~.:-*-. Lunar Orchid's Note .-*-:.~ ||Begins!|| LSU's Accepted

[ChobiChibi]

Lunar Orchid's Note
Brought to you by: Fai D. Flowright & PokemonLuver
Fonts provided by: FontFreak
Please install the following fonts to enjoy this post to the fullest: Perdition, Cardinal, and Lauren C. Brown

Aeons pass and phases change, but one remains unchained
An everlasting scent which never seems to fade.
A teardrop from the moon above, a blessing told in lore
Breathes the source of life and spreads forever more

Their colors flood the planet with rainbow fields of dew
And spread to every corner with shades in every hue
The petals glimmer dimly, lighting magic’s twisting way
Leading it to us so we can live another day

But without its roots of glory, our lives would cease to be
A curse of waning petals that none could e’er foresee
For even in eternity, the seasons turn and shift
A power that, so long was held, will vanish, faint but swift

The final harvest’s last demise; the myth of the world’s next reprise
The flower with the moon’s disguise that leads us blindly as it dies

This legacy is told by chant; by rote,
This tale of the Lunar Orchid’s Note

Journal Entry 2, Day 9:
Ferui and the Myth

After an arduous trek through the mountains, I’ve finally arrived in Ferui along with my new partners: Anthony and Rebecca. Here, up in the mountains, the air is always cold, but the people aren’t. From the stories they’ve shared with us, I’ve found that there may be a way to save the world through technology that’s been told of in ancient myths. Perhaps the scholars in Helie know more about it. Until then, we’re just concerned about crossing the icy Immalk River...

~.:-*-.|+|.-*-:.~

Journal Entry 3, Day 15:
South Orchid’s Barrier

Nowadays, the only mana ships running are those from Januri and Decabahm for cargo and to the poles, to conserve energy. Anthony, Rebecca, and I took one of these tour boats to the barrier, only to discover why people come to see the Mother Orchids at the poles: the beautiful aura they emit is a solid, impregnable barrier. With this development, we’re headed back to Januri to decide on a new destination. I really should write here more often.

~.:-*-.|+|.-*-:.~

Journal Entry 5, Day 29:
Return to Anualle

Ahh! Nothing like a peaceful, but scorching, trip back to Anualle Island through the Lunusbadth desert. After the chaos from the last few weeks, the calm was welcome. Back in Anualle, we quickly arranged an audience with the leaders of the world in order to share everything we’d learned. In light of this, we’ve gained full support from everyone to help get the world on track. Our next destination is Decabahm, but it’s a far-off location for now...

~.:-*-.|+|.-*-:.~

Journal Entry 7, Day 40:
South Barrier Purging

We’ve finally arrived back at the Mother Orchid in the south. This is it. As promised, the scholars in Helie delivered the Mana Mirror to Decabahm which was taken with us to the north barrier, where our first mission was a success. Now in the south, everyone here is in position to activate the Mirror again, which is designed to cut a hole which we can pass through and stabilize the Orchid. We are all tense, but my companions and I are excited that this ordeal will be over.

~.:-*-.|+|.-*-:.~

Journal Entry 8, Day 42:
Anualle Celebration

Upon return to Anualle Island, Anthony, Rebecca, and I were declared international heroes and celebrated as such with large festivities honored in all the major cities of the world. While it’s great to be renowned as a ‘hero,’ I’ll be happy to return to my normal life, indulged in my mana research. Perhaps I’ll find a way to prevent this should it ever happen again in the future.

This is the story known by all, even you, as the history of our world, Achaerodice; a world where magic has rule over convenience and technology is only known in ancient myths and legends. It’s up to you whether this tale is real or fiction, but as we look at the world as of today, things are looking scarily similar. Mana, in the past, was bountiful and flowed freely from the orchids that inhabit the planet. But now, that power slowly fades away as everyone clings to the world they once knew.

The world has finally come to its point of no return. If action is not taken now, the mana will disappear and all existence will go with it. The four Great Isbets of our world have called for a convention on Anualle Island, inviting people from the every corner of the world to come and listen. You, either sent (or brought) by your family, traveling of your own will, or a simple resident of the isle, have come to the open tribunal...

Achaerodice looks like this.

Meybain: Is a rather flat country with perfect conditions for growing crops successfully. Is the closest point to the North Orchids.
Ickpri- A coastal city where ceremonies for sending the deceased to rest often take place.
Nuvame- A city surrounded in a thriving forest, containing many wooden structures, including houses.
Decabahm- A port city, closest to the North Orchids. Contains the only passage available to access them.

Oztra: Another rather flat country, with a large lake and forest surrounding it. Has a mana supported Bridge from the southern east coast to Anualle.
Meit- Surrounded by forest and closest to the lake, Meit is a very mysterious place. Many further away from it believe in the lake having healing properties, those living there find it to be a rumour.
Jooh- Another coastal city, Jooh enjoys warm long days. It has a very laid back and relaxed atmosphere.
Abris- Being the furthest north and away from any direct routes through Oztra, Abris is often ignored and few pass through it unless needed to. Most people in Abris know eachother.

Lissum: Home to the largest desert, Lissum is popular with those that cannot deal with cold temperatures.
Helie- Another coastal city. It is home to many research facilities and science labs, many working on technology rather than advancing magic.
Austo- In the heart of the desert, Austo is the hottest established city in the whole of Achaerodice. Many retreat to the nearby Oasis to attempt to cool off.
Sembri- Closest to the Mana Bridge linking the country with Anualle. Is the heart of trade and many travellers pass through.

Lloule: A country mostly covered in snow, Lloule is difficult to navigate without a guide. The mountain range, however, makes it even more difficult to make it to the cities further south.
Ferui- Deep in the mountains, Ferui is a retreat from the mountains and a stop on journeys further south. Compared to populations of the other cites, it is rather small.
Marck- Close to the border with Lissum, Marck enjoys a little of its good temperatures as the only major city in Lloule with little snow fall.
Januri- Furthest south, Januri is a port city that provides the passage to the South Orchids.

~Sign Up Form~

Name:
Gender:
Age: (Between 15 and 40)
Country and City: (Not restricted to cities noted on map)
Personality:
Magic: (Type of magic used; skills based, offensive, defensive, depending on occupation and personality in general)
Appearance: (Clothing should only involve cloth and leatherwork. Metalworks doesn't exists in Achaerodice)
History: (Why does your character want to go?)
Relationships:
Other:

Current Members
Alanyia Revoire (Fai D. Flowright)
Caine Sevion (PokemonLuver)
Alexander R. Edwards XVII (kalad1)
Altar "Ziz" Nero'Dcas (Crystal Tears)
Mezzo (Shizo)
Morgan Achtar (Heald)
Jasper Rally (Outlaw JT)
Mireya Moldau

Now for my improved sign up and first post! Yay!

