Iwaku: Azazel

[Torsty]

[Eastern Kingdom - Nerf City]
​

Nerf City, one of the busiest cities in Iwaku and capitol of the Eastern Kingdom. Covered in beautiful surroundings with it's everlasting nature of spring.

"What, Chief?"

"I asked if you had placed my bet on the fight? Come on! Pay attention to me when I'm speaking!" Torsty commanded his footman as they walked among crowded street shops. The people attended to their daily routines of shouting and carrying live food, chickens and other animals parading the streets before getting butchered in some back-alley, out of sight.

"Yeah, Chief! On Jakalakalaka whatshisname...uh..."

"Jarakahl Pythor, the best fighter Iwaku has witnessed in years."

As they continued walking, edging closer to their destined spot, Torsty took notice of how different the trading customs were here in Nerf City than back home. Even though he had been staying here for some time now, it never ceased to amaze him how rude, enthusiastic and eager they were to sell, all at once. A radical change. A shopkeeper with some respect for ones own business and crafting shouldn't approach a potential customer unless they give you clear signals that they are interested in buying something. And Torsty was in no hurry to buy anything, he was attending important business with some old friends of his from the North.

Most people who had fled Insanity had gathered here in Nerf City. Living a sheltered life of secrecy to avoid Azazel's terror.

'Only a couple more blocks now...if we were back home, I'd have chopped these tools to pieces...oh, by the Gods, what am I saying?'

Torsty quickened his pace, this was no time or place to make a scene.

The building looked just like any other apartment they had passed, but he recognized it. The colors were correct, gold and red. Not distinctive for the un-trained eye, just the way it was intended to appear.

"Stand here while I attend my visit, Lakei."

The footman instinctively stepped to the side of the entrance, opened the door and let Torsty in without a word. While they still had some minor communication problems between them, Lakei and the Viking had bonded just enough for the big man to get the hang of how he handled his business. Neither did he question what or why they were going here.

"How may I help you, Sir?" It was clear that the girl behind the counter recognized him, still they would act like strangers during the whole scene. They had to be very careful for now, it was still unclear what intentions Jack Shade and Azazel might have if they found out about the place, even if it was just a small church.

"Lord Skhone calls me. I'm here to see the old man."

"Go ahead, Sir. He is waiting for you." The girl politely pointed him in the direction of another door in the tiny entrance-room. There were no windows, a dim room with some candle-lights, they somehow managed to keep the air cool and fresh with no visible plants.

Torsty walked to the end of the hall reaching in the opposite direction of the counter where the young lady had greeted him. The door lead to a set of stairs taking him underground to another narrow hall with more dimmed candle-lights and naked walls.

He stepped into the open room with nothing but a red and golden carpet on the ground, a small silver-plate with different kinds of sliced bread lay gently on it. In front of it there was a huge painting covering the wall.

Next to it was a man dressed in a long-robed attire, colored in the traditional red and gold.

"Welcome to our hidden chapel of Nerf City. Please sit down, Norseman."



Summary: Torsty and his footman, Lakei, walk the streets of Nerf City and visit a mysterious chapel of the Bread Cult.

 

[Myrnodyn]

Eastern Kingdom: Nerf city outskirts
​

The street, dubiously occupied by a few crooked houses and their just as crooked inhabitants, was largely deserted and only the occasional sounds of the wind riding the swings in one of the backyards could be heard. It was just an ordinary street on the outskirts of Nerf City. The poor lived here, out of the way of the small business owners in the city centre, as well as the villas of the rich well outside of town. Something extra-ordinary was about to happen though.

Suddenly a popping sound, as if air was suddenly displaced out of an area, could be heard and where first nothing had existed there now stood a puppy, upright on it's hindlegs, and with something that could only be described as a massive grin across it's face. He didn't seem to be carrying any kind of baggage or wear anything other than the fur that covered his small body.

With a surprised look, he lifted his feet and put them back on the ground, seeming to wonder at the feeling it gave him. He closed his eyes and sniffed the air when a breeze drifted through the empty street. Then he laughed heartily, breaking the silence that had ruled the area before with his outburst. "I'm going to enjoy this very much, I think." He said to himself, and started walking in the general direction of the city centre.


Summary: Myrn arrives in Iwaku, and is delighted at the first steps of his 'journey'.

 

[Zypher]

Zypher was caught aback at two of the people he was simply asking for help quickly grabbing their swords. He almost grabbed the hilt of his in response but quickly stopped, not wishing to show a sign of aggression.

