[M] Sitchel - Anything is Possible... (IC)

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen stepped carefully over the sleeping forms of the new arrivals, her small feet carrying her delicately through their midst. She frowned as she made her way to a red circle in the middle of the room, eyes still adjusting to the dim lights and dark gray walls. The Awakening Room was circular, about thirty meters wide and had no windows and no visible doors. The floor, walls, and high ceiling were all the same dull, dark gray, chosen for its absolute lack of color so as not to startle. Some species were sensitive to color, as Head Guide Arishma was constantly reminding her.

Finally reaching the red circle, she stepped into its boundaries and pressed a button on the small device clipped to her elongated ear. The red circle began to glow.

“ Initiate security sequence code four. Full body restraint and gag.” She said in soft voice. No point in risking the arrivals waking up. A low hum rose from the floor and hazy fog began to rise up from the red circle, engulfing her. She tapped her foot impatiently until the fog cleared, then pressed her finger to an invisible wall surrounding her. “ Shield is functional.” She intoned softly, then pressed another button on the device hanging from her ear. “ Guide number 656, requesting Awakening Sequence initiation.”

“ Clear for initiation.” A man’s voice intoned back, in her ear, inaudible to anyone but her. “ You are go in five mins, Guide 656.” She sighed, the hum from the floor increasing. “Preliminary scans completed, Guide 656, what’s the readout?” the man asked. A projection appeared where Branwen knew the invisible shield was, displaying data from the initial bio scans.

“ Initial readings are…” Branwen blinked slowly. “This is an awful big group, Dispatch.”

“ Unusual arrival patterns today, Guide. Continue with prelims.”

Branwen raised a lip in a snarl, but continued in a low, monotone voice. “ Arrivals are… all bipedal vertebrates. Seven apparent males, one apparent female. Bio signs appear standard… one plant, two reptiles, three mammals, one mammal/mechanoid, and… one… the last one appears to made of… rock.”

“ Say again, Guide 656.”

“ Rock.” Branwen repeated clearly and sharply. There was a moment of silence.

“ Rock. Um. We have no data on any species made of rock, other than the Earth Titans. Is the subject a Titan?”

“ Negative, Dispatch. Much too small, and… it looks almost mammalian.”

“ You are go in one and half mins, Guide, standard broadcast initiating. Keep an eye on rock subject, collect data.”

“ Roger, Dispatch.”

Branwen winced as the telepathic broadcast swept through the minds of everyone in the room, many of the arrivals physically jerking. The obnoxiously cheerful telepathic voice of Head Guide Arishma, recorded the week before, began to play in her head. Arishma had been practicing for weeks before the recording, and Branwen mouthed along sarcastically.

“ The Arrivals Guild is certain that you will, with time, adjust to your new life here on Sitchel. We encourage you to seek out your purpose here, and look forward to seeing you..”

Branwen took a deep breath, straightening her back, and trying not to openly mock the optimistic blather in her head. This was always the most nerve-wracking part. She still recalled with a bitter taste the shock and terror she felt at her own Awakening. It was why she had become a Guide… that, and it was an relatively easy paycheck.

“ Welcome.”

The final line of the broadcast resonated in her brain and the feeling of the room changed from sleepy and dull to electrified. They were awake, she could feel it. They were timed to awaken right at the end of the broadcast. But none of them could move. The security spell web she’d activated held them mute and paralyzed in whatever position they’d been sleeping in. They could breathe and open their eyes, but no more.

Bio signs began to spike as the realization sank in that they were in a very unfamiliar place.

“ Welcome.” She spoke in a loud, clear voice. The translator microbes they’d been injected with by a droid would be working by now. “ Please remain calm.” She almost rolled her eyes. She really hated the scripts she was made to read. “ You have been absorbed by the plane called Sitchel. You are being restrained for your safety, as well as mine and those around us. You will be released momentarily, after I am certain you understand your situation fully. I am your Guide. My name is Branwen, and I am charged with your protection and education in this plane until the time comes that you are fit to provide for yourself. I am your ally in this plane, and the beings around you are your companions. We are in this together.

“ I will now release the gag on you and return your ability to speak. For your safety, you will still not be able to move. I must remind you to please remain calm and be considerate. I will do my best to assist you in any way and answer all of your questions.” Stupid script finished, Branwen pressed a button on her ear set. “Lapse to security sequence code three.” The hum in the floor changed tones as the spell web shifted, lifting the gag. Branwen held her breath, waiting for the inevitable torrent of outrage, questions, fear, accusations… She understood how they must feel. She could only await their responses....

[Govannon]

Before he even opened his eyes, Eldwin knew something was wrong. He was alone. For the first time in over ten years, he was alone. No chatter in his ear, no updates on what whether or events were occurring that day, nobody chiding him for sleeping in so late, nothing. The sensation of being cut off, so suddenly, from everyone he had ever known was terrifying. It actually took him about a minute for him to realize that he couldn't move or speak, and another minute after that to clue in to the message that had played through his mind just a moment before.

Getting a message in his mind wasn't anything unusual for Eldwin, and as a result it was only when he started to examine it closely that he realized just how disturbing its contents truly were. Alternate dimensions? Theorized surely, but never proven, but intelligent universes? that just didn't make sense. The fact that he had a guide sounded like a good thing, especially given the seemingly carnivorous nature of his surroundings. All he could hope for now was that there were tastier things around than his metallic hide.

On top of the information the video had given, the guide herself was fairly worthless. Nothing but platitudes and empty reassurances. 'Please remain calm', right, that message would have worked far better before you told us that even the walls of this place are out to eat us. For now, Eldwin focused on re-asserting himself. His heart was beating far above optimal conditions, and his respiration was over twice the desired rate. Focus. Take your mind out of the equation, let the machines take over, calm yourself and take your body out of the equation. Metal over meat. It was a child's mantra, something that anyone with bionics had done a thousand times. Metal over meat. Still though, it had the desired affect, it calmed him as it always had. Metal over meat.

When the time came that they were once again allowed to speak, Eldwin didn't have anything to say. The machine was in control. He was calm, he was considerate, he didn't mean anybody any harm, he simply was. He worked as intended. For now, he would simply have to see what exactly was going on with his own two eyes. It was only after that that he could allow himself to panic.

[John]

The voice echoed in the darkest recesses of her mind. Although it was meant to be reassuring, Proserpine found no comfort in it. She felt as though she was inside a dream and wanted to wake up. When the voice finally ceased, she opened her eyes. She wanted to look around the room but found that she was unable to move. The floor was cold under her wings and she could sense the presence of others nearby. She could feel their souls and their deepest desires.

Proserpine listened to the woman in the room, who explained that she was meant to be their guide and that her name was Branwen. Everything that Proserpine had heard up to this point seemed unfamiliar and she started to realize that she was unsure of exactly who she was. She knew her name and knew that she was a demon, but had no recollection of her purpose or how she came to be in this place.

Proserpine continued to listen to the woman’s speech and felt a strong urge to rip the tongue from her head. She was not meant to be restrained and the anger was rising within her. With the wave of rising emotion, memories of a great war flooded through her mind. Images of a battlefield, strewn with the corpses of the fallen, while a war raged across the planes. Images of her brother in all his beauty and splendour standing up to their Father who had forsaken them.

Branwen had finally finished speaking and Proserpine continued to struggle against the force holding her in place. Try as she might she was still unable to move. The rage was rising in her and thoughts of Branwen being flayed alive granted her a small amount of comfort.

Even though she had been told that she was now able to speak, Proserpine stayed quiet for a moment. She tried, to no avail, to move her head. Instead she was rooted to the spot only able to stare up at the ceiling of the room that she was currently in. After a few moments, she had decided that enough was enough. She needed to be free. She wanted to stretch her wings and take Branwen…somewhere. She couldn’t remember where, but knew that it was a place of suffering, and was no less than Branwen deserved.

“Please let me go,” Proserpine’s voice was beautiful and melodic, yet a dark whisper echoed behind the words. An innocent smile formed on her lips.

“Please. I mean you no harm”

[Crypes]

Fog, tumbling, confusion, the smell of burning plant. Everything made sense initially. He was falling. As his mind rushed about, a single face came to clarity. Her voice warped, he tried to remember what she said. "Find him, Crypes. You have to find him."

In the distance, he heard a voice. "He's almost there, we're about to lose him!"

The woman looked back to the person in the distance, and grinned. "See you on the other side." She said, leaning in towards him before all faded to black. And next, Crypes heard a voice in his head. He initially thought that it was the woman he had left, but she sounded different. Besides, he hadn't heard her speak so seriously in years. He opened his eyes and was in a strange place. He sure as hell didn't recognize it. Strangely enough, he felt like he was where he wanted to be. Though why he wanted to be there escaped the memory at the moment. He tried to get up, but realized he couldn't. But he could see and hear.

"I'm having a smoke." He said, more of a statement than a question. His lighter crawled out of his pocket holding a plain cigarette. The thing placed the thing in his mouth as he said a muffled thanks, and it lit the cigarette before sticking around to collect the ashes. He blew a plume of smoke before getting down to business. "Alright....What happened to my memory? It's always been hazy, but this is ridiculous."

[SikstaSlathalin]

Azzarox

Darkness, silence, cold none of which were new to the Dark King but something different made his instincts flair in a high rage. He was paralyzed and gagged and that in the Fearstalker world meant certain death. He'd been the Dark King for 2,000 years he's thwarted and destroyed all would-be killers. If they got past the Abyss Knights and the many traps he killed them himself. Most were Sun Fighters from across the Night Sky River and even some of his own race with death wishes. His sense slowly regained their power and his anger bubbled more tensing and flexing his body against the bonds, they groan some but hold strong. He growls hearing the mental message trying to send his own back.
Release me now or suffer 1,000 nightmares your deepest soul hasn't even the ability to grasp! He growls feeling his power dampened greatly, but he keeps trying his bonds and once he feels his mouth and voice freed he wastes no time roaring out a spell. Darkness flows over his body. The spell reaches it's completion and the darkness bursts out breaking the bonds. He leaps off the platform landing in a crouch growling fiercely.


Rasorna

The King...the King's in danger I must help him! Were the only thoughts running through the mind of the Knight. Her mind began running and studying it's situation as soon as she regained control. She felt her body paralyzed and her mouth gagged and begins thrashing her limbs the best she can but to no avail. She takes deep breath and begins smelling out the room. Many scents were foreign to her nose but one is very familiar and it makes her efforts wild. But as the strange voice entered her head, she calmed a little, long enough to memorize the message at least. But as she felt the darkness flowing from the direction her King's scent was she felt the gag leave and her voice return. She mimicked her King's words though not as powerfully the darkness rushed over her and after some time she broke free much more subtle then her King but still free.


King and Knight.

As the Fearstalkers freed themselves they begin studying the room. 30 meters wide, circular, dark gray, high ceilings. They scanned the room looking at each form, two were awake and talking but the rest seemed out and unmoving. As their eyes rove they lock on a woman in the middle of a red circle. With deep growls they charge her fangs bared and claws flexed. But within a few feet of the circle they grind to a halt and Rasorna snarls sniffing the air around her.
"She’s Sidhe my King." The King growls circling the woman sensing a shield around her.
"No only half Sidhe, but still be wary Rasorna." The Knight nods circling the opposite direction of her King. They both snarl more watching the woman.
"Speak quickly Sidhe and don't lie we can smell falsehood." The King growls stopping in front of her looking her in the face. Fearless of the magic Sidhe women have in their eyes.

[GraftRaven]

Darkness.. immobility... was this the operation he remembered? No. This was now, that was long ago... and what was this? Alternate dimension... thinks for itself... immobilized for your safety? Geru opened his eyes on the gray ceiling, it would help if he could see another person. He began to feel panic as it became more and more obvious that this was not at all under his control, all his life he had had an aspect of control on his surroundings and now all of it was gone. "...release the gag on you..." the words echoed in his head and he found the use of his voice restored. "And who are you to decide what is safe?" were the first words out of his mouth. "What say do we have in this?" was the second set. His military side had taken over and the organization was returning to his mind.

[Kyuukitsuki]

Link looked about the room. "humph, not very welcoming" "Where are we, and why cant I move?" he said sarcastically. "who are all the strange people... I don't like the look of them.....The gods cant save you this time Navi.. if this is another joke.. " link felt a breeze pass by his back.. "and where is my Stuff? Ohh I'm gonna crush that little Fairy next time I see her" Link paused.. He then realized how he been sleeping... "for god sakes get my thumb out of my mouth...please... I.. had something in my mouth ..."

[OneCrazyyHippie]

Maynard found himself walking along a long dark corridor.

He had been there for quite a long time, that much was certain.

But other questions were harder to answer. How? Where?

Why?

A mirror appeared in front of him. His reflection laughed.

"You're crazy man, normal people would be freaking out" He said, cackling. A second mirror appeared.

"You're talking to yourself again, Maynard. Do you want to go back to the hospital?" Maynard shook his head strongly. He couldn't speak. A third mirror appeared, and Maynard gazed into it warily.

But in it, was nothing but his reflection. Maynard grinned with relief.

His reflection, grinned with malice. It slowly reached out of the mirror, and picked up a small briefcase Maynard had not seen sitting next to him. His eyes and mouth widened in shock as the reflection began to turn, changing; his hair glided into a jet black, his irises closed and reopened to reveal a new bright shade of green. The reflection had turned half way around when he paused, and looked at Maynard.

"I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is..." He paused, and turned back to face Maynard. His face distorted and flashed in a great cataclysm of chaos and fear as he roared, "THEN WHO THE FUCK AM I?!?!"

Maynard froze, and then fell, into the nothingness below them. The reflection was left alone, but before he left, he saw one thing on the mirror. Somehow, the words "I am Maynard" had appeared on it as the mirror fogged up. With a wave of his hand, the words reorganized to say "I am Dranyam", and he quickly walked away.

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

After having appeared in Sitchel, Dranyam's body lays motionless except for the very slight hint of breathing. The guide's messages go unnoticed as he snores loudly after the gag is released.

[Kyuukitsuki]

Link begged to move "where is my Violin at least, Its relaxing... and right now i need to relax for god sake!!" he began trying to move. Wiggling his toe's moving his fingers nothing..... "Anyone else got a clue about whats going on here?" Link tried to look at the person to his left or right, but he only gave himself a head ache.."Come on I cant even move my Neck!"

[Security of Mem]

Flying away from planet Odiris, Pherdel stared at his partner Sedi. He seemed tired of all the trips.
But then again their goal was to find a way to control the ship and take it back home. As Pherdel punched in the coordinates they felt themselves flying off. Pherdel believed Sedi was behaving in a very weird and odd manner these last past few days.
Taking his crown off in crowds. Shielding him from imaginary blast. Pherdel knew the stress was getting to the both of them.
Emergency entering unknown field the ship said in it's female voice.
Suddenly it felt almost like the rushing swirling water of a toilet. As they seemed to plunge into this strange magnetic field.

-----

When they awoke Pherdel found himself not able to move. He was hearing the last bits of what sounded like a script to him. He had been a leader in many countries to know it was a script.
To him he couldn't see anything. Actually he couldn't actually move either. He didn't know exactly what to say, or whether or not he should say it. Instead he tried to move one more time. And then another time. Why he was struggling this way he really didn't understand. He knew that he had never struggled like this before.
Maybe it was the disappearance of Sedi that frustrated him a bit. Where was Sedi.
And now that he thought about it, his mind was all fuzzy as he tried to think backwards. No, he needed those memories. At least he knew who he was personally.
At least he still had the sense of individualism and the sense of who he was. He was certain this was who he was.
"I'm Prophet Pherdel, if you assist in unbinding me I will greatly return the favor in assisting you," Pherdel said.
He was certain he was Pherdel and he was certain he was a leader. But where and how, was the questions that wouldn't come clear in his mind.

