Futuristic Erabus IC

[Brax]

​

If Desetto is the country of outlaws, then Edin is the haven that heathens operate out of. Unlike other parts of Erabus, there was a certain kind of person to be found in the City of Thieves. Gang violence ran rampant around the countryside for the past two decades. Bandits and thieves ran the streets, usually kids born to impoverished families or taken in from gangs that had found them as young orphans. Groomed killers were the worst kind to be found, assassins that took lives indiscriminately and lived life with little purpose other than to receive as much cash as possible. Politicians seldom traveled here. The police force was low in numbers, with a lack in participation from people looking to be employed for little pay and major risk. Edin is such a problem that ground troops belonging to the military attempted to seize it by force, in a battle that was long fought and badly lost. In a way, it was kind of poetic how such vile forces of nature could come together in order to keep their land lawless.

Saka was no stranger to Edin. It was his home for more years than not.

He had been standing on a large cliff just on the outskirts of the city, not too far off. Fifteen minutes had passed since he arrived. Saka was waiting for the sun to go down before he made his way in. Edin during the day was a complete shit show; the city was overpopulated. However, once the sun went down the real demons came out. The merchants, families, shops, beggars - they all cleared out come night time. Not only did the physical traffic in the streets decrease dramatically, but it became much quieter. It wouldn’t be long until Saka made his move. Like usual for Desetto as a continent, it was extremely windy outside. At times the weather conditions in Edin got bad enough to be categorized as a sandstorms - something that the city was ravaged with more often than its people would care to admit. Taking a moment to be sure no one was around, Saka reached down into his pocket and removed a small, black square device. There was a small green LED light blinking in the top right corner, indicating that it was still working.

“We’re still here, Saka. It’s okay. Next time, you can just ask.” A woman’s voice echoed through his ear.

​

On the other end of the line, a group of three people were staring at a large monitor. It displayed a feed of Saka’s vision; the lens of the gas mask he was wearing had provided a feed to a small room in Denbourgh which allowed Saka's vision to be viewed miles away. The device was a tracker, designed to pinpoint Saka's location anywhere on the globe in the case that his various methods of communication was interrupted. The mask itself had a built-in respirator to help protect the wearer from inhaling particulate matter. Every twenty-four hours, Saka was forced to switch out the filter cartridges for new ones. This was nothing new. He had been practicing replacing filters on his mask for the past five years. It was only now that it had finally been equipped with other, more expensive technology, such as a microphone and an earpiece. The woman watched as Saka put the device back in his pocket and looked back up toward the outline of Edin. The young man then lifted his other arm in front of his hand, extending skeletal digits made of titanium before closing each one by one into a fist. On the other end, the crew watched silently for a moment.

c: “How is your new arm?” The woman inquired.

“It’s still stiff, but it feels good. Thanks.” Saka responded softly while he opened his palm.

The entirety of his arm was made of the same lightweight titanium as his fingers. He didn’t understand much of the technical aspect of how it worked. From what he could grasp, a scientist had to construct the arm first to fit his dimensions. The arm was attached permanently, leaving behind a rather nasty scar around his shoulder. It took an extremely long time to attach the arm. For a full twenty four hours Saka had been unconscious as a result of the various pain killers and other drugs coursing through his veins. Once the young man woke up he found that it had been pleasurable having an arm again after missing it for so many years. Initially, the scientist working on Saka suggested using a brain implant to allow his nerve impulses to properly communicate with his implant as was common practice. Saka refused. Even when he was told that the nerves in what was left of his shoulder could not control the arm alone, the young man knew that the additional procedure was not necessary. Saka was also afraid of being under anesthetics for long periods of time for fear of never waking up.

C: “Shit, for a free four-hour procedure, it better feel good kid.”

Wind whipped through the valley and over the sandy clifftop, causing brief moments of audio static in the transmission back to Denbourgh. Saka crouched, resting his left arm over his kneecap. His right dug into the sand, grabbing a handful of it and letting it spill through the gaps between his fingers as well as over the sides of his palms. While it was impressive that he had a limb he had once lost, the feeling that remained in his left hand would never again be able to be reciprocated. In a way, this was a depressing fact to the young man. His overwhelming happiness to feel like a complete human again could not possibly be overstated, despite this. Yellow hues found themselves fixated on the artifact that had been engraved into his new forearm.

“Better than you could possibly understand, captain.”

 

[shadowz1995]

A long exhale...

Hathom relaxed his form and took a better look at his work.

"Nothing but headshots. Well done, Mr. Long."

The former soldier allowed a smile to cross his face as he turned to the man who spoke to him, "About as well done as this prototype. Truly, it is very impressive. How soon can these firearms be finalized?"

"By the end of the month if there are no complications, Sir."

Hathom hummed as the numbers ran through his head. He took another look at the new line of firearms that Onyx, a company he founded and helped develop, was going to be putting out. A rifle and two handguns.

The rifle was the OX Velko Marksman Rifle. A high powered, semi-automatic rifle with firepower that rivaled an anti-material rifle. Out of the three, this was the one with the most issues. By most, he meant one. The rifle kicked a bit too much for a semi and the firepower needed to be toned down.

The handguns were practically flawless. The OX Mark I Zephyr and the OX Derelict. The Zephyr fired basic ballistic rounds for handguns. What made it impressive was the fact that it made nearly no sound. The ear popping Crack! Firearms made on average was reduced to what suppressed pistols sounded like in movies decades ago. The Zephyr could replicate that level of silence without a suppressor. With one, it was complete silent. The only sound made was when the bullet thudded into the target.

On the opposite end, the Derelict fired high powered magnum rounds as if they were 9mm bullets and the noise matched it. During the simulation, he put a hole the size of baseball In the back of a thug's head and it felt like the bullet would have just bounced off the helmet. The recoil was so low that it genuinely surprised him.

"I think the Derelict is by far my favorite."

"Well Sir, by all means."

Hathom's eyebrows rose in question and the representative answered the non-verbal question, "The Derelict is a finished product, Sir. We just needed your approval to start mass production. This is the first finished model and you can have the honor of having it."

"Hm... well thank you very much. I appreciate the gesture."

"No, thank you. You funded us and helped us get off the ground. Now, we are in the black and that is in large part thanks to you. The least we can do is let you have first dibs."

That got a hearty laugh out of the former soldier. He nodded gratefully and grabbed the Derelict and its custom holster for concealed carry.

After double checking to make sure there wasn't a round in the chamber and a full magazine, Hathom gave his farewell and stepped out into the clean streets of Ghorra. His driver was already waiting with the door open. Outside the entrance doors stood his bodyguards and old squadmates, Ethan and Stahl.

"Everything quiet out here boys?"

Ethan responded with an obviously over exaggerated salute, "Yessir. No rich thugs or miscreants in sight here, Sir!"

This drew a snicker from Stahl and resounding "Fuck you." From Hathom as they all shared a chuckle and climbed into the luxurious six seater. Normally, a bottle of chilled champagne or wine would be waiting for people of Hathom's stature but....

well...

They were made of more stern stuff. So sterner drinks were called for.

They shared a glass of high grade whiskey together and while the bodyguards made jokes and quips with each other, Hathom busied himself by looking out of the window and thinking of the meeting he had in an hour. A lawsuit had been pressed against one of Long's restaurants. Specifically, an employee that had been accused of sexually harassing a customer and food critic.

It seemed the more influence he gained, the more people tried to sue for dumber and dumber reasons.

 

[Rumble Fish]

The white sun shone onto the turquoise sea, colouring a silver streak as the light bounced from the waters’ surface back to the sky. Many would come from their hotels to admire the equally blue sky, blurring the line between the sea and sky. No clouds disturbed the beautiful view and the white horses were tame upon the golden sand. Many gathered at the edge simply to admire the beauty of the shore.

“Oh it is divine!” a high-class lady purred with her ring studded hands clapped together as she admired the view, “We must get a picture for everyone!” she added, looking to her equally well dressed husband as she reached into her bag, pulling out a little round device, holding it around her fingers, pointing it toward the shore. It would broadcast this view to anybody within her circle who had a receiver within their houses. As she took in the view, she was too distracted to notice that the sapphire stone necklace had been carefully slipped free from around her neck.

Spoiler: I know it's the Heart of the Ocean, bite me.

The lady’s husband then reached into his own pockets to retrieve his wallet which contained his own camera. But as he reached back…. The pocket was flat, making him jump and look around rapidly, catching the attention of everyone around him, but as he searched, the sound of running boots caught his attention. He looked up just in time to see the fleeing figure of a young woman in a black jacket with her hair in tassels… his wallet in her grubby hand.

“Hey stop! THIEF!” He yelled in vain as the surrounding people flagged down some police happening to linger by as they quickly caught on. They had seen this particular one before. There was no way they were going to let her get away this time!



“Rev up those friers!" a man shouted to his team as they got to work on the breakfast rush, "We got some hungry- Ahh! My leg!” some poor sod yelped as he had been inadvertently pushed over the edge of a barrier by the running thief. A couple of people stared as she ran past, though none made an attempt to catch her. Gormless idiots.

“Shouldn't have been in my way, bub!” Sydney Ryder yelled after him as she took a turn off of the main street and into a side-road. In her mind, she was already giving herself a pat on the back for a job well done, even though no doubt the police were already on her case and closing in. Still, positive reinforcement was important to a person’s wellbeing. At least that was what that drunk she swindled out of his drink said the other night. The wallet had been stored safely in her pocket but the necklace? It looked heavy but, it'd surely fly out of her pocket if she put it there so attatching it around her neck was the best course of action. Good thing she could multi-task. As she continued her run, many people paused to watch but no-one interviened.

That was a huge difference between Ghorra and Edin. Mainly that in Edin if someone was robbed, they’d either let it happen or would physically go after the robber themselves. She had had to deal with that before, steal from the wrong person and you’ll get your head caved in by a bat. But here? It was a real joke, they got their oh-so-effective police after them while they can sit back and just yowl “oh no somebody stop them!” in the background. While hilarious, it made life more difficult. Sydney had not eaten in three days, so this was important. Not that they would get it. Still, it meant a good chase.

Charging further down the street, Sydney glanced up as she heard a distinct screeching sound. To anyone unfamiliar, it would be enough to cause them to freeze on the spot, but she was well accustomed to it and was ready. At the right moment, she jumped up onto a wall, watching as a white blur sped past her, right into a large woman who shrieked and leapt onto her skinny husband. Sydney could not hold back her laughter. For advanced technology, they did not seem to be very accurate. These things, in particular, were what she had heard them be called Trippers. Stupidly fast bird-like machines which swooped down from the sky like eagles to tackle and restrain people. Though, they would have a hard time getting around a whale like that. That screeching sound was to scare pursuees into making a mistake but Sydney had realised early on that if you just ducked or jumped when hearing it, you could avoid it. Too bad everyone else in this capital was too stupid to realise that.

But just as she outran one of them, she heard another screech, making her jump down onto the other side of the wall. She stumbled a little as she looked up to realise that she was in a boxed area. Biting her lip, the woman looked around before attempting to climb the building next to her.

“There she is!” she heard below, “You won’t get away so easy!”

“You think this is easy!?” She yelled back down unable to help herself, “No wonder you need to use them fancy birds, you fat fucks!” yes it was adding fuel to the fire but hey, she enjoyed a good chase. That seemed to get their attention as she heard them yelling among themselves as she jumped off the wall and towards another street. It was as busy as before but still, nobody intervened so that helped. This was looking to be a good day if she could get away with it! You’re only in trouble if you get caught!

Suddenly there was the unfortunately distinct screeching once again, but Sydney only had a second to look up to see the demonic bird making a nosedive for her. No! She couldn't be captured! If Sydney had to guess there was most likely a large bounty on her head for her not being able to resist nicking people's things. She'd rather starve free than be in some jail cell or worse! In a panic, she threw up a hand, in a vain hope to bat it away. But as she did, there was a sudden and large gust of wind, knocking the tripper off its course and causing it to launch screaming into a shop window, causing an even bigger commotion.

"...He did it!" Sydney pointed at a random guy before hopping over the guard railings to the beach, not even pausing to even question what the hell had happened.​

 

[FireMaiden]

​

Interaction: Open (Sorta, maybe, idk)
Mentioned: N/A
Desetto. The land of deserts, crime, and those with almost hilarious but very inconvenient timing. Selene often found herself the, mostly, unwilling host of unexpected clients, childern who need help, or men working under Mazhun, who, once again, came knocking for money. Not an unexpected request, quiet a few would come asking for small loans, normally for groceries and medicine. The ones she knew were here for drugs or to ask for something else would get nothing, unless they were a customer of her's of course, but those are different stories and ones that don't need details. Anyway, they had hardly give m her enough time to put a robe on when they came and woke her and hurried her downstairs for what they tried to disguise as small talk, and if that wasn't bad enough, they brought one of the kids she use to look after occasionally, now 16 and old enough to work for Mazhun, to try and butter her up. "Staring at my chest will do you no good."

"You could have put real clothes on, it's not my fault," One of them muttered. His eyes quickly darting off to look at some weird decoration on her living room wall. She never actually learned his name, but his callsign, if she remembered right, was Sock. Selene never asked why, but figured it was some cruel joke. Sock, was a tall man, almost six feet, and well built like man under Mazhun, and he was good with a knife, and liked to blame others than taking the blame for himself. Selene sighed, bringing her hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose.

"Well, if you had shown up at a reasonable time, I would have been dressed, not naked and still alseep," She retorted, sighing through her nose as she shifted in her seat. "Now, why are here? Again? For the fourth time in two weeks? Mazhun doesn't normally bother me like this unless I'm getting death threats. And to my knowledge, that's not happening."

The gang members all looked between each other, the youngest of them chuckling a little, earning a raised eyebrow glare Selene. "Doll," The leader of the small pack, a very large man named Luther said, a deep chuckle comming from his throat, "It's like, 6 o'clock. In the afternoon." Selene, not believing him, motioning for him to give her his arm. He obliged, and flicked his wrist once so a small display with a time poped up, allowing Selene to take a look. She scoffed upon seeing he was right, slumping back on the couch.

"I blame the hangover and Riccard." The boys furrowed their brows, concerned maybe, mostly confusion, "New Oceania client who likes the long distance thing and has a stupid name, look why do you need money? Can't Mazhun give you any?" The hesitation with their answer gave her pause. The youngest one, Jackson, probably didn't know why the other two were there, again, just there to butter her up or to keep her from doing anything stupid. But Luther and Sock were acting weird. Mazhun would give the boys who worked for him money for pretty much everything.

"I don't think it's something he'd be willing to sign off on," Luther admited, watching as Selene stood, walking past the boys sitting in her living room. She gave Jackson town gentle pats on the shoulder, which, the all three men understood. Jackson stood, excusing himself to go wait outside, because while he was old enough to work, some things were better left unknown to someone who hadn't undergone certain training. Incase someone who didn't need to found out about this conversation. Selene grabbed a bottle of pink shell champagne, and unscrewed the top, taking a sip.

"How much do you need?"

"100,000?"

She paused, slowly lowering the bottle, before she began to laugh. And she laughed for a good few minutes, before she stopped, and regained eye contact with the men now standing just a few inches a away from her. "No. I don't even have that much."

"You're lying, Selene. You get paid well, we know that, you just hide it." Sock cocked his gun, trying to intimidate her. She put the bottle of champagne down, crossing her arms.

"There's only thing here in Desetto that runs that high, and its a fucking hitman. What the hell do you need one for?" She asked, moving to push past them, but Luther grabbed her arm to keep her in place. "Let go of me Luther."

He dropped her arm, taking a slight step back because they weren't there for trouble, and they really didn't want to cause any, but if it came down to it to get what they needed...."We can't tell you."

"You trying to overthrow Mazhun?" She asked, cocking her eyebrow. They tensed, but, that answer didn't feel right. "No...you two like him to much. So, what? Hire a hitman and save his life to gain favor? He'll find ya know, espeically if did, in like...immideatly. Even if you pay anonymously, and kill the hitman you hire." She gave the men a smile, ducking under their arms, walking back to her living room area. "I think we're done here boys, alright?"

"We aren't leaving until you give us the money," Luther said, pulling the rifle from his back and aiming it at her. "I don't want to hurt you Selene, but I will." Selene sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"Men. Always causing problems."

 

[Maj]

​

Her bedroom was lit by only the dull bluish-white glow from her monitor. With the sun setting quickly, it robbed the room of the warm light from her window and left her with nothing but the familiar glare of her screen. The light glinted across her round glasses, reflecting the chatroom dialogue in the glass. It must have been getting late.

The concept of time had long been lost on Rose. If it hadn’t been for the fact that she could see change of light within her own condo, she wouldn’t even have any idea if it was day or night. She wasn’t sure what day of the week it was, it all ran together seamlessly, a constant wave of late nights, junk food and gaming. Without any responsibilities or obligations to force her out of her hideaway, she lived her life on her own schedule. When she was hungry she ate, when she was tired she slept with no regard to the social norms of doing certain activities at certain times of the day.

Thinking back, she wasn’t even sure what time of day it had been since she had last slept, but by the yawns that kept creeping up her throat, she was sure it had been a while. Her eyes burned which was another sign that she had spent too much time staring down her computer screen. Maybe it was time for a break.

She hadn’t left her condo in weeks, the trips were becoming more and more infrequent the longer she lived here. When Rose had first relocated to Ghorra, she had made a point to get out every few days, if nothing else to enjoy the fresh air and have an excuse to interact with people who didn’t solely exist in her life via the internet. In the last few months the adventures outside her four walls had grown problematic.

