Rise of the Age of Heroes RP

[Lordxana0]

Far away from any signs of civilization stands a grand tower built in the middle of a swamp filled with dark beasts and dangerous plants. In this tower resides a Mage of great power. On a normal day he would be studying the sun and making new spells. On this day however he had seen a glimpse into the future. And the future was filled with darkness. "Gods of Heaven have mercy on us humans, please grant us some light of hope in the coming darkness" he begged to the sky.

His prayers were heard and a beautiful woman made of pure light descended into his home. She was Lumeria Goddess of Light and Joy. "We who reside in the heavens hear your cry mortal, and we too see the darkness, we offer hope, but in order to do so we need a mortal vessel for us to work through, will you agree to this?"

The Mage thought for a second. Becoming a vessel for a God of Heaven would kill him, that much was for sure. But at the same time if he didn't do anything many more would die. He raised his head and looked the Goddess in the brightest point of light on her body, the eyes. "I agree, please save this world" The Goddess nodded and her body compressed into a small orb of light and went into the Mage's body. His body convulsed and struggled against the influx of power his body received from the Goddess. When his body finally stopped his eyes had become two pure orbs of light. "Now is the time for heroes to rise to defend this world once more" he spoke in a voice that sounded like his own and the Goddess's voice mixed together. "Oh Nine who reside across this world I ask you to awaken in this time of need, receive the mark and join together, save this world, let it be!" the mage lifted his hand and nine beams of light shot out of the tower and traveled to different points on the continent.

A moment after this the tower exploded in a pure black fire. When the fire cleared nothing was left of the tower, not a single stone. A woman walked toward the spot where the mighty tower once stood and sighed. She held a human skull in her hand, its eyes glowed with dark energy. "Bother it seems the bitch managed to summon the heroes, that makes our lives a bit more difficult wouldn't you say?" she said to no one in particular. "Yes, yes I know, I am sending them right now, lets test if they are worthy of the name heroes"


(Welcome to Rise of the Age of Heroes, the newest RP created by Xana Enterprises, here is how the first few parts of this are going to, the beam of light will reach your characters, it will hit them on the hand and for a brief moment they will feel pain before a symbol of nine swords surrounding a shield appears on the top of it (the symbol of the Heroes of old), along with a message, "Darkness is rising, Evil will spread once more, you are the new Heroes, more will be revealed, go to the Grand Kingdom Capital and find a bar known as the Honey Bee, here you will learn more and meet with your fellow Heroes, be quick, the world rests in your hands". After this just have your character set off. After everyone has done that I will do a post describing the place and you will have free reign to talk to NPC's and each other until I start an event, have fun!)

[eli_gone_crazy]

May sat under the oak tree near her house, doodling in a notepad while reading over her favorite alchemy textbook. It had been a loan from a traveling salesman, who had seen May try to make a transmutation circle using a pencil and a linen tablecloth. May remembered how the salesman shook his head in disgust at her "laboratory", which had consisted of exactly 3 vials of pure, distilled water, a dead cockroach, and some pot noodles that had gone stale. The salesman had left May with a small library of Alchemy books, and some basic supplies, with the warning of, "do not try anything too big yet... work up to it first" and a smile. His gears whirled and spun as he she? stood up and walked smoothly over to the caravan. Clucking his tongue, the clockwork man spurred on the horses, moving ever on.

May was snapped back into the present as she felt an intense pain on her right hand. Glancing down, she saw the imprint of a burning shield, crossed with 9 swords. Swearing, she ran over to the tap and started pumping water over her agonized hand. The burning increased in tenor as thoughts suddenly exploded in her mind. Images and impressions flooded her mind as a dominant stream began to flow and speak, "Darkness is rising, Evil will spread once more, you are the new Heroes, more will be revealed, go to the Grand Kingdom Capital and find a bar known as the Honey Bee, here you will learn more and meet with your fellow Heroes, be quick, the world rests in your hands".

May woke up hours later, wiping dried blood off of her face as she strode over to the oak tree to locate her notes. Gathering those, she made a stop by her laboratory, throwing her inventory of copious notes and difficult-to-gain equipment and inventory into an old knapsack that she had found in the back of the Murrie's dumpster once. Then, screwing up her courage, she made the trek from her laboratory in the fields, to her parents' home in town.

Her parents had never taken the alchemy well. As soon as she figured out how to transmute, they began to pull away from her, as if her abilities were a disease. The town responded in kind, refusing to bend away from its' fear of change. May had been puzzled about that for a while, why would people turn away something that could be beneficial? Then one day, she decided to move out to her laboratory, and leave the town in it's sense of peace. And what do you know? As soon as I move out of town, they go back to normal, as if I never existed. May made a face of disgust as she walked up the steps to her parent's home.

Not bothering to clean the mud off her shoes, May stomped into the dining room, where her parents were celebrating an occasion with another, smaller and decidedly happier family member. Kneeling down, May gave her little sister a present, "there we go, Ally. Happy Birthday." With a nod in her parents direction, May turned and walked out of the house, heading for the train station in town. Grand Central, huh? I bet it's lovely

[Guyshane]

And now I simply lower the sulfuric acid into the liquid nitrogen… and that was the exact moment that a beam of light hit me in the hand and downloaded a mass of exposition right into my brain. Needless to say this all caused me to drop the acid, which knocked over the liquid nitrogen, which froze a table leg, collapsing the table, starting off the breakfast machine, which killed the chicken, that laid the egg…You get the idea. The point is it was chaos, complete and utter chaos.

Once I finally got enough magic together to stop my lab from falling apart…actually that was a lie my lab totally fell apart and I could only get out with the clothes on my back, some goggles, a few explosives and my trusty scythe. Anyway long story short I ended up walking towards the airship station so I could get to Grand Central, with the mark of the Heroes on my hand.

At this point I was wondering what it all meant. Not that I actually got any time to wonder why, because it was then that I was set upon by some local ruffians. One called out “Hey lizard skin where are you headed?” This is why I don’t go outside, going outside means I have to deal with all the idiots.

“look could you please get out of the way I have important business to attend to.”
“Maybe we could if you gave us all your money.”

I didn’t actually have money at this point I might remind you. “Are you really attempting to rob from a Chosen hero” I proclaimed with a florish and displaying the symbol on my hand. “A Chosen what?”

I weep for the state of education, I really do.

“Words can not even express how much I don’t have time to continue on like this.” Before he could respond I threw a thermos at the group. They had time to look down in confusion before it exploded. I got to the airship station and stole some money from a sleeping human noble, purchased my ticket and then I was on my way to Grand Central.

[Sicon112]

BGM: Unlimited Blade Works Original Soundtrack ~ Tenbin no Mamorite

A sharp wind blew through the conifers, bearing the biting cold of the north across the darkened landscape. The clatter of metal on metal and distant shouts rang out as torches bobbed to and fro beneath the evergreen branches, sometimes revealing men clad in heavy furs waving various deadly implements above their heads. They were on the hunt.

Their prey darted through the woods at speeds impossible for a human, flickering into sight here and there behind various trunks. Stopping for a moment, the single gold eye that gleamed beneath the grey mask stared up through the branches at the night sky. Finally, the hunted made a short, discontented sound, and blurred away as the cracking of branches alerted him to a group approaching from the west. The forest was too confined for him to end this easily. He needed space...

As if summoned by his thoughts, moonlight broke through the branches before him, signaling a clearing. He flickered from human view once more and reappeared upon the small open area. They were coming from all sides now.

Sure enough, men appeared from the shadows of the trees one after another, closing in slowly on the cornered prey, weapons, or weapon like objects held at the ready. However, the figure in the center of their trap stood motionless, his glowing eye not seeming to focus on their advance at all. One man stepped into the open, then another, then another. They were close now. Only a few more steps and they would be upon him.

"Heh."

The figure's arms shot outward, and with the ring of metal on metal, two spikes darted out to either side carrying heavy metal chains behind them. Before the unlucky hunters even realized that the hunted was fighting back, the spikes drove through two skulls and out the other side in a shower of gore. Two thunks in quick succession sounded out as the chains wrapped around two mighty conifer trunks. Even as the humans around him began to shout, the masked man gave a yank on each chain, causing a loud crack to ring out, the only warning of the now collapsing trees on either side. Shouts of anger turned to screams as four more fell beneath the trunks and many others were lacerated or injured by the complex web of branches and needles.

However, the new hunter had already moved, disappearing with a whoosh of displaced air and landing atop the trunk to his left as his chains returned to his hands only to fly outward once more with a rattle, puncturing the lung of one man and the heart of another before flying out their backs. Metal crashed against metal as the two spikes hit each other with the force of a freight train and went hurtling haphazardly in opposite directions before embedding themselves in two more heads.

Blood stained the pure white of the snow as the black figure pulled his chains back to him once more, then held out his right hand in a fist. The gold eye crossed each terror stricken face before him as an eerie silence fell over the world. That was when his hand opened, bathing the night in a deep blue light.

Procyon2.png (82.01 KiB) Viewed 12311 times

Small cubes of power began to float up from his palm, one after the next, until a small cloud hung in the air before him. Someone screamed. The noise brought the others back from the trance fear had placed over them, but it was too late. Far too late.

