines. It was, however, somewhat fitting given the dangling sign which jutted over the sidewalk and was visible from where Luka stood.

Witch’s Hut: Apothecary and Fortune.

Luka watched as the cat vanished beneath a curiously titled shop he'd never entered before. He didn't have time to babysit a stray cat. Nyanko could take care of himself. Meanwhile, he had dinner to prepare. He wondered if the academy guy had given up yet and left. Mentally he berated himself for leaving the guy there where he could potentially steal something, but then again, what else could he have done? Luka speed walked the rest of the way home. When he entered the front door, his sister Cyren was there with one of her female friends. "Luka! Where is dinner? You disappeared and mom will be back anytime!" she exclaimed, sounding irked.

"Sorry, sorry," he said in reply and resumed cooking dinner. It was panko crusted chicken and asparagus. Soon a delicious smell filled the air. "Maiyuu is having dinner with us today," his little sister told him. Luka nodded. "Fine." They plated the food right as mom walked in the door.

“Good evening, kids!” she said walking in. She was a nurse at the local clinic. Sometimes her days were tiring, but she says that the work there is meaningful. Both of her children return the greeting. “Dinner is ready to be served,” Cyren announced.

They all ate together without much talking. Sometimes Maiyuu would compliment the taste of the food. When they were all done, Maiyuu and Cyren went into Cyren’s room to hang out. They’re probably having girl talk in there, Luka thought to himself. His next thought was: please don’t notice the missing locket! The precious heirloom usually hung from its place in the glass cabinet besides a vase and a plate from Italy.

“How was it today?” mom asked.

“Same as usual,” he replied.

“Are you still hanging with those cats? Strays can carry disease, you know.”

“I know.”

“Luka, you really should try to make friends with those around your age.”

This again. She should just leave it alone… I’m not going to magically make friends! “I’m fine,” he asserted with just a touch of annoyance. “I’m happy as I am.”

He only received a pitying smile in return. She retired to the living room to read some magazines and then went off to bed. Sometime around 8pm Maiyuu left.

Luka Waite was mostly playing video games and chatting to some online friends before going to sleep on his navy plaid comforter. Another day done.

 

[Azukai]

A Supernatural Glitch
mikyuu

Upon hearing the sound of crying from the boy, Vivian tensed up. Crying was something she couldn’t handle very well. She just never knew what to say and would always somehow make the person cry even more. Walking slowly, she approached the weeping boy. Vivian tried to walk quietly so she wouldn’t startle the boy. She knelt down next to him and softly placed her hand on his shoulder. She felt bad for the boy, Vivian could relate to how he felt in this moment. She’d experienced a very similar situation as the boy back with her family in Japan. “Hey, I’m really sorry that this happened. I know you want nothing to do with me right now, but I promise you it’s gonna be okay.”

Over time, Issac’s composure began to improve. He took several deep breaths to accelerate the process, then wiped away the tears off his face. “I’m sorry.” He eventually muttered in a low, sheepish tone. “Everything has been overwhelming at this school...status...money...when you got neither...it sucks. When I figured out I could come to this place, it was like I had found a safe haven, somewhere for my own personal use. A pretty selfish and naive perspective in retrospect though.” With renewed composure, he rose to his feet and began dusting any dirt off of his pants. Once clean, he extended a hand Vivian’s way--a second chance at the introductions he had squandered before. “My name is Issac. Hopefully, we can put...my behavior...past us…” He had a hopeful expression on his face, merged with a warm smile that complemented his cordial, albeit nervous tone. “Also, you should tell me everything that you know. I had always thought dreams were exclusive, but that much has been proven wrong. How mysterious...”

Vivian nodded along as she listened to Issac’s story. It was kinda scary how much she could relate to his life. She returned his smile with one of her own, hoping to lighten the mood. “I’m Vivian, it’s nice to meet you,” she said as she outstretched her hand towards him. The two briefly shook hands before she continued to explain what she knew, “I don’t really understood all of this, but I’ll tell you what I know. I was having this really bad nightmare and I just suddenly woke up here. But the little girl we say earlier, I think I saw her this morning when I was still awake. Other than that I have no idea what’s up with her.”

Issac’s brow furrowed in response to her statement. “The ghost… There’s never been a girl associated with this dream. Are you here, the library? Are you a student too?”

“No I’m not a student, I just went to the financial office today… In fact I just took a nap in my apartment and now I’m here,” Vivian replied shrugging her shoulders.

“Nothing you’re telling me is really adding up.” Issac responded with a shrug of his own. “Like this place is a perfect replica of the Fracture library, minus the flora and all…” His voice trailed off, and he fell silent once more. His expression was still perplexed, all while his mind churned for a sensible explanation to the conundrum that Vivian had presented. “Since it was so similar, I figured it was just re-construction of the very space I’m in. It’s why I’ve been spending all my time napping in the library. It was a safe space away from people--quiet too, which means it’s been perfect for studying the endless texts here.” He reached for the nearest bookcase and retrieved one of the titles from its middle shelf. The Count of Monte Cristo was a recognizable enough novel, and its content was just as expected once he had opened the book for Vivian to view. “The fact that you’re here has to be linked to that ghos...girl. You mentioned she spoke to you? Did she give you an explan--...”

What followed was a blur. It was a jarring transition that ripped Vivian’s conscious away from the library and back to the reality of her apartment. In one moment she had been listening to Issac speak, whereas the next she was being bombarded with the chaotic noise of her neighborhood’s early morning ruckus. The clock in her room showed an unreasonable time of thirteen past seven in the morning,, but that was the least of her present concerns. Her garments and sheets were soaked in a puddle of sweat that left her body in a clammy, chilled state. To make matters worse, a pounding headache had afflicted her head, in addition to the fatigue that weighed her body down with noticeable aches.

“What the-“ Vivian began before she toppled out of her bed. She landed hard on her bottom next to her bed. Her face scrunched and she bit down on her lip to keep herself from crying out. “Fuck,” she groaned as she slowly stood up. She raised her arms high above her head in a stretch and yawned loudly. Vivian felt sore all over, she glanced at the clock only to note that it was already the morning of the next day.

