Trust

[Layne]

Myka nodded a bit as Xenos told her that it was a bit much for just the two of them. She knew that this had gone beyond the point of diplomacy, especially since she could still feel the attacks on the shield. It could handle a lot, but there were consequences the more she allowed the attacks to go on. The worse things got, the worse the end result would be. Of course, the shield would stay up and that was all that mattered, but she had a better idea than letting them attack it over and over again. That would get them nowhere and this issue had to be resolved now.


The one thing that made her able to keep from getting too anxious or panicky was her knowledge that the Gra'zi was, even now, able to be controlled. She could expand it to allow one person inside and close it immediately again afterward. Once this was over, she would probably sleep for days, but that wasn't important. If she could let the enemies in one by one and Xenos helped her to tear them all apart, then the battle would be considered won. Right?


She chased after him as he ran, casting her mind about for ways that this might go faster than letting them trickle inside. That could take hours. They needed more fighters, but nobody else in the Sanctuary was even half as skilled as Myka. She wasn't being conceited, it was merely the truth.


"Wow.." she murmured as she saw the group assembled outside of the barrier. She stopped her steps and realized what she had to do. For the first time since she had arrived back here from the horrible cavern on the other side of living, she lowered herself to her knees and bowed her head. Hands clasped in front of her, she rested her forehead on her knuckles and allowed her thoughts to soar. She focused every fiber of her being on calling on those that she knew could help, pleading with them to help their people who had been so faithful through the years.


After about two minutes of her being there, her efforts began producing results. To her right side, an elderly looking man with a kind face and brown robes appeared, adjusting his spectacles. On her left side was a fierce looking woman who looked wild, carrying a bow and quiver filled with arrows, along with a sword. Behind, an array of others, including men and women of all types. Most were definitely not human in appearance - one even had three heads. All in all, there were nearly fifty there, which was far more than she had expected.


Once she had opened her eyes and straightened up, she very nearly fell to her knees again once she saw them all. She should be praising and worshipping, not fighting alongside them! For now, however, she set those desires aside and merely looked at Xenos with a calm smile.


"Shall we let them in?" she suggested, waving a hand absently to allow the Gra'zi to fade.

 

[Casey]

Something rang lightly in theexpansive, infinite folds of the Fire God. It was strange how thering began to transform. At first it was simply a sound within theskull that held snow white locks with two long, twitching ears uponthem, the hair and ears tipped with a glowing, light blue. Slowly,though, as the chime became a light tug, growing in its urgency, thinwhite brows knitted together accordingly. Glowing golden orbs becamehard in their intensity as the man's slender body rose. Adorning hisupper body was a long black, leather cape which was linked by goldenchains at the chest, and a black pin-stripe button-up shirt wasbeneath it. The cuffs were folded upward with only one tuck, whichleft room for the left hand that had been fitted with a conductivegauntlet. It clicked and whirred as he slowly closed the gauntletbefore it caught fire upon its back. At that, his hair and eyes hadcompletely changed. Now his hair was a golden blond with a fireroaring upon the forehead that matched that which was on the back ofhis hand.


Around his waist where his shirt wastucked in the black slacks was a belt that held his two trustygunblade sidearms. They were prototypes from centuries ago, but nowthey were re-fitted to it's modern time. Each gun now not only heldthe standard six shots of a revolving chamber, but a clip within thegrips fed in behind the rotating chamber. When the chamber was out ofammunition, it would lock and feed the ammunition into the open slotsand continue. The only thing that hadn't changed, though, was thelong blades that, when the triggers were held down for a certainamount of time with the hammers cocked forth, would slam outward in abrilliance of orange energy which was more than paper thin. The gunswere brilliant in their construction, and they were all he had at themoment.


Slowly, the God began to pace forthfrom the cave he was residing within and blew a small stream of airfrom between his small, thin lips. He knew who was calling him, butwould he be able to answer? It had been so long that he had beenwithin this realm, but he could still feel her a parallel universeaway. Maybe only a few seconds had passed in that place? Maybe allthat had happened was that an hour ticked by? The cool breeze of thefall air splayed in return against his face and, suddenly, he wassucked into a vortex. Light and dark screamed and ripped past him,yet his form kept completely still, as if the transition had nevereven fazed him. In all reality, it didn't, but anyone else would bemore than shocked.

Now planets were added to the mix –familiar planets and stars and constellations that was more welcomingthan anything he could ever hope for. How long had he been gone inthis realm? Was he too far in their development? It didn't matter.Soon, though, the man's form suddenly snapped into existence in afield full of fifty or more of his colleagues, with Osuka heading theoccupants in the field. Before him, what he saw, was something thathe snickered at. There was an entire battalion right in front of him,barraging a shield that would not yield, and if he was correct in hisassumption of the energy in the field, he knew just the reason why.


