<~/ Duurkonii \~>

[Krystalline Kabutops]

<~/ Duurkonii \~>
(Rated PG-13 due to mild sexual content, violence and language)

You're just an ordinary teenager, of the variety that spends most of your time in the basement playing videogames and surfing the Interweb. One day, your parents tell you at dinner that they have a surprise for you in the basement. You run downstairs, and find the most talked-about new game on the internet, Orichon Empire, lying next to your computer. Gleefully, you install it and start the program. However, where there should be a Start Menu, there is nothing but a black screen, with three words shimmering green in the center.


It is time.


Before you know what's going on, darkness creeps into your vision, and you black out.

~~~~~~~~

When you awake, you find yourself suspended in fluid, surrounded by a glass tube. The tube is in a room that looks like a lab, but none that you've ever seen before. Upon closer inspection, you discover that you've changed drastically. You are no longer even human, but have become some type of anthropomorphic creature. Fear and anger course through you, and somehow you break your container. Almost as soon as you free yourself, you realize that there are others like you in the room, also breaking out of their containers.
You all have a brief moment to wonder what the Hell is going on and make some introductions, before an alarm sounds, and Gryphon guards in the facility begin to rush to the lab. Joining forces, the twelve of you fight your way out of the facility, and manage to escape. Soon after leaving the base's perimeter, you are ambushed by shadowy forms, hooded and gagged, and led off to an uncertain fate.



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

Ok, here's how it'll work. You are each a kinetic, an individual who is gifted with the ability to manipulate some force of nature. The type of anthro you become depends on what you control. For example, a fish would not be a Pyrokinetic. You will end up either joining the resistance (Hanranki), or the Orichon Empire. Your fate lies in your own hands.


Pyrokinetic (Mastery over Flame): Kouen Hitokage - M (Prof. Jb Wolf)
Aquakinetic (Mastery over Water): Kynine Frythine - M>F (Krystalline Kabutops)
Aerokinetic (Mastery over Air): Aleia Icaria - F (The_Missing_Link)
Geokinetic (Mastery over Earth): Walker Boh - M (Weasel Overlord)
Arborkinetic (Mastery over Plants): Daeuh Nyet - M (Plantae)
Electrikinetic (Mastery over Electricity): Emma Everheart - F (Tsukasa)
Kryokinetic (Mastery over Ice): Albel Nox - F>M (Nabooru23)
Psychokinetic (Mastery over Physical Forces): Mai Krahm - M>F (VirtualPlay)
Neurokinetic (Mastery over the Mind): Tsyanaye Jhuye - M>F (Weasel Overlord)
Aurakinetic (Mastery over Light): Malaak Nura - F (Sheila Rae)
Atrakinetic (Mastery over Darkness): Shi - F (Crystal Tears)
Necrokinetic (Mastery over the Dead): Mors Enahl - M (Nabooru23)

Slots open: All the spots are taken, sorry!

People’s forms:


RPer: Krystalline Kabutops
~Original Name: Kyle Forsythe
~Kinzoku Name: Kynine Frythine
~Age: 17
~Gender: Originally male, female on Kinzoku.
~Human Appearance: Kyle is almost six feet tall, and has dark brown hair that comes down to his ears in a pudding-bowl haircut. He's long and lanky, and usually wears baggy, blue cargo shorts with a loose T-shirt and a pair of sandals (Not flip-flops!). He's very pale, and his eyes are gray.
~Anthro Appearance: Kynine is a bit taller than Kyle, at 6'1. A pic of her is here (http://www.maj.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=190953), with the only differences being that the black stripes/dots in the pic are actually dark brown, the white parts of her eyes are actually yellow, and her feet have 3 toes each and are webbed. She wears a loose, navy-blue robe with a hood over a black, skintight suit. It looks like a normal one-piece swimsuit, except that it has a hole for her tail and goes all the way down to her elbows and mid-calves.
~Personality: Laid-back and casual, Kyle is the epitome of slacker. He's near impossible to faze, and is a bit of a smart-ass. He has a good deal of jokes up his sleeve, and has a habit of pulling them out at the most inconvenient times. Even the change into Kynine she's taken in her stride (She seems to prefer being a girl). The only thing that really ticks her off, besides having one of her jokes turned back at her, is when a guy starts hitting on her. Such incidents usually end up with Daeuh having to remove a hefty dose of lionfish venom from the offender's body.
~Anthro Species: Lion Fish, of course.
~Brand of Kinetics: Aquakinetics.
~Powers:
---Natural Abilities:
==Poison Barbs: Kynine has a pair of barbs on her elbows which she can elongate in battle, so that they appear to be a pair of swords. The venom in them is quite potent, and can kill a victim in a matter of hours.
==Gills: Kynine has both gills and lungs, which means that she can breathe perfectly well both in water and out.
==Antennae: Kynine has several antennae on her head, which give her heightened senses of smell, taste, and hearing.
==Swimming: Due to her aquatic nature, Kynine is an exceptional swimmer, both in endurance and speed.
---Kinetic Powers:
==Water Burst: Kynine can control any liquid in the vicinity, and send it in projectile form at an opponent. The size of the projectile depends on the amount of liquid available.
==Condense: Kynine causes the water in the air to condensate, giving her a source of power even when there is no other liquid readily available.
==Minion: Kynine can form a minion out of water, and hold it together for some time as it battles an opponent. If her concentration is broken, her minion falls apart.
==Blood Well: Kynine can control the liquids in an opponent's body, and totally dehydrate them by removing all of their liquids.
==Typhoon: Kynine can call upon the water in the atmosphere, causing a torrential downpour, which aids the Electrikinetic's accuracy and gives Kynine an ample source of water to draw on.
~Relationships: In the human world, was good friends with Kelly Hoth and Mike Rampart at school. In Kinzoku, the three of them have become a group (With Tsyanaye loosely attached to it) due to their shared gender-bending. Albel seems to be happy about the change, Kynine is mildly pleased in a laid-back sort of way, and Mai seems to be having the hardest time adapting. Albel and Kynine in particular help to provide her support. Oh, and she dislikes Mors, as he's far too serious for her.
~History: Mm... pass.
~Other: Stabs with a carrot



RPer: Nabooru23

~Original Name: Kelly Hoth

~Kinzoku Name: Albel Nox (or just Nox... yes, she was playing Star Ocean: Till the End of Time before being transported to Kinzoku XP Told you she was a nerd)

~Age: 15

~Gender: Must.. Gender swap XD Female in human world, male in Kinzoku.

~Human Appearance: Often mistaken for being several years younger than she really is, she's small, only about 5'2", and weighing in at about 100 lbs. She has short, messy red-blonde hair and pale blue eyes. She usually wears baggy jeans and shirts with logos from her favorite video games and TV shows, along with plain white tennis shoes.

~Anthro Appearance: This (http://www.goldenwolfen.com/archive/2000andOlder/index.cgi?page=7&picture=werenation.jpg) only pure white, with icy blue eyes and slightly smaller in stature, with less bulky muscles. Is about 6'3" when standing. Can either walk bipedally or quadrapedally. Wears plain black pants and a sleeveless black shirt, with no shoes.

~Personality: Yes, she's the nerdy girl who if seen outside of her room save to go to school, pictures must be taken and sent to the local newsstand, because it only happens once in a blue moon. She spends most of her time holed up with her computer (her most precious possession), her video games (also most precious possessions), and her books (not quite so precious since they're cheaper to replace). She gets bored very easily and tends to do very strange things when bored. Also swears a lot and can't stand being told she can't do something just because she's a girl.

~Anthro Species: Arctic wolf

~Brand of Kinetics: Kryokinetic

~Powers:

Natural:
-Senses: Has superb senses of smell and hearing, and can see well in the dark.
-Speed: Can run swiftly and is very agile.
-Cold protection: Can withstand the most extreme cold (partially enhanced by kryokinesis)
-Grip: Can dig claws into the ground or walls to walk on slick surfaces or climb.

Kinetic:
-Solidify (eeyah XP): Causes water in the air to condense and freeze simultaneously into ice (yep, straight to ice, so can't make water). Can be used to encase objects in ice.
-Manipulate: Can move ice around through the air as if it were a fluid, though it retains its solid form.
-Freeze: Can freeze the liquid in a target, pretty much making an ice statue. Can also target specific parts as it grows in power, say, freezing an opponent's eyes.
-Shape: Can freeze nearby water (or water vapor) into various shapes, such as weapons or projectiles.
-Iceslick: Freezes the ground to make it extremely slippery and difficult to walk on. Can also freeze things to the ground.

~Relationships: In the human world, was friends with Kyle, and still is in Kinzoku. Also friends with Shi, and possibly with Mai.

~History: Too lazy and unoriginal in this department XP

~Other: *whacks other over the head with a stick in a non-lethal manner*



RPer: The_Missing_Link

Original Name: Rebecca DuPont

Kinzoku Name: Reina Icaria

Age: 17

Gender: Female in both worlds

Human Appearance: Rebecca is about 5'8" with long, straight brown hair down to her shoulders. She has deep blue/gray eyes and perfect white teeth. Her skin is a tannish color and has a strong yet subtle build. She will usually be seen in regular white tee-shirts with a brown leather jacket over. She wears long blue jeans and blue sneakers.

Anthro-Appearance: She shrinks to 5'2 and her hair still remains the same color but flecked with blue and gray. Her eyes are now black with a yellow ring around them and her nose is long and hooked with a sharp tip at the end while her lips harden and are a brownish color. Her whole body (sans her face, although it now has a brownish look to it) is covered with feathers: chest and legs white with short black horizontal stripes and her back and wings are blue gray. While her arms become wings, her hands remain, although covered densely with feathers. As for her feet, the sole of her foot remains although now she has sharp black claws: three in the front and one in the black. Although able to stand easily, it makes it rather difficult for her to walk now and resorts to flying more often (as one could imagine, shoes are gone now). She now wears a plain blue tanktop and stretchy (but tight) black pants, making maneuvering a lot easier

Personality: Think of her as the ultimate gamer nerd, obsessed with games like Ocarina of Time and the Mario series. Along with a player's pride when completing a game, she also has the intelligence skills to think things through but has a nasty temper when provoked. Her parents accept her gaming ways as she pleases them by playing sports, as many as she can handle at any one time. Aside from that, she's a fairly quiet person who tries to make everyone happy, but knows when it's a lost cause


Anthro Species: Peregrine Falcon

Brand of Kinetics: Aerokinetic

Powers:

Natural:
~Enhanced eye sight
~Flight
~Diving speed can clock in at over 200 mph, making her a deadly predator

Kinetic:
~Wind Gusts: Creates massive gusts of wind, blowing the opponents away, range from breeze to tornado
~Wind Bind: Creates a massive draft used to pin down anything
~Temperate: Can control the temperature of the air around her, making it boiling hot, or excessively freezing. Also includes causing the air in the area to be thin, making it hard to breathe, etc
~Wind Blasts: Forms pockets/bubbles of air that is launched at anyone
~Weather: As air is an essential component of the weather, she can manipulate anything from lighting to hurricanes

Relationships: None yet

History: The only child in the family, she lives a pretty normal life

Other: None



~RPer: Crystal Tears
~Original Name: Jewel Cole.
~Kinzoku Name: Shi
~Age: 16
~Gender: Female
~Human Appearance: She has long dark brown almost black hair, tan skin, dark brown eyes. She usually wears a white t - shirt, and dark black pants with a white belt with a silver buckle.
~Anthro Appearance: Her body is covered in a soft fur coat that is a dark brown color, that covers most of her, but thins out about her face. She's much smaller then original, only standing about 5'3. Just below her shoulder, and continues a bit down her back, are wings. A skin like material spreading in-between each elongated finger so they are much like bat wings. Her fingertips seem to form in claws, along with her feet. Which now she stands on the palm of her foot, due to the fact that it seems unnatural to her now to stand the other way. Her toenails grow the same, but a much more like claws.
Ears are long and pointed, much like an elf's. And it seems to restrict the fur from growing on them. Her face is the same beyond that. Expect from the hidden retractable fangs inside her dagger filled mouth. Oh, and her eyes are a deep purple now for some reason.

~Personality: she's a very shi person, in both forms. Being turned in an anthro didn't help much either. She will say some things if important, and she does tend to hit points that show her more out going and creative side. She's a very nice girl, but also has a very mean temper.
~Anthro Species: Bat
~Brand of Kinetics: Atrakinetic
~Powers:
Natural powers:
1) Echolocation
2) Flight
3) Greater Hearing

Kinetic Power:
1) Shadow Fake: You can relate this is double team, all Shi creates identical copies of herself, but instead, they all do things differently, and can very easily confuse an enemy. Only way to tell is that the fakes have no Shadows. Being that they are created from her own, and other things shadows.
2) Demi Energy: Creates a ball of dark energy and throws it at the opponent.
3) Echo Call: Shi calls out a screeching noise that appears in waves of a dark force. It tends to hurt all in front of it.
4) Dark Force: Shi focuses on a opponent or a small group of opponents, which in turn, they start to choke, and make them very venerable, and also causes a great amount of pain.
5) Dark Aura: Shi can make all other sources of light disappear, making it pitch black, and leaving everyone very venerable. She tends to have the advantage in this situation, leaving her opponents open to a shadow fake attack.
~Relationships: she's Nox's friend when she was human and now Anthro.
~History: uuhh... can't think of anything..
~Other: BLAH!

[Krystalline Kabutops]

RPer: Plantae
Original Name: Joseph Faust
Kinzoku Name: Daeuh (dye - you) Nyet
Age: 16
Gender: Male

Appearance

Human - Joseph is clothed in a simple orange tee and tan pants; his feet are shod in tan leather sandals. Lean muscle is evident in his modest height of seventy inches and his complexion is a healthy peach color and clear. His face is rather dull, with his slightly pointed ears and half smile of chalk white incisors the only bold features. Joseph's hair is a dark golden brown and drawn back in a narrow ponytail, giving him a slightly genius air. Long bangs fall over his observant and intelligent brown eyes.

Anthro - Joseph has lost his human ears in favor of the ears of an okapi, now raised slightly higher on his head. His eyes have transfigured into a dull orange color and his legs are placed higher and covered in thin, coarse, and unmovable white and black stripes of fur for the most part with dark chestnut-brown near the top; these legs are hinged and similar to a mammal and with hooves, making his height less. His upper body and face are entirely unchanged, though his hair is now in a ruffled and shaggy style and with a hue of brown similar to his fur color; long bangs fall over his eyes. His arms are covered with the same brown fur on the tops of his legs except for the hands. A tiny brown tail trails behind him that can be concealed under clothing. Little horn knobs covered in brown velvet have sprouted from the top of his head and his tongue has elongated and turned black; in all, he resembles a half zebra version of the Greek mythos' Pan. Though he first appears in naught but white under shorts, he later obtains a brown leather belt and white linen shorts and an orange headband that he wears around his forehead, his bangs prevented from falling over his eyes.

Personality: Though the change has hardened his facial expressions to be grim at times, at most times he acts quite stoic; his love of nature is even greater. His views are not rigid, nor is his capacity to smile or joke on occasion. The man is quite sly and clever, often interjecting snide and cynical one-liners, but never seems to mean much harm. He keeps perfectly unpredictable so people cannot to categorize him, but his prodigal mind and methodical thinking do show through. Joseph is somewhat over analytical of things, taking too many things as a sign towards some higher power, and is reclusive and distanced from everyone else around him. He is certainly not lucid to those around him. It is obvious, however, that his change has caused some feral notions to arise. Little acts of kindness that are seldom payed any attention slip past his survival instinct in the end. If need be, Joseph can also be very charismatic.

Anthro Species: Okapi (http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b161/Uohad/Okapi.png)
Kinetic Brand: Arborkinetic

Power

Natural
Through transformation, his smell, sight, and hearing have increased dramatically. With his newfound legs, he can run as swiftly as any horse and has a large endurance. Similar to his running, Daeuh is also an excellent swimmer and has a larger lung capacity to allow increase the time he can spend underwater. He has a newfound knowledge of herbal medicine and poison too. His body temperature is always unnaturally cool (about 70 degrees).

Kinetic
Manipulation - The manipulation aspect of Daeuh's power is solely to do with control over plant life, including offense and defense using it and causing it to grow or shrink as he pleases. Also, he can revive long dead plants when none are nearby or grow them from seeds he has eaten. When used far too often, the mental link to this part of his power may be severed for a period of time up to a day.

Imbue - Through this, Daeuh can imbue plants temporarily with the ability to resist temperature and otherwise and have a magical attribute that makes them useful against beings that cannot be physically damaged as easily. Alternately, he can give plants sentience to allow them to function when he isn't controlling them. This power is very taxing on his energy and causes severe headaches.

Regeneration - Daeuh has received the ability to reduce the effect of large wounds (by clotting blood instantly and by having a greater immune system) and making any disease or poison nonfatal. Over a period of days or a week at most, he can also regenerate these wounds without medical attention. The process of regeneration is extremely painful for fatal wounds.

Nutrition - Like a plant, Daeuh can use the sun's energy to create nutrients within his body. However, unlike them, he can also draw water from deep sources or surrounding plants to feed his need for it. Basically, he has little need to eat or drink (and has no waste, heh). If the temperature becomes too hot (100 degrees +), Daeuh will lose this ability.

Conversation - Daeuh can draw rumors and whispers of the things going on around him or far from his by listening to the trees or other plants and can use this same energy to transport himself to any place of Kinzoku that he has visited previously. Through the conversation discipline, he also achieves the skill to gain limited precognition and sixth sense to danger when plants are around him, gaining greater agility through precognition. Transportation is the most taxing of all his arborkinetic powers if used with more than one person, and about as much as Imbue with just himself (though he can use it in a pinch and regain the energy by lapsing into a coma).

Relationships: Daeuh finds a bit of friendship in recently gender-swapped Tsyanaye (Berle).

History: In the first five years of his life, Joseph was the son of a criminal overlord in the United States. His father was a prominent figure in politics and his mother was quite the contrast, a strong woman but kind and warm. His father was arrested when he was five and he and his mother were forced to live off a small amount of cash. She eventually secured a job as the assistant of a naturalist, her boss later becoming a father figure to Joseph, and inspiring his love of nature.

Joseph was later raised in a backwoods town, a capable student who kept both at the top of his class and physically fit nearly his entire life. He was quite the intellectual, and graduated high school at the age of sixteen. Rocky financial situation has left his mother with little money to spare, so he's glad he can take away some of the burden by gaining a full ride through his valedictorian title. He has plans for a career in biology, going to college next year at sixteen and a half.

Other: He has lost his sense of taste when he gained his power, for some odd reason.



RPer: Nabooru23

~Original Name: Can't remember

~Kinzoku Name: Mors Enahl

~Age: Unknown, but is guessing late teens (around 17)

~Gender: Male, can't remember what he was before

~Human Appearance: Can't remember

~Anthro Appearance: He's about 5'8, and of muscular build. His skin is a sick pinkish-red color, like rotten or burnt flesh, though it's as supple as living flesh. His head is completely bald, with an ornate black tattoo of Celtic design creeping down his forehead from the nape of his neck, where there is an ugly, round scar from a tube being inserted there. His nose is short and stubby, almost non-existent, with the nostrils at the top, revealing the red flesh inside. His ears are also on the small side, his small features being stark contrast to his large, vibrant red eyes. Around his neck is a puff of white feathers that could be mistaken for a feather boa. (think Sesshomaru and Balmung). His arms and legs are covered in coarse black feathers with no gloss to them whatsoever, as if they had been dead and dried. His wings, instead of coming off his arms in the conventional sense, split shortly below the armpit, almost like a separate appendage but not completely independent, and can be wrapped about himself like a hideous parody of a cloak. He wears no shirt, as it is easier to function with his wings, but wears tight black leather pants. Due to the awkward shape of his four-taloned feet (three in front, one in back), he wears no shoes.

~Personality: He's mostly quiet and brooding, and absolutely serious. The guy can't take a joke, and finds doing such to be a juvenile waste of time. He has one hell of a temper, but can usually find positive outlets for it (smashing a wall, for example, instead of someone's face). Having no memory of who or even what he was before, he envies the others who can, even if they don't handle their current situation as well. He's also a quick thinker and problem solver, though he needs silence to be able to think clearly.

~Anthro Species: Vulture

~Brand of Kinetics: Necrokinetic

~Powers:

Natural:
-Flight: He can awkwardly fly for very, very short distances if he has to, but his wings for the most part do not function well enough for flight.
-Gut of Steel (sorry, had to XD): His stomach acid is super-powerful, so he can virtually eat or drink anything he wants and not get sick. This also means his stomach lining is extra thick, so all but the most powerful poisons won't harm him.
-Immunity: Kind of goes along with the previous power, in that his immune system is enhanced. Most illnesses are wiped out by it instantly, particularly those caused by festering wounds and contact with dead bodies.

Kinetic:
-Bone Weapons: A very basic skill, he can transmute any nearby bones (or dead parts) into swords, spears, and the like.
-Death Trance: His body enters a death-like state. While in this state, his wounds heal at an accelerated rate, but he is completely vulnerable. His breath is almost undetectable, and his body temperature will drop, making him seem a corpse.
-Zombie Minions: Threads his will into the gaps between the nerves of dead bodies to animate them. This is better done in small numbers, because they all follow the same commands and a large group would be cumbersome. It also works better with fresh corpses, because there is less power required to move them. He usually gets a headache of varying degree from doing this, though from one freshly dead corpse it may just be a slight throbbing.
-Dead Limbs: He can attach dead parts to himself. For example, an enemy has an arm severed. He could then take that arm and attach it to himself, anywhere on himself (like on his back or something; think Sesshomaru's arm).
-Conquer Death: Within the first minute after death, while the soul is still nearby, Mors can coax the soul back into the body, bringing the person back to life. This takes an incredible amount of energy and generally results in him going into a Death Trance for a week (for a human; animals take three days). Also, any wounds sustained before death will still be present, as will any diseases or toxins in the body, so this is best used with a healer present to remedy this.

~Relationships: None

~History: He can't remember anything about his life before waking up in Kinzoku. For all he knows, he could have been created there.

~Other: Has no pulse. Also, note HIS SKIN IS NOT ACTUALLY ROTTING, it's just a weird color ><



~RPer: VirtualPlay
~Original Name: Mike Rampart
~Kinzoku Name: Mai Krahm
~Age: 16
~Gender: Originally male, now female
~Human Appearance: Tall and lanky, just over 6' and only 145 lbs. with short, dark brown hair and green eyes. He's the kind of guy to wear a pair of jeans or khakis and whatever geek or gamer t-shirt he can find.
~Anthro Appearance: Mai is drastically shorter at around 5'3", but is just as skinny as before (though she doesn't know the exact weight). She has shiny, light brown, short-hair fur all over her body except for her palms and feet bottoms, and her face has less fur and there is a triangle of white fur on her forehead (two points a couple inches above her eyes, the third right above her nose). She has dark brown hair that is even shinier than her fur, that is slightly wavy, and goes down a few inches past her shoulders. Her face is shaped like a cat, except it is flatter like a human's, and her ears are normal cats' ears (proportional to her head). Her eyes are a ghastly silver color, and are slits like normal cats' eyes. Her nails, while still mostly human, now grow more rapidly and are also naturally sharp. *ahem* Her, ah, chest is average, nothing spectacular (and she won't tell you the size, even if she did know). Her tail, when limp, reaches down to about mid-calf.
-- For clothes, since she's a girl now, and has a tail (and apparently no *ahem* southern privates *ahem*), for bottoms she simply wears a plain black skirt that reaches mid-thigh and a fairly tight black halter-style top. She doesn't wear shoes or gloves, as they would only get in her way, and her fur keeps her warm if it gets cold.
~Personality: He's a fairly nice kid, but occasionally (read: when Kyle's around) he gets into a sarcastic streak, though never with the intent to be harsh. He knows when to stop, and would slide out of the picture very quickly when Kyle started to pull out the callous jokes. He's smart, but not about to shove it in your face. After the change Mai's much calmer, and a bit shyer. She rarely gets sarcastic, and almost never joins in Kynine's joke spree. Despite this, she still looks at her as a friend. (All this if KK approves, of course)
~Anthro Species: Cat
~Brand of Kinetics: Psychokinesis
~Powers:
-- Natural Abilities
=== Enhanced Night Vision: Mai's cat eyes allow her to see in the dark better than most people and also notice movement that most people wouldn't.
=== Agility: Mai's cat body and tail allow her to move more fluidly than normally, and when she locks her knees backwards she can run with incredible speeds.
=== Premonition: With her sense of the world around her, she can predict the movement of certain forces, though usually only a second or two in advance and only for the area really close to her (until she gets more 'in tune' *see Other*).
-- Kinetic Powers
=== Force: Her basic ability, Mai is able to move an object (or multiple objects) with her mind. The larger the object she can move and the longer she can move it will grow as she gets more 'in tune' with her abilities. She can also move herself through the air, and even eventually enable herself to fly, though this takes more concentration to start.
=== Rigor Mortis: Can stop the movement of things, specifically an opponents heart and/or other bodily movements, eventually even down to the cellular level. As such, it could possibly be used as healing by physically stopping all the malignant cells of a disease or tumor.
=== Gravity Blast: Creates a sphere of energy that when launched, sends out a huge wave which causes the gravity of the air and whatever is in it to increase, potentially squishing enemies and such.
=== Air Warrior(s): The most difficult-to-use power she has, she is able to harden the air to create a nearly-invisible warrior that will fight for her. As she gets better, she will be able to create multiple warriors and control them all.
~Relationships: Friends with Kyle because they liked to joke a lot together, and even more so with Kynine (and possibly Albel) because of their similar predicament (if KK and Nab don't mind)
~History: Nope, nothing to see here.
~Other: Mai does not know this (and it'll take her a while to find out) but the less that she thinks she is Mai (and more that she's Mike), the weaker her powers are going to be. This is because all of her power is based on her mind, and if she is not "in tune" with being who she is now, then her mind will be weaker and therefore her powers weaker. Obviously this is hard on Mai, as she will try to retain as much of Mike as possible.

[Krystalline Kabutops]

~RPer: Tsukasa
~Original Name: Jasmine Cavanaugh
~Kinzoku Name: Emma Everhart
~Age: 16
~Gender: Female in both
~Human Appearance: See the attachment below.

I <3 GAC!! Her height is about 5'6-ish and there IS a silver bracelet on her left arm (GAC didn't do a good job of showing it...).
~Personality: To put it all in one word, enthusiastic! Anything and everything she does is big and bold; very seldom is she subtle. If it's not obvious, she wears her emotions on her sleeve, being very open with most of her thoughts and ideas (some of which can be a little.... out there). She's incredibly friendly most of the time, but she can get on other's nerves pretty easily. Although intellectual, she tends to have little "brain farts" when put under even the smallest amount of pressure. Even if she's a real people-person, she still enjoys the occasional video or arcade game!
~Anthro Species: Rabbit