Name: Caine Sevion
Gender: Male
Age: 17
Country and City: Meit, Oztra
Personality: Caine is a rather shy individual, who only really opens up to those he is closest to. To others, he seems cold and distant, like he isn’t revealing everything. He is rarely quick to judge, but finds it hard to trust those he has only just met. He dislikes those he finds to be shallow and is often quickly angered, even if he is too shy to react. He is loyal, especially to his family, and cherishes his few friends. He is intelligent, excelling in the majority of his studies. Caine carries and regularly writes in a diary for his sister, finding it easier to confide his inner most thoughts to paper. He enjoys solitude, often staring into space and daydreaming
Magic: Caine’s preferred magic is mostly defensive, due to the fact he doesn’t particularly like confronting things. He is able to camouflage himself into shadows at will, which becomes particularly useful at night. He is also able to create, manipulate and control fire, although this is becoming more difficult and tends to only do this in the greatest of emergencies. He takes a particular interest in healing magic due to family circumstances (see history).
Appearance: Caine is about 5’10’’tall, with black hair that just reaches his shoulders with green sections throughout. It often falls in front of his eyes, almost shielding him from others. His skin is rather pale and his brown eyes tend to mask his emotions until you look deeper. He wears a black t-shirt with sleeves that end just past his elbow, dark red (almost maroon) coloured baggy trousers that reach just below his knees and a lighter red coat that reaches just above his knees, with short sleeves and a golden yellow wave pattern along the edge of the sleeves and bottom of the coat. His boots go half way up his shin and are a light brown colour. He carries a brown satchel containing the diary, a flask full of water from the Lakes in Meit and a pouch containing orchid petals. Alternatively, you could click (insert link here).
History: Caine’s younger sister, Olivia, has a potentially life threatening condition of Mana Deficiency. This means that she is unable to produce enough mana to cope with small, every day tasks. This, thankfully, was diagnosed at a young age and has been monitored regularly. However, over recent years with the strength of the Orchids decreasing, she has been confined to hospital since the age of nine with her condition steadily worsening. Now fourteen, she is finding most things increasingly difficult, despite her brother’s daily donations of mana. Having found out about the opportunity to fix the Orchids, Caine decided that he should go as soon as possible, providing it would be safe to leave his sister to fend for herself.
Relationships: Parents, sister...
Other: Erm... Chicken pox!


~Caine Sevion~
He never had liked large social gatherings, but he had to at least try to make an exception this time. Caine slouched against a tree as a crowd began to form around a temporary stage. It had taken him a week to get to Anualle, due to the fact he had donated the majority of his mana to Olivia before he left. It had left him feeling rather lethargic for the first few days, but he had picked up the pace as soon as he was feeling better. He had enjoyed the journey, hitching rides with delivery carts and walking the rest of the way. He found most people to be extremely hospitable, although he supposed it was due to his shy and polite nature that the majority had agreed to help him out. For once what he called “the sob story” of his sister’s condition had come in handy.

As he lurked, he watched those arriving. He wondered why they were here too, what they had to get out of this. There were many from different social classes, although he noted that those from nobility seemed to be accompanied by what he supposed to be servants. There were few that seemed to be around his age, most of them at least in their twenties. There was more excitement than the tension he had expected, however he realised that very few were likely to have known what to expect.

His trail of thought was cut short by a booming voice coming from the stage. Standing to his full height, Caine moved forward and towards the back of the crowd.

“Attention! Please can we have your full attention?” The voice called.
Eventually, whoever it was on the stage bellowed for silence, and all talking soon disappeared into sporadic whispers. “Thank you. As representative of the joint Achaerodice committee, may I welcome you to Anualle for this conference.”

Caine moved silently to where he believed he could see better and caught a glimpse of the man. Despite the fact he sounded quite young, the man’s face was lined with worry and concern beyond his years. He was clearly a member of the nobility, although he seemed like the type that would be endowed upon by him rather than have gained the title himself.

“We have gathered to tell you about a matter deeply concerning our world... The shortage of Mana.” Many gasped; whispers began to grow louder until the man called for silence again. “The Orchids are dying and we have very little idea how to stop it. This is why we have called you here, to send you to the Orchids and find out. We have no idea how long it will take or what it will entail, but we hope that you will be prepared to help the entire world find out why the Orchids are dying.” He looked disheartened as some began to leave. “Please! Each of you take a pebble and wait until it changes colour and then go and stand under the firefly that corresponds to the colour it has turned! Please!”

The crowd seemed to disperse quite quickly, Caine was surprised that so few seemed to want to sort it out. He attempted to push himself forward, and eventually made it to the front, colliding with a young girl.

“I-I’m so sorry!” Caine apologised quickly, beginning to feel his cheeks warm. “I just wanted to get-”

“It’s good to see someone of such a humble background signing up for this journey.” She interrupted, smiling at him. “Although, I can’t say much better of myself...”

Caine remained silent in thought, perplexed as to why a young noble girl would be so kind and not angered after he had just crashed into her. He smiled gently as she took an enchanted pebble from the basket. “Good luck.”
She swiftly turned around and looked up at him. “You too!” With that, she left the queue and out of sight. As Caine took his own pebble, he prayed that it would turn the same colour as hers, as selfish as that would seem to Olivia.
Unfortunately, Caine obviously hadn’t prayed hard enough when his pebble turned red. He watched as a group of about ten joined him under the red firefly, none of them turning out to be the girl he wanted to meet again. He sighed, maybe it was fate, a one off chance to meet someone that didn’t fall into the stereotypical noble ways and he had blown it. He didn’t even ask for her name...

He was interrupted from his daydreaming when he noticed that everyone in his group was staring at him. He suddenly realised that they had been going around introducing themselves, and he had not been paying attention. He cursed fate, sighed again before contributing, “Caine... Caine Sevion...” and swiftly going back to the situation in his imagination where he had been chosen for the blue team.

The teams are split as follows:
Blue Team- Alanyia, Alexander, Ziz, Mireya
Red Team- Caine, Jasper, Mezzo, Morgan

The Blue Team will be crossing the Mana bridge into Oztra first, with the Red Team leaving later but also going in the same direction. The announcer-man did say it, Caine was too busy daydreaming to notice ^^;
Tony's post will most likely explain what's happening next, but now i must run to college. If there's any glaring mistakes, let me know!