She looked down at her bed only to see that the sheets were soaked. Vivian frowned at the thought of having to do her laundry early. These were times she still wished she had maids running around her 24/7. She never realized how much the maids did until she started living off by her own. It was a huge learning curve having to take care of herself.

How she’d slept through the whole afternoon and the night of one day fathomed her, but her dream confused her even more. The boy, Issac, she’d met had claimed she was in his dream. Which should be completely impossible given they were both aware and conscious in the dream. She looked back over at the clock to check the time. “Wait… The hackathon is today!” she exclaimed loudly as she rushed to grab some clothes from her drawer. She changed as quickly as she could and grabbed the invitation she’d conveniently placed on her night stand. She slipped on her shoes and rushed to the destination of the hackathon.

 

[Randomfella]

Ashley Smith
The Space Bar | Jakeland​

A light frown overcame Ashley's face as the Owl began to speak, he was utterly ridiculous with his words, but she had gotten used enough to it. The girl kept her composure as the mention of those that had come, hunting a woman, though she could not help a sudden shortening of her breath for a split second at the note of it. So, they had found her once again? Perhaps it was time to move once more. Ashley's eyes continued to twitch around the room, before sharply glancing back to the man before her.

As the picture was passed on the table, a shivering left had quickly swiped toward it, scooping it up almost instantly, in an attempt to hide its content from prying eyes. Ash stared toward the image, then to the sides of her peripheral vision, and back to the Owl, repeating to do so countless times. Ryder, Owl barely had to state the name, the pampered boy was son to the CEO of what Ash found to be another questionable mega corporation, the similarities were definitely there. "Five million...?" The size of the bounty was surprising, especially for a simple silver spoon, it drove countless thoughts through the girl's mind, just what had that man done? Perhaps there would be more interest in asking the boy...

Ashley scowled back toward the Owl up from her hood, his nonchalant speech had drawn attention toward them that she had noticed to increase as their conversation continued, something the girl didn't need, especially in a place like this. Slowly, her head turned slightly, so that the corner of her eyes could scan the surrounding patrons. The intent was clear in their eyes, looks that Ashley had seen too many times to count, and one that she had spent great time to try and hide. Her brisk fingers danced around the grip of her pistol, her body, while slumped in a seemingly relaxed manor, stiff and prepared to act at the slightest movement. Her mind filled with daggers of paranoia, slicing through her thoughts, the substances she relished helped to bolster them. "I'll find you." She simply responded, in the same hushed, low tone, as her body rose to prepare to leave. Either they acted now, drawing a crowd, or they followed her, the girl had always preferred the latter.

Boss

 

[LazyDaze]

Danny could have facepalmed when he was instructed on how to take off the device. Despite the embarrassment, he still was relieved that he wouldn't have to live the rest of his life as an android. Once it was moved it felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from off his shoulders. Reina ignored the finally conversations, eager to get out before they ended up in an endless cycle of sly remarks. Once they left she practically snatched the helmet from Danny's hands as she eyed it suspiciously. "I'll be borrowing this. What is this thing anyway?"

"Some virtual reality thingy. Has a nasty bite though, but whatever I think pretty much comes to life."

"Sounds too good to be true."

"And you're going to figure out if that's the case?"

"I wouldn't have to if you would just listen to the person you pay to make these decisions."

"What's already been done cannot be unchanged. Let us move forward..."

"Cut the bull Ghandi," Reina said as she still observed the helmet. She then tossed it back to Danny who juggled it a bit before securing it. They both got in the car and headed back to the Downtown apartments. After the quiet ride Reina let Danny out. "I'll take these documents to a lawyer and review them. I'll let you know if I find anything. For now just don't do anything stupid."

"Perhaps you couldn't sound so condescending."

"....No."

With that she sped off and left Danny there alone with Lore. He did as instructed and was fairly inactive for the remainder of the day. He would occasionally glance at the helmet and wonder just how they were able to create such a thing. Was it even legal? You would think the military would try to find some way to use it. Meanwhile, Reina was having no luck finding an out in the contract. It seemed legit. This mean that she would have deal with Artemis for quite a bit in the future. "Damn," she said out of frustration. A smirk then curled on her lips after she allowed time to begin the healing process. "Looks like I'll have to actually earn my money." She placed the documents down and then picked up her phone. She would set up a meeting with Artemis. If she had to work with the devil to make Danny a star, she would.

Azukai

 

[Azukai]

Run, Zenith, Run!
KnightThanatos

Zenith let out a cough from the resulting smoke. It was fortunate that he had sat on the opposite side of the car where the SUV had crashed into. Albeit the force of the explosion had still blasted him into the side of the car, but at least the armor plating had done its job well. He undid his seatbelt gingerly and took stock of the situation. His driver was alive, although he was unconscious. Zenith’s ears were ringing slightly from the explosion and his head hurt from where it had banged into the window but other than that, he was fine. It was clear there was a sniper and while Zenith did have a bulletproof vest underneath his suit, it wouldn’t be much help if the bullet went through his head.

Zenith then patted his pockets. Miraculously, his Bluetooth earpiece remained intact. He slipped it on -- no doubt his security team had seen the situation and would be awaiting contact from him. Zenith then entered his passcode into the keypad for a small compartment in the middle of the car. From it, Zenith pulled out a shoulder holster and a Glock 18. He took off his suit jacket and slung on the holster before replacing his suit jacket once more. While it wouldn’t do much against any snipers, if any other mercenary had tracked him or possibly a partner/ground team of the sniper was sent, he would be able to deal with them easily. Zenith turned on his earpiece, making contact with his security force. The main problem he now faced was exactly how he was going to get out of this alley safely. Based on the SUV that had crashed into him, Zenith deduced that there must have been a tracker on the car or on him. Athena had, after all, had many opportunities where she had been close enough to plant a tracker or a bug on him.