The last time she had left it was like being put into sensory overload. She could hear too much, her head pounded with thoughts she didn’t recognize as hers. Her first instinct was that years of seclusion had finally addled her brain. Maybe she was becoming agoraphobic. It would make sense, she rarely left home and all her closest relationships lived far from her. Even when she did leave, her interactions were nothing but idle small talk among store clerks and cashiers. Still, did people with agoraphobia hear voices? Because Rose definitely did.

Each time she left, they became more distinct. Instead of the flood of chatter in her head she had experienced on previous visits outdoors, Rose noticed she could start to isolate certain voices, and the stuff they said was almost too genuine to be made up. She was many things, intelligent, quick witted, but creative was not on her list of attributes. The idea that she was spying on others had somehow entered her brain and made itself at home. Rose knew it was an absolutely ridiculous notion, and yet she couldn’t shake it. Leaving her house made her feel like an intruder.

She sat cross legged in her leather armchair. Soft pajama pants and baggy shirt draping over her slender form, glasses snuggly on her nose and her headphones in their normal place on her head. Another yawn escaped her lips and she raised a sleeve covered hand to her mouth to hold it in, the other arm went up in the air, stretching her spine after hours of sitting. After some consideration, Rose decided leaving was not worth the hassle. It was the same conclusion that she had come to the last three days as well. She was entirely out of groceries, but here in New Oceania, delivery came easy. Vacationers rarely cooked for themselves, so there were a variety of options to have sent directly to her door. It only took a few clicks of her mouse to have food on its way to her.

With the time she had before her dinner would arrive, Rose rose from her seat. Her back cracked and shifted as she stretched some of the stiffness out of her body. Lazily, she grabbed the waste basket near her desk and held it to the edge. With one swift movement of her arm, Rose shoved all the food containers and garbage that had littered her space off the edge and into the trash.

“Clear space, clear mind,” she muttered to herself. It was almost laughable, the rest of her condo was absolutely littered with clutter. Books, computer parts, old packages all covered her bedroom. There was a plant in the corner that she had bought to help ‘brighten up the room’ that had long died, it was nothing more than a brown and brittle husk in a pot.

Rose made a last minute decision to change shirts, she had worn this one long enough. She may had been a recluse, but she didn’t like smelling bad. The girl crossed her arms and grabbed the hem of the large shirt and pulled it up and over her head, uncrossing her arms in the process. She tossed the inside out garment in the wicker basket against her wall and grabbed another baggy t shirt from the top drawer of her dresser.

The deep vibrating buzz from her doorbell was heard and Rose rang her fingers through her long ginger hair before exiting her bedroom and walking the length of the corridor to the front door. It was getting darker by the second, and she turned on the light to illuminate a barren hallway. There were no wall decorations, no trash, nothing to even show that she existed outside the confines of her bedroom.

‘How long does it take to answer a fucking door’

Rose blinked as she processed what she was hearing. Even if the delivery guy was rude enough to say this out loud, there was no way that she would be able to hear him clearly through the door. She hadn’t even made it to the end of the hallway yet. It was exactly like what happened to her when she ventured outside.

‘This girl orders the same pizza all the time. Does she ever leave her house? At least she tips well.’

Again she could hear the male voice of her delivery boy clear as day. It was so clear it felt like her own thoughts, like her own voice. Except that there was no possible way that it was. Her slender fingers were shaking by the time they found there way to the door knob. With a deep breath, she did her best to mask her rapidly moving thoughts and turned the brass colored knob and opened the door.

She was met with the familiar face of the pizza delivery person she often saw. He was right, she did order this same pizza often. It was her favorite, and he seemed to be the one that brought it to her more than others. Did she have his voice memorized so well that she could make up his thoughts? It seemed bizarre to her, but less bizarre than the idea that she was reading his mind.

“Looks like you paid already. This is yours.” The boy was smiling at her despite the rather aggressive tone his voice had taken earlier in her head.

‘But that wasn’t him. You made that up.’ Rose assured herself. She had to keep reminding herself of that. The second she lost a grip on what was reality and what wasn’t was the moment she lost this fight to keep what little sanity she had. Maybe she should go to a doctor? Her credentials were airtight enough that she could get seen without anyone finding out her real identity. Still that also required making herself vulnerable, and it wasn’t an idea she was fond of.

“Uh thanks,” Rose said softly, her hands were still shaking when she took the pizza.

“Hey, you okay there? You seem a little,” he was looking her up and down now, something that made her wildly uncomfortable. “Off.”

“Yeah! Of course! Thanks for the pizza.” Her voice overcompensated, adopting a chipper and happy tone. She quickly bid the delivery boy good bye before darting back into the safety of her home. With the door shut and locked behind her, Rose slid down to the floor, back pressed against the metal of the door, pizza in her lap.

‘Fucking nutcase,’ she could hear the boy’s voice again and then she listened as his footsteps walked away from her condo and down the stairs of the building. Her fingers mindlessly fumbled with the locked she wore around her neck, it belonged to her mother. It was an intricate little thing, a gold heart on a gold chain, engraved with strange markings around the side. Rose had never been able to get the thing open, it was almost as if the thing had been welded shut. The one thing she knew for certain was that she couldn’t go on like this. It was getting worse.

 

[Draven Valentine]

“ALL ABOARD!” Anzen yelled, waving his arms. It wasn’t everyday he held a fancypants party on his yacht. The party was going to be a rager, all the way until they got to his nightclub in Ghorra. It was one of the ways he kept his appearance, also it helped him get some intel on his potential targets. He stood on the side of the dock, letting his guests on.

“Come on come on, we don’t got all day!” He said, shuffling the last of the people up the ramp leading to the yacht. He had some of his henchmen poised as waiters and other staff. He then began clamoring up the ramp himself, though for a brief second he seemed to flicker, like his body was glitching out. “Champagne and entertainment for all until we reach the Lawless!”

Meanwhile, Anzen was already at the Lawless. He was pacing back and forth in his office, which was on the topmost floor of the ten-story building. He repeatedly tossed the golden gem up in the air, alternating which hand caught the glowing crystal. He used a clone of himself to stay on the yacht, only to keep up appearances. Hearing a knock on his door, a large grin curled on his lips.

“Who is ittt?” He asked, doing his best to imitate a female while he made his way to the door. Pressing the button to allow it to open. Two men stood in the doorway, with one holding a box. Clapping his hands together, Anzen reached for the box. “Christmas came early for me baby!” He said, jumping in place slightly, unable to control himself. He ran over to his desk, putting the box down. “Oh, right..” He picked up a device off of the desk, pressing a few buttons. “Your money is in your account.” Pressing another button, which slammed the door shut.

Hastily opening the box, he pulled out a sleek, metallic bracer. He had it custom made in order to fit the Lux Capacitor, which he opened up and put the gem inside. He’d then slid the bracer on his right arm, covering up most of his forearm. He held his right palm open, which then a jagged, hardened blade made of condensed light appeared. “Oh shit, I’m totally badass now.” He said, while stabbing at the air a few times. Waving his hand, the light blade dissipated and he looked back into the box. He’d then pull out a small capsule, which contained a poison made on Earth.

“Oh yeah, this’ll work.” He looked at the liquid, swishing it around the capsule. The liquid was going to play an integral part in taking another name off of his list.

A few hours later he heard the loud droning sound of the yachts horn. Stepping into his changing room, a few moments later coming out wearing a rather basic tuxedo. Though he looked the part of a businessman, he kept his signature black beanie on over his messy, blonde hair. By now everyone was too drunk to realize he hadn’t been on the boat at all. Walking out of his office he stood on the balcony overlooking the entrance to the nightclub, waiting for the real party to start.

 

[Taraninja16]

NARSON CROWLEY
​

Sounds and colors of varying levels seemed to float before Narson's consciousness. The colors shined forth with a dim brightness peculiar to dreams alone, and shifted from white, to red, to green, and black. Thunderous silence filled his ears, similar to the way rain sounds when one is underwater. He felt nothing, and there was a void of rational thought in his mind. All that remained was the shifting colors, that gave way to differing shades like sand being rolled back in the wind. The only sensations left to him were sight and sound, and even those he could not control. For he knew this could not be reality somewhere in the back of his mind. There was a wrongness to this world, and though he could not reach his memories, Narson was almost certain these visions and his world did not match.

The pattern of switching colors suddenly stopped, and then crackled away like fire eating at paper. A clear yellow color came to replace the reds, greens, and blacks, and it brought a stinging pain. He blinked, drops of moisture starting to gather in his eyes. This was light, right? Of course, what else could it be? There was nothing else that could be so beautiful and intense in quite the same way.

Lifting up his hands, which felt weak and uncontrollable, he swatted away the light and caused a crashing sound, which then brought his ears to start ringing. His vision was now marred with static, the kind that fills one who starts moving after a long period of stagnation. After rubbing a bit at his eyes, however, he was able to get a clearer view of his surroundings.

He was in a small room, which looked to be six paces in length and just tall enough for a 6 foot man to stand, if he stood in the center. The roof appeared to be made out of some sort of stained brown cloth, and patched up with miscellaneous pieces of tarp. Other than the moth-eaten air mattress Narson currently laid on, the only furnishings were two upside-down milk crates next to a wooden table small enough to be a child's plaything. Along with the miscellaneous beer cans and plastic trash strewn on the floor, was a broken lantern, which was probably what Narson had knocked over. The only place that had any sort of care attached, was the left side of the room, where several plants were being grown in a black irrigation pipe. The opening in the wall where a door should have been was only covered with a few seed strings, which were currently blowing outwards in the wind.

"What...the hell?" Narson asked incredulously, trying to push himself up. He quickly realized the issue with this, and slumped back down onto the mattress. There was an unbelievable amount of pain coming from his chest and legs, along with a sore on the back of his head.

At that moment, all of his memories came rushing back to him. The message sent by his friend, Katherine, to come meet her in Desetto. His purchase of a used car and departure from the farm. All the feelings of hope, excitement, and joy at finally leaving Millwood turning to pain and misery as Katherine revealed her true colors. The frustration and helplessness that filled him as he had to watch Katherine and her gang steal all his possessions, returned as well, and Narson felt both a physical and emotional pain in his chest.

So what had happened to him after that? Try hard as he might, no other memories resurfaced, which meant he had probably blacked out. Why was he here then? He fiddled with the strings of his hoodie, then realized with wide eyes that he hadn't been wearing a hoodie before. Whoever had brought him here had probably put it on him, which explained the offensive reek permeating from the fabric.

"This just keeps getting better and better." Narson sarcastically muttered, then resolutely pushed himself up again. Immediately he almost blacked out from the pain, but putting a hand out to lean on the wall, he managed to steady himself. His grey eyes were steely and determined, as he refused to simply sit around and wait for something to happen. He needed to contact authorities, inform them of his situation, and get a ride home at the very least. He'd heard rumors about Desetto's lawlessness, but surely they couldn't be entirely anarchical, right?

A soft, rustling sound from the seed strings suddenly caught his attention, and Narson looked up to see a man walking towards him. Dressed in nothing but a tank top and jeans dangling loosely from some rope, the figure seemed to be on the cusp of death. His arms and fingers were almost skeletal in their thinness, and black hair hung from the man's head in greasy matts. His skin was grey and greasy as well, which caused Narson a great bit of concern.

"H-hey there, buddy, you're in no shape to move around." the man said, before Narson could say the same. "You've been...knocked out, for...for..." The man broke off, counting off on his fingers four times before finishing. "Two days."

"Two...days?" Narson repeated blankly, weakness starting to settle in again. He had promised his parents he'd call them every night when he left...how terrified they must be right now. And wait, if he was out for two days, did that mean...he sniffed the air, and sure enough, caught a certain distinctive scent. Oh man, as if his situation wasn't humiliating enough.

"Yes, two days. And you're lucky it wasn't longer...I don't have enough food or water to feed myself, let alone a stranger." The man's voice was weirdly deep and strong, with a harsh yet sympathetic lean to it. The voice and body were so unnaturally mismatched, that it caused Narson to shudder a bit. He seemed genuine enough though, which caused some confusion on Narson's part. How could a man as crushed in poverty as this, have been so willing to assist Narson? Surely there was something he wanted in return.

"Why did you help me?" Narson asked, distrust evident in his voice.

The man simply laughed in response, though it was more like rhythmic coughing. "It's the golden rule, boy. There have been many times...oh yes, dozens of them, where I've had to rely on the help of a stranger. I'm just paying back those debts by helping you." He paused for a bit, then added "But I'm afraid I can't shelter you for much longer...I'm nearing my end, and you'll be too if you stay here." As if to prove his point, the man suddenly slumped down onto a milk crate, his limbs shaking arthritically. With a bitter smile, the man said "You keep that hoodie though...you'll need something to keep those injuries hidden."

Throughout the man's long speech, Narson sat mutely, wondering how to react. It seemed entirely impossible that someone could be that selfless, but nevertheless, here this man was. Guilt settled deep inside him, and using the wall for support, he forced himself to stand.

"I...thank you." He said stiffly, feeling stupid the moment the words left him. A simple thank you wasn't enough to truly express his gratitude, and he wished to say something, anything, more to his benefactor.

"I won't forget this...uh, what's your name again?" Narson asked, casually putting his hand into the hoodie's pocket. He felt something cold and metallic inside, and pulled out what seemed to be a golden earring.

"Ted." the man answered back wearily. "Oh, and you keep that trinket...never could pawn it off, but maybe you'll have better luck." His eyes already had a red layer around them, and Narson realized that his thoughts were only partly his own.

"Well, thank you again." the boy responded, slowly finding his way out of the room, and off into the sunlight.

 

[Brax]

​

The minutes turned to hours. Saka remained crouched on that hilltop, quietly waiting for nightfall to come. It wasn’t until the clock reached 20:00 that the young man decided it was time. Watching the streetlights turn on all at once, he stood up. His arms reached up to the sky as high as possible. After Saka took a moment to stretch he turned from his top-notch view and made his way down the hillside. He neared the arches of the entrance gates, which was where the nicest part of the city started and ended. Saka took a moment to stare at the design of the two beasts with angel wings on each side of the open gate, stopping dead in his tracks. The woman on the other end of his communication line remained silent, which was surprising. He remembered her telling him she had never been to Desetto, nor seen the Arches of Edin.

​

Walking into Edin after not being home for a few weeks was an abnormal experience for the young man. While he certainly loathed this place, it was also home to him for so many years. He had gained a lot of life experience walking through these streets on a daily basis, regardless of how treacherous they were. There were three pathways presented to him despite a few corner shops and merchant bodegas littered throughout the small area. The entirety of the city's radius, for the most part, was surrounded by walls. Initially, these walls were designed to keep intruders out. As time passed, the people living in Edin began to sing a different tune. It started with jokes, but as a result of the validity to the claim, it didn’t remain one. No, everyone in Edin knew that the walls were up to keep violence in. Not out.

Walkway number one; that being, the path directly in front of him, lead to the capitol building of the city. It was closed. There was nothing to be found there according to his intel. He waited a moment before the captain's voice ordered him to take the right path. This wasn’t surprising to Saka. Even if the woman didn’t know the landscape, the path to the left lead to the city’s nightlife and businesses that were open. A lot of them were operating under protection racketeering schemes, generated by lower-rank gang members who wanted a bit of control and pay. Typically, payments were made to ensure that the business was not only protected, but not attacked by the gang protecting them either. A wide variety of other businesses were fronts, designed to be an excuse for dirty politicians and businessmen to dip their hands into the drug trade to become more rich by means of investing financial support.

The path to the right led to the residential part of the city. Saka began walking, taking a short walking bridge over a few establishments leading to a staircase. He took that staircase down and was eventually in a second walled-in area where all the people who lived in Edin typically stayed. As soon as Saka’s feet touched down onto the ground, the closest street light to him on the sidewalk flickered out. He continued making his way through the residential area, staying out of the street. Continuously, street lights would flicker out when he got close. However, they always turned back on once he had been a few feet away. This was done purposefully, as Saka wanted to continue traversing through the darkness. The easiest way to stay out of trouble in Edin was to stay out of sight, after all.

He turned down a perpendicular alleyway, he noticed a mother sitting against one of the houses. She had a small child’s head in her lap; presumably her son, who was sleeping. This forced Saka to stop walking, despite calls from the captain to continue moving past the woman. His eyes remained fixated on her as she looked up at him. She was just noticing that he had been standing there. Tears began to well up in her eyes. It might have been fear for her life, or desperation, something that had been made clear once the woman held both of her hands up over her head. Her face contorted slightly with frustration, before the waterworks turned on. As tears streamed down her face she mentioned to Saka that she had nothing to offer him.

“Please, please! I don’t have… Anything to give you. My son is starving. We haven’t eaten in days. Even the shirt on my back is worth absolutely nothing, so please leave us be.”

“Hmm.”

c: “Don’t you even fucking think about it, Saka.”

“Show me your hand.”

The young man crouched down slightly, digging his hand into one of the pockets belonging to his coat. He removed the thread off of a small pouch and dipped his fingers in, withdrawing two round gold coins from its contents. When Saka was living on the streets, he had never received any help from people who were visiting Edin on business. Though, he certainly wished he could have been on the receiving end of the same type of charity. He dropped it into her outstretched palm, his cybernetic arm resting over his knee as his left moved from the woman’s hand to her son’s messy head of hair.

