Multiple Settings XIV {Open for New Members!!!}

[InfinityBeholden]

XIV Season One: Prisoners to Legend​

Excerpt from The One Man Army (Veldunia Version): Joe and Marvin were chatting up as they ate beans straight from the can. We would sit around the trench and talk about life back home. It was happy, the warmest you could get in the heart of Veldunia. The laughs all stopped as the air turned cold, it knocked the breath out of everyone and we all let out a loud cough, the whole air changed, the fog of 2 weeks had lifted. We all peeked out into deadmans land. There HE was, the sky split in two as death had landed, his sword steel so cold, and would tear your flesh asunder, The end of man. The walking disaster was her to weep.



The First Birth, The first - Number 4: I was lying there, I thought I was dying, the lure of light was calling my name. But to where the light lead me I'll never know. All I recall was waking up in front of a statue. She was huge the size of 3 stories, her flesh made of pure crystal. She had 14 arms, each containing an orb with a roman numeral inside. I was greeted by man with the number one on his helmet. His body didn't move at all. He was like a mimic of the statue itself, unmoving, but told a story. He was a guardian of the statue, as I tried to approach a slash beyond compression, beyond our existence had struck. I didn't even see it coming, the man was the incarnation of defense - the unmovable man. He told me of his job to protect her. He explained that he could do me a favor that I so desperately needed, If I joined their cause and worked for them. All the stories ever told about me, the legends, the wives tales, the myths, he knew them all. He told me I was a cog in the machine, but with my power I could be the whole machine. He knew I followed orders well, there was denial of what I was, I needed orders to follow from a person I'd trust, my country was no longer my own. I was war, uncomfortable, scared, and confused. Regardless of this fact, I pushed forward vowing y allegiance to their cause. He showed to me 14 armors, they were made far ahead of time, each was made for the member associated with its corresponding number. It was told, they could further enhance the crystals power, If a member took up their armor they wold become even ore powerful, I put the armor on to start my new future. From that day forward he was the one who had seeked and brought all the legends to this place - their new home.


Present Day...
It was directly from the top. Rowan was given order to traverse into a new world - alone. A new legend emerged he was tasked with a special mission of which was disclosed to other members. This was normal, if dirty work was slightly involved he was the one chosen; Recruitment, Danger non-monster threat, it was all an ordinary says work. But it had him beat, he was hoping the request to get a partner to help him with "special missions" would be accepted. One had said he'd look into it, By the looks of it, his eyes were set on Ceras number 14, her background complimented his very well. He wondered if in her real life she had done such tasks as him.

He reached the hangout spot. An old abandoned house, it was completely vacant and filled with graffiti. He went up to the roof to sit back and watch the sun rise. There wasn't many members who knew about this spot. He came here to relax or meet up with certain people. Before his mission.. he decided to relax.
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The base was a castle, in the center was the Memoir Maiden. The building was intricate, it had many floors, and the layout was a mess it was almost like a maze. The place was located in the middle of a plain surrounded by forest. This was their home - The home of the XIV

XIV Starring

InfinityBeholden as Rowan Striker - The Natural Disaster
TheExtravagantPurpleCape as Amilla - The man of the 11 Ocean Arms
Mishrael as Ceras Lattese - The Whisper of Death
RageFactorXIII as Sovereign - The Everlasting Overlord
Grayhollow as Grey - The God of Plagues
AxElKiNgHeArT13 as Scarlet - The Eternal Flame

This is their story.....

 

[RageFactorXIII]

Dominion Day, Midnight -

"Overlord!" A voice called out from the shadows of the bedroom, causing wine red irises to flutter open. The wine red eyes then flitted over to the corner where they found a glint of light shining dimly in the darkness. "This is where you die!" The glint flashed and the sound of rushing footsteps thumping against the carpeted floor was heard alongside the rustling of sheets. The bed's occupant sat up as a blade plunged into their chest, causing liquid to spill from their body and coat the quality cloth laid upon the mattress, ruining it. The body in the bed stilled as the assailant twisted the blade within their victim's chest cavity before removing it, forcing a larger quantity of life blood to spill from the soon to be corpse. "This was the great Overlord?" The shadow standing over the bed questioned with disappointment evident in their tone. "What a pathetic man." The assassin said to themselves as they then pressed their blade against the freshly killed body to wipe off the blood that stained the metal.

The assassin began to leave the room, ignoring the treasures, weapons and gadgets that lined the walls of the room now that their mission was done. The door to the room opened before the assassin was able to escape the crime scene, however, a fight did not break out upon the assassin's discovery. Instead, the guard on duty simply stood aside, allowing the assassin to pass by, giving the killer a brief nod of acknowledgement as he did so. Then, after the assassin had left the room and the door slid shut, a soft click sounded off within the room, soon followed by a quiet ticking noise. A soft, viridian green flash then lit up the Overlord's bedroom.
"What in the seven principalities?" The guard from outside of the room asked as the door was opened once again. A loud gasp was heard from the guard as he stepped in and looked upon the bloody bed within the room.

Gleaming wine red eyes that were focused upon the object in the individual's hand suddenly snapped upwards to gaze upon the new arrival. A smile slowly spread across the individual's face as they then lowered the hand holding the object, a small clockwork pocket watch. "Guard," The even voice of the Overlord called out across the large expanse of the room, causing the traitorous guard to be rooted in place in shock. "I do believe there has been a murder. Would you please report it to your superior?" The blood stained man who should have been dead asked as he rose from the red smeared bedding, picking up the revolver that rested upon the small bedside table as he stood firmly upon his own two feet. "How?" The guard asked in barely concealed fear as they watched what should have been a corpse, calmly extend the cylinder of their revolver so they could then fill it with ammunition. "How are you still alive?" The traitor began to grip their rifle tightly as they continued to watch the Overlord look over the firearm in his left hand. "That is a rather simple question to answer." The Overlord said as he then rose the revolver to level with the traitorous guard's face. "I was never 'Alive' to begin with."
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A surprisingly loud popping noise sounded out from the Overlord's mansion, alerting all those inside of the building, as well as the assassin who was walking away. "What in the nine tribes was that?" The killer whispered loudly to themselves as they then began to pick up their pace and rush away from the influential building. Laz Rifles were not as loud as whatever that loud, unusual noise was. No one used any weaponry that would cause that sort of ruckus anymore, not since solid projectile based firearms became insignificant three centuries ago. The only individual who would even dare to use such unconventional and outdated tech would be... "May the gods protect me." The assassin was moving even faster now that realization had dawned upon them. The hit was a bust. The Overlord yet lived. They now had to rush back to the Duke to inform him of the hit's failure and to beg for shelter.

The assassin had gotten a considerable distance away from the Overlord's mansion within the span of a minute and it was impossible for any of the humanoid guards or peace keepers to spot him, for they had all been paid off by the Duke. That is why the assassin started to slow his pace, relaxing slightly now that he had put distance between him and the building of the tyrant who ruled over the Dominion. "This should be far enough." The man whispered to himself as he stopped near a building, falling against it to allow his beating heart to slow down to a more tolerable rate. "Still, how did the Overlord survive? I pierced his lung and tore through his diaphragm. The man should be dead!" The assassin simply could not understand how the hit had failed. Everything had gone perfectly and the Overlord was certainly dead when he left the room. Just how had everything gone wrong? "It doesn't matter," The man told himself as he pushed off the wall now that he had given himself a small break. "I should report this to the Duke. He will know what to-"
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"A clean shot." A revolver lowered as a soft whirring sound broke through the silence of the room. The Overlord's wine red eye refocused as he stepped away from the window he had peered out of in order to terminate his assassin. "That was the third one this week." The gray haired man spoke to himself as he began to remove his ruined clothing on his way over to his closet. "Perhaps the people are truly discontent with my rule." The door to the compartment filled with clothing slid open, allowing the Overlord to enter the small, confined space. "However, I have yet to deal with the Duke and his allies. It is possible they have simply expanded their influence while I am preoccupied with liberating the Cyranus system." A plain white shirt was pulled over the man's head and pushed down his torso and then a steel gray button up uniform top was put on next, with a pair of black dress pants following soon afterwards.
"I suppose I should begin to give the Duke the proper respect he deserves as a threat. Captain Jhaza will be pleased to finally have an assignment." The Overlord gently straightened out his uniform for the day's activities before he stepped out of his room's closet, the sliding door shutting soundlessly behind him. "It is shaping up to be a rather eventful month."
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??? Day, ??? -

The bright light that assaulted my eyes made me temporarily believe that I was in the process of deactivating. That all of my systems were slowly shutting down, one by one as my optics slowly blurred the last vestiges of recorded light. It was not until a flicker in the corner of my perceivable vision triggered my optics' Auto-adjust feature that I realized I had not yet succumbed to the endless void bereft of data. I raised my servos and pressed down upon the surface I had been laying upon to lift my frame from the ground while my optics slowly allowed the area around myself to come into focus. The room I found myself in was white and rather spartan, save for the sizable crystalline statue in the center. The inanimate fourteen arm woman was an impressive sight to see and I remember reaching out to touch her form, only for my attempt to be halted by a helmeted figure I had not previously noticed within the room.
"Salutations, my good fellow," I recall saying to the imposing man before myself. "Is this magnificent piece of craftsmanship yours?"

"You rule over an empire that expands across the stars. Your reign has been bloody and long. Your goal to establish Peace across the stars complete." The man ignored my words as he listed off my actions within my existence. It was impressive to hear my accomplishments from the mouth of an individual who seemed unbiased and unaffected by the corruptive influence of politics. "Would you take another chance to establish Peace once more?" The offer was an odd one that brought about temporary confusion that was soon rectified when the helmeted man explained and proved that I was no longer within my Dominion. I had been summoned to a world where a goddess resided and individuals of legends were given the chance to expand their influence, grow their power or be given the chance to live once again.

I too was one such legend, the helmeted man had assured me of such and I had been summoned to serve the goddess. To be given the chance to begin my work anew within a new realm. It was an offer I found impossible to resist.
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Present Day -

Liquids boiled lightly in their beakers over small stove tops, filling the air of the sterilized room with pungent odors that went undetected by the room's sole occupant. A loud hissing sounded off from one of the other scientific instruments, alerting the gray haired male to the potential disaster moments before it was triggered. The 'man' swiftly made his way over to the instrument to re-calibrate it, thus solving the problem before it could ruin his current project. It had been a substantial amount of time since he had been granted time off of the consistent rush of missions the Goddess assigned the fourteen. The former Overlord was determined to spend his free time ensuring that his project went off without any complications, because if it did, he would be bereft of his most trusted tool, Verdict. Sovereign patiently waited for the final portion of the process to be complete.

When the liquid nitrogen finished filling the bullet casings he had prepared, Sovereign safely sealed off the miniature metal containers before storing the new ammunition into his storage container for the Liquid Nitrate Rounds. Then, the gray haired male began to collect and place the remaining materials and equipment he had made use of away after washing the used laboratory supplies. If only I had more time. Sovereign lamented as he then left his most favorite room within the crystalline goddess's domain. Alas, the Goddess requires my service today. Perhaps I shall ask Number III for his assistance in an experiment after today's mission is complete. Sovereign thought as he made his way to the room he had been 'awoken' within when he first arrived to this realm, so that he could receive the Goddess's mission.

Location: The Memoir Domain

Tags: Grayhollow (Mentioned)

 

[TheExtravagantPurpleCape]

Excerpt from The Man of the Lake: The army was backed into the center of town, their back against the wall. The entire infantry was bloodied, sweat pouring down their head, dirt smeared across their face. The resources of the armory were dwindling down to nothing, their was no catapult ammunition, the ballistas oversized bolts - gone, their ordinance of Molotov cocktails, and ammo for arrows were dried up. They were forced to use their sword, which was the city of Aklogan's weakness. They had superior ranged weapons, but they weren't prepared for this - The Demons. These creatures with pale blue skin, they once looked human, but now they had monstrous appendages, distorted features, twisted tongue, and foreign magic. The creatures spoke in twisted tongue, magic appeared from thin air, a fire serpent crashed into a building and exploding, a series of buildings caught fire , spreading through the entirety of the city. The innocent screams of civilians were let out. The already run-down-town was now being turned into a ghost town. All their hope was lost, there was nothing that could save them now.

