The Elder Invasion: CHAPTER 6 - The South Gate

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Re: The South Gate

STREET BY THE SOUTH GATE, DAY ONE, MORNING​

Jesus Christ, this place is busy.

I stare at the hundreds of commuters moving through the South Gate, boarding the trains, buying tickets from the lines or just sitting at the cafes and resteraunts at the sides of the huge station. Normal, everyday life; no wars, no Rift Storms, no end of the world...

Fuck, I'm dwelling again. I begin to move through the crowds in search of the boy. He will have made for the lines as soon as he got here, not wanting to waste any time buying a ticket out of the city, so this is where I move to first. There are dozens of lines, though, and more people than I can count. This is going to take more than skill to find Porg; I'm going to need a hell of a lot of luck.

Attempting to push through a group of commuters, I am knocked to the side slightly, and knock into the table with three people sitting around it, and an old man seated behind them. Pushing myself, I mutter my apologies before moving off again, not making eye contact with any of them. I'd rather draw as little attention as possible to myself, if I can. This confrontation with Porg could go one of two ways, and one will involve him attacking and me defending myself, so I'd rather as few people as possible get a good look at me.

Slightly unnerved by the crowds, Grant begins to search the South Gate for Porg, moving for the ticket kiosks first. He is knocked into Faramond, Aki and Ayas' table, and after quickly muttering his apologies moves away without making eye contact with them, not wanting to be seen too closely.
 
Re: The South Gate

Once the twins had finished looking at each other they both looked at the old man. Aki with a large grin at the though of adventure, Aya with a careful studied gaze. He leaned against he brother and whispered into his ear.

"He not right, there is something about him. His face a false, its not really his."

Aki, still smiling momentary gripped his sister's shoulder. "Stop worrying, hes just a ols man who needs help with something. Framond and I should be more than enough to handle him anyway."

Aya remained against her brother's shoulders. Not looking at the newcomer. "Make him show his true face"

Aya was clearly afraid of the old man even if he couldn't hear their quiet words. Her fear seemed to affect her brother too as he stopped smiling and eyed his cautiously.

"I would like to know the answer to Framon's question too. I can't take my sister on some job with someone I know nothing about."
 
Re: The South Gate

"Before deciding, I want to know your name. You know, common courtesy. We can't work for a generic old man, you know."


"I would like to know the answer to Framond's question too. I can't take my sister on some job with someone I know nothing about." <!-- / message -->


The old man laughed. Was this the effect of Confluence? More importantly, was it the effect of the local field or the young man, Faramond?


Genre-conventions losing their hold on minds and interaction... It was an interesting effect, almost opposite of his own methods. Suddenly the nameless, quest-giving stranger could not be trusted without giving a name? What other surprises might the day hold?!

The Narrative's reply came in a passerby's sudden bump to his table. The old man scooted forward, startled and almost spilling his drink. Almost.

His arms extended in a subtle motion, his limbs smoothly following the cresting flow of liquid, scooping the modest would-be-spill upward and back to himself without losing a drop. His smile faded.

"Well, if 'generic old man' won't do, then simply 'old man' might suffice. But if that, too, is too little, then you may call me..."

He paused to take a long, slow sip.

"Mmm. He has no idea," the old man said, jerking his head indicatively in the long gone passerby's direction. Then he smacked his lips and rose from his seat.


"Where was I again? Oh, right. Yes. You can call me 'Mr. Tea.' Now, will that be all?"
 
Re: The South Gate

Faramond turned his attention back to the twins, who seemed to be conferring with each other wordlessly. All twins seem to do that, being able to communicate with each other even without talking, however, these twins seem to go far beyond that. After a while, the twins nodded at each other. They seem to have agreed on something.

"I would like to know the answer to Framon's question too. I can't take my sister on some job with someone I know nothing about," Aki said, perhaps, speaking for the two of them.

Faramond nodded, but the old man laughed. And as the old man laughed, a stranger was knocked towards their table, and almost spilled the old man's drink. He tried but wasn't able to catch a glimpse of the stranger. Faramond then turned his attention back towards the old man, who by now seemed to have lost his smile.

"Well, if 'generic old man' won't do, then simply 'old man' might suffice. But if that, too, is too little, then you may call me..." the old man said before he trailed off and turned his attention towards the stranger who almost knocked off their table.

"Seriously, he's fine by being called a 'generic old man'? Is this guy nuts?!" Faramond thought as he looked at guy in front of him, who now took a long, slow sip from his coffee.

"Mmm. He has no idea," the old man said, jerking his head indicatively in the long gone passerby's direction. Then he smacked his lips and rose from his seat.

"So that passerby is also a main character here..? Well, this is a transportation hub after all, and all sorts of characters, major, minor, heroes, villains, or just plain NPCs can be found here." Faramond thought as he tried to follow the old man's line of sight.

"Where was I again? Oh, right. Yes. You can call me 'Mr. Tea.' Now, will that be all?" the old man said after a while.