The sniper still posed a block in any potential plan though, as there was really no way to exit the alley without losing his cover. Then again, the explosion had caused a billow of smoke which could provide suitable cover for him. The only way to exit the car would have to be through the driver’s seat or the bent in door of the passenger’s seat on the left as the right was completely blocked by a building. Zenith kicked the car door -- which was noticeably bent in and almost off the hinges judging by the crack of daylight that streamed through -- open and exited to encounter the burning hunk of metal that was once an SUV. The driver of the SUV was definitely dead. Two cars entered the alley. Zenith crouched warily, half concealed by the wreckage of cars and the resulting smoke. There was nothing to worry about however, as the drivers of the cars stepped out revealing themselves to be Zenith’s security team. Zenith was then led into one of the cars. The cars set off to a safe location once more, but this time with the added protection -- and added distraction -- of two more cars. A sniper wouldn’t be stopping them, nor would these cars be tracked. Zenith was then scanned for any trackers or bugs by another member of his security team who determined that he was clean.

---------------------------------------

Back on the rooftops, the Japanese assassin and her crew were unconcerned with the loss of their mark. They patiently waited for the smoke to clear and afterward observed the numerous cars which sped away in various directions. Soon after, a voice began speaking in the woman’s ear piece--an inquiry for further orders from a more mobile member of her team. “Feather signature detected. Permission to engage?” Static silence followed the question, leaving the woman with a furrowed brow as she contemplated their next move. “We wait.” The answer was simple enough, yet it left her immediate team members with notable confusion on their face. “Are you certain, boss..?” One of them began in a dubious tone, but he fell silent the moment she wove her hand in a circle and signaled them to turn away. One by one, each agent vanished from the rooftop, until it was only the woman staring towards the horizon and grinning from cheek to cheek.

---------------------------------------

It wasn’t long into Zenith’s new journey that the car’s phone began to alert an incoming call. Given the circumstances, it wasn’t hard to predict who the source of the call was; however, the driver was still keen on asking given Zenith’s current disposition. “Do you wish to take this call, Mr. Ryder?” He asked.

“Is there any security risk in answering?” Zenith responded. Although he was sure he would be found again, he’d rather not make it an easy job for whoever was tracking him. Five million would bring in a lot of takers, but with his security, only the better ones would have a chance. Zenith was confident that the lower level takers would be handled easily but it was the top tier ones attracted only by sizable contracts, like this one, that he would need to be on guard for.

The driver exchanged a glance with the other bodyguard who gave a nod. “The signal will be untraceable. No one will be able to track you through that.”

Zenith stoically picked up the phone. It was inevitable to avoid, and it would be better that he was prepared than if he was in the dark. Intel was vital to his survival.

“Hiii, Zenith.” Athena’s voice was unmistakable. Her tone was cheerful, almost taunting, which was in stark contrast to the boredom she had demonstrated prior. “You’ve done well so far. Your security seems competent enough, and the escape you pulled off...I’d imagine it has stumbled a good ninety-five percent of your hunters. But I wonder how you'll fair against those who still remain. You'll soon find out that they are...different. Your human tricks might not be so effective anymore..." She paused to allow time for her words to sink in, but rather than give Zenith an opportunity to respond, she soon continued with her existing train of thought. "...which brings us to our little dilemma. I have no desire to see you killed by a band of brutes. Thus far, you have well-served your purpose for my organization, but you have yet to fulfill the depth of your worth. Hence, I shall raise the stakes.

You have denied my offer once. I am not surprised by this fact--any smart businessman would have done the same as you. Nonetheless, if the details are what you desire, then the details are what you shall have. I will offer you insight into my organization and give full disclosure to the device in question. This shall minimize the risk you are concerned with, as well as, sow the seeds for a budding relationship between the two of us...“ There was another pause from which the sounds of another phone call soon became evident on Athena’s end.

‘Yes, yes. Freeze the contract.’

“...and there you have it. My goodwill for the time being. I need not an immediate answer from you. I give you the remainder of the day to make your decision. You now have my number.”

The end of the phone call was jarring and abrupt. Everything she had said was clear as day--Zenith’s contract was on hold for the remainder of the day, while a new offer was left on the table for him to consider.

 

[Azukai]

The Price of Fame
LazyDaze

Reina and Danny were sitting across from Artemis, in a room that was far more lustrous than the bar's office had been. Rather than conduct their business in the same grungy neighborhood from before, Artemis had offered a better venue--one that better reflected the height of the organization which backed his offer towards Danny's stardom. Located in the heart of downtown Blue Springs was the office of a rising entertainment company known as Stratosphere. It was a relatively new organization; however, one that had already made a name for itself in light of its notable accomplishments. AR and VR technology was a growing interest across the population, and Stratosphere was more than happy to bring supply to the demand. They were the proud owners of several award-winning titles that including a handful of mobile AR games and a PC VR exclusive. On top of that, there had been rumors in the tech world that they had been developing a new, revolutionary headset--of which Danny's only helped to validate such claims.

The room itself was surrounded by three walls of rotating glass panels which defined the outer perimeter in a loose, easy-to-access way. Inside, there was a long, marble conference table with enough seats to house at least a dozen individuals; whereas, on the non-glass wall was a series of screens that stretched the length of the table. Everything about the room was modern and technologically advance; though, none of it was necessary for the meeting at hand. "Welcome to Stratosphere. I presume you now understand the origin and credibility of Lore, as well as the foundation upon which I can offer you this deal." There was bubbling excitement in Artemis' voice as he explained the origin of it all. "With recent technological innovations, Lore has made the impossible possible. Nonetheless, there is a distinct lack of real-world application outside of games. This is where you come into play. For many years, Stratosphere has been looking to expand their reach in the entertainment world, and music was the first logical step for a device that blends fantasy with reality. Concerts are already capable of selling out venues when one considers the artist alone. Imagine what could be achieved when we factor in artificial reality to augment their show."

Artemis reached across the table and grabbed a remote that controlled the various screens behind him. Soon, various news outlets were streaming in each screen--each of them covering the same story that pertained to yesterday's show. "I'm not sure if you've checked the news, but shit is on fire." Sure enough, the news anchors were busy raving over a sample of footage that had been taken from his show in the Strix. Suddenly, the swarm of journalists and reporters that had been at the front entrance to the building made sense.