A mysterious stranger entered the town, a glistening full-plated heavy armor, Their skin a pale tone that glowed in the moonlight. He pulled out his pure blue blade and revealed his 11 water wings, they looked like the shape of swords. The demons swarmed them, they were the enemy in the lions den. It seemed impossible but the hero slashed into the guts of these creature brutally, there was a hidden hate for these beasts, they were slain with extreme prejudice. After a few minuted the screeches of the foreign tongues seized. The screams fell quiet, all that remained was the sound of kindled flames, the pleas of help, and the panting of the soldiers. All that remained was Him standing over the pile of corpses. Their new hero. The man of the 11 water arms.
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Number 11
I was wondering the world a lonesome traveler. All my hope was gone, I felt the beast within strengthening its grasp around my will, But hope - it was unwavering, I walked these paths everyday keeping this thought alive. I have experienced many deadly beasts who could make even me blush; I hiked across the many great nations, discovering and learning their values ad culture; I met people I have accepted into my heart, they were more then friends, they became my family, the hardest part was letting those important parts of my life go. This was my journey to finding who - Or rather what I am. It was a rough winter, I once again lost control of the inner beast, I was emotionally a wreck. It was spring on the rise, when a man wearing a black armor, wearing a helmet that looked like a meteor, he showed me his face. His hair spiked one way and his eyes were both a different color. He told me he had been watching me for sometime. By listening to him, I learned of the many different worlds beyond my own, there was a group that was in between all of them, it had heroes from legends, all gathered together and took orders from the Memoir Maiden. This power sounded grand, The edge I needed, Inside I held my secret as to why, But I would work for them in search of control and power. The man in black called forth - what he called - a gate, it was a sphere, bright yellow, it had foreign, alien letters swirling in it. One minute I was home, the next I was in a grand ball room, there was a maiden crystallized, It looked like she was trapped. I bowed to the Memoir Maiden and in exchange she gave me on of her crystals. Number 11. This was new to me, But I wasn't afraid, I had the wits, and the means to take control of this situation and make it my own.

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Present Day....

Number 1, the unmovable man was at ease today. He disengaged his legends to reveal his true face, he would only wear the armor when new arrivals were present. He would always say 'The Memoir Maiden is the most important presence in the palace' He was like a record on repeat. Everyone there new he was the most powerful member, there was a mysterious presence around him, secrets he didn't tell, a even stronger hidden power. That didn't matter to him. He only cared about doing missions and gaining new strength. Today he was tasked with a reconnaissance mission to gather information about a new legend emerging.

He walked towards the hangout spot to meet up with the closest acquaintance he had there. There He was the One man Disaster. Ordinarily Amilla kept his mask on, but since he was resting easy he decided to take the mask off to talk. He had a light blue hair, and a very pretty face, for a man.

"You'll never guess who I got paired with again today. Sovereign - You know the guy who ruled his own world. Honestly, His tactics become brutish at times, he does whatever he needs to accomplish the mission. No complaints, at least we get it don't. But I've seen the worst of the world. So I won't let up my guard. We all have our motives, one moment they seem like your friend, the next you see a look in their eye, the kind that holds a secret of a persons soul. I'm no idiot! Not that I'm saying you guys think I am. Well, Screw that. I learned something today. I've traveled to a few worlds now, I've done reckon, I've seen the legends themselves. According to my studies, I've learned that once a legend is activated, it can change your personality to that of their legend. It makes you wonder what else it can do. It makes me think of your legend, everyone thinks your a monster. But I think everyone should give you another look, not that I care, but you know what I mean" He had a soft voice, but such strong, powerful, lively words. His tone was on the sarcastic scale and came off as if he was smarter then everyone else.

 

[Mishrael]

​

It was the smell that woke her up. It reminded her of a campfire, but the smell was all around her. She rolled herself out of her bed, dressed in the little sleeping gown that her governess bought her when they visited town last week. She looked around the dark room, lit less by the moon, which hung round and silvery in the cloudless night sky, and more by the flickering red firelight that ebbed and flowed through her windows. As she stood there, she had to squeeze her eyes shut, wincing from the stinging in her eyes. Her throat was dry and scratchy. And it was hot – too hot. It was like standing in front of the oven whenever she helped Miss Meera cook, except it was all around her. And the roar. The deafening roar of fire and crackling timbers.

Disoriented, confused, and far too hot, she tried to call out over the fire, but choked on smoke before she could utter a sound. Hacking, she timidly walked to the door, and tried to turn the brass handle that just a month ago she was too short to reach. With a scream, she recoiled as if the handle had bitten her, and she looked down at the blistering skin on her hands. Tearing up, the little girl pushed herself into a corner and began to sob – confused and alone.

Shouts and crashing drew her attention, and she jerked her head up from her tear-soaked knees. A great cacophony overtook the roar of the fire – like trees falling and glass breaking. A figure burst through her double doors. Her brother? Her father? It was a man. Or was it a boy? She could feel the floor shift under her as the crashing began to subside, and she felt the familiar and welcome embrace of the boy – man? He carried her to the closet and put her down. He told her it would all be okay. He told her to stay put and not make a peep. Then he hurriedly shut her closet door. Through the slats, she could see his shadow dancing across the ground. He rushed back and forth from the window to the bed tying sheets together for a makeshift rope. He was frantic. He anchored the sheets to the balcony railing and turned.

Just as he had finished, another shadow darkened the room. She could hear the calm voice of another man, unfamiliar. Her brother or father spoke curtly with the stranger. A sudden torrent force ripped through the room. This stranger whipped his impossibly large weapon around like it were a toy, and, in the blink of an eye, half of her room had been blown away. Windows, balconies, brother or father, and all.

Scared stiff, she dared not move. The stranger stood in the room for a moment -- lingering. What the stranger was up to, she couldn't tell, but she also couldn’t bring herself to look at him. The stranger’s shadow shifted, like it was turning to leave, and she let a tiny sigh escape. The shadow froze, then she was suddenly falling, her closet was tipping towards horizontally and the doors were flapping in the open night sky. She was falling and falling. Falling into the fire. Falling forever. Then the world came crashing back as she, her closet, and all hit the ground.

Cheering resounded around her, and her mouth filled with blood. She’d been struck – caught on the cheekbone. She had been careless. She tumbled away and squared up again. The two circled each other as others looked on. Her opponent came at her first, but as soon as she had started to launch herself, the horn sounded. There was a moment of confusion, since they were expecting the bell, but then realization dawned on everyone at that moment. An attack.

They all scrambled towards their respective posts, taking time only to stop by the armory to pick up gear and weapons. She followed her brothers and sisters in arms as they rushed to scramble a defense. Nearing the gates of their perimeter, the world turned on its side as she and many others were thrown. An enormous explosion had torn through their gates like it were paper, and strange men in stranger armor came pouring in.

Questions whirled in her head. Who were they? Where did they come from? How did they know we were here? Confused and dazed she shakily got to her feet. Many of whom she called friend were now lifeless on the ground. Their bodies haphazardly strewn about the grounds like discarded dolls – some in pieces. Those that could stand, did and raced to meet the intruders. A line of skirmish had formed, and she knew her place was beside her comrades. She turned about to run towards the fight when she felt a firm grip on her shoulder. The words are muddled; she can’t quite hear him. Had she gone deaf? She recognizes him though, it’s her adoptive father. He wants her to follow him. She’s confused, and argues for a moment, but he’s insistent. She relents and begins to move after him only casting a parting glance at the wardens she should be fighting with. Her eyes go wide as an enormous sword lifts over the crowd of churning bodies. With an impossibly swift swing of the blade, the front line is broken, and her people were thrown as if they were nothing but feathers.

She stops, horrified and angry, but is jerked the other way by her father. He’s holding her arm tight now and leading her home. All the while she struggles, but he’s too strong. She can’t help but think they’re running the wrong way. She can see warden after warden passing them, engaging the enemy. She can’t believe that her father, the chief of this tribe, would act so cowardly.

He reached their home and drags her over to a room she never knew existed. The crashing sounds are getting closer. Her father opens a box and pushes a wrapped bundle into her arms. It’s wrapped in the finest fabric she could remember holding. He recites some piece of what feels like a larger ritual, and names her Paragon, the protector of Aelsweyr. With tears in his eyes he cups her face tells her, “Farewell little lost one,” as he kisses her forehead. Then he shoves her backward. She falls to the floor but doesn’t stop. Overhead she sees the room she was just in scattered as some incredible force sweeps through and she just keeps falling. And falling. And falling.

​

Ceras’s eyes shot open and her heart skipped a beat as she realized she was in her room, safe and sound. She closed her eyes and sighs, swinging her legs out to sit on the side of her bed, and a tear surprised her as it pattered onto her bare knee. She winked away the remnants of tears, and with a deep pit in her stomach she looked out her window and focused on the Maiden and her perpetual guardian below.

​

It was chaos. The marvel of a city she had made her home now looked like someone had plopped a warzone down in the middle of the third tier. The immediate vicinity was all cries of terror and pain as people ran away from the ensuing battle. Though she could not spy the one that had ripped away two livelihoods from her, the man with an impossibly large sword and shield, she was confronted with a similar force, a woman of immense strength and power, and her lacky. The Emperor’s Marshals, the both of them.

Ten years. For ten years she’d managed to remain under the radar and all it took to shatter her anonymity was one person. She was good at reading people, too, which stung all the more. She couldn’t stand that after all the effort, after so much loss, it was all for nothing. They’d found her despite it all, and they’d take from her again. Her emotions welled up to their tipping point and amidst the fight, she let loose a carnal scream, all the pent-up rage, hatred, fear, and sorrow poured out in one cry. A cry so intense she unwittingly emptied her psychic powers into it. The people around her, were frozen stiff, eyes fluttering – ears and noses bleeding — and buildings began to crumble. The female Marshal shielded herself somehow, gritting her teeth against the intense emotions made manifest.

As the cry finished and its echoes diminished, the frozen innocents fell to the ground lifeless, and nary a stone sat atop another within the combatants’ vicinity. But they – they stood yet. They could not be snuffed out so easily. She snarled in anger; cornered with nothing left to lose. The other woman dropped the shield and stood erect looking wide eyed at the loss of life around her, she looked about to say something to Ceras, but the instant Ceras had the opening she propelled herself at the woman. Not in a composed way. Not in any way resembling how she would normally approach any kind of situation. She’d let her emotions take over. She was nearly feral with the amount of repressed anger she let loose. Her psionics coursed through her, bolstering her – emboldening her. Like a shot she raced towards the two Marshals. And there it was. She caught just a glimpse of it! Fear. The marshal was caught off guard. She was unprepared for sudden shift in tactics. Ceras reached for Aelsweyr and it came to her hand like a magnet. This was the moment. Then darkness.

She travelled forward weightlessly for a moment. She was confused – irritated. But then she was in an expanse of white. Before her stood an angelic statue, and behind that an even grander statue.

“Ceras,” the statue just before her intoned, “...Welcome.”

​

Her eyes refocused on the window, pulling away from the Maiden. She hung her head at the memory. She’d lost control – though who would have blamed her. Despite that, she was spared, and given even greater power – she was a legend now, after all.

Shaking her head, she rose from the bed pensive and began her daily routine. She donned her black suit with the golden XIV on its collar and ventured from her quaint apartment, resolving – like the countless times before after remembering that moment – to never lose control again.

Stepping out into the maze-like halls, Ceras began to wander aimlessly, caught up in her own head. As the thought of the marshals entered her mind, her brow furrowed. She learned precious little about them, or why they would even want her. What where they after? Were they under the orders of their reclusive emperor? How were they able to find her? With all her time here, she’d rarely been given an opportunity to investigate these questions. Perhaps she’d take advantage of the fact that she didn’t have any missions today to do some digging. But, then again, IV had another solo mission today. She felt sorry for him. She had grown somewhat close to him and pitied that he was seen as more of an animal by most than as the carefree -- almost gentle -- individual she knows he can be. They see the monster but not the man.

The more she thought about him and weighed her options for the day the more she found herself walking towards where she might find him. Ceras was eager to find those that had wronged her, but she had new obligations, a new family -- a family that was perhaps strong enough to stand against the emperor's marshals -- and she could afford to put aside her own agenda if it was for their sake.