"So," he said, his voice a chiming, light tenor as heturned around. His eyes connected immediately with his suspicions."You've brought in a new straggler, huh, Myka?"

It wasjust like home. A new day, a new adventure. He almost felt centuriesyounger again. But of course, perhaps it was only a year or so thatpassed in this place? His eyes scanned the area with a level ofscrutiny that magnified every visible millimeter. When his eyesplaced themselves on Xenos, he simply smiled and shook his head. Thiswas the guy. He was the one who didn't exactly dress for the area,and he was sure that the barrage behind him was meant for the manbefore him. He paced forward and placed his left, metallic hand onXenos' shoulder. A smile touched his lips as he began to speak.


"You're the reason there's such aruckus, huh?"

in all honesty, with what had happened aroundhim, the summoning of fifty plus others as well as the assault thathad taken place as well as the sudden entrance of a man who didn'tseem to fit with the others here had taken him completely out of amental capacity to function for the moment. His fingers didn'ttwitch. Azure irises not once blinked. This man knew her? How? Was helike the others? He had to be. The Magicka the man wielded was anaura that felt as if it would crush his body. But why? When he feltthe touch upon his shoulder, his eyes – surprisingly- had to cometo level with the man and cock at his words.

"What do youmean?" Xenos asked, his voice slightly atremble.

"What Imean is that you're the new kid that Myka's protecting, which meansyou're high value." Osuka shook his head and roughed the man'sshoulder a bit before he sighed. "So that means that you need to besomewhere safe."

With that, a sudden wisp of wind passedfrom Osuka's lips before it wrapped around Xenos and, with a smallpop, the man seemed to suddenly be taken from existence. Yet, thiswasn't the case. His destination was now the Sanctuary, which, at anymoment, should have a good third of his recruited hands surroundingit to usher the people of the town inside. They were all armed withEnfield L85's and daggers, as well as minor fire abilities that, overtime, would grow. They were known as the Children of Exiled, and theywere hand-picked in their skill and resolve. None would pass them.

Osuka turned to the others and to Myka with a more sombersmile now. His entire body now held a kind of composure that none hadseen before. In the centuries that he had been within the otherrealm, he had learned a few things about Confidence and his ownlimits and came to realize that, with what he had learned, nearlynothing was out of his grasp, though some things respectfully wereoff limits. It was a shame that he had to learn such lessons withoutthe love of his existence by his side, but he had understood.Regardless of her absence, he would always hold affection for thewoman.

"Alright," Osuka chimed out, his voice nowslightly more edged. "I have the Sanctuary surrounded. I'm sorryfor my absence, however long it's been." Now his eyes shifted fullyto Myka. "And I'm sorry I haven't kept to my promise, but at themoment, I'm sure your friend needs these men gone..." With hisinitial apology done, Osuka turned his back to them and drew only theright gunblade, his left still dangling by the hip as if completelylax..

"Now let's kick some fucking ass..."

 

[Layne]

No matter how much he changed or the attire he chose to wear, Myka would always recognize Osuka for who he was. His appearance was actually a bit unexpected, but she couldn't deny that she was happy to see him. So much had happened since the last time she saw him.. So much that she preferred not to think about. Those things would have to wait. Most of it would probably be best not to tell him anyway, she decided immediately. As he turned and looked at her after examining the barrier, she gave him a faint smile and nodded once.


"Half true. I didn't bring him in, he found his way here himself and I told him not to leave," she said simply, faintly amused at how easily things fell back into the old version of 'normal'.


She watched as Osuka approached Xenos, humor dancing in her eyes as she took in Xenos' expression and the way he was reacting to all of this. Perhaps now he'd put a little more stock into what she was saying. As the boy vanished, she felt no worry for him. Osuka would not harm him, of that she was certain. His timing was wonderful, since the barrier was almost completely faded and the barrage of attacks could not be held for much longer. She looked to Osuka and nodded once as he apologized.


"Apology accepted," she said politely as the last of the barrier faded. As soon as her words were spoken, she turned toward their enemies and threw up her hands. Several geysers shot up from the ground, throwing chunks of dirt everywhere as the water rose to heights impossible to see. Once she had firmly grasped them, a smile touched her lips. The thrill of energy, the adrenaline of a fight. Oh, how she had missed all of this.


She lowered her hands and the streams of water whipped down, wrapping around individuals and constricting around them as tightly as a deadly snake, turning to crystal and stabbing through them when drowning wasn't working. Moving methodically, she kept most of her body completely still, her eyes focused on nothing in particular as she felt her way through it all.