[Shizo]

Name: Mezzo
Gender:female
Age: Looks to be in her late teens. She doesn't share her age.
Country and City: None, or all, depending on your perspective.
Personality: She can come off as a stoic, wisdom filled sage, but those who observe her after any sort of spotlight is off would observe a thoughtful, almost carefree additude toward life. She thinks of most people as silly in the way they rush about and always seek to do, do, do and never get anything done. She only fights when necessary, and prefers to complete her tasks in total anonimity.
Magic: Her magic consists of gently redirecting natural mana 'streams' to do a certain task, then allowing them to flow back to their original course. She is also able to redirect and diffuse the mana of others, so most mana attacks are useless on her. She has a special ability to 'see' mana even when it's not manifested. When fighting, however, she uses more hand-to-hand combat rather than relying on mana use.
Appearance: She's about 5'5" tall with a medium build and fairly nice breasts. Her hair is banged, waist-length, dirty blonde/light brown/? and may have seen a brush at some point in the last week. She usually has it bound in two low ponytails. Her eyes are a dull blueish grey-green brown. Don't mention the size of her feet to her. She's embarrassed about their natural petiteness.
Clothingwise, she wears a short sleeve tan tunic shirt bound around the waist with a faded blue cloth belt, soft, brown leather pants, and hide boot/moccassins bound around her calf with leather thongs. She often wears a long, battered cloak that may have been deep black before it became its current dirty grey self.
History: She was born in a small but prosperous village on a well traveled road that merchants and traders took. She lived with her mother, a baker, and never knew her father. For all her life, there had been a hermit living near the village on the hill. He never spoke or bothered anyone, but rumors did circulate about what he was doing there, ranging from him being a holy man to a madman. It was on a dare to get close to him that Mezzo first came to know the man and began to learn from him. He didn't really teach her in the traditional sense, since he never spoke and barely ever acknowledged she was there, but by being with him she began to understand more and more about mana and how it seemed to have a life of its own. The man left one day when she was in her early teens, and she left with him. (By the way, his name's Jasper).
He could be said to belong to a religious sect of mana users, but they didn't really have any sort of hierarchy, holy scripture, or even a name for themselves, yet all members are able to recognize another on sight. Outsiders who actually know of them call them Mana Mystics or just Mystics. They began to notice the mana decline long before the official governments, but they lack any sort of official status, so their quiet warnings went unnoticed. Though annoyed, they're glad that the danger is finally being recognized by the larger governments. Mezzo volunteered to go as a sort of representative for the group to hear what was to be said and to help if she could. She's also traveling in the offchance she'll stumble across her master whose been missing for a few years (Guy just wandered off).
Relationships: Casual friends with Jasper Rally. Though they've crossed paths several times, she's never learned his name. She calls him "Vegetable Man."
Other:
Theme: "Waltz #4 In F Major" ~ Frederic Chopin
Has situs inversus totalis.


Mezzo
***********
It was early in the morning, only a few more hours until the big meeting would start. She had come to Anualle a few days earlier than she needed, and had spent most of that time in her small inn room, only leaving to eat and wander in the streets and alleys nearby. The rest of the time, she just sat. At least, anyone who had walked in on her would say she was just sitting on her bed, her legs crossed so her right foot rested on her left thigh, her hands resting in lap, her back straight and her eyes closed. If anyone asked, she was praying. She found it a lot easier to say that than to explain what she was actually doing. Big lies were less of a headache than small truths.

She was watching mana. Mana concentrates in living things: trees, dogs, that mound of compost behind the kitchen. Orchids were supposed to be blinding. Of course, people were pretty bright too, but not all mana was stagnantly waiting in bodies. Most mana wasn't stagnant. It moved, and even its movement was a pattern. It was easiest to say mana moved in streams or rivers, but that was one of those big lies that are better than the truth. Rivers have a set bed, a set path it follows. Mana streams shift from day to day, minute to minute, moment to moment. Certainly it doesn't move too much in a single moment and that shifting has its own pattern, but even that pattern has its own shifting quality. The only way to fully know the pattern was to sit and watch.

That doesn't actually explain it either. Just for simplicity's sake, think of free flowing mana as a stream.

Another hour until the meeting. Mezzo breathed deeply and unfolded her legs. Well, she should get going. She picked up her small pack, walked down the steps, nodded to the innkeeper at the counter and the other employees that she saw.

"Mezzo!" Xaver ran over to her, a washrag still in his hand. "You're leaving today?"

"Seems that way," she said, giving a cocky half-smile. She had given the innkeepers a more dignified air so they assumed she was a spiritual figure and gave her a free room. Xaver was smart enough to look for a bit more, so he got the real deal. "I'll have to come by again if I'm in the area. Anything interesting going on that I could check out before I leave?" She began walked slowly toward the door, Xaver following.

"Not really. You're here for the meeting, so you know about that, and you know about the fair that’s basically sprung up around it."

"Yeah, I know. If there's a chance to sell a special 'mana charm' or a meat pie, people will leap on it. This meeting is a bigger economic opportunity than anyone in authority realizes."

"Yeah..." Xaver said slowly. He was probably trying to figure out if that statement was insulting and to whom. "There're street performers too. There're jugglers and fortune tellers. I really like the Bryn Family Acrobats--"

"Who you watch religiously because the daughters dress up in tight shiny tights." She grinned as his jaw dropped. Teenaged boys were so predictable. "I've caught their show before. Anyone else?"

"Well, there's the shell games, the dice games; you should avoid Jasper, he's bad, but Raphael--"

"Jasper?"

"Yeah, he's not any good. He tries, but--"

"Where's he at?"

"On Zeno's Lane, south of the square. Why--?"

"Because I like encouraging bad performers. Give them a self-esteem boost." She patted him on the back and opened the door. "The stay was great. Thanks for your help. See ya." She walked out the door and closed it soundly before he could get another word in. She began a fast walking pace that was just short of jogging.

"Street performing?" she mumbled as she moved. "What's he doing street performing?"
*****************


Pre-meeting post, and a tag to Outlaw.

[Outlaw JT]

Name: Jasper Rally
Gender: male
Age: 23
Country and City: Sembri, Lissum
Personality: Jasper is a kind hearted young man that perfectly exemplifies the concept of a walking doormat. He is always very eager to please and always readily accepts blame when things go wrong even if he was farthest from fault. Of course, often enough things go wrong because of his bumbled attempts at helping so it's probably a temperament he spent years building.
Magic: Jasper can manipulate the flow of mana within organic matter upon prolonged touch. In theory the primary purpose of this style of magic is healing. It can also be used to make minor alterations or temporarily grant improved physical capabilities. Unfortunately, Jasper is a long way from truly understanding and fully controlling his magical talents. The only thing he's managed to master is making small plants and flowers grow or heal almost instantly. His attempts on other things back in medical school were......
Appearance: Jasper stands at a meager 5'6" and his physique borders on looking malnourished. His light blonde hair is fairly messy and unkempt but his keeping it short tends to balance that. He wears perfectly circular blue wire frame glasses over his perfectly blue eyes. He wears a grey long coat with green stitching and flourishes in floral and vinelike designs running along the seems and the chest and at the bottom of the coat. Under his unique coat he usually wears black pants with a similar green vine pattern running down the seem and a plain red button up shirt. He is usually seen trying very poorly to balance numerous books, bags, planters, etc and more often than not failing. It's not uncommon for him to have to stop every 30 feet or so anywhere he goes to gather his scattered belongings.
History: Jasper likes nothing more than making other people happy and anyone who knows him discovers early that he tries to at whatever cost and expense to his own feelings and well being. Since the day he discovered what his magical talents were at the tender age of 7 he wanted to become a doctor to help people. On the bright side he was every bit the geeky bookworm growing up so he easily managed the grades necessary to go to a good medical school. Unfortunately, outside of the books Jasper's ability fell somewhat short. He manages to bumble almost everything he makes a concerted effort at unless it is writing on a sheet of paper. In his second year of medical school during one of the practical exams there was an incident that to this day Jasper has unknowingly managed to block from his memory. He can't remember what he did but whatever it was it almost led to a criminal trial and did lead to his expulsion from the medical school. So bad was the incident that he was barred from the medical field entirely, his identity passed along to all the other known medical schools in the world. His dreams crushed he had nowhere else to turn and one day as he was begging for money on the street he saw someone walking past with a bundle of wilting flowers. Instinctively he reached out and touched the flowers. He followed the person for two seconds before letting go and when he did all of the flowers were healthy again. So was born Jasper the Botanical Street Performer. He drifted around a lot and puts on street shows with whatever plants he can get a hold of. Making vines dance or growing fruits right in front of people. Mind you, he has very little artistic flare so often enough his performances fall flat on their face but at least he manages to scrape enough money to get by. He really had no aspirations to join in the global saving quest but he did happen to be performing his show on the street almost right in front of where the conference is being held.
Relationships: open
Other:

Adventures of the Not So Fabulous Jasper
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some people pass by. Some people stop to watch the performer juggling his possessions as he struggles to set up for a show. Much more people simply pass by than stay to watch. Jasper remains as awkwardly cheery as always, however, as he trips over the planters he had just set down behind him when he turned to fix his sign. Street performers without signs rarely drew a crowd in festivals like this one.

"Come one....umm....come.....wait a sec.....just.....ummm......let go you bloody grape vine....." Jasper flourishes to the meager crowd as he attempts to begin his show, his foot quite firmly tangled in the grape vine planter he just tripped over.

"Right before your very eyes I will......I will....." Jasper stumbles, hopping on one foot trying to pull the other free, "I, the m-m-masterful Botanical Charmer will make the plan.......quit it grape vine," tugging harder, clearly on the verge of falling over with his awkward balance, "Will make the plants dance and perform astounding tricks of ...ummm......balance and ....uhh.....juggling..type....showmanship...." as Jasper teeters on the edge of losing his own balance, "You will be astounded as the plants grow right in front of you and as I bring bouquets of flowers back to health from the brink of ...ummm.....wilting death!"

Somehow Jasper manages quite oddly to stay standing while hopping on one foot, his other even more firmly tangled now in the grape vine planter. Some of the people who stayed for his show move on. A very select few remain to watch the bumbling performer. He is not without his talents, however.

Very carefully he leans over and picks up a bouquet of wilted flowers. He holds them dearly in his hands, his eyes closed. With a sudden twist and pull he spins the flowers up into the air towards the almost non-existent crowd. As they fly up all of the flowers suddenly bloom into healthful color, spinning down to the audience like pristine colorful helicopters.

"And for my next feat of ....ummm......right.....I will make this grape vine grow to great heights and dance while juggling it's own grapes. Maybe it'll even try to toss one into temted....umm....hungry mouths....." Jasper retains a brief moment of good showmanship before stumbling as he almost falls over, his foot still tangled.

Trying to re-balance himself, Jasper leans down and places his hands on the grape vine. His eyes close as he focuses mana into the vine. At first nothing happens. Then, much to the surprise of everyone it begins growing. Almost impossibly the grape vine grows straight up without a single surface to adhere to. Grapes sprout and appear as if by magic.

Jaspers tangled foot, however, does not become untangled as he had attempted to free it by the pattern of the vines growth. Instead, his hopping grew more frantic as the growing vine lifted his leg into the air. Higher and higher still until his free leg was stretched to awkward angles. Higher and higher until the vine lifted him right off of his feet. Higher until his entire personage dangled upside down from the impossible free standing vine.

The few spectators that remain laugh at the humiliatingly hilarious display. A few toss their coins into his donation box. More just leave laughing. The only child who stayed to watch walks over to Jasper and smiles up at him with the youthful energized eyes of youth.

"Mister......you suck!" the child says cheerily before walking away to go join his family.

"ummm...Than-thank you! Remember to ...umm....tell your friends?" Jasper says with his fathomless and somehow unflappable cheer.

So there Jasper hung, upside down from a miraculous free standing grape vine. Unable to pull his foot free he hung there in silence, watching the people pass him by. The mana holding the vine up would fade sometime today so he would wait patiently to pry himself free. Of course, that was the plan but a familiar voice often changes things. This particular familiar voice at this particular time was about to change everything for Jasper as his life from that point on would never be the same.

"Vegetable Man?" the familiar voice spoke from somewhere off to the left.

"Oh.....hello.....ummm..... Nice Mystery Lady. I would come shake your hand but....ummm....I seem to be a bit tied up at the moment," his cheerful smile looked rather unique while suspended upside down.

"Let me help you down from there," the familiar voice offered as a familiar face comes into view.

The Nice Mystery Lady performs her own little trick and suddenly the vine collapses. Fortunately she was ready and caught Jasper before his head could crash to the ground. He smiled thankfully at her and she smiled back.

"I didn't expect to run into you here Vegetable Man. I guess you heard there would be a festival at the conference. Have you been performing here long? Maybe you can help me. I'm looking for another performer. His name is Jasper," the familiar voice sounded hopeful yet skeptical.

"Wow.... ummm..... seven times we've met and we've never learned each others names. Well, I am decidedly pleased to meet you......again. I am Jasper," he offered his hand in friendship, his smile beaming.
**************************


Tag back to Shizo.

[Crystal Tears]

Altar 'Ziz' Nero'Dcas

It was a quick and sudden snap that made her freeze. Her uncle's body hung there for a moment, before falling face first into the sand with a soft and muffled thump. The golden sand flew up into her face, and that gentle breeze which had been so soothing that night became something that would carry her away.


Altar Nero'Dcas had died that night, with the last whisper from her beloved uncle. She had become the demon they all feared: Ziz. Yet as she stared solemnly at the crowd, perching on the overhanging branch like a falcon, nothing seemed wrong with that idea. Altar had always been one of the naughty children, wasn't it just proper to grow up into something that would damn your village and your family?

Something in her wavered for just a moment, a flicker of regret flashed over her dark brown eyes. But it disappeared, overlapped with darker emotions, including greed. This lack of Mana could turn quite a profit, and she'd be sure to share it with her village. She'd pay off some mercenaries to move the dunes, quickly and quietly with magic at their side her past would be wiped from the face of the planet. Ziz thought about it with an ever so slight smirk, it was needed, if she were to build an empire for herself, she needed no distractions. Her family would no doubt bang on her door and beg for money, even her traitor brother.

If she could restore the mana, she would have enough of it to make her illusions into living beings. Summons, including her ever so faithful snake illusion, which would no doubt like to devour her stupid brother. Yes, her master plan, restore mana, capture much of it for herself, and than summon her creations into this world. Her empire would be complete than, and she would finally be happy.

The man on stage eventually said the welcomes and all that, he barely kept the girl's attention. She listened vaguely, catching how he watching people to go and save the world, or at least discover the problem. The man was the representative of the joint Achaerodice committee, basically a liar, and he had gotten good at it. At least this time, he had only sugar-coated the problem about 50% rather than the usual 110%.