Everything was confusing, the group of people seemed to speak to one another in a strange language. Maybe they were foreigners...or was he the foreigner? Slowly pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place. Even if these people were tourists they would at least recognize Reykjavik and point him in the right direction. Curiouser and curiouser. Zypher paced back and forth a couple of times, his gaze drifting away from his would be captors or saviors, or whatever they wanted to call themselves and to the snowy clearing he had found himself in. A faint smile played across his face when he thought of the possibilities, if he was in another world there would be new stars and new cosmic movements he could chart! His mind raced while the others discussed in their strange language but he was quickly snapped back to reality when he heard a slightly different change in one of the girl's voices. He knew a spell when he heard one and he quickly paid attention.

For a moment his thoughts got fuzzy. The strange language that the others were speaking was starting to make sense. It wasn't changing so much as he was beginning to understand it, and soon he would be able to communicate! What a wonderful piece of spellwork that little witch had created!

“Ho, boy, what is your name? And one more question before you speak, where did you come from?”

"I am Zypher Finnsdóttir, Nótt Töframaður at your service. I am from íslensk. Do you know where Reykjavik is? Or am I somewhere different, well not different for you but different for me. Or maybe it's different for both of us, and wouldn't that be a treat! A marvelous adventure for all of us!" Zypher chuckled jovially as he looked around again, his eyes wide with excitement. "Maybe you can tell me about the stars here? Yes, the lovely stars that give us all energy? Or maybe you don't like the stars then you can just leave me, oh but don't go! I need help finding Reykjavik, or maybe a city nearby, that would be nice of you, a nice city, yes." He didn't even realize that he was rambling but he was excited, or a bit off his rocker, or maybe a little of both, in either case he flashed a big smile at Fel and the others and waited patiently for them to decide.

[dash=white]Summary: Zypher starts to figure out he's somewhere new and gets excited over the prospect of new star charts to make before speaking with Fel about their situation and is kind of weird about it.[/dash]

 

[Fluffy]

Umbra noticed the feline fairly quickly. She remained calm, however. This critter was not a threat to her, that she could sense, and she quite adored cats. She smiled beneath her mask, wishing the snow furred mammal could see how delighted she was to see him. A wonderful day this was... Most definitely better than the past few.

A warmth she's yearned for months spread through her as the feline nuzzled his face against her body. Like most, she interpreted it as affection. Now that he was closer, she had a better look at him. There was more to him than the pretty white fur. He had mesmerizing eyes, and she could sense that he was wise. Much wiser than your everyday cat. There was more than meets the eye with this one.

Umbra watched him begin feasting on a mouse after mewling at her, probably trying to deliver a message. Unfortunately, she had no clue what he was saying. She could be wrong, too. The cat could have just been meowing for no important reason.

"You can sit beside me if you're cold," she offered, a sweetness in her metallic voice. Umbra hoped he would move within reach; she wanted to pet him. She herself was a bit chilly, but not enough to complain. Having traveled these wastelands long enough, and being a child of winter, snow and frigidness didn't bother her too terribly.

"I don't see kittycats often. Not anymore. Especially around here." The spark of curiosity in her dull eyes was weak, but was a spark nonetheless.

[Umbra studies the Cat Emperor and offers her body's warmth to him, then wonders why he's in the wastelands in the first place.]

 

[Vay]

Crash site, Forest, The West

Flames and smoke crept along the ground and somewhere nearby there was another explosion. Vay had been wrong, if hadn't been landing, it had been falling. The entire ship, there was no explanation to be found among the burning wreckage as he struggled to his knees and coughed in the thick clouds. He looked up and yelped finding himself nose to nose with a body, he had no memory of the man, he had no memory of anything but he knew he was no stranger to bodies. The only thin he did remember was.. her the sage.

With the creaking of breaking timbers part of the roof over him collapsed and he rolled out of the way crashing into a table before crawling towards the wall, there was salvation, a window, anywhere but inside the burning wreck. He pulled himself over the lintel and pitched forwards hitting the ground with a thump and a groan. But above him, sky. He let out a small laugh of relief, he was alive.. or was he? there had been a man, he remembered him so clearly, the plash of a gun, pain...

He pushed away the thought, he was alive, the dirt beneath him proved it, but where was he? What was he meant to be doing? He struggled to his feet and turned to look at the crash. Burning wood lay everywhere and where he had been was just about the only intact section left.. there didn't seem to be anyone else moving... he stepped forwards beginning to search.

"Hello!?" he called out waiting for a reply, but none came, just the sounds of the fires. "Hello!?" he called again turning around to look into the trees. "HE.."

BOOM

He was thrown off his feet as the final explosion sent a shockwave the tore through the treeline and shattered the wreck completely leaving only a crater and a few pieces of smoldering wood, and Vay in his back the breath knocked out of him. Before losing consciousness he was birds wheeling above him, frightened by the explosion, or scavengers.. he couldn't tell.