“Break down one of the coins at the bank and use it to get food. The other coin should give you a week in Che’tore. It’s a shitty hotel, probably the shittiest in town, but at least you two will have a bed to sleep in for a few days.” The woman couldn’t see it, but behind his mask, tears had been falling down Saka’s face as well. It was then, without another word, that the young man stood back up and took his leave, exiting the alley as he had originally intended.

c: “What the hell are you doing? We didn’t give you that so you can waste it.”

“There’s still six pieces left. It’ll be enough.”

A few minutes passed. Eventually, Saka’s feet led him to the street he needed to be on. He was alerted by the captain that the house was on this street and that a kid with red hair was standing outside. It was the perfect marker for him. There was no plan, nor a reason to formulate one. The powers that his artifact bestowed upon him would be enough. Saka walked onto the driveway of the house, right up to the front door. As his hand moved to meet the handle, the redhead who had been standing a few feet away on the porch cleared his throat.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Saka’s hand stopped just as the tips of his fingers touched the knob of the door. He slowly turned his head toward the kid, who would see a cloaked stranger with two swords on his back and a gas-mask ponder exactly just why the hell he thought it was a good idea to say anything in the first place. The red-headed boy was tall, even taller than himself. However, he was thin enough to break like a board - right over Saka’s knee. As the silence continued its march of time, the teen would eventually lift both hands up into finger guns awkwardly chuckling.

“I’m… just looking out?”

 

[Rumble Fish]

Sydney’s heavy boots left distinct prints in the golden sand as she kept running, her knees and chest aching from the build-up of lactic acid from the sprint (milk?) but it was that or risk being captured. As she ran, her mind kept going back to what happened with that tripper. How did she blow it away like that? Those things were fast and sharp but they were also bloody heavy!

“Hey! Sop right- Waah!” a man had made an attempt to grab her, but as Sydney put out a hand to stop him, the man launched backwards right into a cabbage stand, causing the structure to break and the leafy veggies to scatter all over the beach and bounce away.

“No! My cabbages!” was the last thing Sydney heard as she was already well away from the chaos. As the noise finally died, down Sydney vaulted over a railing and hid under the pier as she heard people running around and shouting above her. Taking a moment, she breathed heavily to catch her breath, inhaling deeply through her nose.

“Right… Okay,” she rubbed her forehead as if that was going to help, “This is some Avatar shit.” She grumbled, looking at the necklace. She could only seem to do this weird stuff after she had put this thing on. But why? She had stolen necklaces before and this had never happened before? Did it have some weird power? Looking down, Sydney waved her hand in a circular manner, to which she saw some of the sand shift by something that was not wind. Not that a breeze would get under a pier like this. Sydney’s eyes widened. Okay, did she smoke something yesterday? She definitely did something. How else could she think this shit up?

But as she pondered, she heard something above her that got her attention. The sound of many angry and smug police. Great. She raised her arms up as she slowly came up.

“Okay! Alright! Y’got me, oh wonderful skilful and amaaaazing flabby arms of the law!” she dramatically cried out, obviously to the annoyance of the chief. How could she miss him? He had that stupid badge the size of a trash-can lid on his chest. Why use lasers when they can just shine that thing at people to blind them?

“I would not be talking like that if I were- Oh what now?” the chief growled, approaching her with cuffs as the woman suddenly crinkled her face into an upset grimace and forced tears to fall. She wiped her eye with the back of her sleeve.

“It’s just-just it’s not FAIR!” she wailed, to which they all looked at each other in confusion.

“I don’t know what you are saying, Edin trash but-”

“I mean LOOK! There’s… one two three four fivesixseveneightnine- there’s ten of you you and one of me!” she pulled a grubby hanky from her pocket, “I-I’m sorry it’s just so unfortunate. Big burley men against little ol’ me! Oh what a world!”

“Look, kid-”

“How can you call yourselves men like this?” With that, Sydney threw her head back dramatically, as if to blow her nose but as she lowered her head, she suddenly jumped, sweeping her arms out as she landed. She felt a force from her forearms like the return of blood flow to a sleeping limb and her hair and coat blew back from the force of the sudden gale, knocking the whole force off of their feet and sent them flying several feet away. She did not know how she did it but Sydney was sure as hell NOT going to question it!

“Oof, that’s better.” She wiped her nose, “Forgot to say, I have a severe allergy to sticks fresh from asses.” She shrugged before taking her leave. Well, this day just got interesting.
​

 

[FireMaiden]

This is a collab post between Brax and FireMaiden
​

The rifle barrel pressed to her spine wasn't an uncommon sensation. It probably wasn't a surprise how many people tried to rob, intimate, or even had made attempts on Selene's life for various reasons. Money was probably the most common, a small slight or personal grudges being in the second and third places. Luther and Sock may not have realized that, and had hoped this wold have pushed her over the edge; of course they were never the brightest. Selene didn't move, keeping her eyes on her darkly painted nails. "You should really just drop this and go," Selene said, "Mazhun is terrifying, sure, but you've never actually dealt with someone like me."

Sock scoffed, "You're nothing but an hourly slut, what the hell can you do to us?" Luther was a little more hesitate to join in on the laugher that soon erupted from Sock's mouth, but soon, a slight chuckle joined in.

"Selene, you can't do anything, you're unarmed and to small. Just do what we want, an we'll leave," Luther said, reaching forward to grab a strand of her hair, "Trust me, everything will be okay, and well try an pay you back, I promise." She felt Sock's gun, a pistol of some sort, she didn't know the model, press against her her back as well as Luther went and stepped around so he could make eye contact with her. "Selene, be reasonable, this will only end badly."

Selene remained silent, for a moment at least, glancing to Sock, then Luther, be for giving them both a smile. "Yes. Yes it will." What happened next, the boys would have a hard time explaining. One moment, she was there. The next, she wasn't. She just, vanished. Looking between each other, Sock and Luther didn't know what to say, or what to do, espeically when the woman you're threatening disappears like the cheshire cat. "Boys, boys, boys," Selene said, her voice for a moment comming from the kitchen, then the door, and then the stairs that lead up to her room, "I warned you."

"Selene what the hell is this?" Luther asked, his eyes scanning the room looking for a sign. Obviously he though it was some sort of military tech, and that normally had some sort of shimmer or distorted the background, even a little. "Come on now, don't make this hard on yourself." Her laugh seemed to circle him, jerky movements of his rifle following where he believed her to be moving. Luther couldn't see anything that have her away, and Sock wasn't being very helpful.

"Let's split up and find her stash, and just leave," Sock suggested, hearing Selene click her tounge in disapproval somewhere nearby. He growled in frustration, "I'm going to gut you when I see you again," He muttered, breifly looking away from the stairs to Luther, who nodded, then back to what was now Selene.

Before he could react, she practically punched him in the throat with a live taser, Sock's body convulsing for about 20 seconds, before dropping unconscious. Luther, for a moment, was unsure of what to to, but that was long enough for Selene to grab Sock's pistol, and fire a single round off into Luther's knee. "Down boy."

She didn't care to admit how lucky she was her little plan actually worked out.

-----​

When he heard the voice of the woman close to the door, Saka turned his attention from the lanky kid back to the doorknob. He wrapped his digits around it and attempted to turn the door, but there was no budge. The young man took a step back. Then he swiftly lifted his leg and smashed the heel of his foot into the door. As the force of his kick impacted the wood right beside the lock, forcing the door to blow off its hinges and slide down the floor a few feet in the process. Saka first noticed the woman, who was dressed in a robe that was obviously not meant for the public's eyes. Next, an unconscious man on the ground. Finally, there was the sight of a man writhing in pain on the floor, his leg dampened by the same blood that had began to puddle underneath its weight.

c: "Careful."

Saka was empty-handed. He raised both hands up as he looked back up to the woman. There was a few ways he could approach this, but it didn’t seem wise to be overly aggressive. While the artifact he had in his possession gave him abilities he could use, they weren’t able to deflect physical projectiles such as bullets. Even then, Saka didn’t really know how to properly control his powers. He had a few capabilities, such as absorbing electricity or manipulating flames, but that was pretty much the extent of his prowess.

"Hi! I'm really sorry I broke your door. My name is Saka! I heard some commotion and wanted to make sure everything was okay..." His voice was muffled by the mask, but he held both hands up as his feet slowly led him past the door's threshold and into her living room. He wasn't sure what had happened, nor did he care much about the context that he was so clearly missing. This was something that wasn't out of the ordinary, especially for Edin. However, it was quite an interesting sight. One thing was for certain - these men were not welcome here. Given by how the lady was dressed, they seemed to barge in just as he had. The young man slowly brought both hands back down to his sides, eventually settling with shoving them into his back pockets before leaning over slightly.

c: "She has it."

"Oh! Right. I don't know who you are, but I need your help. I'm looking for an artifact that looks like a gem. Do you have it? My boss told me you have it." He cocked his head slightly to the side after inquiring.

c: “Did you have to let her know I told you she has it?” The captain sighed while placing an open palm against her forehead in partial disgust.

-----​

Her attention snapped to her front door, the sights of the pistol moving from Luther crusing on the floor, to the man in the mask who had very very rudlu kicked her door in. Unarmed, with his hands up, he obviously wasn't a danger, she lowered the gun, but didn't put it down or turn the safey down. "Dose nobody in the damned city know how to knock like a normal person?" She muttered, ignoring his questions as she stepped over Sock's body, over to Luther to kick his rifle away. "Jackson!"

"Yes Selene?" The teen answered, poking his head in from outside, shock showing on his face from the odd scene he was witnessing, but he was not exactly a stranger to situations like this.

"Call Mazhun and have him send someone to get these two, alright?" Selene got a yes ma'am in return, but Jackson chose to stay outside. Selene would now focus on the man in the mask. That was odd, but not something she hadn't seen before. Selene walked around to her couch, talking seat, patting the spot beside her, one arm draped behind the back so she could keep the pistol trained on Luther. "I might have what you're asking about. But, I think I'm owed a bit of an explanation before I go and spill all my secrets, yes? Tell me who you are, and I'll answer you're question. Sound fair?"

-----​

"To be fair, I did knock."

Saka watched as the woman ordered the young man to call someone and collect the two incapacitated men. He kept the mask on his face, hiding his identity as he took notice of the pistol being pointed at the man on the ground rather than himself. Saka lifted a foot and smashed it against the side of Luther's head. It bobbled off of the ground and instantaneously knocked him out. With that cause of concern no longer existing for the woman, the young man watched as she patted the spot on the couch beside her.

He could feel himself breaking out in a cold sweat. Removing his hands from his pockets, Saka took a seat beside the woman. He sat at the very edge of the couch, feeling rather uncomfortable. The young man was upright as though he had a plank of wood strapped against his back. His hands were folded in his lap, fingers of the opposite hand nervously taping against the titanium of his right. There was a moment of silence; this was about all the poor lad could muster before he had to part his lips to speak once more.

c: "Oh, for fu-"

"I work for the government. There's a bunch of artifacts - gems - out across Erabus that i'm supposed to collect. The gems by themselves are pretty useless, but the hosts are not. That's where you come in!"

c: "That is pretty much the worst explanation ever."

Saka looked up from the rug, to the wall behind the television.

"It's really hard for me to explain. An agency within the government wants to get everyone who has an artifact together for something that I don't really understand, but there is a cash reward involved and it's an employment opportunity. Enough money to get you out of Edin, if that's what you're looking for." Saka cleared his throat. He was blatantly doing his best to stare at the wall and not look over at the woman.

"I'd much rather have this conversation after you get dressed."

-----​

Selene's eyes stayed on the unknown man as he kicked Luther in the head, then took the seat she offered. Once he did, she relaxed a bit, the pistol being placed on the beat up coffee table that looked as if it was about 30 years older than she was, which probably wasn't an estimate to far off. Watching his body language reminded her of first time customers, which made her chuckle. "Relax darling, I'm not going to bite," She cooed, "Not unless you pay me." Once again, Selene chuckled, this time at her own comment, embarrassed boys were always adorable, but she now held her tounge as he began to explain why he was there.

Nodding along, she understood completely. At least, she understood what she felt may not be a full explination. And then came his comment of her attire. Selene stood, "I suppose that's a reasonable request. But, if you don't mind, pick my door up while I get dressed, alright?" She gave him a smile, turning and once more stepping over unconious bodies. "I'll be back shortly." With that, she headed upstairs. Her room was a mess, as she never really got around to cleaning it, and hardly ever conducted business here. And if she did, alcohol was typically involved. Anyway, most of her clothing were dresses and other outfits suited for her line of work, so it took her a moment to find one that wouldn't embarrass the poor boy more that he already was.

It was black (like most of her clothing), that matched her nails, off the shoulder, mid-thigh, with a diamond cut out that exposed middrif. And part of the middrif was her bellybutton, pierced belly button I may add. A simple silver stuff that held a small black gem, the gem the boy downstairs was looking for. Selene had already made that connection, very soon after he mentioned the small gem. A customer had actually give m this to her, told her he would pay for her to have it set in anything she wanted, and so she chose this. Selene saw it as more fitting than a ring or a necklace, and even tried for somewhere a little higher. Nobody would get her get away with that.

Anyway, she took a seat at her vanity, making a few touch ups to her make up, before slipping on her heels and walking back down, stepping in Sock, who was now just slightly stirring. "This," She said, twiddling the small gem of her piercing, "Is what you're looking for, yes?" She asked Saka. "My name is Selene Ola, your boss didn't tell you who your first target was?"

-----​

Saka waited for the female to stand up before following suit. As he had been asked, the young man made his way over to the entrance of her abode. He reached down to take grasp of the large wooden door. Even though he had broken a piece of the woman's property for no reason, under the same circumstances he would have done it again. Besides, if the woman had decided to come with him, she would have enough money to buy all the doors her heart desired. He had been doing his best to fit the the over sized chunk of wood back where it belonged when the woman finally made her way downstairs.

She stepped on Sock, prompting a small 'oof' - which had been just loud enough for Saka to hear. He left the door as it was before turning back around to face the woman. Her fingers had been caressing the small jewel on her belly button piercing. Upon getting visual confirmation, the captain let Saka know that the gem in Selene's possession was in fact one of the artifacts that he had came to Desetto to retrieve.

"My boss doesn't know who you are. The gem is how we tracked you down. I have one right here." The young man turned his titanium arm, using a gloved left hand to point at the bright red gem that had been hidden underneath it's surface. The diameter of the gem was the only part of the arm that had been transparent.

"I understand I am someone you've never met, Selene. These people took a handicapped, homeless kid off of the streets of Edin and gave him his life back." He pointed a thumb at his chest, on the left side right underneath his pectoral muscle. "I had nothing. My life was barely worth living. When they picked me up and told me I would have a chance to make something of myself while potentially helping other people, I didn't hesitate at the chance. I don't care that they're going to pay me. It doesn't matter to me that it sounds weird. I'm the first-hand proof that what these people are trying to do is legitimate. It's asking a lot of someone, to blindly put faith in another person especially in this place."

Behind that mask, Saka was smiling.

"But they'll change your life. We have to go as soon as possible to collect the others. The only other option you have is to give it to me and I really don't want to take it by force." Saka hung his head slightly, filling his lungs deep with air as he belted out his next sentence mid-sigh.

"Please don't make me." On the other end of the communication line was complete silence. The trio stared on, waiting for Selene's response.

-----​

Selene listened as he went on about how they changed his life, how they would change her life. Honestly, it was tempting, the most interesting bits being about the other gems and money. Who wouldn't be interested in either? You know, she could have moved out of Edin long ago, but she didn't want abandon the people here. She couldn't. Despite what he was, Mazhun did good by them, most of the time, and by working with him, she was able to good too. She could provide for the kids that lived around her house, take care of her friends, make sure everyone ate at least once a day, and didn't go cold at night. She didn't care how she had to, and honestly over the years she bad grown to enjoy her line of work, well most of the time at least. Her confliction was evident on her face, slightly furrow brows and tugging at her bottom lip gently. She took a step forward, off of Sock's back hearing a slightly relieved groan. "Oh please, you couldn't keep up with me, even in heels," she replied, though she still didn't answer the elephant in the room.

A few minutes of contemplation would pass, before finally, the woman sighed. "Alright. I suppose I'm up for a little adventure, whatever that may be." Selene had a feeling she may regret this, or want to come home during the middle, or even have to stare down an end of the world threat for whatever the government wanted from her and this kid? Man? Boy, person, Saka....she couldn't tell how old he was. "I hope I'm allowed to pack at least. A girl can't go anywhere without a change of clothes. And I need to tell someone to watch my house. Perhaps Tilly, I haven't asked her since my trip to the Grasslands..." Selene paused breifly, looking to Saka. "I hope your boss can hear me, if something bad happens that isn't an expected risk, I'm going to sue everyone. I will find way."

-----​

The silence that sat between the two went on for what seemed to be an eternity. He heard Selene's response to his statement, but it mattered very little. Saka didn't like talking about fighting. It was a waste of his time to prolong the inevitable, but it was important not to rush the woman either. It was not as though he hadn't sprung this on her last minute and she didn't exactly have enough time to sleep on it. His eyes lit up when she mentioned that she would go.

"Wow, really?"

She continued on, seemingly talking to herself. Then, she rang in one last message for both himself and the captain. In response, Saka removed the small black device from his pocket. He pressed a button and held his hand out toward Selena. There was a momentary silence. Static sounded before a woman's voice came through the speaker.