Energy flashed across the space faster than the human's tiny brains could register, and staccato roars sounded across the once serene forest as the clearing was burned away before the brilliant blue-white light.

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

Procyon strolled calmly through the remains, or lack thereof, glancing around him at the ashes before snorting in disdain. "Pathetic, the lot of them." He'd been sighted by some hunters the previous day, and the mob that had formed in response to a "demon" roaming the woods had been pretty typical. Procyon was still annoyed that he had been so careless. It wasn't even worth exerting himself against imbeciles like this; he had used his magic merely because he needed the practice.

It was as he was thinking this that an unprecedented wave of power struck his senses. On instinct, because he had no time to even think about it, he whirled, his right arm outstretched, shouting the the name of his spell in a voice that echoed and reverberated with an ancient power. "Mythic Defense ~ Shield of Ajax!"

A blinding light split the night as enormous, man sized, blue cubes ripped into existence before Procyon, one, then two, then three, forming a triangle in the air as energy began to arc between them. However, the huge beam of light that seamed to come piercing out of the heavens themselves reached the dragon before his spell could get any further, slamming into the partially made shield. For the tiniest fraction of a second, Procyon thought the barrier had been constructed fast enough, but then, to his shock, the shield neither held nor broke, and instead, after a moments hesitation, the beam merely passed right through it, leaving a ripple across the surface as it passed and crashed into Procyon's extended palm.

He shouted in surprise as his eyes were blinded and pain shot up his arm, before suddenly the noise of the outside world was cut off without warning and a voice - no, not really a voice, because it wasn't a sound - words echoed within his mind.

"Darkness is rising, Evil will spread once more, you are the new Heroes, more will be revealed, go to the Grand Kingdom Capital and find a bar known as the Honey Bee, here you will learn more and meet with your fellow Heroes, be quick, the world rests in your hands."

Procyon gasped for breath, only to find that he was suddenly kneeling in the charred ground as snowflakes fell around him, slowly beginning the work of covering up the signs of his rampage. The back of his right hand seemed oddly warm, and he removed his white glove only to find a strange symbol placed across his skin. Nine swords placed in a circle around a shield. The mark bore traces of the same magic that had composed the beam from earlier. "Heroes? Darkness? What is this nonsense? I have no use for the rest of the pitiful inhabitants of this world."

And yet... Once more, in his mind's eye, he saw his shield ripple before him, and in the fraction of an instant before the attack broke through, his left hand darted up before his body, whirling a length of chain as a last-ditch defense, which the beam passed through just as effortlessly as it had punctured his barrier.

Beneath his mask, Procyon smirked. "Such powerful magic, and light magic at that." He was acutely aware of the weight of his spellbook strapped across his back under his coat. "Is this the culmination of light magic that I must grasp in order to be free?" His mind whirled as plot after plot was constructed and then discarded. Then he slowly looked up towards the now overcast sky. "On second thought, I do believe I accept your invitation, though you may regret asking me shortly, whoever you are..."

-----------

Once more, the forests of the north lay quiet as the black cloaked dragon bearing human form faded away into the shadows of the trees, his aimless wandering finally finding a target...

[agoraoptera]

Click, whirr. Click.

The sounds had accompanied Eslai for so long that he never heard them anymore. It had all been so new, so novel when he had first came into this.. body. Gleaming yellow, his eyes stared down at himself in abject apathy. What had he truly wanted? Envy had brought him to this. Envy, and despair.

He should never have ran away. He missed.. he didn't even know what it was that he missed. He couldn't even remember where he had come from, where he had ran away from, he could not remember! In tune with the final thought, he slammed his iron fist against the damp ground, lifting up a few clods of grass-sewn earth. From his vocaliser came the wretched sigh of a man who was no longer a man.

Eslai wanted to hate, but he had nothing to hate. Eslai wanted to remember, but there was no past left for him. Eslai wanted to feel, feel something physical, something real, but for all the magical powers imbued in the clockwork body, despite all the sensors guaranteed to transmit a full range of sensory impulses, all he truly felt was the cold. What was the point of it all? Why was he still alive? Was he even truly alive? Could this state of existence even be called a 'life'? If he could, he would have wept. But he could not.

Abruptly, a light flashed in the upper corner of his vision and he reacted instantly with mechanical precision. Rising up to a sitting position, a section of his chest emitted a pneumatic gasp of steam, throwing out an intricately-crafted pistol, golden lines gleaming in the night-sky, lit up by the actinic beam surging down. He grabbed the flintlock pistol and fired, watching the lethal ball bearing soar into-

A magnificent illumination, so blinding that his ocular sensors literally shut down for a moment, crashed down at him like a coruscating bolt of divine power and Eslai screamed silently, for his entire body had become unresponsive. Slowly, flickeringly, his sight returned as his machine body reset itself.

That darkness.. The darkness of having his body fail him.. That was the secret fear and pain of every clockwork person. It was terrifying, having no control whatsoever, falling into an empty black pit of nothingness. As sensation reasserted itself, he felt a strange tingling on his right hand. Nine swords arranged about a shield.. Why was that symbol so familiar? Eslai could not remember.

Eslai was afraid, but now he had a purpose. The darkness had not been all he had felt; the darkness had spoken to him with a voice that was no voice that any mortal could ever have, infinitely beautiful and wrought with power.

"Darkness is rising, Evil will spread once more, you are the new Heroes, more will be revealed, go to the Grand Kingdom Capital and find a bar known as the Honey Bee, here you will learn more and meet with your fellow Heroes, be quick, the world rests in your hands".

The voice had spoken. Though Eslai had never fancied himself to be a hero, this at least was a purpose of sorts. At that moment, he needed any purpose he could get.

[Qara-Xuan Zenith]

The girl and the beast could not have been more connected, more fluid, if they were one creature, mind and body shared. As it was, there were plenty who speculated on just how much more than looks and physical gestures passed between the pale young woman and her mount, though none had ever gone so far as to seek an answer on the matter. Often, at an institution where the currency was knowledge and the residents dealt with secrets and spells, speculation was safer. Knowledge was power, but it also had a power over you; what you knew could consume you-- or could attract others who wished to know what you knew, or did not want you to know it, and were willing to do what it took to wrest the information of your mind. Better, when it was such a seemingly harmless matter, to remain ignorant.

BGM: The Kiss-- Aladdin

The white-haired girl, in any case, was silent on the matter, riding sidesaddle (minus the saddle) on the pure white unicorn which seemed to positively glow in the afternoon sunlight. Alina, at the top ranks of the Academy, had no one to answer for for her time but herself, and today, she had awoken with a strong sense that her fate took her out to the forest. Responding to no apparent stimulus, she dismounted from the unicorn at an arbitrary point, with a pat to the animal's head and a soft "Thank you, Caranor." She settled down beneath a tree to meditate, to restore her own sense of energy and balance, and to seek within herself for the ever-present tug of Fate, guiding her actions.

She closed her eyes, envisioning her body as a web made of shining silver threads of light, mentally following each of these threads, traversing the web, filling every inch of it with her essence, her her. When she had explored every facet of her power, imbuing it once again with her strength and sense of self, she reversed the image, slowly opening her eyes. Now she saw the world around her connected by bright gold strands, the lifeblood of every creature, every plant, every living hope and dream that might be carried on the wind. There was Caranor, shining so bright with power and vital energy that it would have blinded her if it had truly been through her eyes that she was seeing this; there was the quiet strength of the tree that supported her form.

With a sigh of release, she sent her conscious mind spinning through these golden threads, investigating her surroundings for anything that demanded her attention: she would know it, she was sure, when she saw it. The souls of everything around her seemed to be singing in her head, telling her of their existence and vitality through a beautiful, ever-changing song.

La, la, la, la la la la, la la la, la, la la la la la, la la, la li la--

There-- a discordant note among the healthy tones. She probed further, more consciously, then stood, tracing the tug of that particular golden thread until she came to another tree, with a bird's nest resting in a low crook of the branches. Reaching very carefully into the nest, she drew out a small, abandoned sparrow; it couldn't have been more than two months since its hatching, and it was sickly and weak.

"You poor thing," she whispered, cradling it in her hands. Fortunately, for a creature this small, to wipe the disease from its system was the work of a moment. She closed her eyes, focussing this time on the bird's system, instead of her own, a web of silver threads tainted with black where hunger and plague had weakened it. She forced her own consciousness through the black threads, purifying them as though she were scraping tarnish off a piece of wrought silver. When she opened her eyes, the bird already stirring in her palm, no more than a second, perhaps two, had passed in the real world.

"Find your nestmates," she told the little bird, "and fly with grace." As though responding to her benediction, it spread its wings and alighted from her hand, soaring smoothly off into the woods.

Alina began to return to the place where she had begun her meditation, and where Caranor waited patiently for her, passing her hand along the trunks of trees as she went, curing them of rot and fungi without even sparing a thought. Abruptly, as she removed an unusual strain of woodrot from an ancient oak tree, she was struck by a searing pain in her palm. Surely the rot couldn't be that malign or powerful, that it would resist her power to the point of causing her physical pain? She had never encountered anything of this kind before, and it made her tremble a little to think what it could be.