"Huh?" Faramond blurted out, with mouth wide open. "Is this guy serious?! It's fine by me whatever name this old guy goes with to call himself, but I don't know about the twins. They're residents here afterall, and I doubt they know that this guy is someone important in this game. And more importantly, I seriously doubt that all of this secrecy would do well to earn the twin's trust."

Faramond turned towards the twins, who seemed to have been conferring silently again. "These twins are a bit too trusting and I fear for them... Well, not that I sense any lewd intentions from this old man anyways, but, who knows? And if it is not this old man, perhaps these twins might fall prey to somebody with impure intentions."

The old man was still there, smiling at them and waiting for their answer. "We have to give an answer... And I already have one, but I will not let that influence the twin's answer." Faramond nodded to himself and smile, "Yes," Farmond thought, "I'll let the two answer first, and then I'll answer the old man."

Faramond looked at the twins and then at the old man before he crossed his arms and nodded to himself. "Yeah, I guess that's it."
 
Re: The South Gate

Both twins watched as the old man saved his tea from ending up on the table. Whoever this guy was he was certain;y not an ordinary old man.

"Hes afraid we'll know his name. He doesn't want us to recognize him. But I don't..... hes not tricking us. I think we can trust him... maybe...." Aya said wordlessly to her brother. She didn't know why but something about 'Mr. Tea' reassured her.

Aki glanced at Framond as if expecting him to reply first, but when the outlander remained silent to spoke. "Alright Mr.tea.... I think we can listen to your proposal. I'm sure you ca understand if we don't want to agree to anything before we know what it is. But If its nothing to dodgy..." He glanced at his sister who nodded slightly. "We're in."

Aya seemed to have switched her attention to the stranger who had knocked the table but she didn't say anything. And as he disappeared into the crowd she went back to studying the two strangers.
 
Re: The South Gate

The twins watched the old man and looked at each other. Aki then looked at Faramond who remained silent. Aki must have expected Faramond to speak up first, but didn't.

"Alright Mr.tea.... I think we can listen to your proposal. I'm sure you ca understand if we don't want to agree to anything before we know what it is. But If its nothing to dodgy..." Aki told the old man.

Aki looked at his sister who nodded slightly. "We're in." Aki said with finality.

"Sheez! These twins are really too trusting. But maybe it's the result of being in a game where there are no strangers, and only a few active players. Every chance meeting means something, and every stranger is to be trusted." Faramond thought as he massaged his forehead slightly.

"Ok, since the twins have already decided. I'm also in," Faramond said, "I can't leave them alone...."

"So what does Mr. Tea wants us to do?" Faramond asked after a brief pause.
 
Re: The South Gate

"Right. So… you, really don't take euros?"

"No sir, we only take the Iwaku engel as payment for tickets." The girl at the chair sounded rather impatient, but then again so did Jack, who was slumped over the desk slightly an array of coins of all shapes and sizes and colours spread out over the surface.

"And you don't take Polish Zlotti?" he said gesturing unenthusiastically to a small selection of jagged coins "Or Danish or Swedish Krona?" again gesturing to two slightly larger piles "Or even British pounds?"

"No sir, we only take the Iwaku engel" The words were practically spoken through the cashier's teeth this time.

"And you seriously don't take cards?" Jack said in the tones of one who has given up, holding up a couple of debit cards.

"Sir I have no idea what you are holding up, but it is most certainly not money."

"You mean Iwaku doesn't even have digital money!?!"

"Oh of course, we have that on disks" The girl said, holding up a slightly convex disc, seemingly made of shiny coloured plastic.

"Oh right.. wait.. how does that even fit in a wallet!?" Jack said, before holding the bridge of his nose and groaning a little "No.. nows not the time for that." he looked up at the lady, his hair hanging lifeless over his face as he glared at her slightly. "So I really cannot pay for this train…?"

"It would appear not sir" the girl sighed, feeling she was finally getting somewhere.

Suddenly as though through a rush of air the place seemed far busier. You could even say bustling. It was almost as though a fleet of busses had emptied it's contents of people into the station at once.

The cashier appeared not to notice, but Jack turned around and observed the change. "Hmm… that's new.. pretty sure I wouldn't have noticed that last time I was here" he said to himself with a smile. Then, turning back to the woman he began to scoop the coins into his pockets and said with a grin "Well thanks for your help, I do believe a friend of mine has arrived here and he may be able to lend me some money!"

Giving Kiru a small wave to say he'd be right back Jack made hia way away from the ticket desks and towards a nearby coffee shop "Coffee, he'll get himself a coffee" he said allowed himself as he took his jacket off and tied it round his waist, his steps having a small spring in them as he darted through the crowd.

He did however fail to notice Grant approaching him head on.

[Jack has an argument with the cashier at the ticket desk, finding out that Iwaku does not accept any of the major european currencies. noticing the change in the reality levels he makes his way towards the coffee shop, excepting coffee to be there. however Grant is between him and the coffee shop.]
 
Re: The South Gate

SOUTH GATE, NORTH TERMINAL, LATE MORNING...