She wound her way around the campus towards one of the few spots she knew IV to hang out. It was a neat little space nestled away atop a roof. The view it commanded was stunning. Eventually she wound up on top of the roof, and to her surprise she found not just IV, but XI as well. She waited patiently for XI to exhaust himself, before she politely coughed into her fist announcing her presence, as she often had to on account of being so naturally stealthy.

​

 

[Grayhollow]

"What a lovely day it is,don't you agree?", commented Grey to the man stting across from him as he examined the surrounding porch and greenery. Said man had a hood covering most of his face,"afterall the sun is shining,birds are chirping, and I was able to become friends with both you and your patron! Isn't that awesome!",exclaimed Grey as he jumped to his feet with an excited twinkle in his eye, waiting for the mans response.The man slumped forward, revealing a corpse half eaten away with spores and small growings of mushrooms with a horrified and painfilled expression."I knew you felt the same way! and your patron seems to agree!", as Grey gestures to what looked to be Balor Demon in a very similar state, slumped against the front door. " Well as much as I would love to stay and chat, today is the day of my adventuring parties reunion so I must be going now,have a great day!", Grey exclaims as he sets off before everything in his vision goes white. For a second Grey thought that one of the gods was summoning him again for making too many friends again but is surprised to see a maiden of stone with 14 arms, with 12 of the arms holding an orb with a roman numeral, with a statuelike man standing in front of it. The man Simply asks "Do you wish to fulfill your goal of making everyone your friend?", Grey nods without hesitation,"Than welcome to the organization Number III".

Present Day
Grey mindlessly toyed with a death cap in his talons,bored out of his mind.He considered going to Sovereign but remembered he was working with Mr.Ocean.Grey was considering bothering Number I again to play a game when he remembers he saw Number XIV pass by him,ignore his presense when he said hello,seemingly distracted by thoughts.Grey decided to search for her since she might need a friend to hear her out on her thoughts or at the very least help him make new friends on a mission. Utilizing his power over nature and necromancy,He finds her lifeforce, that for some reason is always very faint with only of sound of wind in the distance to distinguish it, near two more, one with the sounds of crashing waves and deep depths and another that ticks like a clock with the roar of battle in the background.Grey stands from where he was sitting,dissapating the death cap,and starts walking towards the three lifeforces excited for the friendly meetup. While going through the halls he does see Number XIII heading towards the Maiden,Most likely for the mission that he and Number XI is assigned too.Grey shrugs and hurrys along to find a seemingly tucked away spot on a roof with a view.but while the view is stunning, his eyes are on three of his bestest friends. With an excited skip in his step he goes over to them with a loud," Hello best friends! What are you guys up too!?".

 

[AxElKiNgHeArT13]

It was hard leaving home. It wasn't the first time of course, but this time she was leaving everything she knew behind. Her room, her possessions, and even the one that raised her. "It's time for you to leave. So much has occurred and there is much left for you to learn. You have been with me since I found you in the woods, abandoned as an infant. You have yet to discover who you truly are and what you are capable of. So you will travel out on your own and choose your own destiny. Now go, and remember that no matter where you go, I will always be with you." Scarlet was about to leave when she stopped suddenly. She had tears in her eyes. She was losing everything that was dear to her. She turned around and ran in to her guardian's arms. "I'll miss you Cinder. No matter where I go I will always be thinking of you. I will always respect your ideals and keep the people safe. I... I... Love you Cinder." Scarlet cried into her guardians garbs. Clutching on to her and not letting go. Cinder looked down upon the girl and smiled. The one who she raised and claimed as a daughter. She wrapped her arms around Scarlet and knew she would be perfectly fine. "I love you too. Now go my child. Show the world who you truly are and don't push everyone away, especially if they want to be your friend." At that moment the young girl gave one last hug to Cinder and turned her back one last time to the one place she could call home and the one person she could call family. When she left, something in her told her that she would never see her Phoenix again. At first she was upset, but then she was happy she was free, Free to find a new family and discover a new purpose.



Many nights had passed since the young girl had left her home. She tried to stick to the main road but, of course the roads were dangerous at night. Still, the girl thought she could handle it. The teachings of her Phoenix were serving her well. She met travelers on the road and even had some encounters with a few bandits. She did not, however, believe in killing unless it needed to be done, so they were left tied up on the side of the road. Scarlet even encountered a few people who she had saved many months ago. The black haired girl did get a lot of attention, who wouldn't when they saved an entire kingdom from an Undead army. Scarlet had been keeping to the road when she encountered a trail that led into the forest. At first something told her to keep walking, but the young girl decided against her better judgement that she would check it out. The trail led so far into the woods and seemed infinite until Scarlet could smelled something, it was the familiar smell of the salty sea air, so she rushed forward. When the trail came to an end she could see the ocean. The black haired girl walked to the ledge and gazed upon the waters. It was beautiful, it was calm and it was the dawn of a new day. Scarlet had always felt refreshed in the morning, but something was different this time. She turned swiftly around barely enough time to react to dodge the strange man about to body check her off the cliff. The man started to fall and she grabbed his hand quickly before he could fall too far down. She knew that this man was not alone, but he still had to be saved from what would have been a certain death. She lifted him back up and tossed him behind her. What she saw were 5 men standing where she had threw the man, they all had bows drawn on her. "We know you are the one they call Phoenix Born, now you shall die and once your dead we will claim your power for ourselves." Scarlet did not know what to do. These people were insane. They honestly could not believe that if they killed her that they would receive her power, could they. "Do you have any last words... Sweetheart" She couldn't think of anything to do or to say. She closed her eyes and thought if this is how her life was destined to be then so be it. She opened her arms and eyes, looked them deep into theirs and decided that if she could not get away from this predicament that she would make a desperate attempt to save her life. Scarlet was going to instill fear into these cowardly men. "You may shoot your arrows and pierce my skin and send me over this cliff, but just like the Phoenix... I will be reborn and I will come for you. You have been warned." Once she had finished the men were taken aback but quickly recovered and released their arrows. She felt them pierce her skin, and as she started to fall she smiled as her world turned to black.



Scarlet woke up in front of a Grand Statue not knowing where she was. Standing up she noticed a man with a mysterious symbol on their helmet. He approached her and told the young black haired girl where she was and why she was here. Apparently she was no longer in her world. Scarlet was a little upset , but thought maybe this is her chance at a new life. This was her chance to take control of her future. She agreed to help the mysterious man and the Memoir Maiden. She was also informed that she was not the only one, that there were other legends as well. This both scared and excited Scarlet.




Present Day

Scarlet was in her room relaxing, waiting for a new mission. She thought maybe trying to start a conversation with number XIII would be beneficial in her endeavor here, but she wanted to approach him first not the other way around. Number XIV on the other hand scared Scarlet. She had a presence to her that frightened her. "They all are interesting, but scary at the same time. I want to talk to them but I'm scared to. Who knows maybe things might go well today. Let's go find out." She left her room hoping that nothing would go wrong.

 

[InfinityBeholden]

There he sat looking at the sunrise, the orange, relaxing beam of light spread across the land, he was there to witness it, this was his moments of enjoyment before work. That was interrupted as number XI (11) came into view, he thought he was pretty cool, after all he's the only member he told about this cool spot. They would talk before or after work here, the few missions since they got here, him and Rowan got close for co-workers. He said something rather peculiar to him.

"A legend changing who you are.....It sounds like a problem if you ask me, but what do I know, I just agree with everything told to me, it's not like I think on my own. But I wonder what it'd be like-"

An invisible cough caught them off guard, It was numero XIV (14) or Ceras. They hadn't talked much, but they had been acquainted with each others legends. That was to be expected, they were experts.

"Oh, Hey-"

Another person interrupted them again. Number III (3) or Grey. At this rate the whole spot would be discovered. Oh man I hope not too many people find out!

"Well there goes it being a secret. It's good to see you two, you need anything?"

Before they could properly talk they got a call, It was number I (1) calling everyone into the Maidens Domain. Rowan looked at them for a second. Was this friendship? Or am I overthinking it? He entered the gate - manifesting in the Maidens Domain. All official members had a special designated place, during a meeting each member would be summoned into the hand of the maiden, their location was that of the associated number. Ordinarily the orbs were huge, but were shrunk down to be absorbed into a legend. Since the orb was gone they could easily stand or sit in the palm of the maiden, you could see where the other members would be, there was a huge orb in place of a member. This must've been important. A change a plans most likely. Number I (1) would only call us to a meeting in such an event, the only other time being in the morning when he gathers us together to give out missions. But they would come to find out.


"Number III (3), Number VI (4), Number VIII (8), Number XI (11), Number XIII (13), and lastly, Number XIV (14). I gather us today in harmony, there had been a change of plans. There will still be regular missions that must be conducted. But there is one above the rest, its very important. We will be getting a new member into our XIV. Our current 7, will become 8. Azra Malpool - The Ceaseless Hunger. The power of thirst, she holds the legend of the beast, this is the power we will give to her. Now, I shall send you off to your missions. Number VI (4) and Number XIV (14), Rowan you know what to do, show her the ropes"

He opened a Gate for the two to jump into.

"Come fourth Number III (3) and Number VIII (8), You too are to collect a memento: The dwindling book known as one name, The Beast's Book. It's located in the castle in the flowers, it's overrun with roses connected by thorn vines, it's all over be careful to watch your step, and also be on the look out for gate creatures, this area has monsters who have adapted to the surroundings, they are made up of vines and roses, so watch your back, and do keep in mind we have never been to this world, it's also a reconnaissance mission. One more thing, you two try not to clash, your elements dont meld well"

He opened another gate for them into this other world.

"And now, Number XI (11) and Number XIII (13), Today you were to conduct more research on a legend, the plan has changed, we need you to engage the legend instead. You are to recruit them. Be careful of her powers, but I have a strong feeling she will come with. If she refuses, well return to base, we will have someone else handle that"

He opened the last gate for the remaining members. He jumped off the maidens head and activated his legend. He put his sword into the ground and waited for the new member.

"I will protect you, No matter the cost" He spoke to the maiden.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

~Mission 1: The Kid in the Raincoat~​

They entered the new world. It looked like modern day, it was in the city, it consisted of a bunch of blocks, the sky was grey and the rain poured down. This was the Town of Callimar. There was a decent amount of intelligence about this place. The rain poured down on his skin, it reminded him of home. He looked into the sky. I wonder are crying down for me old friend? He looked back down to scout the area. It was the right time of day, now they just needed to seek their target.

"It was a week ago, this is a person Amilla and Sovereign has been done recon on for sometime, he rejected to join our cause. Did you know how we recruit people? Number 1 judges us based on if we are a hero or human, he doesn't like heros, they wouldn't stand for this kind of work, they would fight back against the system, he cares deeply for that statue you know? Well, Ceras, you should know this isn't your standard mission, it's dirty work, no one can know about XIV, we have to take our target down, it's the only option now. You should know, you'll soon come to find out why they call me - the natural disaster. I hope you can forgive me. I'm not as simple as I seem"

 

[RageFactorXIII]

The former Overlord was already patiently waiting within the Maiden's Domain, standing in the center of the XIIIth hand as he silently admired the appearance of the inanimate crystalline goddess. Unlike a few of the other members, Sovereign did not believe that the Goddess Statue was a deity of any sort. Though, it was possible that this massive sculpted objected was created with the purpose of storing powers equivalent to a deity's and there was already a small bit of truth to that particular hypothesis, the members of the XIV themselves. Still, that left a few questions unanswered. Why was the Crystal Maiden crafted? What purpose did given random, select individuals powers rivaling that of fabled deities serve? Why were these powers left in this particular realm? Was the Goddess Statue meant to be discovered in the first place? It was all very perplexing and fascinating. One great big mystery that Sovereign had an interest in unraveling.

When another of the XIV appeared in a previously empty hand, Sovereign decided to table his thoughts and speculations in favor of observing and cataloging whatever new data of his 'allies' he was able to acquire from the meeting that was to start. He did not have to wait too long for the remainder of their members to arrive and for the meeting to start in earnest. Sovereign began to record the meeting within his own internal systems the moment Number I began speaking. When the helmeted man mentioned the XIV would be receiving a new member, Sovereign wanted to inquire as to what he should be expecting from the potential recruit, the one called 'Azra Malpool'. Though, Number I moved onto the next part of the meeting almost immediately, robbing the android the chance to question him. This displeased Sovereign, but not enough for the former Overlord to start an argument. If Number I wanted to leave out potentially vital information, then he would allow it, for now.

