A night on the town

The night air was a bit chilly. The lights of the city wwere slowly winking out as its citizens were finding sleep. A a figure sits atop a small house hidden in the shadows of the great tower of Geffen.
"I don't like this." the silhouette spoke, its voice sounding lifeless. "I hate mages...."

Light chatter could be heard coming from just inside the Geffen tower, a pair of guards pushed open the doors and walked out with a white haired woman dressed in Shadow Chaser garb. "It was nice to see you again Simon, I will stop by more." Waving to the smiling guard as he closed the door behind her she relaxed slightly, now away from the demons which plagued the tower.

Shuffling through a handful of cards the woman she sighed softly. "If I never see another Skeling card again...it will be too soon." Once the cards were unceremoniously stuffed into her pocket she stretched slowly and looked around. Geffen was always quiet at night, and she was only just starting to be active - not that she had a normal sleep schedule to start with, but staying out at night to hunt down demons and ghouls probably did nothing to help her rest at night.

Pulling a leaf from another of her various pockets she chewed on the end of it thoughtfully as she sat on the steps just beyond the tower.

"Ah, there she is," he thought, and quickly slipped into the shadows. He approaches in total silence befitting of an Assassin Cross, and sat down next to her, His voice, slightly muffled due to the gas mask, still came out fairly clearly."What took so long?",

"I ran into someone I knew." Fishing out the the stack of cards she handed them over to the Assassin Cross quietly. "More Skelings and a Wind Ghost. Rubbing her fingers together she frowned - they hurt slightly from her bow string which was now starting to wear out. Making a mental note to restring it she slung the weapon over her shoulder before standing.

"Sorry that took longer then I thought, anything interesting happen?"

Edan swore and stomped about, disturbing the silence of the night. As he walked, he tugged at a fresh bandage that covered his elbow, a nice match for the one on his leg. A poltice kept the cut on his face from burning but didn't stop it from stinging. It helped his mood not at all.

"Hello? I'm supposed to meet someone, aren't I?" Bloody sneakthieves. He didn't see anyone, but with the tricky-stealthy crowd, that mean nothing. "Is anyone there?" He stubbed his toe on the bench near the fountain.

"Bugger!" He stopped, and closed his eyes. Pushed away the building anger. His long elven ears twitched, and his eys snapped open as the power shifted inside him and manifested. A ball of flame now floated in a lazy circle around him, illuminating both the bench hidden in the dark and the multicolored remnants of the spells cast here during the day. Geffen was a riot of color when viewed through the Sight. Arcane circles and floating runes marked the impression of an illusion from this morning, but the greasy shadow of stealth was missing. Nobody was lurking within three feet of him, then.

"Anyone?"

Finally removing the mask, Nil glances over at the light that caught his eye, and sees the wizard off near a bench with a fireball. He smirks and chuckles at being in plain sight but still not being seen. "Well, he gets up and stretches, "I think it's high time we met Edan. Poor fellow. He spends more on medicines than a hospital, and it looks like he's got a fresh batch."

"Probably, yea."Looking over at the elf she smiled softly, shaking her head. "Are those new bandages?" A question to the Assassin Cross next to her, which didn't really need answering. The elf got three new injuries everyday even if they were as minor as bruises.

Walking towards the circling fireball she was about to speak her bow fell to the ground, the string having finally given up on her. The wepon seemed to cause loud echos through out the stillness of the city. "Well, guess I'm not putting off the bowstring until next week...." Gathering damaged weapon off the ground she looked at the fraying string as she pulled it off the bow. "Edan you need to stop getting hurt, what're these from now?" Playing with the fraying strings she muttered about the strength of Argos web and pocketed the useless string.

"Remember when my research topics didnae hurt so much?" Edan smiled, feeling somewhat uplifted by the concern. "I've been attempting tae study new poring variants. There must be a reason for the many different types - they're everywhere, and we dinnae understand them at all." He laughed, self mockingly. "Do either of ye really concern yourself with that sort o' thing, though? I came back to Geffen because I felt isolated. Now that you lot are back, maybe I'll feel like part o' something again."

His sight spell faded, leaving the three of them illuminated only by the streetlight's wan glow. In truth, Edan had excellent night vision, but darkness was nonetheless something he was never comfortable in. Too many bad memories of people for whom shadows and night were their natural place. He shook it off. Better now to smile, now that he had a reason.