Vay wakes up in the wreck of the airship before it explodes and knocks him out again. There are no other survivors visible.

 

[Jovian]

Eastern Kingdom: Nerf City

The rumor reached the ears of one of the Castle Guard and was passed along to Jovian, as she was to be informed of these things. Jovian was staring at the other members of the Castle Guard, trying to figure out the best tactical response to the rumor. They had the location, they had the time. She had already had it scoped out and the perimeter drawn out so that she knew every entrance and exit. She even knew how many of her guards to send in through what entrance. She just hadn't figured out the timing.

She looked over at Jack, who was preparing on his own. She wouldn't bother him. It would be improper, despite her rank. She turned back to the guards.

"We're going to have to show our strength in order to keep the order. Do not apprehend anyone except for those fighting tonight. Leave those in the stands alone, to show mercy." She couldn't stop the slight sneer at that word. Mercy... What was it but a way to give the weak the coward's way out. She didn't like the idea, but it wasn't her decision. "Once the fighters are apprehended, await orders."

That was it. She couldn't think of anything else to tell them. If they couldn't figure out what to do based on that, they didn't deserve this position. And she made sure that she only had the best.

She looked at Jack again. Would he approve of her message?


Jovian is preparing to infiltrate the cage fight.

 

[Woodrat]

[DASH=blue]The Eastern Kingdom: Nerf City - Undisclosed Arena

Was filtered into the arena with the crowds and was taken aback by the immensity of the place. He was amazed at how large the arena was, the cage itself, the chains… and this was supposed to be illegal? How did they hide this all from the city guards? He watched as a fighter that had been in the seating area jumped up and soared over the entering crowd. With a quick movement the fighter disappeared from view as he landed at the bottom of the arena.

"Fascinating…" Was heard himself whisper. Yet even while he took great interest in what was going on he was also worried. He also quickly scanned the place for exits; the mercenaries were right after all. What if there was a crack down on the fight? How would he get out?

At that moment a man behind Was stumbled and was shoved into him. Taken by surprise, Was instinctively flickered, his body fuzzy and intangible before snapping back into focus a second later. Inwardly he cursed; hoping no one had seen what had happened. Was looked back at the man who had been pushed into him, only to see he was looking back at him with curiosity, not sure what had just happened. The rest of the crowd moved past them like a stream, no one else aware of what had occurred.

"Sorry sir, may I help you?" Was said with as sincere a smile as he could manage.

The man simply shook his head and muttered something about alcohol, before shoving his way past Was, who remained solid this time. Was breathed a sigh of relief. Last thing he wanted was more awkward questions and explanations; people hated and feared what they didn’t understand.

[Summary: Was enters the arena as an audience member, ready to watch the cage fight.]
[/DASH]

 

[Karsikan the Berzerker]

"I had business which called me here" This time the Cat spoke plain english, "These are tyring times for all, even among Cat-Kind." He decided to move in closer, he sniffed at her before he curled up at her, side blue and green eyes still alert "But I wish to esacpe the politics of my kind." He looked up at her a half expectant look on his feline features.


His thought began to trail off, he hadn't been emperor very long, even by the standards of his kind, and he'd had nothing but frustration in dealing with the representatives of his people. he sometimes wished it was someone elses job, and he was back to being a house cat in Iwaku City. He missed the days of irresponsibility, but felt he had a duty to his people at the same time, for whatever reason he had been given his power, and as much as he loathed the responsibility, he would do his best to lead his people into prosperity.

"Having great power bites most of the time."

 

[XC]

"Tonight! We have the man they considered the greatest fighter ever to have graced the cages .. Jahrakal Pythor!"

The announcer hovered by his own magic on top of the cages, whizzing through the arena and speaking with his magically-amplified voice. It rang through the arena, the intonations of his voice and his rather flamboyant actions coupled with the spotlight around him eliciting much cheering from the crowd. However, once Jarakahl's name was said, the crowd went crazy - Pandemonium erupted, and even some of the stern faced guards that guarded the entrances into the arena in which the cage hung above started to clap and cheer. Everyone young and old knew the name Jarakahl Pythor - After all, his was a name that had been associated with anything to do with cage fighting, or fighting with money.

Jarakahl walked out of the door that he had entered a little over half an hour before, out into the arena. Once he exited the room, a dozen spotlights shot across the arena to shine upon him, blinding him for a moment.

He raised both hands in the air, a big smile splitting his face and he cheered along with the crowd, waving at many of his die-hard fans in the stands. He started off in a run, and then once he was directly below the cage he kicked off the ground and soared into the air, the white scarf he wore around his neck billowing as he lightly entered the cage. Once he was in, the door to the cage slammed shut.