"Thank you. But this is far beyond even what expected risk entails. We'll explain everything once you fly into Denbourgh." Saka took his finger off of the button before placing the device back into his pocket.

"Yes, please do whatever you need to. It might be a while before you come back. I'll be outside. There's one more artifact we have to find here and the rest are in Ghorra, which is honestly not surprising at all." He stood there awkwardly for an extra moment before walking to the front door. The young man lifted it with both hands and moved around it. It didn't exactly fit through the door, so he had to do his best to lie it against the frame. From the outside that muffled voice could be heard calling out once more.

"I'm sorry about your door!"

-----​

"Denbourgh." It had been a while since she had been out that way, but, hey, you can always use a vacation. With a small sigh, a quick question of what the hell she was getting herself into, Selene turned and headed back upstairs to pack. A task she made quick work of as she, more often than she wanted to, found herself the victim of spontaneous trips. Most of the time however, they weren't for secert missions that gave her no explinationother than a skinny man in a task man breaking into her home. She at least got a phone call first. Speaking of phone calls, she made a few of her own whole she packed her clothing and some of her vaulubles she didn't wants to leve behind just incase. One was to Tilly, telling her that she and her childern could use her home while she was gone, another was to Mazhun, who was fuming when she called of course, but not at her. He actually apologized for Sock and Luther, and then when he heard about her door, told her not to worry about it, had get someone to put it back together whole she was out of town. Gang leaders, useful people to have sitting in your backpocket. Anyway, once she was done, she headed back downstairs and outside, letting Jackson know he could head inside to wait if he wanted to before joining Saka. "Sorry for the wait, but I'm all set. Let's get going, shall we?"

 

[Draven Valentine]

Taking a seat on the railing of the balcony, he watched as the people began streaming into his nightclub. He held a megaphone in his hand, and began speaking into it. “Welcome all to my first annual very important non-poor people party bash extravaganza! I sure did do my research, and I got a little somethin’ somethin’ for everyone. If you know what I mean.” He said, cackling. “The best part is….wait for it..” He then began drumming on the rails for a few moments, bringing the megaphone back to his mouth. “I paid off the cops! You heard it here first folks! How can we have a rich person party if the those pesky law enforcement officers get involved. Hell, some of them might even be here!”

Now, as much as he didn’t like killing, there was someone who wanted these business people gone, and they paid him a pretty penny to make it happen. While he wasn’t going to take a name off of his list tonight, he was indeed going to pad his bank account with fat stacks. His very own crime syndicate wasn’t going to fund itself. Leaping from the balcony, he landed on his feet, knees bending slightly to account for the impact. He’d then began shaking his guest’s hands, making small talk as he went from person to person.

He had mostly everything cleared out, the prestigious club resembled a large office. The guests had found themselves in their little cliques, taking seats at the many tables that were strewn about what was the dance floor. Some of his staff walked around, offering hors d’oeuvres and various drinks, along with other substances. Anzen stood in the middle of the room, clapping his hands together. “God, I’m awesome. What kind of mastermind would plan something like this? Me, that’s who.” He said, speaking to people passing by.

Making his way over to the corner table, he pulled up a chair, spun it around and straddled it, placing his arms over the back of it. Leaning his head down, sky-blue hues scanning across the older gentlemen at the table. “Hiya, what’s crack-a-lackin?” He asked, sitting up on the chair, drumming his fingers against the back of the chair. “Banger party, am I right? You know for a filthy, disgusting night club this place cleans up quite nice.” The men just looked at him, dumbfounded. Obviously they didn’t understand how someone of his caliber could get any of these important figures all together. “So, whatcha talkin’ about? Huh? Huuuh!?” He asked, leaning over the chair and the table, swinging his head from left to right, looking at them all dramatically.

“Well…” The bald male started first. He was in his fifties, and was a CEO of a pharmaceutical building located in Denbourgh. “We were discussing the recent attacks, and how they’re bad for business.”

“Hey now, speak for yourself!” Another male spoke, this one a bit younger. He was a bit pudgy, though having the money to not care what you do will do that to you. This particular male made his wealth selling security systems, using the terror attacks as a way to sell more units. “My profits have increased by over one-thousand percent. You’re just in the wrong business is all.” He said, and a couple of them laughed.

“Oh shit, one-thousand percent? That’s like...a lot of percent!” Anzen said, his eyes widening. “Wow, here I thought I was doing all hunky-dory selling booze and letting people shake their asses here after 3 A.M.” He was the only one that laughed at his joke. “And what about you, comb-over man?” He pointed to the oldest man, whose face twisted into a scowl. “What? You think you can hide it? What did you do for your rags to riches story?”

The male stood up, slamming his hands on the table. He was obviously insulted that his shitty comb over was noticeable. “Just who do you think you are? I make one million dollar deals a day, and you own a place where degenerates flock and do god knows what in here. While you parade around like some sort of autistic shrieking monkey, I’ve been putting together a counter-insurgency team to stop this nonsense!”

Anzen held his hands over his heart. “Ouch, right in the feels man...Okay I admit, I’m a little jealous of your comb over. One million dollar deals a day huh? You must be some sort of bigshot, wow. Compared to you I’m just...Anzen.” He said, standing up from his chair, kicking it to the side. “However, I am the GREAT Anzen.” He said, throwing his hands in the air, waggling his fingers. “I do magic tricks. I made a building and hundreds of people disappear. Including one of our up and coming politicians. I’m like a real regular Houdini with my disappearing act.”

At this point other people heard the commotion, and started to get a little freaked out. By now some people put two and two together, realizing that he was the mastermind behind the attacks. Some people tried to escape through the exits, though they were already locked and barricaded. Comb over man took a step back, pointing at the blonde haired wonder. “It was you!”

“Guilty!” Anzen said, a light blade conjuring in his palm. He then hurled it through the air, stabbing into the chest of the male. The blade dissipated, leaving the crimson life-blood pouring from the male’s wound. “Welcome to the jungle, baby!” He said, whistling. His men then brandished their weapons, mainly melee weapons and a few silenced pistols. The large room was now in chaos, his men slaughtering the helpless victims. Anzen then stepped forward with his right foot, grabbing the back of the bald males head with his right hand. Bringing up his left, which had a conjured light blade, he drove it through his throat, leaving him to choke on his own blood.

“Nothing personal, business is business, am I right?” He asked, letting go of the man watching him grasp at his throat. He then pivoted on his right foot, spinning around to hurl the blade at another trying to run. “Wabam!” He shouted, the blade whirring through the air, sticking out of the dude’s spine. “God, I love this thing.” He brought his hand to the bracer holding the gem, grinning.

Despite the carnage, the slaughter only took mere minutes. Anzen had the last of them cornered. “Eww..what’s that?” He asked, pointing to the male’s crotch, which was obviously wet. “Gross, dude. Totally disgusting.” He said, scrunching his nose.
“T-t-that power….You came from Earth? No...it was sent to you.” He stammered, dropping to his knees. “Someone must have some sort of agenda..sending that thing to a terrorist.”

“Uh, probably? I dunno, man.” Anzen said, squatting down in front of the male. “Though, thanks for the memo. I’ll send it to the office and see what they have to say.” He then stood back up. “Now...what was that line? Carpe Diem? No...that wasn’t it..Hakuna Matata...Oh, I remember.” He straightened himself, attempting to stare menacingly down at the male. “Hasta la vista, baby!” With a flick of his wrist and a wave of his arm, he lopped the male’s head off.

Turning to his men, he let out a loud yawn. “Jesus, killing on an empty stomach totally blows. Get some cleaners in here and make sure it’s spotless!” He said, making his way to the stairs, walking up to his office. “Take a couple of days off, bye bye now.” The door to his office opened, and closed once he stepped inside.

 

[Maj]

​

Sector903

them

I’m getting worried Rose. You need to see a doctor

me

Why so they can tell me what I already know? I’m losing it, what else is there to know?

them

They might be able to help. Some meds or something might help you feel normal again

me

What does normal even mean?

them

You know what I mean. I’m not trying to have a philosophy debate with you.

them

Again.

me

LOL. I think I just need sleep. You know they say if you stay awake for 72 hours you are clinically insane.

them

Yeah yeah. Just promise me if it doesn’t get better soon…

me

Promise.

Rose sat her phone down on her desk and rubbed her eyes. She had planned to go to sleep hours ago, but after her interaction with the pizza guy she had been thoroughly too freaked out to doze off. Sector was one of her oldest online friends, they had never met IRL, but she would call him her best friend without hesitation. He was also the only person in the world she trusted enough to let in on what was going on in her head. The idea of something happening to her freaked her out, not because of the harm to herself, but because she knew that no one would know to let him know what happened to her. One day she would just be gone, and he would have no answers as to why.

After a long conversation with him, she was starting to feel at ease enough to attempt sleep again. Rose had a stomach full of pizza, and after a long hot shower the idea of flopping on her memory foam mattress and losing consciousness actually sounded pretty good. She logged out of her game, and spun her chair away from the desk. Her legs were back in their default position, crossed under her body. The girl could feel some of the blood rush back to them as they unfolded, making her skin feel like white noise.

With a sigh, she flexed her toes till the tingling subsided and put her sock covered feet on the ground. Once she had made the mistake of trying to walk on her legs while they were still asleep and she had fallen hilariously on her face as the traitorous limbs buckled under her weight. One of the perks of living alone is that no one was around to laugh at your embarrassing moments. That was one of many she was glad that no one was around to witness.

She entered her bathroom and was greeted by a robotic voice confirming her name. The bathroom was one of Rose’s favorite things about her condo. It recognized her preferences, which in the case of showers meant that the temperature was always perfect, and there were always warm fluffy towels to greet her when she was done. Before she even made it to the fogged glass of the shower, the water was started and putting off a warmth to the rest of the bathroom. The soft noise of the heat lamps whirred, assuring that the bathroom would be an ideal temperature when she was done with her shower too. Even the floor was heated, there was no cold feet or goosebumps after a shower for Rose. She pulled off her clothes and threw them in the corner of the bathroom floor. Her shirt came off first, and then her pajama pants, followed by socks and undergarments. The only thing that remained was the gold locket her mother had given her. Rose never took it off, not even to shower.

She caught a glimpse of her body in the already fogging mirror. Keeping weight was always something she had struggled with, even as a child. It didn’t matter how much she ate or what her activity level was Rose always looked a little too thin. She had nice hips, a few loud males in town had commented on the shape of her legs in a positive way. But as she looked at herself now, she realized that her ribs were too defined. It wasn’t clear to Rose if it was just the dark circles growing under her lilac colored eyes, but they seemed sort of sunken too. She knew that she had to start taking better care of herself.

Carefully she stepped into the ceramic walls of the shower. The heated water beat on her muscles like a massage. She could feel the long strands of her hair growing heavier, clinging to her pale skin in darkened snakes. Everything was growing heavy, including her eyes lids. With one palm pressed against the wall of the shower, she supported her weight and let her eyes close softly, enjoying the warmth of her bath.

Of course she was right, it was just sleep she needed. With the release of the new expansion to her favorite game coming up, Rose knew that she had been spending a lot of sleepless nights playing with her friends. She had just been pushing herself too hard. Tomorrow when she woke up, things would feel different. The voices would be gone, and everything would be as ‘normal’ as it had ever been. Just to prove it, she would go to the town gaming shop to preorder her game physically instead of digitally. Getting out of the house more would only do her good.

Was her shower malfunctioning? It was suddenly very cold and unless she was mistaken, the water had stopped running as well. Rose blinked and looked up to the nozzle of the shower. But there wasn’t any shower nozzle, in fact there wasn’t any shower. It was dark and cold and it took her several moments of blinking for her eyes to adjust the darkness. Her eyesight without her glasses was foggy at best, but it didn’t take a prescription to see something was terribly wrong.

Rose wasn’t in the shower anymore.

Was she blacking out now? Hearing voices and possible agoraphobia wasn’t enough, she also had to be losing gaps in her memory as well. Rose was horrified to realize that she was still naked and damp. It was almost like she had been in the shower only moments before, water still dripped down her form.

But where was she? The girl fumbled over to what looked like the silhouette of a counter in the purple hue of the night. It was hard to walk without being able to see in unfamiliar territory, but she eventually made it to her destination. When her slender hand touched the counter, alarms screamed. Flashing lights illuminated the building. It was jarring, but it did help her see where she had ended up. Somehow, despite the place having closed hours ago, Rose had stumbled into the game store.

It made sense to a degree, she had been just thinking about going. But how she had gotten here was a mystery to her. Furthermore, how had she gotten into the building after closing time. The girl didn’t even have the clothes on her back! She was standing in the middle of a store, alarms blaring, entirely in the nude.

There suddenly wasn’t time to think this through. She knew that she had to move and fast. Explaining to the police how this had happened would be hard without having any answers herself. Thankfully, the registers were ran with an operating system and an internet connection. An outdated system, but it would do for her needs.

Hair still dripping water on the carpeted floor, Rose made her way to the computer. It was in standby mode. It took her mere moments to use the system to shut down the alarms and convince the alarm company it was nothing to be concerned with, just a glitch in their system. To them it wouldn’t even look like the alarms had actually gone off at all. It took even less time for her to assure herself that the police had not been contacted yet. Then she quickly covered her own tracks before putting the computer back in standby mode.

This was all too easy. The hard part, was going to be getting out of here without being seen. That was going to be even harder without any clothes. Without much thought about the morality of it, the girl grabbed a baggy shirt from the rack near the door and a pair of lounge pants. Old Rose used to think the idea of a gaming store carrying collectibles was admitting defeat to a digital world. Current Rose was overjoyed they had clothes she could use to cover her now shivering form.

It didn’t take her long to make it back to her Condo. The gaming store was really only a few blocks from her house. The long part was the next hour she spent hacking into the security database and making sure there was no footage of her in their store.

How much time had she lost? It felt like blinking to her, once second she was in the shower and the next she was standing in their store. But that wasn’t something that happened, not even with all the technology they had. Travel took time, and it had appeared that Rose had a large gap in hers.

Deleting the footage from the database, her eyes darted to the timestamp in the corner. 8:04pm. It had only been eight? Rose made sure that this information was correct, there wasn’t a delay in the system or a clock that hadn’t been reset in some time. The timestamp as far as she could tell should be trusted. Slowly, Rose picked up her phone. The closest estimate she would have to the last thing she remembered was her conversation with Sector. It was only moments after that she had made her way to the shower. Her eyes scrolled down to her last message.

“Promise.” It read. It was the last one she had sent and thus the best indicator of how much time she had lost. The timestamp read 7:59pm.

Five whole minutes. It would have taken her most of that to get undressed and in the shower. There was no earthly way that she could have made her way out of the condo and across a few blocks, and then sneak her way into a locked establishment in five minutes. It had taken her nearly fifteen to get back home.

“This doesn’t even make sense,” Rose muttered to herself. Another idea came to her. She would just cross reference it with the security footage from the lobby of her building. It was a locked building, there was no way in or out without going past the front desk. The girl busied herself with tapping into the footage from the floor below, her eyes scanning the screen for answers.

It didn’t matter how many times she watched it. There was no sign that Rose had ever left the building.

 

[Taraninja16]

NARSON CROWLEY
​

The afternoon sun was blindingly bright, causing Narson to wince and shift his eyes to the ground. Feeling weakness beginning to return in his legs, he stumbled forward until his hand met a solid object, then stood still so his eyes could become accustomed to the light. The painful pouding in his head was increasing, and the amount of blood rushing to his head was enough to flush away all rational thoughts.

After a few more seconds of severe blinking, he had enough wits to survey his full surroundings. Looking up, he noticed that the object he was leaning on was an aluminum trash can, and that a graffitied brick wall stood before him. Looking to his left, he saw the crumpled tarp and cardboard mess that comprised Ted's shelter, which seemed to be tied to an old wire fence. It looked highly delicate, and Narson wondered how long the man had made do with such a scanty location. He then turned his attention to the right, where the brick-laden alleyway showed a path to the deeper corners of Desetto. Peering into the mysterious depths that stood before him, Narson felt a temptation to run in the opposite direction. Past Ted's hut and to the desert, in a desperate attempt to find his way back home. But he wasn't stupid enough to make a decision like that...having driven for hours on the road from Millwood to Sinde, he knew that he'd die of dehydration long before he could find his way out of the sandy wasteland.

Putting his hand back into the hoodie's pocket, he felt the coldness of the gold earring, and was comforted by it in a way. The sensation of something solid helped to root his thoughts on his current situation. Right now, the most important thing was finding a mode of contact either between him and his parents, or some form of authority. Ted had already given him plenty of assistance, but without any weapon to defend himself with and being barely able to walk, he was a sitting duck for more gang attacks. And if there was anything Narson truly hated, it was being defenseless.

He stood still in the alley for a bit longer, trying to match his breathing and pain so that he could manage his injuries while he moved. When he felt confident in his ability to feign painlessness, he placed both his hands in the hoodie pocket and began to move forward. He smiled, proud that he had mastered an ordered sense of walking in such short time. Sure, his right leg was trailing slightly behind his left, but it was such a small detail that he didn't think anyone would notice.

Coming to the end of the alley, Narson became even more self-assured in his actions. The street was almost entirely empty, with only a couple people ambling around in drunken fashion. If his eyes had been more experienced or keen, he might have seen that there were actual several faces peering at him through the shadows and broken windows of nearby buildings, but to him, the place seemed abandoned. He continued to stride forward, even going so far as to start whistling. What had he been worried for, the streets were quieter here than in Millwood! Surely that meant they were less of a threat, right? Noise symbolized commotion, conflict, and inordinate amounts of people. So then, as a conclusion, this place must be less of a danger.