Sovereign then patiently waited for Number I to finish issuing out the daily missions for the other members. When the helmeted man was done dispatching the other XIV individuals, the android then expected Number I to give both Number XI and himself a proper briefing of their mission. The proper briefing never came, instead, Number I informed both Number XI and himself that their original mission had been altered from Information Gathering, to Recruitment. The former Overlord was disappointed that the XIV's 'Leader' seemed content to leave the briefing for the two members embarking on the mission to mentally fill out themselves, which they could easily could. Sovereign had been researching the individual who was today's mission target for a respectable span of time, but his issue with how Number I handled the briefing wasn't in the helmeted man's lack of additional information, it was the breach in formality. The disregard for the proper procedure for dispatching one's agents out on missions. It seems as though I am the only one who enjoys making the extra effort to make these missions feel more official. Sovereign thought to himself before he propelled himself off of the hand he had been standing on and into the opened portal to the other world.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Recruitment Mission: Taming The Beast

When the android dropped through the portal Number I had opened for him, he sweeped his wine red optics about the area with one of his hands placed firmly upon Verdict. After a few silent seconds passed, Sovereign deemed the area 'safe' for the current moment and he allowed his stance to relax slightly. He then began to contemplate the world Number I had sent him to. "We appear to be in the middle of a forest if the plenitude of trees and distant sounds of small wildlife can be trusted to be accurate." Sovereign reported aloud to himself mostly, though his words could have been mistaken as conversation towards his mission partner, Number XI. "If we are to locate this 'Azra Malpool', we shall need to employ local help. Additional information or even an individual with tracking capabilities who knows of our target would be beneficial." Sovereign had a hand placed upon his chin as his processors silently whirred with various different solutions to his current predicament.
"Though, if we are unable to find Azra Malpool that way, then we could perhaps create a disturbance. If our potential recruit has any sympathy for her fellow humanoids, she would rush to their defense and seek to confront us. We would not have to kill anyone." Sovereign added that last bit for Number XI's benefit. The last thing the android needed was for his ally on this task to turn on him.

After muttering a few more ideas out loud, Sovereign realized that Number XI had been exceptionally quiet, not once bothering to interrupt the former Overlord. "My apologies Number XI." The gray haired male turned his attention towards his ally, fully addressing the man with the respect he deserved. "I seem to have left you out of our plans. Please feel free to add your input now if you have any ideas of your own to share. I would gladly welcome your input." Sovereign then waited for Number XI to speak and offer up their own ideas, if the man had any in regards to their current mission.

Tags: TheExtravagantPurpleCape (Interacted) InfinityBeholden and the other active XIV members (Mentioned)

Location: Maiden's Domain / Azra Malpool's World

 

[InfinityBeholden]

The room was quiet, it was just the two of them, alone at last. There was something he was forgetting, there was always a task that needed to be done, but he was missing more than that. That was it! The nameless man had remembered, his guardians. A tear fell down his emotionless face.

"I remember when you first took me in, I was alone in this world with nothing to call my own, back when you were flesh and bone you took me in, you made the man a legend, once a man wondering the world with no purpose, you gave me life. I would give my all for you, but I ask this request, for a moment allow me to indulge in my own desires"

He looked at the maiden.

"Thank you"

His legend disengaged, His armor disappeared to reveal his face, he had long, black hair, that looked like that of royalty. Number 1 opened a gate into the unknown, a world that no one has ever been to before, he had secret affairs. This world was an stretched out forest, there wasn't much to it, the world was still developing, he felt sorry for the world. That wasn't his request, the only reason he came was for an object of great significance. There lied a gently spirit on the horizon, a giant maiden, another maiden.

"Hello fair Maiden of Mercy, I ask that you hand over one tear, please bless me with your mercy"

The Maiden seemed surprised, she recoiled in shock. An unknown history irradiated between them. The area became heavy.

"I know what you are and I will not help you, even my mercy is beyond you"

"I apologize in advance - I'll just have to take one for myself"

He raised his fists to her, and her to him, she had 4 arms, her beauty was unmatched. she wore a blue pearl necklace. She rose her four arms into a pose, she had one leg to the ground, she spun her arms in a circle to resemble the circle of life, she sent out a shockwave that made the planet rumble. There was dust all around, when it fell, there he was like a stone wall not bulging. The maiden seemed caught off guard. She charged him! She swung! ----

Slice! Slice! Swing!
​

Two of her arms were completely cleaved off!!! There he was, kneeling on the ground, sword in the earth. He had activated his legend. But not for long, the armor faded and he slammed his knuckles together. A red electricity surrounded them, he had gained a red aura, his hair gained a red tint, as his eyes became crimson. This was his true power, his real face. The Maiden struck, he countered with equal animosity, there fists clashed, both her arms broke and twisted.

"You can't! I wont let you"

"We will see who's resolve is greater"

She got up and ran at the mysterious man.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He juggled the crystal sphere in one hand as he approached the maiden. "I am almost done, our numbers will increase" There is only one more task he had needed to complete. He snapped his fingers, a sphere appeared around him, it was like he was still in the maidens room, but a pocket dimension within. There was a beautiful mural, it scaled the entire wall, and was the size of the one back in the maidens domain. In the mural was two girls reaching for each others hands, they were encased in a light blue crystal. This was his hidden room, it held sentimental value. He walked up to the mural and lightly touched the wall.

"It's been awhile old friend, we once were close, I wonder how long it's been since you were crystallized, do you remember me, would you accept me as I am?"

He inserted the sphere in a slot on the fantastical mural. The two girls were being reverted to their normal form of flesh.

"Welcome back to the world of the living friend, we have a lot of catching up to do. I wonder will you join our cause?"

 

[AxElKiNgHeArT13]

Mission: Recover The Beast's Book


Hearing that she was going on a mission with Number III was not the news she wanted to hear. From what Number 1 said they are polar opposites. So how was she going to work with him? What the in the worlds are they thinking. What am I supposed to do? I'll do what is asked but I do not know how we are supposed to work together. He just seems way to friendly and that is just creepy. Or is it normal? This is all just to weird. I just hope he doesn't cause me any issues. She thought this to herself and hoped it would all work out. Scarlet nodded her head and jumped into the portal and got ready for what was on the other side. Apparently there were creatures made of roses and vines there which hopefully should not be an issue with her capabilities.


When they landed Scarlet saw what Number 1 meant when he said the place was covered in thorns. She saw the castle in the distance and did not like the view. Thorns and vines were everywhere. That wasn't the worst part of all of this. Scarlet started to think about the people who once lived in the castle and if anyone were still alive. She looked over to Number III and wondered if he had any ideas on how to do this. The shy girl was about to say something to him but decided against it and stayed quiet.

 

[Mishrael]

​

"Oh, Hey-"

Ceras gave small wave in Grey’s direction as he walked up towards them, though, she did have to wonder how he’d found them. Grey was still a bit of an enigma to Ceras, but they had become friends regardless. His plucky attitude was infectious – ironically.

"Hello best friends! What are you guys up too!?"

She had to wince, as he shouted over them.

"Well there goes it being a secret. It's good to see you two, you need anything?"

Ceras offered a small telepathic sorry to IV for what it was worth, and she opened her mouth speak in response, but was interrupted by One.

Like everyone else, she followed through the gate to enter the Maiden’s domain. Fourteen arms splayed out from a center against a backdrop of pure white. If shadows could exist in this place, Ceras knew not where they would hide. At the center an enormous crystalline woman hung, suspended in space. The goddess. One stood by her side as always. Ceras passed through the gate to end up on the palm of one of the Maiden’s hands – a XIV was etched into it. One wasn’t one to waste time, and he began proceedings immediately after everyone was assembled on their respective platforms.

"Number III, Number IV, Number VIII, Number XI, Number XIII, and lastly, Number XIV. I gather us today in harmony. There has been a change of plans. There will still be regular missions that must be conducted. But there is one above the rest, it is very important. We will be getting a new member into our XIV. Our current 7, will become 8. Azra Malpool - The Ceaseless Hunger. The power of thirst, she holds the legend of the beast, this is the power we will give to her.” That a new legend didn’t come around every day would be an understatement. Time felt weird on this world, but to Ceras’s knowledge a new legend was quite the occasion – which meant more work for herself, and more risk.

“Now, I shall send you off to your missions. Number IV and Number XIV, Rowan you know what to do, show her the ropes"

Ceras stepped through her portal without hesitation when it appeared before her. Though she was intensely intrigued by the news of a newcomer, and would have liked some space to speak with One privately, it was obvious that there was work to do, and seemingly grim work it was to be.

Ceras crossed over into a world of asphalt, concrete, steel, and glass. Displays of moving pictures on screens, and noise. So much noise. The clodding of feet, blaring of horns, murmurings of a thousand voices, wheels running through wet streets and splashing through puddles, all accompanied by the white noise of showering rainfall. Ceras closed her eyes to soak it all in. Callimar, if she wasn’t mistaken, based on intel she’d perused. The rain felt good on her skin, despite that she’d already bathed for the day. Being outside in the rain – even in a concrete jungle – was one of her more relaxing indulgences. However, she was drawn away from her internal reverie by IV’s voice as he began to speak.

"It was a week ago, this is a person Amilla and Sovereign had been doing recon on for sometime. He declined to join our cause. Did you know how we recruit people? Number 1 judges us based on if we are a hero or human, he doesn't like heroes; they wouldn't stand for this kind of work. They would fight back against the system. He cares deeply for that statue you know?” Ceras had been aware of One’s intense protectiveness over the Maiden, more than she was willing to share – at the moment.

“Well, Ceras, you should know this isn't your standard mission: it's dirty work. No one can know about the XIV, so we have to take our target down. It's the only option now. You should know… You'll soon come to find out why they call me - the natural disaster. I hope you can forgive me. I'm not as simple as I seem"

Ceras patiently allowed IV to finish, he seemed somewhat sad actually. Ceras refrained from prodding too deeply in her compatriots’ minds, even surface thoughts were a tad taboo for her, but she couldn’t help picking up the twinge of sadness she felt from IV the moment they got here. She understood. Taking life was never easy, she’d done it for many years prior to taking up the mantle of the Whisper of Death.

Calm and gentle, Ceras’s voice carried over the static of the rain, “Rowan,” she put her hand on his shoulder, “I never thought you were simple,” she chided, “And I’ve accepted what we do for her. There needn’t be any forgiveness – this is necessary. Besides, you may be The Natural Disaster, but I’m the Whisper of Death. Two peas in a pod,” she offered with a small grin, dropping her hand from his shoulder.

She turned towards the streets to look out into the city, “So then, where should we start? If you know who we’re after, mind if I get an imprint of the mark from you? I can flush him straight to you.”

​

 

[Grayhollow]

When the pairs were announced, Grey was ecstatic for he could finally talk to Number VIII without her running away for some reason. It got worse when he showed how he makes friends with his enemies which really confuses him. Regardless, this is a perfect chance to make a lasting friendship. Though, he is worried about the mission in particular since the last time he used his powers and accidentally went too far, said world's ecosystem got completely turned on it's head especially since the world the mission is on is not likely to be a world filled with magic. That must be why they're sending Number VIII with him since she can control his rampant growth. He then jumps into the portal ready to complete his goal for FRIENDSHIP!

When he saw the castle, he immediatly felt the magic coming off the structure. He looked over to Scarlet, noticing the grimace she had and wondered what was causing such a crestfallen expression. "Don't worry,I can promise that we'll succeed since we're perfect for dealing with this kind of mission!",Grey happily chirps than adds,"Do you want to barge right in or do you have a plan of your own?"



This is an Easter egg.

 

[Mineczka]

How long had it been? As the two stars shone within the skies above, with many stories and legends to speak of the twin stars, whom ushered in a new era. Before fading from their home, simply remaining within the stories of Ivalitim, taking on a much larger goal. The organization known as XIV had come, speaking of their legend, and with a proposition of sorts, as the two were to protect not only their home, but the home of others, against the creatures that could endanger and destroy said world. Their goals aligned with the twins, as they no longer battled for themselves, nor just their home, but for the sake of others. They longed for the peaceful life they were gifted on the farmland they shared with everyone in their family, but that peace had to be won, and the adequate price of blood to be paid. It was no easy task.