Everyone was grabbing pebbles, strange little enchanted pebbles that would turn either blue or red to decide which group you were travelling with. Secretly, Ziz wished that she could go alone, but there would no doubt be circumstances where having an ally would do her some good. So with a reluctant sigh, Ziz leapt down from her tree landed in the middle of the crowd. It was a fantastic landing; the only thing that ruined it was when a fairly tall man ran straight into her.

“Hey!” Ziz snarled, pushing the golden haired boy away. He stumbled only slightly before recovering. “Watch where you’re going!”

He stared at her for a minute, and then looked away. “Oh, I’m sorry... I was...”

“I don’t ca-“ Ziz stopped, halfway through her tangent. “I’m sorry...” She lowered her head. “I didn’t mean to snap at you, I just don’t like crowds..”

It seemed the person was caught somewhat off guard by her sudden change in personality. “It’s alright.” He replied, with a slight bow. It was surprising to say the least, someone dressed in fine silks and such, bowing in politeness to her. She raised an eyebrow, curious. “My name is Alexander Edwards.”

“I’m Ziz.” The illusionist replied with a warm smile. “Are you by chance or for the convention?”

~ . ~

TAG KALAD!

[kalad1]

Alexander R. Edwards XVII

I smiled as I paid the innkeeper the modest price that the room had cost me. I'd found a much more modest room to stay in than the one that my employees had tried to get me to use. I frowned at that as I walked out and amongst the crowd, I'd need to fire them, I didn't approve of such wasteful bootlicking. I then walked out, heading to the convention. I would also avoid the special seating that they arranged for me. While a certain amount of pomp was required from one of my position, I detested having to do it more than normal.
As I walked, I purchased an apple from a fruit stand, following the streets to the convention. I supposed it would be a combination of being interesting and mind numbingly dull. The apple was suprisingly sweet, I'd have to get some ordered when all this was over. Finishing the apple as I arrived, I tossed it perfectly into a trash receptacle, heading in.
The meeting was, to my disappointment, a complete bore, they had no solid data at all, and they needed us to figure it out for them. It figured, most people, companies, and organizations were generally focused on preserving the status quo. Still, at least they WERE acknowledging the problem. I headed to go get my pebble, aware of the girl in the tree as she jumped out. Bumping into her intentionally with my standard spaced out look seemed to pass as an accident in her eyes.

"Hey!" Snarled the dark haired young woman, "Watch where you're going!"

I looked directly at her now, before looking away, replying "Oh, I'm sorry... I was..."

But she cut me off, "I don't ca-" She then paused, making a complete one-eighty in terms of personality, “I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to snap at you, I just don’t like crowds..”

This was definitely a girl to keep an eye on, she was going to be a handful, quite the actor, I'd have to get her in a game of chess or two. I then decided to respond with a slight respectful bow. "It's alright. My name is Alexander Edwards"

"I'm Ziz." The sly girl responded, "Are you here by chance or for the convention?”

"The convention, of course." I replied, "Now, I believe we need to get our pebbles, miss Ziz."

Yes, this would indeed be an interesting venture.

[Fai D. Flowright]

Sorry about the hold-up everyone... I was lacking in a bit of inspiration for this first post, but I finally got something! ^_^

Name: Alanyia Revoire
Gender: Female
Age: 17
Country and City: Ickpri, Meybain
Personality: Although her personality seems light and cheerful on the outside, Alanyia can’t always hold this façade. Behind it all is a girl that others might say has “given up on life.” Fact of the matter being, this is not true at all. In actuality, life is something Alanyia holds dear to her, but she accepts the fact that failure is part of the life which she loves and realizing that mistakes and errors are something that can be learned from. Loving to those she is close to and compliant with most others, she is a very easy person to get along with, as long as you’re not butting heads. She will argue her point until she either wins or a stalemate is established. While she has a will to fight until the enemy is defeated, she can’t bring herself to kill them because it goes against her principles.
Magic: Alanyia uses a process of mana manifestation which involves a number discipline. For each number from 1-10, she has a different attack that is manifested through flashes of light that she controls. 1 and 10 are her strongest attacks, being able to kill an enemy almost everytime, but she refuses to use these due to her value of life.
Appearance: Overall, Alanyia’s body is quite figured, making her appear very mature. Having extremely long, auburn-brown hair, it extends all the way down to about mid-thigh; the only hair that is short is the ones up around her face. The first section of long hair on the left side is highlighted all the way down to the bottom. Her eyes are somewhat bright, but they are a deep jade, which adds to her rather composed personality. As for clothing, Alanyia wears two simple articles of clothing when traveling (a different outfit from her regal ones, which I won’t indulge in the details now): a thin, mock-neck shirt and a sort of extended, pant-like tunic. The shirt is a dark crimson red and is barely visible from under the sleeves and the collar of the tunic. The tunic is much more decorative. The main color is a warm, creamy orange with a jade trim that matches her eyes. The top section must be fastened, as it’s not pre-fit to her form, so the left side is designed to wrap around, under her right arm, to the center of her back. Attached to the material are two straps that continue around, back to the front, where they connect to a clasp resembles the infinity symbol. Around her waist is a red sash, the same color as the undershirt, which is tied off with a leather-braided rope to which two satchels hang (one with money, the other with orchid petals to help amplify her magic). The bottom half of the tunic almost falls to her ankles. Like a pair of loose pants, each leg has its own section, but the inseam is only attached from mid-thigh up, leaving the rest of the leg pieces, from there down, open like a skirt. Alanyia wears a pair of soft leather boots that rise to her calf and are folded back down about half way. She also carries a small metal clasp to pull her hair back in that has a large, circular citrine-like crystal embedded into the top for decoration and two similar, but much thinner, bangles around each wrist.
History: The Revoire’s are a noble family living in Ickpri, a bit short of what people would consider ‘royalty.’ For years, her family has gone on goodwill missions and given generous donations to many funds in order to power their rank in society, but alas, their labors have been all for naught. When the call for the tribunal attendance arrived, it was quickly decided that the family would travel to Anualle Island to represent the nobility of Ickpri. In hearing that there maybe a possible solution to the shortages, Alanyia decides to take on the task of traveling, on her family’s behalf, to save the world and bring glory to her name.
Relationships: None besides family.
Other: WOW! I know! I say it louder.

~.:-*-. {Alanyia Revoire} .-*-:.~

The trip from Ickpri had been long and bumpy, but enjoyable nonetheless. I had been escorted by carriage from Ickpri to Abris, far on the east cape of Oztra. Fortunately, to that point, I was also with my father and mother, as they had business of their own to attend to in Abris. After staying the night there, I had to set out for the Anualle mana bridge by foot. As it happened to be, another group was leaving for Anualle as well, meaning I had a small company to join me on my trek.

Since we journeyed by foot, we arrived just in time for the tribunal to begin. This forced me to attend it in my travel clothes, rather unkempt from travel; an undesirable situation for me, as I’m representing a royal family. But come what may, I managed to hold myself in a professional air, regardless of my appearance.