~Anthro Appearance: With her cute bunny face, long white ears, and fluffy tail, it's not mistaking that her appearance keeps that "bouncy" personality of hers going. She a little shorter than she was previously, but it's to the advantage of her speed. Her whole body is covered in white fur as well. Although her feet resemble that of a hare's, somewhat longer with padded toes, her hands are still that of a humans, merely covered in fur. Her eyes are now green with a slightly larger pupil. Her hair is still purple but it is slightly longer, now reaching to her shoulder blades instead of her neck. Emma wears a purple wrap around her top and right shoulder (still showing her midriff), as well as a matching sarong and sandals. She is still wearing the same silver bracelet.
~Brand of Kinetics: Electrikinetic
~Powers:
>Natural<
Emma has, for obvious reasons, a very heightened sense of hearing. She is also very agile and quick on her feet, sometimes even to the point of being blurry. Being of the rabbit breed, she is also capable of jumping to much higher heights as well as increased reflexes. Emma can also absorb electricity as a recharge for her strength and attacks.
<Kinetic>
Voltage: A basic bolt or ball of lightning is released from Emma towards an enemy/obstacle. This can paralyze some creatures and short circuit most electronics.
Ionic Distortion: Uses ions in the air to create a disruption in any electromagnetic wave. The farther away the target, the less effective it is. It affects everything from remote controls to cell phones and satellite links. (Can also disable most electronics at close range)
Sonic Wave: Creates a blast of sound by polarizing the air, then releasing it to make a localized thunderclap. Although mediocre in power, she doesn't prefer to use this because it hurts her ears terribly.
Magnetism: Emma forms a magnetic poll from her hands, creating a magnetic field around her. This can be used to repel certain objects away like a force field, or attract those objects towards her. Requires a great deal of concentration and frequent use can cause headaches.
Heavenly Light: A large bolt of lightning falls from the skies and strikes the ground with such intensity and force that the resulting thunderclap can create tremors felt miles away. The voltage is also so incredibly high that the flash is disorientatingly blinding. This attack is extremely taxing on Emma's small frame, usually leaving her with little to no energy, even possibly blacking out.
~Relationships: Friends with Zeke Asakura from school before these drastic changes.
~History: Nope, nothing really monumental or dramatic. Jasmine's had a pretty average life; caring parents, an irritating yet loveable brother, went through school with few to no problems....... Yeah...Kinda dull compared to her personality.... >.>

~Other: *pokes other repeatedly* ^_^ This is fun! *pokes some more*



~RPer: Weasel Overlord
~Original Name: Bron Sen
~Kinzoku Name: Walker Boh (A tribute...bet no-one can guess where from! lol)
~Age: 17
~Gender: Male in both worlds.
~Human Appearance: Bron usually wears a pair of scruffy brown, ripped cords and a dark green shirt unbuttoned and untucked, with a ‘Dungeon Master’ T-shirt underneath that is rarely removed. Round his waist, he wears a thin suede belt that holds up his cords, as they’re rather baggy, and he wears holey trainers that are slightly too small for him.
Bron has dark chestnut brown hair that is cut short, about to the nape of his neck, and it has a slight curliness that makes him look younger than he is. His eyes are hazel with a tinge of green and he stands at about 6 foot with a slender build.
~Anthro Appearance:
http://earthhopenetwork.net/wolf%20handsome%20wolf%20sml.jpg (http://earthhopenetwork.net/wolf%20handsome%20wolf%20sml.jpg) Aaaw...*pets wolf* so perty...I mean, Walker looks like this...well, pretty much anyway! Only without the snow...He has green eyes, which is odd for a wolf, and his fur is thick and black and tinted with gray at the tips, giving him a rather ethereal look. Like this http://www.timber-wolf-timber-wolves.com/pictures-images-gallery/timber-wolves-01.jpg (http://www.timber-wolf-timber-wolves.com/pictures-images-gallery/timber-wolves-01.jpg) He mostly walks on his accustomed two legs, and his ears are larger than in his human form, pointed and covered in fur that blackens at the tips. His hands have become more paw-like in appearance, and his mouth and nose have lengthened to resemble a snout filled with rather sharp, white teeth.
~Personality: Bron is a geek! He plays Dungeons and Dragons, acquiring his DM position not long after starting, (a fact of which Bron is very proud) computer games of various varieties...mainly RPG’s (what a surprise! lol) and he listens to Weezer...possibly the geekiest rock band ever!...Despite all this geekiness, he still loves the outdoors, and he spends as much time there as possible.
Bron’s a bit of a loner, he can never really think of anything to say to people, unless they’re his kindred D’n’D players, but his anthro side is slightly more talkative, and he bonds well with others, probably due to his wolven nature.
~Anthro Species: Timber wolf
~Brand of Kinetics: Geokinetic
~Powers:
Natural Abilities:
*Wolven howl-Walker’s howl is eerie and demoralizes enemies before a battle. It also serves to inform the others of Walker’s whereabouts, and any enemies that may be nearby.
*Speed-Walker can now run easily on four legs, and his speed is therefore greatly improved.
*Natural camouflage-Due to Walker’s relationship with the earth, he has no problem blending into any background available, and his paw prints almost never show in the ground.



Kinetic Abilities:
*Fissure-Walker punches the ground hard and the earth shatters, leaving a huge, jagged crack that can be used to separate allies from an enemy, or can engulf enemies.
*Master of Stone-Using this power, Walker can manipulate any rocks or stones that are nearby and break them into shards for slicing, or simply send them hurtling through the air to bludgeon any obstacles.
*Mire-By passing his hands over any bare soil, Walker can turn it into a patch of quicksand.
*Geostasis-By kneeling on a patch of earth and thrusting his hands into the soil, Walker can regenerate his stamina and heal any wounds he may have suffered. This power is quite taxing and, for some reason, often results in a tingling sensation in Walker’s hands and arms that lasts for about an hour or so.
*Tremors-By kneeling anywhere and lightly placing his fingertips on the earth, Walker can summon violent tremors that vibrate through the ground. The power of these tremors depends upon the amount of energy Walker extends into the summoning.
~Relationships: Erm...I’m no good at this...anyone wanna be friends with Bron?!?
~History: Blergh! I hate histories!
~Other: Smoooosh! Yeah...for the second hyperlink...you have to click on pictures and its the one that appears at the bottom of the other pictures...I don't know why it doesn't work! But it is a really cute piccy, so everyone look!!!



~RPer: Weasel Overlord
~Original Name: Berle Tsyon
~Kinzoku Name: Tsyanaye Jhuye (Sy-ah-nee Ju-h-we)
~Age: 15
~Gender: Male, but female on Kinzoku
~Human Appearance: Berle is quite tall and lanky in stature with brownish blonde hair that reaches about to his neck. He ties his hair back with an elastic band and wears a dark red bandana roughly tied about his brow to keep errant bits of fringe out of his eyes.
Berle mostly wears sweaters and jeans for slobbing around in front of his computer, but if on the odd occasion of him venturing outside the house, he replaces the sweater with a slightly neater black shirt with flames at the bottom. He has startlingly blue eyes in both his male and female forms and a smattering of freckles across his nose and cheeks.
~Anthro Appearance: Tsyanaye is pretty much the female version of Berle, only her figure is slimmer and she isn’t as broad about the shoulders, although she has gained some muscle. Her skin has a coating of tiny scales that vary in color from swampy green to pale brown, and they provide excellent protection, being almost impenetrable by normal means. Her nails have extended into extremely sharp claws and she now sports a long, flexible tail covered with the same scales as the rest of her body that is perfect for clubbing things.
Tail-see piccies!
Scales, claws, etc(color and etc.)-Also see piccies! Pretty pretty piccies...I want one of those for a pet...so what if I'm weird!
http://www.photohome.com/pictures/animal-pictures/wildlife/komodo-dragon-1a.jpg
http://www.merriewood.com/exindo/komodo1.jpg
~Personality: Berle is extremely smart and logical in his thinking, often approaching the answer to a question only moments after it’s been asked. He loves playing strategy games as they sharpen his thinking.
However, Berle is very laid-back, rarely getting stressed. He usually goes along with other people’s ideas, if only because he spots any flaws straight away, allowing him to decide what to do quickly. This utter calmness has allowed Berle not to be unnerved by his sudden transformation into both a girl, a pretty unknown species in his mind, and a Komodo Dragon-type critter.
~Anthro Species: Komodo dragon
~Brand of Kinetics: Neurokinetic
~Powers:
Natural Abilities:
*Scale armour-Tsyanaye’s scales are very tough and offer protection from most things.
*Quick-thinking-Tsyanaye’s well-tuned mind allows her to process her thoughts much quicker than average.

Kinetic Abilities:
*Mind Block-By concentrating, Tsyanaye can create a barrier inside someone’s mind that stops any mind-based kinetic powers they may possess from working.
*Neuroblast-Tsyanaye can send a blast of pure psychic power at an enemies mind, temporarily shattering any defenses they may have in place while making them utterly confused. Depending upon the power used by Tsyanaye, the power of this attack varies, from mere confusion to brain damage.
*Shield-Forms a protective shield around either the mind or the whole body, depending on how much power Tsyanaye uses.
*Heal-Heals! Now that’s a surprise...can heal minor to near-fatal wounds, but obviously the more fatal the wound, the more power Tsyanaye has to use and the more of a drain on her own mind it becomes.
*Push-Flinging out a clawed hand, Tsyanaye uses the force of her mind to lob an enemy away from her. The distance that the enemy is thrown depends upon the amount of power used.
~Relationships: Friends with Daeuh if that’s okies?
~History: I have no history! mwahahaaaa
~Other: erm...yeah! showed you! *runs*



RPer: Prof. Jb Wolf
Original Name: Zeke Asakura
Kinzoku Name: Kouen "Kou" Hitokage
Age: 17
Gender: Male (Both Worlds)

Human Appearance: Of Asian descent with tanned skin, black hair, and brown eyes. Average height with a stocky build and slight gut. Wears glasses. Normally dresses in a white shirt, blue jacket, jeans, and sneakers.

Anthro Species: Fire/Spotted Salamander
Anthro Appearance: Fairly tall, having grown to a height of about six feet with a slender, yet muscular build. His basic body structure remains mostly humanoid, but his head has been completely transfigured into that of a salamanders complete with tongue and fangs. Scales have grown all across his skin and are somewhat oily to the touch. Jet black in color, bright yellow markings wrap around his body, framing both of his beady black eyes and forming tribal-esque tattoos all across the rest of his body. Both hands and feet end in four fingered claws with slight webbing between his toe claws. A fairly thick, muscular tail grows from the small of his back, covered in the same oily black scales and yellow markings. Apparently he may have struggled in his anthro form, for when he awoke he was dressed only in under shorts with chains linked to his arms and legs. He retains the manacles about his arms, complete with broken chains, but later obtains pants that end about mid-shin and a long vest both tan in color.

Personality: Highly emotional and prone to recklessness, Zeke is a man of action. Influenced by books, anime, and games, he even keeps to his own code of honor. Though quite friendly, the teen has had few friends, but he has always proven very loyal to them. Eternally optimistic, he always tries to look on the bright side of things and is ready to lend an ear or arm to anyone who needs it.

Brand of Kinetics[b]: Pyrokinetic
[b]Powers

Natural Abilities

Natural Weapons ~ With the addition of claws and a tail as well as some enhanced muscles, Kou is quite capable of handling himself in a fight.

Toxic Touch ~ Kou's particular species of Salamander is capable of releasing a strong neurotoxic alkaloid. This alkaloid causes strong muscle convulsions and high-blood pressure combined with hyperventilation in all vertebrates. As well, if properly administered, it can be used to fight infections.

Heat Immunity ~ While being pyrokinetic already makes him quite resistant to heat, Kou is also naturally so. The two traits have mixed, making him immune to all but the hottest of flames.

Amphibious ~ Coming from a family of amphibians, two gill-like flaps on his neck allow Kou to breath underwater for a long period of time. As well, his webbed feet and tail make him quite maneuverable when underwater.

Dark Vision ~ Kou can also seek quite well in low/no light conditions, retaining visibility, but unable to distinguish between color in such conditions.

Kinetic Powers

Fireball - The most basic of techniques, Kou can conjure up a blazing ball of fire. At first he can only create ones no larger then a baseball, but over time and as his skills increase, he can probably make bigger ones.

Immolation - By concentrating on exciting the molecules around his body or a specific part of his body, Kou can cause the very air around him to ignite, wreathing his body in flames. With practice, Kou can use this same principal to create flames around his enemies.

Explosion - Exciting the molecules around an enemy or object, Kou can also cause a powerful explosion ala Roy Mustang of FMA fame. Being the anime fanboy that he is, he even does so by snapping his fingers.

Manipulation - When around already existing flames, Kou can cause them to burn hotter or lower as well as change their shape. He usually combines this ability with Immolation, allowing him to create massive blasts of flame or balls of light.

Relationships: Went to the same school as Jasmine before the change and enjoys an acquaintance with her.
History: May add to Later
Other: *Paralyzes Other before igniting a small flame on its butt.*

[Krystalline Kabutops]

RPer: Sheila Rae
Original Name: Helen Shimau
Kinzoku Name: Malaak Nura
Age: 16
Gender: female (both worlds)

Human Appearance: Malaak has black hair that is cut in a choppy and uneven way. It goes to her shoulder on the left side, but only to her jaw on the right side. It covers most of her left eye. Both her large eyes are a bright steel blue and she wears glasses without a prescription and black frames.. Her skin is slightly tan although her face appears pale. She wears a plain white shirt with a very light brown pullover vest and a long, faded-purple skirt that reaches her feet. Often she wears brown leather sandals or blue and white tennis shoes. Also, she never wears make-up. On her left wrist, she has a simple golden bracelet that one of her best friends gave her she also wears a silver necklace with a charm for 'saka' (坂) that her other best friend gave her. She never removes either piece of jewelry.

Anthro Species: dove
Anthro Appearance: Malaak's hair remains in the same style, except shorter, but it now has streaks of white in it. Her eyes are now completely black save for the thin, yellow iris around the outer edge. Ears are no longer visible as she has aviary ears hidden beneath her hair. She now also lacks a nose. Her lips turn yellow and are much less pronounced. Her arms and hands are covered with a soft, white down. There also are flight feathers on her arms. Two, pure white wings have sprouted from her back, however, her wingspan is only just over half her arm span. Her fingers are shorter and she can no longer spread them apart as far. She has a white tail, two feet in length, that forks slightly at the end. Her legs are covered with the same down as her arms, though her pants completely cover her legs. Her feet are more bird like, covered with small, orangey-gray scales. Her toenails have turned black; they are slightly longer and pointed at the tips. This includes the toe that projects from the heel. The clothes she gains later are cream flannel shirt that fits normally around her shoulders and chest, but it bells out on the sleeves and midriff and pants made of the same material and style, the legs gradually belling out. She no longer has her bracelet or necklace, which saddens her.

Personality: Helen had been a kind and compassionate person as long as most could remember. She would always like to brighten someone's day with a smile or a hug. She would like to talk with people, but she was often too shy to start a conversation. Although curious, she was a bit of a klutz both mentally and physically. Though she tried to be understanding and patient, she grew to slowly close her heart. Even then, she was still the kind of person who can't stay angry with someone for more than five minutes. Although she has what might be called an odd philosophy, she refuses to change for the sake of others she doesn't even know. Her lack of interest in fashion, cute guys, and the latest trends easily label her as "outcast." She enjoys foreign literature and culture and has adapted many of her views on life from these translated books. She also spends a lot of time online and playing video games, so she doesn't get out of the house much. (All this will be expanded on in history, where it will become clearer.) In Kinzoku, she becomes even more lost and confused. At the same time, she has a hope that this is a new beginning, and that she can once again freely be herself and people will understand her.

Brand of Kinetics: Aurakinetic
Powers: Natural:
|Flight| - Malaak can fly short distances, but strong wings and/or high altitudes could inhibit this.
Kinetic:
\Flash/ - Similar to the usage of the Flash HM in Pokémon battles, a bright burst of light can blind an opponent.
\Healing Rays/ - With a simple touch and a small bit of radiance, Malaak can heal small wounds and cure poison. Of course, this technique cannot fully heal major wounds or treat fatal poison.
\Guardian/ - A shield of light that can block most physical and kinetic attacks. The more people she guards, the more draining it is. If she is only protecting herself and say another person, the toll is minute.
\Photon Recovery/ - Malaak can revive a downed ally or heal mortal wounds, but she may need a small coma-like period of recuperation afterwards.
\Heaven's Judgment/ - Many beams of light are summoned from the sky. As they land, they spread out along the ground, causing even more damage. Through the light's purity, Malaak can dictate who/what the attack harms. After this move is used, she cannot use any of her techniques until after a lengthy rest.

Relationships: Becomes close to Emma (Tsukasa) after they meet in Kinzoku. Open to other kinds of relationships, also.
History: Helen was sickeningly normal girl for the majority of her childhood. About the time she was twelve, she discovered a certain light in her life, which taught her the meaning of kindness. She widely opened her heart, loving everyone she met. Her thoughts were that she wouldn't not love someone until she found out otherwise, and then do her best to help then. Her two best friends didn't really understand her, but they supported her nonetheless. In an unintentionally way, they got her addicted to affection simply by showing her so much. Feeling so happy merely to hugged, Helen wanted to spread that happiness to everyone she met. She knew she was different, not only in this respect, but also with her electronic and foreign interests, and she loved it that way. When she saw someone who looked down or like they were having a bad day, she would like to just hug them. She didn't really realize just because it would've made her happy if someone hugged her, it doesn't do the same for everyone. She was not truly liked by anyone other than her best friends. She got good grades because she was good at memorizing pointless facts and test taking, so other students often used her for answers. She is not truly bright, although she is curious and likes to learn new things. Within a few years, her best friends moved far away in opposite directions, leaving Helen alone in the middle. Things worsened for her, as the only people who tried to understand her were far and unreachable. There was on particularly bad case that greatly silenced her. She had noticed a boy who often seemed alone and friendless. At first, Helen intimidated him because he thought he was being followed, but in eventually the two agreed to become friends. Helen was a bit saddened because she could not have the same effect on him as her best friends had had on her. She later found that the boy did indeed have many friends. It seemed that he no longer cared about Helen and just wanted as far as possible from him. She still joked with him and tried to hug him, but instead of talking to her, he reported her the police as a stalker. With the general attitude people had toward her and now this, it seemed almost as if she went into submission. Her heart darkened and slowly began to close. Although she had tried so hard just to be a nice person, she began to feel a searing hate for normal people. She no longer said 'hi' to people randomly and avoided going out of the house as much of possible. She was still going to be kind, but she wouldn't go out of her way to do it. The only thing that kept her from losing faith in humanity were that there were still people out there like her best friends, those who had learned compassion through the same means she had, those who were not afraid to go beyond normality. Often, she pined for her friends, or simple affection from anymore. She felt that she had dug herself into an tremendous pit and that she was being torn apart from the inside.
Other: *is amused while petting other* One of Malaak's major weakness is that she has no simple offense technique. Also, she never lies. Oh, and she likes to hug people. XD




Finally! Everyone's form is back up. For those of you who already wrote an intro post, don't worry, no need to do so again. An yes, I know who those people were.

[Arnen]

So we just post what we already had, right? I think I'll wait for you, wouldn't feel right otherwise ^^;

[Krystalline Kabutops]

Well... actually, I forgot to back mine up ^^' so for those of you who did so, feel free to repost them, and for those of you who didn't, no need to remake them, as they don't actually involve any character interaction.

In a word Nab, just go ahead and repost yours.

[Arnen]

*pokes the top of the screen, where there's a link to the temp board* XP

~~-Kelly Hoth-~~

So, there I was, sitting on the couch minding my own business. I was watching my favorite episode of Fullmetal Alchemist (TiVo rocks), the one where Mustang reveals his miniskirt fetish and rants about dogs being man's ultimate slaves, and it was funny regardless of the fact that my stupid little brother, Mitch, wouldn't shut up. Oh well, that's eight-year-olds for you.

"Hey, Kelly, hun!" I heard from the kitchen, followed shortly by the sound of the front door closing, signaling that my dad was home from work. I paused FMA, drawing whines from Mitch, and wandered over.

"Yeah, Dad?" I asked. Usually when he called me into the kitchen he had something cool to show me. He made a fair ammount of money, so he came home with cool little toys all the time. Last time it had been a remote control plane, which we'd flown around the yard that weekend until the batteries fell out from too many crash-landings.

"Well, since you did much better than excpected on your report card," he began. I sighed inwardly. Yep, A's and B's, with a D in history. And ONLY because my history teacher has it in for me! "... your mother and I decided to get you that game you've been wanting so badly."

My eyes lit up. Orichon Empire was only the coolest-looking new game ever! Kyle, Jewel, and Mike were all hoping to get it too. I'd have to get their usernames from them once they got it. I thanked my dad with a big hug, then skittered off to my room, which was in a constant state of darkness for maximum gaming pleasure. Nothing like playing video games in the dark ten hours a day.

Even though my computer was only two months old and better than all my friends', it was all I could do not to give it a good thump as I waited for it to boot up. I put my status to busy on MSN and put the disc in. After running through the install wizard and watching TV for an hour while it ran, I heard a bleep, and shuffled across my bed to where my mouse and keyboard were within reach. The screen was black. I waited, twitching the mouse around, waiting for some kind of opening cinematics or something, but it never came. Thinking I saw something on the screen (besides that one pixel that's always blue, I think I should have that looked at), I shifted to my chair and leaned closer, squinting.


It is time.

Time? Oh, that probably means it's gonna start up now, right? Wrong. I never got to see what the game looked like. I'd never see my dad, or my mom, or even Mitch ever again. I blacked out.

[Krystalline Kabutops]

Er... yeah... >.> *stabs* xp I knew that!



'~>Kyle Forsythe - Male - 17 Years Old<~'

Ho hum, meatloaf. Again. Don't get me wrong, I like processed bladder of swine as much as the next guy, but it gets rather repetitive to eat offal one day after another.

I was staring across the table at Sharon, who was chatting to some boy on her phone. That's all my older sister would ever do at dinner. It was an ingenious way of getting out of eating the meatloaf, and I wished I had a plan of my own that didn't involve feeding it to the cat on my lap.

Dad coughed, signalling that he was about to start talking. Inwardly, I rolled my eyes. What would it be today? The fascinating adventures of a cubicle worker? How to walk and breathe at the same time? Politics? How I should start looking into getting a summer job? Obviously, I wasn't exactly enthused.

"Son," He said, looking over at me. "Your mother and I were talking yesterday about how proud we are of all the effort you've put into school recently. It's not every year that one of our children passes all their classes with flying colors." At this point, mom took up the announcement.

"So, honey, we decided that you deserved something for all of your effort. Go look downstairs, next to your laptop." She beamed as she said this, and I had to admit that I was interested. I got up from my chair, picking Duncan up from my lap, and ran into the basement.

As I entered the room, Duncan hopped out of my arms and climbed up onto my laptop. After circling for a moment, he sat down on it, curled up into a ball. He looked at me for a moment, then let out a loud meow. I chuckled. "C'mon buddy, I need you to move. You know that's not good for my laptop." Mewing his displeasure, I placed him on my bed. Immediatly, he began bopping bumps in the covers.

Turning back to the desk, I saw what my parents had been talking about. On it was a box, which I turned over to see the words "Orichon Empire" spelled out in a metallic font, with three characters below. On the left was a reptile, jet black with pure white eyes. He had a pair of horns that resembled those of a ram, and was adorned with a black hood. The middle character looked like a squirrel, and the one on the far right was an enourmous, fearsome red bird.

Adorning the box were images of in-game play, as well as some cinematic shots. One of them was a shot of the planet Kinzoku. It looked like a giant metal marble. Except for a large forest in the southern hemisphere, almost the entire planet was coated in metal.

I grinned. This was the highest-rated game on the market. The characters were almost endlessly customizable, and the best part was that aerial battles were commonplace, because all the characters had wings.

Inserting the disc, my computer quickly installed all the needed files. However, instead of showing a starting menu, it went black. I looked at it for a moment. Maybe this was a cinematic?

Before I could decide, I noticed some words in the middle of the screen, green and blinking. They were tiny, so I had to bring my face close to the screen to read them.

It is time.

Before I could contemplate the meaning of this, I blacked out. The last thing I saw was Duncan, hopping down from the bed to see if I was alright. The poor animal. Little did I know I'd never see him again.

[Crystal Tears]

-Jewel Cole-

I don't think I've ever seen an older computer then mine. Actually, I guarantee it. My computer was ancient. Every twenty minutes, it would crash or freeze then crash.
"Man..." I murmured, ignoring the ringing phone in the background, as I slid the keyboard towards me and logged back onto my rather pathetic computer. "What's this?" I asked, more to myself then the lazy dog sleeping beside me. For an Australian Shepard, he sure didn't have much energy.

'Orichon Empire.'

I frowned; this game had never really interested me, though it was probably due to the commercials that played over and over again on all the good channels. Sighing to myself, I picked it up and looked at the pictures that were pasted on the cover. Funny, this must of been one of the different covers, all black except the metallic Writing of the title, and the one picture on the back of a Really mean looking bird. I smirked; maybe this game wasn't as bad as I thought.

"Ryan!" I called, my brother emerged from his room, he seemed tired, but it was all the same to me. "Can I use your computer that you never use?" He shrugged, and nodded, I smiled and ran off.
Now, I know nothing about computers, but I knew that Ryan's was a gaming computer; he had loaded it up with everything, all the greatest stuff. So it ran smoothly, but for some reason, he never used it. Instead, he would use his even better laptop. "Thanks."
"Meh."

I wandered down the small narrow hallway until a white door was in front of me that read: 'CAUTION: DOESN'T PLAY WELL WITH OTHERS. ENTER AT OWN RISK.' I shook my head at the sign, typical Ryan, always wanting to stand out.
As I entered, I remembered the sign and wish I could stick another sign over that's says: 'BEWARE OF SMELL.' The stench was unbelievable, my nostrils flared as I made my way to his computer.
Popping open the CD drive, I enter the CD. For a new computer, this one sure did install rather slowly. Maybe it was because the game was so large; each and every file seemed to read as being the size of another game. Damn, this game was going to take up all the memory.

//INSTALLATION COMPLETE

[Start Game?] Yes // No

I pushed the Y button and the screen suddenly went black. I frowned, was the game really that big that it would crash a gaming computer fairly new?

It Is Time...

"Yeah." I answered, reaching for the shut down button. "Time to shut down."

But before I could do anything, over even come close to the button, the screen flashed, I don't remember what I saw, I only remember the comfort of darkness..

[VirtualPlay]

Well, since you already posted my sign-up form for me, I'll just go ahead in and post my actual post then. :P

----------

Mike Rampart
~~~~~~~~
I sighed. It was a boring day, too hot to go out, but not enough stuff to do inside. Heck, it was so boring I had already cleaned my room, and was thinking of going through and organizing stuff. Thankful for at least having A/C, I went down and got a can of Coke before going back upstairs to my room and waking up my week-old iMac G5. Once again I was glad I didn't get the 20" screen because the 17" barely fit on my desk as it was.