On the other side of the massive transport hub, far from where Coffeecake dispensed his quest and Jack encountered Grant, one of the news-stands was pushed over. It crashed to the marble floor, spilling postcards and CBox papers everywhere.

"Gosai, Gosai..." muttered a voice insistently. The man, masked and regaled in purple robes, lunged into the next aisle of the shop, rummaging through another shelf of books. Neko dictionaries and wildlife books tumbled to the floor. The man picked up a huge book entitled ISAF Topographical Report, tore it open, flicked through some pages, then tossed the book over his shoulder.

Two security guards appeared on either end of the aisle, dressed in the trim navy-blue of Rory's military. But as they spoke into their radios and reached for their taser-truncheons, neither was to know that they were in fact approaching a monster from ages past... a legend who had brought horror to their bedtime stories... the war criminal Asmodeus.

Ignoring the approaching guards, the masked angel leapt at the opposite shelf and pulled down more books. "Gosai... Gosai!" he snapped as he opened a volume of Viking Sagas, almost tearing the pages as he flicked through. "Torsty!" He flung the book on the ground in disgust.

There was short electrical crackle to his left and right as the guards activated their truncheons.

Asmodeus seized another book suddenly, muttering as he turned the cover over in his hands, mouthing the title: Tales of the BloodDancers. Only then did onlookers see the blood. Asmodeus's hands were smeered with blood which was leaking through a field dressing around his shoulder.

Thumbing through the small, leatherbound book, Asmodeus stopped on one of the pages. Then the security guards froze as the man suddenly tipped back his head and released a deep and guttural peel of laughter. It echoed around the aisles, startling the other shoppers.

"Please..." spoke a voice.

One of the security guards turned to see the aisle behind him filled with characters. They were robed in black and, like Asmodeus, their faces were concealed by metal masks. The one who had spoken had his hand on the hilt of a elaborately-crafted sword.

"We don't want any trouble. We'll pay for the damage and leave immediately."

"Who are..." the guard started, but then an object was pushed into his hand. It was a slender antique pistol, forged from gothic metal and etched with the letters 'E.M.O. on the casing. Worth more than a thousand engels, as any man on the street knew well.

"I'm sure this will be enough to compensate the shopkeeper," said the masked swordsman. Leaving him to stare at the prize, the line of Iwaku Knights pushed past the guard and escorted Asmodeus away. The angel went with his bodygaurds, still stooped over and reading his book excitedly. "Abdiel... Abdiel..."

He seemed to become aware of his helpers. "Any word from Grant?" he muttered, even as he read.

"Not yet," answered one of the Knights, guiding the angel past the other curious shoppers. "But we have our supplies secured and ready for the midday train. What happened to you?" The Knight went to check Asmodeus's shoulder wound.

"Nothing!" Asmodeus pulled away, striding further ahead. "No. We leave now. Take the next train... Grant will catch up... yes. He will... catch up later."

"Have you learned something from the King?"

"No," said Asmodeus, his mask almost touching the pages of the little book in his excitement. "But fools and kings are swapped upon the Wheel," He chuckled again, the wheezing sound echoing inside his mask. "We leave now. Now.. now... now..."

The Knight placed soothing hands on the angel's shoulders to stop his compulsive whispering. "Alright, we'll get the tickets."

The other Knights fell into formation around Asmodeus, moving with him through the north terminal and towards the train platforms.



SUMMARY
At the other side of the hub, Asmodeus trashes a bookstore as he looks for a particular piece of information. He is almost arrested, but his Knights intervene and pay off the guards with an old antique from the Asmodeus Roleplaying Corporation. The Knights and Asmodeus then move to catch the next train to Shapeshifter Town.
 
Re: The South Gate

The Knight looked to Asmodeus with no small amount of compassion, though that was tempered by respect and though he would never admit it, fear.
He had once known an angel, and that angel had taken the survivors of an apocvalypse and forged from them a crew of survivors, who though hounded at every turn by evil and malevolent powers who sought nothing short of the complete annihilation of the angel and his survivors, the ship they crewed had been called the Legacy and it was now nothing more than a memory, havign been torn asunder and destroyed in the final confrontation with it's nightmarish hunters.

Cheif among Asmodeus' knights, the Survivors of the Legacy, the Legacy's Legacy (As some put it when they were trying to be clever) were Asmodeus' top luitenants, for what they experienced had been a mirror of the Admin War, though one where Iwaku was torn asunder and from its death throes the Rift storms were born.


The Memories caused a shiver to run down the acolyte's spine, and his hands tensed under his cloak, fingers edging towards a dull M8 Carbine that was slung under his left arm and concealed by the cloak.
Uriel Verasius considered it his duty to Lamord and to the fallen of the legacy to prevent what occured in that realm happening here, for if Asmodeus was correct, that was one of the myriad of possible futures for this realm.