Well, he was partially right. Seconds, minutes, and then hours passed as Narson commenced his movements towards the heart of Sinde. The sun started to move lower in the sky, and still Narson heard not even a whisper. However, by this point he was finding the silence uncanny, and longed for the hustle and bustle present in most cities. He had only ever been to Millwood's city before, and witnessed it during the busy harvest time, so he had little to compare Desetto too. As a result, all of the quiet started to throw off his senses. He began to think everything had been a dream, from the point where he got Katherine's phone call to his current walk through Sinde's streets. He pinched himself sharply, shook his head, and finally broke into a run.

As he took off, the unkempt houses and tenement buildings started to whizz by in a flash, like a painted picture that was roughly smushed by an untrained painter. The sun continued on its descent, but in even slower movements than before. This confirmed to Narson that he must be in a dream, and he tried to rush by faster. He only self-consciously realized he had the earring clutched inside one of his fists, and a small, inset turquoise stone was directly touching his skin.

It took an unnaturally long time for Narson to tire, his footsteps finally fading after forty minutes of running. He then collapsed onto the ground, taking several deep breaths. How had he managed to maintain his stamina for so long? Was it truly because he was in some illusion? But if so, why hadn't he woken up yet? He had possessed some strange dreams in his childhood, but they usually ended after he became conscious of his dream-state. And why hadn't his wounds hampered him in some way? They hurt like the dickens before, but earlier he had remained unmarred, almost like the pain was on queue.

Turning on his side, he noticed a bent-up sign above him lit solely by a night lamp. Mosquitoes and moths fluttered in large quantities among the sign, almost obscuring the words, but he was just able to make out what it said.

"Torcido? How the hell did I get here so fast?" he gasped, rising into a sitting position out of pure shock. Having studied an Erabus map in great detail for many school projects, he knew Torcido was a good twenty-five miles away from Sinde, and fifty miles from Edin. Something unnatural had happened, and whatever it was, terrified him. Had the whole meeting with Ted nothing but a fever-dream, and was he really waking up here? No, the hoodie and earring were undeniable proof of that event. Then what possible explanation was there for him coming here?

Narson didn't have time to mull further on these questions, however. There was a distinct revving sound that started up close by, which drew closer and closer to Narson's location. Dark laughter and curse words followed as well, and Narson was able to make out three figures driving to him from within Torcido. Two of them were on motorbikes, while the one in the lead rode a hoverboard.

With a grunt, Narson struggled to move himself, but in vain. Whatever stunt he had pulled earlier had taken most of his energy, and it was all he could do to stand. When he finally made it to his feet, he found himself completely surrounded by the night drivers.

"What have we here?" the leader, an albino-man, toyed a knife between his fingers while shooting Narson a smirk. "You look a little lost, puppy-dog."

"Ha, more like a bxtch than a pup." the second man, a buff and dark-skinned being grinned through a face that showed joy, probably at the prospect of beating Narson up.

"But one that has nothing we need." the third figure, a girl clad all in leather, scoffed at the other two. "Why don't we keep moving, it's a long drive to Sinde."

"Not just yet, there's something about him that seems important." The albino leader shot him a quick look, then noticed the clasped fist which still held the earring. "Hey there, why don't you show us what'cha got? Surely a miserable wreck like yourself has nothing of value to hide, right?"

Narson had been standing in stiff silence while they began conversing, all his limbs tensing as soon as he saw them. The girl and leader were utter strangers to him, but he could have sworn he'd seen the big man in Katherine's group when she'd jumped him. It didn't seem like the man had recognized him yet, which probably had to do with the dirt and discoloured complexion on Narson's face. But he knew he'd be in serious trouble should the man realize who Narson was, and inwardly cursed his bad luck. When the leader asked to see the earring, Narson quickly revealed it, then balled his hand around the object again. "It's nothing important, just a cheap trinket." he said, hoping that would be enough to get them to leave him alone.

"Then you won't mind forking it over, would ya?" the man leered, obviously enjoying the discomfort he was putting Narson through. "Come on, a pup like you has no need for minor keepsakes, and I think it will go well with my collection of spikes."

Widening his eyes as he heard the man's demand, Narson shook his head, trying to back away; but coming to a halt as his back met with the second man. The albino pushed Narson back, and the redhead fell onto the ground hard. The two men then started to send several hard blows onto Narson's back and chest, pain shooting through him with each kick. The girl stood apart, obviously annoyed, but not doing anything to stop her comrades either.

"UuuUGH," Narson coughed, a line of blood falling down his cheek. The world was growing dark, his vision of the grey street, harsh yellow lamplight, and dark buildings twisted with the raucous laughter of the two above him. Pain, confusion, and loud ringing noises became a residual hum, and strangely enough, the only thing Narson could feel was the metal hidden within his fingers. Through half-lidded eyes, he allowed it to slide around, until the small turquoise stone touched his skin again.

Instantly, everything around Narson became clearer. The two men kicking him, the woman standing off, the small square of light afforded them all were set back into focus as his pain subsided. Coughing out a few more drops of blood, Narson grabbed hold of the albino's leg with his free hand, and jerked him forward so that he fell on his rear.

"You bxtch!" the second man roared, starting to send a punch straight for Narson's face. A bit of alarm showed on the teen's face, but somehow he was able to dodge the blow by merely sidestepping. He then sent a punch of his own for the man's face, sending him rocketing forward fifteen feet and into the wall of a nearby building.

Narson took a second to stare at his palms, wondering how he had managed to retaliate so well. By all rights, he should be the one knocked out right now. But he had once again summoned forth a mysterious source of speed and strength in order to face his problems. Deciding that he would focus on these strange skills later, he turned to the girl, who was looking at him like he'd just sprouted four arms.

"Okay, what the actual fvck?!" she yelled, then backed away and put her hands up as Narson walked closer. "Look, dude, how 'bout we call a truce, aight?"

"Fine by me, but try to rein in your friends next time." Narson said, with an evident scowl. Just because she was the most reasonable out of the three didn't mean he was going to start being buddy-buddy with her.

Turning towards the abandoned vehicles, Narson grabbed the hoverboard and hopped on. He decided it would be sufficient punishment, both considering the lack of technology readily available in Desotto, and the expense purchasing such a craft would be quite considerable.

A burst of laughter emerged from the girl, and Narson turned to give her the stink eye. "What are you laughing about?"

"You, you look ridiculous! Do you even know how to ride that thing?!" the girl laughed, doubling over from mirth.

"I don't have to answer that." Narson muttered, turning determinably to the board. There was some sort of boosting method available on the back, and lightly applying pressure, Narson suddenly advanced at a crazy amount of speed, leaving the girl's cackling far behind him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After five failed attempts at stopping the hovercraft, Narson finally stopped before an empty alleyway. Half stumbling, half falling off the hoverboard, he carried it with him to the trash-strewn back street, barely daring to hope that he could find a true refuge here. If there was anything Desetto was teaching him, it was that nothing could ever be explained or expected. Though he had always envisioned his chance at finding adventure and leaving the monotonous routine of life in the Grasslands, he couldn't help but miss the normalcy of home.

Numbly pushing aside a large pile of cardboard boxes, Narson snuggled in between a trash can and wire fence very similar to the one he had started by near Ted's house. Piles of green ooze and questionable waste material covered the ground and sides of the trash can, but it was the most secure location he was going to get in Desetto. As he drifted into a weary sleep of pain and sadness, he thought of his family, and dreamed of seeing them again.
OST

 

[Brax]

​

While Saka was outside, Selene had been getting her last-second affairs in order. This had given him plenty of time to converse with the teen who had avoided the beatdown Selene had given the other two gang members only moments prior. Saka learned that this kids name was Jackson and he was born in Edin. His parents never kept a tight leash on him, mostly because they were too busy trying to take care of themselves. Jackson went into explanation about how a man took him in and kept him fed since he was young. Always gave him money and things to do. In exchange for this information, Saka divulged to the young man that he too was from Edin.

Selene walked out of her house. Being the gentleman he was, Saka offered to take her bag. He had been surprised that she was coming with him in the first place, so it was the least he could do. She handed over the bag without question and Saka took it. Immediately, the young man misunderestimated the weight of the woman’s belongings and practically fumbled it onto the floor. A last-ditch effort to capture the strap before the bag hit the ground proved to be fruitful, however, and Saka was able to secure it around his back with a small chuckle. Following this display of grace, the young man would let his captain know he was ready to go. Three minutes later, an aircraft was slowly descending down from the night sky - hovering over Edin’s residential area.

Typically, unidentified flying objects were shot out of the sky. Same went for aircrafts without registration or notice to comply. When the ship was registered to the government, however, such factors didn’t apply. Saka and Selene were still in Edin so time was of the essence. It only took one crazed maniac with the right weaponry to take the ship out of the sky. Once it got within a certain proximity of Selene’s driveway, the lights belonging to the aircraft cut off completely. A portion of the ship opened up from underneath, providing an entrance. This was followed by a rope with a large metal clip dropping down onto the driveway. It hit the concrete with a sharp clang.

“Good luck, man. I hope you get out.” Saka extended his hand toward the teen, who hesitantly took his hand in response. He was a bit awestruck by the nature of the conversation and the fact that Saka wasn’t full of shit when it came to his claims about being sent by the government.

“I don’t think it’s going to work that way for me.” The teen said with a shrug.

“If you put positive energy out into the universe, then the universe will gift you that positive energy back.”

With the weight of her heavy ass bag surely keeping him from floating away, Saka escorted Selene to the rope. The young man apologized before wrapping it around both of their bodies a few times. Despite a heavy amount of cloth separating their bare stomachs, Saka couldn’t help but let out an awkward cough. He removed the hood from his cloak. Then he clipped the rope to a harness that was connected to his torso, the hinge of which was right behind his neck. The young man wrapped one of his arms around the woman before grabbing the top of the rope and pulling down on it. Then, it reeled the two up quickly. Saka’s feet barely avoided being cut off by the metal door at the bottom of the ship closing before he quickly unlatched himself and unwrapped the rope from around the two.

c: Initiating autopilot, Saka. We’re heading to Sinde.

“Roger.”

He placed the hood of his cloak back over his head and dropped Selene’s bag on one of the seats. The aircraft slowly ascended as the two took their seats. As far as the layout on the inside went, there wasn’t exactly a plethora of space. There was the loading bay, where people got on and off of the ship. Connected to the loading bay was a small walkway leading to about ten seats. There was no separation between them and the cockpit up front. That’s where Saka plopped his ass, right at the front. He strapped himself in and rested his head against the leather headrest.

“It’s moving?” Back in Denbourgh, the captain had her finger pressed against the mute button. She had her head turned toward one of her coworkers, who was sitting in-front of a computer.

“According to the map it is. Look.” The screen that the man had been staring at was a dark-green color. There were yellow lines spread across a map of the continent that represented streets.Two small glowing markers representing both Saka and Selene were shown moving from Edin. There was a third marker about halfway from their location to the other end of the continent, moving from Sinde to a location even further away. The captain huddled over her male coworker, staring at the marker and watching it move. It was unfortunate that time was about to be added onto the task at hand.

c: “Small problem Saka.”

There was no response. The captain looked up at the screen to see his mask was still on his head, looking out the cockpit window. She waited a few seconds, before repeating what she said. Once again, there was no answer. Curious, the woman turned up the volume of the feed as high as she possibly could. Upon doing so she heard the sound of Saka’s low breathing pattern.

“That airhead’s asleep.” The woman remarked, slapping her hand against her forehead.

Forty-five minutes had passed.

​

In that amount of time the third artifact had traveled even further. The captain was not upset by this. If anything, it was a blessing that two artifacts could be found in Desetto alone. They had initially checked on a whim; using Saka’s gem, they had the span of a few thousand miles’ worth of distance to track others. He was the one who had initially suggested checking Desetto. The captain figured the next continent worth checking would be New Oceania due to the amount of wealth to be found there. Denbourgh was already confirmed dry as Primouth was the first continent searched. At this point the aircraft was flying right across Sinde at the halfway mark on the map. There were no other artifacts left to be found in Desetto.

Above the clouds Saka took note of the calm night sky. It had been illuminated by multiple stars as well as the moonlight, both of which were hard to notice from the streets of Denbourgh. There, the sky had been artificially lit by the human populous; skyscrapers, billboards, the city never slept. It was hard to notice how much light nature provided on its own because of the constant stimulation provided by a large number of human-built structures in such an enclosed, small area.

The ship came to a hover while descending over Torcido. Instinctively, Saka stood up to his feet and stretched a bit before turning to Selena. He explained to her that he was going to handle things alone and that it shouldn’t be too long. Torcido was relatively slow despite being considered a ‘hub’ port village in which the populous at any given moment was mostly made of people traveling through.

“There’s a big blue button. It’s square. On the right side of the pilot’s console. You can’t miss it. If you press it, you’ll have direct communication with the captain. If you have any issues you should definitely use that. She can also get in contact with me. That’s the extent of knowledge I have regarding the ship, but if they lose me they’ll definitely need you to track the other artifacts so I trust they won’t let you down.” Instead of hovering over a residential area, Torcido was small enough for the ship to touch down right on the outskirts.

“Catch you later!” Saka left with a wave as he opened a side-door and hopped on out.

​

His boots touched sand just as the captain gave him the friendly reminder to watch his back. Even though it wasn’t Edin, didn’t mean that degenerates didn’t lurk in the shadows. Saka couldn’t complain with the woman trying to remind him to be careful, mostly because he knew the outside of Edin as well as he did the rest of the world - that being not at all. Walking through the village felt dreary. It could have easily been mistaken for a ghost town. There wasn’t a soul in sight, not a peep to be heard. Despite the atmosphere being less-than-desirable Saka continued following the captain’s instructions. She was the best (and only) GPS he had. Eventually this lead Saka to a small alleyway. Instantaneously, Saka noticed a rancid smell emanating from its depths. It was pungent enough for him to audibly groan in discomfort. However, he continued onward.

c: “It’s right here. The map says so.”

“You want me to dig through the sand for this thing?” Saka asked rhetorically, knowing what the answer was. He moved a trash can aside before noticing that there was a man sound sleep in the sand. The poor guy was surrounded by a bunch of trash. How the hell could he have possibly fallen asleep with smells as noxious as the ones that were offending his own nostrils? The young man crouched a few feet away from the person whom he presumed was homeless, removing the sheath of his sword from his side. His digits were wrapped firmly around the hilt of the weapon as he prodded the point of the metal scabbard into the man’s tummy as softly as he possibly could. Once the man made any sort of subtle movements resembling a stirr, Saka would stop poking and speak.

“Hi! I was wondering if you could help me? and in turn, maybe I can help you?”

FireMaiden Taraninja16

 

[Taraninja16]

This is a collab post between Brax and Taraninja16 ​

​

Narson’s dream had taken an odd turn, in the fact it portrayed normal scenes instead of the usual inordinate ones. It was almost like reality and dreams had switched places, and consistency was naught but a forgotten concept.

He imagined for the second time, and certainly not the last, that he had never responded to Katherine’s request for help. Instead, he stayed at home, filled with pleasantness, joy, and familial care. At first, it seemed wholly beautiful, as no life-endangering problems presented themselves there. However, despite his relief and gratitude for the safety and love in his surroundings, the old sense of emptiness within him had returned. The dream-days all blended into each other, with monotony and routine ordering his every action. The imagined days turned into weeks, months, and even years, with Narson losing all control of his choices. After his parents passed, he stayed on at the farm, and simply watched as his sisters were able to pursue all their goals.

In the blink of an eye, the dream’s image disappeared, like a colored coverlet withdrawn from a dark hole. All was dark, and a whispered voice with an indistinguishable accent called out to him.

“What do you wish for?” ​

What did he wish for? Well, that was a stereotypical question. However, he somehow understood its true meaning. For so long, all he had wanted at home was a chance for adventure. And now that he had left home and experienced raw danger, he wanted to go back. So what was his real goal? Did he simply wish for an exciting event, but within a secure environment? He could have attained that by simply remaining at home and trying to wrestle with his neighbor’s bulls.

Obviously, just seeking out adventure was too generic and broad. Narson needed to narrow it down, but the 19-year-old was still too naive to have a clear cut vision for his life. Racking his mind for anything he could say to answer the entity within his dream, he felt a nudging sensation poking at his ribs and swiped away the dark cobwebs of sleep.

“Leave me alone…” He groaned, his eyes still part-closed. When he widened them all the way, he quickly realized that his hidden location had not been as secure as he thought. A menacing looking figure stood above him, with a gas mask that looked similar to soldiers in historical videos from old Earth. The poking had been done with the scabbarded edge of the sword, which was still pointed at Narson.

​

Quickly shuffling his feet and using the wall behind him to stand, Narson stuttered out “Wh-what? You’re asking for m-my help? What do you need me for, you don’t even know me!” as he said this, he slipped and almost fell on the waste beneath him, barely catching himself on the slimy edge of the nearby trash can lid. His vision wavered in and out, as Narson had maintained several major injuries and had gone four days without food and water.

​

Saka tilted his head to the side as he watched Narson get to his feet in a hurry. This wasn’t an incorrect or strange response but it certainly took the gas-mask wearing lad by surprise. Pushing off of his legs, he took a moment to get to his own feet. Narson slipped as he backed away toward the wall, which was immediately taken as a clear sign that he needed more help than originally anticipated.