-----

Sedi tried moving and moving. Actually he looked more strained of constipation then anything else. His face had turned flush and he tried to move. He knew he had to get to Pherdel. He knew he had to protect him from the next enemy. The next bad guy. Pherdel needed to be safe. He actually found it rather weird he remembered Pherdel and his grand duty to him and nothing else.
Also he remembered about the ship too. Then again those were the main focuses of Sedi's mind. He didn't generally look into the past as much as say Pherdel did.
"If you don't unbind me....I'll murder you with.....well I don't know yet what weapons you'll be handing me....but trust me I'll murder you," Sedi growled.
He once again made more movement and struggled under the weight. If they were not bad guys they wouldn't have tied them up. That was his only reasoning. To whomever was watching him bound up this must have been the most amusing scene. But he wouldn't give them anything to laugh. He wouldn't. He would...he would. He would protect Pherdel.
"How dare you separate us, you'll regret it...regret it I tell you....when I find out the system functioning of your weapons and the names...I'll kill you with it," Sedi said.

[RainCheck]

Shooting his eyes open, Angelus looked around. Where am I? he thought to himself. He tried to get up, only to find himself bound. What the bloody hell is going on?. He reached for his pistol, it was gone.What?. He tried for his sword, it too was taken from his side. NO! They took that too? Wait! He moved his fingers around franticallyDid they take it? No, it's just a ring, not a weapon.. He finally felt the etched band of the Ring of Alara on his index finger. Oh, thank the powers..

Just then, he heard a voice ringing in his head“ You have been absorbed by the plane called Sitchel. You are being restrained for your safety, as well as mine and those around us. You will be released momentarily, after I am certain you understand your situation fully. I am your Guide. My name is Branwen, and I am charged with your protection and education in this plane until the time comes that you are fit to provide for yourself. I am your ally in this plane, and the beings around you are your companions. We are in this together."
. Companions? What? Angelus thought. He looked around seeing before him many other individuals in the same predictiment as himself. The Voice continued “ I will now release the gag on you and return your ability to speak. For your safety, you will still not be able to move. I must remind you to please remain calm and be considerate. I will do my best to assist you in any way and answer all of your questions.” She better do a dman good job too! he thought.

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen sighed impatiently as the various reactions began. A few of them didn’t even speak, but she noticed the mammal/mechanoid’s bio signs stabilize. The first to speak was one of the two females, asking to be released. It was the immortal, as an immortal herself, Branwen could hear the power in her voice.

“ Soon.” She promised, not trusting the immortal. She was well aware of how tricking demons, fae, and angels could be.

The next to speak was a mammal male, one of the more human looking of the group. His bio signs indicated unusual brain activity, and Branwen watched in mild amusement as his lighter crawled out of his pocket of its own accord. The spell web hadn’t stopped him, and it was woven to neutralize all known forms of magic or powers, which meant that this male was a new occurrence in Sitchel. She pressed her finger against his bio signs on her holographic screen, a red circle appearing around them to mark him for a closer scan.

“ I’m not reading from a script now, so I can just go ahead and tell you this; your memories are pretty much gone. Whatever is left in your head is what you’ve got. It’s a side effect of absorption, and it happens to all of us, and I’ve never heard of anyone getting them back. But please don’t smoke in here, the spell web is likely to get hostile if it detects fire.”

And then something interesting happened.

The two reptiles slammed free of the spell web with an audible crack, first the male then the female. They immediately charged her and thought better of it, recognizing her species. Sidh were well known across the many planes, so that was unsurprising… however, the very fact that they could move was amazing.

“ Very impressive.” She said, nodding to the male, who met her eyes without fear of her innate magic. “ Let me just warn you that if you attack me or anyone else, the spell web will kill you instantly. In any case, I’m not your enemy. I’m here to help you, and if you harm me, you won’t last five mins.”

The next was another of the male mammals, this one a hybrid of canine and human features. His bio signs were calm and fairly stable, and his voice snapped clear and strong.

“ As of the moment you have no say, and I’m sorry for that. It’s the only way I can be sure you’re not going to kill me, or anyone else.” She sighed. “ Like I said before, I am not the enemy here. I want to help you, and I’m just as eager as you all to get you unrestrained and moving.”

The next to speak was a rather hyperactive sounding blonde male, human-ish with some fae-like traits. He blathered on for a while and having no response, Branwen ignored him.

The next noise she heard was a snore. Another blonde male mammal. Snoring. He looked human, but that was nothing to go by.

“ Oh, you have got to be kidding me.” Branwen muttered, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

More blathering now from the hyperactive one. Branwen sighed.

“ Look, I know how it sounds, but just try to be calm, okay, folks?”

The next was the plant, speaking in a calm voice, and Branwen breathed a little sigh of relief at his reasonable tone.

“ Good. Pherdel. Nice to meet you. I’m Branwen. I’ll be happy to let you all up, just give me half a moment to check on everyone else…”

Almost immediately, the rock creature spoke. Threats. Branwen grimaced. Back to square one. Rage was clear in his voice, and she was pretty sure he was male.

“ I’ll let you all up, just do not attack anyone. If you do, the spell net will fry you. Do you all understand?” She didn’t bother waiting for an answer, fingers moving to her ear set to press the security button. The final male mammal did not speak, and she barely spared him a glance before her lips raised in a snarl. Vampire. She could smell them from a mile away. She could never remember exactly why, but she disliked vampires. Breathing in to calm herself, her finger pressed to the button.

“ Lapse security sequence to code two, release shield.”

The hum in the floor became nearly inaudible as the invisible restraints lifted, allowing movement. As a show of good faith, Branwen stepped slowly out of her circle, hands up in the universal I-mean-no-harm gesture. She stepped past the reptiles, hands still up and smiling without showing her teeth, to nudge the snoring male with her foot.

“ Okay, folks. Now you’re all up. Here in about thirty secs you’re going to get a strange sensation in the back of your head. It’ll feel like someone’s pulled on the back of your neck a bit. This is the spell web again, it’s going to be scanning you for a couple things, mainly to document your species and let us know if there are others like you already in Sitchel. Try not to fight it, and try to stay relaxed. This is going to take a couple minutes, so if you have questions, and I know you do, ask now.”

[John]

Proserpine rose to her feet and stretched her wings to their full span. She flapped them lazily for a moment before wrapping them around herself. Taking a moment, she eyed each of the creatures assembled in the room. She instantly became intrigued by the vampire in the room. She knew what vampires were but couldn’t understand why this one seemed to have a soul. She could feel the rage within the lizard creatures and instantly thought of ways to fuel it to her own ends.

Proserpine felt something pushing inside her. It was a feeling that she should be doing something with these creatures, something that was mixed with the urge to kiss them. She was also aware of an empty feeling inside her. She felt that something was missing. As if a presence that had been with her all her life had been removed. Keeping her wings wrapped around her, Proserpine approached the faerie creature known as Branwen.

An image of fire appeared inside Proserpine’s mind and she could see Branwen burning inside it. The image caused her to smile and she thought of reaching down Branwen’s throat and ripping out her spine. Resisting the urge to do so, she thought that this was indeed a good time to do as advised and ask some questions. Though in truth, there was only one that she wanted answered.

“ My name is Proserpine, and you are right faerie creature, I do have questions for you.” She spoke in a soothing voice but the whisper behind her words seemed to be filled with anger. Proserpine’s eyes were filled with love, which did not reflect the hatred which burned behind them.

“But rather than waste your time with trivialities, I will ask the one question I want answered most. How do we get out of here?” It was at this moment Proserpine noticed something strange about the whisper. She could control what it was saying. Although it echoed her words as she spoke them, it also spoke the thought which had entered her head so that only Branwen could hear.

“Do not trifle with me sidhe! I wish to leave!” The whisper spoke with the rage of eons.

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen met the demon's eyes coolly, feeling a tingle at the base of her skull as the magic in her pupils went to work, lacing her words with calmness. She heard the unvoiced threats and rage, clear as funeral bells.

" The only way out of here, Proserpine, is with me." she said shortly and calmly. " Let's be frank. You don't know where you are, and you don't know how you got here, and you have no allies except for me." The tingling increased as Branwen's will to keep control did. " So let's work together."

[Crypes]

Crypes stood up, listened, and continued to smoke. "Spell web? What, like, magic? Anyways, I'll take my chances with the smoking. What's the worst-"

He was interrupted by a loud pop, as his cigarette exploded, flew into the air, and landed as dust. He blinked a few times as he realized what just happened, and that the spell web could pop him like a balloon. "That spell web thing is a smartass." He said, retrieving another cigarette. This one just sat in his mouth however. "Alright. Back to my question. Magic?" He said, not realizing how unusual he must have sounded having just made his lighter give him a cigarette.

[Security of Mem]

Sedi was released and when he was he freed he moved his head around the room. He was looking for one person in general Pherdel. He saw Pherdel's crown and took a sight of relief. He actually didn't mind the pulling sensation much, maybe because he couldn't really feel it much. Instead he saw the image of the person, Branwen.
"I'm Sedi Protector of Pherdel," Sedi paused.
He took a moment.
"What do you want from Pherdel?" Sedi asked.
Sedi took a moment to think of other questions. He was thinking quick, as well as thinking of what to do to protect Pherdel. Sedi to almost everyone else who didn't know him may say he was obsessive a bit. But then again he had been on edge, ever since, ever since. Crap he knew he had been on edge, but he couldn't remember the direct event that had just happened.
"You won't take Pherdel for medical reasons," Sedi said.
He took another moment to think. To think of what exactly. Sedi was having trouble recalling.
"I know what you want from him, but you won't...you can't have it," Sedi said.
Much of whatever came from his thoughts were obsessive, but tenderly brotherly thoughts:
Gotta protect Pherdel
Pherdel, Pherdel, Pherdel
Gotta keep Pherdel safe
Gotta keep Pherdel safe
The truth about Sedi was his extreme loyalty. Which came at a price of almost obsession.
"I'll always protect Pherdel," Sedi said.

-----

Pherdel wasn't only just embarrassed with the way Sedi was talking about him, but there was this awkward sensation at the base of his neck. It was kind of funny feeling. And he really didn't know what kind of reaction he should have. To try and pull free so he could feel better or to laugh at the strangely tickling sensation.
It was just one of those things you don't normally feel. Pherdel saw the image of Branwen.
Pherdel closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It allowed him to relax and think over his thoughts.
"It's a pleasure Branwen," Pherdel said, "Now I would like to apologize for my partners behavior, he can be at times...well he takes his job wonderfully seriously, he really is like a brother to me."
Pherdel paused for a moment. Mulling over his thoughts. This is a very peculiar situation, how should I proceed?
"May I ask, what exactly is the Sitchel since I hear you speak of it?" Pherdel calmly said.
Pherdel rubbed his hands together. And wondered if he was going to be loading her up with questions. He certainly didn't want to be rude. Especially on a knew planet.
"Now, I assume from being brought here...that we are going to be appointed a mission to do, may I ask what it is?" Pherdel paused, "Or will that be answered after this is over with."
Definitely to much to ask, Pherdel told himself. But he really wanted to see how far they would extend information. He wanted to see how far they would answer. How far they would aid them. Pherdel smiled pleasantly.
"That is all for my questions.

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen laughed at the human male with the dreads. He was familiar to her. She guessed he couldn't be too different from the human males of her home plane... not that she remembered.

" Yes. Magic. Over half of Sitchel runs on magic. This whole room is magic. And as we speak, it's scanning you as well. The spell web is like a really complex co-op of spells working together. Right now, it's tuned to scanning and protecting everyone in the room from anything remotely hostile."

She paused, listening to the rock and then the plant creatures. The rock male seemed confused and protective. Best not to provoke him. Branwen smiled attentively at the other's questions.

" Enchanted, Pherdel, Sedi. Sitchel is the plane of existence you are currently on. Like I mentioned before, it's an intelligent plane. It was designed to keep other planes from expanding too large and keeps them in check by absorbing pieces. Some times it absorbs beings. Like everyone here." She paused, thinking on how to word the next answer. " Um. No missions, really. It kind of sucks, but folks just get dropped here in Sitchel. Your only mission, as I'm aware, is to learn what you need to survive, not get killed, and do whatever you need to do in order to accept life here."

[RainCheck]

Right then. Angelus thought. This little trollop better hold good on her promise.. he could hear the commotion of people yelling, blurting out questions and the voice of Branwen rung above all others "I’m not reading from a script now, so I can just go ahead and tell you this; your memories are pretty much gone. Whatever is left in your head is what you’ve got. It’s a side effect of absorption, and it happens to all of us, and I’ve never heard of anyone getting them back. But please don’t smoke in here, the spell web is likely to get hostile if it detects fire.”
. Angelus started searching his mind to find it was blank, except for the one who was taken from him, the demon trials that won him his soul, and his years of guilt. Oh, bloody perfect,not only has what ever Sitchel is taken me out of....wherever I was, it took whatever made me ME!
Angelus then noticed that various individual were being released and that someone was making themselves toward him. Shit! I'm a vampire, in a new place. There's going to be chains, and crosses. PERFECT!

It was only until the individual made herself rigth over Angelus, that his worries were availed. A BLOODY FAIRY! As she passed, he looked at her and saw her disgust. His restraint lifted, and he stood up. The first thing he looked at was the Ring of Alara. Before he could only feel the etchings, but he could not know if the emerald was still in the setting. "Tahnk the powers" he muttered, "everything is still intact. Now, Branwen Love I got a quest..". but before he could finish she spoke again“ Okay, folks. Now you’re all up. Here in about thirty secs you’re going to get a strange sensation in the back of your head. It’ll feel like someone’s pulled on the back of your neck a bit. This is the spell web again, it’s going to be scanning you for a couple things, mainly to document your species and let us know if there are others like you already in Sitchel. Try not to fight it, and try to stay relaxed. This is going to take a couple minutes, so if you have questions, and I know you do, ask now.”
"Oi Love! How did we get here?"

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen's smile became somewhat plastic as the vampire addressed her. She swallowed back the almost instinctive anger and forced herself not to think through whatever instincts remained in her after nearly one hundred years in Sitchel.

" To put it simply, your plane of existence expanded beyond it's allotted space, and Sitchel absorbed some pieces of it to compensate. You were part of those bits. The Arrivals Guild has used extensive magic to ensure you were dropped here, in this room, to protect you."

[Govannon]

These 'companions' were going to get him killed. Idiots, all of them, focusing in on the present and not the future. It was obvious that, while the guide did have some power, she didn't have nearly enough to do this to all of them. She didn't have enough energy to bring them all here, wherever here was, all the way from, well, wherever home was. What was home anyways? Eldwin couldn't remember, and that was wrong. He couldn't forget things, he literally couldn't; well, not unless he wanted to anyways. Every memory, every fact, everything that passed through his mind was logged, recorded, stored in the hard drives that permeated his skeleton. Quickly he flipped through his backups, to be met with nothing but corrupted data, time and time again. It was odd; this corruption wasn't random. His skills, his facts, his talents, they were all untouched, but the memories were wiped almost clean, with the exception of small chunks of perfectly preserved moments. There was simply no way that this could be an accident, the odds of memory corruption like this were astronomical, 22,079,460,347 to one against, if his skills at math were as sharp as they once were. Still, at least it gave him a question to ask the guide, providing that the guide manged to survive long enough to get around to him.

The entire proceedings were quickly becoming something of a farce. People ranting, people screaming, people breaking free and making threats, really what was the point of that? You have already been assured that they aren't going to harm you, there really isn't much more you can ask for.

When they did release the bonds restricting them from moving, Eldwin slowly rose to his feet and surveyed the rest of the gathered crowd. It was disappointing that there was no one else there like him, either physically or mentally. Well, maybe the sleeping man, but Eldwin got the distinct feeling that his relaxation was not from cool logic, but from a rather more, chemical, source. "I'm really curious as to why you're all threatening her," Eldwin addressed the clearly stressed crowd. His voice wasn't overly loud, it certainly wasn't yelling, but Eldwin was sure that it would carry to everyone there. "Seeing as how she is one of the few people in the world you can trust completely right now."

"We were all helpless when we arrived here, I can also only assume that we were asleep for at least some length of time, given that I quite clearly remember 'waking up' here. Even you two, " Eldwin gestured toward the two rather hostile beings that had broken out of their containment, "took some time to free yourself from your bonds. Everyone in this room was at their mercy; they could have killed us easily, and yet they didn't. I'm not saying that they couldn't have some other purpose planned, but they did spare our lives, and that has to count for something. Now instead of making threats and attempting to kill our only source of information, I would appreciate it if you would try to get something useful done first. For example, after you are finished answering her question on how to get out of here, I would deeply appreciate it if you could tell me how exactly it is I lost my memories."