As the Great Isbets announced and explained the situation to the large group of people in the hall, many quickly left, having no interest in ‘questing’ across the world to search or a solution. I made a small sigh to myself, thinking, ”Don’t they realize how valuable this information can be...?” As I continued to listen, the Isbets requested for any and all willing to go to take a pebble from the basket in the front of the room. To their dismay, only about twenty people approached the staging area to retrieve one of the magic stones. Somewhat jostled by the fluctuating crowd as many made their way out and the others moving forward, I was thrust into a young boy, about my age.

“I-I’m so sorry!” He exclaimed, recomposing himself in the crowd. I attempted to do the same, noticing that he seemed... less fortunate in life than I was. “I just wanted to get-“

As the color in his cheeks quickly reddened, I cut him off, grabbing pebble from the basket. “It’s good to see someone of such a humble background signing up for this journey.” I gave a warm smile to show I accepted him in this endeavor, regardless of his status. It must have been confusing for him, though, seeing my ragged appearance, but somewhat formal use of speech. “Although, I can’t say much better for myself...” I attempted to brush the dusk from my tunic, to no avail.

“Good luck.” He granted me as I turned to walk away.

I smiled again and happily replied, “You too!” As a wandered toward the center of the hall, waiting for the color of my stone to change, I wished to myself, ”I hope he gets the same color...” It sparkled dimly in my hand, fading into an ocean blue. Looking up, I found the blue firefly in the far corner of the room and began to head that way. I was quickly surrounded by eight or nine others, many seeming to come from far different lifestyles; one of which I recognized as Alexander Edwards, a powerful noble from the Helie region. I had never met him, but there are few who could say they didn’t know at least his name. Regardless, from what I could tell, I was the youngest in my group, as I was not in the company of the boy...

Bringing attention to myself, I lifted my hand in a small wave to everyone in the group. “My name is Alanyia Revoire, of the Revoire family in Ickpri. It’s a pleasure to meet all of you!” I greeted the small group around me. Some nodded, some smiled, some seemed to care less, particularly one girl standing on the edge of the group. ”You win some, you lose some, I guess.”

By the time everyone had introduced themselves and we began moving toward the exit, the sun had passed its peak for the day. The lot of us decided to separate for the time so we could prepare anything, should we need to, and meet at the bridge gate in two hours. Many seemed antsy to leave, meaning we would have plenty of to cross the mana bridge.

I took the opportunity to ‘freshen’ myself at one of the inns, paying the owners to kindly use the amenities for a short time. Bathing, changing my clothing, and getting a little rest before heading to the gate. When I arrived, all that remained missing was the girl slightly older than me who introduced herself as Mireya. She arrived shortly after, each us now glad the group could set out without delay. As the guard opened the way for, we set off on the first leg of our adventure.

A desire to familiarize myself with my caravan overcame me and I slowed my stride to talk with the Mireya, who seemed to be walking alone in the back of the group...

~.:-*-.[+].-*-:.~

After a couple hours of travel and conversation, our group had finally reached the end of the bridge. The sun was falling close to the horizon, casting a blazing gold shadow across the fields of Oztra. It had only been a short time since I had left this land, and now, I had returned with a new mission. Thankfully, we crossed the mana bridge quickly; while traveling with the crew from Abris, they had told me that Anualle was declaring a state of mana emergency, causing the bridges, which connected to both continents, to fall into the sea between sunset and sunrise to conserve energy.

Regardless, the scattered trees along the gentle, but deep cliffs of the Oztra countryside looked picture-perfect as we wandered away from the seas and through a grassy valley toward the shimmering Lake Balthem, the largest lake in the region.

“These vines are getting on my nerves!” Ziz snarled aloud from the front of the pack, attempting to rip through the thick foliage catching around her legs and feet.

“Hey, it’s better than trying to scale the cliffs!” I retorted, snickering a little as I pointed upward to the steep, smooth edges of the dry canyon around us, but as I glanced toward the summit, a shadow caught the corner of my eye. “Did any of you see that?” Negative responses came from all around, but I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder.

“Alanyia, I saw it...” Mireya whispered into my ear. “I think I heard something behind us earlier too.” I nodded firmly and tried to work my way forward faster. If I could speed everyone up, even just a little, it would take some worry off my mind.

In a matter of minutes, we had reached a small opening in the valley where the cliffs were shallower. Trees protruded from the moss-ridden stones which would make scaling the wall far easier. “Why don’t we get up on top of the cliff here?” Someone suggested from the front and started pulling and wedging himself up the wall almost effortlessly. Yet, in a flash of light, the man keeled over about halfway up...

“What was that? What’s going on?” Alexander inquired, pulling himself into a defensive pose. A civilian woman cautiously climbed up to the man lying still against the hill. As she approached him, she turned his body to see his face. She let out an ear-piercing scream as we all saw his bloodied body. He was dead.

A charge-like command was hollered from behind the peak and a number of people in unique clothing and robes appeared all around the edges. Alanyia hollered aloud. “...AMBUSH!!!”

Ok, so here's teh deal. Feel free to use the bridge travel time to promote conversation, if desired (tag to Hitchi mebeh?). After that, my group is kinda trapped in this shallow, canyon-type area in an ambush by a resistance force. DarkestLight will be playing the leader of the group, so he'll have his form up soon, as well as a post (this was all meant as a surprise). As for Becki's group, you all will be heading out to cross the bridge a while after us. Beckers should have a post up soon to lead you guys along as well.

[Shizo]

Need to post, need to post, need to post.....


Mezzo
***********
Mezzo's mouth gaped open, then closed, then open, then closed again, then opened once more in a position that may have turned out to be permenant if she didn't suddenly force a small smile. "Um....are you sure there isn't another Jasper around. Tall guy, lanky frame, hardly talks?"

"No, I'm the only one here. Um...sorry?" His cheeriness wavered as he wondered if he said something wrong.

Mezzo gave a heavy, heartfelt sigh and squatted on the ground. "No, no, it's not your fault," she said sadly, twisting a section of grapevine around her pointer finger. "I'm just looking for another guy named Jasper, and I heard there was a performer named Jasper, so I was just really hoping...."

"Really?" She wasn't looking up, but she knew Jasper's face had brightened. "What did they say about me?"

"Um, that you were bad and I shouldn't waste time watching your performance." She looked up into a crestfallen face. "Well, you do need more practice. How'd you get caught up there anyway?"

"I got tangled, and I was hoping I could control the growth enough to free myself." He shrugged.

"Meh. Come with me to the meeting."

"What?"

"I have to go to that stupid meeting, and it's a lot more fun to laugh at the geezers and beuracrats talking when you have someone with you. So gather up your winnings and come on."