Though as he and the other knights, swathed as they were in their cloaks and masks, moved towards the train, two figures, one human one an anthromorph burst from the crowd to their right, ISAF M16A4 rifles in their hands, that was the first thing onlookers noticed as they opened fire into the crowd, the second was that they were wearing the robes of a Chaos Cultist from the 41st millenium, the tattoos and scars in their flesh showing similar dedications to dark gods.
"Bread for the Bread god!" they screamed as they fired.
ISAF, Barship, Shapeshifters.....surely those powers had not joined under the banner of the seemingly dead bread cult, but to the onlookers, that was what it seemed to be.
"We have to get to the train, Protect Asmodeus" the hooded figure to Uriel's left snarled he threw back his cloak and drew his ornate blade.

From the catwalks above came two dull whines, impossible to hear by those without augmented or superhuman hearing.
what followed were two loud cracks as IP sharpshooters fired on the assailants, both of whom fell to the ground, their weapons clattering to the floor.

Looking up, Uriel saw that the Sharpshooters wore uniforms similar to Rory's police in colour, though it looked much more ornate, and the weapons they carried were Long Las rifles, the staple sniper rifle of the Barship forces, and Uriel realised that the Iwakuian police were from all cults, groups, armies and realms that made up Iwaku, if not in actual membership then by wargear.

As he considered this, several security guards ran from their posts to secure the dead terrorists and see to the wounded.

OOC: The Unveiling of Uriel Verasius as one of Asmodeus' Knights though as they make their way to the platform, two terrorists burst from the crowd, their clothing and weapons making them seem like a mix of bread cult, ISAF, Barship and Shapeshifter cult, their purpose, other than to fire on civilians is unknown.

They are switfly killed by Iwaku Police sharpshooters using Long Las rifles, Uriel assumes this is because Rory has ensured that the police are manned by members from all backgrounds.
 
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"Divided... so divided..." muttered Asmodeus as his Knights ushered him away. Behind them, police and paramedics were rushing to the terrorist incident, setting up cordons as loudspeakers beseeched the people to stay calm. The staff of the South Gate were clearly used to these sort of events. "Seeds of storms and villainy, still here. So many cults... ancient hatreds."

Entering the main thoroughfare, the Iwaku Knights split in two, one group moving towards the great wall of ticket booths where Jack had been, while the other escorted Asmodeus past the dining areas and towards Platform 7, where the train to Shifter Town was being prepared.

Steam_Station_by_skybolt.jpg


According to the huge digital boards above the platforms, the train to Shifter Town would be departing in twenty minutes.

The masked knights moved with purpose, a solid formation around the muttering angel who read his book with delight. Yet none of them drew attention, for indeed they were just one group among a chaos of robed cultists, greenskins, Viking travellers, wizards and apprentices, lumbering mechaliths and talking animals. The platforms were swarming with all manner of Iwakuans, dragging or levitating their luggage with them. And in the cavernous alcoves of the station ceiling, winged humans and hovering androids jostled for space. The bigger citizens had already taken the best spaces on the platform, among them a cave troll and an upright rhinoceros, who were arguing about something. And around the reinforced prow of the train, a bunch of tiny red lights were being chased by a blue one as a fairy-controller tried to get a group of pixies to show their tickets before hiding in the steam engine.

At the other end of the platform, a Bread Cultist was giving an impromptu sermon, such that the entire hall was filled with the smell of cookie dough. And on top of the waiting train, the engineers were swinging their wrenches at a troublesome Shapeshifter who had decided to run along the carriages as a leopard. But even this paled in comparison to the sight in the northern corner of the chamber where a purple dragon was being held in a cage. Beside it, a wizard was arguing with a controller, while his dragon was being electronically tagged and wrapped in a giant label by station staff.

This was surely the one location in all Iwaku where it was impossible to look out of place.




[SUMMARY: The train to Shapeshifter Town is waiting on Platform 7 and will depart in 20 minutes. All aboard!]
 
Re: The South Gate

The old man seemed to think for a long long while, sipping on his coffee. He sat on his seat, very much relaxed and unhurried. "Uh, is this how a plot-giver behaves?" Faramond thought, "Well, from his point of view, he has all the time in the 'world' and therefore he need not hurry. But I suppose this is not very true when one is interacting with other characters."

Faramond turned his attention to the commuters and passers-by, all of them rushing to and fro. He then turned his attention back to the placid old man, who was savoring his already not-so-hot coffee. He then turned his attention back again to the commuters, absorbed in their own mad rush. And then again to the old man observing them.

Faramond sighed and smiled at the old man. "Hold on there, huh?" He also turned towards the twins, "I'll be back..."

Upon saying that, Faramond went back to the convenience store and bought a bottle of milk tea, and some meat buns. Yes, meat buns. Faramond was slightly surprised that the convenience store was really convenient, in the sense that it carried the things he needed, or wanted, but then again, Faramond wouldn't want to push his luck so far as to want some items that would alter the course of the game. For any gamer knows that one can't buy that infinity sword from just any corner convenience store, no matter how convenient they are.

As Faramond mused about those things, he made his way back towards the twins, and the old man. Faramond smiled at the old man and the twins and sat down.

Faramond laid his meat bun onto the table and opened his bottle of milk tea. He then made himself comfortable on his seat. It was a perfect day, and perhaps, a perfect day for people-watching. He again looked at the old man, for assurance, and the old man looked back at him.