Then came XIV, the organization to protect the myriad of worlds, much like their own, from threats of the Gate creatures. Without much hesitation, the twin stars of Zorya and Zwezda joined this force, a small band of outliers whose goals all were different. While the twins never knew everyone's goals, the means remained, they were to battle the gate creatures with the legends they have been told of themselves. Serving faithfully, Zorya and Zwezda earned their place amongst the fourteen, technically fifteen warriors. There times shared with this group were filled with many stories of danger, and the fearless attacks from more than the twins, the battles they became a part of were beyond what they could even fathom.

Those were the last memories shared between the two. They were in a battle, the twin stars shone brightly within the world one last time. As the two battled alongside a friend, a man they knew as Gabe, or, the "One Man Army" once more. The twins did what they could to come out victorious, despite the efforts of the three, a sacrifice had to be made, as Zorya and Zwezda looked to their comrade, and gave him the plan, trapping the world within the crystals, with the twins holding the gate beast back. Peace came at it's price, and the twins knew that all too well, and had the resolve to hold their fears away from their actions. Their plan was to work.

How long had it been, that these two had remained within that mural? Within the crystal no less? It was unknown to the two, whom were almost sleeping it felt, as the light of a blue orb pierced through the darkness of their rest. As their bodies soon returned to mortal flesh, with their eyes opening after a brief moment, as a set of Emerald hues first matched each other's, before turning to the third as he spoke, the twin stars, Zorya and Zwezda smiled briefly, before Zorya spoke in her usual confident tone,

"What kind of question is that, Gabe? Your cause is the same as ours. Of course we will join you once more" With those words lingering for a moment, the twins glanced around the room, taking in the time that had passed, before turning to their friend once more, seeming to share the same look of confusion and worry, "H-how long were... We in there...?" They didn't know how much time had passed, and that bothered them, were their friends gone? As both could see, Gabriel still lived, but what of the others? They had to know...

 

[TheExtravagantPurpleCape]

They were enjoying a nice conversation until they were rudely interrupted by two of their fellow members. ~Tsk, I really wish he wouldn't but into our business, cant you make friends elsewhere?~ He thought to himself.

"It's so good to see you guys" His tongue was sharp. It was obvious he was being sarcastic. As he spoke number 1 called them to his inner chambers. The Maiden was expansive, each of them held in her hand, he sat in the palm over hand. His legs hung odd the maidens hand. This was him getting comfortable for the long stretch of words headed their way.

The mission was described to each of us individually, but they saved the best for last he supposed. It was nice to be able to track down a legend and be the one recruiting. The idea of another legend peaked his interest beyond all else. When Number 1 opened the gate he had to get the last word in.

"Good luck today, I do wonder what's in store for out mystery leader"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mission: Taming the Beast​

Sovereign was rather informative, which was to be expected, it started to feel like it was no coincidence. They both were analytics, both smart in their own regards, it was a possible explanation as to why they kept getting paired together, their specialty was Intel.

"I'm starting to get the feeling our pairing is no mere coincidence-"

He went on a rant. "I seem to have left you out of our plans. Please feel free to add your input now if you have any ideas of your own to share. I would gladly welcome your input."

He decided to speak up. He was being to quiet again.

"It's by no means your fault, I'm often to quiet for my own good, I talk being stuck in my own little world. In regards to your comment. I agree the best solution would be to gather Intel, but it is likely number 1 has been keeping tabs. So chances are we are very close to our target, but that's not worries me. If our target rejects our proposal who knows what threat it holds, keep on the look out we have no idea what her real powers are. So let's keep on our toes, you sure you can handle that" He didn't mean to. It's just his tongue was forged into a smart one at a young age.

"Damn, sorry, I'm not trying to be rude. Let's just go"

They traversed into the forest until they found a clearing and a old tavern. This felt like something out of a story, it wasn't out of the question either. There was an infinite amount of worlds. This was just one that was very medieval.

"The pub would be the best place to find loose lips" He looked at Sovereign.

A man with a coat not from this world walked towards them. He wore a red shirt, and a black, thin, hood less, leather jacket over it. His eyes was black as a starless sky, those were the eyes from another world. Just who was this guy, he wasnt part of the XIV.

"Hello, I'm Angelo, Just a simple man lost in this world ~ oh please will thoughst humor me with battle~ King Apollo wishes me to send his regard on finding your new legend. And you two have caught my attention" He sent out a black sphere, it was so quick, it pierced through his body and through his number! He flew back, on top of that his legend was disengaging. This power was bad, but he had to act quick. Amilla used a water spell to surround himself in water and then froze it, to create an artificial armor. Angelo tossed a fire ball, it clashed into his armor, the bits and pieces started to crack, revealing his gentle feminine arms.

"That's what I dont like about you XIV's. I wanna see the man behind the legend. A true you, and yet you hide your face from me. ~Ha, but don't worry I won't kill you, I've watched you two for some time, your absolutely my favorite~ You could say I'm here for the same reason as you. What is the type of missions you perform again? It starts with an R?"

A new villain emerged, it was just a show to him, he just was toying with them. He wanted information, but he didnt seek the legend.

 

[InfinityBeholden]

His aura was much different from before when he gazed to the two twins.

"You've been asleep for eons now, the old order as you know it has fallen, I've risen up the ranks to number 1, it appears I was the only one spared. You've been out for sometime, you weren't to be resurrected until the final plan. As a gift from the maiden she allowed me the gift to bring you back and reminisce of old times. You must re-aquire the rank of two. An event that would ordinarily be impossible, but you two share a legend making the impossible - possible, and making you invaluable to the group. Our friendship, it's invaluable to me"

The room shifted back to normal, they were back in the Maiden's Domain. He pointed at the number two, it's energy shifted into Zorya and Zwezda, the orb shrank, and he grasped it with his hands, he juggled it, before tossing the orb into them. He pointed at their new and improved armor.

"I hope you like the upgrades we added. Your power will be stronger than before, I need my guardians. Your role has became even more important than before. I ask, is your loyalty still toward Maiden?"

He pulled out his sword to prepare for a tradition long forgotten, if they said yes he would tap their shoulders with his blade, making them fully fledged Guardians and Knights.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

~Rowan~​

“So then, where should we start? If you know who we’re after, mind if I get an imprint of the mark from you? I can flush him straight to you.”

"Thanks, that should do. But he won't be out until night, that's when the monsters of this world strike. He lost his brother to them, now he wonders the night streets to avenge him -"

He changed back to his happy self and grinned. He grabbed her hand and ran down the street. It was for a moment - But he felt like a kid again, running down the street with a friend, there was nothing like it in the world, he looked back at her, but could only see him. This feeling in his heart? What was it, the feeling was of his friend, but this new feeling, this connection to his ally. There trip ended at the top of the hill.

"Wait right here, my treat"

When he came back he brought two candy bars and tossed one two her. He dived next to her and sat down, through the rain you could see a hint of light.

"We leave at night, that's when he roams!" He paused "I hope you like chocolate bars, it has, it has - Gurgers in them? Whatever that is"

Even if it was for a moment, he finally had a break from the gloom he felt, for an instance before doing what he had too, he was doing what he wanted.

It was a beautiful sunset, the rain poured down, but in the distance you could see a clearing, but only for a moment, there were more rain clouds coming in from a distance, this was a moment of peace, it wasn't often they would enjoy work.

 

[Mishrael]

​

“Thanks, that should do. But he won’t be out until night, that’s when the monsters of this world strike. He lost his brother to them. Now, he wonders the night streets to avenge him-“

Despite the gloomy subject, a smile broke across his face and she could faintly feel a wellspring of joy radiate from him, she didn’t even have to touch his mind. She was curious at the sudden transition, but simply raised an eyebrow. Before she could continue with the business at hand and delve into his mind for their target, he grabbed her wrist and whisked her away, running through the streets.

With the wind coursing through their wet hair, IV led them through the veritable maze of Callimar, dodging people, vehicles, and the like. She was initially flustered by the suddenness of it all, but she went along with IV’s antics. After all, it was very rare indeed that she got to witness a member of the XIV cut loose. Every member of the XIV seemed to be under some foreboding pressure -- except perhaps for III.

As they wound through street after street -- cars whizzing by -- Ceras felt like this was familiar. They rounded a corner and the sun’s rays – dipping under the cloud cover – beamed over them with a bright warm light, and she was transported elsewhere.

Laughter. She could hear laughter, was it coming from her? No, not just her. There’s another. In front of her. He’s pulling her along. They had just turned a corner out of the shade of their great manor, into the noonday sun. It was so bright and warm and smelled like spring and life! She had to shield her eyes with her free hand as her brother towed her about the yard. It was a creek day. The rains had come and gone and left the creeks that ran through the nearby woods swollen. The two of them giggled and ran – she could hardly keep her feet under her as the elder boy raced along.

A sudden horn blaring from a car they’d raced in front of snapped her back to reality, but she was left with a sinking feeling and a bit confused. Trying to make sense of the memory – or was it a dream? A daydream? She couldn’t place the face of the boy she felt was her brother. It was apparently a day for remembering, she eventually mused, putting the thought down before it began to frustrate her. It wasn’t until they were slowing down, that she’d realized she’d been in autopilot, being dragged along through the soaking city. And the rain had stopped. They’d reached a meadow just outside the city, filled with tufts of orange-red flowers, that caught the waning sunlight in a way that made it seem as though they glowed.

“Wait right here, my treat!” IV said before he left her and ran back into town.

Ceras watched him go and thought that if their target only came out during the night, then perhaps it would not be so bad as to wait. Besides he seemed eager about something, and she wasn’t about to rain on his parade. It would have been more fruitful, if she could roam and perhaps find this individual before he was awake, after all that would be the easiest way to dispose of the threat, but this wasn’t her mission, and IV was accustomed taking these clean-up missions, so she’d follow his lead and trust the process.

As she was given time to herself, her thoughts eventually drifted back to her brother. Had to be she thought. But why couldn’t she picture him? She sighed and relented -- finding no use in wracking her brain any further about things she couldn't possibly answer on her own, at least not yet. Instead she was content in letting the thoughts go, where they would fall into a collective category of all the things that she didn't have answers for -- maybe at some point they'd all fit together like a puzzle. In truth, she couldn’t even name her own homeworld, and she’d appeared before One and The Maiden by means other than their own, which made it difficult to say whether they knew where she came from or not. She resolved to finally ask One about her past, since if the marshals still hunted her perhaps they would attempt to breech the Maiden’s world. Yes, that was it -- a security risk! If she could spin it like a security risk, then perhaps she might be able to get information from One or even the Maiden – she’d never heard the Maiden speak though.

IV’s footsteps over wet ground brought her attentions back to the world around her. The sun was still in the sky but would drop behind the horizon at any moment now. He tossed her a candy bar and plopped down by her feet. She took her coat off, laid it beneath her, and took a seat as well.

“We leave at night; that’s when he roams… I hope you like chocolate bars. It has – it has … gugers? In it? Whatever that is.” She could see the peace wash over him, as he fixed his eyes on the horizon and waited, then the rain started to pour again.

“Thank you,” Ceras said clutching the candy bar, “Chocolate is fine, and I’m sure gurgers are at least edible” she said playfully, “I’m not picky.” She peeled back the wrapper and sat in the rain, relishing this moment of calm with him. However, as business was fast approaching, she softly cleared her throat to break the silence, “That does bring me to mention that you’d said it was okay if I could take an imprint from you. This is perhaps the best time to do so, chaotic minds are harder to navigate.” She turned towards him, expectantly. After a moment of silence, she clarified, “I’ll need access to your mind, I hope that is acceptable as I would prefer to not be blind going into this. All I need you to do is think of our target.”