"And you might ask. Who's the unlucky man tonight? Ah. Maybe not."

The announcer paused for a moment, as the entire crowd grew silent - Who was to fight the living legend?

"From the wild South, Malonis Thal."

A man, with skin as dark as ebony entered the room. He stood at almost two metres, and his body an entire block of muscle. He had his arms crossed against his chest as his hair was braided and hung down almost to his waist. His eyes were like stars in the black sky, though they showed no trace of humanity. In his hands was a giant claymore - Much larger than what a normal man could carry. Surely, the strength required to carry this claymore in battle was phenomenal.

The entire arena was silent.

A seed of doubt had been planted in their heads.

Was this man to be the one who took down the legend?

After all, the announcer was not meant to be dishonest - Not this one, anyway. And the confidence that this man exuded.

Jarakahl made a show for the audience, stumbling when the big man had jumped into the cage. This man was going to beat him.

Psyche!

Yeah right. More like he'll shove the end of this guy's sword up his a** so hard his nose will bleed. He threw himself towards the side of the cage, pretending to barely manage to keep himself standing when the big man had leapt into the cage and caused it to shake, the chains shivering dangerously.

"And on the count of three. Two. One."

"Begin!"

The man still had both hands wrapped around the hilt of the blade, the tip firmly placed in between the bars of the cage as he coolly looked at Jarakahl. His face had no expression, except for his eyes - His eyes glittered with bloodlust. And then he charged. The cage rattled as the man, Malonis drew his sword in both hands and charged. During his charge, he had swung his sword around his body in elegant patterns, showing an agility that betrayed his size and making it seemed as though he wielded ten blades, not one. When he had come within two metres of Jarakhl, Malonis leapt high in the air, a guttural roar emanating from the depths of his throat as he intended to finish the puny man in a single blow.

However, as he looked into the man's eye, he saw no trace of fear. Malonis knew, that he had underestimated this 'legend', thinking that he had been overexaggerated. Malonis knew that he just lost.

CLANG!

The knuckle blades that the blue-haired man wielded met the claymore, and broke with a resounding clang. Malonis landed on the ground before Jarakahl, his eyes widening in surprise at how his own blade had so easily been snapped by that of the other, smaller man. What scared him was - How strong was that man?

A single kick sent Malonis sprawling across the cage, and Jahrakal had blurred impossibly fast to his front, punching the knuckle blade towards the jugular vein that pulsed dangerously in the man's neck - And stopped a centimetre away from it in an impressive show of power and control.

Once again.

The crowd went crazy.

SUMMARY:

Fight starts, Jahrakal kicks ass. CUE FOR PARTY POOPERS!

 

[Zen]

The Southern Cross

Melody had crossed into a previous land that was cold and dark and unforgiving. There was snow everywhere and there was nothing to eat. How in the world she didn't freeze to death was a blessing or a curse... As she traveled through that land, she begged for heat and for food, so when she saw the signs of a place being warm she nearly cried with joy. She didn't take heed of the ongoing sand... Having never seen a desert before in her life, Melody proceeded onward without care. By the time she realized that this idea was a bad idea, a sand storm had hit and prevented her from turning around. If anything it disoriented her. Luckily for her she had grabbed a scrap of clothing from wandering the snowy lands and used it now to cover her face, at least that was one thing that she saved herself from, the sand going into her eyes.A small blessing,she thought to herself. A small blessing, but everything else is bad.

When the sand storm was over, Melody was so dehydrated and exhausted that she nearly collapsed in the open sun with the everlasting sand. But something pushed her forward, and she kept trekking until nightfall, clutching her dagger and holding onto her hat. By then, she found a small gnarled tree growing from what she thought was dead earth. Without thought she gorged herself on the tree bark, nearly eating it bare, but the bark only barely filled her stomach. Exhausted to the point of crying, Melody laid her body out on the sand, close to the tree, and slept....

The next day, she walked through the sand dunes as she constantly licked the roof of her mouth and the air. Perhaps if she licked hard enough she might be able to grab a bit of water, either from her mouth or the air. It was a fruitless endeavor, but it kept her sane as she walked throughout the day. So engrossed was she in keeping her mind intact Melody paused in her steps when the sand gave way to a flat expanse of land. There was still sand yes, but at least her thighs didn't burn as she crested a sand dune. But what really made her pause was what was residing on this particular piece of earth.

Again Melody had never seen such a thing before. Part of her was torn between relief and sanctuary over finding a human habitation, but another part of her was weary.How could a person live in such a dump. Tumbleweeds were everywhere, there was a dead tree lying on the ground near the home, the paint was peeling off, all of the person's shit was lying everywhere. Melody had second thoughts about approaching the place.