Yeah... It was a perfectly idyllic day. Or is it?

<hr>summary:
Faramond mused about some things while he bought some tea and meat buns while waiting for the old man's answer.
 
Re: The South Gate

South Gate, North Terminal.
15 minutes to departure.

"What? This train costs money?"

"Yes sir, money. We offer low rates for economy seating, but you've still gotta pay the fee."

Looking into the small pouch that hung off his belt, Turd considered that without a fully-skilled ninja to instantaneously teleport him everywhere, he would need to invest in an alternative form of transportation, hopefully one he could get on the cheap. Giving a quick glance over to the gentleman behind the ticket counter, dressed in a snappy vest and tie and sporting a meticulously combed corporate hairstyle, he snatched the appropriate fare out of his small bit of savings and slid it towards the grinning fool.

"So we're taking economy then? Good luck!" Turd gave a friendly wave to the fellow and dashed through the checkpoint that separated the ticket counter from the platform.

The train was a dazzling vehicle, its own brilliant sheen complemented by the glow of the midday sun. The young ex-apprentice stood and admired its myriad features for a short while, confident that he wouldn't need to get on it until told to do so. Palonis had told him that much about train stations in a quick lesson about fitting into modern society. The other really important thing he'd been taught was that when traveling on airplanes, you should not eat the peanuts they offer, presumably meaning that the peanuts were secretly a poisonous trap for those not in the know.

However, nuts were the last thing on Turd's mind. Right now, his focus was on finding a bleeding masked man. It didn't take much of a pan to see him, flanked as he was by so many soldiers clad in black armor. A little suspicion twinged in Turd's mind as to whether or not Palonis was correct about Asmodeus not being on the side of good. After all, by all appearances, the man was fitting every stereotype of the evil warlord he had ever read in the books that his old master had given him.

Still, it wasn't as if his master looked like Saint Mary either, so maybe there was something underneath the surface that contrasted nicely with the exterior. Finding a bench reasonably close by, he watched Asmodeus read a book that appeared to be a tourism manual of some kind. He stared for about 15 seconds, until two of the knights looked in his direction, at which point he quickly turned away, pretending to be admiring one of the platform's lamp posts.

So the minutes crawled on, Turd not wanting to attract the ire of the heavily-armed men, but still unable to resist the urge to stare at this unknown man. Palonis had called him an angel on occasion, yet he couldn't see the wings or even any angelic features. Turd recalled hearing Palonis say that he had killed him once, but then, what had happened to bring him back? Things weren't adding up, and until young Anton Geraldi figured out what had happened, he wouldn't be able to let it go.

(Summary: Turd arrives at the station, buys a ticket, and then waits for the train. While seated, he takes the time to stare at Asmodeus, and contemplate what little he knows about the past.)
 
Re: The South Gate

THE SOUTH GATE, DAY ONE, MORNING​

His hair the first thing to give him away, my eyes fall upon Jack, moving towards me. And clearly oblivious to my prescence, too; he didn't see my face earlier, after all. Guess those masks are useful for something, then.

I wait until Jack is just about past me, then fall in beside him, my head turning to look at him.
"I'd like to apologise for my fellow knights' behaviour earlier, first off," I begin, watching the boy carefully, "That's not the way we usually go about business, but some of us have been a little on edge lately. I have no intention to harm you, or attempt to steal the Sheathe away from you, Jack. I just want to explain what's going on to you, and give you a few reasons as to why Asmodeus would not let you become a Knight."

I motion over to one of the nearby coffee shops with my left hand. "You want to take a seat? I'll get you a coffee, give you some answers, and if you're not happy with what I say, I'll pay for your ticket out of here. Sound alright?"

Grant falls in beside Jack, and immediately apologises for the Knights' earlier attack and promises not to harm him. He offers to get Jack a coffee, talk things over with him, and, if Jack is not satisfied with his answers, pay for his ticket out of Iwaku City.
 
Re: The South Gate

Jack gave a small start when the stranger started to speak, having not been expecting the voice. He listened, his face falling from the smile he had held to a more serious expression. "Alright.. but how about we discuss it on the train, since I just heard it's leaving in a short while it'd be nice to get a seat. I do however have no money, apparently Iwaku doesn't take any of the currency I have with me."

Grant gave a small grunt of approval and topped, as did Jack. "Ok good, I'll get us a coffee, and we can buy the tickets on the train." He said, motioning to the small coffee shop.

"Excellent, though I'll have a tea thanks, milk one sugar. Oh, and do you mind if I bring a friend with me? He's been tagging along and I'm not gonna leave him behind."

"Suits me, though he may have to sit out of some parts of the conversation" Grant said back, moving into the coffee shop, brushing past the old man sitting at a table with a few others.

"That's fine, I'll just go find out what he wants to drink, we'll be there in a sec." Jack said, turning one-eighty on one foot and quickly walking back to Kiru, who was simply standing watching people.

Grabbing his bag Jack smiled at the Seran "Hey, we've got someone to buy us the tickets, so we're going about now. Want a drink?"