"The fact that you are both here, tells me that you are on board. And if there isn't any major questions concerning our contract, then I'd ask that we finish signing and move onto next steps." He reached into his pocket for a custom pen that he slid Danny's way. "There's a show to prepare for, and someone's got to learn how to use their device."

 

[LazyDaze]

Reina hated to admit it, but perhaps she didn't give Artemis and his company enough credit. They do say you're products of your environment, and perhaps it was the environment that was causing Artemis to emit a powerful aura of a two timing sleeze bag. Granted, he could still be a two timer, but at least they would be two timed with class. Of course know one wanted to be that person, but the change in venue was a great relief to Reina; at least some of the pressure would be taken off of her. Danny was relieved more than anything. He had gone down the internet rabbit hole the night before. Scams, government cover ups, aliens and brain implants; he had covered them all. He wondered if he truly made a mistake; nevertheless, like Reina, he was relieved. Looking back on the entire ordeal they should have known some random alley dweller wouldn't have been able to get their hands on technology like that. Despite all of the positives they couldn't get caught up in the red carpet that was laid out for them less they wanted to be rolled up with it as the curtains closed. If you weren't careful this world would swallow you alive and both Danny and Reina knew that.

As Artemis eloquently explained the company, and potential future Danny did his best to contain his inner child. He had to give up a lot of things, but games, VR, and technology in general was a bit of a fantasy to him. Somewhere deep inside that dead flame was rekindling and Reina easily noticed, occasionally clearing her throat occasionally to make sure he stayed focused (or at least appeared to be). Danny grew wide eyed when he saw that glass panels display the news. Even Reina cracked a smile.

Looks like Danny made a very profitable mistake. I could give him a break.

Of course she was up to date, but Danny...this was the first time he had heard about it.

"You mean that little performance...led to this," Danny said to himself. He turned back to Artmeis and took the pen. Reina didn't move because they talked about this the night before and on the way here. "First of all Artemis, I'd like to thank you for this opportunity. We didn't get off to the best start, but you'd have to admit that in an area like that...well you know what I'm trying to say. Anyway, I'm looking forward to this. Just one thing, I'll be running every decision by with my agent. That's fine yes?"

Of course most of that short speech was prepared and coached by Reina. If she just had a little less composure she would be mouthing the words herself. Danny took the pen and then placed it on this contract. "...Now where is this show," he said with a grin.

Azukai

 

[Azukai]

A Supernatural Glitch
mikyuu

The energy in the air was palpable. Hundreds of students were in their pre-formed teams, waiting for the start of the event to bring their ideas to fruition. And then there was Vivian--one of the few individuals who were without a team and were now waiting to be assigned to those in need. The hackathon was occuring in one of Fracture’s many auditoriums; this one being particularly for the computer science department. The entire floor had been cleared of the usual rows of seats and replaced by a sea of tables that were accompanied by plush computer chairs for each and every participant. While most students were equipped with their own rigs and peripherals, the hackathon did have an offering of top notch computers and other engineer equipment that might have been needed by any individual.

“Hmm, Vivian, eh. Quite the last minute sign-up, though if its on behalf of that man, then I suppose it must happen.” While speaking, the receptionist at the doors of the auditorium was busy typing away on the laptop in front of her. “You have quite the limited skill set which is going to hurt your chances as a free agent. You may have to learn something new over the course of the next twenty four hours. But hey, that’s what hackathons are for, right?” There were several more seconds of furious typing before she slammed her finger against the enter key and a label began printing from the maker on the table.

Vivian Satoshi
Computer Science I
Free Agent

“Put that on yourself and go stand with the other agents. Teams will come find you as needed.” She pointed off towards the side where a dozen or so other individuals were bored waiting to be chosen.

Vivian could feel a lump crawling up her throat. A cold sweat was starting to form on the back of her neck. She could practically feel the judgement that everyone was giving as she walked over to where the others were standing. She wasn’t particularly dressed well for the occasion either, she only managed to slip on an oversized slightly stained sweatshirt and shorts that barely stuck out from under the sweatshirt. Her hair was also horribly matted on one side and poofed on the other. She groaned quietly as she made futile attempts to flatten out her hair while simultaneously trying to give it more volume. She had plenty of time to tidy up, however, since everyone else was being chosen first. Of the group of computer science specialists, she was the only one with the designation of I. Everyone else had at least IV or higher, which put her at a severe disadvantage. One by one, the crowd of free agents began to dwindle until a point was reached where she was the only one left.

“Uhhh, so if you weren’t selected, you can either go at it yourself, or try again next year? The events about to start so...” There was a hint of pity on the receptionist's voice as she gave her advice to Vivian. Nonetheless, there was little more so opted to do past giving her a quick pat on the shoulder. Towards the front of the auditorium a giant projected screen popped onto the wall and began the countdown to the event’s start. One minute on the clock.

“Oh what the hell,” she muttered quietly under her breath. She wasn’t gonna keep waiting for things to just slowly fall into place, nor was she gonna postpone until she was old and wrinkled to finally get an undergrad. “I’ll go solo,” she said with a forced smile in an attempt to cheer herself up. It’s not like it cost anything if she horribly failed. It was a chance for her to throw her hat in the ring and she wasn’t gonna let it slip by. Plus waiting these two years was starting to make her impatient. She could be a second year right now in the best college in Japan if she stayed back. She wasn’t gonna waste her life away digging around in the dirt.

“So be it, then. I’ll get you registered as a participant.” The receptionist responded with a nonchalant attitude. Whether or not someone participated was of no consequence to her, and soon, she was typing away at the details of Vivian’s participation. Behind them, the doors to the auditorium swung open and a group of three guys walked into the room. Being late-comers to the event, they had yet to register; hence they formed a line behind Vivian, while waiting for their turn.

“Vi-Vivian?!” It didn’t take long before a shy, somewhat-familiar voice spoke from the group of guys. Sure enough, one of them was Isaac--this time in the flesh--waving at Vivian with a bashful blush glowing from his cheeks. “I-I thought you said you weren’t a student?”