​

 

[InfinityBeholden]

~Mission ???: The Rain Comes
​

It was a rainy day and he was tasked to watch over the boy in the raincoat. In this world monsters would emerge when the rain came, it was a gateway into the spirit world, but also a symbol of change, it had great power here. He was told about a legend, a boy in a raincoat with a blade of pure energy, they called it The Blade of Retribution. The blade was known to be able to slay any beast. A possible recruit. He'd be amazing in helping them hunt down particular Gate creatures such as Beast's. They had been gathering information on the legend for sometime, but he was also tasked with finding the legend. As it turns out he does wear a raincoat, he also found out bits of truth, the kid lost his brother to the creatures that roam, he wears his raincoat, it functions like an armor. He wouldn't of believed it had he not seen it for himself. It was all true, this told him much about the boy, more importantly about this world itself, magic isnt the same as most worlds, memories here hold great power, the memory of his brother is full of life long hopes, desires, dreams, a brotherly love, and passion. This created the invincible armor. He didn't know the extent of his abilities, but his favorite weapon was a small knife, he could summon energy through it, to extend its range and increase the power of it. That was the extent of his information.

Today he was here to recruit that boy, his name was Coco, It was strange but it was who he was. The clouds started to form and rain, this was the most common trait of this world. It rained often and when it rained the creatures came through the veil. This is how he would find the Boy in the Raincoat.

The neighborhood was quite, the curtains were closed to hide from the monsters outside. It was a long stretch of road. All the humans who wanted to live hid inside, it was time for the hunters to embark on the hunt. This was their world. These streets had a thin layer of water that splashed with each step, there were drains on the side of the road to soak up the water. Rowans footsteps broke up the rain. Splash! Splash! Splash! Two wolves with saber tooth teeth has emerged. The let out a growl. Flowers appeared around Rowan's
hand, he slashed at the air which revealed his conjured Swiss Army sword. He swung at the flurry of beasts, he was back to back with a stranger, he caught the glimpse of yellow in the corner of his eye, Together they slayed the beast's, they said everything they needed to say without a single word. After the finishing blows, they turned to each other.

"You're the legendary boy, you're skills live up to the legend, but what if I told you, that you could claim the power from your legend, you could help the world by collecting history and keeping the balance by killing creatures much like from your home here. Join the XIV" A part of him wished he didn't say the groups name out loud like a fool.

"I can't leave here, this is my home, I can't have anything happen to these people! They need me"

"There is so much we can offer, we could help you as you could help us"

"Wait, could your bring my brother back?"

It was dead quiet "No, I can't do that. But you could help people like your brother"

"Of course, you can't, I'm so miserable, but you know what? Im not giving up, no I swear to protect these people, here and now"

"Don't be simple there are many other worlds you could do good for!"

"This one is my home!"

"You know, I tried, I really tried, if only we met at another time. I wish I didnt talk so much, Ill be back, and when I do we will be enemies, I'm sorry"

"You know, I feel bad for you, even though I'm not your friend, that doesn't mean I have to be your enemy. You don't have to kill, there is good inside everyone. I know this, when I see you, I can see a piece of - someone important to me"

"This is war, I can't think like you, it's too dangerous for anyone to know about us. If only we met under different circumstance. Then maybe we could have been friends"

He opened a Gate to return back home, he had done enough work today, it was emotionally draining more than anything, it was time for his legend to rest. The next time it was - war.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The candy bars they ate were filled with an insect, it wasn't the best tasting, but it was a delightful treat filled with memories in place of flavor.

“I’ll need access to your mind, I hope that is acceptable as I would prefer to not be blind going into this. All I need you to do is think of our target.”

He stared into her eyes for a moment, he wasn't a psychic, but the look in her pupil told him everything he needed to know, there was tales that told eyes are the gateway to the soul. She was his friend, she was that friend, his brain got it mixed up, the only friendship he knew was from a long time ago, he didn't understand the concept. Every time he thought of friendship it made him feel the way he did for his friend, so was he friends with her, or was he enjoying the idea, he had split his mind in two.

"Wait one second, You should know when I become the legend I am different, I'm not me, don't you know? My friend told me our legends can effect us, you see I shift state of consciousness when I enter my legend, it's like when you drink and lose something, when your sober you cant remember, but the moment your drunk again you remember. That's exactly what this is like. I'll have to become him for you to get the information you desire, you know, it was nice while it lasted"

A tear fell down his face as the rain came in, the moment she saw him again his face was stoic and disconnected.

"I'm ready, let's find him"

 

[Mishrael]

​

The sudden flip in demeanors concerned Ceras, but IV seemed willing enough, and though they’d never worked together, he didn’t seem especially out of control – so, this should work. In theory. She only hoped that she didn’t have to go deeper than the conscious mind; stirring up the subconscious can be a dangerous endeavor.

“I’m ready, let’s find him.” IV intoned coldly.

Ceras nodded, and assumed an all-business demeanor, “This might feel strange. I give you my word I will not go looking for anything beyond the information on our target today. Please, try to picture him in your mind, and try to think of everything you might know of him. When you feel something like a push, don’t push back if you can help it,” she instructed calmly, assertively, but gently still.

She placed herself in front of him, so that they were face to face. Sitting on her legs, hands on her lap, Ceras closed her eyes. She looked quite at peace – serene even. A halo wrapping around her from the last vestiges of the dying light.

Softly she spoke, “Now. Close your eyes and remember…” she began a slow, steady, almost melodic line of questioning, prompting IV about different pieces of information she’d like to know.

After a moment, Ceras reached out with her mind. The first tentative prods about IV’s mind were stiff and resistant. It was quite evident that IV’s mind was rather willful. Ceras probed softly, touching here or there, looking for an easier – less disruptive – path to enter IV’s mind. Ceras spent several moments searching, but she couldn’t find any more pleasant way in, IV had erected an icy wall of stony sadness around his mind.

Telepathically, Ceras conveyed a deep apology just before she reached through the wall forcefully and ripped through – quickly and only momentarily uncomfortable, she hoped. Like ripping off a bandage. Immediately she was subjected to the tumultuous sadness that roiled beneath the stoicism IV exuded. Her mind was battered and assaulted as she tried to navigate the freezing winds of sorrow, but then she felt more than saw a flash, like a picture illuminated in the dark clouds. Raced over towards it, fighting through the veritable blizzard. But then another image sprang to light, out of the corner of her eye. And another. She couldn’t keep up, and it was all so sporadic. The chill was seeping in, and she could feel the sadness clinging to her.

Faintly, Ceras could hear her own voice in his head, but it was more of a murmur, barely audible over howling winds. He’s trying… she thought. But it wasn’t quite enough, her pseudo guided meditation wasn’t making enough of a dent. A flash of an image broke across the storm in front of her like a flash of lightning, red and hot. It was of a boy wearing a trench coat. He is trying, she repeated surprised.

He was holding back, and the longer she remained the longer she could feel the depressive energies seep into her like the chill of hypothermia. Ceras, as she saw it, had three options: retreat and use her best judgment in the battle to come; move quickly, but that would almost certainly stir up his thoughts even more; or try to get him to open up, but how? The longer she tarried, the more violent the storm became, she had to make her decision. Just then a word – thought – bubbled up from the churning storm “friend?” with a blast of red. It was such a volatile thought, and it seemed to have escaped from a deep-seated prison, but it gave Ceras an idea. She was too far into this to give up now.

Softly Ceras kept guiding Rowan through the process, almost automatically, “Good… breathe…” she continued, but then the conversation shifted, “Rowan…” she intoned gently, “Are we friends…? You… and… I…?”

Within IV’s mind, Ceras could feel the storm relent just for a moment at the mention of a friend. A myriad of images rushed by like a burst of cinders blasting out of a furnace. She couldn’t catch every image, but she did find hazy pictures of herself, and others she recognized. She did manage to notice that there was a recurring person among the menagerie.

“I’d like it if we were friends… Rowan…” Again, the storm faltered again. But it began anew with a resurgence of strength, and lightning scattered across the sky. Roiling and battering her mind. She realized her mistake, she’d picked at something buried deep, something kept under the surface. Her physical body had started to bow under the pressures, and her nose was bleeding. But she kept her voice level, and her facial expression never changed from that peaceful look. She was determined.

“Who else… are you friends with…? Rowan…?” The storm lit up with hazy memories streaking across the crimson clouds like lightning. It blazed around her causing her take a sharp breath from the sudden pressure. But she wasn’t finished, there were still too many faces to keep track of.

“Do you have any friends here…? In Callimar…?” The storm froze. Clouds turning red and angry. The floodgates opened and rain began to pour shaded red like blood. And intense sadness washed over IV’s mind. Suddenly Ceras wasn’t in the heart of a storm, but rather on the streets of Callimar, in the rain, and she could see two figures harried on all sides by monsters and beasts. She could recognize one of them, it was obviously IV, but the other... She’d seen him for just a moment, it was the boy in the trench coat, wielding a sword of energy. Somehow, Ceras had struck a nerve within IV and she’d inadvertently tapped into a deep seeded rage; she couldn’t stay here long.

She observed the memory and how this boy fought. She could feel the mounting conflict within IV as the boy rejected the offer to become one of the XIV. She could feel that IV felt responsible for exposing the XIV and subsequently ordering the execution of a friend, or a possible friend at the very least.

The red storm clouds were making a resurgence, and lightning crackled in the skies. I suppose this is all I’m going to get, she thought. With a final look at the scene before, she raced to escape the raging storm. Parting from IV’s mind with heartfelt I’m sorry, Rowan.

​

With a short gasp Ceras flung open her eyes and sat up, suddenly not under the intense pressures of IV’s mind anymore. She quickly wiped the blood from her nose and readjusted to the physical world around her. The light of the sun was gone, now all she had to go by were the lights of the city a ways off from them. They sat there for a moment, in silence, “I think I’ve got a good idea of our target, Rowan. Thank you,” returning to business. She stood, “I’m going to give you a telepathic link to me, whenever you wish to speak with me, and I’m not around, just think of me and start thinking of what you’d like to say. I’m going to go on ahead and flush him out. And…” she dropped her eyes, “I truly am sorry…”

Without awaiting a response, Ceras activated her Rune of Power and disapparated into the very air, becoming a breeze on the rainy night sky.

​

 

[InfinityBeholden]

The poking and prodding of his mind was like a storm, he could feel another presence in his mind. He tried not to - but his mind was trying to reject her. The very essence of the word "Friend" made his mind try to disconnect. He heard her voice, she asked questions he wasn't sure how to answer. Flashes of a dead memory kept surging through his head. The pain was emotional and extremely intense. Until finally his mind was at ease, he finally got a break.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I truly am sorry…”

"Wait! for what?"

She left before he could even get an answer. She activated her legend, he knew, they would have to do this together if they wanted to defeat him. Despite that, he couldn't help but have a lingering feeling that something wasn't right here, this place looked exactly the same since he last seen it, but it's like the whole place had a whole new hue. This feeling that lingered, it wasn't that of sadness, but a sense of hope, it was like a child's dream. That wasn't the issue at hand, he got up an patted the leaves off his pants. He grabbed his helmet off the ground, he used his wrist to clean off the front, then slid his mask over his face, it was time to clock in.

The sky turned grey, its stomach was rumbling, lightning was rolling in. It was time. The perfect opportunity for the real world to wash away and reveal the monster hidden beneath. The Sabre Tooth Wolves were all about the place, this was the key to finding The boy in the raincoat. The wolves stalked their territory looking for any fresh meat they could find. Rowan summoned his Swiss Army Sword, A dark aura surrounded his hand and reached outwards, it enveloped the area around his arm, he swung at the air, the darkness split up a dispersed, His sword was revealed. He charged into the beasts.

Pant. Pant. Pant.

All that was left behind was the beasts corpses. He was leaning on the ground, his sword was forced into the ground, he was leaning against it. He just needed a quick breath, the creatures of this world were no push overs, infact they felt almost too strong. When he looked up he saw the boy, his yellow raincoat stood out in the rain.

"Ceras, He is here!"

Rowan hopped back up and pulled his blade out of the ground. They ran at each other, clashing blades, staring into each others souls, their teeth locked in place. This was going to be a long battle. But something was wrong, he had his legends blade, not his actual weapon, something was wrong here.

"You won't beat me so easy"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rowan got flung back into the ground. This guys power, it kept escalating like a beacon of hope, regardless of how many times he got back up, this guy wouldn't give. They were in a tale of fiction, his odds weren't going well, his entire body was wounded pretty badly, while his opponent had no scars or any damage to show for it. That's it, there's another force at play here. The boy in the raincoat pointed his blade to the sky, the energy jumped all the way up, piercing through the clouds, his blade touched outterspace. This wasn't looking good, it was time for a tactical retreat.