[Jack responds to Grant and agrees, but they decide to talk on the train after getting a drink, as it has already arrived. As Grant goes to et the drink jack retrieves his bag and Kiru and updates him on the situation.]
 
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[BG="black"]Shots rang out as the terrorists fell with separate thuds. Immediately, Kiru stirred from where he was watching and ran over to get a better look of the scene.
<o:p> </o:p>
"Everyone please stay calm! The situation is now under control! Thank you for your cooperation!" The loudspeakers over the train platform barked.
<o:p> </o:p>
The Seran blinked, stupefied by what he had just seen. Sure, he had seen a few people get drunk from staying at the inn, but a simple shove and they were on their way home. He had not seen anything like this happen in the week he had spent in Iwaku. As he stared, a group of men in cloaks walked past him. Then slowly, everything around began to slow down. At first, he merely thought it was a trick of his eyes; as if he was "seeing" something differently, and then everything stopped.
<o:p> </o:p>
"What…?" The Seran took a few steps back, unsure of what was going on.
<o:p> </o:p>
"Divided…so divided…"
<o:p> </o:p>
Looked around him, trying to find the source of the voice. Who said that…? He seemed oblivious now to the group of cloaked individuals as the voice continued.
<o:p> </o:p>
"Seeds of storms and villainy, still here. So many cults... ancient hatreds."<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
What does that mean…? Who are you-- He stared at the figure in the center of the group. He seemed to be staring at him, but was stuck in time like the world around him. But the moment Kiru glanced at the man, a rush of voices slammed through his head.

* * *
​
<o:p> </o:p> <o:p> </o:p>
 "You are not part of the cycle--""The sword of Iwaku…?" "--Rules of the Absolute--" "--The cycle must be preserved—" "--Admin Wars—" "--The Prince of Insanity—" "Bang on—" "--do you think that Iwaku will heal—" "--this is the fate of those chosen by the cycle." "I can literally kill the cycle—" "--Your judgment is in error—" <o:p></o:p>
 <o:p> </o:p>
"It is done."

* * *

<o:p></o:p>​
[FONT=&quot;]<o:p> </o:p>[/FONT]​
Kiru fell backwards onto the ground as he noticed his own body seeming to glitch and distort, as though it were paradoxically there and not there. He felt cold, as though he were fading away from everything. Each second felt as though part of him was being lost little by little, like trickles of water. He closed his eyes, wanting to shout, but he felt consumed by nothingness. There was no longer something to shout the words.
<o:p> </o:p>
Then suddenly, Kiru was able to open his eyes. The train platform was still in panic from the terrorist attack as the Seran was now standing at the platform. He quickly looked around him as time had resumed its normal pace. There were no sign of the cloaked men anywhere. What… He gasped as he checked his own body to find it was still there. Just himself. That's all there was. He gave a relieved sigh, trying to shake the feeling that he had experienced.

"Kiru!"
<o:p> </o:p>
The Seran turned to see Jack walking back to him, smiling.
<o:p> </o:p>
"Hey, we've got someone to buy us the tickets, so we're going about now. Want a drink?"
<o:p> </o:p>
Kiru did his best to shake off the feelings he had and what he had heard. Right now he needed to focus on what was now, not dwell, but…that feeling…
<o:p> </o:p>
"Wha—really? That's great! Just…" He thought a moment, not realizing he was still shaking from the experience. "…actually, I would like a drink. I think I'm a little dehydrated, but just a bottle of water will work." He grinned, trying to hide his emotions, but not doing a very good job of it.

Summary

Kiru runs over to see what happened with the attempted terrorist attack as the Knights with Asmodeus walk past him. Suddenly, it feels as though time stops in his perspective, and the Seran gets overwhelmed when he glances at Asmodeus. The angel's confluence aura causes Kiru to nearly break from existance completely, causing an influx of voices from events that were. But Asmodeus leaves, it seems Kiru is perfectly fine, though completely unsure of what had happened, and it seems everyone around him is oblivious to the events that took place. However, the Seran is still obviously shaken by something.

Jack comes over to him to tell him the good news of their being able to board the train. Kiru doesn't pay attention to the means and simply says it's great while taking up Jack's offer for a drink of water.
[/BG]
 
Re: The South Gate

With a resonant hiss of steam, the great doors of the 11am train cycled open, prompting a great rush from the travellers gathered on the platform. The larger beasts stooped into the freight carriages at the rear, while near the front small compartments opened for the fairies and pixies, who promptly began rearranging the toy furniture to their liking.

Everyone else filed towards the central carriages, the ethereals and teleporters rushing ahead to get the best seats. The Iwaku Knights moved in formation again, pushing past a group of vampires who were waiting to be invited in.

"I remember the steps... mountain... yes it was a mountain," muttered Asmodeus, still reading the BloodDancer book and not looking where he was going. It was only with Uriel's help that he was spared from bumping into things or falling off the platform. "And they vanished, all of them, and came again... always the mountain. Yes... Abdiel. I must find him... must talk to Torsty."




"Toasty!"