“Isaac?” she exclaimed completely confused, “I’m not a student, but I was given an invitation. Are you a student?” Vivian had thought she wouldn’t ever see the boy again.

“S-Something like that.” He stuttered in response, in turn triggering some under the breath comments from the companions that were with him. “It’s not like that!” He suddenly retorted while smacking the shoulder of the nearest guy. It was easy enough to assume what had been said; although he did his best to steer the conversation back to professionalism. “I’m technically a high school student by Fracture’s standards, though they have me studying on their secondary campus.” His eyes drifted to the floor over the course of his explanation; all together being far too shy to look Vivian in the eye. His companions, on the other hand, were far more forward, giving Vivian and quick up and down, only to settle on the label that rested on her chest.

“Wait a sec...you a free agent coder?” One of them asked with sudden excitement. “You are!” He subsequently concluded without waiting for a response. Immediately, he turned to the other guy and began giving him a series of complex high-fives--Isaac being excluded from the fun. “Our coder had to drop. The bunch of us are mechanical engineers. We got a basic enough understanding, but nothing like a computer science student could do for us. You down for it?”

“Sure!” she quickly replied. Internally, she cringed at how quickly she had answered. She fumbled with the corner of her shirt as she immediately added, “I have nothing else better to do.” She frowned slightly as she watched Isaac stand off to the side while his friends had a string of high fives. Where they really his friends though? Vivian asked herself as she wasn’t sure “friends” would really exclude someone like that. Though not that she knew very well what friends really were given people would just constantly suck up to her given her status back in Japan. Her eyes narrowed very slightly as she continued to observe them. “Wonderful!” The same guy hooted in response while slapping his buddy on the back. “Come on, then.”

 

[Azukai]

To Frolick with the Elementals
Elowyn

There was neither the warmth of any blankets nor the comfort of a mattress for Luka when he awoke. Instead, he was laying on a rather springy bed of moss. It wasn’t an unpleasant experience, but certainly a jarring one given the unknowns of the situation. Gentle chirps of sparrows and songbirds filled the warm air with nature’s melody, in what would have been a soothing tune were it not happening in the confines of his room--or rather what had become of it. Vines infested branches tore through the immediate walls, while moss and other flora covered every tangible surface of furniture and belongings alike. It was almost as if the house itself had been come one with nature--specifically with an oversized tree which had erupted through the very center of the home.

What immediately caught his attention was the sound of birdsong that wasn't muffled by glass. The feeling of something springy and cool beneath his fingertips. He jerked awake. "Wha-what?" he sat up in surprise. "Am I dreaming?" he murmured, rubbing his face. Luka pinched himself. "Owch!" So it wasn't a dream. Okay. Then what was going on? Hallucination? Delusion? Was he going crazy? He scraped off a bit of moss and identified it as a common type that grew in the area. Then he saw the tree. For a moment he stared. Then coming to his senses, he went over and ripped a leaf off. The veins seemed too detailed for it to be an illusion from his mind of some sort. For as smart as he was, he didn't have such an amazing imagination.

He thought it would be good to see whether his family was freaking out like he was internally or not. It kind of stressed him out for this unreal turn to have happened. But on the same token, the feeling of trees and plants surrounding him brought an aura of calm and well being. It made him relax and he automatically defaulted to logic. With haste he got to his feet and found his sister's room, similarly overgrown. The sheets and comforter were gone. No one was there. Strange.

When he went to his parents' room and found the same he was beginning to have a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. He'd had to have had a psychotic break. Things like forests invading houses and kidnapping people just didn't happen in reality. He went outside. Every house was vine covered and several had trees sticking out of the roofs. He didn't have the will to check inside. Then his stomach growled.

The smell of ripe fruit in the air was unmistakable. Nonetheless, there was nothing of interest which could have immediately suggested a source. In the distance, however, everything was as clear as day. On the hill near the temple shrine was an oak tree that stood alone in an open clearing. It was the same tree that existed in reality, and one which Luka had spent copious amounts of time under. Yet in this foreign existence, it was different. Unlike an ordinary oak, there were large, white flowers flourishing from the branches with a foreign fruit growing from their center. Each fruit gave off an overpowering sweetness, which together was enough to envelope the surrounding valley.

Back on the street, a loud meow interrupted any process of thought. As if on cue, Nyanko poked his head around the corner of the nearest alleyway and began staring at Luka with an eager twinkle in his eyes.

Seeing the source of the smell made his mouth water embarrassingly. Before he could set off to take some of the fruits to sate his hunger a meow near the ground level drew his eye. "Nyanko!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" Of course, the cat didn't answer him. "Are you going to follow me?" he asked the cat, then set off towards the flowering oak. He just had to get one of those fruits! Watching Luka walk towards the tree made the cat hiss; however, he begrudgingly began to follow once Luka showed no signs of stopping.

Together, they took the same path which was used to come home, the road winding up the hillside and ever nearer to the shrine. The sweet scent became stronger and more powerful the closer they went. The hair on Nyanko’s body began to rise, and his movements became far more hesitant the closer they approached. In Luka’s case, however, his stomach growled noisily, and he gave a small chuckle. This was weird, but in a very pleasant and appealing way. Figuring out what was going on would have to wait until after he had his fill.

The forest wasn’t the same as it was in reality. Here, it was far denser with rampant flora that didn’t match the local species. If anything, the surroundings were more like a tropical jungle than they were a temperate woodland. The closer they got to the oak tree, the heavier the air began to feel. It was filled to the brim with palpable droplets of water that brought an intense level of humidity to the surrounding air. In response to this, Nyako began to whine. The cat was suffering from the discomfort brought about by the drowning sensation that occurred on every breath. Over time, it only began to grow worse, until he fell to the ground and began writhing from both pain and panic.

All around them, giggles began to fill the air. At first they were faint and distant; however, with each occurrence, they grew closer and more audible. “A human, a friend.” A voice whispered into Luka’s ear, close enough that he could feel the tickle of their breath. Yet nothing was there. Nothing surrounded them from any angle, despite the incessant laughter which grew to levels that matched a tumultuous roar.