Fortunately, she didn't have long to speculate before words began aligning themselves in her head, speaking in a voice that did not enter through her ears. "Darkness is rising. Evil will spread once more." She knew that voice! She was certain she had never heard it before, and yet, as surely as she knew her own soul, and Caranor's, she knew that voice. "You are the new Heroes. More will be revealed." Alina gasped as recognition dawned on her: surely this voice could be none other than that of Lumeria, the patron goddess of her Fate-directed craft. Her face a mask of awe and humility, Alina knelt as she listened in her mind's ear to the remainder of the message. "Go to the Grand Kingdom Capital and find a bar known as the Honey Bee. Here you will learn more and meet with your fellow Heroes. Be quick; the world rests in your hands."

The world rests in your hands... Alina turned the hand that had pained her a moment ago over, to see a symbol glowing white on her palm: a shield, surrounded by nine swords. This was a moment of clarity, even more so than the feeling she had had this morning that the forest was where she needed to be. "This is my destiny."

As this truly was her destiny, there was no delay to be had. Alina rose and, abandoning her slow pace, ran to Caranor in a matter of moments. They rode first to the Academy; she would retrieve her notes and her few belongings, and arrange for the Director to be informed of her withdrawal from the institution. Besides, the Academy was in the right direction, being set as it was just a few kilometres out from the outskirts of the Capital-- close enough to have easy access, and far enough that the nobles didn't need to fear the results of a student mage's experiments gone wrong.

The Honey Bee, she thought, repeating her destination to herself. Sweetness. Surely, then, it bodes a fair future that my destiny will have in store. The elf-girl smiled with optimism at what lay ahead.

[AMimsyBorogove]

BGM: Volcanic Flow ~ Hourai Victim

Immortality. The greatest of all treasures, to those that seek it. And, to those who possess it, the most terrible curse of all. A rotting world, frozen forever in eternity, is the only thing that can be seen by undying eyes. As infinity passes you by, you become lost, a thing forgotten by reality. Humanity moves on its own course, and yet, unable to be reborn, the phoenix's flames flicker amidst the darkness, alone, trapped outside of time as it continues in its ever-moving flow. How could an immortal life ever begin if it cannot end? How could a being that not even time recognizes reach into the continuing world of reality? How could that which cannot die understand that which cannot continue to live?

With life's first breath, you are bequeathed the right to live, age, and grow old in contentment. With life's last breath, everything, even pain and sickness, will at last be gone. With that breath restored once more, however... your soul will forever writhe in torment.

To be immortal is be disconnected from everything - from the world and its people, and even from one's own self.

To be without death is to be without life.

Feathers. There were thousands of them, burning brightly with orange flames as they slowly floated down from the sky, like a rain of countless tiny stars. One by one, they flitted back and forth, ever downward, scattering over the entirety of the clearing like snowflakes. Touching down on the hard, moist ground, their flames flashed up, then were immediately extinguished. The phoenix blinked slowly, the fatigue of deep sleep only just beginning to fade from her mind as she squinted, the light of her own shining feathers as they fluttered down all around her blinding to her waking scarlet eyes. And yet, it was still the dead of night. A disturbance, then. And yet, her feathers had not come into contact with any intruding body. Then what warning sense was it that commanded her to wake? The evening was still and silent, with nary a star in the cloudless sky. The forest, its quiet, winding paths long lost to time, waited breathlessly, everything from the robins to the phoenix herself sound asleep. But something - some eldritch, uncanny force was at work on that undying night, and, perceiving this, the immortal woke amidst the stillness.

The feathers continued floating down without end, a million fluttering fairy lights flashing throughout the darkness beneath the forest canopy as they appeared in the air above, then slowly faded into the ground, their flames burned out forever. The phoenix sighed quietly, and shifted where she lay, wrapped within her wings, her impotent arms and silvery-blue hair splayed out all about her like the glow surrounding a dying flame. The moon shone faintly down into the clearing from the sky above, painting everything in its pale light. The feathers filling the air flickered and vanished and, slowly, the phoenix raised her hand towards the sky, as though she would grasp that lunate orb and snatch it from the firmament, breaking the silent spell of imperishable night that had fallen over the world. And yet, her fingers closed silently, and in vain, unable to reach the distant heavens to which not even her brightly burning wings could fly. The moon shone down with renewed vehemence, bathing the nocturne in its brilliance as though it, too, was attempting to bridge the gap between heaven and earth, to touch the phoenix forever bound upon the world below, unable to soar and vanish into the unlimited sky. For a moment, all was made radiant in pale, fleeting light, that once again lapsed into darkness. The phoenix lowered her hand, an eyebrow rising slowly as she beheld the unusual symbol that now adorned it. Nine swords. A shield. She knew that mark, even after all her years of wandering. Even had she not, however, the voice that rang softly throughout the stillness of her mind was more than enough for her to understand what had just transpired. "Darkness is rising - evil will spread once more. You are the new Heroes. More will be revealed. Go to the Grand Kingdom Capital and find a bar known as the Honey Bee: here you will learn more, and meet with your fellow Heroes. Be quick; the world rests in your hands." How odd. To think her soul, out of all others, had been chosen. Then again, from a certain point of view, how was she any different from any other?

"I suppose the difference between containers of souls doesn't matter much these days..." Mokou murmured quietly. "Born in endless flames, an ever-resurrecting phoenix. An eternal volcanic ash, an immortal smoke, two burning wings reaching for the moon. And yet, I'm as Human as they come." Sighing, she folded her arms beneath her head and her wings upon her back, and once more lay upon the grass, her crimson eyes slowly closing. What reason was there for her to stay awake? The strange change that had come over the moon, the moment of night frozen within the phoenix's eternity... she now knew the cause, and, moreover, understood what that meant she must do. But she was a patient phoenix, and right now, there were more important things to do than rushing recklessly to an unknown destination. Perhaps, even she whose soul yet churned in torment, might yet have use for some rest. And so, the phoenix once more lay still, her feathers beginning to form throughout the air and flutter down all around her as, once more, she allowed sleep to take her, and, even if it was only for a fleeting moment in the eternity between imperishable night and inevitable dawn, she was once again at peace...

(So, yeah, the reference scouter is now firmly in the ballpark of "Over 9000." )

[Pixelmage]

Dwarves... Dwarves everywhere. Why did I come to this place again? Rissien jumped out of a low axe swing. Turing in the air to flash one of his swords at the attacker. Oh, yeah. These guys. They make for nice practice, that's why! The blow was parried by an stocky, armored forearm. The dwarf didn't move for another attack, well, that one dwarf didn't move at any rate. The other 6 weren't as respectful.

Three spear wielders lunged for him before he landed, caught in a bad position and free to be killed, Rissien smirked. No fun if it's easy. He whirled both of his blades, channeling his magic into the circular movement, the result being two pale silver circles, their radius equal to his long swords' lengths. The spears slammed against the translucent discs, stopping there while he landed, dissipating soon as a late vision echo from his swords' path. No sooner he was on land, however, and the other three axe wielders were already upon him.

Barely taking in a breath he spread his swords to the sides, intercepting two of the menacing weapons and jumped back out of quick reach from the third attack. His swords left behind in his dodge, the dwarves began to reassemble in order to coordinate another wave of attacks at the now unarmed elf.

"Heh, fancy moving there boy." The first Dwarf laughed, the others followed. "Ain't fair that magic of yours though." His expression turning serious.

"What can I say?" Rissien replied with a smirk, continuing with his sarcastic tone. "I'm fighting the mighty dwarves!"

Instead of replying, the leader of the dwarf party lifted his axe and caused an eerie glow to emanate from it, preparing for a mercy kill, then a beam of white light slammed into Rissien's right hand. Oh, come on, what now?! Thoughts flooded his mind, as his vision blurred and he fell to one knee. Pain and confusion blinding him. He took a few seconds to regain his bearings from the surprise. Ok, how come I'm not dead? The dwarves dismissed him as unarmed and began scanning the field for the source of the impromptu magic. But they wouldn't ignore him now that he was standing up again.

"Easy things first." Said the dwarf leader. "Kill the pretty boy there, then we find the mage."

Rissien thought about the pain in his hand and the words he had received in his mind, doubtlessly from the strange magic. But, sad as it was to admit it, the dwarf was correct. Get the easy things out of the way first, eh? The dwarves surrounded him, unarmed and winded, he smiled. Not a mischievous smirk, or a devious grin. A genuinely happy and innocent smile. The dwarves traded glances, then they noticed the barely visible silver chains streaking from the elf's hands. A magic link. Their eyes widened with the realization, but it was too late.

The elf's swords flew back to him, pulled by the magical chains that linked him to his weapons, slaying two of the dwarves in their path back, but instead of grabbing them to fight, he simply whirled them around with hand gestures, the dwarves fell to the unexpected fighting style, except for the leader. Rissien turned to him, blades in hand at this point.

"That's surprisingly good advice!" He said, lowering his left sword to kill the last standing enemy. Dwarf brigands aren't much of a challenge are they? Oh, whatever. That spell thing said something about Honey Bee in the Capital, I think... He stopped to clean the blood from his weapons while thinking about what to do next. I'm not sure I should follow some strange spell like that, but thinking about it, going from here to the Capital will take me through goblin territory! Making his decision he started walking again, in a straight line to the Grand Kingdom Capital. It had been a while since he last fought goblins, after all.