Faramond blinked and looked over at Coffeecake. "Hmm?"

"Toasty," repeated the old man, holding up his meat bun as they walked towards the train, "I love it when they toast the buns. Only at the South Gate, you see? Confluence really brings out the taste."

Faramond grunted and went back to looking where he was going. The twins were walking beside him, looking slightly anxious amongst the press of busy travellers. "I hope there's no loading screens," mumbled Faramond as he stared at the train. "Or cutscenes... I never trusted trains."

A raven landed on top of Coffee's hat and paused to clean its spectacles. Aya tried not to snigger.

Aki held her hand and guided her towards one of the emptier carriages. "I wonder where all these people are going?"




"Going..." muttered Turd, half-rising from his seat as the Knights moved off. "Staying..." He sat down again. "Going!" he said resolutely, rising. "Staying!" he whimpered and sat down again. A few seconds passed, then he wiped his brow and clenched his fists. "GOING!"

The young conjurer got up and started pushing his way into the crowd, trying to keep sight of the masked knights. He was jostled and barged by the other travellers, but managed to stay on his feet. And as he neared the carriage he glanced down the platform and saw a cage with a purple dragon being wheeled into the freight carriages.

"Hmm, nice dragon."




"Dragon?"

"Yes," answered Kiru as he looked across at Grant. "Well, half-dragon really. They call us Serans."

Doctor Grant pulled his knightly robes tighter and sipped his coffee as he walked. "I saw a dragon explode once - in a colliseum. Pretty messy. A group of cultists were trying to burn me and my friends for being heralds of the apocalypse."

"... okay," answered Kiru.

Between them, Jack made a gargling noise as he sucked the last of his tea through a plastic straw. "You know, these trains were built before the War. Asmodeus had a series of subway tunnels between his towers. I went through them once. At least he's put his money to good use now."




"Now, now now," whispered Asmodeus, shifting restlessly on his seat. "Must leave now!"

Uriel sat beside him, trying to look at his wounded shoulder. "Sit still, I need to look at this wound."

The other knights took up the rows behind and in front of their leader, occupying half the carriage and keeping watch on who else was travelling with them.

"Whoever stitched this knew what they were doing," said Uriel as he examined the angel's shoulder. "It should heal in no time."




"Time!" shouted one of the ushers, pocketing his watch and closing the door behind Coffee, Faramond and the twins.

"You know, I've never missed a train in my life, no matter how much I've tried," mused Coffee. In the cramped confines of the carriage, his hat almost decapitated Farmond. The twins ducked under it and moved ahead to find a seat.

Faramond smirked as he watched the twins find a table with four seats that had been left completely empty in the middle of the crowded cabin. "I should have guessed."




"Guest?"

"Yes," snapped the usher as he blocked Turd's way. "This carriage is reserved for guests of the Shapeshifters."

The door slammed shut and Turd cursed before turning and running to the next carriage. He hopped inside, stepping on a dwarf's beard and receiving a torrent of abuse and a menacingly-waved axe.

"Sorry!"




"Sorry? You want the Knights to say sorry?"

"Well, it's only polite," answered Jack as he followed Grant into the cabin.

"Don't hold your breath," Grant smirked, "Some of the knights are ISAF members, and not the nice ISAF you have here. I'm talking future-ISAF, from a dimension where they're even more pissed off."

"Future?" muttered Kiru as he followed the other two. "What....?"

"Don't ask, dragon-man," interrupted Grant as he found a seat, "It's a long story."




A shrill whistle echoed through the terminal and with another great hiss of steam the train shuddered into motion. The clock struck 11 and the train pulled out of the South Gate, exiting through a tunnel in the high walls of the city.

Crossing the river on an iron bridge, the train headed out into the Badlands, entering a world of wartorn waste where memories and old scars lingered.


Dark_Continent_01_by_xadhoom.jpg




[SUMMARY: EVERYONE GETS ON THE TRAIN! YAY!]
 
Re: The South Gate

Turd had to wonder about the appearance of the strange man he had fallen over. While he couldn't make an accurate height measurement due to the man being seated, he appeared to be even shorter than the young summoner, perhaps due to some sort of muscle atrophy from wearing what appeared to be a very heavy suit of iron armor. However, the theory of bone loss became quickly disproved when the dwarf rose to his feet, raising an axe with arms as thick as the stump of a tree. The short being said nothing, but had a rage-filled expression on his voice that said all that was needed.

The young man swallowed. He was far too young to die. "Umm...sir, could we perhaps negotiate this?" he squeaked. No dice, it seemed, as the dwarf kept on advancing, and the young man kept on backpedaling. Eventually, they were going to run out of cabin. Turd contemplated drawing the short sword that hung from his belt, but he was certain that doing that would accomplish nothing other than spurring the diminutive bruiser on to hasten his imminent assault.

It wouldn't do any good to ask for help either. Most people who had been seated beside the dwarf had stood up and gone to the other end of the cabin. Instinctively, it seemed, they had realized that if a fight were to break out, it'd be best to give the two combatants some room. A couple of the other passengers had run off into the adjoining carriage, possibly to find some train security.