“You’re right. I don’t know you. I’m not here because of that. But I take it that you’re homeless because you’re out here sleeping instead of in a warm bed. Are you from here? Because it very much does not look like you’re from here.”

He quickly reached out to reappropriate the person opposite of him so that he was standing up straight. Immediately after standing him up, Saka took his hands off of Narson. It was surprisingly hard to articulate a good reason for this random person to come with him, but if he could just get the slightest bit of information out of Narson, then he could more easily offer him something of value for his cooperation. It was easy to tell, first and foremost, that this person was not from Desetto. Sure, he spoke the language, but not with the same dialect. Saka reached into his pocket to remove the small pouch of gold coins.

c: “Saka what the hell are you doing?” The young man paused as the captain asked. She had been watching him untie the bag.

“Aw, C'mon! He’s probably hungry. Shouldn’t we at least help him?”

c: “No.”

“Listen.” Saka pointed at Narson. “I was going to give you some money for food but my boss won’t let me. There’s no way to say this in a way that doesn’t sound insane, so either take my offer or leave it. I have food, money, and shelter. You have a gem, called an artifact, somewhere on you. If you come with me, I will feed you and get you some fresh clothes. I’ll even pay you and bring you home, wherever the hell that is.”

The young man crossed one arm over his chest before placing one on the top of his head.

“You know, come to think of it, we’ve been tracking you for about an hour. Obviously, you don’t have a car otherwise I assume you’d be sleeping in it. Well, unless you really like floor goop…” Saka moved his hand to the back of his head. “We had to redirect our flight. You traveled from Sinde to here on foot? That fast? You have to be in possession of an artifact. If you don’t come with me I’ll have to take it. And I really don’t want to take it. So, um. Give me like two days? We need to make a pit-stop in Ghorra, then we’re heading to Denbourgh. After that, I’ll take you anywhere you want.”

​

 

[Brax]

Narson felt marginally reassured by the man saying he didn’t know him. For a minute he had been wondering if the masked figure was sent by Katherine’s gang or some other immoral association. With that fear out of the way, he then turned to indignation at the man’s response, breaking into rushed tones after the stranger helped straighten Narson’s position.

“I’m not homeless! Though I can...see why you would think that.” a strange pause stood between the middle of his statement, his mind and mouth suffering an odd disconnect. He shook his head sideways twice, hopelessly trying to dispel the irrational thoughts he was receiving from lack of proper nutrition.

“You’re right, I’m not from here. I came to Sinde from the Grasslands because a friend said said she needed a drive back home, but she deceived me and stole all my possessions with the rest of her gang.” His voice was lilted, with a slightly broken edge because of the hoarse quality of his throat. He knew his tale probably sounded crazy, since he was currently in Torcido. Who could expect a Grasslands kid as inexperienced and gullible as him to make the expansive trip between the two cities? Not to mention the appropriate hoverboard still lying by his feet, which ousted his statement that all his objects were stolen. But he didn’t have the mind-power to come up with a smarter, or more convincing, lie.

His stomach rumbled, which actually helped to slap Narson out of his weakened stupor a little. The redhead blinked until his grey eyes were more poignant and clear, and though he still couldn’t stand on his own strength, leaned against the wall to cease swaying from side-to-side. He raised an eyebrow as the man started talking to himself, wondering if there was some sort of intercom within the mask. In the past he used to love listening to his sister Lydia obsess over different technologies utilized both in the past and present, and she had spoken incessantly about specific types of mechanics utilized in war. Thus, he knew a little bit about how combat masks worked as well.

“Listen.” Narson swiftly returned his focus to the matter at hand, and took in all the information the man gave to him. Apparently he had been talking to a boss of some sort, so maybe Narson’s hunch had been correct. The man then repeated his offer, but more specifically stated what he wanted in return.

This caused a dubious look to fall over Narson’s face, as he had no clue what “gem” or “artifact” the man was referring to. All he had were his clothes, the hoverboard, and the small earring Ted had given him. Putting his right hand inside his pocket, he took out the earring and then incredulously asked “It couldn’t possibly be this, could it? A charitable druggie gave it to me, cause it wouldn’t even sell at a pawn shop!” With each word he became increasingly more doubtful over the possibility of the earring holding any sort of value.

However, Narson was starting to gradually trust the masked man more. He seemed mostly congenial, and seemed to want to assist Narson as much as possible. It was a little hard to believe, that he could be lucky enough to find two upright people living in Desetto at just the right time to help him, but just because it was hard to understand didn’t mean he wouldn’t accept their offers of aid.

His feelings jumped right back into suspicion with the man’s next statement. His eyes turning the size of small moons, and he gasped “You’ve been tracking me for an hour?! How, and why, just for this tiny earring?!” His thoughts adeptly leaped from one point to another, and he realized even before the man answered what their reasons must be. All the unexplained acceleration and strength that had invigorated him the day before must have been a result of the earring. It was the only inane object he possessed which could currently provide him with any kind of power. But if this were the case, what sort of questionable intentions did this man and his ‘boss’ have?

​

“This….is a lot to take in.” he began, letting out a shaky breath. “I don’t mind coming with you, but first, please tell me what you want with this power.” he looked intently at the mask as he made his request, desiring to leave a solid impression on whoever was watching with the man as well.

​

“You came from the Grasslands? That’s like, really far.” There was a short-lived pause, in which Saka looked up to the star-littered sky. Denbourgh was barely any closer in relation but Saka knew what it was like to be far away from home, in a strange place without any way to leave. For him, personally, it had been a nightmare trying to figure out how the Desetto economy worked at fifteen.

“Now it’s definitely no wonder why you don’t speak like the rest of us. Something about Desetto brings out the worst in people. I’m sorry someone took advantage of your trust. Really at a kind of inconvenient time for me, though.” The young man exhaled air out of his nostrils harder than usual, looking back at down at the man as he withdrew an earring from the depths of his pocket.

c: “That’s it.”

In response to being told that the artifact was right in front of him, Saka went through the same motions as he had done for Selene. He removed the small communicator from his pocket and placed it into the only palm he had made fully out of titanium. Then, he outstretched his arm and held onto the speaker button. He tried his best to show Narson his own artifact, but did not point it out so that it was obvious.

“I know it’s a lot. And it’s going to sound completely nuts, but these people mean well. They told me they want to use the power of the artifacts to save Erabus. Now, I don’t know about the validity of all that…”

c: “Saka, what the hell is wrong with you?” The captain had obviously not yet realized she was on speaker.

“Look, they took me in off of the street. I really had nothing for the longest time. So, I trust them. I don’t have as much time as i’d like to sit here and discuss all the details with you. It may sound completely ridiculous, but we need to get moving. We can grab some food before we get back to the ship. I’m sure Selene would like to eat also. But, we have to go now. Any last words, cap?”

c: “We’ll give you some money for your trouble! And we will take you back to the Grasslands. We promise, we’re from the government. So you can trust us!”

“That’s one way to scare him off.” Saka chuckled as he put the device back in his pocket.

c: "You’re a fucking moron.” The captain angrily growled at the monitor as her colleague spat out the water he was drinking.

“Either way, it’s obvious you’re not from here. If you had a way to get back home, you’d already be there right? I’m telling you i’ll take you there after a short detour if you still want. I just need a few days. Either way, you most definitely need some food. Could probably use a shower too. Not that you smell! Just saying.” He raised both hands, signifying that he was not trying to personally attack the man in front of him. Saka turned from Narson to walk to the opposite end of the alleyway. He peaked out, making sure the coast was still clear. There still weren’t any people in sight, but the most dangerous ones didn’t exactly make their presence known at all times. While Edin was the most well-known criminal hub in Desetto, Saka knew that small villages such as this did not provide any more comfort or safety.

“C’mon. Let’s go.”

 

[Maj]

​

“That is what I am trying to tell you Sector!” Rose growled into the phone. The time for logical reasoning was long gone. Now there was nothing left but panic and fear. Something was terribly wrong with her, she was losing her mind. And yet, she had proof that there was something else going on. She was pacing the carpeted floor of her bedroom, running a rut into the floor between her bed and the bookshelf on the far wall. Her smartphone was pressed firmly to the side of her face, the glow of her computer screen illuminating the room with the image of her from the game store security footage.

“Okay, okay,” the deep accented voice of her friend on the other line did his best to soothe her obviously frayed nerves. “I understand what you are saying. I’m trying to help you logic through this.”

“There is no logic Sec. I wish there was! There is no way to explain being in the shower and five minutes later opening my eyes to a place blocks from my house. Oh and entirely naked! There is no logic in that.” Her voice was cracking, she looked back at the security footage to assure herself that she hadn’t actually somehow imagined the whole thing. But the shirt she had stolen still draped off her body like a cotton tent, hiding anything that could resemble the figure of a woman under it.

“You are right,” he empathized. “I don’t want to offend you by asking but I have to. Are you sure that you didn’t just think this happened. You haven’t exactly been operating at one hundred percent lately.” Rose swallowed the indigent scoff she wanted to toss his way. He had every right to question her, every right to think she was just crazy.

“If I wasn’t concerned about you seeing my pale naked ass, I’d send you the security footage. One second it was just an empty store and literally a second later I’m just standing in the middle of the floor. There is no footage of me leaving my building, but I am on the camera when I scurried home wearing stolen goods!” Sector laughed at this which was highly unappreciated. Didn’t he realize how scared she was? This was not the time for his misplaced humor.

“What?” She snapped at him. “What in the world could possibly be this funny right now.”

“Just send me the video Rose. It’s not like I haven’t seen your ass before.” The truth to this statement brought a blush to her pale cheeks. There had been a time the two had been romantically involved, and when you had a long distance relationship like they did photos and videos were the only way of really being intimate. Rose rolled her eyes and growled something unintelligible under her breath before plopping in her desk chair and rolling it up to her desk by scooting her feet across the floor, dragging her in.

With the phone pressed between her shoulder and her ear, the girl entered the keystrokes that would send the document securely to her friend. She waited in silence for him to get it, to watch it. Impatiently, she waited for the words of awe, that would assure her that she was not crazy.

“And this isn’t edited?” He asked, “Not doctored in anyway?” She did scoff at him then, sarcastic and angry.

“Why in the hell would I doctor it? What would be the purpose of tricking you? Have I ever done anything like this before? Use your fucking head Sector.” She growled. He was normally such an intelligent man, one of the reasons the two of them had remained so close over the years. It seemed that even he was losing his ability to logically process this situation.

“This is crazy girl. I have no idea what to make of this.” Sector admitted. Rose threw her hands up in the air knowing full and well he couldn’t see her.

“What do I do?” she asked, her defeated tone finally taking over her voice. “I’m hearing voices, I’m showing up in weird places. I don’t think a doctor could help me with this.”

“You are right. For sure.” She could almost hear his gears turning, trying to make sense of it for her. If this kept happening, she could be in real trouble. It had been lucky that she had showed up in a place with no people around and an easy enough database to hack into. What happens if the next time she showed up in the middle of town? Or in a crowded supermarket?

“Have you tried doing it again?” Sector finally asked.

“What?” Rose hissed. “Why would I want to do that again?”

“Well like any experiment, you need to be able to replicate it right? This would be on your terms. You said you were just thinking about going to the game store and ended up inside of it. You should try to think of a different location and see if you can make yourself go there. With clothes on this time mind you,” he added with a chuckle. Rose considered this. She supposed it made sense from a few different stand points. First of all, if she could do it again it would prove that she wasn’t just losing gaps in time, that the technology wasn’t just faulty. Second of all, it would be an absolutely amazing discovery. Humans had been trying to perfect teleportation since the old Star Trek show had first debut. The closest they had gotten was the ability to transport a few cells, and it had never been tested on living things. If she could teleport, it could be an absolute breakthrough.

“Let me call you back.” Rose didn’t wait for a goodbye, she used her thumb to end the call and put it in the pocket of her recently acquired pajama pants. Her legs naturally folded up under her in her chair as she breathed deeply, trying to think through this.

She had to try somewhere not overly crowded. It was getting late, It was likely that most of the tourists would be well within their homes and hotels. Maybe one of the coves on the beach? She had visited there a lot, much like the game store. It was a more secluded part of the coast, so the likelihood of someone seeing her was slim. It didn’t have security, so if she wouldn’t have to cover her tracks. It seemed like the best place her tired mind could come up with.

In reality, what she needed to do right now was try to sleep. It had been far too long since she had gotten the rest that she obviously needed, everything from the dry and itchiness of her eyes to the sort of nausea she had in her stomach told her that her body was tired. But she knew it was no use, even if she laid down right now sleep wouldn’t come, not with the possibility of teleportation so close to her. She wasn’t crazy, Sector had seen exactly what she had seen. All she had to do now was try to repeat the result.

Rose let her body relax, her shoulders finding their natural slumped position from sitting at a desk for most of her life. She had never meditated before, but she did what she had seen others do when they practiced it. Her hands laid in her lap, palms to the sky as she slowed her breathing. The girl’s mind raced with any key details she could have been missing from the last time. She had been relaxed, calm, her thoughts had been focusing on the location. Rose did everything she could to recreate this.

Her thoughts went to the cove, thinking about memories she had from going to look at the ocean for the first time. She thought of the curve of the shoreline at the cove, the soft dusting of the sand between the toes. What the place had smelled like, the salty but fresh breeze. Her focus shifted to the distinct smell of sunscreen and the grittiness of the wind on her skin. She tried to concentrate on what it had sounded like. The crash of the tide being pulled in by the moon, that never ending flow of the water. In and out, almost like a metronome, rhythmic and soothing. It didn’t take long for her mind to get totally lost in thinking about it, in fact she was almost convinced she could feel the spray of the water on her cheeks.

Slowly, Rose opened her eyes.

 

[Taraninja16]

​

Narson simply nodded at the man's comment on his homeland. The length between the Grasslands and Desetto was exactly why his parents had originally protested against his trip there, saying that all sorts of things could happen before he reached Katherine, let alone actually getting to the remote location. But Narson, being the stubborn force that he is, resisted against them saying he was old and strong enough for the journey. How foolish he had been. Now that he had experienced all the worst kinds of people, he understood the sage advice of his parents, and wished he had listened to them before.

Seeing the masked man put something in his hand, Narson cautiously stepped forward and moved away from the wall, genuine curiosity adding slight strength to his unsteady state. There was some sort of communicator, that emitted a small glow to show it's active presence. The man held it with a palm made of some strange steel-like substance Narson hadn't seen before, and a red gem was barely visible within the metal folds of the hand. Once again Narson wished his sister was present, as her knowledge regarding different types of mechanics would be quite useful to have.

He turned his attention back to the man as he spoke, raising an eyebrow incredulously at his hasty explanation. "You're collecting gems to save Erabus? What does it need saving from?" While Desetto was certainly filled with locations in desperate need of renovation and repair, he didn't see how the world required a full-scale change or cause. Growing up in the Grasslands, the only problems he'd faced were minor disagreements with family and friends, and the occasional haggler trying to buy albernain for less than it was worth. But none of the grand issues that were evident in the past, like oppressive military power or wide cases of famine were present right now. So what reason could this man's organization have for bringing these gems together?

The figure responded by explaining his own personal connection with the group, and a voice within the communicator expressed annoyance at his words. Narson was still filled with confusion and mistrust about the whole situation, however. The man seemed nice enough, and was certainly offering more than he needed to. After all, Narson was weak and weaponless. If he truly only cared about the gem, he could have easily overpowered the redhead and stolen the earring. However, he had stuck around and tried his best to answer Narson's queries, which he respected. At this point, the only thing stopping Narson from simply agreeing to accompany him were slight personal misgivings. He had rushed to rash judgments in the past, and they always led to compromising outcomes for him or others.

But at this point, as he wobbled around and fell back to leaning on the wall, he realized that he had no other recourse to take. Another day remaining in the desert without water would mean his imminent death, and he was too sore to move himself in the speed he had used before. He still had the hoverboard of course, but he had next to no idea of how to use it or how much fuel it required to take him to Millwood. To make matters worse, he could feel the beginnings of a fever, as his skin went from feeling like layers of ice to endless palates of burning flame.

The last comment about needing a shower pulled Narson out of his introspective thoughts, and he actually laughed at the statement. It felt odd to express any form of joy when he was in such a miserable state, though it also felt refreshing in a way. It provided a much-needed sense of relief from his mindset of hopelessness, and he was able to firmly respond to the man's question now.

"You're right, I have no real way to leave Desetto. In all honesty, I still have many more questions...but for now, I shall agree to come with you." He said, hoping his words didn't come off as overly reserved or aloof. Narson was definitely grateful for the assistance they offered, and at another time would go above and beyond to extract words of praise. But considering his continued suspicion and fragile mental condition, these positive statements would have to wait.

The man then headed down the alleyway, checking both sides of the alley's opening. Narson presumed he was verifying that the coast was clear, and stumbled forwards to follow his path. He was finally starting to notice the permeating stench in the air, and his nose crinkled up at the disgusting odors and miscellaneous waste strewn around. "You were smart to come with a mask, wish I had one." A light edge had returned to his voice, as he decided to purvey the current events with a calm rationale instead of a constantly worrisome one.

Nodding again as the man ushered him forward, Narson suddenly realized he hadn't even introduced himself. This man, whom the voice on the controller had referred to as 'Saka,' had offered to facilitate food, water, and transportational assistance to a complete stranger. Narson felt more faith in the ethics of the masked man, and a smile drifted onto his face.