Gasping in an attempt to breathe the moisture-laden air, Luka eked out the words, “Who are you?” The unnerving nature of these strange occurrences could not be explained by any medical phenomenon he had studied… and he had studied a good number of them. He didn’t think that it had anything to do with his state of mind or his physiological reactions. No, this was something else entirely. Luka had felt strangely unnerved about certain things in this town, like the apothecary Nyanko had entered, or some whispered rumors he had overheard.

Luka gave up trying to understand what was happening to him. Disembodied voices, strange environmental mishaps, and that ever-present offness he felt from the cat. None of it made sense according to conventional science and his past experiences. He needed more information. “Do you know what is happening to the town?” he tried to no avail. Whatever was whispering had little interest in holding a conversation. Rather, they began to mock his words in a repeated chant that momentarily overtook their laughter.

“The town!” “The town!” “What happened to the town~!” “The town he cares about!” “The town must be special~!”

The giggles soon returned, and with more force than before. The echoes of the voices compiled upon each other, to the point that there was no rhyme or reason to their origin. The voices were all around him, they were practically in his head. They were screaming louder and louder, threatening his head with the possibility of bursting until everything fell silent. There was nothing. The whines of Nyanko were gone. The carcass of the wind could be felt against his skin, yet not a single leaf rustled amongst the trees. Even his voice had left him mute. Pure and utter silence was all that remained.

It was no use at all. Why the voices decided to swarm him he had no idea. This led him to feeling more discombobulated than he had felt in practically his whole life. He began to verge on the edge of panic. Was he really and truly going crazy? Questioning his sanity was good and all, but in the end it changed nothing. Realizing that he couldn’t speak, Luka began to freak out in earnest. Hands shaking, sweat beading along his hairline, his stomach gave an uncomfortable turn that made him feel like he was being inverted. There was so little sound that he suspected his ears had gone deaf, hopefully momentarily. Luka tried to walk away from the large oak tree to get his bearings and escape the terrible sensations. He stumbled forward and immediately fell to the ground--or so it seemed. The sensation remained, yet the collision never came. It was as if the ground was infinitely approaching, but never far enough to bring impact to his face. Seconds went by, soon a minute, then out of the blue, a sharp pain shot outwards, from the back of his head. He was laying on his back, staring up into the canopy of the forest’s upper layer.

Everything was back to normal. The grass which surrounded him rustled in the wind, and Nyanko’s slow, but heavy breaths were audible from afar. No longer was the cat suffering, as the air was no longer permeated with the weight of water. Even the sweetness of the fruit had dissipated away, leaving nothing but the scent of a healthy forest bed. Songbirds filled the air with their gentle song, and the croak of frogs echoed throughout the trees. It was a peaceful atmosphere, much like the overrun village had been, but this time, the surroundings were intune with nature rather than being actively consumed by it. The tranquility didn’t last long, however. At Luka’s feet, Nyanko shot upward and began hissing at the oak tree which was mere feet away. How they had gotten so close, being that there were originally a mile away, was a mystery unsolved, but it didn’t truly matter given the sight which stood before them. Dangling from the midriff of the tree was Luka’s sister. Each of her arms and the majority of her body was being held by thick coils of vines. Her eyes were closed and her conscious seemingly distant; however, the words that whispered from her lips were as clear as day. “Brother...mother...help me…”

 

[KnightThanatos]

Azukai
Zenith handed the phone back as the car continued towards its destination. His face was blank as he analyzed what Athena had said. The implication was clear with the emphasis on ‘different’ and ‘human tricks’. The memory of what had happened in the meeting resurfaced, the bodyguard’s inhuman speed as well as... talons.

“We’ve arrived.”

Zenith slid out of the SUV confidently, following his security team in the safe house. Aside from the dust and scratches, there remained no trace of the ordeal he had faced in the last couple hours.

His security team then swept through the safe house, checking to ensure that there were no bugs, no trackers, and no surprises. After giving the all clear, Zenith entered. His security team spread out, with the exception of two personal guards.

After being checked over, (his bodyguard had informed Zenith wryly that he would be perfectly fine after a couple of days of rest), Zenith sat down on the sofa, leaning against the backrest. Zenith allowed himself a minute to relax before he snapped back into business mode. His phone was safe to use, and within seconds of calling his father, the line connected.

Zenith let out a smile inwardly. His father was more worried for him than he had said. After updating him on the situation once more - Zenith knew that his security team had informed his father, but he also knew his father preferred to hear the information from him as well.

True to form, Zenith’s father had taken in Zenith’s suspicions of the bodyguards and the assassins Athena had referenced as being inhuman with nary a moment of hesitation nor skepticism. This was the renowned and unflappable CEO of Ryder Corporations. Now, Zenith waited patiently for a reply.

“I agree, take the deal. Athena is clearly implying that while you will be able to avoid the humans that accept the contract, there will be some decidedly inhuman participants as well that we will be unable to stop.

“Athena and her organization seem to be seeking some form of long-term relationship from us as well. It seems they are prepared to do anything to get their way. I do not doubt that she has continued to keep tabs on the growth of Ryder Corporations after I accepted a deal with her...” His father trailed off in thought.

Zenith nodded to himself. He would take the deal. It was more than fair now, and Athena, or rather her organization, wanted something from him or Ryder Corporations. They would not stop until they got his agreement. While taking the deal might be considered to show that Zenith would give in when pressured, that would only be the takeaway for less intelligent opposition. Athena did not strike Zenith as unintelligent.

His father continued suddenly as a another phone was heard ringing, “Business calls... take care of yourself.” The phone call ended.

Without pause, Zenith deftly typed in the number that he had already memorized into his phone. The call connected.

“I accept.”