"So why have ye come? I dinnae see much of anyone, and now you, and her come here together? I didnae think either of you had much love for mages."

He had finally succumbed to the darkness and was free of the world. The land he knew and had fought for was gone, destroyed eternally and he was finally free of all that had shackled him. It was a nice feeling, the void, Karos enjoyed his time (though the passing of it was not even noticed) simply not being.
Suddenly there was a change. A light pulling of the ether that he would call himself if he actually thought at this point. Over time the pull became stronger, and the entity that was Karos began to coalesce into an actual being, a being that was beginning to get quite cross at being bothered. He was somewhat confused at first but that faded once he could remember what the tugging was, it was his oath, calling him again.
'Oh bother.' he thought as the energy making up what had been his body reassembled itself, 'Looks like it's time to fight again.' That thought at least cheered him slightly, for as much as he enjoyed not existing, he enjoyed the thrill of battle more so.
'Looks like Hai needs his Second, I wonder what he calls himself now... Mmmm...Pie...' and so on went through his head as he was rebuilt.

*PoP* was the sound he made as he flickered into a shadow in the new world, after a few moments of his new body settling into the atmosphere of the new world a light seemed to wink on in his one good eye, replacing the empty look. Stretching he looked around, 'This place smells different, and seems as though there are different creatures... I bet they die the same though' he said to himself grabbing a nearby stick with which he proceeded to wallop a passing cowring *Splurt* 'Yep, still kind of gross' as he looked about. 'It's going to take a bit to get back to fighting shape, but it can't be helped.' as he trod off towards Geffen, naked as a Jay-bird.

'Kulamon....I think that is what I will call myself here, just in case anyone else I didn't care for is here... Damnable eye, never is gonna come back, have to get an eyepatch again...Maybe I'll get a gem set in it....' he thought as he walked, thumping anything that moved around him with the stick to limber up a bit.



[Sorry if this isn't the best, Ranth made me write it when I wasn't ready.]

"Sunset over the bleak horizon, cold shadows cast upon the dying land.."

The words whispered by the Voice of Oracles were ominous and enigmatic. Ashtar was preturbed with visions of the ground tearing asunder and the living things of the world disappearing as if water upon hot stone. He would carry this with him through the final battle tomorrow, the battle that he knew would be his last.

"All of this, in vain," he thought, gazing upon the aged vista of Castle Eeyolbriggar, the memories of endless war and conquest flooding his ancient mind. The long years of strife and delving into forbidden magic had rendered him unsentimental at best; the swan song echoing through the forests evoked a response, catching him unaware.

The battle lasted for days. Once-proud castles were being ravaged, mighty demigods were falling in mortal combat. This was not a mere war; this was a holocaust. When the dust settled, Ashtar was gone. They had seen him after, hadn't they? He couldn't be found. All that remained was the promise of his return.

No one can say what Ashtar contemplated as he existed in pure consciousness. He had withdrawn from the Material to witness the destruction of the world he'd long walked. Only at the very end did he remember what a beautiful and wondrous garden it had been.

Then, he felt their life force again. "They survived..."

Lord Ashtar planted his feet upon the grass of a new world, and set his eyes once again to the ancient forests. "If I am to find them, I must first settle the necessities."

"Ah. But you see, there are a few I regard above others. And I've come looking for them." he grimaces before glancing warily about. "One I doubt I'll see again. But I sorely wish I could. Anyhow, I'd rather find a place a bit more.....cozy than here in the middle of the street." Never one for being caught unaware, the assassin was always on guard, and suspicious of everything, and trusting of very little. "It would not be good if a fight came to one of your.....delicate....stature. Especially after being damaged already." he said, plainly eyeing the wizard's bandages and half rolling his eyes.

Edan scowled and fixed Nils with one of his better glares, eyes gleaming a slightly brighter red than the darkness should permit.

I can handle myself, you know. I didnae get these bruises picking flowers. I study monsters as a hobby when I'm not chasing after evil men. When you've faced the likes of an assassin cross, a cut or two is nae a concern.

He held Nil in a steely professional investigator's gaze. Two men, locked in a duel of wills for the purposes of respect. Then, Edan ruined the effect by blushing hot when he noticed Ranth watching him. Since his decision to join the constabulary of Prontera, he'd seen little of the rogue woman, mostly by choice. She'd been a thief when they met, after all. She'd grown older, filled out, changed her coat for a shadow chaser's during his time hunting criminals.