I signed onto AIM and MSN, but it did no good. Nobody I talked to anymore was online and available. Even Kelly was 'Busy' on MSN, which meant she was either playing a game, eating, or being forced away from the computer by her parents. I checked for Kyle, but he too was offline.

I was about to start up a game of StarCraft (OOC: yes, I still play that) when the garage door opening alerted me to at least one of my parents' arrival. The second garage opening almost immediately after confirmed them both home. I headed downstairs after setting myself Away on AIM and MSN and went to intercept my parents with a plea for food.

But when I opened the door to the garage, food was pushed far from my mind. My dad was standing there, and as I opened the door he held out a very familiar black box. The shiny silver words "Orichon Empire" stood out as he walked through the door and handed the box to me.

"Consider that a 'congratulations' for getting second honor roll all year," my mom said, coming in the door right behind him. With new found energy, I rushed upstairs, the sound of multiple "Thank you!"s echoing in my wake.

I quickly scanned the box and was glad to see that my computer was still able to play it. Quickly popping the disc in the slot on the side, I turned the box in my hands, admiring the artwork and screenshots. The installer automatically opened and ran, so I kept looking at the box. I suddenly realized the artwork was slightly different from the boxes I had seen. I shrugged and figured I just must not have seen this one. After all, Blizzard released StarCraft with three different boxes.

I checked again and saw that the installation would take "about half an hour." So I went downstairs and heated a corn dog, ate it, then went back up to find it already down to "5 minutes remaining." Overestimation in progress bars was a common phenomenon, and sure enough the installation finished less than 2 minutes later. Happily, I went and shut my curtain and closed my door, then sat down again, this time to a completely black screen. I waited for the apparent cinematic to start.

But it never came. Instead, I noticed a faint, blinking green light in the middle of the screen. Moving closer and squinting, I could just barely make out three words:


It is time.