Mezzo had what one could call a forceful personality. Jasper somehow found himself picking up the pity offerings his show had earned and his traveling bag, leaving his plants and his carefully arranged sign, and being led by his arm toward the center of the festivies: the square where the grand speech would be given. If he was mystified as to why he had left almost everything behind to listen to an oration he didn't really care about, he was even more confused about Mezzo's behavior. She had spoken of making fun of the noble who was speaking, perhaps even heckling him, but as the elder official spoke of the mana shortage in the world, Mezzo only mumbled to herself, glowering at the man. Only bits and pieces of her quiet mutterings were loud enough for Jasper to hear: "Idiot......" "You only wish it was that bad......" When he asked for volunteers to travel to the Orchids to find the root of the problem, Mezzo practically growled. "Why didn't they do something earlier."

"Well," Jasper said slowly. "I guess they just now realized the problem, or something."

"We've been telling them for years. They've ignored us. They've done nothing. And now they're acting at the last minute. Fools." She sighed again. It was very similar to the one she gave earlier. "I'm going to have to volunteer."

"What?" said Jasper.

"I have to volunteer to help. Come on!" Jasper found himself being pulled toward the basket of pebbles. Mezzo's deft had quickly extracted a pair of the little stones. "Here," she said, tossing one to Jasper. He caught it, and they both turned red. "Cool, we're on the same team. We should meet up with the other Red members. She looked around until she saw another pebble being held by a young man with black and green hair. "There's one. Come on."

Jasper's mouth began working again. "Hang on! I didn't agree to this! You can't just volunteer me!"

Mezzo gave him a steady, confused look. "What else were you planning to do?"

Before Jasper could form a reply, Mezzo had his arm again and was running over to the third Red teammate. "Heya!" She yelled at him. "Go Red!"
******************

[DarkestLight]

My turn, finally.

The lowlands of Oztra were not particularly known for danger, but for any quest that would lead a rag-tag group of individuals across the continents-there would always sprout some sort of trouble....

The group of about eleven paltry folk wandered their way through the quarry, passing by a unique rocky structure that jutted up far higher than the rest of the quarry walls. Had wandering eyes noted the top of said structure, they may have noticed the individual peering down upon them. Waiting until the group's collective vision was past his point, a stone was thrown to the top of the left quarry wall, setting off a silent alarm.

A second figure, thick and burly, began his run, dashing across the top of the quarry. For his weight, he made the leaps across the gaps astoundingly well. However, his speed was lacking, and as such, may have possibly given away his location as he fled over the quarry to warn the others. Not looking back to note if he was spotted, he dove down a smaller crevice, and tagged the next accomplice in this notification system.

This smaller being would blow into a tube, creating a wind-sound that caused the folk atop the narrowing path to quickly assume positions, situating themselves around the lower-tree-lined areas where folks usually climbed up to return to the lowlands. It didn't take long for the caravan to reach this point, the point where this quest went from pure adventure, to something more.

...

The fellow fell easily, one swift swipe of a burly form's forearm, and he fell back, extinguished from the mana flow. A cry went out from one of the other people-leaving them no choice but to show their numbers. The quarry would soon be lined with many a long-eared folk, all sneering and showing their pronounced canines at at the travelers. Some raised torches, others sharpened branches right for impaling. Others still have wooden swords and knives which were waved wildly across the multi-colored sky.

Huddling backwards in order to minimize their chances of a attack from the rear, the folks in the canyon watched wide eyed as their would-be captors quietly stood their ground, apparently waiting for something. One man had enough, and he pushed past Andrew in order to have his voice be heard.

"Shh. Don't provoke them" Alanyia whispered. But the elder gentlemen didn't take heed to the warning, and shouted anyway., "Up there, you humble folk. Do not try and impede us! Do you not know the crisis of this world?"

"Crisis? You wan' talk ta me 'bout CRISIS?" the voice echoed through the canyon causing smaller pebbles to tumble down the walls. Stepping out from the side of the quarry approached one figure, hair matching the splotches of brown that the sun reflected off of the canyon walls. Eyes of a wily, jackal like nature were seen, as the boy crossed his arms, left hand holding some sort of strange weapon across his shoulder. No fear for the retaliation of the group at all, he walked over to the prone body, and stomped upon it. Free hand grasped down upon the wooden blade that had skewered the man, and pulled it free with a satisfying sigh.

"Ma-ha ma-ha! What do we got 'ere? A bunch of walkers! Well, take heed walkers. You and your "crisis" means nuffin to us!"