"Look," Turd said weakly, "stepping on your beard was a mistake, okay? I'm perfectly willing to make up for it, so long as you don't...kill...me." At that moment, Turd realized that he had backed up into the cabin door. There was nowhere else to run.

Taking the last few steps up to the lad, the dwarf stood as high as he could go, stared fiercely at the boy's face, and growled, "A beer."

"Excuse me?"

"Buy me a beer, lad, an' wer even." Turd hesitated. There had to be something more to this than met the eye. The dwarf, noticing this, raised his axe again. "Look lad, ah been travelin' fer days, an' ah don' wanna 'ave ta kill sommun just ta get one o' life's nes'ties. Go' me?"

"Okay, okay, I'll get your stupid beer!" Turd sputtered, dashing past him into the next cabin, accidentally bumping into more than a few other people on the way. While the dwarf's request suggested that there was some form of vendor on this train, it was doubtful that the ex-apprentice would be able to recognize it. Still, flailing about like an idiot for a few minutes was preferable to an axe in the head.

(Summary: Dwarf want beer, or Turd get axe in head. Turd not want axe in head, so Turd try to get beer so dwarf leave Turd alone. Don't ask why writer speak like orc. It late over here.)
 
Re: The South Gate

Jack sat by the window, staring out at the passing scenery, watching as the green trees around the south wall dissipated into great sprawling fields and plains, stretching off out to the west until the tiny horizon of the Anirune forest could be seen.

Without moving his gaze Jack spoke, his tone quite a bit more serious than it had previously been. "Right, so Grant.. what's the whole deal? what is all this about? Why do you guys need the sheathe and why cant I be trusted to hold on to it?"

"We need the absolute artifacts to be sure that the cycle is complete and that no anomalies will happen again" Grant replied, looking blankly across the cabin.

"Right yeah.. you said, and as I said, I am not going to remove the sheathe from Iwaku, I gave my word on that and I do not intend to break it. I know how the cycle works, having them all in Iwaku should solve the problem right?"

"Well yes this is true, but.. well.."

Jack turned to look at grant, his eyes quite cold looking, a hint of sadness tinting them. "Grant, what's really going on here? What is the Sheathe really for?"

[Jack asks Grant about the Sheathe and his place in all this.]

[THE TRAIN IS NOW IN THE BADLANDS!]
 
Re: The South Gate

SOUTH GATE, NOON...

They had missed the attack by just one hour.

The huge window of the south terminal shattered as a sphere of stone crashed through, plouging into the platforms and vapourizing trains and shops. It was easily 100ft across, and later reports would describe it as a comet.

Stonessphere.jpg

But only the ones who did not see what happened next.

From the crater of smoking debris, the sphere lifted up, hovering as it spun. The lower half opened out into eight sections, supporting the upper half. The spinning stopped abuptly, and the creature's eye turned to regard the survivors.

Stonesfight.jpg

A great slurping noise emanated from the Stone Spider, so loud that the vibrations collapsed many of the stairwells leading to the airship port. A lazer beam, 20ft wide, shot from the creature's eye and tore a trail of destruction through the South Gate, vapourizing everything in its path. Bridges collapsed and train-tracks were cleaved in half.

The Spider began moving, wreaking terror and carnage through the entire hub. Passengers fled in screaming horror, and as more Spiders appeared outside, the great airships began to fall from the sky in flames.


[SUMMARY: An hour after the train leaves, the South Gate is attacked by a Stone Spider - the first of many that has come to lay the city to waste...]
 
Re: The South Gate - CHAPTER 6

Utter desolation, the streams of refugees had stopped. There was no one left alive who could escape. Far from the desolated gate in the first stop for the last lucky ones, lucky for the moment anyway, the twins looked at the smoking city as it sat like a smoldering carpet on the landscape. The once great south gate station was burning in multiple floors and the city itself was near invisible in beneath the smoky air.

Was nowhere safe? Was this the end? Disrepair hung heavy in the air of the refugee camp on the hill, home to those just escaped the city, unwilling to leave their homes completely behind, or those wo though to travel to the cite in the hopes that its defenses had held. Of the last two there was an ever dwindling number.

"DO you think theres anything left? Our home?"

Aki sat opposite his sister heating up a small meal he had managed to barter for on a fire that smelled like old socks. It was a slow process but anything more than a small, carefully shielded fire would attract too muck attention and once the sun set there were no fires allowed at all.

"No." Aya said hugging her knees "They won't leave us anything, they take without knowing." She hadn't spoken since they had barely escapes shapeshifter town with their lives. They had spent most of their escape in the sewers dodging roving bands on newbs separating with Megane and Faramond just outside the city. And curious as Aya was about Vay, Aki had wanted to see their home and see if anything could be saved.

Aki looked into the flames before pulling out the dented pot tipping roughly half into a mug and handing it over with a slice of half-stale bread.

Aya pulled Megan'es sword closer to her before taking the food.

"At least you're looking more like yourself, I haw worried when it looked like you weren't even there."
 
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