 

[Azukai]

A Crafting Tutorial
LazyDaze

"First, you need to learn"

Such were Artemis' last words and an explanation for the current predicament Danny found himself in--namely, he looked silly. Following their meeting, he had been rushed off to a dressing room, where a padded body suit had been waiting on a mannequin. There, his instructions had been simple--put on the ridiculous suit and wait in the adjacent test room for further directives. It was somewhat awkward standing alone in a foreign, isolated space, yet thankfully, he didn't have to wait long. Artemis, Reina, and a few engineers appeared at the room's dividing window; each of them with a headset connected to the inner workings of the soundproof room. "You should be able to hear me..." Artemis began in his usual giddy tone. "Before we can schedule your next show, we need to spend some time getting you familiar with Lore. Don't worry about being overwhelmed by the headset. This room was design to complement Lore's capabilities. It should handle the heavy lifting and allow you time for your mind to adjust to the stress. So without further ado, Lore take it from here..."

On cue, every light in the room began to fade away. Even the glass which should have remained a conduit to the outside, darkened, and left Danny standing in an absolute void. It was similar to the previous experience back at the bar, yet this time the effects lasted far longer. Several minutes passed by in silence, until finally, a blinding light exploded from the center of the room and expanded off into infinity. Immediately, the smell of flowers and grass burst through Danny's nostrils--a stark contrast to the neutral scent of the office he was formerly in. Furthermore, the support of the room's hardwood floor was no longer under his feet. Instead, he was standing on the springy texture of the dirt soil that housed the open flower field which now surrounded him. In every direction as far as the eye could view was an endless sea of colorful flora. On paper, nothing about the current experience should have been possible, yet to every one of Danny's senses, it was as real as day. From the gentle breeze that caressed his bare face; to the warmth of the sunlight which beamed from the sun above; to the feeling of the flowers brushing against his leg; all of it was a reality that couldn't be denied.

Welcome to your Personal Hub, Daniel. This is a space dedicated for your own personal use. No one is capable of entering this realm unless they are given explicit permissions by yourself. It is currently in its default state, The Flowering Beds. To get started with your training, I would like for you to begin altering this space. Your imagination is the most powerful tool at your disposal; however, take caution in what you envision.

 

[Azukai]

A Hackathon for Spirits
mikyuu

It didn’t take long for everyone to get registered, and soon, the group was sitting around a rectangular folding table. All together, they had about six feet of space which was more than enough to house four individuals. The same guy from before had become something of a leader and was busy barking out orders for the other guys to follow. “Alright, so here’s how it’s gonna be. We’ve got eight hours to get a working prototype for our device. Josh and I will get the design and the construction ironed out. I trust even you should be capable of getting us the right materials, Isaac. Finally, Vivian…” His voice did a one-eighty, becoming far more cordial and sweet the moment he turned to speak to the only girl in their group. “I know you mentioned you’re new at this language, but just give it your best shot, okay? I’ll make sure you have the best robotic base to code for.”

A heavy sigh escaped Isaac’s lips, but he quickly fell silent upon a glance from the leader, Adam. In a hurry, he rose from his chair and scurried away in search of the materials they needed for the project.

Watching Isaac scurry away like he did made Vivian’s stomach turn. They way the guy ordered him around like her father did with their underlings. It was something she couldn’t stand in the slightest; she pursued her lips and scrunched her brow. Her eyes followed Isaac as he trudged away. The familiar unsettling feeling in her gut formed, it made her sick. She wanted to say something but her old habits kicked in and she held her tongue still. “Right..” she trailed out, a drop of disgust lacing her voice as she spoke to the male. She made sure to make it subtle enough that he wouldn’t notice. Which too was also habit she’d formed when she spoke with her father. Vivian took note to speak with Isaac as soon as possible when they got a second alone.

It took a couple of minutes for Issac to return with the supplies they needed--thin sheets of metal and plastic, electronic components, soldering tools, and a raspberry pi, which could all be used to construct the medical device in question. Adam and Josh remained hellbent on spearheading the forward progression of their group; in turn leaving Issac with menial tasks such as fetching further necessities or manual preparatory labor. Orders continued to be barked out in a condescending tone, at least until they were towards Vivian, who continued to receive nothing but the highest charm and praise.

“You know, you really saved us today, Vivian. What class are you apart of? With your skills as a total beginner, I’m sure you have to be one of the--...”

CRACK

Adam’s attempt at flirting with Vivian was cut short by the worst possible sound. Being distracted, the side of the medical device had cracked under the pressure he had absentmindedly exerted; all together, nullifying a couple hours of work. For a moment, the air was heavy and silent, a calm before the storm which manifested as a roar of anger. “Are you fucking kidding me, Issac? You giving us faulty shit now?” In a quick motion, Adam reached across the table and grabbed Issac by his shirt. Adam was on the muscular side, and he was capable of lifting Issac into the air with little to no effort. It was a scene that had garnered the eyes of the room; in particular, one of the hackathon sponsors who was already rushing to intervene.

“Put him down this instant! What is your explanation for this behavior, Adam?” The sponsor sternly asked upon arrival at their table. Adam did as he was told, although with excessive force, leaving Issac slammed against the floor. “He tried to sabotage our project. He must have purposely weakened the sheets to ensure they would break. From the start, he’s been upset with us, so this must have been his way of taking it out on us.” Adam’s act was perfect. Everything about his expression and tone conveyed the exact emotions he was vying for, and the sponsor ate it up. “Is this true?” They asked the friend who began vehemently nodding his head. “Then we’ll take it from here. On your feet, Issac. We need to talk.”

Issac was in tears as he slowly rose to his feet. Rather than follow in the wake of the sponsor, however, he shoved past them and ran out of the auditorium. A sigh escaped the sponsor's lips, but he turned to face Adam with understanding on his face. “Your team will be given an hour extension for this mishap. I expect greatness from the heir to Veyer Medical.” With that, he turned away and began walking back to his post.

This time Vivian didn’t even try to hide the contempt on her face as she just watched the events unfold. She desperately wished she could have intervened, but her body froze up in the chaos of the situation. Adrenaline coursed through her veins in response to the situation; a kind of situation she was all too familiar with. Her hands balled together in fists, her knuckles began to turn white. She abruptly stood up from her seat, focusing a glare towards Adam. “Excuse me for a moment,” she announced aloud through gritted teeth.