Curious, I went to move my mouse, but suddenly found I couldn't move my hand, or arm, or any part of my body. The black of the screen spread over all of my vision, and soon I was completely unconscious.
~~~~~~~~

[Weasel Overlord]

~Bron Sen~

I’d spent about an hour at this hellish party my parents had forced me to attend, and I was beginning to miss my computer. The day before, I’d managed to get to the final chapter of Neverwinter Nights and I was eager to kill the Creator Race Queen, but to no avail. My plans for this afternoon had been foiled by my parents and this stupid party. Which was boring. I was already sick of the small talk between my mother and various family members that we hadn’t seen in years so I drifted off into the back room to find my father engaged with the TV.

“You’re bored too?” He asked wryly, a glum smile on his face. I nodded and plopped myself down next to him on the sofa. It smelled of cat pee. I wrinkled my nose and gaped at Dad, who had managed to spend the whole afternoon so far in this awful smelling room.

“Hey...” He elbowed me in the ribs, a big grin on his face, as he bent to examine a plastic bag at his feet. “It’s about six now, do you wanna pester your Mum to go home? I have a present for you...” He waggled his eyebrows conspiratorially. “But don’t tell your Ma.” I nodded eagerly and dashed off to find Mum. She was propping up the worktop and I had no problem persuading her that it was time to go. By the look on her face, I guessed that she was as bored as Dad and me. I dragged her out front, where Dad was waiting in the car and we set off on the ten-minute drive home.
I prodded Dad in the back, wanting my present, but he just shook his head.

“Wait till we get home, Bron.”

“Fine...” I sat back, sulking, as we pulled into the drive. At last. I clambered out of the back seat and ambushed Dad before he could get away.

“Here.” He shoved the bag into my hands before Mum could see. “Consider it congratulations for your exam results.” The week before I’d managed to achieve three B’s and an A in my exams, which I was quite proud of.

“Open it in your room.” I dashed off excitedly, wondering what it could be. I slammed the door to my bedroom and leapt onto my bed. Rustling and fumbling with the bag, I ripped it apart in my eagerness.

“Oh My God!” The mysterious present was no other than Orichon Empire, the game I had been pleading for since its release date. “Wow...” Shiny silver case. Game screenshots. Fantasy characters. It was everything I’d dreamed of, and it was mine! I almost jigged over to my computer. Wrenching Neverwinter Nights from its almost permanent home in the disc drive, I jammed the disc in and a large loading bar popped up. I groaned. 10 minutes! Too long, damnit... but after what seemed to be quite a short time, it finally installed the game. I breathed a sigh of happiness and prepared to have my mind blown away by the wonderfulness of this game. It had everything. Flying. Check. Fantasy. Check. All that was missing was my customary Druid character, but as the characters were completely customisable, I presumed that this wouldn’t be a problem. I’d soon have a kick-ass Druid at my disposal.

The screen went black, which I though was strange as it was usually opening credits appeared. Wait, there they were. Right in the middle of the screen in the tiniest letters possible. I had to squint just to make out the words.

It is time

“Strange...maybe it’s just the opening scene.” Then the words faded away into the blackness and somehow, my muscles failed to respond to the commands leaving my brain. I passed out, smashing my head on the corner of the computer desk.
My last thoughts were...”That’s gonna hurt when I wake up...”

[Plantae]

===
Joseph Faust
===

Light poured through my windows at six in the morning and I rolled out of bed reluctantly as I always did. Time for my run. If I waited too long, the hot sun would make it torture so it was best to go before the heat of the day reached its peak.

I lazily pulled on my running shoes and shorts and a pair of sunglasses, lathering up my bare shoulders with sunscreen since they were the only place on my body that was susceptible to burn by now. Some people jogged to music, but all I needed was the sounds of nature and the soft pit-a-pat of my feet on the pavement. After stretching for ten minutes, I opened the door to an already glaring beam of light from overhead and made my way down to the garage.

Sitting outside, as I had absent-mindedly threw them there, was a pair of ankle weights. I placed them on my legs and turned towards the exit of our driveway and the sound of the awakening birds. Today was seven miles, tomorrow ten. Running at these distances would prepare my endurance for the conditions of research in the wild and for my cross-country season next year. I had joined the sport after prodding from my mother, and only after.

I took off jogging at a little below my usual pace to keep endurance for the longer run ahead. Soon all the noises and the sights became a blur, a continuous humming rhythm that only the people that really connected with outside could find. I pitied the people who couldn't realize it when they ran, or walked, or biked, or even swam. It was such a beautiful way to summarize the entire experience of nature. I had almost religiously believed since the day I first recognized the hum, that that was the sound of everything growing. Before long, however, it disconnected to only subconscious background noise as I reached my own driveway again and hastily went through the front door.

I sat down to stretch my muscles to keep them from being sore and drank water from an icey bottle I had put in the fridge prior to the start of my jog in small sips. I drank in the air conditioning and the smells of the indoors. My mother's perfume floating through the artificial scent of fragrant cleaners, and the musk of my own sweaty body. Realizing I needed a shower, I quickly proceeded up the stairs and turned on the cold water.

The shower was refreshing and once I exited I took hold of my second passion. Gaming.

It was really almost ironic, some people had said to me, that my two favorite things were almost opposites. Really though, it seemed to make perfect sense to me. Yin and Yang, balance was the strategy with my actions. I turned on my computer which booted miraculously in just a few seconds, a gaming computer that I had worked hard for this summer and through my off period during the school year. The hard work made it all the more my own possession, and one of few treasured ones at that. The others included a book, "The Lorax," by Dr. Seuss and pictures of my mother, her boss, and I together. They were dating now and I really hoped that they'd get together, but I wasn't willing to make it a wish yet. Things could go wrong, and it was my mother's choice, but I had things to thank the man for. I'd be calling him father even if she didn't marry him.

Really, my possessions had to number somewhere under sixty in all. I didn't listen to music, I sold anything I stopped using, and all my gaming needs were met by rental or by just a few things here and there. This perception of my own material needs had made me give value to any little thing I had and question whether something was really worth buying. In this way, the next game I bought was meticulously researched until I finally knew that it was for me.

Recently, the one game that had come into my head as a possible candidate was Orichon Empire. I could see the black box and shiny silver lettering at this moment. Sighing inwardly, I fumbled through my disorganized top shelf looking for the case that contained my battered "Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne" disc. I had checked out World of Warcraft, but it hadn't been up to snuff enough for me to purchase it. Frozen Throne still caused some nostalgia. I had been almost on top of the ladder once. I gave a nod of remembrance but when I thought I found the spot on the shelf where the case was, my hand instead rested on some box the size of a computer game that I didn't recognize.

I pulled it down and glimpsed the silver "Orichon Empire" with glee before noticing the small post-it note just below it. It read: "Is it really!?" with the words (third person of you) just under it. I laughed, my mother was always doing subtle little things like that. Us imitating what the other would say was something of a game really, and I was glad she payed attention to our inside joke. Gleefully, I shut my bedroom door and made sure my bed was made and my room completely spotless and plain. I would be sitting here for many and hour surely, and the anticipation of quickly sprucing the place up while shooting glances at the box across the room made the experience all the more enjoyable. I would want to play a long time, and I wouldn't have anyone griping to me about chores, and noted in my head, "my mother" with a chuckle. Closing the blinds to cast a dimmer light on the computer area, I took my evil genius's chair up again and began the installation.

Some could be easily distracted when their computers installed things, but I enjoyed watching each little bit of percent trickle in, and so I sat there for half and hour until the silver illuminated bar on my screen completed. The computer asked on its window, "Installation complete. Would you like to launch the game?" I checked the box for "Yes" and my desktop disappeared to a plain black screen. Jitters of excitement went through my body as I waited. I would expect some sort of movie to introduce the experience, but the screen continued to stay black. Instead, a brief noise like typing emitted from my computer's speakers, and three words appeared one at a time.

"It," displayed the screen and I grinned, bemused. Surely this was their way of creating suspense and drama.

"is," came next and I rigidly watched the screen for the rest of the phrase instead of a petty linking verb. "Is the next word 'here' or maybe 'now'?" I contemplated.

The last bit of green appeared and the final word, "time." I let off a little half smile and waited for an explosion of light and color, the beginning of the game that should have happened long before. My body suddenly seized up with fear and I felt paralyzed. My mind suddenly knew deep in my subconscious that this wasn't just a game anymore. A droplet of black edge my vision until it dissolved all of it to leave only those words in a rectangle and myself completely focused on the small text. I felt a vibration go through me and the distant hum that was like what I heard when I ran, but different, more sinister. It was like some malignant elegy. The words disappeared as the last bit of black enclosed them, and my nervous system shut down. My last thought was those three words throbbing in my head...

It is time.

===

[Sheila Rae]

Wow, I had no idea the new board was like this. Sorry I didn't reply, I wasn't getting any email notifications. I've also been bugging Tsukasa to post. Here's my old post:

<|`Helen Shimau.f.16`|>

The silence was unsettling. I heard my heartbeat, a call of pain that that I had been deaf to. As the sunbeams filtering through the window become too bright, I turned my face to the eastern sky where I had let my dreams go. I did not plan on going outside today.

The time in my world seemed to be at a standstill. My hand reached out to feel the blanket draped over the back of the sofa. Without thinking, I pulled it into my arms, my thoughts on another day. I knew all too well things change; why then, strive for anything if it was just going to be in vain later?

The slamming of a car door broke my motionless wandering. My mother walked into the front door with an armful of bags. "Do you need any help with the groceries?" I called. I noticed that she had shopped at a few other stores in addition to the supermarket.

"That's okay, honey, I've got it." She reached into a bag from Best Buy and pulled out a box. "Daddy and I are really proud of your report. You deserve this," she explained with smile.

"Thanks, Mom," I said as I headed downstairs with the package in hand. It turned out to be a computer game called Orichon Empire. The box had a wolf and a phoenix back-to-back attacking and unseen enemy, and the title was embossed in gold lettering. I usually didn't take much interest in computer games; they were always too complex for me. However, this one looked more like a RPG that might be released on the Gamecube console. It also looked like the kind of game that Crim would love…
I figured I could try it out; if I got bored or too complicated, I could always quit, although I do feel an obligation to finish games and series once I start them.

I popped the disc in the drive and waited for the installation wizard. Hopefully, I would have enough space on my hard drive to install it completely. Surprisingly, I had just enough. I knew this might take a toll on my RAM, though. Because of the large size, the installation said it would take forty-five minutes.

For that whole time, I danced without music.

A small sound came from my speakers that signaled that the installation was successful. I clicked the option that allowed me to launch the game immediately. The screen blinked back and there was no sound. I patiently waited for an opening cut scene of perhaps a game menu, but nothing appeared. Then a small flash caught my eyes. It took me a moment to notice the small, green pixels in the center of the monitor. Squinting it order to read them, I saw the words:

It is time.
I slowly ran my finger over the simple sentence, as if I expected it to follow. I began to lean back on my computer chair, but I let the legs up too far and began to fall. Although I tried, my hands were unable to move to catch the edge of the desk. My mind felt numb; I could see nothing but blackness.

I make long and meaningful posts. Sometimes. XD;

[Fai D. Flowright]

Since KK was nice enough to repost my form for me already (thank you much), I will go ahead and finally post! ^_^; I apologize for the uber delay, but I've been a little busy (and kinda dry for inspiration too). Anyway, here's Jasmine's opening.


=/*\+-Jasmine Cavanaugh-+/*\=

"OH! One more left!" I swiped the last box from the store shelf. "Forty Bucks!?! Video games are becoming outrageous these days... What's up with that?" I questioned Liza, one of my shopping friends.

"No idea, Jaz, but are you actually going to BUY that overrated game?" She spoke as if it was the most cliched and unbelievable thing I'd ever done.

"Yeah! I mean, why not? I've got all this birthday money to spare. Might as well waste it on something that looks entertaining." I say that, because it actually DID sound like a great game! Excellent graphics, interesting plot, complex characters, and a completely original, yet realistic, world. What better game could you ask for!?!

We started to head towards the self-checkout counters at the front of the store. "It'll also last longer than that makeup kit you're getting..." She smiled nervously with a forced laugh. We got in line for the first available counter.

"Hey...... It was on sale! I couldn't resist..." I turned to her, and rolled my eyes back to the monitor. Tapping a couple buttons on the screen and sticking the $50 bill into the machine, I quickly got my change and receipt.

"Thank you for shopping at Meijer." The prerecorded voiced of the check-out played. I let Liza take care of her merchandise and I pulled the game out of the white, plastic bag. There were several creatures on the cover and the words 'Orichon Empire' were printed on the top in embossed, silver lettering. I flipped it over to see the game's system requirement. I knew it would fit on my computer (it was basically brand new), but I was curious to see what it needed. In the instant I saw the size, my whole body twitched. "Holy geez! 5 Gigs!?! What a huge-ass game!"

"I'm all set! Let's head out." I stuffed the game back in the bag and turned to Liza. The tell-tale voice from the machine confimed her finish as well. "Hey, what time is it?" She elbowed me in the arm and pointed to the pocket in her backpack purse with her cell phone in it. I pulled it out and looked at the display.

"Quarter to 5," I said, shoving it back into the pocket, "but why?" I hopped back in step with her.

"What!? Already! I gotta get home. Today is granny's birthday and we're going out for dinner. Give me a call later, 'k?" She grinned and ran ahead of me, only looking back to wave goodbye. She had a little longer trip back home than I did, but it was a good thing that Meijer was just around the corner from our subdivision. I decided to pick up my own pace as well, moving up to something just short of a jog.

It wasn't long before I was unlocking the door to the house. I was usually alone until mom got home at 6 (dad and Alex didn't usually get home until around 7 for dinner). I took advantage of this time stick my new game into the computer and get started. The Auto-wizard started up and began to load the game to the hard drive. It estimated 30 minutes, so I took the time to whip up a snack and check out what was on the tube.

Before I knew it, the sound of the game's upload completion echoed from down the hall. "Haha! It's done! Let's get this party started." I quickly flipped over the back of the couch and ran to the computer room. I jerked the mouse to remove the black screensaver, but it didn't change. "Did it start under the 'saver?" That would explain why it was taking so long for it to load. But it was then that three small, green words began to flash in the bottom right side of the monitor:


[color=limegreen]It is time.

"Yeah....Time for you to start.... Piece of crap." I reached out to knock on the glass, but before my knuckles could even make contact with the screen, everything went black; as black as the monitor I had been staring at.

In that moment, I realized that something more than I could have imagined was happening. No more shopping with Liza. No more annoying brother. No more summer vacation. No more of anything I knew in the life I had lived up until now.

[Krystalline Kabutops]

-^~\Kynine Frythine - Female - Aquakinetic - Lionfish/~^-

It took me a while to regain conciousness. First I became aware of my mind, and gradually, my body followed. The first thought that came to me was how sore I felt... Everything was a dull throb. It took me a moment, but I realized that I hurt in places that shouldn't exist. If the signals my extremeties were sending me were to be taken as fact, then I possessed a tail and a pair of breasts.

I forced my eyes open. It felt like they were made of lead, and it was quite the effort to open them. However, once open, I found it hard to close them, for what I saw was fascinating.

The first thing I realized was that I was floating in some foggy liquid. Moving my hands around, I quickly found the barriers of my environment. Through more exploration, I estimated that my container was a cylinder, about 9 feet tall and 3 feet wide.

Pressing my face against the glass, I looked out into the room I was in. It appeared to be an oval, with a door on the far side of the room. There was a lot of circuitry, pipes and controls along the walls, as well as some type of control center next to the door. The ceiling appeared to be an ovular dome, and made of glass.

The most interesting thing, though, was the fact that there were several other chambers just like mine. All of them seemed to have forms stirring in them as well.

I decided that I wanted to get out of this prison of mine. I don't know how I did it, but I soon had the liquid around me whipped into a frenzy. Soon, a crack appeared. Then another one. With all the momentum I could muster, I punched the larger of the cracks. I was rewarded as it spread farther along the glass. Again, I punched it, and this time I knocked a small chunk out. I stuck my arm out of the hole, as I rammed myself against the glass one more time. It gave, and I fell to the floor, supported by only my hands and knees.

All around me, others were doing the same. I coughed, hacking up some of the fluid I had been trapped in. It tasted chemical, like something you might encounter in a doctor's office, or maybe find under the kitchen sink. After I was satisfied that I had taken it out of my system, I stood up on shaking legs.

It was my first chance to see what had happened to me. Upon inspection, I confirmed several things. First, I was definately female, since I had breasts and no noticeable male organs. Strangely enough, this didn't seem to bother me. Second, I did indeed have a tail, which a quickly learned to control. It wasn't very finessed, but it was a start. Third, I discovered that my body was covered in brown stripes and dots, and I had several fleshy, antenna-esque appendages hanging from my head. Feeling around my head some more, I realized that I had jet-black hair that extended down to my waist. It was a novel sensation.

I turned my attention to the other creatures around me. I was happy to notice that I appeared to be the tallest. At least, that's what I thought, until I turned and spotted a pure-white creature that I could only dub a werewolf. By his figure, I could tell that he was male, and he appeared to be no more than a few inches taller than me. He was staring at me, and I felt very awkward.

I decided that I should make the first move. Addressing no one in particular, I said "So, do any of you know where the Hell we are or, better yet, WHAT we are?"

[Crystal Tears]

Shi ~ Bat-o-morph ~

The first thing I acknowledged was that my body was aching with this pain that I don’t remember having before. It ached, it even ached in limbs I didn’t remember having. It felt like I had another pair of arms sticking out of my back. Another thing was my ears felt funny, as if they had been elongated. Truly all these weird feelings were driving me insane, especially the feeling of floating in water.

That’s when I opened my eyes, slowly they cracked, and a fluid flowed onto them, stinging at first, but as I kept them open, they became used to the foggy liquid that seemed to float around me. I attempted to stretch out all my limbs but all six were stopped by what felt like a wall. Upon me actually trying to see what was stopping me, I figured out it was glass.
Slightly annoyed, I pressed against it with all my limbs, well, more so with my original hands and feet, the new limbs tended to slid, not having the ability to grasp against the glass.

But my attempts failed, this glass wasn’t going to break as easily as I had once hoped, and now, I was beginning to get nervous. I didn’t want to be trapped in this, Container forever. I wanted to be free.
I wanted to scream as loud as I could, that’s all I wanted. All I did was I open my mouth is wide as it could go, and screamed. But it was strange; no sound came out, well not immediately. Just as the water began to ripple in an odd sort of way, sound erupted out of no where, bouncing around the glass, I found it sort of funny.
That’s when I received a perfect picture of what was containing me, it was a tank alright. Cylinder likes, and from I could tell, it was cracking.

Echolocation…? I thought to myself. As I shut my mouth for a second. Thinking to myself about how this sound could help me. Apparently, it had cracked the glass; just like how Opera singers can break wine glasses with they’re voice. Well, its better then nothing... I thought. As I opened my mouth again, and this time, forced the most powerful scream I could create with little breathe I had left.

I closed my eyes, my cheeks were starting to hurt, but as I did, the image returned. And I watched, to an extent the glass crack, slowly at first, but as I forced more and more out; the faster it began to crack. Until I forced every bit of air out. It was dead silent for a minute, but then the sound erupted like a Volcano, it ripped around the tank and suddenly, My head was above the liquid, I open my mouth and gasped for air as I fell onto the floor, I could feel puddles of the liquid under me, and I could also feel shards of glass under me as well.

I cautiously opened my eyes. I was forced to rub them as they stung now from the liquid and the air. And to add to the pleasantries of this place, I spat out some of the liquid, it tasted disgusting, like my brothers cooking. That’s when I sat up. Looking just a bit childish, I sat there, looking around in confusion as more and more of the creatures emerged from tanks that were like mine. I blinked in confusion, but seeing as everyone else was standing up, I would to.

To my dismay, I was shorter then originally. I frowned, and that’s when I looked into one of the puddles of liquid. I was… Different, I nearly screeched in surprised as I looked myself up and down. I was covered in a dark brown fur, and I seemed to be subconsciously forcing myself to stand on the palm of my feet. I felt like I was going to be sick, all this was too much for me. As I looked at my hands, they were clawed, and same with my toes. What had I done to myself? That’s when I saw something odd in the corner of my eye; I looked over and grabbed it with my hands, and being stupid, yanked on it. I winced in pain as I realized whatever this thing was, it was attached to me. Wings…? I though in awe, amazement, and slightly fearful. As I stretched them out as far as I could, apparently, these appendages were a lot larger then I thought they were. And they seemed to have a stretchy material in between, giving them the look of stretched out arms and elongated fingers which excess skin in between, and from what I remembered, only one creature has wings like that... And it was a Bat. To add to the bat like features my ears were long and pointed, I personally thought it was cool, as they helped me with my Echolocation. Great… So I’m a Giant bat… I thought cruelly of whatever this place was, but that’s when I turned, many others were ‘hatching’ from the tubes. All wanting out, I titled my head and looked over at what was definitely a wolf based one, and really weird looking one.

"So, do any of you know where the Hell we are or, better yet, WHAT we are?" The strange one asked. I blinked, and slowly made my way carefully over there. They seemed to acknowledge me, which was a slight relief, other then they were both huge and scared the living hell out of me. Sadly, I shook my head, only knowing that I was giant bat, but I didn’t think that would help much.

[Arnen]

--~Nox - Male - Kryokinetic - Wolf~--

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that I was tingly all over. And tingly in all the wrong places. For example, I could not feel my boobs, yet a certain other place felt terribly, terribly wrong. That, and the fact that I was feeling something behind me, like a tail.

The next thing I noticed was that I was definitely not in my room. It felt like I was floating in some kind of liquid. I cracked open one eye and my suspicions were confirmed. I was suspending in some kind of oddly-colored liquid, inside of a glass tube. Outside, I could see the vague, hazy outlines of an oval-shaped room, and other tubes like the one I was in.

I wanted to get out. I banged my hand against the glass and saw that it was covered in snow-white fur, with claws. It was also huge, much larger than I was used to. I hit the glass again, but this time the glass fogged up and seemed to be covered with ice. One more good, hard punch, and the frozen glass shattered into hundreds of tiny shards, giving me ample space to escape. Or so I thought. It turned out, I could only fit about halfway out. I had to rip more glass loose before I finally fell to the floor.

The sound of more glass breaking and a bunch of thuds drew my attention. I looked around the room, and saw creature breaking from their glass tubes. As I got up from the floor, rather awkwardly, one in particular caught my attention. It looked like some sort of lionfish thing, with long black hair, and was obviously female. She seemed to notice I was staring, so I quickly averted my gaze. Then, she spoke.

"So, do any of you know where the Hell we are or, better yet, WHAT we are?" It wasn't exactly her voice, but more her way of speaking, but... She sounded familliar, somehow.

"Not a fucking clue," I said, shaking my head. I blinked, "Sorry," I appologized for the cussing, "Bad habit."

And now, the moment you've all been fearing.. Mors!

~Original Name: Can't remember

~Kinzoku Name: Mors Enahl

~Age: Unknown, but is guessing late teens (around 17)

~Gender: Male, can't remember what he was before

~Human Appearence: Can't remember

~Anthro Appearence: He's about 5'8, and of muscular build. His skin is a sick pinkish-red color, like rotten or burnt flesh, though it's as supple as living flesh. His head is completely bald, with an ornate black tattoo of Celtic design creeping down his forehead from the nape of his neck, where there is an ugly, round scar from a tube being inserted there. His nose is short and stubby, almost non-existant, with the nostrils at the top, revealing the red flesh inside. His ears are also on the small side, his small features being stark contrast to his large, vibrant red eyes. Around his neck is a puff of white feathers that could be mistaken for a feather boa. (think Sesshomaru and Balmung). His arms and legs are covered in coarse black feathers with no gloss to them whatsoever, as if they had been dead and dried. His wings, instead of coming off his arms in the conventional sense, split shortly below the armpit, almost like a seperate appendage but not completely independant, and can be wrapped about himself like a hideous parody of a cloak. He wears no shirt, as it is easier to function with his wings, but wears tight black leather pants. Due to the awkward shape of his four-taloned feet (three in front, one in back), he wears no shoes.

~Personality: He's mostly quiet and brooding, and absolutely serious. The guy can't take a joke, and finds doing such to be a juvenile waste of time. He has one hell of a temper, but can usually find positive outlets for it (smashing a wall, for example, instead of someone's face). Having no memory of who or even what he was before, he envies the others who can, even if they don't handle their current situation as well. He's also a quick thinker and problem solver, though he needs silence to be able to think clearly.

~Anthro Species: Vulture

~Brand of Kinetics: Necrokinetic

~Powers:

Natural:
-Flight: He can awkwardly fly for very, very short distances if he has to, but his wings for the most part do not function well enough for flight.
-Gut of Steel (sorry, had to XD): His stomach acid is super-powerful, so he can virtually eat or drink anything he wants and not get sick. This also means his stomach lining is extra thick, so all but the most powerful poisons won't harm him.
-Immunity: Kind of goes along with the previous power, in that his immune system is enhanced. Most illnesses are wiped out by it instantly, particularly those caused by festering wounds and contact with dead bodies.

Kinetic:
-Bone Weapons: A very basic skill, he can transmute any nearby bones (or dead parts) into swords, spears, and the like.
-Death Trance: His body enters a death-like state. While in this state, his wounds heal at an accelerated rate, but he is completely vulnerable. His breath is almost undetectable, and his body temperature will drop, making him seem a corpse.
-Zombie Minions: Threads his will into the gaps between the nerves of dead bodies to animate them. This is better done in small numbers, because they all follow the same commands and a large group wuld be cumbersome. It also works better with fresh corpses, because there is less power required to move them. He usually gets a headache of varying degree from doing this, though from one freshly dead corpse it may jsut be a slight throbbing.
-Dead Limbs: He can attach dead parts to himself. For example, an enemy has an arm severed. He could then take that arm and attach it to himself, anywhere on himself (like on his back or something; think Sesshomaru's arm).
-Conquer Death: Within the first minute after death, while the soul is still nearby, Mors can coax the soul back into the body, bringing the person back to life. This takes an incredible amount of energy and generally results in him going into a Death Trance for a week (for a human; animals take three days). Also, any wounds sustained before death will still be present, as will any diseases or toxins in the body, so this is best used with a healer present to remedy this.

~Relationships: None

~History: He can't remember anything about his life before waking up in Kinzuko. For all he knows, he could have been created there.

~Other: Has no pulse.


+--Mors Enahl ~ Male ~ Necrokinetic ~ Vulture--+

I don't know when I started feeling things. It just kind of gradually happened, without my noticing, until the stinging sensation became unbearable. That was the first thing I felt, to my knowledge. Like thousands of white-hot needles stinging me, just barely connecting, tormenting. It was hell.

It felt... strange. I could not remember anything. It felt as though I had extra limbs... But how could I know that? How could I know what I had or did not have before this, if I could not remember? Slowly my eyes began to open. I was floating, floating in something. I suddenly lashed out violently, only to strike a barrier. Glass. All around me. I was in some sort of container. And I didn't like it. I wanted out! I wanted air in my lungs... For the first time? Maybe.

Again I attacked the barrier before me. This time it gave, the whole thing splintering before me. I was falling, my head was spinning, and suddenly my shoulder hit the floor. I groaned as lances of pan shot through my arm and chest. Was that what I sounded like, I wondered? It didn't register in my brief memory. My eyes flickered open to see the spectacle before me. Grotesque beings, broken free of their glass prisons, as I had only moments before. One of them spoke, but the voice rang in my ears. The room spun, and blurred, went hazy, ad eventually, black.

So yes, vulture boy is unconscious XP

[Weasel Overlord]

Okay, sorry this is so delayed...I haven't been receiving notification, there must be a new system or something...
Anyway, I'll post for both chars again tomorrow, ok?


~Berle Tsyon~

I sighed and slammed the door shut behind me, thankfully shutting out the dreadful sound of my mother screaming at me to do the chores.

“Berle!” She yelled, as if I couldn’t already hear her through the floor. “Get down here. You’ve got the washing up to do!” Great, I thought. Stinkin’ washing up...

“Fine...” I replied under my breath, wrenching open my door. Today I’d managed to buy myself a copy of Orichon Empire, the game I’d been looking forward to buying since it came out to a hail of wonderful reviews. Well, it’d just have to wait, the tyrant was in control after all and she wished me to do chores. Fine. I could wait.

I sauntered casually downstairs to find mother standing at the bottom, glaring.

“You took your time.” She remarked.

“Well, I’m here now so you can stop bothering me and let me get on with the washing up.” Wow, I don’t think I’d been that cheeky to Mum since I was 11...I saw a vein in her forehead begin to twitch so I made a quick decision to scarper and get on with the job.

Filling up the bowl, I allowed myself to ponder Orichon Empire. The game had received five stars in all the best gaming magazines, which was strange for a new game. They usually got mixed reviews. But not this one. According to SFX, it was perfect. That in itself was enough for me to buy it. When SFX said something was ‘perfect’ then it must be.

Luckily for me, there wasn’t much washing up to do so I finished in excess of ten minutes. Giving the surfaces a desultory wipe over, I lobbed the tea-towel onto the oven and ran for it before Mum could give me more chores. She must have heard my door shutting and she advanced up the stairs to corner me, but not before I slid on the lock to my bedroom door, shutting out the world for my ‘perfect’ gaming experience.

I picked up the box and turned it around, examining the back. Screenshots. And lots of them. Wow, SFX was right...this game did look perfect. From the exotic races to the strange-looking world. I sighed happily and plopped onto my swivelly chair. My computer didn’t take long too boot up, it was lovely and new, and I pushed the disc into the drive in anticipation. It beeped and flashed and began to load. I sat back, expecting it to take forever, which it didn’t, surprisingly.

“Okay, let’s see what everyone’s been raving about...” I rubbed my hands and grabbed the mouse, and, pointing it at the ‘run’ option, I clicked. It began to load almost instantly. A black screen. “Is that all...?” I clicked on the screen a few times to no avail, when something began to happen. Words, in fact, began to type themselves.

“Huh, weird. What’s it say...?” I peered at the screen, my face almost touching.

“It is time...what the hell?” I shook my head in disbelief. I hadn’t heard of anything like this happening in the reviews I’d read. “It must be a dud game...” I reached for the disc drive when my head started to spin and I fell off my chair.

“Ow!” I rubbed my head and tried to sit up. But I couldn’t, for some reason; it felt like I was glued to the floor. After a short struggle with the floor, I blacked out. It felt like a migraine but my last thoughts were of the fact that I haven’t had one for years...

[Krystalline Kabutops]

Ok, I'm going to make an announcement and hope like crazy it doesn't have the usual effect of killing off all activity in the RPG. So, here goes.

Since I'm going to be gone for roughly five days (And the PM I sent to all of you should insure that the RPG will keep moving, if rather slowly), I'm going to give you the neccasary information you need to break out of the base.


First off, the room with our characters is in the center. The entire base is ovular, with the lab as the central component. There are three rings outside of the lab, and outside of those is a wall. Connecting the rings at the compass points are the sort of moving sidewalks you see in airports. Between the third ring and the wall, there is a vast expanse of metal. The wall itself is made of metal and is electric, but Jasmine should be able to deal with that while the rest of you blow holes in it.

Almost everything is covered in metal with intricate designs, including everthing North and directly East and West of the base. To the south of the base, less than half a mile from the wall, is a finger of forest. It leads to a vast expanse shortly thereafter.

Now, some things about the actual characters. First, the guards, without exception, will be crows. They are basically bipedal griffins, fully equipped by nature to fly and shoot guns. However, they all wear pure-white armor, with a black visor over their eyes, leaving only their beaks and necks exposed. You can describe them however you like as long as you keep those parts in mind. Also, their weaponry is almost any sort of high-tech, potentially dangerous gadget that you can think of, except for the fact that they use nothing involving bacteria, viruses, or any other biological component. There's a reason for this, which you'll see soon.

Now, there's going to be a lot of these guys, so until everyone is safely in the forest, you all have access to your full arsenal of powers. Use them effectively, because you'll have to earn them back as the RPG progresses. Please use Kynine as an NPC when you can until I get back (If the level of activity is sufficient to warrant it, at any rate). The alarms will start going off in less then a minute after the last person is freed from their tube, at which point you obviously fight your way through the rings southward, until you hit the wall, destroy it, and then get into the forest, where you'll promptly be captured. Plantae, don't worry, even though Kinzoku is mostly covered in metal, I assure you your powers will be applicable in practically every situation.

If I've left something unclear, please don't hesitate to PM me before I leave tommorrow, so that I can add it/change it.

Oh, and someone remember to slap Mors before the fighting starts.

[Prof. Jb Wolf]

Original Name: Zeke Asakura
Kinzoku Name: Kouen "Kou" Hitokage
Age: 17
Gender: Male (Both Worlds)

Human Appearence: Of Asian descent with tanned skin, black hair, and brown eyes. Average height with a stocky build and slight gut. Wears glasses. Normally dresses in a white shirt, blue jacket, jeans, and sneakers.

Anthro Species: Fire/Spotted Salamander
Anthro Appearence: Fairly tall, having grown to a height of about six feet with a slender, yet muscular build. His basic body structure remains mostly humanoid, but his head has been completely transfigured into that of a salamanders complete with tongue and fangs. Scales have grown all across his skin and are somewhat oily to the touch. Jet black in color, bright yellow markings wrap around his body, framing both of his beady black eyes and forming tribal-esque tatoos all across the rest of his body. Both hands and feet end in four fingered claws with slight webbing between his toe claws. A fairly thick, muscular tail grows from the small of his back, covered in the same oily black scales and yellow markings. Apparently he may have struggled in his anthro form, for when he awoke he was dressed only in undershorts with chains linked to his arms and legs. He retains the manacles about his arms, complete with broken chains, but later obtains pants that end about mid-shin and a long vest both tan in color.

Personality: Highly emotional and prone to recklessness, Zeke is a man of action. Influenced by books, anime, and games, he even keeps to his own code of honor. Though quite friendly, the teen has had few friends, but he has always proven very loyal to them. Eternally optimistic, he always tries to look on the bright side of things and is ready to lend an ear or arm to anyone who needs it.

Brand of Kinetics: Pyrokinetic
Powers

Natural Abilities

Natural Weapons ~ With the addition of claws and a tail as well as some enhanced muscles, Kou is quite capable of handling himself in a fight.

Toxic Touch ~ Kou's particular species of Salamander is capable of releasing a strong neurotoxic alkaloid. This alkaloid causes strong muscle convulsions and high-blood pressure combined with hyperventilation in all vertebrates. As well, if properly administered, it can be used to fight infections.

Heat Immunity ~ While being pyrokinetic already makes him quite resistant to heat, Kou is also naturally so. The two traits have mixed, making him immune to all but the hottest of flames.

Amphibious ~ Coming from a family of ampibians, two gill-like flaps on his neck allow Kou to breath underwater for a long period of time. As well, his webbed feet and tail make him quite maneuverable when underwater.

Dark Vision ~ Kou can also seek quite well in low/no light conditions, retaining visibility, but unable to distinguish between color in such conditions.

Kinetic Powers

Fireball - The most basic of techniques, Kou can conjure up a blazing ball of fire. At first he can only create ones no larger then a baseball, but over time and as his skills increase, he can probably make bigger ones.

Immolation - By concentrating on exciting the molecules around his body or a specific part of his body, Kou can cause the very air around him to ignite, wreathing his body in flames. With practice, Kou can use this same principal to create flames around his enemies.

Explosion - Exciting the molecules around an enemy or object, Kou can also cause a powerful explosion ala Roy Mustang of FMA fame. Being the anime fanboy that he is, he even does so by snapping his fingers.

Manipulation - When around already existing flames, Kou can cause them to burn hotter or lower as well as change their shape. He usually combines this ability with Immolation, allowing him to create massive blasts of flame or balls of light.

Relationships: Went to the same school as Jasmine befor ethe change and enjoys an acquaintanship with her.
History: May add to Later
Other: *Paralyzes Other before igniting a small flame on its butt.*

Zeke Asakura -M-
=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=
I sighed in defeat as the blade slid out of my character's chest and my brother's fighter raised it in victory. Another victory for the little boy and his nimble fingers. "C'mon boy, can't I play for just a litt-"

"NO!" He yelled at me from his position on the floor next to the couch. "We made a promise remember? If I'm already playing and you can beat me, I'll let you play!"

"But its been twenty rounds already!"

"They say twenty one is a lucky number!" Again I sighed, as I resigned myself to making another attempt to play my RPGs. That was my forte after all, just as these fighting games were my brother's. Sure the upside is my skills would improve, but it drastically cut into me finishing my games.