"By the way, my name is Narson Crowley. I heard you were referred to as 'Saka,' so I'm guessing that's your name." He left the statement open, allowing the man to clarify if Saka was actually a codename or his actual title. Then, realizing that 'Saka' was focused on leaving the alleyway and heading towards their destination, Narson backed away in embarrassment and resolved to stay quiet so he wouldn't be a cause of distraction for the man.

 

[Brax]

​

Upon turning to watch the foreigner stumble to the end of the alleyway that he had been standing at, Saka came to the realization of just how bad this person’s day had been. The masked man grasped Narson’s wrist and lifted his arm so that it was around his own shoulders. In order to help keep him up, this required Saka to wrap his right arm around the side of the stranger. Together they turned right, away from the direction of the ship in search for a place where Saka could purchase some food. It had been a long day for the man in the mask as well and conversing about it certainly didn’t help alleviate his hunger despite ignoring it for hours on end previously. Unfortunately for Narson, the young man was not familiar with Torcido. Therefore, the two had walked a few blocks before finally coming upon a small cafe with the lights on.

Bingo.

Saka must have been lucky. It didn’t seem like most of the small village was awake. For a place to be open twenty-four hours, a clear lack of patrons was nothing short of a blessing given their situation. When his hand pushed the glass door open the cook behind the counter of the bar looked up from his laptop confused. It was obvious that he didn’t usually have customers at this time of night. Saka softly deposited Narson in the nearest seat he could find - a small booth off to the side. Then he walked up to the counter of the bar and placed the bag of gold coins on the table.

​

“Good evening. Is that guy going to be alright?”

“I dunno.” Saka responded with a small smile, before turning his head toward Narson briefly. It wasn’t as though the chef could see his reaction.

“He does need food though.” After turning back to face the chef, a menu was slid between his hands. There was a bunch of various types of food. With the understanding that the two would have to take the meal on the go, it appeared that the best options to order were the ones easiest to eat without a table. “We’ll take three burgers, a salad, three bottles of water and…” The man’s eyes had wandered to a big brown bag. Then, Saka pointed at it.

“Can you just fill that bag up with as many fries as it’ll fit?” There was something about fried foods that spoke to Saka’s soul. Hell, in comparison, the burger was not even necessary. As far as the salad went, it was only ordered in the case of special eating provisions between either Narson or Selene. He didn’t care, he ate anything, but it might be different for them. In the case of Narson, it was almost certain that the man would eat whatever he was presented with at the current moment.

The payment was submitted. Saka returned to the table with three water bottles, one of which he slid over to Narson. Living in Desetto wasn’t easy in its own right. Having traveled from another place that was completely opposite in it’s landscape without knowing a proper lay of the land undoubtedly proved to be rather hard. Saka couldn’t say much, in the foreigner’s shoes he would surely be going through the same unfortunate circumstances. It would be a few minutes before the food was done. The man took a seat on the bench opposite of Narson. Then he lifted the bottom of his mask to take a sip of water before pulling it back down over his face.

The chef made it to the booth with the food minutes after. Saka had been playing a mobile game in silence, his cell phone held horizontally between his two palms. His thumbs mashed against the screen as the food was laid out on the table. The burgers had been in three small white styrofoam containers. The fries were double-bagged and then placed within a tied-up plastic bag. He hadn’t noticed the man had even come by, giving Narson some time to make his formulate and execute his attack on a burger. It wasn’t until after he had hit a loading screen that Saka finally looked up.

“Nice. Let’s get moving.” He put his phone back into his pocket, mumbling as he pushed himself up off of the bench. Then he untied the bag with fries and placed two of the containers into it. Saka figured that Narson would probably want to eat on the way back but he offered a hand to help him up, in the case that he needed it. Then, together the two exited the shop and made it back to the ship. The loading bay opened up and the two walked inside. Gathering two artifacts from Desetto proved to be a much easier task than he had originally anticipated. Out of the various goons and goblins who could have held them in their possession, he was truly lucky that both Selene and Narson were two logical people who had found a way to trust him in such a short amount of time.

Saka placed the bag of food as well as the bottles of water on the seat next to Selena. He took a moment to remove his jacket, tossing it onto the back of the pilot’s chair. The same was done with the scarf that had been wrapped around his neck. Lastly, as the ship began its ascent into the dark sky, the young man removed the mask that had been covering his face. As he placed it on the seat beside him and the captain changed the communication channel to the public address system that had been installed previously.

c: “All right guys. We’re headed to Ghorra next. Since so many people are wealthy there, I think there’s a good chance we’ll at least find one artifact. By my calculations there should be at least four more out there. Could even be more, but i’m just going on the information I have dug up in my research. Touch down is in approximately six hours. It’ll be midnight by the time you guys get there, so try to get some sleep before we arrive this way we can get started immediately.”

In response to the long-winded dialogue, Saka yawned. He reached his hand into the bag of food that separated both him and Selene, digging out one of the styrofoam containers and handing it over to the female. Then with the same hand he dove back into the bag, grabbed a few fries and shoved them into his mouth. Saka chewed them up with a large smile on his face.

“These are good and all but I bet the fries in Ghorra taste even better.”

No, Desetto was definitely not known for it's fine cuisine. However, if Saka knew one thing about Ghorra it was that plenty of luxurious delicacies were sure to be found. Even though he had never been there himself, he was certainly present for those few classes focusing on geography back when he was a boy. The young man found himself shoving another handful of fries into his mouth as the aircraft shot forward toward its destination.

Three hours turned to four. Then hour five arrived. Saka had taken a nice nap but he was getting a bit antsy and felt the need to stretch his legs. He had since moved from the bag of food to the pilot's seat. There had been no sight for miles and miles of dark sky, to the point where nothing but the occasional blinking of lights belonging to other nearby aircrafts broke the monotony of a black backdrop. Five minutes before landing, the captain chimed in with proper notice. Saka stood up from his seat and stretched before walking over to his mask.

He removed the earpiece that had lined the inside, unplugging it from an auxiliary jack. Saka secured the headphone properly into his ear. Then plugged the opposite end of the earpiece into his communication device. Opening up a small drawer at the bottom of the aircraft's dashboard would reveal a plethora of headphones and communicators. After grabbing two of each, he was sure to pass one to both Selene and Narson. It was important for them to be in communication with the captain as well, especially in the case that the three were separated. They were a part of the team now, so there was no point in hiding any conversation.

The door to the loading bay opened upon the trio touching down. Saka walked out a few paces before stopping and placing both of his hands on his hips. There was one hangar in the entire city, meant for people traveling by aircraft to park their ships. It was located about half a mile away from the city’s central square.

​

c: “The first artifact is located at the south-east part of the city.”

Taraninja16 FireMaiden

 

[Rumble Fish]

The excitement of being chased quickly became tiresome as it continued for hours. Sydney resented the lost sleeping or eating hours from these fat, rich idiots constantly going after her. Still, it did allow her to play with her new toy more. She still laughed at the memory of that police’s face when he came face to face with a Tripper flying back towards him like a boomerang. Seemed even cops themselves could not figure out how to handle those cursed things. Even the chore of pushing through a group of rich assholes crowding to the casinos by pushing them aside like Moses parting the red sea. While tiring, it was hilarious to see their dumb faces as they went flying.

It took a few more hours for Sydney to finally escape them. She was exhausted, but she had escaped. She had intended to sell the necklace after this and had already spent the money in the wallet to buy herself food. She took it all back to her hideout. It was the top of one of the buildings right on the coast. As she ripped into her chicken, she could not help but stare at the necklace. Its brilliant and blue jewel attracted her like a magpie. She stared into it, where did it come from? She had seen others similar but not like this. It was big, but it was not heavy. The beautiful blue heart held by a string of pearls, white like they were fresh from the sea. If she took it to one of those pawn shops, how much would she get for it? Enough to buy buffets for days. That and she thought about her uncle. He could get some too right? Just as she thought about her uncle, Sydney’s smile faded a little. She had not heard from him in a long time. Was he okay?

A rumble from her stomach caused her to resume eating her chicken as she looked out across the sea. The night sky reflected on the water, making it look like a single entity. The moon shined onto the water as if admiring the wavy reflection. Sydney sat on the edge, her legs dangling after she had taken off her boots. Looking down, she saw the warm lights of the street as people stumbled in and out of buildings, no doubt gambling their oh-so-special money and drinking crappy cocktails costing more than a one-night stand with Madonna (she had seen that name in an old magazine, one of the many scattered all around Edin). Sydney was more into rum rather than any of that rubbish. Maybe not so much the bootleg stuff floating around Edin, she remembers drinking some and waking up a week later naked and in bed with what she first thought was a bear. At the thought, she fished under some rubbish and found the bottle of rum she had stolen from a week ago. Not too much of a drinker, she took a couple of gulps from the bottle before putting it back where she kept it. She grumbled and shook her head at the strength of its taste.

Leaning back against the blankets, Sydney put the necklace back on. She still could not understand how this worked. She seemed to be able to control the wind and water with this thing on? How did that work? Swirling her hand, Sydney was surprised that the more did it, it became wet. Funny, that only happened when she was touching her- now water was forming? It became a little ball in her hand, she watched it as it swirled and moved like an orb. Sydney blinked, so that bimbo had this thing around her neck with no knowledge of this? Granted she didn’t either but that was besides the point. The woman sighed a little. But her moody thoughts were then replaced with slightly more evil thoughts. Maybe she could have some fun with this.

Looking over the edge, she saw the crowds of people, talking, drunkenly laughing and bragging about their clothes and how much money they had won. With an evil grin, Sydney formed a little ball of aqua and fired it down to the ground. It landed on the head of a lady wearing a big and floppy hat, causing it to splash onto others surrounding her. The lady shrieked at her expensive hat being ruined, causing people to look. Sydney sniggered at the reaction and formed another one, throwing it. This one hit a man who resembled the likes of Colonel Sanders (again, Edin trash) who spluttered and clutched his chest as if about to have a heart attack. Call it schadenfreude but Sydney found this thoroughly entertaining. She continued to pepper the crowd with little balls of water, ranging in sizes from a ping-pong ball to a basketball. None of them were smart enough to look upward.​

 

[shadowz1995]

"Listen, Mr. Woods..." Hathom sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in clear irritation. This backwards, merry go round conversation had really been trying his patience. "The 'I'm sorry but business just hasn't been going well' excuse only works 2 or 3 times. It has been 7 months that the earnings you have made have been in the red. I have had this same exact conversation with you 7 times and everytime, you give me the same story."

Hathom leaned back into his chair and folded his hands together. "Look at me, Mr. Woods." The smaller, older gentlemen obliged and the fear in his eyes was practically dripping out of them in the way of tears. This man was cracking...

"I helped your business get started, I have supported you and your growth, I gave you advice when you needed it, and I have kept your business afloat after seven months of near nothing, Mr. Woods. This show of good faith and trust seems to have backfired on me...." Now Hathom sits up and leans forward. The frustration on his expression spelling out everything he needed to say without saying it, "...And yet, I have absolutely nothing to show for it... I'll be frank, Mr. Woods.

"I want to know where the hell my money is going."

The man in question visibly clammed up. He might as well have pleaded the fifth.

When his question was met with silence, the sound of a long sigh filled the ambience. Hathom stood up and his bodyguards flanking either side took a step forward. It wasn't necessary nor did Hathom ask for such action but it certainly did look intimidating. So much so, the Riley Woods looked as if he was about to be physically assaulted.

Hathom gestured for Woods to stand. When he didn't, he did the same gesture again but slower. It was received as a threat, apparently, because he bolted right up after that. The former soldier started eyeing up his client now.

The money wasn't going towards clothing. That was obvious. In a city like Eindra, he was actually under dressed. His complexion looked horrible. So, it wasn't on beauty or aesthetic surgeries. His mind didn't seem any sharper either. So, mental augments were out of the question. His eyes maybe?

Hathom looked to Ethan on his left, who nodded and stepped closer to Woods to scan his face. Riley visibly shrunk away but Ethan was having none of it and forced him to look up. A quick scan revealed that his eyes had not been augmented or replaced by cybernetics either.

"Arms."

Ethan rolled up the client's sleeves and sure enough, he was clean. No drug track marks. A quick search revealed there was nothing on his thighs either. All evidence pointed to the fact that he had not spent this money on himself. At least, not visibly.

"We've looked at the records Mr. Woods. We know that business has been going somewhat well. Maybe it's not the best business in Eindra but it is a successful one based on the number of people entering and exiting. I even hired a P.I. to make sure that this place had traffic and people actual purchased your goods."

Hathom took a seat once again and the client practically collapsed into his. "I know you are earning money as normal, Woods. I also know that you are lying about the numbers. I also have an inkling as to WHY you are lying to me. Why you have been lying to me for almost a year now."

Hathom sighed again before continuing, "Starts with a K and ends with Ov. Am I right?"

Riley Woods was silent for a very long time. You could only see the ghost of a nod after what felt like a lifetime of silence.

Hathom shook his head, was on his feet and leaving out the door in a heartbeat. "You won't need to worry about them anymore Mr. Woods. Just make sure business goes back to normal by tomorrow. Understood?"

He didn't wait for a reply.

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

"The goddamn Krestnokov's have some balls coming after the people I employ. They have already lost out 3 times before. Are they trying to make a 4th? This is a waste of my damn time!"

The former military fished his phone out of his suit pocket and dialed his lawyers to tell them that the Russian descended family was at it again with their foolish blackmail tactics. Officially, they were a wealthy, influential family that everyone wanted to be friends with. Unofficially, to anyone with some kind of influence in Ghorra, the Krestnokov's dabbled in some underhanded tactics to get what they couldn't get legally.

There had been a minor dispute over who acquired the property rights to start a business where Mr. Woods currently operates and the Long family came out on top. Legally, of course. It seemed like the rival family had been biding their time before they finally started bleeding the business and trying to get it shutdown so they could buy it once it foreclosed.

Hathom found it comical how stereotypical it was that the Russian descendants from Earth somehow managed to form a "modern" mafia/mob and simultaneously irked him that criminals like them were able to make such success through questionable-at-best means as they were.

"We might have to tighten security around you until this blows over again, Long." Stahl commented, breaking the silence in the limousine.

"Probably. Contact our head of security. Make sure he dispatches a small group to protect Mr. Wood's establishment. I have a feeling once they start losing the legal battle again, they may try to hire some lowlifes from Desetto to burn the place down."

"Yes, Sir."

 

[FireMaiden]

​

Interaction: Brax Taraninja16
Mentioned: N/A
"Damn it," Selene muttered, picking up a cotton round covered in light pink to wipe away more nail polish. She had decided to just repaint her nails while waiting for Saka, as there was truely nothing for her to do other than to waste time. And paint her nails was a waste of time. Espeically with the color she had picked, it didnt exactly match anything she had brough along other than a pair of skivvies, and nobody was going to see those. Unless they went snooping of course, then she would hit whem with the closest stick she could find, but Selene would deal with that only if it came down to it. Anyway, her time wating away in the ship was uneventful, other than trying to take her heels off while her nails were still drying so she could redo her toes in the same color, when Saka returned with the next gem bearer and food. "Oh goodie!" She smiled, "I was starting to wonder if we sould be here all day." They hadnt been there that long actually she was complaining for no real reason. Anyway, she took her food, quickly blowing on her nails to finish the drying process so there woukd be any crumbs, listening to Saka. Selene chuckled. "The only difference ive noticed is the oil is cleaner. And they use a different type of salt," She said shovling a few frys into her mouth before starting on her burger. "By the way, never order salads in the smaller villages. They normally have cockroaches in them."

Once she was finished with her meal, she finished painting her nails, asking Saka or the new boy if they didnt mind letter her borrow their thumb to try out a new color first. Didn't work, but she didn't mind, she'd get them to do things for her eventually. Eventually she just ended up taking a nap because why not honestly? Her sleep schedule was a mess, and she wasnt just gonna sit around and be bored for five hours. She knew how long it took to get to Ghorra, and she had a feeling they wouldn't get a good chance to sleep again for a while. She was probably wrong, her intution just being a sourpuss like always, but it was there naghing her like an old woman who hadnt gotten laid in 30 years. Anyway, when she awoke, Selene got ready like she always did. Cleaned her face and redid her makeup, put on her heels, and if she could have she would have changed clothes but there wasn't much privacy on that little jet of theres. And well, Saka and the new boy seemed like they might have strokes if she suddenly stripped right there infront of them. Oh! That reminded her. Once she was dressed, and while Saka was busy, she approched the new boy he had picked up last night. "Hi there," she said with a smile, "Im Selene Ola, it's nice to meet you sweetheart."

He would not be able to reply however, at least in that moment, as Saka handed both of them an ear peice. She put it on, taking a moment to adjust it as she followed Saka. Ghorra was a lovely city full of terrible people, somenof which would either be delighted or terrifed to see her again. It was very funny to make a man uncomfortable infront of his wife. Espeically if you had just seen him that day. She would have made that comment out loud, but nobody would have laughed. Maybe. It was to early for her humor anyway. But this meant she got to do something instead of sit on the ship and wait, which was wonderful as sitting around just waiting for something was boring, and going off with no way to commicate with the people who had just hired her was stupid. She was getting excited, a smile smile pulling at her lips as she followed Saka. She also just realized that the boys woukd stick out like a sore thumb, the secert govrnment agent needs a better costume department.

"South-east side huh?" Selene repeated, "Well, we shouldn't waste any time, now should we?"