(I'm the only Swordsman class. Meaning, the only guy who will go to the front lines and stay there the whole time. So, yeah, expect some insane melee competence... Well, mostly insane, but still.)

[Victin]

The wind blew through the forest in the sunny afternoon. Through the trees, the rocks, the animals, an wooden hut and the ranger. Chris could clearly see her three targets, with their window open. Two humans and an elf. All assassins. The humans were sitting at an wooden table, one of them bandaging the other while using some weak light magic. The elf was in the other side of the room.

This gonna be easy. From the top of a tree, Chris drew her bow and an arrow. The arrow shone with an weak dark purple light, and Chris fired it. Even with the wind angainst her, her aim was perfect. The arrow hit the table were both humans were sit and exploded. No smoke, no fire. Only a shockwave, knocking them out on the floor and destroy the table and chairs. Some of the hut was damaged, but not destroyed. And now, only the scourge is left. She drew one more arrow, and pointed it at the elf, who had recovered from the blast and run out of the house, knife in hand. The knife was pretty small, but it flickered with a purple glow. Heh. Dark assassin.

But before Chris could shoot her arrow, a beam of light hit her right hand, and she not only dropped the arrow, but she also fell down from the tree. She cussed aloud, as her enemy already knew where she was. Then, she heard a voice in her mind: "Darkness is rising, Evil will spread once more, you are the new Heroes, more will be revealed, go to the Grand Kingdom Capital and find a bar known as the Honey Bee, here you will learn more and meet with your fellow Heroes, be quick, the world rests in your hands.". But Chris didn't have the time to think about what just happened. The assassin quickly ran towards her, knife in hand. Chris grabbed her arrow and before the elf could approach, she unleashed a black smoke spell. Instead of running, as most archers would, she stepped to the side, and with a leg sweep she made the assassin stumble and fall head first in the ground. Before he could stand up she fired her arrow, this one with a dark greenish flickering. The non-lethal shot paralized the man within seconds. She tied him up, sat on his back and put away her bow.

Chris took the glove out of her hand, and saw a shield surrounded by nine swords. She sighted as she moved the palm of her hand to the encouter of her face. Then she looked to the sky and yelled: "Grand Kingdom Capital? Seriously? How do you expect for me to get there? You could have at least have sent an unicorn or a roc, hell, even a giant turtle if you wanted. But no..." Her eyes darted back to the ground. She started dragging the still yet conscious elf to the hut, and there she tied him together with his knocked out companions. Then she dragged then out of the hut.

"Crap... You are heavier than I though." She said to the men. "Now I'm gonna have to find a way to drag you back to the village. And then I'm gonna have to find a way to go to another city, then there I can get a train to the Dwarf Capital, where I'll get another train to Grand Kingdom Capital. Are there even trains to the Grand Kingdom Capital?" The elf tried to, but he barely could look at her, given his paralysis. "What? What are you looking at?" - She showed him the mark on her hand. - "Yes, that's right. I was chosen by the gods, bitch. And they didn't do anything but tell me what to do." She sat in a rock and stared at the assassins, and then at the sky, once again. "You could have chosen me when I had the opportunity to go to the military. I could have an army on my hands right now." She sighted. "They invited me, but I refused. I was so naive... I prefered to wander the small cities and the poor villages. And I refused when they invited me to join the dwarven army. I regret that. Even more now that I was chosen." She sighted a third time. "At least I know some people. I could get a police officer to escort me at a close city, after I get my bounty." - She looked at the men and then right back to the skies - "Then I'd get a train to the capital and... Well, I don't know if I will have money by there. And my time is running low. I'd have to get contacts at the capital and..." An idea came to her mind. She grinned. "Wait, I'm one of the chosen ones. And I know some people at the army. Not at the capital, but yet... I can get someone to take me to the closest city, and from there to the capital. And once at the capital I can simply get an airship... I can even fly first class!" She let a loud laugh, and started dragging the men towards the closest city. "Grand Kingdom Capital, here I come." - Christine grins once more - "I think I'm gonna like being a chosen one."

[Endless Sea]

Once, Julian had hated snow. The temperature wasn't a problem, nor was the water- his armor was protection enough against the elements- but no matter how lightly he would try to walk, there would always be an unmistakable footprint left behind for the wary to spot, and inevitably the snow would gather atop his head and shoulders thick enough to make his cloaking drive a pointless effort. Shelter was generally a lost cause. He'd spent the greater whole of a score of years attempting to get around these difficulties to no avail, and so it was that his rise up the ranks in the Clockwork Army's intelligence division had been stunted at best.

Of course, that had been long ago, back from when he'd just joined the army, when his age was still a two-digit number. Now, he was a Rank Diamond agent of the Timekeepers, the nigh-unknown secret service of the Clockwork Kingdom, and he knew nearly all the secrets of his trade; he could dash through snowdrifts and leave not even a hint of his passing, alter his external temperature to vaporize falling snowflakes on contact, leap between treetops without them making a sound or a movement. And so it was that he found himself tracking a white-haired humanoid with a white mask and black cloak, a man wrapped in rusting chains who could conjure up blue cubes of arcane energy and with them blast an enormous hole in a forest, who would slaughter entire cities with a laugh and a disdainful quip.

The general public spoke of him in whispers as a demon, an abomination. The Timekeepers simply called him Procyon and labeled him an international threat.

After nearly four months of nothing but desk work, drills, and a general lack of field work, Julian had welcomed the mission, daunting as it had seemed. Two days of trailing his mark, however, had revealed two more points of interest: first, that judging by what the sensory equipment in the agent's photoreceptors were picking up, it was apparent that Procyon was a dragon of some sort, locked by unnatural means into a humanoid shape; and second, that he possessed an emblem beneath one glove that closely resembled Julian's own.

Distracted for a moment by this corelation, the Timekeeper agent glanced again at the back of his left hand, cloaked so as to be visible only to him; just above the protrusion that concealed one of his blades, barely visible against its gunmetal-colored background, was the black outline of a shield etched into his armor, surrounded by nine similarly-etched swords. He recalled when he'd received it and the accompanying instruction, somewhat more dimly remembered its relation to the heroes of the war with the Jackals, detailed extensively in many of the centuries-old records he kept in his office. Surely it was a coincidence...?

...not that it mattered, anyways. The mission came first- would always come first. As it looked, his quarry was apparently headed towards a settlement just over the horizon; perhaps that was Procyon's ultimate destination. If not, Julian was to continue to follow him until that destination was reached and the wandering dragon's motives were revealed, or, failing that, if his murderous tendencies began to spiral too out of hand. After that, the execution would commence, and Julian's mission would be complete.

[Lordxana0]

The Grand Capital is known as the city of advancement. Buildings reach toward the heavens and airships can be seen coming and going delivering supplies to the massive city.They are built next to the sea and are the main hub for trading with other countries across it. The head Mage College known as the Whitefire Academy also makes it home here. It was founded by Nathan Whitefire, one of the Nine Heroes of legend. The city streets are filled with vendors offering everything from fruit to Magitech organs for prices that are unheard of the world round.

However where the heroes where going was not in the middle of this grand city, but rather the far edge of it. On the water away from the docks is a tavern built on top of the sea, kept afloat by Magitech anti-gravitational orbs. They were said to serve the finest whiskey in all the world round, but their main attraction was their nectar drinks said to be filled with the honey of rare flaming bee's. The prices are reasonable and their is always good music and food and they even sold flavor chips to allow Clockwork people to have some enjoyment. Normally this place would be filled to the brim.

But today is a slow day and their are only seven other people in this massive tavern. Four members of a band which was composed of a violin, a drum, a harp, and a dwarverish singer who sang a quiet tune about the mountains and their mysteries. The bartender and a young maiden who served the drinks. And a rather large man in a plain robe with a hood that covered his face. He seemed to be eating a leg of lamb and enjoying one of the Nectar drinks. Soon a group of people will arrive that will change the balance of the world, and what better a place for it then here.

[AMimsyBorogove]

Crimson-feathered wings blazed a path across the sky as, slowly, they began to cease their beating, causing their owner to slowly descend from the sealed, cloudy route through which she had made her way. The phoenix flew higher than the greatest birds of the heavens, nay, higher even than the magical airships that had become so popular during the time she'd spent in wandering. Consequently, as the small, blue-clad shape slowly glided through the vast heavens, the world was silent, as it always was to the eternal traveler.