"We go now!"

He opened a gate behind him to sink into, he fell into the pathways that connected all worlds. He re-grouped with Ceras.

"That world has so much association with power an memory, but there's no way he could've stayed untouched. It's as if the world was a fictional story?"

"A childs memory to be more precise" A man slowly walked from behind. He wore blue jeans and simple white button up. He had long white hair and blue eyes.

He continued "A child was told the story of this hero from his world, a child's mind is so innocent, so - imaginative, he saw this man as the only hope in their world, he saw them as invincible"

"Who are you?" Rowan grasped his sword.

"I'm simply a guardian angel, one who watches over those in need, the boy in the raincoat, he will soon be with us. In the meantime, play with my friend toodles!" He entered a gate.

A gate creature emerged, it had a dragon-shaped head, inside of the top of it's head was a boy, he was safely incubated with a glass covering over him. The creature was buff and had sharp nails, in it's hand it held an orb, which showed the world they were just in, that must've been the boys memory. The creature slammed the orb into the ground, the space around them was rippling like water, the place they just were formed around them, it was down pouring you could hardly see a thing. All that stood in their way was this gigantic beast, if they wanted to make it the boy in the raincoat, they'd have to defeat this behemoth.

"Ceras, let's go"

 

[AxElKiNgHeArT13]

Scarlet did not know to approach this. From a distant the castle looked deserted. The residents probably left or were long dead. Scarlet shed a single tear for the family's that were lost when this happened. She looked to Number 3 and decide now was the time to get out of her shell. "I think we should burst right in or else this could take to long. There are apparently gate creatures here that we will have to deal with. We need to hurry. I do not want to be here any longer than we have to, this place unsettles me. Lets go, and please do not distract me" Scarlet started waking forward towards the village that was before the castle. The homes were completely destroyed, covered in thorns. This is terrible. What exactly could have done this. Scarlet thought this to herself, but it was really difficult with Number 3 talking to her about the plants and nature and friendship. This was definitely distracting to her but she had to deal with it. He could be helpful but Scarlet preferred to work alone. She decided that there was one way to get things done faster. "Hey Grey, if your so interested in plants then go check out the area over there and tell me if you find anything useful meet me back here in the square in 5 minutes" As she whispered this to Number 3 she walked off a to another area to be alone.

Once she knew she was alone she sighed. The Phoenix born touched the wall of the nearest house and walked inside. Scarlet did not like what she saw on the inside. Thorns covered every inch, along the walls, on the ceiling, even the floor. She had to be careful where she stepped not get cut, not that it mattered since she could just heal herself. She eventually reached the second story of the house and went into the nearest room. She couldn't see the room in much detail since it was filled with thorns, so she slowly and carefully started to burn them. Eventually she cleared the room to where there we almost no thorns. Scarlet finally got a good view of the room and saw that from the looks of it that this was a child's bedroom. She then looked at the bed and saw a small torn up doll on the bed. Scarlet fell to her knees and started to cry. " Why..Why did this have to happen. Was anyone here to help prevent this and if the Goddess and Number 1 were so powerful how could they not sense that this was happening. Then again they said no ones been to this world before." The black haired girl then stood up wiped here tears away and grabbed the doll and put it away on her person. " I should probably meet back up with Grey, see if he found anything and hope that it was useful and not just some new friend." Scarlet then left the house.

Once she got outside Scarlet suddenly got a strange feeling she was being watched. She turned around and saw no one there. "Grey is that you, if so what you are doing is not funny." No one responded, just silence of the night. She turned around and saw exactly what Number 1 was talking about. A hulking creature made of thorns was in front of her and she barley had enough time to dawn on her armor before it sent her flying as she screamed in pain. The creature was quick too, by the time Scarlet got pack up and had barley enough time to dodge the next strike before it backhanded her and sent her flying in the other direction as she screamed in pain again. The Phoenix born got up sent a singular fire ball at the creature that just burned right through it, but it quickly sealed the hole back up with more thorns. "Oh.. that's not good." She said this to herself what to do, then a thought came to her. One word or name to be exact came to her. "GREY!" she barley had a second to shout this before it rushed her and struck her again. Her only hope was that Number 3 heard her and that nothing else in the area did. Scarlet got back up from the blow and pulled out her weapons and super heated her double bladed whips and got ready to hold the creature off until backup could arrive or until this creature killed her whatever came first.

 

[RageFactorXIII]

Sovereign was pleasantly surprised when Number XI began to talk in length. Here I thought that this man would be silent for the mission's entirety. I am pleased to see that is not the case. The android thought to himself as he allowed Amilla to speak. He did not mind when his helmeted ally questioned his capabilities, for in truth, neither of them had shown the other their true potential yet, so it was perfectly understandable that Number XI would be skeptical of Sovereign's abilities.
"It is perfectly fine." Sovereign allowed a small smirk to grace his lips for once in a few centuries. "I would be concerned if you did not question my abilities since you know hardly anything of me. Still, please believe me when I say that I can handle whatever complications may arise." The former Overlord's voice held a small bit of amusement in its tone as he spoke to Amilla.

The white haired male had been about to suggest that Number XI take the lead in their mission and lead them towards a town or settlement so they could gather the information they required, when the stranger approached the two of them. This one does not seem to be of this world. Sovereign thought to himself, unknowingly having similar thoughts as his mission partner as he sized up the man in the red coat. The stranger addressed them, introducing himself as Angelo, a servant of some individual or entity called 'King Apollo'. These names meant nothing to Sovereign, yet the android recorded them into his databanks anyway, forming files for the two new named individuals. Then, the white haired male darted out of the way as Angelo suddenly attacked Amilla, somehow disengaging his mission partner's gifted power given to him by the Goddess Statue. Interesting. Sovereign though to himself as he removed Verdict from its holster on his hip and fired a shot into Angelo's shoulder, piercing flesh and freezing the skin, muscle, nerves and blood within the affected area, effectively disabling the entire limb.

"Had you been civil, perhaps we would have answered your question." The android had already lined up Verdict to fire at Angelo's left knee, but Sovereign did not take the shot just yet. "Though, now we are less inclined to simply gift you the information you seek. Still, I am nothing if not reasonable." The former Overlord began to circle around Angelo with Verdict trained on the stranger's left knee as he spared a quick glance to look over at Number XI. The helmeted man that was his mission partner seemed to be a little rattled, but otherwise fine, so Sovereign swiftly returned his attention to their foe. "If you answer a few questions of ours, we may let you live to see another day." The white haired male made this gracious offer as he carefully observed Angelo's face and body language, ready to fire the prepared shot the fire moment the stranger with the red coat flinched. "First, I feel that it is prudent to ask who this 'King Apollo' fellow is. We have not heard of him in our own travels, so perhaps you would be kind enough to enlighten us?"

Tags: TheExtravagantPurpleCape

Location: Azra Malpool's World

 

[TheExtravagantPurpleCape]

"Oh no what will I ever do!" He said in a light, playful tone. "You should know you aren't the only gifted ones anymore" Fire engulfed the ice heating his arm back up and rejuvenating the cells. His arm had steam flowing from the skin. The frozen arm had completely recovered. "I'm insulted that you think I'm a push over, truly" He smirked as he stood there.

"Oh no, a confident child, I'm so scared" Sarcasm rolled of his tongue. The look on XI's face was unamused. This game had been going on long enough. At this point it was obvious he was toying with them, but for what purpose, he did say "R" which was for reconnaissance. He had a gift to take away the power of legends or to suppress them. By the display of power he was equal to them. XI could feel his power returning. It was a flow of water moving down a stream, the power flowed back through him. He shattered his ice armor and used water hand, one of his 11 arms sprouted from the ground and grasped Angelo in a water orb. "Answer the question, it's two against one. Statistically the odds aren't in your favor" His voice was collected, calm, and forward.

"Your powers would scare me, if I didn't realize that your only human. oh boy how will I escape this one - oh I know!" The entire arm was turned to ice. The arm structure started to shatter. The hand fell to the ground. Suddenly, shrapnel of ice flew out of no where. The orb was shattered. Angelo sat in the chair leaning against his arm. "You two are entertaining, but it isn't time for us to fight. I was here to get the girl, but I do love to see how a story will turn out. One hero against the odds. That sounds splendid. Despite circumstances you were good sports so I'll give you a little Intel. Your Azra Malpool is that way. She is a good choice, she's fighting a giant gate creature in a field over that way" He opened a gate and entered. Shortly after popping his head back out "Oh, a bonus tip, if your ever hope to overcome my anti-legendaga, you'll need to break your restraints and make your legend stronger" And with that he was gone. It fell quiet but they gathered useful information.

"It's good we were on the mission. We excel in gathering information. It's still possible that Angelo was doing the same. This does show that another enemy is after us. When we get back we should tell 1. He'll create the game plan. I don't like being told what to do. But I'll accept it for now. Let's complete the mission and talk after?" He was curious to learn more about sovereign.

They both headed in the direction their enemy pointed "It could be a trap. It would be strategic for you to go first, after all you have that stopwatch" A loud rumbling could be heard over the bush. From the sky they saw a giant gate creature! It had the features of an armadillo, but giant, monstrous, and had sharp claws. The back hit the ground first and it slid across the earths floor. It created a path to the open field where they saw Azra Malpool. "This wasn't as subtle as an approach as I was expecting...."

 

[Grayhollow]

When Scarlet said for Grey to examine the area before going off, Grey excitedly examined the plants filled with magic. The vines were lively and the roses were beautiful, but when he went for a closer look his view was interrupted by his view flying through the air. He saw his body stumble and fall over with a thump, a looming creature made of thorns behind where he was while seemingly grinning. Grey just says, "huh", and has his body get up to retrieve him from the ground, a never still mass revealed at the head stump, and reattached said head. After he did this he looked back at the creature while said creature seemed to be baffled. Upon closer inspection, Grey noticed blood dripping off of the fist and even "mouth" and commented ,"Wow it seems you've made a lot of friends haven't you? May I join yo-", yet when Grey took a step forward as he was saying this,he heard a crash and "GREY!" in the distance.

When he heard this, the very air seemed to go still while the lights that often signified his sight in his masks eye-holes disappear. "ah, So you're an enemy are you? well than you must perish for my friends safety,". The creature punches through Greys midsection after that statement and grins in victory, before realizing that its arm is being being both devoured and withered away after going through. It tries to pull its fist away, but finds it cannot and begins to flail as moss and spores start to infest it, causing it to completely wither and be subsequently devoured in seconds.

Grey proceeds to sprint to where the scream originated, hoping that it was a scream of excitement and not a scream of a lost friend. As flashes of memories of his past adventuring party go through his head back when he was still mortal and internally declares that HE WILL NOT FAIL AGAIN! When he arrived on the scene he saw Scarlett engaging with a similar creature he faced with flaming dual bladed whips!? "Ok thats pretty cool," Grey internally comments before seeing Scarlet gracefully dodging and retaliating by cutting the creature down the middle.The creature falls to two ends and Scarlett noticing Grey asks,"Where were and what took you so long". Grey responds," I was surprised attacked by one of the creatures as well though a hint to beating them is to completely obliterate the creature or else it will regenerate," as he withers the the creature remains. "Lets hurry and find the book, cause if we stay any longer you may see a rather unpleasant side to me", Grey declares while turning back towards Scarlett, eyes still dark.

 

[Mishrael]

​

Ceras raced through the waterlogged sky. The city was unnaturally quiet. Gone were the sounds of feet on pavement and the murmuring of the crowds. Gone were the sounds of traffic. All that was left of the boisterous city she’d left behind, not even an hour ago, were its lights. Despite the lights of the city, it felt empty.

Like a wisp of wind, she wove her way through the deluge on the hunt. IV had said there were monsters that came out during the night, but she could not see hide nor hair of them – which made the situation even eerier.