But alas her stomach spoke louder than her brain. It was hungry and her brain was pounding from the lack of water. Holding her dagger close in case something came to attack her, Melody proceeded up to the shack. Her nose was instantly assaulted by a horrible smell. Melody knew this smell. It was death. It was the smell of rotting flesh, putrid and pungent. Melody almost retched then and there. She was about seven feet from the door, just about to knock. The thought of turning away was already formulating in her mind when all of a sudden she heard:

"MROOOOOOOOWWWWW!!"

She shrieked. Melody threw up sand as she sprinted away from the door, arms flailing, legs kicking. She forgot to keep holding her dagger so it dropped by the door, half buried in the sand. Melody partially realized this as she was running, and dove behind a rock, about 10 or so feet away and kept absolutely silent. She prayed for her heart to not beat so fast, and for her breathing to not be so labored - it was bad if whatever was in there could hear her.

((Synopsis: Melody endured hell in the desert before arriving to Asmo's place. She's about to knock when he hears him mewling, and then hauls ass out of there, dropping her dagger and hides behind a rock.))

 

[Stacisaur]

"Strange Meeting" ~The Western Forest

Of course, the moment the little one felt at ease within the silent material her home was made from, there was an extremely loud booming noise shaking at the earth beneath her feet. Forgetting to hold her ground, the pixie fell backwards to thump rather roughly into a sitting position. Wide-eyed, clearly she was perplexed, flustered to what just happened. Irrational thoughts were the first to come. Did she own any weapons in this woodland area? Would a dinosaur eat her if it was that which made the sound? How much would it take for a monster to be put down with herbal sedatives? These were answers that refused to come to her. Being so, it was at that moment the young woman decided to think more along clear lines. Just as she scurried up to her feet, motioning slowly out of the tree opening, another loud rumbling hit her calves, muscles twitching from the surge that was felt through the core below. Bent knees, arms out, eyes squinting, she was determined not to fall this time. And with such concentration painted over a straining face, she won the battle with gravity. Such a force sent wind flying from her left, hitting her face as if a cold slap was there to greet her kindly. Shaking her hair back into place, Knives turned on her heels and headed to the left of her tree home, where she just then took in the sight of smoke rising up to the skies. The location from which this gray puff came, well, was hidden beyond trees. Choosing to stay in her natural form, Knives found herself fluttering her small wings, taking to the air as quickly as she could manage to arrive at the destination.

Slowing down her approach, Knives took in the condition of things around her as she hovered closer to the sight with clouds of smoke. A smell of something burning dug into her nostrils, and at first she was worried for the health of the forest life. Landing over on a boulder, the vision of wreckage became revealed before her small eyes. Pieces of material laid all around, wildly divided, randomly placed. This would make sense if these were explosions she had felt, finding a new crater burnt into the earthen floor. The sight brought a frown to crease at her lips, hopping off from the stone carefully. Were there any more of these strange disasters around her? Unfortunately, being one for the forest, and not one for the city life, Knives couldn't quite identify what these broken, cloudy fragments were when they acted together as a whole. Giving up upon noticing no one was left within the rubble, the little one began to turn around and head Home. This was when she took a glance to birds flying in circles around an object. Blinking, making sure this was not a created image of her mind from perhaps losing sanity at seeing this crater, it was true of an image. Shapeshifting suddenly to that of her more Human form, she dusted off her dress a bit as she headed over to spot the focus of commotion.

Cautiously coming near, the flying creatures spotted Knives in the closing distance. Chirping away frantically, she smiled at them and waved with her hands for them to leave. And then she looked down to take in the sight of a strange man, laying there, as if he was asleep. As the animals dispersed, though did not go very far, being they wanted to stay and make sure things weren't as bad as they seemed, the one with nature slowly came down to her knees beside the body. Staring at his face, trying to understand who he was, was he a threat to her, why wasn't he awake right then, too many inquiries seemed to rush along her mind. Obviously, even if she asked them, he wouldn't be able to answer just then. Taking the chance, he did look hurt, she felt a little worried, which brought her to lowering down with an ear to his chest. Yes, there was a heartbeat. Raising back up staight with her spine, Knives bit down on her bottom lip, her collar jingling as her head snapped from side to side. Was he there with anyone else? No.. Well. This was sort of a problem, wasn't it. Eyeing the ground surrounding her, Knives bent over deeply to the side, grasping loosely with her fingertips a strange flower. Bringing it to her lap, the petals were angled towards the nose opposite of her own. Pressing the petals gently against the man's nostrils, she waited patiently for his body to take in the scent, which she knew was powerful enough to perhaps reach his senses. At least, she hoped it would.. Her weaker body would have quite the hard time attempting to carry him off to safety, if the necessity came to be.