<OOC> 10 points if you can find the joke in this post.

[RainCheck]

"Right well, where are we going to be dropped off at?"

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen sighed, half of relief and half of tension. She was glad the mammal/mechanoid male was reasonable. But he had just asked the hardest question of all. The part that she still grappled with. Bad enough to rob them of their homes and lives and loved ones... why did Sitchel take the memories too?

" No one really knows. All we know is that when Sitchel absorbs us, we lose all but a few of our memories. Some of the Elder Scholars have theories on why, but it's pretty deep stuff. Magical Quantum Theory and whatnot, something about magical electromagnetic fields. But it happens to us all. Me, you, even the Elder Scholars theorizing about it. And we don't 'drop you off,' man, you're under my care until you can take care of yourself to my satisfaction"

A beep went off in Branwen's ear and she abruptly waved her hand in front of her, causing a holographic screen to appear.

" Good news, though. The scan is done... Now I can see if we have any genetic matches for any of you in Sitchel that may have come from the same plane..." She scrolled through the data with her forefinger. Using her other hand, she pointed to the cyborg. " Okay, Tin Man. We have a diverse population of mammal/mechanoids, and some very near matches, but nothing to indicate that anyone from your plane has ever arrived here before. All you humans, same deal. You-" she pointed to the canine/human hybrid. " The database has turned back three very close matches, very likely from a similar or same plane. You two-" she pointed at the demon and vampire. " -will find loads like you around here, but it's hard to say if any are exact. You-" she pointed and Pherdel. "- we have some similar, but nothing exact... and absolutely nothing even similar to your friend." she nodded at Sedi, then turned to the two reptilians. " We have a remarkably similar population to you, but the brain waves are slightly different. They're called the Scarens, ring any bells?"

[SikstaSlathalin]

King and Knight

The Fearstalker King's eyes never left the Sidhe. Something told him never to turn his back on her kind. He sniffs the air tracing each scent of these other Prisoners back to them and in turn lock those scent into his mind. He watched with narrowed eyes something about this creature smelled of lies and trickery. Rasorna had remained silent since Branwen stepped past her and the King she almost wanted to break the woman's knees just walking past her King with no sign of respect but the woman's warning made her think against it. Azzarox growled watching the other creatures wake up and ask their questions he didn't like a one of them there was too much confusion and calmness the emotions were endless from the stupid rock thing fawning over the plant, to the human that reeked of smoke and now some strange self-righteous being dared to speak so freely to him with a bestial roar the King run to the wall and spring off it landing in front of the strange creature smelling him.
"You reek of cockiness metal man do not dare speak as if you know. Nothing good can come from us being rounded up like prey and forced into this plane with no past knowledge to aid us!" The Knight having relaxed her rage enough to keep a level head followed her King as he rounded on the metal man. She loops an arm around her Kings and pulls him back speaking in the Stalker tongue.
"Please your majesty do not show them your rage none of them smell right they could be hiding something. And if they know they can get to you we could both die and never get out of here." With a soft growl the King assents to his Knight's urging and turns from the metal man. Setting his dark eyes on the gathered group before locking them coldly on the Sidhe still fearless of her power. He listend closely to her words matching the other creatures with a race similar to them once she got to The Fearstalkers and says Scarens. A snarl crosses his face and he says.
"You stole my memories Sidhe how would I know?" Rasonora sighs and shoots the Sidhe the same look but says calmer.
"What do they look like?"

[Crypes]

If he hadn't played D&D in highschool, he wouldn't have understood a single bit of that magic talk. But, one way or another, his questions were answered. Best thing he could do was what he always did, and that was go with the flow. So, he looked around the room at the others. He just took it all in stride, having seen similar creatures ever since his first trip. It was funny that he couldn't remember any of said creatures though. In any case, he noticed someone familiar looking. "Maynard?"

He quickly walked over and started to lightly shake the man's shoulder. "Wakey wakey, time to bakey, bro...."

[RainCheck]

Angelus felt the pain the fairy was talking about. When it had passed,he came to horrifying realization.If this thing matches my genetic make-up it'll throw me in with other vampires. That's going to cause some problems. I wonder when I'll get my equipment back.

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen fought to keep calm. These reptilians were annoying her but she had a sneaking feeling that showing that would do her no good. Instead, she held her head high so as not to appear submissive, and smiled without showing teeth, to appear friendly and not threatening.

" I have not stolen your memories. You know I and Sidhe, you know that is beyond all but our highest. It was the absorption that has stolen your memories, as it did mine." She took another calming breath. " The Scarens... are similar in appearance to you, but they are larger and lack the spikes."

The human with the dreads approached the sleeping human male, calling out a name. Branwen blinked. It was strange to have two creatures absorbed from the same plane at the same time, and even stranger for them to know each other. Odds were very bad for that to happen three times in one day.

Branwen kept her thoughts clear and untainted. Who knew what powers these beings had?

[Kyuukitsuki]

Link sighed a sigh of relief he could move, " Excuse me beautiful...? I'm a simpleton.. please where am I going? and who are these people?" Link pondered about the room "Hello everyone my name's Link" as he walked about the room he placed his hand on the wall... trying to read everything that it has seen, and trying to find an exit..... "where are the doors at again"

[John]

Proserpine listened to the others ask their questions and listened intently to the answers Branwen gave. She was becoming curious and the thought of working with this creature of magic intrigued her. More than that, she wanted to try to corrupt the sidhe. Proserpine was still feeling the urge to attack Branwen, but restrained herself, not wanting to test the magic of the plane they were on. For now she would need to be cautious.

“I will work with you sidhe, but only because it suits me to do so.” Proserpine spoke the words with a tone of friendship and eyed Branwen curiously. The whisper echoed her thoughts into Branwen’s mind.

“Surely together we can find a way to leave this plane. Don’t you want to return to your home? Don’t you miss it? Do you not long to be with others of your kind?”

Proserpine now felt a tinge on the back of her neck. Knowing that this must be the scan which Branwen had spoke of, she attempted to resist it. Tensing her body, she felt an exquisite pain flow through her. It was a pain that would have crippled a lesser being, but Proserpine, being a creature of darkness, thrived on it; and longed to feel more. She continued to resist and started to hiss as the pain became too much for her. Giving in, she allowed the scan to happen.

When the scan had finished, Proserpine turned her attention towards the machine creature. It was a curious thing for her to behold. It seemed to be a mix of flesh and metal. She found herself wondering if the flesh could feel pain. And what an exquisite pain she could inflict. But now was not the time fun. She had to admit that the machine creature had made a good point. Threatening their only source of information could only lead to disaster. A thought formed in her head and the whisper echoed into the mind of the fleshy machine.

“A curious and intelligent thing you are. But can you really trust the sidhe?”

The whisper had seductive tone to it and Proserpine felt that there was something so right about it. She wanted to manipulate them all. They were nothing more than vermin to her and she wanted to take something form each of them. It was something specific but what exactly, was lost along with Proserpine’s memories. Yet she couldn’t deny the feeling and instinct that was pushing her to destroy each of these creatures.

Proserpine continued to listen as Branwen told her that there were others of her kind on this plane. It was at that moment that she had a flash in her mind. She could see a winged creature of beauty. Instantly, the hatred rose in her at the image. It was something she had never seen before(as far as she could remember) but strangely she knew it’s name. Angel. She shivered at the word in her mind. Proserpine knew that this creature was her enemy and wondered what else might be on this pane.

She never got a chance to ask. The reptilian creatures had started to take their turn asking questions. Proserpine continued to listen intently, and when they had finished, she sent the whisper to the one who called himself a king.

“You know what she is. Do you dare to trust her?”

Proserpine was now starting to feel confined. Although she was gaining a small amount fo enjoyment by trying to manipulate the others in the room, she was feeling a little lost because it all seemed so pointless and without purpose. She needed to get out of this room and feel the wind on her face. She needed to soar into the sky and feel freedom. She noticed that she was starting to quiver slightly and looked into Branwen’s eyes.

“I need to leave this room.” Her tone was pleading and the whisper echoed the same. “But before we do, is there anything on this plane that we should be worried about? I can't imagine that all the creatures here will be benign."

[The Gypsy Queen]

" Only I can access the doors. And yes, now seems like as good a time as any to leave." Branwen eyes the human with dreads. " Drag him, if you must."

With that, she turned and marched towards the concealed door, which opened at her touch. She was not ignoring Proserpine. She could feel the demon's mind moving against hers and the others. She clamped down on the gates of her mind and turned her eyes to the demon, blue eyes cool and calm.

I have been here for one hundred years. Sitchel is my home now. Give up on going home.

" Okay, before we go, couple of ground rules. Stay close to me. Do not touch ANYTHING, and I really mean that. If it's alive, don't come within arm's reach of it. And if I start running, for the love of Aurora, keep up. If you wander off, get left behind, or whatever, you have forsaken my help and that of the Arrivals Guild, which means I am no longer responsible for you, and I won't care what happens to you. Are we clear?" She didn't wait for a response. " Good. Let's go."

And with that, she passed through the doors into a maze of white hallways. She walked briskly, checking to make sure her charges were keeping up every now and again. After several turns, she led them through a small lobby, past the four armed, blue receptionist who had eyes where her mouth should be and a mouth where her eyes should be, and threw open the double glass doors that led outside.

" Welcome to Sitchel, kids." She stood to the side to let them all out and take in the view.

The narrow street was packed with bodies, lopsided, mix and match building's lining the streets. Venders of innumerable species shouted and waved their wares, and a Rolls Royce rolled past on the road, followed by a buggy pulled by a triceratops. Overhead, several cloud nymphs tormented a flock of flying monkeys, and a gargoyle loomed on the tallest building, an old gothic cathedral split exactly down the middle. Beings of every imaginable shape, size and color crawled, walked, slithered, or floated past, the cacophony of daily life in Sitchel briefly overloading the translator microbes, leaving them all drowning in a sea of foreign words before they came back on line.

Remembering her own shock a century ago, she gave them a moment to take it in.

[SikstaSlathalin]

Rasorna

Something clicked inside the Abyss Knight's mind as the Sidhe described the Scarens. Larger but lack the spikes? She was tempted to pass her thought to the King but a snarl appearing on his lips told her to keep her thoughts to herself for now.

Azzarox

He was making a plan when he heard the black winged creature's voice invade his mind. “You know what she is. Do you dare to trust her?” His response was a mental snarl and a terse response.
"I don't trust you or her Demon. Do not think you can win over my trust with your mind magic."

King and Knight

As the Sidhe woman lead them from the room the Stalkers saw light for the first time in many ages. They both snarled closing their eyes but kept walking soon they opened their eyes used to the sudden brightness. The Followed this Guide as she was referred to through the strange white halls. Her warnings worried them little. Fearstalkers were born with the deepest and darkest horrors bred into their minds. Death meant nothing dismemberment was a bother at the most. Only one thing can truly stop a Fearstalker and that knowledge has never seen the light of the Prey world as every place outside the Night Sky River is called. As they exit the building a strange light meets them at first they thought it was sunlight but it wasn't the same power it was more like a large lamp. They scan the new world tracking every new scent and burning it into their minds. One thing caught their minds and put two gruesome smiles on their scaly faces.

Fear, it was heavy in the air. Fear of making a bad deal, fear of getting caught stealing, fear of being killed at any moment. This scent put the green back into their scales you can say with deep breaths the Fearstalkers grow a few inches in size slightly empowered just by the smell of fear. They both let out deep satisfied growls and their eyes take on a new evil glow. A world never before terrorized by those that truly feed on fear. This could be the answer for planting a new Fearstalker empire and returning to their lives of darkness.

[John]

Proserpine listened to the response of the king in her mind. She laughed a little out loud at it. It was more at herself than the king. It appeared she had underestimated this creature. The whisper left her mind and entered his. The tone which accompanied it was submissive and full of respect.

“Surely a being as powerful as you has nothing to fear from the likes of me. You are powerful my king, and you should be respected. Does not the sidhe owe you that much?”

As they exited the structure, Proserpine looked with wild eyes at the scene in front of her. All manner of creatures existed here. Some she recognized, other’s she didn’t. The city, if you could truly call it that, was alive with all manner of beings and they moved about in a symphony of chaos. She took a moment to absorb everything in front of her and snickered at the frailty of the beings which dwelled here. She couldn’t help feeling that her unanswered question had been for nothing. Although there were many creatures here of different species and from different planes of origin, so far, the only one she had met that even came close to comparing with her power was Branwen. She had to admit, that there was something which appealed to her about this place, but she saw nothing that could fill the empty feeling inside her.

Proserpine shook her head at the answer she received from Branwen. She could not accept that there was no way to leave this place. Surely one of the beings on this plane must know of a way to escape. And escape she must. In this place, she had no purpose.

Proserpine needed some release now and unfurled her wings. Soaring straight up, she flew hundreds of feet into the air. As she soared through the air, she could see what appeared to be islands floating in the sky. There were other winged creatures in the air as well, but she paid them no mind. Even though she felt totally alone, Proserpine was free. She didn’t venture far from the group on the ground, keeping them in sight. Branwen had told them to stick together, but Proserpine couldn’t deny her nature. The whisper left her mind and entered Branwen’s with a genuine tone of friendship.

“Branwen. I know you can hear me. This place is amazing. But I cannot stay. You know what I am. I am meant to serve a purpose, and that purpose is not here. Surely there must be others. Beings of power that I could talk to. Someone must know how to leave this place.”

[Kyuukitsuki]

Link followed the group out the door.." what gods created this place?" he cought up with the guide."ma'am..." he said, as he cought glimpses of different technologies? "what year is this ., and what are these guilds your talking about" realizing that he asks alot of questions he paused, bent down, and picked up a rock.. " this should do" he said as he placed it in his right hand. his head was filled and overwhelmned with the history and before he could make heads or tails of the images he tossed the stone on the ground.." I dont think I like it here...."

[RainCheck]

Angelus took to wandering around the room, making sure to keep his opinions to himself. Just because that fairy said that the security nets would drop someone if they incited any violence, doesn't mean they'd fry the person next to them He noticed many strange beings had benn pulled into this "mass absorbtion" and he felt sorry for the lot of them. Grace was taken from me for sometime now. No telling how many of these beings were taken from their loves. That is, IF they remember being with them.

As he walked, Angelus overheard many conversations. Being respectful, he didn't eves-drop. Though the Lizard-folk, you'd be damned if you could understand them. He also noticed a strange individual walking around introducing himself to the rest of the group:Hello, my names is Link! That guy should watch himself. Being that BOLD could get him into trouble he thought.

Angelus then heard Branwen's voice above the crowd " Okay, before we go, couple of ground rules. Stay close to me. Do not touch ANYTHING, and I really mean that. If it's alive, don't come within arm's reach of it. And if I start running, for the love of Aurora, keep up. If you wander off, get left behind, or whatever, you have forsaken my help and that of the Arrivals Guild, which means I am no longer responsible for you, and I won't care what happens to you. Are we clear?" .
Crystal thought Angelus.
As Branwen opened the doors to the containment area Angelus noticed that it was about mid-day. "Oh Crap, Well IF she asks I'll explain, if not ...Well better not volunteer information." he said to himself
Angelus followed the group out side and took a step over the thresh-hold. He could feel th Ring of Alara tighten slightly around his finger. The brightness of the sun made Angelus shield his eyes. He looked around and saw that Branwen was leading the group into, what in his mind would be considered, the MarketPlace of the city, town,...Whereever they were in the world.

"Here we are then...Entertain us." Angelus said, and he walked with the group towards the "Arrivals Guild" What ever the bloody hell that might be.

[Govannon]

Ah, threats now was it? Lovely. This stupid lizard just didn't seem to get the fact that they were someplace new now. It doesn't matter how big you are, or how strong you are, not if your opponent can vapourize entire cities, and that was just the capabilities of Eldwin's world, much less this one. Note to self: begin work on orbital cannon as soon as released by arrivals guild. The lizards could do as as they pleased, it didn't really matter to Eldwin, but they would have a comeuppance, soon, and when they did, Eldwin would just laugh.