That silence was abruptly broken, however, as the clouds parted beneath Mokou, revealing the vast cityscape far below. With a distant roar, a cacophonous crying of merchants, tolling of bells, rumble of magitech machines as they went about their labors, and countless other divergent sounds merged into a single, dull thunder. The phoenix slowly came to a stop, fluttering her wings slowly to stay aloft and hover at her current vantage point over the endless world beneath her. Her eyes widened in surprise and amazement. Had civilization grown to such an extent during the many years of her exile from Humanity? The last time she'd visited the Grand Kingdom Capital, it had been a mess of shambling, run-down buildings, slums, and refugee camps within a single castle. And yet now, it looked more like a city of gold, wealth, prosperity, and life flowing up from the cobbled streets she beheld from on high. Airships floated in and out of countless different ports, carrying with them diverse cargoes and passengers. The amount of magic, pouring out of every device and spellweaver within the metropolis, was overwhelming to Mokou, and the noise she could perceive even from miles overhead was deafening in comparison to the eternal silence in which she'd lived for the past several decades. She furrowed her brows with worry. If she was supposed to venture into such a place, it was going to be difficult. Her magic signature, too powerful to be fully concealed due to her double-soul, screamed abnormality, and, although the power flowing throughout the city might mask that, it could never hope to fully drown out the uncanny sense of her unnatural existence. Similarly, even in such a crowded place, exactly how would she hide her wings? The best she could manage would probably be a cloak of her own feathers, but this would have the disadvantage of further bringing into focus the truly bizarre nature of her timeless existence. Even the most inept of mages would probably be able to notice something off about her, and those who were truly masters of their craft might even realize that she wasn't a mortal like them. And, since she lacked any knowledge of the city, changed as it was, she would have to spend quite some time amongst the crowds, who very well might notice her. Considering her less-than-stellar track record when it came to relating to Humans, she had a feeling that this task was going to be very difficult...

.....

The black-cloaked figure gave a relieved sigh as the destination she'd sought finally came within her sight. The Honey Bee was a rather small establishment, far away from most other locations in the city. While this was very convenient for Mokou, it had also made it almost impossible to find, as she'd largely done her looking around the heart of the city for the first hour or so. By the time she'd finally gotten directions from someone who knew where the place was, she was already beginning to feel as though she'd overstayed her welcome. Crowds of students of the nearby magic school had all but gawked as she passed by, staring at her with confusion and, in some cases, fear. Whispering began to spread wherever she went, and pretty soon, even the non-mages were beginning to part before her, passing on the rumors started by those who had sensed her to the next group of onlookers. This had made it almost impossible to ask for directions, naturally, which had further complicated her search. At this point, the tired phoenix wanted nothing more than to curl up in a forest glen somewhere and take a well-earned rest. Being woken up at the middle of the night, then forced to fly almost halfway across the world in one day really hadn't been the best for her endurance, and by the time her walk through most of the capital's main districts had finished, she'd lost count of the number of times her body had ceased functioning from fatigue, forcing her to regenerate herself before she collapsed. Despite the endless energy she had been slowly channeling into her weary self, though, the pain of her long travel, which had slowly made itself into a permanent numbness in every fiber of her being, never faded. Such was just one of the many curses, she supposed, of being immortal. In any case, it seemed like she still wouldn't be getting her rest for a while. Evidently, she was supposed to wait here and meet some people, which would thus necessitate staying conscious. Damn. What a pain. But, there was no helping it. She sighed, and entered the establishment, glancing about and sizing up those who were already there. None of them gave off the sort of feeling of legendary heroes, but, then again, she mused, neither did she. Still, she wasn't looking forward to this. Public relations was far from a skill of hers, and considering the likely magical sensitivity of her comrades-to-be, she was going to be in for some very awkward questions...

[Qara-Xuan Zenith]

Although she had rarely left the grounds of the Academy since arriving there so many years ago, preferring to wrap herself in her studies than in more worldly concerns, no Whitefire student could avoid knowing of the Honey Bee, nor visiting it at least once in their latter career, for all it was clear across the city.

It was in this establishment that she had arrived a short while ago, her most unusual horse stabled behind the main tavern. The albino sat quietly in a corner, sipping her sweet nectar, eyes closed as she allowed herself to be swept away by the band's music. Normally, the music she listened to was of a very different sort, but there was a charm to the dwarf singer's voice that made it just as enjoyable, as beautiful in its way as the music she heard carried by the souls of every living thing. Absently, she traced a finger along the symbol that seemed to permanently glow from her right hand. Nine swords-- surely, then, she was to have eight companions. Eight equals, eight sharers to her Fate. Eight friends.

Amid the lyrics about far-off places and smiling secrets, Alina found it easy to be set adrift in her own thoughts. In many ways, this day was like her arrival at the Academy, though she had put nearly two decades' worth of life experience, learning, and self-discovery between herself and that day. Now, as then, she was putting a home, a family-- if not one that was particularly close-knit-- behind her, without a second thought, in order to take the next step along the road that Destiny paved for her, with barely anything by which to remember the past. Now, as then, she awaited her new companions, her new family, with an optimistic eagerness matched by a fretful anxiety. Now, as then-- but her reverie was broken by the entrance of a newcomer.

The newcomer, with the same albino eyes and hair, the same elven turn to her features, could have passed for Alina's real sister, except Alina didn't have a sister. Well, not that I know of, she amended. True, this girl could easily be more than three years younger than herself, and it was technically possible that her parents had had another daughter since Alina's own admittance to the Academy. Somehow, the idea bothered her; in any case, she shook it off, because she was sure it was not the case with this girl.

Of more significance than the appearance which so resembled her own, though, was the fact that she absolutely blazed with power, even when Alina wasn't trying to see lifeforce at all. This girl shone as brightly as Caranor, perhaps brighter. There's no way she's merely elven, Alina thought. And with a power like that, she's surely one of the nine heroes, like me. I want to know who she is... what she is.

Standing up, and seeming to any observer to fade into the foreground, Alina walked gracefully over to the cloaked girl. "I'm Alina," she said, masking her natural shyness with a warm friendliness in her tone that she had carefully cultivated over the years. "I believe we'll be working together. Now's as good a time as any to get to know each other, right?"

Mokou glanced up and down at the young woman, ignoring Alina's outstretched hand. "An elf, huh...?" she mumbled unenthusiastically. "I suppose you're one of the people I was supposed to meet here." She trailed off, staring into some point in space far beyond Alina's left shoulder. ""Ah. I remember now," she continued. "My name is Mokou-- or, at least, that was what part of me was called once. I suppose it won't harm anything to continue going by that name, even if I'm no longer the same existence."

Not letting the other girl's strangeness deter her, Alina insisted on steering her new companion to a table. As soon as they sat down, Mokou closed her eyes, clearly not interested in conversing further. They sat there in silence, waiting for the remaining seven to appear.

[agoraoptera]

A beautiful city, a beautiful land, quite the pity that Eslai simply could not be bothered. The tram had been packed with peoples of all races, of all types, but it only darkened his thoughts further. Why had he been selected, of all people? What precisely, was the use of dragging him away from his own quest to find himself? Eslai refused to consider that he was merely being selfish, instead stewing in some undefined anger, trapped in self-imposed misery.

Despite all his negativity, he had travelled to the Grand Capital, silently hoping for something to happen. Maybe, just maybe, this quest would result in the fulfillment of his own. Maybe. Or not. And where exactly was this 'Honey Bee'? A passer-by directed him casually, even as he asked stiffly.

Despite its out-of-the-way location, the Tavern was rather large. Inside the band played and a dwarf sang quietly, even as his hand began to twitch. The mark, whatever it was, tingled every now and then, as if to nudge him back onto his path or to affirm that he was taking the right road. It irked him.

Three patrons sat, two elves sitting together, maybe siblings, maybe not, who could tell with elves? One of them rose, facing Eslai, mouth open to speak, but he chose instead to shut down his auditory sensors. At this moment, he didn't want to speak with anybody. Not hearing the scraping of the chair on the floor, he sat and waited, brooding bitterly. Steam vented from his mouth-grille like the exhalations of frustration.

Click, click. Click, click, clack.

[Sicon112]

He was close. He could already smell and hear the city and its inhabitants even from the depths of this forest. However...

Sight of the Unknown ~ God's Eye. A flicker of blue light appeared in the darkened hole of his mask, the magic infused construct that covered his face hiding the spell traces from outside observation. Damn it. Does that thing ever quit? He had noticed the clockwork following him the previous day completely by accident as he began re-entering 'civilized' areas. It disturbed him that he had not been able to detect it previously, and he had no clue how long it had been trailing him. Seconds after its activation, Procyon cut off the spell. It was a fairly low cost phantasm, but that didn't mean it was worth wasting all his reserves leaving it constantly running as his mentor had sometimes done in dangerous situations. He didn't have the endurance of that old man.

Pretending like he had not detected his unwanted company, he slowly crept closer to the edge of the forest, before stepping around one last tree trunk and looking out over the underbrush that had collected near the edge of the trees. Before him, down the hill and across an open field, was the Grand Capital, a metropolis that certainly lived up to its name. With a steady humming, a luxurious airship, decked out in a wide array of brilliant colors, soared over his head, making it's final approach towards the monolithic silver towers, miracles of engineering handiwork that rose up and up and up before vanishing entirely into the clouds. Tiny transit airboats flitted here and there amongst the forest of silver, as the dragon's sensitive ears detected the shouts and bustle of the marketplace. Out in the harbor, boats and ships of all types and sizes shuffled around in a complex dance, carefully orchestrated by the small steamboats bearing port authority colors that darted this way and that, looking like a bunch of busy insects from Procyon's distant vantage.