"Why don't you take a break?" The baritone voice of my father reached my ears and I looked up to see him smiling. "Your mother and I picked up something you just might wanna try out!"

"Huh?" A black box sailed upward and plopped into my lap as my dad leapt on to the couch beside me, picking up my fallen controller. Picking up the box, I looked at him. "What's this for?"

"We figured you deserved a reward after all that hard work you've been doing both at school and church."

Shrugging, I looked at the title on the box, figuring it was one of those old school games my dad was so fond of. Gasping in surprise, I was shocked to find the title Orichion Empire smiling up at me in gold lettering. Hailed as one of the greatest games ever created by every magazine and gamesite I went to, I couldn't believe I was holding a copy of it in my hands. All the stores I had checked were all out of stock.

"Your mother went looking through a few of those magazines that last time she cleaned out your room." My dad said, as if reading my mind. "We pre-ordered a copy some time back and wanted to surprise you with it."

Leaping to my feet, I yelled a quick thanks dad as I dashed up the stairs as fast as I could. Sliding past my mother I gave her a quick hug and peck on the cheek in thanks as well before stumbling into my bedroom. Booting up my computer, I slipped the disk in as soon as it was ready. Glancing at the box, I was shocked at how much space the game took up. That was almost all the gigs I had left of memory. But it would be worth it if half the stuff about it was true.

With the installation time being somewaht long, I began flipping through the box art, amazed at how detailed the graphics were. One picture in particular caught my eye of a massive lizardlike man with weird markings on his skin. I could have sworn it had looked at me for a second, but I put it off as a trick of the light. Then with a 'ping', the computer finished installing and I eagerly leaned forward as the screen went dark.


It is time

Blinking I waited for more. Seconds ticked by and still the only those three words burned green on the screen. Thinking my mom and dad had probably been duped with some lame pirated copy, I began to stand. For some odd reason I couldn't and as I tried I began to feel dizzy. Falling back, I felt as if I was spiralling out of control and soon the darkness enveloped me.

================================================== ===
Sorry for the extreme lateness, work's been killing me. I'll try to make another post tomorrow or the day after.

[Sheila Rae]

Here's my post. I'll be leaving on saturday and gone for a week...just treat Malaak nicely. If you have any urgent questions, you can contact Tsukasa, I'm sure.

As sensation slowly returned to my body, I felt a sudden jump in my lungs, as if I were choking. Liquid in my throat bubbled like barely boiling water. When I tried to take in air, it felt as if I were stuck, and the panic of being unable to breathe raced through my mind. With a start, I opened my eyes widely, as the same substance that was suffocating me stung my eyes. Because of the gushing slime, I could no longer close my eyelids all of the way in protection. From what I could see, the liquid was a translucent red. Air bubbles squiggled up to the top in small trails like dud fireworks. Slowly tilting my head back, I saw a metallic ceiling and a cylindrical glass shape. I realized that I was in a tank of sorts, captive in its wall.

Pressing my fingers on the glass edges, they seemed shorter than usual. I figured that the liquid was distorting my perspective, like the water of a fish tank. Attempting to take another breath and drawing insufficient air, I was abruptly reminded that I needed to escape these confines. I brought my shoulders back and pushed, as if I were vehemently trying to shrug off a sordid notion. I knew that I was not strong enough and that I would surely die here.

A bright light crept into my eyes as my shoulders suddenly gave and I felt myself falling backwards. Unable to break my fall, I momentarily panicked, until I landed on the floor like a clumsy bird. The liquid that had been surrounding me in the glass vessel, now in a scattered puddle on the ground, seeped through the cracks between the metal tiles. As I drew in my knees to put my arms around, an unnatural attachment blocked my motion. Taking a moment to examine my arms, I found that they had feathers…many, at that. They were streaked with red liquid like portly veins. On the top of my arm, there was a sort of down; finding a patch that was not stained with the tube's fluid, I reached up and brushed my cheek with it, as if it were a soft hand caressing my pallor.

I did not have a chance to observe any other mutations to my weak body, as my back ached with excruciating pain. I once again fell backward, but my back could not lie flatly. With a shaky and unsteady movement, I sat up, the pain boring into me. Slowly, I reached my small hands back to feel a feather in each hand. I ran my hands outwardly along the feathery line to discover two wings, symmetrical to those on my arms. Not wanting to know more, I curled up into the infamous fetal position and buried my head in my knees.

I heard a voice: "So, do any of you know where the Hell we are or, better yet, WHAT we are?" Not knowing the answer, I chose not to respond.

Helplessly, I began to think about my friends. "Will I ever see you again? This is too painful to be a dream. If I am separated from you two forever, I will regret it so much that I will never able to forgive myself. Like now, I think about you every day, and our happy memories is what has been able to let me carry on...Taka, Crim...I would like it if I could say to you even one last time—"

"Hi!!" The peppy, feminine voice from behind me shattered my internal silence like a mirror of fate.

"I love you!" I blurted, my thought falling off the edge my mind. I swiftly spun around to see a girl with bouncy rabbit ears and a body covered in white fur. Her purple outfit startled my otherwise drab vision. Knowing that my mistake was all but too real, I bit my lip silently. Did the desperation in my voice give away my seriousness?

The girl smiled in an odd, but genuine, way. "L-let me explain..." I said quietly. She sat down beside me, eagerly waiting for my continuation. "I love my friends. It may only be a platonic love, but it is just as strong as any other. You see, my two closest friends moved away, and I miss them very much. But there's something else, too. It's like a weird philosophy I have. I love someone until I have a reason not to. It's basically easier to say that I love everyone...but people so often take it the wrong way." I glanced at her for a moment, but quickly turned away. As usual, I messed up what I was planning to say. Feeling flustered, I flinched, waiting to her the response of the girl whom I had just poured out to half my heart.

Well, that was pretty fast, for me. (I am a painstakingly slow writer.)
KK, I have a question. It's not that important, I suppose, but how will we find out what our names have changed to? You'll probably cover it in your next post, but... *is too curious*

[Krystalline Kabutops]

Sheila - You can arrive at your name however you want. It might just pop into your head, or you could decide on a new name. Whatever suits your character.

Oh, and Tsuki's character isn't wearing purple. No one has any clothes yet, except for the guys, who have -something- to cover their crotch >.<

I'll get a post up tommorrow, I'm really worn out mentally at the moment...

[Krystalline Kabutops]

-^~\Kynine Frythine - Female - Aquakinetic - Lionfish/~^-

I looked around at the other people, waiting for an answer to my questions. I wasn't altogether surprised that no one could supply one.

I sighed, rubbing my temples, and sat down next to the large white wolf. He stared at me for a while. I broke his reverie by asking "Do I know you?"

He blinked. "I'm not sure... your cadence reminds of a friend of mine... But you're not a guy, so it couldn't have been you..." I perked up at this. "Actually, before I got here - however I did that - I WAS a guy." I made sure to say this in a quiet voice, so that the others, who were talking amongst themselves, wouldn't hear.

He looked at me for a moment more, and then said, slowly, "Kyle? Kyle Forsythe?" I fell backwards in surprise. "So you DO know me! But then, who are you?"

Before he could answer, a siren went off. Lights started flashing, causing almost everyone to hop up in alarm. Noticing the vulture on the ground, I gave him a swift kick. He came to almost immediatly, looking malicious.

"C'mon, sleepyhead! We need to get out of here!" He glowered at me, standing up. "Never touch me again, wench, or you'll pay for it with your own hide." I stood there, shocked and furious. No one had ever talked to me like that before! I was about to slap him when the sound of running came to us. The door was flung open by a squad of the strangest creatures I had ever seen. They looked like birdmen, wearing white armor of the sort you might find on a Japanese prototype robot. They had wings, and the parts of their bodies that I could see were black. As one, they pulled out some type of gun, and began firing what appeared to be molten steel.

Instinctively, I brought up my arm to cover my face. Not feeling anything, I looked and saw that I had conjured some sort of watery shield around myself. I looked over at the wolf (Whom I had deducted must be Mike) and grinned. With a screech, I plunged into the mob of birdmen, barbs sprouting from my elbows. Several of the others started fighting as well, using strange elemental attacks as well as their own natural prowess.


Meh... not my best work, but there you go, the fighting's started. Nab, I wasn't sure if I stayed true to Mors' character, so let me know if I need to change it.

[Plantae]

I would have pushed further on than this post goes, but I thought it was a bit lengthy already.

===
Daeuh
===

I had expected to wake in a bout of pain, limbs sore all over and finding myself collapsed on the floor from whatever had caused me to become unconscious so quickly and suddenly. As my mind floated just in between the fabric of waking and sleeping I saw those green words continue to flicker in my mind again and again. I had seen them many times now, as well as strange images of a foreign world and strange humanoids that looked remarkably similar to the screenshots I had seen while researching Orichon. They were stranger though, more real and more alive. It felt like an eternity that my mind floated in this strange ether world, like standing in the threshold of a doorway, and it felt like ages since I had last known anything but those shimmering green letters. That single phrase that I grew to resent in the captivity of my mind, imagining thoughts of home and our woodland behind the house, the swaying of the trees in the wind. Just when I was beginning to enjoy my trip down memory lane, a malignant flash of green did only slightly less than tear my eyes open.

My gaze was straight ahead and past what I knew to be some kind of glass lab tube, like in a bad science fiction movie. My eyes were almost blind though, blurred at the sudden focusing of my hearing. I strained my ears which felt odd, and I remembered a strange incident when I had met a deer in the woods. A deer that didn't run. I could almost touch this intangible thought of how I was somehow feral, but this was not my current concern. Deep in my mind where it had always been at rest, I hadn't hardly known it was there until it was gone. Suddenly, in the confusion of my unconsciousness, the rhythm in my subconscious was lost to me. The environment had been serene but suddenly I clutched my head and reeled as there came a sound, not like my hum, but the sickening buzz of machinery. How I had enjoyed video games seemed like a large sin suddenly and I felt the power of my love of nature overcome my need for that kind of entertainment for the first time in my life. The rhythm was gone from me, but from outside the tube I could hear it echoing somewhere deep in the distance.

Gradually I grew to notice all my surroundings and the strange stinging liquid that filled the tube as well as the life support that was attached to my limbs; metal gawked at me on the other side of the glass and I recognized a lab like that of some mad genius. Even so, while I could glimpse others struggling in tubes around me, I felt strangely serene. It was almost as I had been missing a part of my self and I noted my new limbs, the hooves of an ungulate and knoblike horns, with a single glance and a nod. I was acceptant that this was change and that there was no going back. As I stretched in a way made odd by the currents of the liquid in the tube, it didn't feel like some animal addition, but natural. It was almost as if this was something that could have been my own wish somewhere.

Regardless, it was obvious that there was only one way of going forward and I took the cue of the blurry images of others like me in their respective tubes trying to break free as a sign that it was my turn to do so also; the breath in me was waning and the underwater environment did not seem so ethereal anymore. I began to vigorously kick with my hooved feet against the glass but it did not shatter as I expected to. This panicking technique would not be sufficient to break it and I instead ran my hands over the glass. Concluding the bottom of the tube was its weakest point, I reared back and braced against the other wall despite the pain in my shoulders from doing so, and pummeled the glass just before the metal bottom of the tube with all my strength in three swift strokes.

The entire tube tumbled out of its metal lid and bottom and smashed as it hit the metal floor with immense propulsion and momentum from my kicking, scratching a shard of glass to my arm during the process and causing me to quickly but still quite wearily withdraw from the dangerous area where my prison had been reduced to sharp fragments. I slouched against the metal base of my tube away from the glass and breathed in deeply to settle my self, pursing my lips and drawing it in then as if through a straw, slowly removing the ache in the right side of my chest. Reluctantly I made my way into an upright position, surprised at my sudden loss of height. I watched as other beings that seemed to have been born in a similar way to my own exited their tubes or began conversations, but keeping to my former jail still gave a larger sense of comfort. I felt the sensation that we could be attacked at any moment, and whoever had placed us in these tubes would surely not want us to escape. One humanoid caught my eye, however, a bat expressing utter repulsion as she spit out the liquid from the tube. In wonder, I found that I could not taste the liquid remaining on the roof of my own mouth. Tenatively, I reached to where the glass had punctured my left arm and left a shallow cut, raising a drop of blood to my mouth and dropping it onto my tounge.

I tasted nothing and it was the only thing that had really shocked me so far. What had happened to me? I continued to survey the things around me in an inquisitive manner and suddenly felt a strange bit of malice I had never known was in me bubble to the surface. This place looked grotesque now, and the rampant destruction of nature that had to have taken place for this place to come up and running disturbed me. Scoffing in anger I turned to a particularily large piece of glass and saw my entire body reflected there. An Okapi, eh? I had expected to be some kind of horse, but rather, I was a relative of the giraffe. Laughing slightly to myself I thought, "A giraffe would tower over me."

I walked past several of the other creatures here giving a slight nod of acknowledgement to those that bothered look at me, and I heard several wisps of conversation. It was amazing what I could hear with these new ears.

Suddenly, one female (a lionfish anthromorph to be exact) yelled, "So, do any of you know where the hell we are, or, better yet, what we are?" My gaze locked on her for a moment before moving on. No sense asking useless questions like that. If this was anything like I expected it to believe, such an answer would only be revealed in time. Searching the vapid or distant gazes of each person with vigor I noticed a curiosity and intellect in one girl's eyes that baffled me. Her look almost seemed to mirror mine and after staring at each other for a second, we both looked away simulataneously. Tired, and attempting to concentrate, I sat down on the cold metal floor and folded my fur-covered legs in a crosslike pose, suddenly noticing that the only thing I seemed to be wearing was a pair of white undershorts. That needed fixing. Grimly, I brooded over just everything that I had witnessed and felt in this short spanse of time. Despite the shock of it to the average person, I still concluded that it seemed utterly fine to me. I had always had the naive dream of adventure, and now it seemed to have been granted to me. A different world and a different time, different people. Power. Yes, power too, because I could feel something elemental stirring inside me. My wound from before had regenerated with speed and was completely gone by now, and I knew that could only be the start.

As I pondered, I caught a wisp of conversation from over yonder. The lionfish humanoid from before was conversing with a white wolf animorph companion, and I caught the words from the Lionfish, "I was a guy." I listened more to the rest of the proceedings and gave a silent prayer to the people who had been given the same fate, and then rose from my resting place and crossed the room.

The hum was still annoyingly absent, and I needed something to tide me over and distract me. Taking one quick look at the lizardlike girl I had locked eyes with, I sat down next to "her" and started a conversation. "So, you aren't a girl are you?" I offered it with satisfaction, already guessing the answer. Though "she" seemed to be tolerating "her" new form, it was obvious after the information I had caught by the lionfish that this was one of the unlucky ones.

"No, I was a male before," he stated simply, but wondering how I had guessed so easily.

Offering my hand in a businesslike fashion, I rebounded before that tangent went further, "My name is-" I paused suddenly realizing the one that appeared in my head had not been the one I remembered. Shrugging, I accepted it grudgingly, and finished, "Daeuh Nyet." The reptile shook my hand, minute scales glittering in the reflected light of glowing machinery, but faced the same consternation as I had when searching for a name. However, we never finished as the entrance to our obscure abode was thrust open and armed and awkward bird soldiers entered with a chorus of "Caw! Caw!" They pulled guns on us and began to fire what resembled liquidized steel. A strange calm overtook me and nature came back to me in a roaring tide. The music of it had never been so loud and I was almost sure that it emenated from me, how fiercly it sang in my heart. Like I had been trained to do it since birth, I gracefully moved just a fraction to the left and avoided the blast of one white-armored bird with its black visor. Looking at the molten metal in disgust, I raised my hand and before I knew it caused a long thorny vine managed to spring from the thick metal ground and it shot straight for the ravenous bird that had assaulted me and whoever my new acquantaince was. My conversation companion had dodged slightly less fluidly, but I grinned as he thrust out a lithe female hand and another of the avian guard went smashing against the wall. It seemed these scavengers should go back to where they were more suited. Picking off the defenseless. The ravens, to me at least, seemed to have severely underestimated their prey.

===

Now that are characters are beginning a bit of a friendship, is it safer for me to refer to Berle as a man or a woman in his current state, Weasel Overlord?

[Krystalline Kabutops]

Ok... Green Lanturn's Time Limit is up, so if anyone wants his charcter, PM me. If I don't get any PMs from someone who's interested, I'll kill her off on Monday.

EDIT: The_Missing_Link has already claimed the spot, so there's no longer a vacancy =P

[Weasel Overlord]

Okay, My char's post are gonna be a bit staggered. I reckon it won't be as confusing that way, and it also takes me a long while to write out all these posties!
Plantae: You may as well refer to Tsyanaye as a girl...she's so easy going, I'm sure she won't mind! lol
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[CENTER]~Walker Boh, Geokinetic, Timber Wolf~

As my mind slowly arrived at the fact that I was conscious again, I realised that there was a great pressure all around my body, pressing against my skin in a most unpleasant manner. It felt as if I was surrounded by some sort of liquid, and my skin felt, well, different. I attempted to open my eyes and the tiniest slit of light poured in, tinged with red. I opened my eyes further to a rush of liquid that poured in, unwelcome, obscuring my vision and making me gasp. I soon realised the consequences of opening my mouth as the vile-tasting liquid flowed into my mouth. As the liquid flowed through my body, I became almost paralytic with fear. Drowning in this awful liquid, flowing through my veins instead of blood...I shuddered and shook my head. It seemed to clear my vision slightly, and I picked out vague shapes hovering beyond my limited reach, tinged with red as if they were drowning in liquid as I was. I felt a sudden surge of empathy with the others, and, seeing some of them struggle their way out of the glass; I began to think along the same lines. Thrusting out my hand, I felt my way around what appeared to be a glass tube. Sudden anger flared at the fact that I was being treated as a science experiment, and I embraced the rage, almost feral in its nature. It filled me to the brim and I rejoiced in it, opening my mouth wide in the semblance of a mad howl. I felt empowered, and I thrust at the glass with a newfound fury. I would not die in this place. My frantic clawing at the glass brought my hands and arms within my sight and I gasped. They were covered with fur. Thick, lustrously black fur tipped with silver. My hands were strange, shortened, yet finished with vicious looking claws. Upon seeing myself, I struggled even harder to be free from my tubular prison, even banging my head upon the glass. Finally, under my renewed determination, the glass cracked, allowing my new and awkward shape to tumble onto the ground. I shook myself, spattering the ground with liquid that flew from my new fur, and accidentally rubbing my paws over the splinters of glass that sprinkled the floor around me. A long shard drove itself into my footpad and I yelped, the sound alien to my own ears. Raising my foot to my mouth, I was sucking on the shard before I realised it. Teeth grasping and pulling until the shard slipped smoothly out.

Spitting it out, I gazed at my new paws. I was sat on the ground in a wolven recline, rump down and hind legs spread to either side. Surprisingly comfortable with my new form, I glanced at each of the others in turn, taking in their appearances and working out what sort of animal they were. There was another wolf, like me, only pure white and a little smaller, there was a horse-like creature that I didn’t know the name of, conversing with an armoured reptile that was reminiscent of a dinosaur, a trio of birds, a bat, another lizard, a rabbit, a cat, and a woman that resembled some sort of spiny fish. What a motley collection, I thought to myself. And they were obviously as confused as I was, the fish woman calling out “So, do any of you know where the hell we are, or, better yet, what we are?” Heads shook, so everyone else was as confused as I was...I felt slightly better for realising this, and I stood up, somewhat awkwardly, and made my way over to the vicinity of other people instead of wallowing in my mess. I figured that I’d say hello to the wolf, same species and all...

I shakily walked over, wondering whether it would be better for me to walk on four legs, and fell clumsily at the side of the wolf and the spiny fish girl. I would have flushed if my new body had allowed it, but instead I grinned ruefully up at the white wolf and his companion, who were regarding me with slight amusement tinged with sympathy. I guessed that they had experienced the same confusion with their new bodies and I opened my mouth to mention as much, when the white wolf extended his lengthened nose in greeting. Instinctively, I knew that this was the expected way for wolves to greet, so I extended my snout back, noticing with a grin that my muzzle was longer than his. I bared my teeth slightly, warning him that I was bigger, when he pulled away and swore loudly. My confusion obviously registered on my face and he laughed.

“I see you’re as ****ing confused as we are. I’m, erm, Nox? I think...But don’t ask me how I know...” He lowered his voice conspiratorially, “My name was Kelly...” His rueful grin showed me that there was something strange happening here, “I used to be a girl...” Somehow, this didn’t seem to surprise me, many of the creatures in this room seemed unaccustomed to themselves.

“My name’s Walker...Walker Boh.” I felt the same way as Nox, exactly how I had this new name evaded me, but it seemed ...well, right, somehow. Before I had time to think about this, a siren sounded and a rush of furious activity followed. Doors shot open and what appeared to be ravens toting guns materialised through them. Upon seeing the guns, I stood upright as quickly as I could manage in my new form and staggered towards them.

Something in the back of my head was muttering something about Earth...I shrugged gracelessly and prepared to be shot at. What exactly we were doing in this strange lab was beyond me but those ravens sure looked unfriendly and they certainly weren’t here for a welcome party. The rest of the group reacted instantly; they seemed to have some sort of hidden powers. I saw the reptile girl throw one of the birds away with just a wave of her taloned paw. Wonder ran through my mind as I thought about these powers. The ravens didn’t worry me, for the time being, I could easily evade their clumsy shots while I figured out my own powers. It was unthinkable that I had none, everyone in the room seemed to have different powers, but they were all there, controllable, and destructive. Some hidden instinct was telling me to kneel and place my hands on the ground, but another nagging voice was mentioning something about the floor being covered with metal.

‘Good point.’ I agreed with the latter voice, but kneeled anyway, the better to avoid the birds’ gunshot. I lowered my head and closed my eyes, settling my paws onto the ground, claw-tips down and palms raised. By merely thinking about it, I appeared to be able to make the ground shake. Raising my head, I bared my teeth in fury at the avian intruders and howled my defiance. The ground trembled beneath their feet and the birds seemed terrified of my howl, so I did it again, this time, glancing at Vox for him to do the same. He joined me in a fierce howl and some of the ravens backed away, clearly realising that they had get more than what they bargained for. They stumbled, mainly due to my tremors, I thought proudly, and the group rallied in the centre of the strange lab. Standing, I meandered my way over to the group.

“That was fun!” I gasped. The realisation of my powers had left me light-headed and gleeful and I could tell that many of the others felt the same way. “So, what do we do now?”

[Crystal Tears]

Shi~

Attitude problem... Was the first thought that had popped into my head as the rather ugly creature awaken from his sleepy state. I blinked, as the thing looked over at me. I felt a chill run down my spin, his stare it was just so cold. I was about to say something, but my whole train of thought was interrupted when raven like fighters came from the door. This just isn't my day... I thought, as the strangely armoured birds fired even weirder guns at us.

I watched one of the Ravens turn to me, an evil gleam in his Eye. He brought the weapon up and aimed at me. I didn't know what to do. The a lot of thoughts came to mind, but one stood out the most... Scream... Scream as loud and as long as your lungs will allow you too...
I opened my mouth, the air rushing in, and in. Filling my lungs as much as they could hold before they felt like an overfilled water balloon. Ready to pop.
The Raven fired, and all I could do was scream. But the sound never came, and neither did the shot, I managed to open one of my tightly shut eyes to see the shot disappearing, as if being vaporized. I shut it tight again, and that's when the sound came from no where, so powerful, my 'sound sight' allowed me to watch some of the others cover they're ears, but as swell see the invisible force of sound crushing the ravens strange armour, and then, making him fly back into the wall which such force it had to be dead.

The sound was subsiding, and I found myself gasping for air as my tightly shuteyes managed to open themselves. Falling to my knees, I don't think this was normal. I was supposed to use sound, but why had it tired me out so much? Wasn't I the one who was meant to use sound as a weapon? Maybe I shouldn't use THAT much air... I thought cruelly of myself as I watched the others who were forced to cover they're ears glanced over at me before turning they're attention back to the terrified birds who had in certain terms.. Bitten off more then they could chew.

Good job Shi. I blinked for a moment.. Shi?? Is that my name? I pondered over this, but no matter how hard I tried. I was un-able to remember the name I knew I had before this one. It was irritating.. But it became more irritating when these stupid birds wouldn't leave me alone. I looked up at one who had run over to its friend to see if it was still alive. Enraged, it charged at me. Genius.. I thought, as I took in an amount of air (less then last time) and screamed. The same process as before, the sound blasted out of nowhere, and as I watched from my Sound Sight, was slammed into the wall beside its buddy.

I looked at the bodies for what seemed like forever. I never had wanted to kill them, but it seemed to be built into me... Like I must defend myself.... Must kill those who threaten me, and... I looked over at the others. My new companions.

[The_Missing_Link]

Original Name: Rebecca DuPont

Kinzoku Name: Aleia Icaria (Ah-lay-ah Ih-car-ria)

Age: 17

Gender: Female in both worlds

Human Appearance: Rebecca is about 5'8" with long, straight brown hair down to her shoulders. She has deep blue/gray eyes and and a button nose. Her skin is a tannish color and has a strong yet subtle build. She will usually be seen in regular white tee-shirts with a brown leather jacket. She wears long blue jeans and blue sneakers.

Anthro-Appearance: She shrinks to 5'2" and her hair still remains the same color but flecked with blue and gray. Her eyes are now black with a yellow ring around them and her nose is longer and hooked with an incredibly sharp tip at the end while her lips harden and are a brownish color. Her whole body (sans her face, although it now has a brownish look to it) is covered with feathers: chest and legs white with short black horizontal stripes and her back and wings blue gray. While her arms become wings, her hands remain, although covered densely with feathers so it looks like regular wings. As for her feet, the sole of her foot remains although now she has sharp black claws: three in the front and one in the black. Although able to stand easily, it makes it rather difficult for her to walk now and resorts to flying more often (as one could imagine, shoes are gone now). She now wears a plain blue tanktop and stretchy (but tight) black pants, making maneuvering a lot easier

Personality: Think of her as the ultimate gamer nerd, obsessed with games like Ocarina of Time and the Mario series. Along with a player's pride when completing a game, she also has the intelligence skills to think things through but has a nasty temper when provoked. Her parents accept her gaming ways as she pleases them by playing sports, as many as she can handle at any one time. Aside from that, she's a fairly quiet person who tries to make everyone happy, but knows when it's a lost cause

Anthro Species: Peregrine Falcon

Brand of Kinetics: Aerokinetic

Powers:

Natural:
~Enhanced eye sight
~Flight (and thus being used to thin air)
~Diving speed can clock in at over 200 mph
~Claws can instantly kill a victim if struck in the right place and smaller victims could be beheaded

Kinetic:
~Wind Gusts: Creates massive gusts of wind, blowing the opponents away; ranges from breeze to tornado
~Wind Bind: Creates a massive draft used to pin down anything
~Temperate: Can control the temperature of the air around her, making it boiling hot, or excessively freezing. Also includes causing the air in the area to be thin, making it hard to breathe, etc
~Wind Blasts: Forms pockets/bubbles of air that is launched at anyone
~Weather: As air is an essential component of the weather, she can manipulate anything from lightning to hurricanes

Relationships: None yet

History: The only child in the family, she lives a pretty normal life

Other: Knows karate. Yay O-o



Rebecca DuPont/Aleia Icaria ~ Peregrine Falcon
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I happily skipped back to my room, clutching 'Orichon Empire' close to my chest. Ever since I first heard of it at the E3 '04 expo, I just knew I had to have it. What was weird was that it got perfect reviews, even before it was completed, and that I would even be interested in a PC game. I mainly stuck to Nintendo games, and fairly simple ones at that. Complex RPGs with expansive worlds and turn-based battles didn't excite me, but for some reason, Empire did.

I slipped the disc into my PC and quietly thanked my parents as the game started to install. It was a mutual agreement between us - I get good grades and stay out as much as I can and in return, I get the games I want. As long as they weren't too violent or sexually explicit, I was free to choose anything. I refocused my eyes onto the screen and was surprised to see the last of installation bar to fill up. A blank screen soon filled the area and for a moment, I thought I would be treated to an awesome opening cinematic sequence. Instead, three words appeared in the center:


[color=limegreen]It is time.

Ooh, suspense, I thought excitedly.
But no, that wasn't the case. Immediately, I froze up and as I tried to move, it felt like someone bashed something against my skull, making me black out.


I awoke with a groan but quickly shut my mouth as I realized water surrounded me. Opening my eyes, a translucent third eyelid slid horizontally across, making it a bit easier to see. Gaping around in astonishment, I found weird animal/people hybrids floating in glass tubes. Some were already struggling while others were still unconscious. Remembering that I myself was in a tube, I started to look for a way out and pushed against the glass. I only stopped short when instead of two arms and hands pounding the glass, blue/gray wings replaced them. I tried to wiggle my fingers and found them to respond, but it appeared they were well hidden within the feathers.
What am I? I asked miserably.
As precious moments spent in melancholy wasted away, the rest of the group awoken and only the break of glass brought me back to life. Looking down at my legs, I found claws replacing toes and a touch of the pointy nose/beak confirmed that I was some kind of predatory bird. With lungs failing, I shoved my feet forward, claws striking glass. Repeating the process over and over again with more force, it slowly started to break and chip, broken lines spreading far and wide. Then mustering as much energy as I could into my new nose, I struck downward at the cracks. It only took two more tries before I broke through, falling onto the ground. Sweet lungfuls of air settled my nerves and I rose to take a better look at everyone else.

We all looked like a ragtag bunch, different types of animals congregated together. I saw a couple of wolves, a cat, a fish, some other birds (including what looked like an unconscious vulture), a bat and some more mammals. Most of the group were talking to one another, probably wondering about how they got here and the new changes to their body. I also pondered these questions, but an alarm brought me to the present and the entrance of sentry guards made me take a step back. The peculiar thing about them were that they looked like birds, only wearing futuristic armor and carrying giant guns. Shooting out globs of melted metal, I dodged, but struggled to keep my balance. With only my sole to provide momentary support, walking and jumping were much harder and my only solace was flying. Feeling compelled to take to the air, I hurriedly flapped my arms and felt myself rise about the others. Feeling more at ease, my high presence brought some of the guards to my attention and fired off more shots. Rising again, a sudden instinct to dive and kill came over and with an inhuman screech errupting from my throat, I divebombed the nearest guard.

Suffice to say it was a thrill to dive at top speeds, dodging anything that came my way and shredding the throat of unsuspecting opponents, downing them instantly in a pool of blood. Only afterwards did the extent of my madness hit me full on but I had to shove it aside. It was a matter of life and death and I refused to be on the losing end.

[VirtualPlay]

Mai Krahm (F) - Psychokinetic - Cat

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the pressure, like someone had wrapped me up in plastic wrap or something. The second thing I noticed was that, in the fetal position that I was in, I felt my knees touching something I was pretty sure I wasn't supposed to have: female breasts. I almost didn't notice that it felt like I was wearing a fur coat, though by the time I had opened my eyes, I had realized that I was really floating in a tube of liquid; it stung my eyes for a couple seconds, but quickly passed.

In spite of the pressing dangers of possibly drowning, I took a look down at my body. Had I not been surrounded by this strange liquid, I would have screamed. Sure enough, I had somehow acquired a pair of female breasts, but what was worse was that my whole body seemed to be covered in some kind of fur.

It was around this time that I noticed my lack of air becoming a problem quickly. I looked around for some way to get out, but instead I saw other tubes around me. Most of them were shattering, even as I watched. I started panicking, thrashing around. I suddenly became aware of a new appendage, and I twisted back to see a tail poking out from just above my butt.

Now I really started panicking; maybe if I thrashed enough someone would help me. My anger was quickly rising at the thought of somehow being shoved in here to die, and all of a sudden I felt like the liquid was becoming a detached part of me. Without really thinking about it, I pushed all of my rage into the liquid, and I noticed a sudden rise in temperature of the liquid, while simultaneously feeling the pressure around me increase. I tried mentally pushing the water away from me, and to my great surprise, found I was suddenly no longer feeling it pushing hard against me.

That was when a loud crash disrupted my concentration, followed by the liquid draining from around me, with gravity taking over so that I fell towards the bottom of the tube. Instinct took over again, and I found myself twisting in midair so that when I landed on the small platform below me, it was gracefully on my hands and feet.

Finally free, I was able to look at myself in plain light. It was as I thought and feared: somehow someone had switched my gender, then spliced me with a cat. It seemed the only good part of all this was that my newly-acquired fur seemed to remove all need for clothing, as it was covering up the normally "private" parts. Looking down at the reflective metal I was standing on, I also found out that my face was basically a cat's, with the ears and everything else, though at this point that wasn't quite as surprising. What was surprising was the head of shiny, dark brown hair that was coming out of my head that reached a few inches below my shoulders.

"So, do any of you know where the Hell we are or, better yet, WHAT we are?" a female voice rang out through the room. I jumped off of the platform onto the floor and turned to see a group of other misfit creatures like me, some more humanoid than others. One that looked strangely like a fish-girl was looking around, and I guessed her to be the one who had yelled out. Just then something struck me as funny: that tone sounded like it could have been from Kyle, had it not been a girl. But then, I was a girl now too, wasn't I? Who was to say that wasn't Kyle. She certainly seemed off-put by the whole thing.

I was about to go up and find out, but she instead sat down next to a wolf-like guy, and I felt no need to interrupt. Instead I took to thinking about what had happened in the tube. Sitting down with my back against the base, I recalled the feelings I had had in it. I remembered feeling that I had somehow been controlling the liquid that held me, that I had been the one to heat it up, resulting in it's pushing outwards on the glass. It was like I had some new power or something.

I didn't get the time to think further because I suddenly had a vision of alarms ringing, making me stand up suddenly. No sooner had I stood up than real alarms started ringing, exactly as I had heard them. Was that…was that a power I now had as well? I turned quickly towards a door that, somehow, I knew was going to open. It did, and in poured an army of humanoid-birds, all-black with futuristic white armor on. As one they each pulled out a gun and began firing some kind of weird, silvery substance at us.

Without realizing what I was doing, I stretched backwards, and felt a sickening sliding motion as I realized (with a horrible jolt) that my knees were reversing. I looked back at them, realizing they now looked more like cats' legs. My arms also slid into a weird position, and soon I felt infinitely more agile. I was suddenly all over the place, dodging melting blasts that I never would have been able to avoid normally.

That's when I saw others doing amazing things. The fish-girl who had yelled to start was blocking attacks with a watery shield and attacking with what looked like barbs on her side, and some weird horse-like creature waved his hand and made a huge vine split the floor and attack another bird-creature. I felt my ears flatten suddenly as I realized some loud sound was about to happen, and even though doing that shut out almost all sound, I could feel the waves from the sonar attack that a bat-girl had used.

Letting my ears up again, I jumped over another blast, attached myself to the wall, then flung myself towards the bird-thing that had fired at me, scratching out his eyes with my nails, which I only just realized were razor sharp. Blind and confused, he dropped his gun, which I quickly snatched up, moved away, and turned back around. I stood up like a human again, feeling my joints shift to the right angles again. Holding out the gun, I aimed at the disabled bird-thing. I watched as the shot hit and…well…let's just say I was glad none of them hit me or the other humanoid animals that had been in the tubes like me.

I could feel the earth shaking and saw another wolf-like guy kneeling on the ground perfectly still. I realized I should have a power, but…what exactly was it? Nobody had told me, and all I had seemed to do so far was heat water and see a couple seconds into the future. Unless…

Unless it wasn't heating, but instead making the liquid move faster. Maybe I had some power that let me move stuff with my mind: a psychokinetic. Having no other idea, I thrust my hand at another bird creature that was about to fire at the fish girl, and watched with some kind of triumph as he went flying across the room, knocking out another of his bird-brained teammates. It didn't take long after that before we were rid of all of the creatures.

The wolf-guy who had been kneeling and shaking the ground came over to where most of us were and said, "That was fun!" and silently I had to agree. "So, what do we do now?" he added, looking around. I decided now would be a good time to check on my guess of who the fish-girl was. Quickly I moved over to where she was, looking shocked still.

"Kyle?" I hissed at her, making sure nobody else could hear. "Kyle Forsythe is that you?"
~~~~~~~~
I would appreciate it if you didn't have my character reveal herself yet, KK. Have someone or something else interrupt them, I guess.