For now, it was time for maintenance. The corrupted data could be dumped, he already realized that there wasn't any serious hope of recovering it. The data was so far gone that it would have been a long shot even in normal circumstances, to say nothing of having an entire universe against it being recovered. He also double checked to make sure that everything that had happened so far had been recorded correctly. It was, which meant that at the very least the interference hadn't done any really long term damage to his recording equipment. The musculature implants seemed to be holding up equally well, as did the neural, ocular, aural and organic implants. His nanobots were depleted however, and would take some time to return to their former numbers. The only left to test now was the arm.

Holding it in front of him, Eldwin smiled as the familiar human hand melted away to reform into something resembling a stereotypical beam cannon. Well, the physical transformation seemed acceptable, but the power levels were reading a little strange on some of the firing modes. Ah well, just something to tinker with later.

With that thought in his mind, Eldwin had reached the end of the maze of white halls and saw Sitchel for the first time. It was an, interesting, mix, to say the least. Past, future, multiple presents, things that seemed impossible, things that seemed archaic, things that seemed inane and things that seemed idiotic, all passing each other by as though nothing was out of the ordinary. Here, nothing probably was. "So Branwen, what exactly does this tour entail?"

[GraftRaven]

Geru got up as soon as the bonds were released, his left arm flopping limply. The bolts on the elbow joint unscrewed themselves and then the three section joint opened about an inch between each disk as he listened to all the questions and answers. A series of clicks and the claws on Geru's right hand began to retract into the lower arm's shell as the thumbs moved to the side; then, another smaller hand popped out of the center of the larger one, flexing its mechanical digits with precision as they began walking the hallways. Geru tinkered with the joint for a few seconds as the group made their way to the outside.

This was all quite strange, though he had his eye on a few of the group, mainly the lizard creatures and the lady with wings who seemed almost too sweet to be real. A loud crunching sound was heard as the arm joint contracted back together and the gears joined again. His right arm returned to normal just as they exited the building. Geru's ears twitched and his eyes flicked here and there, taking in the scene before him. Ancient buildings and creatures seemed to be united with technology even more advanced than that from his remembered accident....the lizard creatures changed, turning green and getting a bit larger... so what?

The one that had wings took off, flying high into the air. -You fool- he thought, -Branwen just told us not to leave the group... why have you just done that?- He opened his mouth to speak, sharpened teeth glinting a bit in the light, but before he could ask his question someone else asked it for him "What exactly does this tour entail?" he closed his mouth, -i guess i'll talk later-

[Kyuukitsuki]

Link was amazed everywhere he looked carts where pulling themselves, metal birds hung in the air, and people who where half horse, " Ma'am I don't suppose people ride those do they?" as they continued down to the arrivals guild he began to get a bit antsy.. " silent treatment eh? Anyone remember where they where from?" Link began humming songs to himself... " Oh Ma'am ....any way one of these guild would have a violin shop or a flute shop..... guitar... anything?" he stopped for a second thinking..
'I probably ask to many questions...." link continued to look about the place and as he was walking he noticed a small plant .... "Ive got the strangest urge to cut down that shrubbery...." he shrugged and kept moving..

[Security of Mem]

Pherdel smiled kindly at Branwen. When the shield was removed and they were taken out into the Sitchel for the first time, Pherdel must have been the only person who looked excited and fascinate. Something peeled from his calm and collective face. As he had the expression of a kid in a candy shop. His eyes were twinkling and he looked around at everything. Lopsided buildings and these mixtures of all these times converged together. It was lovely and beautiful. He saw flying monkeys too, he took a soft laugh as he remembered a phrase from somewhere he wasn't sure. The day I died will be the day monkeys fly
Pherdel smiled and then that act of remembering. That short act of feeling from somewhere else, made him remember a another maybe more important detail. And all though he couldn't remember directly. The beautiful planet suddenly lost it's luster and shine. Pherdel didn't belong here. And he was still trying to go home himself, whatever home was. He couldn't remember home either, but his heart and soul were denying it all so suddenly.
"Branwen, thank you so much for showing us this beautiful place," Pherdel paused, "But my heart rejects, so I'm sorry to say with all your hospitality, I need to figure out how to get out of here. I need to go home, I don't directly remember, but I know that I'm searching still for my original home. And no matter how much I could accept living in such a wonderful place, I think my heart would wither...I have never gotten the chance to go home."
Pherdel gave her a weak smile, but the calm and awareness seem to layer itself back on his face. The shine and the small brief of happiness left. Maybe it was because even though he didn't directly have his memories, his soul told him everything. He felt sorta sorry and guilty that he had rejected someone's hospitality this way. But this wasn't where he belonged. It was if his heart and soul remembered everything, but his mind didn't.
"I'm sorry," Pherdel told Branwen in a short sort of whisper.

------

Sedi additionally had the complete thought he was going to reject the world when he saw it. And when the shield was raised and they were led into the world he immediately moved through the crowd and joined up to Pherdel. Pherdel looked surprisingly happy. Then again he had this sense he had seen that face several times before. Pherdel was much an explorer as well as a leader. And Sedi admired the two sides. Sedi took a few looks at the uniquely odd world. He already set his mind he was going to reject and he did reject it.
He didn't even give one utter of a thought of how he felt about this place. And maybe it was that rejection that allowed him to come up with just as a smart thought as Pherdel. He heard Pherdel asking Branwen something and Sedi smiled. This would certainly put him back in Pherdel's books.
"I think we got pulled into Sitchel during a Hyper Time Warp....uh....um it's fuzzy, but I think....we were in a ship," Sedi said, "Do you think we can use the ship to get out here?"

[Kyuukitsuki]

"not likely" Link shrugged as he walked past Sedi, " where stuck........ forever!" he said sarcastically. " what do I know though? Is there anyway to get back to where ever we came from, and would we know it if we did?" All link could remember was the smell of the forest trees. Link felt something bumping his leg from in his pockets. "Carrots!... why in the word do I have Carrots?"

"What kind of ship? Pirate ship or a caravan of Caravels? he said to Sedi.

[Security of Mem]

"What kind of ship? Pirate ship or a caravan of Caravels?"
Sedi was taken aback by this question.
"My Pherdel wouldn't be in a pirate ship," Sedi said, "It was a space cruiser, it was kind of small, fish shape a little and it can fit about a good 8 people."
Sedi was also making gestures with his hands in the shape of the cruiser so the person could get the picture. Then he stared at the man who asked him the question.
"And for your information, I'm Sedi protector of Pherdel and I will find some way to use that ship to take him wherever he ask to, he wants home...I'll be best damn sure to get him home," Sedi said.
Sedi crossed his arms and puffed himself out as if looking to look taller.

[The Gypsy Queen]

“Okay, kids, let’s play nice.” Branwen held up her hands peacefully. “ Look, I’ve been on this plane for nearly a century, and I spent quite of few of those years looking for a way home.” She shrugged. “ It just doesn’t exist.” The sense of magic tickled at the base of her skull and she pulled Link closer to herself. “ Do. Not. Touch. Anything.” She growled. “ I mean it. It may look like a harmless carpet or rock or flower, but it could very well eat you.” She sighed. “ This tour, right now, entails us all going to the residence hall. All of your larger possessions were taken there. You’ve each been assigned rooms… but as far as a ship goes, I have no idea, Sedi. I mean, we get ships sometimes, but Sitchel just absorbs them. And if that’s the case, it could be anywhere on Sitchel.

“ But, moving right along…” She began to walk backwards down the sidewalk, motioning for her charges to follow her. “ Our first stop today is going to be the residence hall, and then the Edge. After that is your first lesson of Sitchel Survival.” She turned on her heel and began to lead her group down the narrow, winding streets, past satyrs and kapas and nagas and a large purple winged squirrel. “ I’m not teaching you how to navigate yet, so just try to keep up, okay guys?” she called over her shoulder.
She led them around the obelisk and down a narrow alley where Elvis Presley and Kurt Cobain were holding a small concert for what appeared to be a wyrm clutch. Finally, they emerged onto a large open, busy street, and over all the clamor of thousands of beings and machines and spells, Branwen pointed to a large squat building with several stories.

“ That, my friends, is Conant Hall. It was an actual Harvard dormitory, if that means anything to you. It’s also your home now.”

Branwen then began to carefully lead them across the street, avoiding the grasp of larger beings expertly.

“ Okay, Pherdel, watch out for that horned thing there – it eats plants – and Proserpine, you stay up there… Okay. I swear, blondie, touch a thing and I will kill you myself. Oh shit –“ Branwen skittered to the left, motioning for her group to follow, out of the biting range of a hungry looking Hellhound. “ And that is carnivorous.” She waved them away from its teeth. Pulling the hyperactive Link with her, she darted for the sidewalk in front of Conant Hall, wheeling to make sure the rest followed. Once they all made it, she breathed a sigh of relief.

“ Okay. This is the residence hall. See, it’s on the corner of Fourth Row and Okie Dokie.” She pointed to the lopsided street signs, one from Victorian London and the other from the Wild West. “ Memorize that. The hall is covered in a spell web that will only allow pre-approved individuals in, and you’ve all been approved. If anything happens to me, or we get separated, you are to come straight here and get inside. It’s the safest place in all of Sitchel for you.” She stepped forward and opened the door. “ We have the third floor, guys, your rooms are all marked with your picture. You’ll find your things in there so have at it.” And she stepped to the side to let them through.

[John]

Proserpine stayed in the air, circling the group. So far, being In the air was the one bit of pleasure she was finding in this chaotic pace. The group on the ground continued to move past all manner of creatures. It wasn’t until she heard Branwen say the word “Hellhound” that she started to pay attention again.

With lightning speed, she landed on the ground next to the hound, which barred it’s teeth at her and began to growl. She found this creature to be familiar, and did not fear it. Though she doubted from what she had seen do far, that she would be afraid of any of the denizens here. The whisper left her mind with a commanding tone and entered the mind of the Hellhound.

“Heel!”

The dog stopped growling at Proserpine and started to regard her with a strange curiosity mixed with familiarity. Proserpine knelt down beside the creature and stroked it’s head. It’s eyes flared red and it began to wag it’s tail. Although Proserpine didn’t know why she knew what this creature was, she did know it had something to do with her true purpose, and a smile appeared on her lips.

“Are you hungry boy?” She spoke to the hound in a soothing tone and it barked at her expectantly. Proserpine scanned the area and saw what appeared to be a chipmunk wearing a red tee shirt with the letter “A” on it. She made a small motion with her hand and the rodent flew off the ground and into the mouth of the Hellhound. As the Hellhound chomped on the rodent, a small, high pitched scream could be heard, followed by the sound of bones crunching. Proserpine smiled at the Hellhound and sent the whisper back into it’s head.

“Good boy.”

The hound barked at Proserpine and, laid down on the ground. Proserpine had hoped that the hound would follow her, as it was, it appeared to not be that interested. Proserpine walked away from the hound and arrived at the group just in time to hear Branwen relay the information about their rooms. When Branwen had finished speaking, Proserpine appraoched her,

“I have no need of a room nor do I wish to be confined. Can I not stay at your side for the time being?” The whisper echoed the words that she spoke and different words went into Branwen’s mind.

“I feel empty. I feel…alone.”

[Crypes]

Crypes slung the knocked out druggie over his shoulder and followed the group, looking around the place with interest. It was trippy, no doubt about that. He was even more tripped out when he got to the dorm. "Woah. Could've swore I just burnt down this place last year. Ah, it's probably from another dimension or something."

He walked over to his friend's room and dumped him on the bed, leaving a joint and lighter on the dude's chest for when he woke up. He lit his own cigarette on the way out and headed for his own room. He poked his head in and walked back out. "So, what're we supposed to do again?"

[Kyuukitsuki]

"The one that looks like me eh?" Link said to himself "the plants will eat you..." He pondered ... "have plants ever tried to eat me? Seems awfully familiar" Link found his gear in the room waiting for him...."Yes lord, thank the gods" Link picked up the Violin and began to play fanatically. "Oh I missed you so much!"

Eventually he arranged his room to how he liked it and pulled opened the door. "And this is one of my more favorite melodies" He began to play a slow song, his fingers gliding up the instrument, then abruptly the music changed from peaceful to aggressive and violent. Eventually the melody went full circle and ended just as it began, quietly and softly.

[SikstaSlathalin]

King and Knight.

The Stalkers barely registered the Demon taking flight or the annoying little elf thing talking with the plant and rock creatures. They were focused on the sea of fear before them. Breathing in the lovely tonic of fear and paranoia. The more they breathed in the greener and more colorful they became. The King's throat began taking on a blood red hint and Rasorna's scales took on a more purple bluish tint. As the Sidhe led them on a tour the Hunters studies everything continually feeding off the strands of Fear it made their senses even more acute every creature and building as being filed away for later plots and plans being spun at how to best milk these creatures of their sanity and fear. The Stalkers glared at the strange animal, ready to rip it's throat out but the Demon dropped down and connected with the beast. With snarls they catch back up with the group they catch the Sidhe's instructions on their new quarters. With twin nods of affirmation they step through the door after the smoke reeking human and take the steps. Soon they reach the third floor and find their room. At least the Sitchel knew enough to not separate them. With instinctive caution the King turns the handle and pushes the door open. The room is something like a phantom memory fleeting and hardly noticeable. They seemed at home in the dark stone walls and ceiling and the blackwood floor.

Azzarox

"My King do these quarters please you?" The female Stalker says looking about the room noting the window with heavy drapes over them.
"They will suffice until we can get out of here or find our own land to settle." He walks to the bed and pulls his body armor off along with the cloak. Standing in his sleeveless undershirt and black pants. He begins chanting slowly creating dark webs of magic. With slight growls he begins planting shields and traps around the windows and door. He didn't trust anything in this world he broke free of the bonds that held him when he first arrived. If a simple containment spell could be broken by his Dark Flux who knows how strong the shield around this place was.

Rasorna

As her King dressed down the Knight took the cue and pulled her own armor and cloak off. She wore a similar under shirt to her King, only shorter exposing her muscled stomach. She stretches slightly the spikes down her spine and arms rattle a little as a large yawn escapes her mouth. She watches her King drift around the room planting the spells and shields he somehow knew. But she soon finds herself repeating them in her head in time with the King's voice. She sits blankly on the one bed then it dawns on her.
Will I have to share a bed with my King? The thought sent a strange surge through her body seeming to shake her bones. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling quite the opposite. She couldn't place it but something told her she was of the proper age of mating and she could smell that the King was too. Swallowing the urge she begins reviewing the day in her head.

(In reality Fearstalkers can be mated as young as 13 years and stay fertile until they die.)

[Security of Mem]

Branwen left them alone to find rooms. Pherdel curious enough walked to find his room. Since he had no super personal affects with him, his room was bare and empty. But for some reason the room felt uniquely designed for him. It was quaint and quiet. And he adored it. But his heart ached as if telling him he mustn't forget something important. His heart whined and he couldn't, he just couldn't accept this place.
He couldn't. He needed his home. Not a new home. He felt suddenly cold, alone, and almost hurt. Pherdel had felt this feelings before. He knew this, but the current situation wasn't coming up. Pherdel stepped out of the room and he watched as Sedi childishly rejecting everything. Pherdel knew he too was rejecting this, but his heart couldn't take it.
"Seid," Pherdel said quietly, "I just can't stay here, we need to find our ship, like always. And we need to try to leave."
Somehow Pherdel could sense that Sedi was suddenly pleased by this statement. Pherdel could almost see a smile on Sedi's face. Of course it was covered by the pyramid head.
"My heart says find my home, and I cannot settle in this new home, without seeing my real home, I can't remember what it looks like,"
"I will take you wherever you want to go," Sedi said.
"I want to find our ship and go," Pherdel said.
"Effectively," Sedi said, "Setting out as my current mission, let's go."
Pherdel felt guilty and felt rude for not accepting this place. But he needed to do as his gut had told him. He needed to find Branwen and tell her he was leaving. This wasn't his home, he didn't belong here.

[GraftRaven]

Geru walked past Branwen, careful to keep his claws close to his sides. After finding his room and looking around he found a set of miniature barbed harpoons that looked like they could fit into some holes on his palms. He also found a wrench, a candy bar, and a pair of jet black sunglasses. The claws on his hands retracted and the smaller versions, minus the claws, popped out of his palms. Before doing anything else he unwrapped and ate the candy bar, he was so hungry. After that he loaded the harpoons into his hands, they would come in useful at some point he was sure.