{Knives finds the crash from Vay's ship in her forest. Finding Vay laying there, she tries to wake him with a flower.}
​

 

[Fluffy]

"Hmmm..."

Umbra was being thoughtful as well. During their moment of silence, she moved her hand over to the white cat and began to stroke his fur. At first, her hand ran up and down his body, giving him affectionate petting while warming her frigid hand in the process. The sensation of his fur was beginning to dominate her thinking. When was the last time she was in contact with something so soft, so warm? Lately, it's only ever been cold. It was now that she wanted to just scoop up the cat and cradle him in her arms. She resisted, though.

"How interesting, that you can talk," she said in a raspy voice, moving her affectionate hand to his head so she could scratch behind his ears. "So you are a ruler of some sort, my friend? I had no idea there were politics involved with your kind. I always knew that there were more to cats than we could see with the naked eye..."

She could only agree when he said that having great power came with consequences. Responsibility, too. More than once she's heard complaints from leaders of all kinds wishing someone else could take their place. A lot of stress came with being a figure in charge.

"I am Umbra, by the way. What are you called?"

Learning his name was a great curiosity, actually. Would it be a ridiculous pet name, like Muffin? Or something more unique?

[Umbra is just talking with the Cat Emperor.]

 

[Vay]

There was a man. Grey armor wreathed in flames, glowing blue glaive in hand. He looked up at the black winged angel with glowing malice in his eyes as the angel merely laughed at him. Then from the darkness stepped another angel, his face hidden by a mask. Shoulder to shoulder the angels stood, one a visionary the other consumed by madness. Which was which constantly shifted. The knight turned towards Vay and he took a step back, recognition setting in. The flames burned higher and Vay bean to panic, and yet he was unable to move of make a sound as a hand reached out, as large as his head and ready to crush his skull.

You are still afraid. Her voice reached him. The world you fear is gone, erased, will never exist except in the memories of those brought from it. I removed it from yours so you could do what you need to.

A scent filled his nose as she stepped into view, the sage, drawing the ornate sword from Vay's belt and placing it in his hands. "You have all the tools you need. Use them."

She faded into the blackness around him and somehow Vay knew she would not appear to him again, not until she needed to. And then her face was replaced by another.

His eyes opened and his nose wrinkled against the pungent smell of the flower. He pulled away from it instinctively and looked at the face above him. He blinked before sitting up suddenly and with a groan immediately wished he hadn't. Still he had woken up with a face... and this face had a body. He moved away from knives putting an arm's length between then and stared at her. His hand was in front of him, ready to go for the sword handle, but for now it remained stationary.
His demeanor was not hostile, merely cautious. “Where am I?” he asked a hint of urgency to his voice. “Is this Anirune?”

Vay wakes up and asks questions

 

[Duke Ferret]

Northern Wastelands - (Same place as Zypher, King Weavel's troop, and GMK)
​

The winter air was cold, frigid as Cyanide made its way accross the street of the seemingly abandoned city. It had taken the form of a male, one of long black hair and deep rugged features. His eyes set like black coals within his face. Covering him and keeping him warm from the weather was a thick fur coat. He stood a moderate 5 foot 9 inches tall and was of a lightly tanned skin tone. He had a pleased smile on his face as he gazed about taking in the empty architecture around him. As the historian he was, he removed a small notepad and pencil from his coat and began drawing, taking notes and generally documenting as much as he could of the place. However, what he wanted were documents. Something he could sit and engross himself with and learn of the famed ones of the past. The once great Gabe for instance, stood out in his mind. Where had he gone? What did he do? What made him the great leader he once was?

So lost in his conteplation as he walked, he was unaware of any other people in the area, including the group of individuals who where conversing with a young boy. If he had known they were present he would have grown rather excited at the chance to talk to real people who may know a thing or two of the past.

Summary:[SPOILI]Cyanide, taking a male form, examines the city, unaware of other people around.[/SPOILI]

 

[Stacisaur]

It didn't take too long, as Knives had expected, for the ultimate powers of the super flower to affect the man. Watching as he pulled away quickly, sitting up, she almost felt her own heart skip a beat. A bit flustered by his twitchy movements, a small squeak escaped her lips as she fell more onto her backside than her knees. Staring at him with wide eyes, quivering softly, the shakey muscles, ever so spooked, slowly calmed down as he began to speak to her. It was silly to be afraid right now. He clearly was lost, very baffled by his surroundings and whereabouts. Perhaps she could help! A hopefuly expression occupied her little face as some curls fell around her upper cheeks. Adjusting a lollipop stick that protruded from her hair, keeping a few unruly locks in place, she cleared her throat and showed a polite smile.
"As.. As far as I know, you are in the Western Confederacy."