And now he had left. Handed in his badge, packed up his books and otherwise meager possessions and taken up temporary residence in Geffen. All because of the call he'd heard. Someone needed him.

Anyway... do you understand why we're being drawn together? I tried to isolate the weave on the spell that called me, and I missed it... I should know why we're together again. But I don't.

His mind snapped into consciousness. The pure suddenness of it caught him off guard... typical. Just when he had finally lost himself in the empty void, a nuisance was pulling him back. Slowly the blackness began to take shape and form, melding into liquidize structure. His mind began rebuilding itself, and the first of the millions of conscious thoughts that occupied it were thoughts of his comrades, both lost and new-found. He felt himself grin at this, never having before been used to the full company of others. He noted how easily changeable people were, and marveled at his own susceptibility. I suppose that'd be why I admire loyalty in people above all else... He opened his mind, allowing it to take hold of the world forming about him. Slowly the shadow began to fall away, revealing to him the familiar landscape about him, the blue sky and the hard stump upon which he now sat.

But something was different, he knew... his nose wrinkled at the peculiarity of it, before he reached into his vest and pulled from it his shades, flipping them open and placing them over his eyes. A small grin played across his face as he folded a hand behind his back and propped the second over a knee. Guess all that's left to do now, is wait.

"Not yet I don't," Nil replied, stretching as he did so, a small chain around his neck becoming slightly visible, "But I certainly intend to find out." a dark glint rose in his eyes "Cause only a few people should be able to draw us back together like this."

Years of war had changed him. He was cold now. And humoreless. He couldn't even remember when he first was in the crew. He could only remember from some time on the third and fourth realms. His memory prior having been lost to him, something always nagged at him that magic had been the cause, pushing him into a general distrust of most magic users. Trained as an Assassin Cross, he had killed many, and conquered a number of castles. He was a master of poisons, and striking an enemy in their most vulnerable and vital locations.

The only part of his memory that he retained from before, was his name, Nil, due to it being engraved on the back of the charm he had on the chain around his neck. "How befitting, a name meaning Nothing for the man with no past." he thought.

He finished his stretching, his charm falling out of his tunic, a powerful but muffled magic aura emanating from it, as though something were locked inside.

A small snicker escaped Ranth as she noticed Edan's blush, she went back to busying herself with the ends of her bow, looking at the wood for damage. Her mind was mostly on sounds around them, let Nil concentrate on the conversation. Since knowing Edan, Ranth always had the need to protect the mage, or anyone in that matter. Reaching into the various pockets on her jacket she searched for a bow string, something that would do for now.

Ranth could only vaugly remember the initial feel of what called to them, now it was a constant hum in the back of her mind - one that was starting to cogitate her. "I've no idea 'neither, but the sooner we find out the better." Looking around the street she scowled, ""Give me a few minutes to find a bloody Kafra employee, I need to fix this bow - they've taken to doing on the spot repairs now. Fading from their sight - a habit in the dark. Ranth popped out in front of a Kafra and thrust the bow towards her, waiting on it to be fixed.

Edan took an appreciative look. There was an old saying, "I hate to see you go but I love to watch you leave." He shook his head like a dog trying to get the water out, and pulled himself together before turning to Nil.

"So we're all subject to a curious, unknown effect. What's the common link between us? The old days.. Stands tae reason that it's something or someone from back then who's just now tugging on the lot of us. Do you think we'll see more people drawn here?" He reached into his ropes for a tea kettle and a tin full of fragrant brown leaves. He filled the pot from a nearby fountain, and with a flick of the wrist lit a flame on a bare cobblestone that he placed the kette on to boil.

I think if we find people we dinnae ken from back there drawn into whatever the hell this is, we might want to assume that it's not a person calling us all. It might be an artifact or something else... I suppose it all depends on what it does next, and how. He stole another glance at Ranth brandishing the bow at the Kafra woman, somewhat impolitely expectant. he loved to lecture, but he feared boring her.

"So let's find something to investigate."

After acquiring and adjusting his new clothes and checking in with the ninja clan in Amatsu (Which all-told only took him 15 minutes with the warping, the shopping, and the being a ninja like that), he had a moment to pause and think. 'Hrm, Cougar said he had seen some new people wandering around, I should see if any others made it.'
The shadows welcomed him and embraced him as he started to Geffen, the last place the strangers had been spotted.



*Skimpy post yes, I'm not ready for my grand entrance*