Lastly he slipped the glasses over his eyes, they were specially designed to clamp onto the side of the head and not let go unless done willingly. Small letters began to appear in the left lens, almost like a personal schedule that he had forgotten, written in an encrypted language he no longer knew. Then a message box appeared "Warning: Technical malfunction, all previous data lost." He flicked his mind at it in a half familiar kind of way and it went through a reboot process. As it did he looked around again, the room was comfortable looking, black with shades of red and silver. It had a desk in the corner and a bed in the middle of one wall. A small flash of light at the edge of his vision, the device had finished. There was a menu of green icons on the left side of the left lens, he came to recognize them as a scheduler, a map, a clock, and a data filer.

Satisfied with his surroundings Geru threw himself on the bed and began to flick through each of the menus, then he decided to start a journal of his experiences in Sitchel. Once opened the data filer prompted him to choose whether to archive data on what was around him or whether to create a stand-alone document. He chose the document and began to think words which then appeared on the lens and continued onto the other lens once he got far enough. His tail flicked back and forth and his ears twitched as he wrote about his experience thus far, he wondered where these glasses had come from, then about what might happen next.

[Govannon]

Eldwin viewed his new room with an almost predatory grin. Everybody else in their little group seemed to be obsessed with getting home, he didn't have that problem. The little market outside, the massive differences in species and races, the sheer hugeness of this world, there was opportunity here. Perhaps even more than was on his home world. There was opportunity here, and Eldwin was loathe to ignore it.

The universe itself seemed to be supporting Eldwin's ambition, as it was providing for him in a truly spectacular way. Everything from his home was here, and that meant literally everything. His workbench, computer, chemical and component part stores were all here. Perfect. This would, at the very least give him something to do later tonight, not to mention give him a way to get some better weapons. For now though, he simply didn't have the time. Well, maybe for one little grenade...

Half an hour later, Eldwin was back downstairs with about a dozen assorted explosives, a slightly sooty appearance and a manic smile. He was looking forward to the first survival challenge.

<OOC> If the equipment is unacceptable, just let me know and I'll edit the post. I just thought that since my character was basically an inventor, he wouldn't be much good without inventing things.

[RainCheck]

Angelus continued to follow the group, careful not to run into anyone or anything. He could see that the entire environment around him was something you would only have seen in a fantasy book. Different species of creatures interacting with one another, as if the whole world itself didn’t care for differences in race, mortality, sentient, or non-sentient. “
Heh”, he spoke to himself , “It looks as if the whole world lives in the gray. No black nor white.”
Angelus had himself a nice chuckle at this notion. <But,> he thought to himself, <what about my traveling partners? Do they too believe in the grey area? Or have any of them brought along feelings of hatred and superiority of their species that they remember??> Shaking his head he said aloud “No. they would have started something as soon as we left the awakening chamber…or whatever the bloody hell that place was.” With this new thought, Angelus began to relax. Slightly.

Angelus noticed, once again, that the one named “Link” was continuing to speak his mind aloud. Asking questions, talking to others, and…PICKING UP SHIT! <What is up with that little ponce?> Angelus thought. He saw that Branwen had also taken noticed that Link was picking up stuff and yelled at him.
Link then made himself towards the armored guy and his small companion. Link began talking and asking questions about ships. <Oook…> thought Angelus. <Inquisitive little bugger isn’t he.>. But just as he finished that thought he heard a rush of air . Angelus quickly got into a defensive stance and looked around . He noticed that the young woman who was so “buddy-buddy” with Branwen had unfurled a set of wings, and took to the air.
“Oh balls!” Angelus said, “A demon.”
<But what kind though?> Though the woman looked like a demon, Angelus’ vampire abilities didn’t sense her presence when he first noticed her in the awakening area. <This just got a whole lot more serious>. He thought to himself.
Angelus forced himself to relax and pulled himself out of his defensive stance. <Hope she didn’t see that>.
Angelus then over heard Branwen state that they were heading to the residence hall. When they came upon a street, she motioned for them all to follow and she quickened her pace slightly to cross. As he crossed, Angelus could overhear many of the inhabitants mutter “Vampire”. <Oh bleeding great>. Angelus thought and ignored them, focusing on the direction that the group was heading.
After a few twists and turns, Angelus heard Branwen say aloud so that they could all hear: “ That, my friends, is Conant Hall. It was an actual Harvard dormitory, if that means anything to you. It’s also your home now.”
He saw her motion to a fairly large, dormitory-esque, building. She then led them across another street and to the thresh-hold of the building. As she opened the door the group entered. Angelus made his way towards Branwen to ask her something but was interrupted by her addressing the group “Okay, Pherdel,” she was addressing the young man in the red robe and odd looking crown/hat, “watch out for that horned thing there – it eats plants – and Proserpine, you stay up there” <Plants, why would he care if it ate plants?> Angelus thought. “Okay. I swear, blondie, touch a thing and I will kill you myself” she told Link.
<Well, he should keep to himself> “Oh shit –“ Branwen skittered to the left, motioning for her group to follow, out of the biting range of a hungry looking Hellhound,
“WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS THAT?!” Angelus shouted
“ And that is carnivorous.” Branwen said.
“NO SHIT! REALLY?”
She waved them away from its teeth. Pulling the hyperactive Link with her, she darted for the sidewalk in front of Conant Hall, wheeling to make sure the rest followed. Angelus hugged the wall away from the evil dog and followed the group

Angelus followed the group outside until they came to a stop. Then he heard Branwen‘s voice,“ Okay. This is the residence hall. See, it’s on the corner of Fourth Row and Okie Dokie.”
She pointed to the lopsided street signs, one from Victorian London and the other from the Wild West. What kind of street names are those? Angelus thought “ Memorize that. The hall is covered in a spell web that will only allow pre-approved individuals in, and you’ve all been approved. If anything happens to me, or we get separated, you are to come straight here and get inside. It’s the safest place in all of Sitchel for you.”
She stepped forward and opened the door. “ We have the third floor, guys, your rooms are all marked with your picture. You’ll find your things in there so have at it.” And she stepped to the side to let them through. Angelus entered the building and made his way up the stairs searching for his designated room. Once he found the door with his picture, he opened it. Inside was the basics of a small hotel room: bed, table, a couple of chairs, and a doorway leading to the restroom. Angelus looked around the room and saw that his flintlock and sword were resting on the table. He shut the door to drown out some annoying violin music that had started playing in the halls, and reached for his sword. As soon as his hand touched the swords handle, he felt it turn ice cold in his palm. “Oh god!” he said, “I hope no-one unsheathed this thing.”
Angelus began sliding the sword free from it’s leather sheath. When he had drawn the blade completely free, he saw the cursed runes etched into the blade glow with a light, menacing, blue light. “Angelus could feel the blade getting colder in his hand. “No you don’t” he said and the runes seemed to dim at his words.
After re-sheathing the sword, Angelus picked up his pistol and began inspecting it thoroughly. “Looks like whatever brought me here didn’t damage this little guy.”
Angelus put the pistol back onto the table and sat on the edge of the bed, thinking aloud. “This world seems to be ok. Sure there is some tension in the ranks, but what was that demon woman? Who or what are those lizard things? What the hell kind of dog was that? What’s going to happen when they find out what I am?…”
Angelus shuddered at this new thought “What ARE they going to do when they find out what I am? Sure, being a vampire doesn’t always make you ‘Mr. Popular’ with the living, but what are going to do when they find out that I have a soul?”

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen winced as Proserpine fed the chipmunk to the Hellhound. Of course the demon would like the infernal thing... but the chipmunk looked sentient. Branwen shrugged. It wouldn't be her problem if sentient chipmunks came looking for revenge.

She sighed at Proserpine's thoughts. It would be easier to keep the Demon near,

You can...

She took the elevator up the third floor and watched and listened as her charges moved about, checking that the door to her own room was still locked. They were an interesting group, and she almost felt bad for what she was about to do... but she didn't know any other way to show them the truth about Sitchel...

That there was no way home.

After she'd given them some time to acquaint themselves with their surroundings and with each other, she called them all out into the hall.

" Okay." she started. " Get used to this, and each other. We'll be here together until you've all found ways to support yourself." She took a breath. "Now you've all got your stuff and I see some of you have weapons. Fine, whatever, but since we've already had one incident-" she gave Proserpine a pointed look. "- I just want to remind you guys that you really should not attack anything that doesn't attack you first. Too many things can go wrong. Even if it's smaller than you and doesn't look threatening, don't touch it. Clear? Good.

" Now, next we're going to the Edge... It's kind of hard to explain, but the same rules apply. Stay close and don't touch anything. Let's go." And with that, she led them downstairs, and back outdoors.

She led them to a trolley station in the middle of a wrecked pirate ship, where she paid their fare with a touch card from the Arrival's Guild. Once they were all on the trolley, she herded them to the rear and had them gather near her.

" Okay. Here's another question opportunity. I've been a little busy getting you all about, so if I missed a question, ask now. We have some time till our stop."

[RainCheck]

Angelus pulled out of his zoned state at the sound of Branwen's voice calling for all new arrivials to come out into the hall. "Oh, perfect. Another field-trip I bet" Angelus said to himself
When he got into the hall, he saw Branwen meeting and greeting the others of the group. As he walked toward her, he passed by the many of the rooms and he was able to see the others leaving their quarters. All of the others seemed to be in their own little worlds and just trying get to Branwen. When he reached Branwen he made the mistake of allowing their eyes to meet. Angelus stood staring deep into her eyes. he could see that she was not pleased with his presence, nor was she pleased with the fact that his and her eyes were dead-locked. It wasn't until he felt a cold chill deep in the pit of his stomach that he quickly turned away. <Oh GOD!> he thought to himself <It felt as if she was looking deep into my soul. What would she make of it?> Angelus quickly moved away from Branwen's eyesight and stood to her right, looking anywhere but at faces for the time being.

He did see, out of his perferial vison, that the group was making their way toward Branwen." Okay." she started. " Get used to this, and each other. We'll be here together until you've all found ways to support yourself." She took a breath. "Now you've all got your stuff and I see some of you have weapons. Fine, whatever, but since we've already had one incident-" <Ok, well at least she's fair about it> Angelus noticed she gave the lady/demon a stern look. <If the fairy could make me feel that bad. I can't imagine how that demon chick is going to make me feel. I had better avoid her as much as I can I just want to remind you guys that you really should not attack anything that doesn't attack you first. Too many things can go wrong. Even if it's smaller than you and doesn't look threatening, don't touch it. Clear? Good."
" Now, next we're going to the Edge... It's kind of hard to explain, but the same rules apply. Stay close and don't touch anything. Let's go."
Branwen led the way out and Angelus followed with the rest of the group. Angelus followed Branwen and the others to a wreckage of broken and splintered wood. inside of the mass was a small trolley station. Angelus watched as Branwen use an odd looking object to do ...something. next thing he knew the group was motioned toward the back of the small trolly.
Branwen followed and told them that if anyone had any more questions that now would be the time. <Most of mine have been answered along the way from destination to destination. I think I'll hold off and see what's to come.>

[Govannon]

Questions, questions, questions. So many questions, and yet the majority of them were so bizarre Eldwin hesitated ask them. The trolley was simple enough, and he imagined that the Edge was either going to be some sort of massive cliff, or the physical edge of the universe, although, from what he had seen of Sitchel so far he could be completely off.

"Well, I have a few. First off, I'm going to assume that the little card you just used is the local currency. How would we be able to go about getting one of those? also, how are we able to make money while we are in the program? A slightly geekier question would be where I could find a bookstore or a library? and finally, I want to know who everybody is, because referring to everybody by appearance in my head is getting really, really irritating."

"In the interest of getting this started, My name's Eldwin Sagremor. I come from a world where, well, I can't remember perfectly, but people are like me. Metal and meat. Generally speaking, I'm pretty handy when it come to building or modifying things so if you need anything like that, I'd be happy to oblige."

[SikstaSlathalin]

King and Knight.


As the Sidhe called them to the hall the Stalkers appeared in full armor just as they were before. Their scales are vibrant dark green and the King's throat was blood red to the top of his armor and the Knight glinted blue-purple in the light the three spikes on their heads were slightly longer and more dark. They'd soon be fully fed and at their full power. They listened intently to the Sidhe's instructions noting them but paying little heed to them. They're intent on following the scents of any potential prey. They could notice many but most seemed to far away for the Sidhe to allow them to hunt. It'd have to wait until whatever equals night in this hodge-podge world. Keeping their defenses up and their mouths shut they follow the Sidhe. More fear soaked into them like sponges, by the time they reached the ship all their spikes her pitch black and their bodies twice the size they were when they arrived. They were now fully fed and at their full power. Rasorna crossed her arms over her chest the barbs on her forearms drip some kind of dark liquid. The King looks and asks her in the Stalker tongue.

"What's that Knight?" She looks at her arms and runs her claw along the barb and licks the liquid, she makes face and spits it on a flower that withered and died she then responds.
"It's some kind of poison my King. I think it's a female defense mechanism." Looking at his arms he sees no barbs and no poison leaking out so with a nod he moves close to the Sidhe watching the metal man introduce himself and ask questions then growls his own question to the Sidhe.
"Are we expect to interbreed with the beings of this world?" It was a blunt and out of the blue question but he needed to know when he began rebuilding the Fearstalker race.

[John]

Proserpine smiled at Branwen for being given permission to stay with her. She had to wonder though if it was more to keep an eye on her, than out of desire or wanting. She followed behind Branwen as the group entered the building. Despite the small amount of pleasure she had derived from sending the rodent to it’s death, and that she could stay with the sidhe, it did nothing to stem the empty feeling which continued to grow inside her.

Proserpine was now starting to worry. She knew that the empty feeling was being caused by not knowing what her purpose was. It was also due to whatever was missing from her life. She had a sense that there was something glorious which watched over her before she came to this place. And even though she didn’t know what it was, she felt lost without it. She knew that if the emptiness continued to grow inside her, eventually she would die; for without a purpose, she was nothing.

Proserpine stayed next to Branwen while the others spent some time in their respective rooms. The thought of trying to corrupt the others did not hold the same meaning for her anymore. She wrapped her wings around herself and stared at the floor, staying silent the whole time. Eventually Branwen called for the others and they followed her to a trolley station. Before they left the building, Proserpine felt a small sting as Branwen scolded her for what she had done. Although the sidhe had not actually scolded her verbally for the incident, the look she gave spoke to Proserpine more than words ever could.

As they walked to the station, Proserpine continued to stare at the ground, trying to ignore the denizens of Sitchel; something which she found difficult to do. She was still preoccupied with thoughts of inflicting pain and suffering on each and everyone of them.

Once the group had arrived at the station, Branwen led them inside one of the trolley cars and gave them all an opportunity to ask more questions. Proserpine still had many questions, though there were two which she wanted to have answered right now.

Before she could ask anything, the fleshy metal man, asked about money and other things to which Prosepine had no real concern for. It identified itself as Eldwin and used the phrase “metal and meat” to describe himself. A good description she thought, for in truth, that is what he was. Once he had finished asking his questions, and offering any help he could provide, the lizard king began to speak. He asked the sidhe about breeding, something es which did not concern her in the least and seemed quite pointless to her, especially since she knew that her species could not breed, though she was unclear as to why. Proserpine now decide to jump in and and ask her question.

“So far I have seen nothing here which I would consider to be threatening. All these creatures seem so frail and useless. What is here that we should be worried about?” The whisper echoed behind the words and seemed to be developing a tone of sorrow, something which was also evident in her voice, which was starting to lose it’s melodic quality. Proserpine still had one question she wanted to ask, but did not want the others to hear it. She sent the whisper into Branwen’s mind.

“What kind of purpose can I have in a place such as this? I feel I have no place in this world and fear for what may become of me. Without a purpose, I am nothing.”

Proserpine did not expect the sidhe to feel any sort of sympathy for her. Proserpine was a creature of malevolence and evil, and Branwen knew that. But there was no doubt in her mind, that at this moment, she needed Branwen more than the sidhe needed her.

[The Gypsy Queen]

Still somewhat shaken by the near Union with the vampire, Branwen gripped the handrail on the trolley. Near miss, there. She was aware of the power in her eyes, only by similar near misses in her time in Sitchel. In addition to being able to see the souls of others with unblinking, unflinching clarity, they could see hers. She let the movement and voices of her charges distract her, refusing to let the unconscious fear surface.