A slow nod was given, suddenly taking notice of the way his hand rested along the handle of a sword. Furrowing her brows deeply, she eyed him once more, back to the weapon, back to his nose, to the ground, her hand, the sky, and ending with very open lids back on his face. Gasping softly, palms were brought to the ground, pressure adding to push herself backwards, away from him along the earthen floor a bit more. It was a little ridiculous to watch. Now, a very good length away from him, she still focused upon him as if he was a giant animal, unsure if perhaps she was wrong. What if he was a Bad Man? That would not end well, surely it would not. Trying again to reply, helping him the best she could, Knives looked down at her hands, playing together at the fingertips in her lap rather nervously.
"I.. I don't know what this.. Anirune is.."

{Knives answers Vay's questions. He scares her a bit.}​

 

[MiraMirror]

Miru continued the trip towards civilization, with Kino by his side.

"So....If you don't recognize this place...Iwaku, rather...Where are you from, exactly?...You don't exactly look like you're from around the parts, after all...If you stick out to me, the citizens will have a field day with you, oh boy."

He looked around at the scenery, at all these majestic trees shedding their leaves for the winter that would never arrive. It was a bit depressing to think about, despite the beautiful appearance. Being stuck in something that just repeats itself over and over would do that, though.

After a few more minutes of walking, Miru heard a conversation off in the distance, though it all sounded like muttering from where he was standing. He caught a glimpse of a man and a young girl traveling together. Since it was too late to hide, he increased his pace, signaling for Kino to stay back. He wasn't sure of her fighting capabilities at this point, nor was he aware of these two new people.

Summary: Miru and Kino walk towards the kingdom, Miru ponders on something, and he comes across Thomas and Eros in the distance.

 

[Vay]

Vay stood his eyes searching the tree line before his hand relaxed and he turned back to the girl. She looked frightened, she was no threat.

"Anirune forest... last time I saw it is was nothing but burned earth and.... bodies...." as he spoke he couldn't picture the memories in his mind, he knew he once had them but they where gone, and soon the memories of the memories would fade too like a dream and yet he had no idea the places and events he was talking about didn't exist anymore, would never exist again. Everything had changed now including him.

He let out a growl of frustration before the strain of his emotions caught up with the fact that a moment ago he had been on the ground with a serious concussion. He staggered then fall to his knees his hands on the ground breathing heavily. "I'm sorry, I'm lost and... its difficult to remember." he swallowed and caught his breath deciding that at least for a while he should take it easy.

"I do remember one thing though..." he rose again to his feet and extended a hand, help her up and half a a gesture of openness. "I am called Vay. Or at least I think I am, But until I have anything else to go by you can call me that."

Vay does nothing to advance any sort of plot other than reveal his amnesia and hint that hes not from around here.

 

[Stacisaur]

Hazel orbs quivered in silence, following the movement before her as the figure stood, taking in the area. As he gazed back in her direction, she averted her eyes quickly, pretending she was so very interested in a leaf next to her. Picking it up, the small green blade dangled along her fingers, grasping at it so lightly without much effort. If one was observant enough, they might take note of how the leaf clung to her hand, as if it adored her touch, like a magnet for all that was plant-based. Kind of large, pale ears perked up to more being said, though they were hidden beyond the monster of curls atop her head. Listening in to the man, the way he talked of burned earth, bodies, just all about without much to do, it sent a brief shiver along the highway of her spine. Never had she seen a lifeless human form. Of course, animals passed away, or were killed constantly, such as in the Circle of Life. This was natural, and did not bother her one bit. But, the thought of human eyes acting as empty voids, mouths lolling open, fingertips curled only slightly to forever be frozen in such a state. This was not an image she enjoyed picturing along her mind. Shaking her head quickly, trying to banish away such detailed scenes, Knives squeezed her eyelids shut tightly, humming softly the merriest tune she could come up with. All better now.