 

[Maj]

​

The glow of her computer monitor greeted her when her eyes fluttered open. Her heart fell to her the bottom of her stomach,defeated.She had been so sure.A hand went to her face on instinct, she could have sworn she could feel the spray of the ocean on her cheekbones. There was no water to be found there, no evidence that she had been anywhere near the ocean. Rose let out a heavy sigh before dialing Sector’s number.

“How’d it go?” she heard his voice on the other line. The girl shook her head before throwing it back against the headrest of her chair, looking up at the ceiling as her chair spun lightly to the side.

“No dice. I could have sworn it worked too, maybe my imagination is better than I give it credit for.” Rose said with a disappointed laugh.

“Maybe,” Sector admitted. “But you didn’t imagine showing up at that store Rosebud. I saw it too.” He was right of course. No matter the results of what had just happened, something really weird was going on. The fact that there were no answers made it feel worse, more frustrating. Rose as a girl who thrived on logic, facts. For something to be happening to her that was so far out of the realm of logic or reality made her feel like she was going crazy, even if she had evidence that maybe she wasn’t.

“You should get some sleep,” his voice beckoned. It mimicked her own thoughts, she knew she should. Rose had known for several hours that she should be asleep, and yet her mind was reeling with a stream of consciousness that just wouldn’t cease.

“You know I’m right. This will all feel less overwhelming when you aren’t sleep deprived.”

“Yeah. Okay.” Rose agreed, stretching and rising from her chair. “Would you," the girl paused, suddenly unsure of herself. "Stay on the phone with me? Just till I fall asleep.” It was weird to ask him something so intimate. It was true they had remained good friends after their break up, the thing had been entirely mutual. Still, she hadn’t had him do this for in at least a year, before their split. It was just the idea of being alone with all this chaos going on that put her a little on edge. Most of the time she liked being by herself, but there were times when it sucked. This was one of them.

“Yeah. Turn on your webcam, I’ll make sure you don’t end up locked inside another store,” his voice was light and comforting. He knew her better than anyone. Which meant he also knew that she wouldn’t ask unless she was really worried. Rose smiled and set up the video chat on her computer so he could see her on her bed.

“I really appreciate…”

“No talking. It’s sleep time, if I let you talk we will be here all morning.” Rose laughed, he was right of course. In fact, she was convinced that sometimes he logged off just because he knew that without him to talk to she would fall asleep on her own anyway. Insomnia had always been a problem of hers. Rose just couldn’t shut off her brain to sleep. Forcing herself into extreme exhaustion was the only surefire way to do it.

“Okay, Okay.” The girl crawled into bed and under her thick comforter, still dressed in the nightgown of a T Shirt she had stolen from the store. Her head hit the pillow and she could feel how tired she was, her eyes already drooping. She sat the phone next to her pillow so she could still hear him without having to hold it to her ear and removed her glasses, sitting them on the nightstand.

“Goodnight Rosebud,” Sector said with some humor in his voice. Rose wasn’t her real name, but it had been the only one that Sector had ever known her by. At the ripe old age of eleven, she had thought the screen name ‘ThornedRose’ had sounded cool. It was dumb of course, but that felt like a lifetime ago and children made strange decisions. Sector had a weird thing about screen names, he was always shortening them. No matter who it was, he couldn’t be bothered to type the whole thing out for some reason. Mutual online friends, strangers, no one was exempt. ThornedRose, quickly became Rose, Rosebud when he felt like being sweet.

When she was sixteen, she voided her legal name and ran away to Ghorra. With a few quick computer strokes she had created a whole new life for herself. That included needing a new identity, a new name. The girl had lived more online than in the real world anyway, it made sense for her online tag and her new name to be the same.

“Night Sect.” And with that Rose let her eyes softly close, comforted by the presence of her friend. If she hadn’t been so tired and distracted she might have noticed the sand clinging to the bottoms of her feet. However, all Rose knew now was the blissful twilight of falling into a deep slumber.

 

[Brax]

​

Looking out to the distance, Saka made out the faint figure of a person standing on top of a roof. She was seemingly dropping water down onto a crowd of people below her by use of her hands. He understood that the captain said that the next holder of the artifact was in another part of town but maybe it was possible that her readings were off. Momentarily the young man stood there in silence, watching the angry mob of people finally look up to take notice of the girl who was causing them stress. The water didn’t seem to be hurting anyone, despite their anger. Saka lifted one of his arms and crossed it over his chest. His opposite lifted up so that his hand could cradle his chin.

“Hey, cap. I’m seeing something pretty interesting right here. Some girl’s creating water with her hands.”

c: “We’re not getting readings nearby. Are you sure it’s not a piece of tech?”

“No.” Saka said truthfully, watching the girl continue. She seemed rather pleased with herself. “But, we’re going to go check it out anyway. If it isn’t tech we won’t regret taking the time out, right?” He asked with a small smile on his face. There was no way the captain was going to steer him in an opposite direction, but he still felt it was better to let her know what the immediate plans were. She offered back no response. So, one foot stepped in front of the other and soon enough the young man was making his way around the town square’s larger-than-life water fountain. He hadn’t asked either Selene nor Narson to follow, considering it was more than likely that the two were following closely behind him.

As the three neared the ground underneath the building the girl had been standing on, the mob of angry folks had dispersed. The girl was standing there rather unfazed as the group of unsightly rich old folk seemed to be out for blood. Hell, one of the women was trying her best to figure out the best starting point to start climbing up the side of the wall. That shit wasn’t even possible. She had to know it wasn’t possible, right? No one was possibly that stupid. Part of the lynching crew was searching for alternative means to get up to Sydney’s level. Saka and company watched the entire circus unfold, standing nearby. The young man in particular had one hand pressed against his hip as he looked up to the girl with a smirk.

“Hey, can I - “ Splash.

​

A ball of water had hit saka square in the face, drenching his hair as well as part of his upper torso in the process. He stared at the girl with his mouth still open, eyes narrowed as she giggled and then turned to plan her escape route. Saka lifted a hand to move some wet long strands of hair off to the side of his face. The small gathering of water evaporated violently quick into steam, which seeped through gritted teeth as his hues watched the girl speed off. Truth was, Saka wasn’t the fastest out of the three. Chances were that Narson was fastest regularly, given his artifact. Selene’s artifact allowed her to shapeshift so she had the potential to be even faster, though Saka was unsure just how much the woman knew about the gem she held.

So, the Denbourgh native turned his head slightly to look at Narson.

“Will you do the honors? I could use a lift.” He smiled, pointing up at the ledge. Yes, he was implying that Narson should toss him up. Once Narson got up there, if she was hopping via rooftop, he’d undoubtedly reach Sydney first.

FireMaiden Taraninja16 Rumble Fish

 

[Taraninja16]

​

Narson's first instinct when Saka came to help him walk, was of course to push away. He hated having to depend on others, and would often work especially hard in the mornings back home so that his dad didn't have to assist him. However, even he realized the full vulnerability of his senses, and thus feebly allowed the other man to propel him forward.

Despite the ringing pain in his limbs which escalated with each movement, Narson had to admit that there was a certain comfort in letting someone else make the decisions. Though he liked to consider himself as the rebellious type, he had never disobeyed the command of his parents to enforce his own will before. Sure, there were small occasions where he kept sleeping when they told him to wake up, or he'd spend hours playing on his PGD (portable game device) instead of doing his chores. But none of these occurrences had contained life-or-death consequences. All the confusion and split-second actions of his time in Desetto had put tension on his mind, wearing it down like chopped fruits turning into jelly. So it was nice to have someone to rely on while waiting for his senses to return to their full functionality.

Though the sun of Desetto was currently hidden behind clouds of night, Narson still felt the odious heat rather strongly. As he and Saka left the shadows, the bright true harshness of the desert temperature met Narson's skin, and he put a tremulous hand up to his head to wipe away beads of sweat. Thankfully Saka was able to keep them aright, and they were able to avoid losing their balance on the worn cobblestone. Idly, Narson wondered how the other man could bear this temperature. Sure, he had a mask which might provide some metal insulation, but the skin-tight black clothing must attract a ton of sweat. After all, Narson was just wearing baggy sweatpants and a white hoodie, and to paraphrase his father, still felt "as hot as hell's back kitchen."

While the faintness of his present state felt like a curse to Narson, it helped to alleviate the silence between the two, as the boy was much more concerned with being able to see than any awkward tension which may have been between him and Saka. The minutes seemed to blend together until he scarcely realized how much time had passed, and he only slightly noticed when Saka rested him on a chair inside a restaurant.

After a few blinks, his vision adjusted to the light within the establishment. There were red and white hues, which were brash colors yet still somewhat homey. And though the A/C wasn't the best quality, it still provided some relief from the stridulous atmosphere outside. Narson let out a wearied smile, then closed his eyes and bathed in the comfortableness provided here.

Saka soon returned, and slid a water bottle over to Narson. The redhead instantly opened his eyes and perked up, almost ripping the bottle cap in his excitement to finally have some hydration. Within thirty seconds the water was gone, and a new light shone forth on Narson's features. True, gulping all the water down at once wasn't the smartest plan, but it did wonders for his emotional and physical state. He still felt the sores and bruises on his body, but now he was able to divide his attention to Saka a little bit more. Narson quirked an eyebrow as he saw the man hesitant to fully take off his mask, and wondered if there were some deep scars or mysteries hidden within the upper part of his face. There could be a simple reason, like wishing to avoid possible enemies in Desetto, but Narson's overactive imagination dispelled such a logical explanation immediately. It was more fun to come up with absurd theories than commonplace justifications.

While Narson let his thoughts run away with him, Saka played a game on his phone, and their food promptly arrived after a few minutes. Saka didn't notice right away, and with a quick look of mischievousness Narson dived his fingers into the bag and removed a burger, scarfing it down just as voraciously as he'd finished his water. By now his energy had fully returned, and he was able to sit in a less slumped position as before. Looking for more items of consumption, he had just taken the salad container out of the bag before Saka looked up and noticed the bags. Shamefaced, he laughed a bit awkwardly and stood, taking out a fork so he could eat and walk. "I'm all ready to go...oh, and thank you for the food!" He was starting to blush a little, hoping this man wouldn't think he lacked all proper manners. Narson then followed Saka's lead out of the store, with stronger steps than he'd used to enter it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Narson's confidence dampened slightly upon entering the ship. While it certainly was not the biggest aircraft made in these times, for someone who had only traveled in minivans, it appeared to be quite the impressive vessel. With an airlock hatch, pilot's wheel and a variety of mechanical panels and buttons, the steel-laden walls before him were both imposing and wondrous. Narson was already thinking of dozens related to piloting such a craft, before he saw the other person on the ship, and was shocked into silence.

The presence of a woman onboard wasn't that surprising to him; he had already heard the female voice ordering Saka, and he had 'met' (watched and read about) several powerful female characters. However, there was something about the woman here that felt different. He was picking up on a distinct sensation, one he received when wandering too deep into NSFW websites, and felt his face begin to turn red. Thankfully, he was spared from bursting into a rather stupid remark by the ship's intercom, which released a lengthy message about their incoming destination.

"Wow, all the way to Ghorra..." Narson breathed in a tone barely above a whisper. He couldn't believe he was going to another big city. He had gone there only once before, when it was Lydia's tenth birthday and his parents had taken the family out to the beach. However, that had been thirteen years ago, and his only memory of the place was being bitten by stingrays and having his pocket change stolen. Hopefully his impression of the place would improve with a second visit.

He returned his concentration to the conversation between Saka and the woman, having the bad luck to hear her comment about the salads in Desetto commonly having cockroaches. His stomach turned a bit, and he let out another nervous laugh. It was Murphy's law that the one time he'd eaten vegetables without complaint, they would also have accurate health concerns. Well, it wouldn't help to think over the matter too much.

The last few minutes before he fell asleep were a bit of a blur. The woman asked to borrow someone's thumb for a nail-painting experiment, and both him and Saka swiftly declined. Narson wanted to ask Saka about his reasons for using the mask, about piloting the ship, and the details regarding their artifacts, but the man walked over to the pilot's seat before Narson could get the words out. The natural solution would be to follow him and commence conversing there, but Narson decided to rest up instead. Stretching out on his seat, Narson hardly felt the coarseness of the stiff cushioning and the occasional swaying of the ship. When compared to sleeping on the streets in a back alley, the seat's roughness felt like a feather-down mattress.

For once Narson had a dreamless sleep, and was able to rest soundlessly until the chiming notice of the commander awoke him. Sitting up, he ruffled his unruly mop of hair and yawned, feeling almost entirely rejuvenated. Though the bandages around his injuries were nothing but Ted's crass rags, they had somehow worked as proper insulation to his wounds and avoided infection. Taking off his hoodie, Narson began to unwrap some of them, thinking that openly healing would be better at this point then letting dirty scraps continue to close his sores.

Narson looked up as the woman approached him with a greeting, a smile clear upon her face. "I'm Selene Ola, it's nice to meet you sweetheart."

He was momentarily cut off from responding by Saka, who handed him an earpiece. Fumbling slightly with the device, Narson somehow managed to get it on and turned to Selene with a returned grin. "Nice to meet you too!" he said cheerfully, revealing just how effective his rest had been. His spirits had definitively returned, and fortunately all the social weirdness he'd felt the evening before had vanished. "I'm Narson Crowley."

Narson recognized that it was probably odd to cut off his response so shortly, but he wasn't certain what else to add to his introduction. Through his strong yet somewhat tenorous voice, and the way he seemed both overly informal and reserved, it was probably evident he was from the Grasslands, and Selene seemed to have very perceptive senses. Maybe Narson was imagining things again, but he thought there was a peculiar glint in her eyes filled with confidence towards him and Saka. Surely she noticed some certain feature that was impervious to the two of them.

As they softly landed into the ship's docking bay, Narson realized that Saka giving them the receivers was probably a cue that they should be leaving soon. Running back to his chair, he threw on his hoodie, checked that the earring was still in his pocket, and then snatched the hoverboard he had taken from the thugs earlier. Though it had only been about thirty hours since the incident, his fight with the three gang members and use of the earring's power seemed so long ago. The events were as far away as the wisps of a dream, swirling around the subconscious in forms just out of mental capacity.

Walking back to Selene and Saka, Narson drew a hand in front of his face as the door to the loading bay opened, revealing a wide swath of light. He ran a hand erratically through his hair, hoping he didn't look too scruffy since the populace here were so well-to-do. He wished he had thought to take a shower or at least wash his face, as the dirt and smog of Desetto was still visible on his clothes and face. While he was grateful for Ted giving him some clothes, Narson had a feeling no amount of washing would remove the residual scent of drugs wading off them.

The intercom in his ear buzzed, as the commander gave a tip about the artifact to all three of them. Narson hoped that meant the commander expected the three of them to go together, as he had no intention of traveling through another big city alone. The chances of him getting lost were rather high, and if more shady people tried to approach him, at least there would be safety in numbers.

Thankfully it seemed like Selene and Saka expected the same thing, as the two began heading off in the same direction simultaneously. Narson decided to follow silently for now, though he hoped they would have some opportunity to appreciate the oceanfront while here and not just focus on business. His skepticism towards Ghorra was melting away, as he saw the bright blue sky, crystal clear water, and elegant white buildings around them. The cloudy sky and beautiful landscape mirrored each other in both hues of color and openness, seemingly inviting all around to revel in their magnificence.

His reverie was broken by the distant image of a girl throwing water onto passerby below her, and Narson's eyes widened at the sight. It was of course unusual to see someone controlling water with their hands, but it was the usage of these powers which really startled him. It reminded him of something his sister Lydia would do, and he instinctively started walking towards the far-off figure, interested in who the devious girl could be. He looked back at Saka and Selene, curious about what they thought. It looked like Saka had already noticed and was currently conversing with the captain via earpiece. When he finished, he simply began to walk in the direction of the water fountain, and with a quick shrug to Selene Narson followed him.

Narson had more time to reflect on the beauty within the architecture around them as they walked. The buildings had all been constructed with symmetrical shapes in mind, with triangular roofs, diamond-shaped windows, and gracefully sloping curves and columns as well. There were small patches of grass which were also formed in various shapes and sizes, some even organized in patterns like flowers and moons. The white brick floors of the city were sparkling clean, and all the alleys were edged between bunches of flowers and ornate wire decorations, so they seemed both stately and welcoming. However, the centerpiece was the grand town square's fountain, which the girl stood on top of.

Saka began to walk up in a serious manner, one hand on his hip. Sadly his imperious demeanor was quickly spoiled, as he was only able to get two words out before being splashed in the face. Narson covered his mouth to hide his grin, finding the girl's antics amusing.

“Will you do the honors? I could use a lift.” Saka said, turning to Narson with a smile whilst also pointing to the rooftop where the girl was running. Narson hastily nodded his head, clutching the earring with one hand before turning to Saka. With his free hand, he opened his palm, allowing Saka to step on it. Once he did, Narson pushed it up with enough speed for Saka to easily reach the roof, the artifact's strength alleviating any possible pressure from Saka's weight.

After helping Saka up, Narson put down his hoverboard and turned it over, looking for the power switch and then turning it on. Stepping aboard, he held out a hand to Selene with a playful grin. "Ready to go? I'm still not sure how this artifact-thingy works, or how to fly a hoverboard, but we can't let Saka have all the fun!" Waiting for her to board the hovering device, he hurriedly sped off as soon as she joined him, using the adrenaline of his hoverboard to speed up the wall and push up to the ledge where the girl ran.