" Eldwin. Pleasure." she shook her head to clear it and focus on the cyborg's questions. " Um, yeah. Currency is this." She pulled the touch card out. " It's like a credit card, if that means anything. The Finance Firm handles all currency, and you get issued one when you get paid for the first time. And the point of the Arrivals program is to help you find a way to make money.

" We can take you by the Archives, no problem. Probably tomorrow though. Trust me, after the Edge, you're gonna wanna sleep. And yeah, introductions are a good idea."

And then out of nowhere, the reptilian male, the King, spoke.

" Interbreed?" she repeated, confused for a moment, then blinked and smirked a little. " No, you will not be required to interbreed. Population is not an issue here in Sitchel. New arrivals weekly.

" Proserpine, looks are deceiving here in Sitchel. I saw something that looked like a baby eat an ogre, about sixty years ago. Most things that survive here are either very smart or very dangerous, and you can never tell by looking. The safe bet is just don't mess with it." Behind the words, the tingle of magic and the push of the Demon's mind tickled her. She turned her eyes on Proserpine, letting the beginning of Union happen, giving the Demon a brief and quiet flash of understanding. Branwen knew. For a century she had been without her Queen, and the loss still left a gnawing whole inside her.

" We make do. We find a way. I will help you.

" Now, while we've got time, let's take Eldwin's suggestion and introduce ourselves. You all know me, so who wants to start?"

[Crypes]

"Alright, may as well take my turn here." Crypes said, pulling the cigarette out of his mouth for a moment. "As far as I know, my name is Crypes. Just an alias though. Thinking of a real name annoys me, so I'm guessing it's a good thing I can't remember it. I know that I'm looking for someone I can't remember, and that if I don't find him I'm going to end up as a narcotics dealer."

He paused a moment before taking a long hit from his cigarette, exhaling a vibrant orange smoke. "Alright. I took my turn, so who's next? How about you, big guy?" He said, looking to the fearstalker. "Lemme guess. You like brimstone, fire, and dragging helpless souls down to the darkest pits of some hell or another for torture. So, am I close?"

[SikstaSlathalin]

Azzarox

As the smelly human spoke the King barely registered him until he picked up his voice addressing the Stalker with the disrespect of most ignorants. A deep snarl crossed his lips glaring at the human.
"I am King Azzarox of the Fearstalkers. A phrase enters his mind somehow then adds. Or as you prey call us Boggeymen. I have no problem killing and torturing but fire and brimstone mean nothing to me. do not cross me and you'll all keep your sanity intact." He ends this general warning locking eyes with every prisoner but he lingers the longest on the Sidhe's eyes still with no fear of her magic.

Rasorna

She'd been silently watching the prisoners for any indication of movement. Her defenses were firmly up now that her powers were at full. The group began introducing themselves first the metal man then the Sidhe, and then one of the smelly humans who in turn spoke to her King. She growls and thinks. The disrespect these fool show the King is almost sickening. As the King introduces himself and warns them about his wrath a smirk appears on her face then waiting for his Majesty to finish she takes her turn.
"I am Captain Rasorna, leader of the Abyss Knights and personal bodyguard to the King. His warning goes double for me, do not cross Fearstalkers there's a reason we feed off fear."

[Security of Mem]

Pherdel heard and followed everyone who was called by Branwen. Pherdel himself joined the group as well. But to do the unfortunate. Everyone seemed to be swarming the poor Branwen with more words and their presences. Pherdel felt guilty for wanting to leave and at the same time he felt there was another duty he was appointed to.
"Branwen, effectively immediately," Pherdel paused, "I'll be looking for my ship, as you may have notice...some of us aren't incline in staying here, I'm not incline in staying here. Even though my mind could settle in such a fascinating world, my heart will always know it isn't harm...would you kindly give me a map of this place so that way I may no my location?"
Pherdel paused and he gave a smile even though he left what he said calm and devoid of emotion.
"I am King Azzarox of the Fearstalkers....."
Pherdel turned to the one who addressed himself as such. He looked at the lizard creature. He was slightly frightening, but also amazing. Pherdel once again had that twinkle in his eye the one with delight and fascination. Pherdel listened to everything the creature said.
"I'm not afraid of you," Pherdel said coolly and bluntly.
He even meant it too.
"Merely I have a question for you, your kingship," Pherdel said, "I'm sure you don't remember your old life, as our memories had been taken away. But do you feel as I do. That in your heart you know your mission is back where you belong. Where your people are. Do you feel like you have failed those who look at you as a leader? And the more you're away from home, the more you feel as you have failed."
Pherdel gave the king a slight smile.
"Or are you not as close to your loyal followers as I am to mine?" Pherdel asked.
Pherdel turned around to Branwen once again.
"This is a rather blue out of the topic conversation, but by any chance is there any water we can drink?" Pherdel asked.

------

Sedi seemed to beam proudly and almost happily as Pherdel addressed his words. Sedi liked when Pherdel was being direct. Sedi was doing very well with rejecting this world. If he didn't have an open mind like Pherdel, if he didn't open his eyes to the reality in front of him he wouldn't have to feel as Pherdel. Right now if he cut everything off his only direct thoughts would always be about Pherdel's safety.
Sedi did however look around to the people in the group. They too would soon the feel the lost and alone feeling. The homesick feeling of being away from your home too soon.
But Sedi had no time to feel. Instead he placed his shoulder on Pherdel to back him up. He was listening to the kings word. And Sedi could sense the king could back them up. So he needed to be ready to back up Pherdel.

[John]

Proserpine looked up and into the eyes of Branwen. She forced a smile but was still feeling saddened due to her presence on Sitchel. She didn’t want to be here, and worse yet, she was starting to understand that there was no way to leave. She could feel the understanding that Branwen was conveying to her and she mouthed the words “thank you” to the sidhe.

It was at that point, some of the others began to introduce themselves Proserpine listened to the words of the one called Crypes, and found something appealing about his talk of fire and brimstone. She did find it hard to believe that one such of this was choosing to address the fearstalker as he was. Azzarox was obviously a being of great power, and shouldn’t be trifled with. The king replied to Crypes and made reference to himself as the bogeyman and seemed unimpressed by the stoner. She could sense the rage growing in the king and was worried about how this could end.

It was then that Pherdel started to speak. Proserpine wanted to laugh at his words. She couldn’t help feeling that he was either incredibly brave, or incredibly stupid. It almost seemed like he was challenging the king, though his tone was one of respect. Once he had finished, she continued to stare at the ground and began to speak.

“My name is Proserpine.” The words were slow and the sorrow was growing in the whisper. “Did none of you listen to the sidhe. This is not the time to bicker. Now might I suggest you cease trying to determine who has the largest dick so we can get on with this. I am growing weary.” It was strange for Proserpine to feel this way. Originally, when she had first met them all, this was exactly what she had wanted. Now, it all seemed so pointless.

[SikstaSlathalin]

Azzarox

He glared fully at the strangly dressed plant thing with it's stuipd satue behind it. Keeping his voice level knowing snarls won't phase the self-centered plant thing or probably even register in the brain the rock creature. Stepping close he looks down at the smelly creature.
"Do not speak to me about loyalty Prophet. Fearstalkers live and die loyal to their leader and a distant memory tells me someone titled Wratih will rule in my stead." He digests the Plant's question then answers.
"I feel nothing like that, a Fearstalker belongs wherever there is fear to be had. As long as their is a female and male Stalker left in existance they will never fail to feed and bring fear to the prey."

Rasorna

As soon as the plant creature spoke directly to her King she jumped to his side watching the rock creature behind the Plant. She began preparing a dark energy spell ready to unleash it if needed but her King showed no sign of attack or defense so she relaxed slightly though still wary. The situation cooled and she felt her King's rage slowly regress. He either had some twisted respect for this plant thing or saw him as no consequence either to help or hinder. She called off the dark spell and looked as the Demon spoke registering her words fully sensing something in her voice that wasn't right.

[RainCheck]

Angelus stood quietly listening in on the various questions and conversations around him. He still couldn't shake the feeling he got from looking directly into Branwne's eyes. <She saw it..I know she did. But WHAT did she see in it though?> Just then one of the group's voice snapped him out of his thought. "I want to know who everybody is, because referring to everybody by appearance in my head is getting really, really irritating."
<Oh goody introductions.> he thought. Angelus waited until most of the group gave their names. <Better to learn about some before I play nice and share> He found out that the one who intiated this "Round Robin Game" was named Eldwin and that he was handy. <well that's nice to have around actually>
The next introduction was the young man who smoked like a frieght train and carried his buddy into their new quarters. He was known as Crypes <I think I might like this guy..
It was to Angelus' surprise that Crypes threw the next intro to the lizard folk. <I might like him, but he'd better watch himself. Those Lizard guys looks like they could hurt someone if you rub them the wrong way.
The lizard guys didn't look at all amused that Crypes had done that. But they did pick up the intros "I am King Azzarox of the Fearstalkers." <FearStalkers? What the hell was a FearStalker?...Well, apparently they are then.> "Or as you prey call us Boggeymen. I have no problem killing and torturing but fire and brimstone mean nothing to me. do not cross me and you'll all keep your sanity intact."<Oh, well that's a quick way to make friends fast.>
The other "FearStalker" was next to speak, "I am Captain Rasorna, leader of the Abyss Knights and personal bodyguard to the King. His warning goes double for me, do not cross Fearstalkers there's a reason we feed off fear." <OH like that poncey bugger needs a bloody bodyguard. Hell, he looks scary enough to just strike the fear of god in anything that crosses his path> After the FearStalkers finished their intros the little guy in the robes spoke, not to introduce hims-self, but to make a proclimation of some sort. He spoke directly to Branwen: "Branwen, effectively immediately," <Who died and made you lord and master of the fairy girl>, "I'll be looking for my ship, as you may have notice...some of us aren't incline in staying here, I'm not incline in staying here. Even though my mind could settle in such a fascinating world, my heart will always know it isn't harm...would you kindly give me a map of this place so that way I may no my location?" <Right...you do that mate, lemme know how that works out> He then turned toward the FearStalkers, "I'm not afraid of you," he said. <Oh nice work mate, tell the scary lizard guys your not afraid of them!> He continued "Merely I have a question for you, your kingship, I'm sure you don't remember your old life, as our memories had been taken away. But do you feel as I do. That in your heart you know your mission is back where you belong. Where your people are. Do you feel like you have failed those who look at you as a leader? And the more you're away from home, the more you feel as you have failed." <Boy's got some nerve talking to them like that. Well from one spot of royality to another I guess. But the "FAILED" part, I would have left that out. The FearStalker responded to the robed fellows questioning "Do not speak to me about loyalty Prophet. Fearstalkers live and die loyal to their leader and a distant memory tells me someone titled Wratih will rule in my stead." <Oh great you pissed him off.>
"I feel nothing like that, a Fearstalker belongs wherever there is fear to be had. As long as their is a female and male Stalker left in existance they will never fail to feed and bring fear to the prey." <You REALLY pissed him off mate!>


The next intro was the "demoness", as Angelus had categorized her in his mind,“My name is Proserpine.” The words were slow and theshe spoke slowly and her voice decreased to almost a whisper. “Did none of you listen to the sidhe. This is not the time to bicker. Now might I suggest you cease trying to determine who has the largest dick so we can get on with this. I am growing weary.” As her words left her mouth, Angelus looked up at her. <She better get looked at. She seems like she half past midnight on the crazy clock After she spoke she hung her head low <You're a real sack of hammers aren't you missy?
Angelus stood up. "Well then, I guess it's my go is it? My name is Angelus and to get this over with I am a vampire. Don't like it? Well, I don't think we have a choice in that matter. Now I don't know when or where I hail from...I don't even remember my own bloody address for that matter. All I can assure you of is that I'm different and there is really no need to fear."Angelus looked around at the faces staring back at him. "Oh balls" he murmered. He wasn't use to this much attention, especially after announcing to the populace that he was a vampire " Now," He held up his hand in surrender, " I mostly keep to myself and If I bother any of you lot, I will do so in the upmost respect." He scanned the room again they were still staring at him with blank faces. "Bugger" he murmured again. "Right then who's next?"
He looked around the trolley for the robed guy. After he found him, Angelus pointed to him, "What about you mate? I don't believe I caught your name yet" As he sat down he looked up at the "demoness" and met her eyes. He felt the same sort of numbness he felt with Branwen, but instead of a chill, he felt as if his whole core was on fire. Angelus winced at the pain and looked away. <Oh MY GOD! That pain! I rmember it from somewhere before, but not that intense!> He looked back over at the demoness and he noticed a slight upbeat in her mood, as if something made her just a little more happier. <Oh NO> Angelus thought <She UNDOUBTALLY knows! I'm a Vampire... with a soul!>

[Security of Mem]

"Do not speak to me about loyalty Prophet. Fearstalkers live and die loyal to their leader and a distant memory tells me someone titled Wratih will rule in my stead."
Pherdel listened to the creatures words intently.
"I feel nothing like that, a Fearstalker belongs wherever there is fear to be had. As long as their is a female and male Stalker left in existance they will never fail to feed and bring fear to the prey."
Pherdel continued listening. And then he took a breath and a careful thought for a moment.
"I apologize if I had offended you and your cultural beliefs," Pherdel said, "Like you I'm all new to this, I believe I have encountered humans before since my memory is scratchy I can't be so sure. But I haven't met anything such as yourself and that is somewhat curious experience to me."
Pherdel took a moment and thought about his words.
"I simply wanted to understand from a leaders perspective how this new home feels, but as I see your cultural leadership isn't the same as mine," Pherdel said, "I would like to in the end still talk to when I can, my name is Pherdel."
Pherdel stuck his hand out for a handshake. Though he doubted the creature was going to give him one. Even so it seemed like the perfect gesture and he had this strange interest in what these creatures felt like.

[Pope Jako III]

123

[The Gypsy Queen]

The trolley clunked to a stop with a ding, and Branwen herded her charges off. The trolley scooted on, without any track or visible means of direction, leaving them standing in a dark field of gray boulders, a deep blue sky speckled with stars over head. The light over the more populated areas of Sitchel glowed a faint yellow behind them, and Branwen began to lead them through the field.

" If you don't have night vision or something like that, watch your step, folks." she advised, tripping a bit almost immediately after. Branwen began to speak as she led them, weaving through the gray boulders in the pseudo-night. " Okay, so since we're going to see the Edge, now is a great time for Sitchel 101, the basic stuff. To start off with... as I'm sure some of you have noticed, when we got on the trolley, it was day, and now it's apparently night. Basically, Sitchel has no sun. All the light and heat from before was generated by the Fire Verse, which is up there." she paused to point up and back, towards the urban areas, where a orange-yellow glow lit the city. " Some days it burns hotter than others, and Sitchel rotates, so the Fire Verse is heating one side and the Water Verse below us cools the other... The Wind and Earth Verses are on either side.

" Now, Sitchel is more or less amorphous. It changes its shape regularly, so you're going to have to learn to adjust as it does... usually, it's something little like a pot hole where there wasn't one, but sometimes a freaking ice rink will just appear, or something like that. You can usually feel it before it happens. It's kind of a quivering feeling from the bottom of your feet, and if you feel that, get moving. Chances are you don't want to stay where you're standing. We call it getting your Sitchel legs."

Branwen paused and scrambled up a ledge, looking around while her charges followed. " And..." she continued. " Because it's amorphous, it's kind of hard to find things cause they're never exactly where you left them... Ah." she started walking again, eyes on a spot on the horizon... a horizon drawing ever closer. A ledge appeared, with no more visible land. Branwen stopped the group and turned to them.

" Okay. So we're here, at the Edge. You will not approach the Edge till I say it's okay, and your life depends on that, so please pay attention to it. Now, the thing about the Edge is-" A sudden beeping noise errupted from Branwen's ear set, and she reached up to press a button. " What?" she said impatiently. " What?!" she repeated. She growled angrily, blue eyes flashing in rage. " Fine. Do what you have to." she pressed the button again, snarling. " Okay, lesson time is on hold. We're about to get a new addition in five... four... three... two... one..."