Without waiting for a response from anyone in the group before she quickly chased after Isaac fleeting figure. Her fast walk slowly progressed into a small run as she tried to keep him within her sight. Isaac didn’t stop once he got outside the auditorium, he just kept going and going. He eventually stopped his escape at the library, he sat down in a corner of the large complex and hugged his knees to his chest. Her run had finally slowed down into a jog as she neared his cowering figure. Being as unathletic and weak she was, Vivian had to take a few minutes to catch her breath and even out her heartbeat. She could hear the recognizable sound of sobbing as she knelt down next to Isaac like she had in her dream. It gave her a weird sense of deja vu, but this time she no longer felt uncomfortable from his crying. She sat down next to him, leaning in slightly so that their shoulders touched.

“Adam’s an ass you know?” she started with a snicker. Vivian turned to look over at Isaac who still hid his head down tucked into his chest, but then he disappeared.

It was a sudden turn of events. One moment she could feel the warmth of his body sitting next to hers, and in the next, there was nothing but air to support her. The library was noticeable busy with students all around them, yet none of them seemed to be fazed by what had happened. Everyone continued to go about their day as if nothing had happened.

“F-Follow him. Y-You...H-Help me. S-Stop them.” The voice of the hooded child was unmistakable, as was the static electricity that filled the air and rose the hairs on Vivian’s body. Her voice was the clearest it had ever been and almost sounded as if she were truly standing next to Vivian. Normally, she proceeded to vanish following the announcement of her cryptic messages; however, this time she remained in place, though her body was ethereal as ever.

“Them?” Vivian asked, but the girl had disappeared before she was even able to say anything to her again. She grumbled out loud in frustration, “What is with ghosts and only using pronouns? Don’t they know that it isn’t helpful?!” Vivian kicked her foot into the closest bookshelf, which slightly swayed at her assault. Though it mostly proved fruitless as she ended up hurting herself instead.

Vivian yelped out in pain as she hopped on one foot while holding her injured one. This earned her a glare from the people sitting nearby in the library. She simply just rolled her eyes and trudged her way out of the large building. With Isaac completely vanishing she really wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do now. On top of that the ghost with its ghostly ways wasn’t helping much either. She sat herself down onto the stairs leading into the library, clawing at her brain for any ideas of what the girl must have meant and where Isaac had gone.

“That’s right!” Vivian exclaimed out loud, “Isaac said his only safe space was in the dream version of the library!” She rushed back inside the building, nearly tripping over people as she did. “Gom- Sorry!” she said as she sped to a remote area of the library. Conveniently, there was a table with chairs in the corner and she quickly slipped into one. She crossed her arms on the table and set her head down.

 

[Azukai]

mikyuu
A Hackathon for Spirits

As if from some supernatural force, Vivian immediately felt sleepy. Her mind fogged over and she was out like a candle before she even knew it. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in the library from the dream again. She was in a different spot this time, in the center of some circular formation of bookshelves with a giant tree in the center. The tree was surrounded by a little pond of water which had a few minnows swimming around in it. Vivian didn’t linger long to admire the outstanding architecture of the library, she had to see if Isaac was here.

“Isaac?” she cried out into the massive maze of a library, “Are you in here?” Vivian began to wander around, looking for any signs that might indicate to where the boy could have gone.

“Ah, Vivian?” Issac’s voice was unmistakable, but where it came from was yet to be determined. The echoes of his voice bounced off the glass of the dome ceiling and masked his position behind the many circular rows of shelves. As such, Vivian was entirely caught off guard when he suddenly reached from the shadows of an aisle and pulled her inward. There was nothing outwardly malicious about his actions--his arms were tightly wrapped around her waist, and his face was buried in the back of her shirt. “You found me…” He said in a solemn, muffled voice. Small sniffles accompanied his words, and already, her shirt was becoming partially damp from the likely tears on his face.

Vivian momentarily froze, unsure of how to react. A small part of her wanted to shove him off of her, and demand personal space. Yet that would completely contradict why she’d come here in the first place. Vivian had never been accustomed to the whole caucasian culture of touching one another, in all honesty, it made her highly uncomfortable. Though her empathy towards the boy won through and she turned around so that she could return the embrace.

“Yeah, somehow,” she said with a small laugh, “Honestly I didn’t think it was gonna work, falling asleep and all.” Vivian gently patted his back and rubbed her hands in small circles in an attempt to help him calm down. Though the memory of him simply vanishing was nagging at her, maybe it had to do with weird ghost girl, she thought to herself. She felt like she should ask Isaac how he came here. “Why did you suddenly vanish?”

Isaac remained silent in regards to Vivian’s question. His grip around her waist began to tighten even more, to the point that began to noticeably hurt her. The sudden demonstration of strength was somewhat unbecoming of the small, frail boy; nonetheless, Vivian wasn’t given much time to contemplate or respond. Out of the blue, he released his grip and stepped back into the shadows of the aisle. From there, his voice could soon be heard, echoing among the shelves, though his physical location was hidden once more. “Why wouldn’t I? There is nothing for me out there, nothing that this place couldn’t provide for me. Here, I can exist in peace. There is no one to bother me. Here, I don’t need food, don’t need water, don’t need sleep.”

Masked by the dim lighting, a thin layer of black mist was spreading across the ground. It was relatively unnoticeable, apart from the chilling sensation that it brought to Vivian’s ankles. For every second that passed, the air of the library grew ever colder than before. It was almost as if someone had turned on the AC at full blast, though there were no obvious sounds of cold air being blown. At the end of the aisle, the sounds of Isaac’s sniffles could be heard once more, and sure enough, he was sitting in a chair, curled into a ball while shivering from the cold. “I-Its so c-cold. W-Why has it g-gotten so c-cold?”

Having dressed for warmer weather, Vivian was shaking from the cold. She rubbed her arms in futile attempts to warm herself up. “I h-have no idea,” she replied through chattering teeth, Vivian looked around for something that could possibly be the reason to the sudden temperature change. “Does this usually happen?” she asked Isaac, he probably didn’t know but he’s at least been here more times than her.