Actually, upon further consideration, it was like watching a bunch of insects. Before his supernatural eyes, the mortal humans skittered around like so many aimless bugs. Small, flighty creatures they were, hardly taking up one goal before jumping on to the next. Always grubbing about like worthless buffoons and reacting violently to anything out of place. So susceptible to manipulation. Here and there, the proud elves strode with disdain for the other, less fortunate sentients around them, especially the rowdy dwarves. He didn't see any of his kind in the crowd, but that didn't mean a lot. Their forms were likely well hidden. It would be annoying to have to kill them if they sensed his presence, but he would deal with that if it occurred. There were, however, plenty of clockwork men, like the one who was probably still observing him, mixed amongst the chaos. The result of fools seeking freedom from their mortal limitations.

Turning further, the cynical dragon focused on the overly ornate series of buildings set apart from the rest of the city's bustle. He recognized it at once, due to the amount of ambient magic leaking forth from it. Whitefire Academy... Wasn't the old man a guest lecturer there from time to time? Hmph, no matter. If I know mages, they always love their spellbooks. I wonder if I have time to raid the library before I slip out of here with the rest of these "heroes". None of those superstitious morons would think to check their prophesied saviours for stolen goods. Perhaps this journey will be productive after all. Scanning the horizon once more, Procyon squinted his visible eye towards the harbor as if he had seen something, then shrugged to himself and turned away, slipping quickly down the hill and into the outskirts of the city, swiftly and casually placing a series of buildings between himself and his watcher.

The loud sound of a train whistle from a nearby station rang out through the air.

-----------

The black covered form darted between alleyways at speeds beyond sight, stopping to scout out the next street before slipping through in an open moment. The inhuman being paused and glanced back at the alley behind it and the four bodies that lay within. It had been unwise for the mortals to attempt a mugging on its person. No one would miss those scum, and the police force of the city would arrive sooner or later to clean up the mess, depending on whether anyone in this less active district had heard the screams and rattle of the chains or not.

The old mage, probably a professor at the nearby academy, finally turned the corner and vanished onto a much busier thoroughfare. The figure had a minimal magic presence, but it obviously didn't want to be noticed and seemed to be taking every precaution to be sure it wasn't. Flickering from sight, the white haired, masked man reappeared on the other side of the street, ducked around the corner and slipped into a small opening between two buildings before any of the few pedestrians could notice it. However, a moment later, it halted as the alley in front of it was abruptly cut off by the vertical wall of one of the many skyscrapers.

Strangely, the being did not turn around, but merely stood silent, listening and waiting. Finally, he spoke. "This location will suffice." Then, with a dark chuckle, his body transformed, twisting and swirling from its former shape into an amorphous mass of blue-white power, which promptly detonated, shattering the walls of the buildings on either side, and melting away the metal side of the tower before him, then spewing blue fire into the breach.

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

It had been approximately an hour and fifteen minutes since the explosion, by Procyon's calculations, but he wasn't entirely certain he could trust those, since he was pretty sure he had blacked out a few times from exhaustion. Checking that his belt pouch still held the small but priceless books of magic he had 'borrowed' from the Academy library, which he had broken into during the chaotic response to what the humans labelled a "terrorist attack", Procyon shakily got to his feet and glanced around the dark warehouse. Idly, he wondered if they had discovered the hole he had melted in the third story wall to enter. Hah. I doubt it. They are probably still running around like scared chickens trying to fix the self-replicating flood in the office wing. Served them right. It hadn't been HIS fault that the security officers on duty had forced him to blow up the janitor's closet and unleash that caustic cleaning fluid, and he certainly wasn't responsible for hiding the magic plumbing behind such a flimsy wall. They had metal skyscrapers, dammit, they should be able to make a sturdier library!

Well, whatever. The police are all on cleanup duty now. No one is looking for their missing thief out here in these warehouses. Besides, my spell should have been enough to distort my appearance so that they don't even have my shape, let alone my description. Steadying himself against the wall, he caught his breath. It seemed like he would have enough power for what he was about to do. Slipping quickly out of the large storage building and down to one of the docks closest to his target, Procyon slowed his breathing and pulled on his mana reserves.

"Flight of Daedalus ~ Wings of Wax!" Pain shot through his body as he stretched to the limits of his endurance, but he ignored it; he had felt far worse. This was nothing compared to the agony of having his form forcibly torn away from him. With a grunt of exertion and a gleam of light, brilliant blue wings of light sprouted from his back. Wings that would allow him to escape any pursuers and fly to any distant point, but they came with a price. If the user flew too low, or too high, just as with Icarus, they would certainly, unavoidably die.

Procyon raised his head and looked across the water at his final goal, the Honey Bee. He had sighted it earlier in the day from his hilltop vantage, though he had given no outward indication of that fact, since his observer had still been present. To use the God's Eye spell in the city with so many people around would have overloaded his pitiful magical capacity almost instantly, but he was certain that he had felt the stalker moving away as he first ventured into the city's depths.

Spreading his wings and kicking off the dock, Procyon shot forward across the water like a brilliant blue lightning bolt, glancing down at the surprised dockworkers behind him and listening with amusement to the surprised shouts of the sailors on the decks below. Perhaps it seemed foolish to make such an open display of himself after wreaking so much havoc on the other side of town, however, the aura of power from his spell cloaked his form easily. All the mortals below saw and sensed was a beam of light and the powerful presence that was innate in every strong magical being, including and especially dragons.

Circling once checking for the best landing point, Procyon dived towards the main platform outside the front entrance. Dropping to earth amidst a brilliant burst of blue-white magic, Procyon was revealed in a crouch before the door as his power dissipated. Though he was now magically exhausted, he refused to reveal a weakness to any watchers, and stood up at once, ignoring the protests of his body. Ignoring the shock of those observing him, he promptly strode into the tavern and took a place in the darkest corner of the room, scaring away the waitress before she could even approach with a glare from his golden eye. He suspected the clockwork lying dormant across the way, the elf, and the strange hooded figure at her table had something to do with the message that called him here, but he didn't particularly care to approach them. For now, he would wait.

[Guyshane]

Ah Grand Kingdom Capital. It was big, massive, beautiful, and was quite accepting of everyone. There were stations for everything: airships, trains, boats. There was life on every street corner. No one was beyond hope in this city.

I hated it with a burning passion.

Okay that is a bit unfair. I was actually quite fond of the city itself but there was a flaw. My greatest failure, the Mage’s academy. I suppose it has an actual name. Once upon a time I even strived to be accepted by that name. But the bastards who ran the school had turned me down. I was only trying to help people, improve general lifestyle for all the kingdoms. Most of the test subjects even recovered. And they threw me out. Ridiculous, right?

Although there was another great flaw I saw with the academy now that I had worked outside of the so-called “system.” They stifle creativity. Why are there only 6 possible disciplines for mages? I don’t believe it after years of mixing magics to use alchemy (some of which caused explosions) that there are no magma mages or storm mages or any of the like. But I digress (for now).

Anyway as I was about to leave a human mage stepped in front of me. I considerd simply kneecapping this fool a sparing me whatever nonsense that was inevitably about to occur but I figured the civilian guards would frown on that action so I decided not to. “ Well if it isn’t Gux Clayhand” When I recognized the voice I knew I should have kneecapped him while I had the chance.

I looked up and saw a human mage known as Maralad. A pretentious darkness mage who ran an on-campus house which venerated some segment of human society, the lot of which referred to each other as brothers, he no doubt fancied himself some “Dark lord of Evil” or some such. What a little prick. “I really have no time for pathetic posers like you.”

His grin gleamed back at me. “Now, now don’t you want to hear what the real mages are up too?”

“If your what passes for a real mage these days than all hope for the future is lost.” I replied. He continued on as if he hadn’t heard me. “I am on of the aides for the Xinon administration” Xinon was a human noble who had recently come up in the news as part of a criminal scandal. So the little prick was playing “Dark advisor” Someone must have pointed out to him that he didn’t have the brains to be an overlord. Which begs the question of why he decided on dark counselor as his second choice.

While I was processing this he kept smiling clearly expecting me to be impressed. So of course the next words out of my mouth were: “Is that all?” He went from superior to enraged inside of three seconds but at that moment there was the sound of a large explosion. While everyone turned to gawk in the direction of the commotion I yelled out to the guards.

“Help me, this man just said those explosions were his!” Maralad was immediately dragged away. With any luck he would be thrown in prison. Moving on I made my way to the Honeybee. It was on the outskirts of the city but it was quite nice. The least the voice in my head could do after making me homeless. I walked in and saw two elves, a clockwork man, and a creep with a stupid grey mask. I saw the albino elf get up from her seat. I could already tell I was going to hate her. I could only hope she was going to ask me about something other than the Heroes thing. My hopes were dashed when I saw the mark on her hand.

(10 Gurts to the first person to get the reference in this post)

[Qara-Xuan Zenith]

Alina felt, rather than heard, as the door of the inn swung open again-- that is, she felt the presence of the person coming in, and her eyes flew open in confusion. Something was... off about him.

She closed her eyes, easing her mind into a meditation focussed on him, in order to figure out what it was. It was... perplexing. He wasn't sick-- his system felt perfectly healthy-- and yet the threads that represented his vital power were tinged with that tarnished black straight through. It was unlike anything she had encountered before; although his form was whole, it was, to her power's senses, undeniably broken. Like an itch she couldn't scratch, something in the back of her mind kept insisting that he wasn't the right shape, and he was all wrong.