[Pope Jako III]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! !!!!!! CRASH!!!

Everyone looked at their “new arrival” lay in a very large crater in front of Branwen. After a very pregnant pause, “GODDAMN! That sucked mate!” shouted Buck as he got out of the crater; he was dirty but otherwise unharmed. “Huh?” a huge grin suddenly grew on his face, “HAHA! Guess I pressed L HAHAHA!” as the Aussie was cracking up at his, apparently, funny thought he started to look around when he finally noticed the group behind him.

“Oui! “G’day mates” he said, and then noticed the demon, the two fear stalkers, and the plant and rock guy, “Crickey! must have hit my head on that fall. Huh, usually heals faster than this.’ Oh well.” Buck then started to look around. Okay definitely not where… hold the phone, I don’t remember!?” “Do I have amnesia? No I can’t, monsters don’t get amnesia. Wait! I remember my fight & that girl, so what in the crickey fuck is going on!?”

After his little monologue Buck turned to Branwen. “Oui! airy fairy, where am I?”

[SikstaSlathalin]

King and Knight

Azzarox was about to shake the plant thing's hand when the Sidhe began speaking. Once again they registered and memorized her words and warnings but felt nothing from them. When you feed off fear you can't risk having it yourself. The information about the element verses made their eyes lift. If the four main elements have their own planes that means the all-ruling elements of Light and Dark have their own as well since the one unbeatable rule of existence is balance of the elements. These thoughts made them growl to themselves, while the small promise of a Dark Verse gave them hope of returning home. The dread of a Light Verse aimed them toward the possibility of some race the Stalkers instinctively hate finding their ways here maybe in greater numbers then the Stalkers. One word bled into heir minds like an open cut. Sun Fighters The pair shared this thought trying to shake it out but to no avail. Luckily the thought is momentarily dashed when a loud crash made them snarl firing up powerful spells that made the air around them pulse a bit.

A familiar smell soon makes them power down and return to their brooding silence. The stench of some kind of human and generally not considered a threat. This one spoke more oddly then the others, his voice made their ears hurt. As he began looking around at the group the Stalkers studied him probing his mind for info, they found some but they couldn't do a thorough search unless they got alone with him. Same goes for all of the prisoners but that seemed unlikely and rather stupid to try. Not fully knowing all they're capable of. With slight growls they stand by and watch.

[The Gypsy Queen]

“ Talkative bugger, aren’t you?” Branwen sighed. This one, she had been informed, was a clerical error. Likely, no one had explained to him where he was. Which meant she had to repeat herself. Which she hated. “ Okay, explanations later. Get with the group, and keep your hands to yourself.” She motioned for Buck to join the rest of them in front of her. She felt nervous; she hated having her back to the Edge.

“ Right. Back to the lesson. Because Sitchel is always expanding and all that, it occupies a rather large space in existence. We know this mostly because that’s what the Elder Scholars say and I guess they know. Now, because of the sheer scope of Sitchel, it kind of tears the fabric of reality and gives us a really unique feature. Thus, the Edge.” Branwen gestured to the ledge behind her, with only blackness visible beyond, dusted with stars. “ Most Guides won’t bring you here, and the reason I did is to show you why there is no way home. I didn’t get it for nearly three quarters of a century before I saw this.” Branwen turned and approached the ledge a few steps, motioning her group forward with her.

“ Okay. We are all going to look over the Edge at same time. I’m going to warn you, some folks have violent reactions to this, but if you feel dizzy or nauseous, step back.” She guided them up to the Edge, trying to get lost staring into the far blackness herself. “ All you have to do is look over the edge. Remember to breathe. Everyone, all together now, on three.” She positioned herself at the ledge, making sure everyone else copied her motions. “ One… two… three!”

And she leaned her head out to look over.

Out and down, the blackness changed, into a ring of endless light, flowing in and out of infinity in a spray of shapes and colors, blinding and enrapturing her. Darkness wove through the light, moving within and without, and like always, she felt she could feel the pulse of existence, life and death, light and dark… everything pulsed before her eyes, swirling and twisting and contorting in its own existence. It was paradox, infinity, oblivion… existence itself, writhing in the throes of birth and death.

It took every ounce of strength she had to speak.

“ That… is… infinity…”

The force of her amazement, the wonder at the miracle and abomination, tore at her chest until it was hard to breathe.

A speck of something appeared within the ring, and Branwen found herself focusing on it, blinking in the attempt. The speck grew larger, and larger, until it engulfed everything. Before she could react, move, or try to warn her charges, it engulfed them… and her too.

[The Gypsy Queen]

A warm beige light surrounded the group, filled with a balmy warmth and a humidity. A being appeared, a woman of silvery hair and odd clothing. She sat on a plain throne, a small smile gracing her elegant lips and pale eyes. Her skin was dark and her long limbs were covered in fresh cuts.

" We are Sitchel." She spoke and her voice was huge and small, reverberating from everywhere and from within the listeners, all at once.

" We apologize for the abrupt intrusion, but unfortunately, there was no other way. We are in pain, and we fear we are in great danger. Parts of ourselves are falling off..." The being gestured to the cuts across her body, then let her hand rest on her belly. "Our need is dire, and our purpose must be fulfilled. Existence must be maintained. We desire, no, need your help. We are prepared to reward you for your assistance." The being waved her hand, causing a visible jolt of shock from the group. " We have granted each of you a memory of your old life. Consider it a down payment. If you assist us and discover the reasons for our agony, we shall reward you with more memories. And if you end our suffering and save our being, we shall restore each of you to your home planes, not moments after your departure." The being smiled softly. "As though you had never left." The being stood, her awe-inspiring presence filling the space. " This is our request. We trust you will accept it."

*+*+*

Branwen blinked suddenly and stumbled away from the Edge, tears rolling down her face, looking to her charges and reading their own stunned eyes.

" That... that just really happened."

The memory flowed up from within her, herself a child, tucked happily into Queen Aurora's arms, a soothing lullabye in her ears.

Branwen sat down suddenly, and covered her face with her hands, breath coming in shaky gasps.

[John]

Proserpine stood next to Branwen, listening to her speech about the Edge. The sidhe told them there was going to be a new addition to their group, who promptly came crashing down to the ground with a force which surely would have liquefied a lesser being. Proserpine knew instantly that this creature was more than he appeared and could sense the disease which coursed through his veins. She couldn’t help but feel a little frustrated that she knew what he truly was, especially when she couldn’t remember the name of her own brother.

After the werewolf righted himself, Branwen led them to the Edge and told them to look over. Proserpine was stunned by the sight before her eyes. She gazed into the infinity which lay before them. She viewed the cycle of creation and destruction that lay within the swirling masses in the darkness. Proserpine found beauty within the chaos and had to resist the urge to fly into it. She felt a longing to become one with it.

Proserpine continued to gaze into the infinite chaos and became distracted by the dark speck which was hurtling toward the group, circling out of the light and darkness. Proserpine found herself short of breath, but found she couldn’t look away. As the speck drew closer, she thought that she could almost make out what it was, but was blinded when the darkness overtook her.

[Security of Mem]

Sedi looked down at the Edge. At first he saw nothing, but then he saw this dot coming in bigger and wider. It felt as if it had absorbed him and as much as he tried to reject everything. It suddenly seemed to consume his emotions. It seemed to have something rack through his brain jamming some sort of information in his head.
Suddenly as if some random video was playing inside his head an image came to his mind. An important memory he had seem to have forgotten.
It was the transparent roads and on them were chrome buildings. It was the first time Loridian had suffer through cruel and injustice power. Sedi was almost a few decades old and he didn't agree with some of the unfair ruling. But he had to listen to what his Prophet told him. As he walked along the transparent glass roads looking down into the plant infested waters. He heard a commotion from behind a building and he went over to see it. It seemed to be a group of orphaned children and there were some Obsidian armored knights teasing them.
More corrupted power, but he wasn't going to get in the way. He just stared down at all the humanoid children with their little pupiless eyes. Crying and begging.
Then he saw something a blond hair plant boy walking straight up to the guards. He pointed at them.
"In no years has Loridian had corrupted power such as this," he said in his rather childish voice, "You cannot harm a child who has no protection of his own, those with power shouldn't handle those who are weak. That is unfair and cruel. I wonder what laws and rules did the Prophet teach you with such disturbing crimes of social lifestyles."
The guards turned around and stared at the blond haired boy. It was odd even to Sedi how less this child looked humanoid and more human. His eyes had pupils and he seemed far different from the other children. And yet he protected those children. The boy seemed at no way to turn down and the men looked as if they were going to turn him in.
Sedi quickly moved into the situation. His feet did most of the work.
"I'll take a handle of the boy," Sedi said, "As you deal with these children."
This was the first meeting between Pherdel and Sedi. And the connection seemed almost immediately. And as if he had been dragged in, he felt he was dragged out. And he awoke out of the edge. He wanted to witness the memory again and fuller and longer. He almost felt hurt they took him out at the time when Pherdel was going to say the most important words to him. He could only sense that there were important words to be said.

-----

Pherdel looked into the edge and he watched as a dot became bigger and more open. He felt a pulling sensation as if something was racking his brain. It was an odd sensation and yet it was fascinating. Pherdel had never experienced such a thing before.
The memory that came before him, was when Sedi was standing next to him on a chrome balcony. Sedi had placed the crown on Pherdel's head and Pherdel was staring at his people.
"I promise to not let anyone down," Pherdel remembers saying.
And then as if the memory was to come it suddenly short circuited and he felt himself pulled out of the trance. It seemed almost heartbreaking and heart wrenching. Pherdel didn't even get time to remember or see what his
world looked like. This sort of rejection hurt him and made him feel as if he was immature rather then mature. He merely just wanted Sedi.

[John]

It wasn’t darkness, but light which had overtaken the group. A light which revealed a being of great beauty and Proserpine could feel the power emanating from it. It was asking for them to help and not only offered memories, but the return of each of them to their specific planes of origin as a reward.

Proserpine found herself overtaken by the image which appeared in her mind. She was standing at a crossroads, talking with a man. She was making a deal with him, a deal that would eventually cost him his soul. The man wanted riches and Proserpine found herself laughing inside at how little value humans placed on the one thing that was more important than anything else in their short, pointless, insignificant lives. The man accepted the deal, his soul would be given up to her in ten years in exchange for financial security and ungodly wealth; and they kissed to seal it. She could feel herself not caring about the man and looking forward to the deal being fulfilled so she could drag his soul to a place of great suffering. A place that she could still not remember the name of. The vision also caused her to realize a limitation of her species. She was bound to uphold whatever deal she made. At last she knew what her purpose was, though it was a purpose not meant for this place.

The beautiful figure had was gone now and Proserpine once again found herself standing at the Edge. The emptiness was continuing to grow within her and she felt cold. She wanted, no, needed to know more. She couldn’t understand why she felt drawn to the being. She wanted to know more about the being who was Sitchel.

Stepping up to the Edge, she looked once again into the expanse below her, swirling and expanding with the fury and brilliance of the cosmos. She wanted to be with the being. She needed to speak to it. She felt a longing to be near it. Perhaps this being was the answer to the empty feeling inside her. Although the thought of returning to her home gave her happiness, she wanted to be closer to this being.

Closing her eyes, Proserpine attempted to reach out with her mind to find the being again. She knew it was there but it appeared to have no interest in responding to her. Proserpine knew in this moment what she had to do. Unfurling her wings, she prepared to fly…into infinity.

Ready to jump, she looked back at Branwen who was now sitting on the ground, her face in her hands. Proserpine found herself wondering what memory had been revealed to her and actually found herself feeling what she knew to be sympathy, something she doubted she had ever felt before. Looking back over the Edge, Proserpine stared at infinity for a moment before retreating over to Branwen. She knelt beside the sidhe and placed a hand on her shoulder. Although Sitchel had given her a purpose to fulfill, she still needed more. She needed to make a deal of sorts, and she needed to make it on her own terms. The whisper left her mind and entered Branwen’s.

“Listen to me Sidhe. I know what I am now and I know what I need to do. I know one of the things that makes me what I am. I need to make a deal. This is something that usually ends badly for those involved, but this will be different. I wish to make a deal with you. I will do whatever you tell me and in exchange you will allow me to serve as your protector.”

Proserpine placed her hand on Branwen’s chin and tilted her head back to look into her eyes. Proserpine was smiling and felt even more sympathy when she saw the distressed look on Branwen’s face. She continued to whisper into the mind of the sidhe.

“I do not expect you to believe me. You know what I am and as such, you know that my kind is full of hate and treachery. But I will allow you to see into my mind so that you will know I am in earnest. This is what I need to do. The emptiness is growing and I will start to fade soon. I hope you will accept my offer. You may think of it as a contract, one which I am bound to fulfill. If you wish to accept, all you have to do is kiss me.”

[SikstaSlathalin]

King and Knight

Staring into the Infinity made the Stalkers feel antsy with excitement. A deep urge made them feel at peace. Something told them it was familiar but the couldn't place it. Their eyes narrowed and followed the strange light it was too strange to plan an attack against or a defense. They could only stand and watch helplessly and that was never a good thing for a Stalker to be reduced to. The light at fist made them angry that they could be beaten this easily. But as the light and the vision faded they're anger ebbed and they felt a burning in the backs of their minds. Images flooded back to them most were to fast to grasp but two stuck in their minds.

Azzarox

His heart jumped into his throat as images of long battles and deadly curses flowed through his head all too fast to understand them but one image is pulled form the flood and reveal itself fully to the king. He sees himself standing before a large group of his people. They were a suited out with full suits of jet black armor. Spiky helms with full face masks leaving only two small holes for eyes, sleek black breastplates with barbed shoulder plates, full arm gauntlets with long poisoned spikes running it's length. Black leather pants and heavy shine guards.

Each Stalker was armed with nightmarish weapons. Great swords carved with runes, long black spears with barbed heads, large bows and devilish arrows made for unhealing wounds more then death. Heavy double-headed axes dripping with magic so they could cut through anything, and many more the King couldn't quite remember. He himself was dressed exactly as his warriors wielding a lance that glowed with an unholy aura. The memory panes out showing something very odd. The area around the group is barren. Not just empty but barren. No spectators no prisoners. The words the King speaks in this memory attack his mind.
"We are it my friends, the last of our race. This world doesn't have enough fear to sustain us for long. We must move what's left of us to the world of our prey. There we should have enough to sustain ourselves. But we'll be too strung out to be as powerful as we've been. So go out into the prey world and wreak the havoc we need to survive as the master's of fear!" The image fades and the King finds himself clenching his caws in rage and sorrow with a new mission. He must reunite the Fearstalkers under one banner in their homeland.



Rasorna

As the light surrounds her she falls into a trance standing stock still her mind running over mountains of fast moving memories and tumbling through seas of fuzzy dreams. She lands on a flat rock staring at a single memory. It's her as a new soldier at 23, small for her age she wasn't that well liked by her comrades. She kept to herself and was anal about doing her job and doing it perfectly. One night after training she was returning from the armory after turning her gear in when a couple of older females approached her. They were more wild then the rest of the females. Without a word the grabbed her and showed her what happens to "cocky Stalkers that don't listen to their Elders" As they called it.

The vision rushes forward many years into the future. The Captain sees herself standing arms crossed on the gallows watching those same older females being beheaded for treason against the crown. With a nod to the Reaper the females are dropped in a pit of white magic. As the doors close she can hear their agonized screams die in a fury to Magic. She returns to the Sitchel with a malicious smile on her lips.

[Crypes]

As Crypes walked over to the edge, he was skeptical. There was no possible way that whatever this was could discourage him. But as he looked over the edge he could barely catch his breath. I know this place....I've been here. I've seen it. But when? It's all so familiar.

As everyone else did, he then turned to stare at the curious dot. Then he was in a place far away. He watched the representative of Stitchel as she spoke, and fell even further away. He was remembering the last thing he'd done before arriving here.

Crypes stood among hundreds of stoners, the majority being of his own variety. Each and every one of them was chanting one of two names. Crypes, or John-o. It was the trial to determine who would succeed the previous paragon, the Caster of Metal. At any given time, there was only one caster of any stoner variety. And that stoner wielded a power that compared to the gods themselves. He would be fighting John-o, the only other metalhead that came close to comparing with him. Most bets were on him, as he was bigger and stronger, in addition to a master of his power. He tied his dreadlocks forward and stepped into the middle of the street, and Crypes did the same.