[Krystalline Kabutops]

-^~\Kynine Frythine - Female - Aquakinetic - Lionfish/~^-

As I watched the last few of the ravens twitch their last, I noticed the cat girl approach me. Before I could say anything, she hissed at me. It took me a moment to realize what she had just said.

"Kyle? Kyle Forsythe is that you?"

I stood there, staring at her. I was shocked, and could only manage a few simple words.

"Yeah... Then... You... Kelly?"

Before she could respond, a speaker overhead buzzed to life. A cold, malevolent voice emanated from it.

"The subjects in lab E7 have escaped. Commence lockdown. All soldiers, fortify at points A3, K1 and V4. They must not escape."

"Damn... That doesn't sound good." I muttered, pulling the armor off of one of the ravens. I donned as much of it as I could, which really wasn't much. The helmet, a small chestplate, a skirtlike bit that fit snugly around my waist, and the gloves were all that would really work. I grabbed a gun that had been dropped, surprised at how heavy it was. Turning towards the others, I saw them staring at me. I frowned.

"Come on! Get whatever you can, 'cause we're busting out of here!" I tried to do a dangerous-looking pose that I had once seen in an anime, but only succeeded in falling over backwards. Someone (Actually, several someones) started chuckling, but everyone started gearing themselves up nonetheless.

I stood up, trying to keep ahold of whatever dignity I had left. Stepping out into the hallway, I saw an area further down that had windows. Instinctively, I ran towards it, and took a shot at the window. The molten bullet shattered it, and I hopped outside.

The first thing that I noticed was that it was night. The second thing was that the large space I was now in was essentialy nothing but metal, and the third thing was that there was a very large number of raven-guards staring at me. Oh, and it seemed that the others hadn't yet exited the hallway, or for all I knew, even left the room.

"Shit..." I muttered, creating the water-shield once more, as a hail of metal began to pelt me. "Guys, get your asses out here, I need some back-up..."

For a moment, the shots lulled, as the ravens reloaded. For all I knew, this could be my only chance. I decided to take it. I dropped my shield and ran at them, causing quite a few to look up, surprised.

I stabbed the first two I came to with my barbs, which went through their armor with ease. They shrieked, and fell to the ground, apparently having seizures. I was about to move onto the next pair when a shot hit me in the chest.

"FUCK!" I yelled, falling to the ground, one hand holding my throbbing left breast beneath my armor. The shooting stopped, although the guards still had their guns aimed at me. I clenched my teeth and shut my eyes, not wanting them to see me cry. I was so frustrated and angry. Here I was, taken away from my family, placed in a strange body, and now I was the target of all these scavengers. I wanted to scream, to kill all of these birds, to do something that would let me vent. At that moment, lightning flashed, and I heard a clap of thunder. Immediately, raindrops began pitter-pattering on my helmet, my skin, and all the guards nearby. Slowly, I stood up, my legs shaking but my eyes as cold as the air around us.

"It looks like you guys like to pick on girls." I said, dropping my gun. "Well, now it's my turn to pick on you." Before they could react, all the water around us flew at them. They were quickly engulfed in a gigantic watery orb, which I lifted into the air. At just that moment, the rest of my fellow escapees appeared through the window. The white wolf whom I took to be Mike hopped out and pointed a hand at the mass of birds and water. They froze, and plummetted to the ground with a loud thud.

I grinned weakly, happy that we had succeeded this far. Abruptly, my legs gave way, and I fell to the ground. The others rushed over, crowding around me, as Mike and Kelly held me up.

"Kyle, are you okay? What happened?" They said together, looking at me worriedly. I winced. "Nothing, it's nothing... I just got hit in the chest by one of those weird bullets." They looked at my chestplate to confirm this, and flinched. "That bad, huh?" I asked, doing my best to sound cheerful. The vulture spoke just then, cutting off their responses.

"Well, as Kyle here has kindly demonstrated, we need to work as a team to get out of here. The wolves, falcon, rabbit, salamander, and myself will lead, and take care of the frontal assault. The rest of you, back us up. Except, that is, for you two-" He pointed at a komodo dragon and a dove. "Who need to help Kyle."

With that, he lead his group off in front, making sure the rest of us followed. I looked at the two females supporting me, and smiled weakly.

"Hi..."

[Arnen]

--~Nox - Male - Kyrokinetic - Wolf~--

I grinned ruefully. So now I was taking commands from a vulture. He did have a point, though -- it made more sense to work in groups. I was just concerned about Kyle, I didn't like the idea of him (her now, I guess) being hurt and not being able to do anything about it. But Vulture-boy looked like a bad guy to mess with, so I decided not to object.

It only took a moment to find a helmet and chestplate that would fit my new form. With slight difficulty, owing to my new claws and not wanting to break anything, I managed to slip on the armor, but I couldn't seem to spot a weapon that would be of use. Fists clenched, fangs bared in a grimmace, I thought. Kyle obviously had water powers, Mike some kind of mind powers, and the wolf who had introduced himself as Walker seemed to have earth powers. I held up my hand, deep in though, and a spike of ice shot from it. I cracked one eye open, pleased, and saw it bury deep into one of the metal walls.

"Ice... Sweet..." my now somewhat gruff voice echoed gratingly in my helmet, but I ignored it. I heard someone yell and ran forward, on all fours, as seemed natural to my new body.

Skidding to a halt where the others were fighting another horde of the raven-griffon guards, I squared off with a particlarly large raven, snarling menacingly. It charged, holding a spear in front of it. Stepping quickly to the side, I wrenched the spear from its taloned hands and swung it around, delivering a sharp thump on the head, wondering the whole time how the hell I could end up in such a situation.

+--Mors - Male - Necrokinetic - Vulture--+

"Well, as Kyle here has kindly demonstrated, we need to work as a team to get out of here. The wolves, falcon, rabbit, salamander, and myself will lead, and take care of the frontal assault. The rest of you, back us up. Except, that is, for you two, who need to help Kyle." Such a dissorganized lot.. Well, this said, I looked about the room in search of something to use as a weapon or armor. Finding nothing that would fit, I glanced over at the corpse of one of the raven guards. Acting on impulse, I strode over and knelt down and promptly ripped off its black-feathered arm. It made a sickening, yet satisfying, wet crunch, as blood began to gush into a pool on the floor, staining the glossy feathers.

I stared at the arm in my hand, transfixed. I felt a power flow through my hand and into the severed limb, and as I watched, it began to morph, with much pulsing and squelching, into a crude sword of sorts, made of bone, yet covered in pulsating muscle and ornamented with raven feathers. I turned it over in my hand. Yes, this felt natural.

Standing, I ran back to where the others had begun fighting, the bat girl catching my eye. One of the guards was creeping up behind her. That wouldn't do.. Brandishing my sword, I lunged forward, catching the griffon between a gap in his armor.

Not the best posts, but.. *is jabbed in the ribs by CT* ><

[The_Missing_Link]

Aleia Icaria - Female - Aerokinetic - Peregrine Falcon
-----------------------------
After the group disposed of the guards did I realize what I'd accomplished. All of my victims' throats were slashed, some even bordering on decapitation. I turned away and gave a dry heave, but nothing more. My instincts had become that of a falcon, but there was nothing I could do about it. I would have to learn how to adapt to these changes and use them to my advantage.
"The subjects in lab E7 have escaped. Commence lockdown. All soldiers, fortify at points A3, K1 and V4. They must not escape."
Nobody panicked, but the fish starting nicking armor off of the guards. As much as I didn't want to do it, I followed suit and managed to find a helmet and breastplate to fit over my body, although it was a bit of a hassle to move my wings around. They seemed more flexible, but with hidden hands, it was hard to manage. At least I didn't need it to cover my private areas, as the feathers did that just fine.

The fish went ahead after failing to do some stupid pose and shot a bit of metal at a window farther down into the hallway. Shattering it, she jumped out and was obscured from our view. We soon heard a yelp and her cries to get our asses over to help her but when we got there, we saw a group of guards contained in a large water bubble while rain was hitting a metal ground. She noticed our looks and let the orb falls, knocking the ravens unconscious. They all went over to her and asked if she was alright, although calling her Kyle in the process.
If she's a girl, why are they indicating that she's a guy? I questioned. Unless he was turned into a gir- oh god, that's just cruel! I wonder if there were others that had their gender changed.