She opened her eyes again, and glanced at Mokou, still sitting, unmoving, across the table from her, and at the quietly clicking clockwork man. By the odd precedent her companions had set so far, this figure was undoubtedly also one of their ranks. Although his wrongness troubled her, she resolved to set aside her unease and invite him over. Perhaps, she hoped, it would even prove within her destiny to help set him right.

Excusing herself to her tablemates who neither heard nor cared, she stood, and approached him. "Hello," she greeted him, as brightly as she dared, "I have a feeling that you have one of these as well." She held out her palm with the nine-swords symbol by way of explanation. "You should come sit with the rest of us! I'm Alina. What do you call yourself?"

The figure did not even lift its head to reply. "I do not care to speak with you or your companions, Elf, and you would be wise not to make assumptions about others. Now leave me alone and go back to your drink before I decide you are a bother."

Alina flinched at his harsh words, but tried to offer a smile and a kind word nonetheless. She knew he was fated to join them, sooner or later. "Well, we'll still be there, when you're ready to join us." She opened her mouth again, to offer something further, then thought better of it. He'll respond when he's ready, she told herself, and returned to her seat. Anyway, someone new had already come in while she had spoken with this surly fellow; perhaps finally she's have a fellow Hero who was accepting of his destiny.

[Guyshane]

The Elf approached. "Welcome! Are you here to join my friends and me?" she asked, holding out her hand in a gesture which, would seem like a harmless offer of a handshake. If I hadn’t seen the symbol. "I'm Alina. And your name?"

I sighed. Today was going to be a very, very long day. I just knew it. "You don't need to show off the symbol dear, And yes it seems that I must join you on your quest since I have recently been made homeless” Thinking of all the delicate experiments that had rather violently exploded (its bound to happen when one is working with unstable elements trying to create a new power source.)
Alina reached out a hand. "I'm sorry for your misfortune. Knowing that this is the hand of Fate, guiding you to our shared destiny, will make it easier to bear.

It was at this point I gave her a very flat look. This is another reason why I don’t like the mage academy. It makes even normal members of society weird. Weird is not something that should happen to people, if you aren’t born odd you aren’t doing it correctly. "Right...you know usually I'm the insane one in conversations, Anyway you asked for my name which i quite forgot to give. It is Gux"

"A pleasure to meet you, Gux. I don't know the name of our clockwork friend, or our quiet companion in the corner there, but this gesturing to the other elf as we moved and sat down at the table. “is Mokou."

"While its hard to imagine the creepy fellow over there as being here for any other reason” I said indicating the grey mask. “Are you sure the clockwork is here for the quest?" I turned to the waitress and ordered six pints of ale. If the Elf was disturbed about that she didn’t show it.

"I can feel it. All our fates are bound together; the tug of it is as heavy on his heart, though it be a mechanical heart, as it is on yours or mine." I was sounding like the reasonable one in this conversation. It wasn’t a feeling I liked. There was only one solution I knew of. “Waitress please double my order.” I then dropped my head to the surface of the table and began banging my forehead lightly against the wood.

[Pixelmage]

An elf walks into a bar. Not like that's so big of a deal, elves do have taverns and pubs and enjoy assorted drinks like anyone else. The only difference this time was that the elf in question was Rissien. Which, when you come to think of it, makes for a great deal of a difference.

"Nice place here, I'd say." He was drenched, his swords safely sheathed in his back while he dripped water all over the entrance. "Shame it's in the middle of the ocean, you'd have more customers if you built it somewhere easier to reach." He said thoughtfully in the direction of the barkeeper. Oh, more elves! Long time no fight one of my own kind... Oh wait, not good to fight on an empty stomach.

One elf woman was talking to a goblin when he he entered. He saw an clockwork and another elf. Winged elf? What's up with the world these days? A large robed man sat eating quietly, and at the corner a masked figure stood looking bored. Wonder if that mask would fit me... It's one of these things one likes to keep as a trophy. The whole room was flooded by a soft background music from a live band. Rissien sat alone in one of the tables, leaving a water trail in his path.

"Could you get me some of that?" He asked the waitress, pointing to the robed man's dish. "Just wake me up when it's ready, no hurry..." He yawned, throwing his wet feet up the table to settle in an awkwardly relaxed position and closed his eyes to wait.

The trip was interesting after all, creepy voice or no creepy voice. That goblin encounter would be remembered fondly for years. Fun what you can do with a twig and some rotten fruit. They never saw it coming. He began to drift off.

[Victin]

Christine had a nice trip. The dwarven military was... Glad to help. And she gathered much more contacts than she had before. She had just docked her boat at the front of the tavern. And it wasn't a nomal tavern: it was the faciest in the entire Grand Kingdom Capital. Certainly, the gods had the money. But did they have taste? "There's only one way to tell..." And that way she entered the Honey Bee.

The place was rather empty even though it's fame. And also rather quiet: asides from the music played by a band of four members, one of them a dwarf, everything was quiet. Chris was dreesed with black clothes and some light armor (gauntlets, pauldrons, breastplate, tassets and gaiters) undr a black over coat with long sleeves and a belt with silver buckle. She carried a leather backpack, with a quiver full of arrows and her bow tied to it. Chris looked around.

"Two elves, a goblin, a clockwork and an... Harpy?" She was confused at the sight of an winged elf, but something else called her attention. "Someone I can't tell and... Procyon? So it was true. The "demon" mage is in town. Heh... I'm so totally not gonna like working with him. Well, with most people here anyways..." And she stared at Procyon for a couple of seconds, before walking towards the balcony. She had some trouble sitting in the stood, but she made it well. The stablishment was ready for having dwarven guests. It was expected. Then, Christine turned to the waitress: "Hey, pretty girl, why don't you bring me some of those famous honey drinks. I barely had something to drink in my way here. Bring me tw-" Christine looked again around the room. "-ree. No, I think four is fine." "It seems only one of us is missing. Heh... This gonna be a long night..."

[AMimsyBorogove]

A quiet chuckle abruptly resounded from the hooded and cloaked shape in the corner as a similarly shrouded being entered the establishment, and two crimson eyes slowly opened, a wry smile forming on the phoenix's lips. Slowly, Mokou's tired eyes turned upward, meeting the golden gaze of the newcomer. As he passed by, moving away from the group, the white-haired former elf gave another wry laugh, and kicked back in her chair once more.

"So, that other chosen is like me. Of course, his chains make that obvious. I suppose the differences between containers of souls really don't matter nowadays."

With this cryptic remark, Mokou once more returned to shutting her eyes and lying silently as though asleep. And yet, as more and more of the chosen "heroes" arrived, even without looking, she seemed to notice exactly how they perceived her. Well, it was to be expected. Considering that they must have all been sensitive to magical perceptions, they had doubtless noticed her own dual nature, despite the concealing cloak she had created of feathers to conceal her wings and feather-like scarlet crests. Well, it didn't really matter all that much, anyway. Now that she was away from the Humans outside, and in the company of the chosen, it wouldn't really matter much how people reacted. Besides, even if the others did decide to attack her, she seriously doubted she'd die, even if they killed her. Such was the nature of her unchanging existence. And so, with a slight laugh, she snapped her fingers, abruptly causing the cloak she wore to flare up with red flames, into which it vanished without a trace. This flash of light faded in an instant, and it was as though it had never even been there to begin with. Yet, despite the fires she'd created, none of the nearby wooden furniture even seemed to have been effected. Of course it had not. Her control over her flames was like her control over her own thoughts. She wouldn't burn something so carelessly, although evidently, the waitress didn't think so, considering the scream she heard from nearby, followed by a clattering of dropped dishes. Mokou merely chuckled again, and stretched her wings, now plainly visible, revealed from beneath the cloak that had concealed them.

"You don't seem surprised," She mused, cracking an eye open and brushing back her oddly-colored hair. "I would compliment you on your impressive ability to see through illusions, but I suppose it wasn't all that convincing to begin with. I wonder, if they can see through my feathers, must not these clothes, also crafted of feathers, be equally transparent to them? Or perhaps there's some difference in substance? Who can say...?" It seemed more as though she was speaking to herself than anyone else at this point, which was, in truth, very likely the case. After several decades of being a recluse, Mokou was much more used to speaking in this indirect manner than she was to actually addressing others. Although, the other heroes, not knowing this, might be in for a great deal of confusion during this first meeting.

[Lordxana0]

A man dressed in a black leather set of armor looked over the city from the highest building in the city. One of his eyes was covered by a fabric wrap that covered the entire left side of his face and also covered his mouth. "Well they are certainly interesting I will give them that" he put his hand on the side of his head over his ear. "Yes I know my orders, observe only and let our agents take care of business, yes I am using the cloaking spell he gave us, even their best Mage wouldn't be able to detect me with all of the power I am pumping in to myself to stay hidden" he stopped talking for a moment as if he were listening to someone. "I am waiting until they are all together, no point in playing our hand if one of them gets away, all or nothing as they say" he listened once more and sighed. "Yes yes understood, Strider out" he lowered his hand. "Bitch" He ran his hand through his snow white hair and looked toward the water. "It will be sad to see such a fine bar destroyed, but for the future of this world sacrifices must be made" he opened a silver pocket watch and sighed. "I just wish they would hurry themselves up"

[Endless Sea]

The first sign that tracking Procyon would be more of an issue that Julian had thought was when the disguised dragon entered, of all places, the bustling metropolis of the Grand Kingdom's capital city. What purpose would the Timekeeper agent's quarry have for coming here? Stealing a ship? Procuring some other item? Murder? Was he aware that Julian was tracking him, and trying to lose him by blending into the crowds?