After several minutes of racing through street after street, she was getting another sinking feeling. A feeling that she’d had before. A feeling that had saved her countless times. Call it a danger sense or a premonition, but she felt like she shouldn’t be here. Then she spotted a creature. It was bigger than anything natural, with fangs the size of swords protruding from its mouth. Monstrous would be an apt word to describe it, and monster it was. Ceras dipped low, gently pushing into the creature’s mind. Even for a monster, it felt oddly empty. Hunger and malice were what she expected, but what she encountered was more of a directive – sort of. It was hard to explain, but if she had to put it to words, Ceras might describe it as something that had been described to her long ago on another mission: a program. As if a program had become thought. The creature was real, she could tell as much. Its mind was very real, otherwise she would not be able to do what she was doing now. But the situation was certainly no sitting well with Ceras, and the sensation of danger was intensifying.

Regardless of the dangers, however, One had given them a task. Still she thought she should warn IV of her feelings, Rowan? Something is wrong with this place, I can’t put a finger on it, but… Something isn’t making sense and it’s putting me on edge. Rowan? She didn’t get a response, but perhaps because he was engaged. She could sense stress on the other end of their telepathic link, perhaps he was fighting with these creatures? Well they were more like drones as they stood now.

Ceras! He is Here! Instantly, Ceras snapped to action. She didn’t know where ‘here’ was, but she needn’t, she just had to follow the psychic tether that connected their minds.

I’m on my way.

Moments later, Ceras arrived on the scene as tides of black saber-toothed wolves crashed against IV and what looked like flashes of yellow and bright blinding blues. They were fighting their way towards each other. The little flashes of yellow, were coming from a raincoat, like the trench coat she knew their target to wear. This was it. But something was still off. The XIV were all blessed, in various ways, in combat, and IV perhaps the most out of the XIV aside from One, but IV was struggling where the boy with yellow raincoat and sword of energy didn’t seem to even be breaking a sweat.

What is going on here? The scene seemed so absurd that it gave her a momentary pause, but she had no time to be asking herself questions – she needed to help!

Above the streetlights, she anchored herself, and materialized. Looking down at the carnage, she merely gave the beasts a thought, and those around IV suddenly flattened to the ground, crushed under the weight of Ceras’s will. Go! She shouted telepathically Focus on the boy! I’ll clear the way!

From the shadows, Ceras crushed all resistance that would stand in front of IV on his warpath to the target. But the creatures kept coming. Wave after wave, as soon as one died, another would take its place. As IV and the boy battled, she could see IV being pushed back. An unstoppable force was taking the back foot. Ceras diverted some of her attentions to helping IV as best she could. She tried holding the boy still, but she could only manage to ever so slightly slow him down. It wasn’t so much that she didn't have the strength of mind to hold him, more than that she couldn’t seem to get a good grip on him. There was a force at play here was greater and grander than either IV or herself combined, and it enveloped this boy. It was the force of inevitability. Despite the futility of trying to hold back the inevitable, Ceras tried because if she could only forestall it for even just a fraction of a moment, it might be enough. That is until, the boy’s blade of energy surged, and shot out to stab her. She was unprepared for the speed at which the blade grew and couldn’t avoid it in its entirety. She did her best to deflect and absorb what she could, but the blade was as inevitable as the boy and it pierced through her abdomen. Faltering from sudden shock to her system she dropped from the sky to the streets amidst the churning masses of monsters.

Ducking and weaving she avoided being trampled, bit, or slashed at. But the pain seared through her body. Holding herself together by sheer willpower, she spun into action. Aelsweyr became blur of white against the darkness, as she danced through the wolves like a dervish, carving through their ranks with the supernaturally sharp edge of the Paragon’s weapon. With a flourish the blade scattered from her hand in a myriad of sharp blades. The sudden scattering was like a shrapnel blast, turning wolves within the short burst around her to mincemeat. Then the blades started whirling around her, as her eyes began to emit a purplish hue as psychic energy welled within her. Each knife-sized piece of the weapon zipped through the air and bit into the tide of wolves in front her almost effortlessly, but it wasn’t just the wolves she’d have to contend with.

The blade came surging for her again, this time she was expecting it, and though it didn’t pierce her, she could feel the energy radiating from it singe her as it passed by her – only narrowly missing her. She cartwheeled and tumbled through the crowd of monsters. Where she could, she lashed out with fist and foot and filled the gaps with her telekinetically wielded blades. It was an intricate dance. Some times she had to take a step back, and then a step forward, but though like the tide she ebbed and flowed about the battlefield, she – also like the high tide coming in – kept inching her way forward as much as she could. She needed to get to the boy in the raincoat.

Every so often, she’d find an opportunity to send a piece of Aelsweyr at the boy, but each time a wolf suddenly interjected. Either by happenstance or by some other force, she knew not, but was she beginning to suspect one over the other. As she approached, she never once turned down an opportunity to strike back at the boy in the yellow coat. Then it happened. Finally! She was close enough, that whatever was happening here couldn’t respond fast enough, and the knife got through. Until it… glitched? She’d heard the term from the same source that told her about programs. It was like the knife soared past the wolves, stopped, stuttered, and then jumped backwards, only to nail a wolf in the head. The blade then wiggled free and came back to defend its mistress. She couldn’t make heads or tails of the situation just, nor did she have the time to stop and think about what just happened, but she resolved to continue ever forward to attempt to bring Aelsweyr to bear against this force of inevitability with all her might.

As Ceras was finally almost within striking distance, when a shockwave surged, and IV landed in front of her. A blinding light burst from the boy and his blade ascended to the heavens.

“We gotta go! Now!” Rowan said as he raced towards her in the newly cleared streets. Stunned by such a display of power, she had to agreed. This wasn’t looking like a fight they could win. Not by any stretch of imagination.

IV opened a gate, and she turned and tossed herself through it, as the boy was bringing his weapon swinging down on them.

“That world has so much association with the power of memory, but there's no way he could've stayed untouched. It's as if the world was a fictional story?"

Ceras orienting herself in the dark pathways between worlds, couldn’t seem to make sense of what IV was talking about, “Fictional story? Memories? What? How do those connect-?“ Ceras was interrupted by an unknown individual. How’d she not notice him. Ceras was not used to being snuck up on herself. The pathways are weird, and don’t obey conventional physical laws in many respects, but this is also not the first time she’s been through these pathways, and she has a variety of methods for early detection.

“A child’s memory to be more precise” he said as he sauntered forth from behind them. White hair and blue eyes. He was a striking figure to look at, but there was a foreboding presence about him. Not only that but his mind was locked up tight. No wonder she didn’t notice him, she couldn’t even hear the faintest of whispers of even his most surface of thoughts.

“A child was told the story of a hero from his own world,” the stranger continued, “A child’s mind is so innocent, so – imaginative,” he smiled at them knowingly, and Ceras was beginning to grasp what had happened, “He had seen a man – a Hero – the only hope,” his voice dripped with disdain as he said hope, “in their world. In the eyes of a child, he’s invincible.”

IV cut in, “Who are you!?”

The man refocused on them, clearly nonplussed about facing two legends. Perhaps this stranger didn't know who they were, but she doubted that. There was too much going on around them that seemed orchestrated to make the naïve assumption that this white-haired individual didn’t know who they were – especially since they were holding this conversation in the pathways between worlds.

“I’m simply a guardian angel,” he said placing a gentle hand on his chest, striking something akin to a graceful pose, “I’m the one that watches over those in need,” he almost pouted, “The boy, in the raincoat, he'll be with us shortly. Don’t worry we’ll take good care of him. However, I do have a friend you could play with in the meantime. Toodles~!” And just as suddenly as his presence was made known, he disappeared from sight and sense. And in the void of the pathways, one could feel it coming well before it was heard or even seen. The ground shook as it stomped towards them. Then the heavy breaths and throaty growls shook the air. Coming into view was a gigantic monstrosity -- its form a mass of thick, rippling, corded muscle, a head like a dragon’s, with two sets of dagger-like teeth, golden eyes like a serpent’s, glinting in the darkness. Nestled at the crest of the creature’s brow was what looked like a smoothed and polish stone embedded into its forehead. Within the bauble, however, was a boy – a child. The one they were after, IV and Ceras. And clutched in its meaty, talon tipped hands was a globe – not unlike a souvenir you’d pick up from a town you’ve vacationed at or visited. Within the globe, she could see the gloom of the city of Callimar.

The creature, moved in a flash and dashed the glass ball on the ground, and Callimar spilled out over them. They were suddenly not in the pathways any longer.

“Ceras! Let’s go!” IV hollered before leaping to meet the behemoth.

Ceras was beginning to piece things together, just a little at a time, but she was beginning to see what looked like a larger picture, she thought. I’m going for the boy, keep it busy. And like that she once more wisped away and soared towards the boy.

In a mote of fog she materialized at the top of the creature’s head. And began trying to cut away at the jewel the boy was trapped in. The beast’s skin was like armor and did not give easily. And before she could make it through its thick hide, she felt a cushion of air flutter through her hair, not unlike the air usually pushed by large, heavy and fast moving objects such as this monster’s clawed hand, and only barely had the reaction time to disapparate.

This is going to be a slog she thought to IV.

​

 

[AxElKiNgHeArT13]

As the two made there way closer towards the castle they did not encounter many of the gate creatures. The two of them quickly dealt with any threat that came their way. Wonder how long this gonna take. We may have to split up and search every inch of the castle. We also have to deal with the creatures inside and hope that we can deal with them alone. The Phoenix born thought this to herself. Scarlet walked to the castle in silence even if Number 3 was talking to her, but she was curious about what he meant by his unpleasant side. After a while Scarlet and Grey eventually made it to the main gate of the Castle of Flowers. The gate was open and another one of the thorn covered creatures was there waiting for them. Number 3 quickly took care of it before it could react. This one is a lot more powerful than he lets on. If he had the correct mind set he could take on anyone and more than likely win. They mad it to the main door's and they were covered in thorns and flowers. Scarlet knew how to handle this. "Stand back Grey. I don't want you getting hurt. Its about to get hot around here." Once her partner was a safe distance away she super heated her body and igniting the thorns around her. Scarlet's eyes started to glow as she formed a massive fire ball in her hand. Once it was fully charged she released it directly at the door obliterating everything even the door itself.
WOW. I did not think I had that in me. Who knows what else I could do. Scarlet had to take a deep breath before she was ready to continue. She looked back to Grey and he was not shocked at what she just did. Maybe he saw people do this before? They then made there way into the castle.

It was beautiful, or it would have been if this place was not covered in thorns. There was a grand stair case that led to both the west and east wings. The forum they were standing in was huge. Scarlet could even swear that she saw a painting of a family hung up on the wall that was torn. This was not okay. "Grey. Do you think Number 1 knew that this was happening. Or do you think that they just didn't know? Never mind we have a mission to do and this could take a while. The book we are ,looking for has to be in a place where they hold knowledge so maybe this place has a library. I'll check the west wing and you check the east. If you find it send a signal, I will find you. If I find it I will come find you." Grey nodded and followed her up the stairs. They both went their separate ways in search of the book.

Scarlet roamed the halls searching every room one by one in hope she could find the library, if this place even had one. All she found were bedrooms and rooms used for storage. She kept going forward when she saw three gate creature up ahead, they did not seem to notice her they looked to be heading somewhere. Scarlet decided to follow them. The group she was following then met up with another group and then another till there were twelve of them When she got closer to them she noticed that these creatures were different than the ones she fought outside. They were more..deformed. Some were even holding weapons, which was not good. Where are these guys headed? Maybe they might lead me to the book. They could be guarding it. Or I could be getting in to deep. Ugh.. No matter I have to get the book so I can talk to Number 1 about what happened here. Scarlet kept close to them being careful not to be caught, she couldn't afford it. After what seemed to be an hour later. The 12 came to a stop in front of two double doors and pushed them open and Scarlet got a good look what was on the inside, it was a library. Finally. She quickly slipped inside before the doors closed behind the creatures as she dove for the nearest book shelf. When she poked her head back out the black haired girl saw multiple creatures, but that was not what she was focused on. At the very back of the library about 75 ft away from her was the book they were looking for and it was guarded by a singular thorn creature in the shape of a man, who was looking right directly at her. Her eyes widened and knew it was a trap. She turned to run but two creature were behind her and grabbed her and brought her forth toward the thorn man. The man smiled and started to speak. " I see there is yet another here to steal my book. Now you will be destroyed by me... including your friend in the east wing."