I didn't have time to find out because the vulture starting taking control and ordered us into attacking groups - me, the wolves, the rabbit, the salamander and himself in front and others backing us up; the komodo dragon and dove would be helping the fish to heal or guard him/her. As soon as we gotten ourselves organized, more guards started coming at us from the window, with the guards from Kyle's bubble starting to come to their senses. Standing next to the black and gray wolf (Walker Boh), I drummed my claws in excitement, the lust for battle growing.
"It's a beautiful day for battling, isn't it?" I smirked and hopped over to the nearest guard.
Raising his gun to strike, I felt the need to do more than attack with my claws. Holding a wing in front of my face, I felt the air surrounding the two of us grow thin. While I felt no effect from this newly found power, I guard gasped for air. Too panic-stricken to run outside of my limited area, he fell to his knees before collapsing altogether, eyes rolled into the back of his head. I didn't have time to find out if he died or not because the guard behind him noticed his comrade's demise and shot melted metal at my breastplate. Reeling back, I tried to breathe but the air was knocked out of me. Now I knew those guns weren't to be toyed with.
------------------------------
OOC: WO, I wanted Aleia to be friends with Walker but it was too late to put it in my sign-up post. I also love the Shannara series and thought Walker Boh was one of the best characters

[Crystal Tears]

Shi - Bat-o-morph

I turned sharply as I heard a sharp screech from one of the ravens. I was surprised to see it stabbed by the Vulture morph. I blinked, as a cruel smile appeared on the mutants face. He lifted up the bird, which was now calling out frantically for help. I blinked, dumbfounded at the vulture. He nodded at me, seemingly giving me a signal to strike. I nodded back at him before I turned to the raven.

The ravens face was imprinted into my sonic sight as I unleashed a powerful blast of sound. I could hear his scream slightly, but it was blown away at the sound came from nowhere and blasted him away, crushing his pathetic armour and helmet.

I opened my eyes to find I gotten rid of the problem, but had also belt the vultures sword, I smiled, rather embarrassed, but the vulture didn't seem to mind. Though his slightly annoyed glare kind of got to me.
"Sorry?" I replied. He shook his head before ripping another sword from a dead ravens body.
"Sorry doesn't matter. Just hurt something..."
"Right... Sorry.."

I turned, there were so many. And they all seemed angry. Exactly what had we done to get them so angry? Other then blasting our way out of the tubes, and killing the others that had grinned evilly at us inside the building...
Sorry... I thought, as I open my mouth and blasted another large sound blast into a group of them, it forced them back, the closer ones died of their helmets being crushed into their skulls, or their chest plates crushing their ribs into hearts and lungs. Really Sorry...

I looked over at the vulture morph he had no problem killing. He just went up to them and bashed them all to hell. Stabbing, tearing, ripping... I didn't want to see it anymore.. I didn't want to be here.. I wanted to go home, wherever that was.. I wanted to be alone, no more fighting.. No more anything..
"No more... " I whispered to myself, as I looked up at the cruelty emerging everywhere. So many were dying.. So many being hurt... I hated it.. "I don't want to see it..."
Darkness... That's all I want... Make the light go away... My thoughts seemed to echo onto the battlefield, as I open my eyes, a dark energy exploded from me, covering the battle scene in a darkness that seemed to be stuck. The stars, lights, anything emitting light was gone. Disappearing and soon enough. It was totally silent. And Dark. Really, really dark.

"What the hell?" Someone called out, as the battle stopped. I could hear the Ravens, they were tripping, stumbling over one another. for some reason, this aura seemed to affect they're night vision.

"Oops.." I said rather loudly...

"Hey bat girl! What did you do?!?"

"I uhh.." I stalled and looked over in the direction of the person's voice. Letting out a quiet sound blast, I could see it was the wolf. I couldn't tell which one. But it seemed annoyed... "Sorry!!!"

~~

>.< Postedness.

[Weasel Overlord]

[CENTER][COLOR=orange][SIZE=1]Tsyanaye Jhuye ~ Neurokinetic ~ Komodo Dragon

My eyes opened, seemingly of their own accord, to take in the strange scene that lay before me. Tubes. And lots of them, containing, I assumed, creatures like myself. Although, on second thoughts, I didn’t notice at first, but I had changed. And somewhat drastically, too. Examining my hands, I saw that they had grown vicious looking claws. Not only that, but they were covered with tiny glimmering scales, highlighted with red, presumably from the liquid that was surrounding me. I flexed my new claws experimentally, finding them responsive as I had expected. I began to think about a way of escape from this restricting tube, when, paused by a new sensation, I realised that I only had to think it, and I would be free.

Testing this new power, I closed my eyes against the pressure and thought. Glass, cracking. A flaw in the material that allowed me to be free. I exploited this flaw, feeling with my attuned mind the exact place, and remembering. Thrusting out a clawed hand, I focused all my persuasive thoughts onto that one flaw. Persuading it to be broken. To shatter and grant my freedom from this awkward prison.

It started with a hairline crack, and I concentrated harder. The crack became a hole, which rapidly leaked red. The hole became a huge fissure in the glass, which finally gave in to the forces of nature and dispersed my new clumsy body onto the hard ground with a flooding of liquid.

The liquid, to my surprise, ran off my scales like water off a duck’s back, leaving me perfectly dry in an instant. As I flopped onto the gleaming floor, my eyes locked with another creature such as myself. This one took the form of some sort of deer-like mammal. I wasn’t quite sure why I referred to him as mammal. I was only aware of our vital differences.

Myself scaled, cold-blooded, reptilian. The...my mind strained for a moment...Okapi, that’s what species it was, warm-blood, fur, dependant on heat. Ah yes, we were not so different after all. I felt a slight bonding with the strange creature and resolved to get to know him better. For now, however, my powers and my new body were the most pressing matters.

For a reason unbeknown to myself, I had...female appendages...This caused a moment of surprise as I adjusted, running my hands across my body.

Curvier, but still sufficiently muscled to be strong. I had also appeared to grow a tail. A long and clumsy thing it seemed, but something deep inside myself whispered balance. I was inclined to agree with it, so I stood, testing the theory.

The inner voice was correct. The tail was perfect for balance, and I lost any feelings of clumsiness as I found my way to my feet. Now that I had tested my theory, my muscles felt a little tired, I presumed from a lack of movement while being captive in the tube, so I flumped down comfortably, wondering what to do next.

I was still pondering when the Okapi boy came and positioned himself next to me, in an effort to talk. He very astutely pointed out that I wasn’t a girl, which I didn’t know whether to be surprised about. So, I thought, others can tell.

“No, I was male before.” The simple statement summed up what the transformation meant to me. It was an opportunity, and I wasn’t exactly bothered about the implications.

He offered his hand, then obviously thought better of it and offered his name instead. This with a slight hesitation, as if he didn’t know where exactly this name came from.

“...Daeuh Nyet.” His hand still extended, I thought best to grasp it in an offer of friendship. Although, upon thinking of my name, my usually tuned mind failed me slightly before proposing the name. Obviously, a look of confusion had passed my face as I noticed recognition on Daeuh’s, but before I could say anything, Sirens sounded and a bustle of activity began.

Daeuh had no problem dodging the metal of the bird-like creatures that had entered the room, and he seemed in his element as he conjured thorns form the metal. I didn’t stop to wonder, aware of my own powers suddenly, sharp like a cut. I knew that to push out my hand, like so, forced whatever I willed out of my way. It had already worked once in the confines of the glass tube and I had no doubts that it would fail me now.

Focusing my thoughts, I thrust other ravens out of the way before moving forward slightly, when a flash of thought hit me. Metal! Coming my way too fast to dodge. I threw up my hands in a protective motion and braced for the pain of impact. When there was none, I opened my eyes, previously screwed shut, and glanced at the floor. The bullet lay, harmless, and I...I was encircled by a globe, shimmering green and translucent. A shield. Just another of my powers, it seemed.

I looked up in astonishment to find Daeuh staring at me and the ravens vanquished. I let the shield drop as I would let a cloak fall away, and began to pay attention to the other creatures around me. One that seemed to be aquatic...Lionfish, my mind spoke, was giving orders while looting a raven carcass. She tugged on armour and struck a pose, looking somewhat foolish. I sniggered quietly, and glanced back at Daeuh.

Holding out my hand in a parody of himself, I grinned.

“The name’s Tsyanaye Jhuye. You can call me Tsyan if it’s easier!”

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

YAY!! Another Walker fan! Consider yourself Walker's friend! And mine too, if you like Walker Boh!

[Prof. Jb Wolf]

This is just a quick message until I can get my actual post up - 'rents remodeled my room and I couldn't use the net for the last couple of days. My post will be up soon after this one!

[Plantae]

= Daeuh =

I did not take kindly to being ordered around, but tolerated it with little resistance as the Vulture was somewhat correct. Teamwork was likely vital to us surviving this encounter and escaping the lab. With the hobbling Lionfish in tow, I followed through the window he/she had broken with a molten bullet and into the night air.

Outside the lab (by the fastest way no doubt) the landscape was coated in a thick plate of metal. In fact, everything but the dark and starless sky above seemed to be of some alloy. A bright moon shone downwards and was reflected tenfold across the great metal plain, and we rushed ahead with Avian guards still coming at us from the sides and behind.

It was an equal effort to repel them, no doubt, but as we went further and further onward it seemed more the rear guard's job (and consequently mine) to repel the remaining guards. Wave after wave came, but our powers made the process of elimination efficient and easy and I was not surprised to see the ground rife with holes from my numerous plants poking through. Reviving these ancient seeds didn't seem like very hard work, but as we came over a rolling hill I noticed a small sliver of forest in the distance. As I first gazed at it, I suddenly felt just a little of my power disappear.

"We should take shelter there!" I shouted it loud and clear and pointed in the direction to anyone who hadn't noticed and manipulated my sentient plants with the other. The response was greeted with mutual agreement among each of us, a nod from the vulture in particular. Faster than before we began to pick up the pace. Hopefully, fleeing to this natural outcropping in such an artificial world might give some manner of shelter. Or, as I thought as we began to draw closer and closer to the dark trees, it might put us somewhere worse. I crossed my fingers.

It seemed our only option, however, as the attacking legions of crows seemed endless. We needed to do something more than run soon and this finger of woodland looked slightly more inviting than gleaming steel.

===

[Krystalline Kabutops]

-^~\Kynine Frythine - Female - Aquakinetic - Lionfish/~^-

The two seemed reluctant to talk. I realized that it was probably because Vultureboy had called me Kyle, and they'd pieced it together. I'd have to find a remedy to this as soon as we were somewhere safe, where I could think.

The others successfully obliterated every platoon of crows that came at them; it seemed that their numbers were endless. Slowly, I realized that we were aiming towards a small stretch of woodland, but on the horizon I could see it broadened. When we finally entered the forest, a sense of calm surrounded me. We were safe now.

After perhaps fifteen minutes of speed-walking through this lush, green realm, someone up front gave a gasp. I heard a body fall to the ground, and then someone yelled "Scatter!" My two supports deserted me, fleeing in opposite directions and causing me to fall. In moments I was alone in the dark glade, save for the large white wolf that had been hit. I noticed him breathing, and let out a sigh of relief. If it really was Mike, I was glad that he wasn't dead.

Shadows started falling from the trees. Well, not really falling, more like jumping out of. There were five or so around me, and probably more out hunting the others. They kept to the shadows, but I could hear them talking.

"What is it?" "I don't know, it's like nothing I've ever seen." "Do you think it's one of their experiments?" "It looks hurt..." "Ach, shut up! We need to get it back to Kharolis, along with the rest."

Before I knew what hit me, a hood was pulled over my head. I was expertly bound at the ankles and wrists, and then slung over someone's back. I didn't struggle, knowing that I hadn't a hope of getting away from five of these creatures. Eventually, I sensed a change in the air. It was humid, yet cool, and smelled of dirt and other organic scents. Somehow, I knew we were underground.

After about an hour of being carried, I was laid roughly down on a floor that I could tell was hard-packed dirt. My hood was taken off and my bindings untied, and I got my first look at our captors.

They wore loose, hooded robes. Most were gray, but I spied some bringing the others in that were blood-red. They were all shapes and sizes, and ranged from lizards to birds to bats, with one common thread; they all had wings.

I directed my attention at the others, and noticed that several (mostly the more combative ones) were out like lights. A few, like me, were awake but uncombative. Kelly the cat, the dove, and the bat were all awake, and some others were coming to. Once the figures in robes had deposited everyone, the tallest looked at Kelly. He looked like a bald eagle, and Kelly seemed to shiver a little as he said, "Kharolis'll be down to interrogate you all before too long. Don't try to escape, or we may have to imprison you more... forcibly."

There was more than a hint of menace in his voice. We heard noises coming from outside the room, and the creatures all departed, the door sealing itself behind them in a circular fashion. It resembled a living membrane, and it was only then that I realized what a strange place we were in. The floor was compacted dirt, but the walls and ceiling looked to be made up of a mass of vines. I stuck a finger into them experimentally, and wasn't surprised to find the mass tighten. Paying closer attention, I noticed a pile in a far corner of the room. It was made up of what appeared to be clothes.

I stood up, finding that I had my strength back. I strode briskly over and grabbed a couple of garments at random. The first looked like a swimsuit with sleeves and pant legs, and I quickly pulled it on. It felt natural, and fitted me perfectly, even with my tail. The second item was a robe similar to the ones our captors wore, but in a deep shade of blue. I quickly pulled it on. The others that were awake followed my lead, dressing themselves in whatever they could find in the pile. I was pleased to realize that the black suit provided plenty of support, and meant that I didn't need to wear a bra.

I settled down in a corner of the room, and waited for Kelly and Mike to come over. They were both having a strange amount of trouble with their new clothes. I put it down to the addition of tails.

Blehh... Wanted to get something down before I leave for my Grandpa's funeral. Hope I gave you all a good deal to work with. VP, Nab, I'll let you decide amongst yourselves whether to reveal who's who or not.

Nevermind, I'm leaving a week from tommorrow xX

[Fai D. Flowright]

I decided to skip Emma's escape from the tubes as it has been heard from nearly all the rest of the characters already. There's not too much difference in what could be considered her "breakthrough."


[color=#DD22AA]=/*\+-Emma Everhart-+/*\=

I sat, stoic, completely devoid of words for the girl that had just spilled what seemed like her life's story to me in less than two minutes time! "What can I ever say to her? Words of comfort? Should I shun her away?" I quickly pushed even the faintest thought of betreyal out of my mind. Even if I tried with every last piece of my new being, my old morals stayed. I couldn't turn my back to her! "She just poured her heart and soul into that story. I can't leave her so weak and broken from this horribly sudden and unexpected change!" I smiled warmly at her as she waited for some proof that I actually cared!

"That sounds terrible! You've really been through a lot, and I'm sure this isn't helping." I reached my white, furry hand over to her and gently massaged her trembling shoulders. "But I'm sure that there must be a way out! Even if it's just out of this room for now."

But as she lifted her head to react, an alarm began to blare and echo in the lab. "W-what's going on now!?!" She began to panic again. And in that moment, the door broke open with a hoard of raven-like creatures. From the guns and armor they totted, I assumed they were security guards for this institution. Before they even took in the idea to inspect any of us for injury, it was as though they were here to kill us or, at the least, threaten us! These predators began using the weapons they carried, firing a molten-like substance at us. It appeared to be steel, but that was just a suspicion.

"Get down!" I shouted to the winged girl beside me. She pulled her legs up even closer to her, tightly coiled into a ball. I looked at one of the birds in the doorway, unintentionally bringing attention to myself. "AHH!" I tightened up, hoping the shot would miss, but to no avail, it grazed my side, leaving a burn mark on the steel wall behind me surrounded with a spattering of blood. I clutched my side in pain. I had to do something! I couldn't just let some bird-brained creep take shots at me. I hopped to my feet and dashed forwards toward my foe. I was highly agile even though I was only on two feet. It fired a second shot at me, but this time, my reflexes took control, dodging to the left. As I approached even closer, I made my attempt to attack, leaping forward with arms at their full extent. I put all my energy into my attack, releasing a crackling ball of lightning at the crow. The blast landed directly on the breastplate the guard donned. But instead of being nulled or reflected, the sphere was intensified, eletrocuting the creature to death. "I guess this power has a bit of an advantage here... Wherever 'here' is..."

With most of the other enemies perished by the so-called "allies" that had escaped the glass tubes as well, I ran back over to the dove-like girl. "Talk about being total opposites, you a dove, and them crows...Or whatever they were." She lifted her head and smiled at my slight sarcasm. The others began to gather as well, and, with a quick decision by the lionfish character, she strapped on some of the armor and a gun used by the dead crows. She quickly shattered the window at the end of the now vacant hall and leapt out the opening.

I turned to get some protection for myself as well, but doubled over in the discomfort from the shot that hit my abdomin earlier. "Gah," I gasped at the shooting pain from my wound, "that molten sh*t really stings!" I could feel the thick, crimson blood running down my leg, staining my white fur. I pulled my composure back together, still wincing once and again as I stepped towards the armor-plated corpses.

"...my fault..." A mumble of words echoed from behind me. I turned back around to the girl, who was now finally making her way to her feet.

"What'd you say?"

"I-it's my fault! Because of me, you got hurt!" She shouted to me. Her solemn cares would have had the others wondering, had any of them still been in the room. Before I could say a word, she lunged for me, wrapping her winged arms around my chest.

"No, it's not your fault! Don't blame yourself for something those horrible monsters did." I stroked the feathers near the nape of her neck. "I feel such respect for her, yet, we don't even know each others names!"

"But...I want to at least help you. I don't want you to suffer because of me." I could tell she was holding back tears. In those tears, though, was not sorrow, but worry. And from that concern, there was warmth, but not the warmth of emotion I was expecting! The shooting pains in my side began to fade under the comfort of that warmth. With my free hand, I inspected my wound; it was...gone!

"You did help!" she peeled herself off from me as I made reference to the former injury site, "See? It's gone!" All that remained was the drying blood. "But we shouldn't linger here any more. Let's catch up with the others outside!" I grabbed one of the few remaining breastplates and slipped into it, as well as a set of greaves for my legs. "Come on!" I grabbed the dove by the wrist and pulled her along; her clumsily, yet willingly running behind me. "Whether you're wearing any armor or not, I'll promise to protect you."

I lept out the window, assisting her out as well. Outside, it was dark; only the moon that peaked distastefully in the stormy sky provided any light. More raven guards were incapacitated on the metal that seemed to cover this entire world. The lionfish girl that had first broken the window must have halted them, for she had been injured as well. With our apparent 'leader' down, the vulture-morph of our group took lead. "Well, as Kyle here has kindly demonstrated, we need to work as a team to get out of here. The wolves, falcon, rabbit, salamander, and myself will lead, and take care of the frontal assault. The rest of you, back us up. Except, that is, for you two," he made quick reference to a kimodo dragon creature and my newfound friend, "who need to help Kyle."

"I hope she'll be able to hold her own for a little while." I shook my head. "No, I promised myself." Before I could think, our group headed off; our mission: keep the birds at bay! It appeared as though several platoons of these mindless soldiers were prepared for just this sort of occasion. I jumped forward and thrust a ball of electricity at one of them, having the same effect as before. As I landed, I spun around and jumped straight into the air. Hoping to fire a barrage of orbs, I threw my arms outward. Instead of the tingling of electricity, the air became thin. Unknowing of what I had done instead, I released my tension, but in doing so, I freed the air that I had apparently controled. Rather than a gentle restoration, the air vigorously pulled back together, as it was meant to. The result: a thunderclap of measureable intensity! The forceful blast sent several of the flunkies flying, only to collide with others, making the battlefield seem more like a bowling alley. "I guess with electricity comes polarization." I stated to myself, making a mental note of the variance in my power.

Although we all fought valiantly against each wave that broke upon us, we could only last so long. And there were still many more than us left. Everyone continued to run as far from our former prison, ravens still coming in from all sides. I glanced back to see one of the guards catching up with the recovery group; the group with that frail dove. "Oh no!" I gasped. I knew I had to do something quick! Thinking for a moment, I remembered that the sky had seemed threatening, maybe the work of the lionfish from her breakout fight or just nature, but I could use it!

Concentrating on the foe behind them, I raised my hand into the air and brought it down, using the same tactic I had to force the ball of electricty out of me. The clouds flashed and a small bolt of lightning fell onto the scout, frying him to a blackened crisp. I smiled tenderly at her, receiving a look that whispered, "Thank you..."

As if there a guardian angel watching over us, a forest, brimming with vegetation, lie just beyond our path. With many of the troops finally thinning out from deaths and retreat, all that was left was to pass into that natural hideout. Although, what could lurk within was unknown an unexpecting, it was our only solace from that which hunted us down.

All at once, rustles of leaves and branches disturbed the silence of the wood. Twelve animallike creatures heaving sighs of momentary relief entered. Grouped spaciously from each other, I made my way through the greenery to find the girl. Hopping around somewhat frantically, searching through thick bushes and behind large trees, I was unable to find her. My senses warned me, though, that I wasn't the only one that was searching; something here was after us as well. I slowed my pace and peeked behind a tree. Instead of finding 'her', a cloaked being jumped me instead; not just one, but several! At least four or five! My arms and legs were swiftly and tightly bound and my head was slipped into some sort of hood, blinding my vision and dulling my sense of smell and sound as well. Everything reeked of earth. Rich, fertile soil. It was a scent that seemed to calm the nerves compared to the sharp twinge of metal and steel. Even still, all I could do was worry. "I hope she's alright. Please, don't harm her..."

When these predators finally returned my sight to me, I had been placed inside a small room composed of solid dirt. "A cave? No... A tunnel." The pungent smell of the damp subterrain was heavy in the stagnant air. Not wanting to provoke them, seeing as they were so highly skilled, I took no action that might endanger any of our safety. I finally got the chance to see all of my new comrades, as well as the dove-girl, which greatly eased my mind. "Quite a varied group... Mammals, birds, fish, reptiles." It seemed just about every class of animal had been covered, save for insects. But our captors weren't quite as diverse as we were. All of them were winged beasts, ranging from bats to falcons, even some rarer cominations, like lizards and other mammals. Several others were up as well, including my friend. Since we were forced to wait inside this room, I decided that now would be the best time to finally introduce myself.

I approached my winged comrade and knelt beside her. "What can I use though... Jasmine is my real name, but it's not fit to match this new form. Hmmm..." I brushed the longer strands of her lopsided haircut from her face and took what could be called her right hand. "I'm glad to see you are well." I spoke to her softly, comfortingly. She appeared fragile, even her personality, as if her real-life tragedies struck her in her darkest of hours. She turned her distant gaze to meet my eyes. "My name..." I hesistated. Hesitation...was something I had never really encountered in a serious manner. I didn't know my name, at least, not a name for this, but...I managed. "...Emma. Emma...Everhart."