The one who spoke turned to the lead members of the group, and promptly extended one finger. Said digit started out in their direction, before reversing trajectory, angling upward until it found a snug fit within the boy's nostril. "Ey, now hurry up-n' leaf the dead 'ere and go'n back where ya came from."

~~~XXXXXX~~~

Bio!

Name: Rapu Trayane
Gender: Male
Age: /./... Lets just make him average of all you'z guyz.
Country and City: Bifrean, Aestredia
Personality: Brash. Ignorant. Rude. These are all perfect words that describe Rapu. Whenever he's around people he knows however, he's fiercely loyal-always willing to help a friend to the bitter end.
Magic: Rapu knows a good amount of fire and earth spells that mostly pertain to offensive characteristics. He can combine them to make very explosive combinations, but that takes a great deal of energy. Though lately, he'd been finding them harder and harder to use. There was a time however, where he could remember using them freely, with reckless abandon.
Weapons: Since there's hardly no metal in this world (which I was just notified about >p)the weaponry held by the tribe here are all made of wood. Rapu however, has a even stranger weapon, a thick boomerang which is partially coated in metal (mostly the tips and the joint) to aid flight and to cause some serious hurt.
Appearance: Rapu is around 5'4. He wears a birchwood vest, and pants made out of the leaves of a tree now extinct to this world. A thin orange shirt completes the ensemble-aside from the wood bandanna he wears. His build is slender, yet muscular, and his features mimic more animalistic than human. He has fur, but it is a fine layer that covers his arms and legs. You can only see it on his toes, as he wears no shoes. His natural skin color is a deep tan.His eyes are forest green, and he has pronounced canines-though they don't impede his speech. Hair is a slopped mass atop his head, just a wad of hair.
History: Rapu came from a land that was long since gone to the ears of many, the fabled island of Aestredia. Floating a long ways away from any of the main continents, it was a solitary place, where fruit grew abundantly. Legend has it; at one time, it was connected via a mana bridge to a place where "mana flowed endlessly, lending the island the gift of flight"

However, with the mana shortage, the island fell into the sea, sinking any trace of this civilization. Many drowned, but the few that made it to land felt betrayed by those that seemed to use the mana for their own selfish deeds, and condemned them to this fate. The old leader persevered on, leading his people from place to place, but was turned down everywhere he went. Rapu-being the grandson of the tribe leader, hated how they were treated, and began to grow a heavy hatred for "walkers" as he called them.

One day, Rapu inherited the mantle of the tribe leader-under a very heavy heart, as he was unable to save his own immediate family from a vicious attack from roaming nomads. The only survivor was his little brother, Nicky-only an infant then. Their tribe now down to the dozens, Rapu solemnly took the mantle and pressed on. They've been traveling the planet for longer than he cares to remember, and they still have no place to call home.
Relationships: Lil bro named Nicky (5 years younger), the last remnants of his proud race that loyally follow him.

***

*Phew* Any later and Fai woulda killed me.

[ChobiChibi]

~Caine Sevion~ Weezer- Only in Dreams~

Time passed slowly by himself, many of his team had wandered away to prepare themselves for the journey ahead, but Caine saw no need. He was quite happy to observe, and soon saw why this was such a good place for a conference. People passed through extremely regularly, he never saw the same people twice other than those on either team. He studied the pebble in his hands. Why had it turned red?

His mind snapped back into focus as two people with glowing red pebbles in their hands approached him. He didn’t really know what to do; he supposed he should at least try to get to know some of his fellow team, no matter how bitter he was about being on the “wrong” one.

The girl bounced up to him, obviously excited by the prospect of adventure. “Heya!” She exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear, her friend forced to be by her side. “Go red!”

Caine smiled back sheepishly, not quite sure how to respond. “Um... Hi, I guess...” He spoke quietly, wishing that he could simply begin conversing like normal people. At least, he supposed, they seemed to be in a similar situation as he was.

“So what’s your name?” The girl asked politely. Caine registered her question, but was in a far away place. He watched as the blue team assembled, the girl included, and began to head towards the bridge. He noticed there were around ten of them, and they were mostly nobles. Now he understood. Those with some kind of social standings went in the blue team, whereas the rest got lumped in together, the few that actually probably cared about the world and not just personal gain.

“Hey!” The girl yelled, waving her hands in front of his eyes, occasionally clicking her fingers. He blinked and rubbed his temple, he should be grateful for this company; he knew he’d need it later. “What’s your name?”

“S-sorry, my mind wandered... My name’s Caine.” He smiled as he saw her expression relax. “I’m from Meit... Um...”

She laughed, “I didn’t ask for your life story, its okay! I’m Mezzo, this is my friend Jasper.” She pulled him forwards after he had begun to hide behind her. “Looks like everyone else is beginning to assemble...”

Caine frowned, slightly confused. “I thought we were supposed to leave at least an hour and a half after the blue team...”

“They’re late...” Jasper contributed. “Mezzo, maybe this isn’t such a good idea...”

“Nonsense!” She retorted, folding her arms. “The blue team were nobles and the like; they’re bound to bend the rules.” So she had noticed too, Caine thought. It could be coincidence, or a conspiracy to keep him away...

Oh snap out of it! He thought harshly to himself. You’ll never see her again. Fact. You’re here for your sister.

The rest of the red team gathered, including a man that had just come from the mines in Januri. He introduced himself as Morgan and joined in with their small talk as they made their way to the bridge. It was late afternoon by this time, so the crossing seemed slow. Caine was, however, enjoying the sea breeze as the sun began to slowly sink into the ocean. He guessed this would be one of few times he would be able to relax, so decided to make the most of it. He watched as the sea began to turn the same orange as the sky and frowned.

“The sunset is very pretty...” Mezzo said, nudging him with her elbow. “Is something bothering you? You looked confused or worried...”

“Well... Isn’t the bridge supposed to disappear into the sea at night?” He questioned, frowning at the slow pace of the people in front of him. “Its sunset now, that means we don’t have much time...”

He noticed Mezzo’s face begin to look panicked with realisation. “We’re not even half way over yet are we?”

Another member of the party snorted. “Don’t be silly, of course we’ll make it.” The smirk quickly faded as the bridge began to creak. “Actually... Run!”

The whole team broke into a run, just making it to the other side as the bridge began to crumble under their feet. Many collapsed to their knees, short for breath. Caine watched Mezzo as she continued to walk forward towards the cliffs, a dazed expression on her face.

“Mezzo? What’s wrong?” Jasper asked, taking hold of her sleeve and tugging on it. “Please tell me...”

“There’s been an attack on the cliffs.” She stated. “By the looks of things, there’s still a struggle. Two quite large groups...” Mezzo smiled as she noticed the confused expressions on both Jasper and Caine’s faces. “I can see the movement of mana.”

“Hadn’t we better help them?” Morgan asked the group in general. “It would seem as though it’s the blue team in trouble... After all, how likely is it that another group would pass through here at exactly the same time?”

“Alright... But lets stick together... We don’t want to lose- Caine? CAINE!” Mezzo yelled as he sprinted towards the cliffs. “Come back!”

It was too late, he was gone. Caine’s body quickly shifted into the shadows of the night as he scaled the cliffs. Some were still alive, still fighting, but there were also a number of bodies littered on the floor, although it was difficult to tell who was who. He walked slowly through the battlefield, easily able to avoid any attacks and was unnoticed by all concerned. That was until he saw her. She was struggling to get free from the clutches of a large, muscular man. As he got closer, he noticed sharp, long canines and an abnormal amount of hair on the man’s arms. Manipulating fire would break his shadow disguise, but he had to do something...

Quickly running behind him, Caine grabbed the biggest looking rock he could find and threw it at his head. Stunned, he released his grip for just long enough for Caine to grab her wrist and pull her from his clutches. He ran towards the trees, forcing her to have to run with him and hid among the trees, holding onto both of her arms to restrain her from running back onto the field.

“Let me go!” She screamed, obviously finding it a lot easier to attempt to escape now that it wasn’t a huge muscley man holding onto her. “HEEEELP!”

“Trust me! I’m not going to hurt you!” Caine attempted to reassure her, only to be elbowed forcefully in the stomach. Losing his concentration, he became fully visible again, and grabbed her wrist as she tried to run away. “See! It’s me! It’s Caine, your humble-backgrounded rescuer!”

He felt his heart beat faster and harder, hearing it clearly in his ears as she turned around, a cute yet embarrassed smile forming on her face. “I’m sorry... I kinda acted instinctively as you did kinda drag me away, and you were invisible...” She seemed to relax as he felt his cheeks warm. “I think we should go back and help the others...”

Caine's rock= not that big + named RawrFace XD
Big bad guy= not Rapu, one of his followers (although possibly his brother?)
Character involvement ftw! Have irrelevant NPC's die/run away.
GO GO RED TEAM! KICK ASS! XD

[DarkestLight]

Rapu took a moment to scan the nobles that had wandered into this small crevasse of danger. He was confident that his clan could take them all on, and if they wanted to go magical, well...he was the kitchen! However, a large thud was heard, and two men dashed over to where [insert name here] now lied, holding his head.

"[INH], hey man, you ok? Who did it?"

"I-i dunno. Just, this ginormous rawrk smashed me in my face! The girl got away."

Rapu snorted, knowing that the gash on [INH]'s head was more than just a typical rock falling from the cliffside. He turned toward the others and raised his strange weapon, that glinted with the last fading strides of light. "Now, y'all better git out of er sight. You walkers don't know the pain we're willing to inflict on y'all..."

Rallies and cries came from the others of this mysterious clan -as they now made a full circle around the remaining group. A few women stood watch, to ensure no second group was coming in the area. Bending his knees ever so slightly, the lithe form kipped himself up to a higher vantage point, boomerang in hand. Arms crossed, he was bating his anger but it was visibly slipping, as his grip tightened. One of his best men were injured. He couldn't risk too many casualties at this point...