A growl rippled along the air to her eardrums. Bending her knees to bring legs closer against her lace-covered chest, Knives blinked up at the man. If he was an animal, she thought, he probably would be a tiger. Yes. A tiger, this was what she could imagine and pretend he was. Even though some might find the giant, predatory cats intimidating, she did not think so. They were misunderstood, more so they were poise in a way, mysterious, and kind of stoic. They would not be messed with, that was for sure. Though, from time to time, one might find the twinge of kindness in their golden eyes, a bit of playful tendencies in their swishing tail, and a wise glint in the shining show of teeth. Being a tiger wasn't such a horrid thing. Smiling to herself brightly, Knives suddenly felt at ease, like magic was worked on over her by an unknown force. Perhaps this was the guidance of Destiny. This man was lost, had memories he could not bring back on his own right away, only fragments appeared to his mind's eye. Knives could not remember anything past the day she woke up in the North, with her collar, within her lovely tree. This would be their connection, at least, she liked to believe so at the moment.

Blinking at the hand stretched out to her, another smile was given, pulled out of her full bag of delighted expressions. Taking the fingers against her own, she used his limb to bring her to her feet. Standing up straight, a second later she was swishing her hips from side to side, trying to get off any excess dust that clung to her dress. Looking like a child just then and there, the little dance was over as soon as it had started. Flipping back hair from her eyes once more, Knives brought her head to an angle slightly, grinning a full set of pearly whites.
"It is nice to meet you, Mr. Vay! Ah."
After shaking his hand rather flamboyantly, the young woman reached up to her collar, the bells jinging sharply as the tag was brought out for him to read.
"My name is Knives! Or.. At least, that is what this says, so it must be true.~"

{Knives decides to imagine Vay is a tiger. She introduces herself to him.}​

 

[Asmodeus]

Southern Cross - Near the Town of Anton​

​

The naked, blood-soaked man stood on the doorstep, wearing his cat ears and sunglasses. A cigarette hung from his mouth.

He stared at the desert.

A dagger. He moved his bare foot towards it, closing his toes over the edge of the hilt. He lifted it, slowly, in his balled foot. His leg twisted into a half-lotus position, allowing him to stare at the blade while making little clicking noises. Click Click Click.

Dagger is dagger. No one suspects toe prints.

Now now now... where to go from here?

He focussed on the ground where the dagger had lain, eyes intense blue behind his sunglasses, the cigarette end flaring crimson as he dragged, deeper and deeper.

And deeper and deeper. Drag, drag, click, stare, drag, smokey smoke everywhere, smoke across the air, in front and behind, a new veil...

The Confluence Pulse rippled out with the smoke, lending definition, painting oils and colours over the charcoal drawing of the world. From the sand beyond his shack footprints took shape - Melody's footprints, leading to the rock where she hid. Then the desert air dropped, a white noise receding into perfect reflection of the desolation he lived amongst. He heard the child's breathing, laboured and frightened. Then he blew the smoke away, removed the cigarette, held it by his side, and sniffed the air.

He could smell her. He can smell her cu--

"HAAAAAAAAAGH! HAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"​

He screamed at the rock... through the rock, his gore-smeared face twisted. Then he kicked the knife aside and rushed back into his shack.

Silence, fumbling, clattering, shadows shifting, clattering, clicking, fumbling, revving.

Revving. Yes.

RHEEEEERM! RHEEEEEEER-RUHHHHHM-RUHHHHM!!!

Asmodeus, cat ears removed and rusty Space Marine helmet donned, exploded back through the doorway and into the yard, swinging a chainsword above his head as the teeth whirred and screeched. He hurtled towards the rock where Melody hid.

"FOR THE EMPEROR!"​

[SUMMARY: Asmodeus uses his Confluence Pulse to locate Melody. He gets his chainsword on.]

 

[Vay]

His head tilted as he looked at her his brow furrowing. Was she having trouble with her memory too? Had the sage sent her? What the hell was going on. Being able to focus on another however allowed him to forget about his own confusion and plan. He needed to know what was going on, and to find a way to survive. He was from a warrior culture but one that put a strong emphasis on protecting one's kin, and not even amnesia could erase that.

"You don't look like you belong out here alone." he commented honestly. Not only did she lack the for, of a predator, or any appearance of being able to outrun or outfight anything her clothes were unsuited to the task. But it wasn't the time to wonder about that, casual words could be exchanged later.

"I need to get out of here, somewhere I can find out whats going on." it seemed natural to assume something was going on although his proof has non-existent. It would be reasonable to assume he was suffering from head injury or an allergic reaction to the flower that was causing a delirium. In truth his stance did suggest the crash had weakened him, a droop to his shoulders, a curve to his spine, now freed from hovering near this sword hilt his hand seemed to want to nurse a bruised side. It was the fire behind his eyes that kept him on his feet, was it the fires of madness, the glint of destiny or simply a need to survive, it was too early to tell.

"... Knives, I know you don't know me, or have any reason to help, but I'm lost and I have a feeling that I'm a long way from home..."

Vay, weakened from the crash and likely to pass out again before he can travel still asks knives for help explaining hes lost.