Sorry for the great length... Thankfully, that covers everything besides getting clothes... >_>

[The_Missing_Link]

Aleia Icaria - Peregrine Falcon
------------------
I regained my breath and struck at the guard with sharp bursts of winds. Slamming backwards into the wall, he barely started to fall when more replaced him, guns cocked and loaded. It seemed like forever to bring down the birds but a cry from somewhere in the ranks to head back into a forest brought our morale up and eagerly worked to dispose of them a lot quick. We eventually moved ourselves back further and further until we could retreat into the woods, which was a welcome respite from the cold metal constantly surrounding us.

Walking (or in my case, flying) through the woods, we encountered nothing of any importance until something struck me from above, sending me into the ground. I dimly heard a gasp and someone yell "Scatter!" before someone put a hood over my head. Completely blinded and in pain, I was lifted and carried to god know's where but at that point, I didn't particularly care.

After a few minutes, I felt a complete change in the weather, cool yet sticky. I was uncerimoniously dumped to the ground and relieved of the hood. Looking around, I saw a few others awake while more were being brought in, some limp and some trying to fight their ties. Our captors looked pretty much like us, but in gray/red robes and all had wings. As soon as the last person was brought in, a tall, eagle type person glared at the cat, although it seemed like he was addressing all of us.
"Kharolis'll be down to interrogate you all before too long. Don't try to escape, or we may have to imprison you more... forcibly."
With nothing else to say, he and the others left, leaving us to ourselves. Standing up with a wince, I examined our room. The walls seemed to be made of massive, twisted vines and the ground was obviously dirt. The room itself was bare except for clothes in one corner, which the Lionfish was helping herself to already. Stiffly walking to the mass of clothes, I picked out a simple navy tanktop and black pants, tight but easy enough to move around in. Finding my hands beneath the feathers, I struggled to get it over my head and through my wings, my elbow joints resisting my attempts to move them in different directions. The pants were slightly easier; luckily, the opening of each pant leg stretched out far enough to put my legs through them without the claws tearing them to pieces. It was like putting on tights, but more annoying. After my struggle, I slumped against the wall, exhausted from the recent events.

[Plantae]

= Daeuh =

"Kharolis'll be down to interrogate you all before too long. Don't try to escape, or we may have to imprison you more... forcibly." I mused briefly at the unnecessary malice. I was almost sure all of us here were beyond resistance by this point. I hadn't resisted when I had been captured, realizing it would only serve to complexify things further. As the circular door closed and left us in the sentient cell of a room, I rejoiced in the smell of dirt and poked the nearby mass of vines with curiosity. In my opinion, besides being prisoners, this experience was quite pleasant. I wasn't carefree in the least, but I was nearly sure that there was little worse in this world than that metal laboratory. In comparision, this natural dwelling was rather cozy.

I noticed the Lionfish, having awoken before me, meander over to what appeared to be a pile of clothes. As she returned to her seat with a navy robe, I was the first to follow suit. Taking a few hasty steps toward the pile, I surveyed it from a distance and smiled ruefully at a dejected pair of ragged white linen shorts that poked barely from underneath a myriad of more refined clothes. However, this flawed piece held the most appeal to me and I snatched them up with a sigh of relief. Despite how much I liked being comfortable, a pair of shorts was nice every now and again. I pulled them on and grabbed a brown leather belt that was draped over the middle of the pile. Securing the pants I gave a nod of approval. However, something was still missing. Disregarding how the clothes had fit me rather well, I noticed one more piece of apparel. A pale orange headband poked from underneath the folds of a plain black skirt. It didn't seem important now, but I realized that I'd never worn a headband back in reality... though I supposed this was reality now. A little disheveled by this sudden revelation, I placed the band around my head and under my unkept chestnut bangs. In my hurry, I placed it somewhat awkward. It was slightly slanted, though I ignored it entirely.

Turning around, I noticed Tsyanaye rising from her stupor. Apparently she had been one of the fighters. Still, I motioned for her to join me, though it was somewhat odd to use "her" when the being was originally a man, and gestured at the pile of clothes. I padded softly back to where she had been sitting and seated myself in a cross-legged pose. I waited a second as she surveyed the pile with an analytical eye and settled on nothing. She returned and sat next to me and I queried, "Nothing to your interest?" She shook her head. "Well, you just enjoy your almost nakedness then." I prodded sarcastically, attempting to start a little small talk. There was no point waiting, anxious, for our host to arrive.

===

[Prof. Jb Wolf]

Kouen Hitokage -M-
=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=
Slowly I regained counciousness, my head throbbing perhaps from when I had fallen. I felt light and the reason soon became clear as I finally noticed I was floating in a some sort of liquid. What was equally surprisingly and a hell of a lot more shocking was my reflection in the glass in front of me. Staring back at me was not my human face, but that of a lizard of some sort. In fact, I looked just like the lizard men I had been admiring on the cover before all this had happened. My arms had been chained tightly to the roof of the tube I was in so I was unable to use them for now. What in the hell had happened to me?

Deciding to leave that for later, I focused on the problem at hand - getting out of this tube. Wiggling around I noticed a heavy weight on my lower back (my tail I belatedly realized) and that my legs had not been chained down. Putting them to the back of the tube, I pushed off and struck the glass in front of me with both legs. No success. I repeated my actions, each strike slowly forming a crack against the glass. With a final slam, for a breif moment the whole tube lit by some bright flame, the tube shattered and I slumped out the liquid spilling out all around me.

On solid ground, I gained more leverage and flexing newly gained muscle I ripped my chains free from the tubes. Looking around I noticed others, one that looked vaguely similair to me and the rest differnt anthros. It seemed I was the last to free myself from the tubes. Before I could ask any of them if they knew what had happened a pair of guards walked as an alarm blared loudly. Globs of some metallic substance filled the air as the bird-guards opened fire on us.

Barely dodging their first volley, I ducked down and charged the guards furiously. It was an amazing feeling, my body felt as if it was brimming with energy and my reflexes were surprisingly sharp as I nimbly dodged the next shot aimed for me. With a spring of my muscular legs I cleared the space between us, slashing down with one of my newly clawed hands. It rip through the bird's beak, nearly ripping it clean off, and my hand suddenly became slick. The bird stiffened as if paralyzed before collapsing with some blood dripping down its face. A part of me was horrified at what I had done, but I realized that it was for the best. Glancing at the blood-stained claw, I pondered why he had done that. Was my skin poisonous?

Turning, I swung the claw at the guard next to the fallen one, his comrade obviously surprised by my attack. I went straight for his neck, my now oily hand touching the visible skin there. The bird convulsed and stiffened like his dead fellow and I allowed him to drop to the floor. Obviously it was a paralyzing toxin that attacked a creatures nervous system. Of course I had no idea just how fatal it could be or whether or not I constantly secreted the substance.

The battle soon finished, one of the other breaking open a window for us to escape. Once again I was the last to jump out, hitting the ground with an oomph. Another one, who looked like a vulture, quickly rapped out orders and I quickly followed. Sometimes its better to just go with the flow and let others tell you what to do. In any case my body seemed itching for a fight and I welcomed the chance to test this new body.

Rapidly I found out the limits of my skill as the first waves of raven guards hit the line. I had noticed the others firing blasts of ice and creating shields based on other elements, so I too did the same. Focusing on my palm, I felt energy build up until with a spark a small ball of fire appeared in my hand. Grinning a toothy grin I let loose the ball, the ball smashing into unprotected face of one of the guards. Exploding it lit his feathers on fire sending him stumbling back into his fellows. "Alright now that was cool!" I muttered to myself before leaping into the melee another ball of fire blazing to life in my palms.

Soon enough we realized the futility of just defeating all the guards as their numbers seemed endless. A voice cut through the air and turning back I saw a strange anthro pointing towards a stretch of woodland nearby. Nodding to myself I immediately sent a pair of blazing fireballs into the oncoming guards before turning and bounding for the area. Rushing through the trees and twigs, I only stopped after I could no longer see the structure nor any of the guards behind me. I placed a hand on a nearby tree to steady myself as I regained my breath as others did the same.

Looking up, I saw what seemed like a shadow drop down from the trees, striking one of my companions down. "SCATTER!" I roared as I felt something fall behind me. Acting on instinct, I lashed out with my tail which knocked the wind out of the cloaked figure that had come behind me. Flailing wildly with the chains on my arms, I was able to keep most of them back. "Geez don't you gu-" There was a sharp pain in the back of my skull and for the second time I found myself losing counciousness.

================================================== ====

Groggily I awakened, once again a prisoner judging from the way the way the door shut behind the figures and it being the only way out. I placed a hand on my head shaking it to find some semblance of order. Some of the others were already awake and apparently sorting out clothes from a pile in the corner. Sitting up and leaning against the nearest wall, I spoke my thoughts outloud. "Is anyone else here sick of being knocked out and dragged around?"

Those that were awake looked at me, some with rueful smiles. Grinning back I got to my feet to go search the clothes pile..

[VirtualPlay]

Mai Krahm (F) - Psychokinetic - Cat

By the time we had grabbed what armor that fit and had followed after Kyle, he wasn't in the hallway anymore. I shuddered as I locked my legs and arms backwards again, then took off down the hallway ahead of everyone else. A scream emanated from ahead, so I followed and soon found a broken window in the hallway. What I saw out there made me stop in amazement.

A flash of lightning illuminated the scene, though I soon found I did not need it, and I saw Kyle looking absolutely furious and the rain was suddenly flying at all of the guards, engulfing them in a sphere of water. The others finally caught up, the wolf who had first talked with Kyle jumped out before us and pointed at the now rising sphere of water. It suddenly and amazingly turned all to ice and fell with a loud thud. It broke into lots of pieces, ripping birds apart as well. The rest of us jumped out after, dodging around the pieces of ice and bird, and found Kyle.

"Kyle, are you okay? What happened?" I asked, helping Kyle stand. I nearly dropped him, though, as I realized the wolf-guy had said just about the same thing. I remembered, suddenly, how Kyle had called me Kelly without giving me time to correct him. Two and two and two all came together as I realized that the wolf helping me carry Kyle had to be Kelly. She must have realized it too, because she was looking at me too.

"Nothing, it's nothing... I just got hit in the chest by one of those weird bullets." Kyle said, snapping us back to reality. We looked, and I winced. It didn't look deadly, but it was still really dark compared to the rest of his light skin. "That bad, huh?" he said, smiling slightly.

A voice interrupted us, though, and I turned to see a vulture-like guy giving us orders. "Well, as Kyle here has kindly demonstrated, we need to work as a team to get out of here. The wolves, falcon, rabbit, salamander, and myself will lead, and take care of the frontal assault. The rest of you, back us up. Except, that is, for you two-" he pointed at a komodo dragon and a dove, "who need to help Kyle."

We didn't have much time to stay in this formation, however, because suddenly the ravens were once again upon us. This time, however, we were ready for them, and disposed with them relatively easily(barring a slight pause when the bat-girl made it dark all of a sudden). It wasn't until we got past them all and into the forest that stuff started to turn away from our favor.

I saw it in my mind a second before I heard it: a loud thump like a body hitting the ground indicated to everyone else what I knew to be the falcon girl hitting the ground after being hit from above. I could also sense more creatures around us, stronger than the ravens, and I sensed they were much more intelligent as well. "Scatter!" someone yelled, and I didn't need a second telling.

I hadn't been running five seconds before I realized I had walked into a trap. Three of the creatures were around me, and I could even see loose gray and red robes on them. Knowing I wasn't getting out, I raised my hands and pleaded, "Don't hurt me, I won't struggle." Fortunately, they seemed to accept it, and gently put my head in a sack, rather than stuffing it forcibly. They also tied my hands and feet and, while they were definitely secure, they weren't cutting into me unnecessarily hard. They then picked me up and carried me off, and I could tell the others were being carried as well.

I soon found, though, that the hood was a waste of their effort. While I couldn't actually see where we were, or any big details, I could definitely feel the shape of the area, and certain landmarks that would help me get back if I escaped from wherever they were taking us.

Eventually we entered a cave, and I could feel the walls and ceiling moving slightly, which startled me a bit. But once they put us down and un-hooded us, I saw why: the walls and ceiling were made up of vines that pulsed slowly.

Suddenly one creature that looked like an eagle turned directly at me. I shuddered, hoping he wouldn't hurt me, but he only said, "Kharolis'll be down to interrogate you all before too long. Don't try to escape, or we may have to imprison you more... forcibly." I could practically feel the threat in his voice. Fortunately he and the others left, and we were all alone in what seemed like a living, underground prison cell.

I watched as Kyle got up and walked over to one corner of the room, which I suddenly noticed had a pile of stuff that looked like clothes. He — well, she — picked out some kind of leotard-like thing, which she put on with a surprising lack of difficulty. The horse-like guy who had made plants spear through the ground went up as soon as Kyle moved away, and realizing I should probably get some clothes too, I got up and went over.

By the time I got there, the white wolf I had guessed to be Kelly, who had been set down close to the clothes, woke up. I crouched down, absentmindedly lifting my tail off the dirty ground. "K-Kelly, is that really you?" I asked when sh-he had noticed me, stuttering at my sudden realization of my higher-pitched voice.

He nodded, then returned with, "And Mike, then?" pointing at me, to which I nodded as well. "Wow, we got really screwed over, huh?"

"Yeah, we did…" I said, then turned back to the clothes pile. "Maybe we should fix ourselves up first?" And Kelly agreed, moving closer to the pile. I tried on a pair of black pants, which turned out to have two problems: one, they were far too big; and two, even if I tightened the waist, my tail still was getting squished inside them.

Noticing Kelly was having equal difficulty trying to fit into a pair of tight-ish pants, I took the loose pair off of me and handed it to her…him. "These look like they'd fit better," I said, and he had a much easier time getting into them. I turned back to the pile in time to see the horse-like guy pull an orange headband out from under a certain article of clothing…

"Oh no, I'm not going to…" I started telling myself. A skirt was still off-limits; I was a guy, and guys just didn't wear skirts. "I'm not going to…I'm not going to…"

"Not going to what?" Kelly asked, and I cautiously pointed to the skirt on top of the pile. "Oh…well, I kinda hate to force it onto you, but you're not really a guy anymore, Mike…just like I'm not really a girl anymore." In an undertone she added, "I'm gonna f***ing kill whoever did this to me."

"But what about names?" I asked, suddenly realizing that ours didn't fit our bodies when she had said my name. "I can't think of anything else except my own: Mike Ram…" and I stopped, realizing I did know and have a name right there. "Mai…Krahm." I said slowly. I turned back dejectedly to the skirt and reluctantly went over and picked it up, bringing it back over to where Kelly was still thinking.

"Nox. Abel Nox," he said, a grin flowing across the wolfish snout. I grinned too, recognizing the name. Yep, Kelly was a geek alright. "Just call me Nox, though, easier to say."

"As you wish, Nox," I said back, grinning brighter, "and Mai is just fine for me." I then turned my attention back to the skirt I was ruefully trying to put on. Surprisingly it didn't take long for me to put on, but it still felt wrong and like I was still as naked as before. It didn't help that my tail lifted my skirt every time it went up, either.

I turned back to Ke-Nox to see him wearing a sleeveless shirt. He looked at me, then shuffled through a pile and came up with an even more-forbidden piece of clothing. "Here," he said, "you should probably wear something like this…"

"No, I'm not wearing a b-bra," I said, trying to sound forceful while shaking at the thought.

"It's not a f***ing bra, it's a halter top," he said, growling a bit. I tentatively took the thing and looked at it. It really looked like a bra, but then again, I was quite lost in the world of girl clothes. "You just put the body strap on like a shirt, then put the top strap around your neck." Carefully I did, though I found that my new appendages really got in the way for the way I'd normally put shirts on. "No no, stretch in the front," he said, and suddenly (and with amazing gentleness for his big hands) reached over and pulled it down like it was supposed to go.

"Th-thanks," I said, glad for once that fur was covering my face so he couldn't see the blush I had just put on. Following the rest of his instructions, I put the other strap over my head. Following instinct on feeling and what I had seen other girls do, I pulled my hair out from the strap, feeling the strap hit my neck and letting my hair down. I turned to walk away from the clothes and saw Kyle, then had a thought. "Um, K-Nox? Should we…should we tell Kyle? I mean, I know I don't want anyone else to know I was a guy, but Kyle's our friend. I'll go with whatever you say on telling Kyle, so what do you think?"

[Arnen]

--~Nox - Male - Kyrokinetic - Wolf~--

I thought for a moment, then nodded. "I think we should tell him.. but in private. You know, so no one else hears. He's our friend, and he deserves to know. I mean, it wouldn't be fair if we both knew who we all are and he didn't, right?"

Sorry for short crappiness, but driver's ed today basically depleted my energy, and I just wanted to get my answer in ^^;

[Weasel Overlord]

[CENTER]~Tsayanye Jhuye, Neurokinetic, Komodo Dragon~

“Nothing to your interest?” I had meandered over to the pile of clothes in a slight daze after the strange bird-like creatures had appeared and hoisted us all off to their little cave. I shook my head in disagreement at Daeuh’s enquiry. Somehow, I didn’t seem to think I needed anything to cover myself. I was coated in tiny scales, after all. I raked over the pile for a while with my tail, but still didn’t see anything that would be appropriate, and Daeuh came to sit near me, cross-legged, and looking quite comfortable with his new form. Giving up my search, I shrugged in resignation and plopped down next to Daeuh.

“Well, you just enjoy your almost nakedness then.” I could tell that his comment was meant to instil a hot-headed reaction from me but I didn’t rise to his bait, instead I gave him a long look and shrugged my shoulders in resignation.

“For some reason, I don’t care about things like that in this form. It seems, so...well, superficial. And plus,” I waved my hands at my scales, “These provide adequate protection from most things, or so it seems, anyway.” I grinned ruefully, still unsure of my powers. He obviously understood though, I could see empathy in his face and a sort of wild passion. Like, this new body of his was giving him everything he’d ever wanted in life. I envied him. I was slightly uncomfortable with my new curves, but I was still sure of my eventual adaptation. All that was bothering me now was the extent of my powers. They felt raw and bubbling under the surface of my mind, raring to get out. The truth of the matter was; I found it rather scary. But at the same time, all I wanted to do was find out what they did. Exactly what I could do with this opportunity. I gazed at the floor, pensive and preoccupied. After about ten minutes, I realised that Daeuh was trying to get my attention by elbowing me in the ribs. Turning, I grinned at the armour of my scales.

“Barely felt it...Heh.” I sniggered and prodded Daeuh back with the tip of a claw. He winced slightly and shoved me in return. I swayed and caught my balance, looking around. This cave wasn’t much of a place to reside in and I was beginning to wonder exactly what our sinister captors had in store for us.

[Krystalline Kabutops]

-^~\Kynine Frythine - Female - Aquakinetic - Lionfish/~^-

Once they had finished dressing, Mike and Kelly came over to sit by me. I was sitting a fetal position, my arms wrapped around my folded-up legs. As they seated themselves, I forced a smile. "So... looks like you guys ended up a bit luckier than I did, eh?"

The large wolf shook his head. "Kyle, it's not what you think. I'm not Mike, I'm Kelly. THAT'S Mike." She pointed to the cat-girl, who was inspecting her claws in a very determined fashion. I blinked, staying silent for several moments. "Then..."

"Of course, we've settled on new names. I'm Mai... Mai Krahm. And Kelly's now Nox." Mai said, still avoiding my eyes. I started to say something, but stopped, as I had to choke back a sob. Nox grabbed me and pulled me close to his chest, smothering my noises in his fur. I cried for a few minutes, sniffled, and then pulled my head out of his soft chest fur.

I settled down between them, wiping my eyes. "Well," I squeaked, in a cracking voice, "At least it's not... too bad, right? I mean... You were never too keen on being a girl, Kelly, and... Well... At least I'm still TALL... And... Well... Mike, you're a cat, and I like cats!" Impulsively, I grabbed her and pulled her over onto my lap, then wrapped my arms around her and squeezed her tight.

Nox bent over to Mai's ear, and whispered "Mood swings..." At this, I glared at him. "I am NOT having mood swings! I just really like cats, is all!" I smiled inanely, absentmindedly stroking Mai's head.

It was then that I noticed that Mai was struggling quite desperately to get free of my grasp. Nox rolled his eyes. "Mai, just because you look like a cat doesn't mean that you have to act like one." This seemed to be the right thing to say, for she abruptly ceased struggling, and turned to me. Our faces couldn't have been more than an inch apart as she said, very shakily, "Kyle, could you, um, let go of me?"

Instantly I let go of her, and she sat back down on the floor, just out of arm's reach. I could feel my cheeks burning, and I hoped no one could tell that I was blushing extravagently. "Sorry... Didn't mean to... You reminded me of..." I decided to shut up, and just sat there, examining my sleeve.

Just then, the membrane door to our cell slid open, and in walked two figures. One, the shorter of the two, was wearing a white robe, and was plainly a peregrine falcon. His wings were torn up from numerous battles, and I wondered if they were still functional.

The second was taller than any of us, and wore a black robe. His hood was up, so all I could see was his snout, which was pitch-black. He had a single, snow-white tooth exposed on his upper left jaw, and I could make out the shape of horns underneath his hood. The one thing that struck me, however, was that he didn't have wings.

"Kharolis, I do not think this wise. They could be more... dangerous than you believe." His voice was silky and smooth, almost feminine, but it also had an underlying tone of menace. I noticed that his tongue was forked, and so he must be a reptile.

Kharolis raised his hand, silencing the black lizard. "Now Arkon, they are our guests. Do not be so unhospitable. If I remember correctly, you were once in their position." Arkon hissed, but stayed silent. Kharolis turned to us, the barest hint of a smile playing upon his face. Out of seemingly nowhere, he produced a large wooden bowl, filled to the brim with purple, pulsating globules. They had little vein-looking things running through them, and were semi-transparent.

Sitting down, he placed the bowl in front of himself, and gestured for us to join him. "Come, you must be hungry. Eat, and then we will discuss matters." We all moved towards the bowl, and one by one, picked up the blobs. I brought one to my nose, sniffed, and then, shrugging, popped it into my mouth.

Well, it was delicious. Its texture was not unlike Jell-o, although the veins were rather crunchy. It tasted fruity, although I couldn't match it to any variety I knew. I ate ravenously, gorging myself on the blobs until, finally full, I fell over backwards and belched, causing myself to giggle. I felt like a blimp.

Looking around, it turned out that several of the others were in a similar state. Kharolis was watching us impassively, apparently waiting for a pause in the activity. Soon the room was silent, save for the occasional gurgling of someone's stomach.

"Now," He said, focusing intently on me (unluckily enough!), "I want to know some things. First, who you all are. Second, What you were doing in the place where we found you, and third, how you managed to take out a whole facility of Oriks on your own."

I pushed myself up, wincing as this caused my stomach to compact. "Well, I'm Kynine *urp* Frythine, and I think you'd better ask him your other two questions." I pointed at the zombie vulture guy, and fell back down again, my hands on my stomach (which was beginning to ache).