His answer came not too long afterwards when his target ducked briefly out of sight within a garage of some sort two buildings away from the one he was running atop. When Procyon emerged a few seconds later, the image that Julian's more specialized optical sensors was fuzzy and indistinct, suggesting large amounts of magical interference. He's trying to block my sight, perhaps, the Clockwork soldier guessed. Or preparing defenses from an unknown attack, or charging an offensive spell of his own... Whatever the case, he probably knows I'm following him. I wonder how long-

Agent 914-Diamond.

The words resounded within his mechanical skull even clearer than they would have if spoken out loud. Julian did not turn to look for the identity of the message's sender; after so many years of serving under, and eventually alongside, his former instructor, he was able to recognize the frequency of Aaron's transmissions by memory alone. Agent 882-Quartz. I thought you were on a mission in the dragon homelands.

I was unable to complete it. No matter the species, dragons seem to possess an innate craftiness when it comes to concealing themselves. The magitech-based medium the two agents were using to communicate was generally unable to reliably convey emotion, yet Julian thought he detected a hint of resentment in his companion's words. I was ordered to return to base immediately and prepare for new orders, which I have now received.

Julian would have frowned if his face contained an actual mouth. That reminds me. Procyon is-

-relatively unimportant as of now, Aaron interrupted. The agency's finally completed its second outpost in the city; I'm to guide you to its location for a progress report and new intel. Follow me.

With that, a silhouette the color of cast-iron leaped past Julian's right shoulder and onto the building in front of him, the stationary agent's optics straining to pick out the black-hued emblem on the back of the cloaked figure's left hand as it entered his forward vision- eight pairs of concentric circles arranged around a concentric pair of elongated hexagons. Off in the direction that Procyon had headed came a great burst of blue fire and the distant sound of deforming metal as the base of a skyscraper caught in the blast caved in.

Julian glanced at the site of the detonation for a moment, contemplating his choices. Half a second's worth of thought brought him to the same conclusion as always- that there really was no choice in the matter. New orders come first. Anything and everything else is only a distraction. Repeating the phrase in his mind, he turned in the direction Aaron had taken and began to follow.
__________

The Timekeeper building wasn't an extraordinary sight from the outside- three stories tall, made of cement and stone, covered in fading green paint- but, of course, being inconspicuous was the point. The inside was, for the most part, little different, with broken floorboards and inoperative lights, but the attic, accessible via an entrance only visible to members of the agency, contained the finest surveillance equipment Clockwork engineers had ever devised, operating twenty-four hours a day to provide its owners with constant updates on the city's inhabitants. The basement, its entrance similarly hidden, contained the rest of the facilities inherent to a Timekeeper base of operations, such as the site director's offices and armory.

Fifteen minutes ago, Julian had entered the building with a progress report.

Now, he exited with a new mission.

According to Timekeeper command, Procyon was not the only arrival at the city with the shield-and-sword emblem. Seven others possessed the mark, including a dwarven mercenary, a elven swordsman with a penchant for murder of his own, and a clockwork man who'd abandoned his country (this last individual spoken of in significantly more venomous tones than the others). All, apparently, were headed to the Honey Bee Tavern, a semi-popular establishment not too far from the new base.

Whatever their purpose for doing so was, the demeanor of each bearer of the mark suggested they were not members of some unknown organization, a hypothesis supported by their lack of any shared background and their differences in general. They also appeared not to know what to expect when they arrived at their destination. If another with the emblem appeared at the gathering, some of the data analysts believed, he might be accepted as part of the group.

Therefore, it had been decided that Julian was to infiltrate the tavern. If there was no place for him among those with the emblem, a squad of Rank Quartz agents, among the best operatives in the entire agency, would follow at a distance, staying out of contact unless necessary. However, if he was offered a place, he would accept, providing the Timekeepers with an inside source of whatever information they required.

Maintaining his cloak for the duration of his journey, he made his way to the roof of the tavern, entering through a conveniently open window to the attic- according to his briefing, other agents had come by earlier to provide a path for him and minimize the chance of being caught. Locating an unoccupied room, he darted inside and, now safe from being spotted even if he hadn't been invisible, shifted the settings of his cloaking drive and sensory equipment. Immediately, the lenses retracted into his head, the extra four covering themselves up to leave no trace of their existence, and the color of his armor, now visible to the naked eye, shifted from gunmetal to the more common copper.

His preparations complete, Julian took the stairs down to the main room of the tavern, making sure to keep out of sight- his disguise was to make sure he wasn't implicating the Clockwork Army as his employers, but it still wasn't the best idea to reveal himself immediately...

[Lordxana0]

Strider gave a small laugh to himself and put his hand to his ear. "One away from fireworks my friends, status update on all agents, Vilarose?"

Human Kingdom Capital Ar Norad
A woman in a black dress looked over the city. She wore a veil hat covered most of her face. In her hands she held a black umbrella which had a thin metal point at the end of it. "Ready and awaiting orders Lord Strider, our agents are spread throughout the city and ready whenever the order is given" she answered with a sorrowful tone.

Strider nodded to himself. "Excellent, Noxium, Stigent,"

Dwarf Kingdom Capital Mu Nixom
Two Elven male twins stood side by side at the entrance of the massive mountain that housed the capital of the Dwarven city. They were dressed in dark black armor that seemed to fit their bodies like a glove. "Extermination at any time Lord Strider" they said in at the exact same time

"Blazinger"

Elven Kingdom Capital Si Suam
A tall man in pure black armor covered in spikes gave a laugh and lifted a massive ax over his shoulders. "Ready to burn this entire place to the ground my lord, there won't be a person alive on this planet who doesn't know the name of the mighty and powerful warrior Blazinger by the time I am done!"

"Invigar"

Clockwork Kingdom Capital Advancement
A goblin walked through the city wearing a heavy cloak over him. Whenever he passed by something valuable and not bolted to the floor it seemed to disappear from sight. "Same to wreak this place, gonna be a lot of valuable things that are just gonna get ruined in the chaos, oh well sometimes that is the way the world turns eh?" he chuckled. "But yeah me and mine are ready to take this place down.

"Vector"

Goblin Kingdom Capital Vi-mond
A massive clockwork man stood at the massive wall that protected the city of the Goblins. It didn't say any words but gave a nod of its head.

"Skinmar"

Dragon Kingdom Capital Vasnacas
A black skinned man starred up at the sky as the massive elder dragons circled it with lazy wing beats. "This entire place is going to be drown in a sea of its own blood, god this is going to be the greatest day in my entire life, I am ready to destroy this place"

"All major targets secure then, on my order we will show his world what fear is once more, we of the Church of Stimanga will cover this world in a darkness so thick that no one will ever escape it, all hail the End, Damn the Beginning, and Reveal in the Middle, amen" He smiled and watched over the city closely waiting for the coming destruction to commence.

[Sicon112]

Procyon's gold eye snapped open and his head shot up, staring intently at the ceiling for a moment. It had only been the tiniest sound, probably nothing at all, but...

No, that had almost definitely been metal brushing up against metal every so lightly in the floor above. A clockwork? Then how did it get up there? Had it been there the whole time? Narrowing his eye, Procyon's gaze checked every one of the current clients and staff of the establishment, then, content he was not being observed, he flickered from view.

The clockwork strode silently down the stairs, making no noise that was audible to normal ears. Its appearance was normal, but the unnatural smoothness of its movements belied its true nature, something Procyon was only able to detect due to the intense scrutiny he had it under. Content with its current location in the hallway near the stairwell, the clockwork stayed away from the door to the main room, avoiding stepping into the direct line of sight of any of the current patrons without even seeming to consciously direct its movements. It was a master of stealth. It was exactly as Procyon had suspected.

This construct was certainly different in appearance from the one that had hunted him to the edges of the city, but he had heard of clockworks able to change such things. In fact, that might explain the sound that had alerted him to the machine's presence. Was this, then his mystery pursuer? Procyon was determined to find out.

Flashing soundlessly from sight once more, the dragon reappeared in the deep shadows behind the clockwork. Knowing that it had detected him the instant that he had appeared, he stepped forward from the darkness, seeming to materialize behind the machine with the shifting of thick fabric and the quiet rattle of chains, gold eye glowing unnaturally. His voice, too quiet to be heard from the main room, was deep and ominous, and held a certain strangeness within it, an element that, like his appearance, was not quite human, and just a little bit very wrong.

"Greetings, Machine. You've chosen quite the... interesting method of approach." The threat his voice carried went unstated, but was most definitely there. "I wonder... Why would one such as you hide here in the shadows like a thief? Care to... enlighten me?"