The powerless normies watched in confusion, not understanding why the two men were holding up the city's traffic, and being chanted for. None of the stoners cared for that, though.

The fight itself was a blur with cars flying, bystanders dying, and the two men in the middle doing their very best to kill each other. By the time it was over, a five block radius laid in ruins, the two stoners breathing heavily, but still fighting. John-o made the first mistake, leaving himself open to blow from a streetlamp. He laid on the ground, a car hovering overhead. The crowd began the chant, every single one of them shouting for blood. "Finish him!" Crypes heard someone shout. And Crypes stared in horror as one of the members of the crowd drove the car into the ground.

The crowd cheered as Crypes pushed the car away, but what he saw was the last thing he expected. His opponent was gone without a trace. The crowd murmured in confusion. "Did he win? Is John-o dead?"

The referee quickly declared that it didn't matter. Dead or not, he was gone. The referee raised himself and Crypes on a platform of stone, and held up the prize for all to see. A glowing silver plant, held suspended in crystal. The crowd cheered again, and watched as Crypes took the crystal and held it over his head in victory, having no idea how much pain he was in.

A week later, he was in his van when his ex walked in on him. He didn't have to say anything for her to know he was in pain. "He's not dead you know." She said, watching as he turned his head towards her. "He was taken, just before that idiot dropped the car. Do you want to find him? It'll be dangerous though."

"No more dangerous than the feds after they break out the hunting gear." He said, flicking his cigarette. And this led to the last memory.

"We're losing him!" The small man said, twitching as he looked over the various computer screens.

"Good." Sylvara said. "Find him Crypes, find my brother." And on that note, Crypes blacked out.

Back in Stitchel, Crypes woke up, dangerously close to the edge of, well, the edge. He groaned as he shifted away from certain death and pulled out another cigarette. "Did that just happen, or did I smoke too much again?" He said, lighting his fix.

[Govannon]

The Archives. That sounded promising. Knowledge was power, Eldwin knew that better than most, and an Archive would be incredibly beneficial. The credit card system was rather entertaining, it seemed quaint for reasons that he couldn't quite grasp. Then, things got rather interesting. The lizard king said something other than 'I'm so powerful I can squash you like a bug' for the first time since Eldwin had known him, the rock and rather foppish looking man attempted to make an alliance with the king, which was both worrying and comforting. Worrying in that Eldwin really didn't want either of them to be in control, comforting in that it decreased the chances that the reptile would flip out and start killing people. From there it was mostly standard, at least as far as standard went, until the group managed to actually got to the Edge.

The darkness wasn't much of an issue. He could still see out of his artificial eye, even if the real one was next to worthless. He was actually forced to close his real eye, just to stop his head from hurting because of the conflicting input. Metal over meat indeed. It was this thought that actually caused Eldwin to bring his attention to the sudden dark. He didn't have much time to wonder about it's cause before Brawen explained about the various worlds and forces in the sky above them. Note: At archives: #1 topic: Bestiaries #2 : Magic #3: maps They reached the edge itself, and, after a brief interruption from an Australian man that seriously needed to cut down on the sugar, they were able to look into eternity.

It was beautiful, dark, light, endless and imminent. He couldn't process it, couldn't understand it, couldn't quantify it, and yet it was beautiful. For one brief moment the meat smirked at the metal, and then the world was consumed by light.

Suddenly there was a woman in front of them, and just by looking at her it was obvious that she encapsulated the void that they had just been looking into. It was something in her eyes, something in her voice, something that the machine in him couldn't pick up on, but that the human part loved. That mystery, that almost undetectable edge that pervaded everything in this world was so strong here that it made it difficult to focus on what the woman was saying, but when Eldwin was able to set his attention on the goddess in front of him, he was glad he did. Saving the universe? a big proposition, but something that would surely make life more interesting. He would happily go along with it, especially if it meant that he could recover some of his memories, and it was with that thought that he received his 'down payment'.

Eldwin lay in a hospital bed, a young and broken boy. Roughly 110 years old, he looked down at his slight frame, seeing it covered in bandages and gauze. Half of his vision was simply gone, and when he looked back up, he saw two men looking somewhere behind him, one in a lab coat, and the other in a suit. "There has been in an accident," the doctor's voice sounded clinical, distant, muted. "A rather serious one, I'm afraid, and we've had to take some rather extreme measures in order to get Eldwin to this point. You need to listen to me closely, because at the end of this, I'm going to ask you a question that will decide the course of Eldwin's life. His left eye has been replaced entirely, as has his right hand and most of his forearm. The vast majority of his internal organs have either been replaced or augmented by cybernetics, as have his muscular and skeletal systems. Nanobots are currently inside his body fixing the remaining damage, and will likely remain there for the rest of his life, although they will come under Eldwin's control once their repairs are complete. Finally, just under half your son's brain has been replaced by a bio-synthetic processor.He is, simply put, skirting the legal line between human and machine by a matter of only a few percent. The reason I tell you this is that, medically, being so severely augmented, especially at such a young age can have severe and long term psychological affects. We can leave the machines off if that's what you choose, but the chances of survival without them are low." That apparently was all his mother needed to hear. Behind him, choked with grief, a woman sobbed. "Let the record show," The doctor nodded to the man in the suit "that the guardian has indicated consent via a nod." The man stepped briskly past Eldwin's field of vision before speaking again. "Now powering on the augmentation," and with that, Eldwin's vision went white.

"No Crypes," Eldwin said, picking himself up off the ground "I think that that really happened." After pausing for a moment all he could think to add to his previous comment was "holy shit."

[GraftRaven]

Ger took the trolley ride normally, it was commonplace enough, he was just about to speak when the doors opened, why was he always he one that got cut off? He followed everyone to the edge, staying close to the right side edge if the group. Geru listened as Branwen spoke about the edge, then jumped a bit as Buck joined their group, what a strange man. He once again listened to Branwen explain about the edge, then did as he was told and looked over it.

The pulsating mass of darkness and light below compared only to the view of a far off galaxy, but this was much faster, creation and destruction happening withing mere seconds of each other. Then there was something else, a gray speck growing ever larger flew up to his face and he heard Sitchel speak for itself. After returning from Sitchel's intervention He collapsed backwards, onto the hard earth behind the edge.


xXx--------------------xXx--------------------xXx


A large plain looking departure room for his planet's armada. In front of him stood his wife and daughter of eight years, both looking rather distraught. "Look, i'll be beck in a few years, and i'll be sure to write or call you every week at least." his voice broke as his daughter ran to his side and he knelt down to hug her, tears streaming down her face. She latched onto him, and his arms, his, not the artificial ones he had now, clutched her close to him. And then he blacked out, returning to the plane he resided in at the moment.


xXx--------------------xXx--------------------xXx


Geru opened his eyes onto the dark sky above the edge, the fur below his eyes wet. "Whatever it is that you want, i'll do it." He said quietly, his words were meant only for Sitchel. He clawed his way up between two boulders and stood on his weakened legs. "That definitely just happened."

[Iwanami Kitsune]

"Good Luck." Was the last words Samuel said to her, she seemed to hear them a second after they were already said. He left her in what seemed to be the edge of the world. There was ground, and then there was nothing but emptiness and stars. Chiaki looked around for him but he was already gone. She looked at the note in her hand that he had given her, "Give this to Brenwen. She is your guide. Do not under any circumstances stray from her." Those were his orders to her, Chiaki didn't know what to do other than fallow them.

Chiaki was supposed to be with this week's absorptions, or at least that what they told her. She woke up in a strange dark room, among other sleeping people. Chiaki heard what sounded like an electric door and closed her eyes as it opened, pretending to still be unconscious. She heard to footsteps and two voices enter the room. They were speaking about something, though Chiaki didn't understand a word if what they said. As they left got up soundlessly and slipped through the door as it was closing. She found herself in a white hallway. Cautiously, she began walking. She explored the seemingly endless maze of whitewashed walls for what seemed to be hours, and through it all she never saw one door. Until suddenly a panel of wall opened in front of her. Chiaki looked around frantically but there was no place to hide, and not enough time to get to the end of the hallway. She heard the man's footsteps just before she saw him come into the hall. Not giving him a chance to realize her, she drew the katana that up to this moment she hadn't realized she was clutching. Chiaki stepped forward placing the sword at the man's neck in a movement that was smooth, quick and completely natural. He looked at her in shock, and began speaking to her. Chiaki didn't understand a word of it, but he seemed to be trying to calm her down. However he was just using it as a distraction. He began slowly raising his hand to his ear, Chiaki pressed her sword to his throat warning him, but he merely kept moving. He pushed on the device which started glowing and said, "Emergency sequence four." That was the last thing Chiaki remembered before waking up in the white room.

That was when she met Samuel. He gave her her instructions and explained to her that she had been adsorbed into Sitchel, that her memories were gone, and that this was where she would be living the rest of her days.
"Your little mishap" He explained "separated you from your group, and now you have been left behind. We must get going now, no time to waste."
"Wait, I don't understand." Chiaki said desperately, Samuel spoke her language.
"I know, none of us do" Samuel said, his tone suddenly changing. Without warning he put his hand on Chiaki's shoulder and the next thing she knew she was staring at the end of nothing.

"All you have to do is look over the edge. Remember to breathe. Everyone, all together now, on three.” She positioned herself at the ledge, making sure everyone else copied her motions. “ One… two… three!” Said a woman with dark hair that Chiaki took to be Brenwen.

Chiaki too was positioned at the ledge beside what she looked to be a massive reptilian being. She looked at him in shock for a moment, she was sure in all her lost memories that she had never seen anything like him. He didn't seem to notice she was there, but was absorbed in what he saw below. Curious as to what was so captivating Chiaki leaned slightly over the edge and saw oblivion.

It was a combination of light and dark that Chiaki didn't think was possible. She saw in it life and death, everything. It was amazing. It seemed the answer to all questions, though she didn't quite understand what that answer was. Chiaki couldn't seem to stop gazing at the wonder and terror of the existence before her.

“ That… is… infinity…” Brenwen's voice echoed in the smallest part of her consciousness.

Just then Chiaki thought she saw something, a small dot in the middle of everything. It was getting bigger and Chiaki was helpless but to be swallowed by it's existence.

Chiaki suddenly found herself in front of Sitchel herself. She was helpless to even think about what was going on and could only listen as Sitchel told them of her plight. As Sitchel waved her hand Chiaki was taken to another place.

What Chiaki remembered was a simple dinner with her family. It was nothing special, just a normal dinner with her parents and her brother. They spoke about simple things and Chiaki helped her mother clean up afterward. Chiaki remembered it as if she was living it all over again and for that split second, she remembered who she was. The hollow gap in her existence was whole for once more.

She found herself back inside Sitchel again. At the edge of all existence. She was hollow again, incomplete. She had no idea who she was.

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen was barely aware of Proserpine touching her, the voices of her charges echoing around her. She could barely think, let alone hear or register anything.

Home. There was a way home. Over a hundred years, a million moments of despair and desperation, and million moments of resignation, and there was a way home. She could go home. Her spirit, worn and exhausted, lifted immeasurably to the hope of being in her Queen's presence, after so long.

She placed her hand over Proserpine's, her thoughts filled with more force and the magic in her mind buzzing with activity.

" I accept. But beware. Sidhe are beings of deals as well."

And then she stood, eyes ablaze.

" Everyone okay?" she could barely keep the tremor out of her voice. " That... that's never happened before." she tried to tell them but doubted they heard. They would be exhausted soon, the Edge had that effect on arrivals. " Come on. Everyone up. We're going back to Conant Hall and we'll talk about this later." she pulled Branwen to her feet and made her way through the group, making sure they were all still conscious.

" And what do we have here?" she asked, discovering that there was a new female in the group. The girl, human in appearance, handed her a note, which contained a numerical password. Branwen waved her hand, causing a holographic keyboard to appear, and punched the password in. The girl's scan data was downloaded onto her ear set, as well as Buck's. " Okay then. Let's go. You-" she pointed at the new girl. "-can introduce yourself on the way."

Legs still trembling but refusing to show any of the terror, worry, or hope, she led them back through the rock field to the trolley stop for the ride back to Conant Hall.

[Security of Mem]

Pherdel stared at Branwen.
"I believe I asked earlier, though maybe you didn't hear me," Pherdel paused, "But is there any water around here?"
Pherdel walked extremely close to Sedi. He really wish this many people weren't here. Because at the moment he didn't want them to see him hurt. He grabbed onto Sedi's arm like a brother. He could almost imagine a smile in Sedi's hood.
"You okay?" Sedi asked.
"What did you see?" Pherdel asked.
"Me, I saw when we first met...though I don't think you remember," Sedi said.
"I don't...I only remembered the promise I made to my people, it wouldn't let me see my world," Pherdel said.
Sedi placed his hand on Pherdel's shoulder.
"Is that why your face looks like that?" Sedi asked.
"Somewhat, and I really am missing the sun," Pherdel said.
"A little sun will cheer you up then?" Sedi asked.
"Yes,"
Pherdel felt much better talking to Sedi. He hadn't even realized being a leader meant he was going to feel this way. He almost felt weak for letting his emotions get in the way of his clear thinking. His face suddenly changed from that of a hurt and lost child to one the normal. The calm and withheld leader he was.

-----

Sedi felt good after their conversation. At the moment Pherdel seemed pleasantly accepted of this world. But he was sure they needed to leave. He took off his helmet to reveal the humanoid rock man he was. He stared at Branwen.
"Hey, you never listened to us when we said we were going," Sedi said, "Know anywhere, where we could see the sun?"

[John]

For the first time since her awakening on Sitchel, the empty feeling inside Proserpine was starting to fade. Branwen had accepted her offer, and had, in essence, saved her life. Proserpine still couldn’t shake away the sense of something missing. As though a powerful light had been shut off when she arrived here. And she longed to bask in it’s radiance. She smiled at the Sidhe and looked oer the latest of Branwen’s charges.

Proserpine didn’t think much of the latest addition to the plane of Sitchel. To Proserpine, she appeared to be quite fragile. Nothing more than a meat sack worthy of death. But as she had been told by Branwen, things were not always as they appeared in Sitchel. That, and she didn’t think that Branwen would approve of her disembowelling the latest arrival.

Proserpine stayed silent as they walked back to the trolley. She kept pace with Branwen, who appeared to be drained from the encounter at the Edge. Listening to the ramblings of the rock and plant creatures, she could not get her mind away form the being that had appeared to them. She longed to be close to the power it wielded. To fly into the long expanse of infinity. Perhaps when this was over, there would be a way for her to learn more of Sitchel.

Proserpine thought the some of the others may want to rest. Branwen had mentioned that the experience would be draining. Though Proserpine felt invigorated by it. She wanted to investigate the matter, and she did not need rest.

“Perhaps we should try to determine where on of these pieces is going to break off. If we could see it happening, we might have a better understanding of what’s causing it.” Proserpine was looking at Branwen, but was speaking loud enough for the group to hear. The melodious tone had returned to her voice and the whisper echoed maliciously.

“And perhaps we should get the plant some water. We wouldn’t want him to wither now, would we?” Proserpine smiled evilly and couldn’t help feeling very curious of what it would look like to watch him die. It would surely be a unique experience.

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen slapped her own forehead, mentally berating herself.

" By the Queen, I am so stupid. Pherdel, I'm sorry, I forgot. Yeah, right, we can get you some sun tabs and some water." She picked up the pace, ignoring Proserpine's malicious tone. It was in the Demon's nature, she'd met enough of them to know, and there was no point in addressing it.

Branwen veritably scrambled back to the trolley stop, rushing her charges aboard. No time to be exhausted.

The trolley ride back was quiet, and Branwen did not force conversation. She knew those that could we talk amongst themselves silently, and the rest had enough on their mind.

It had been, after all, one hell of a day.

Branwen guided them off the trolley at the station in the sunken ship, and led them back down the busy streets and alleyways, passing cats in top hats, giant wolves, and large moving nutcrackers. She led them to a small shop across the street from Conant Hall and pulled Pherdel in with her.

The shop was empty save for the blue woman behind the counter, dressed in blue silk robes with flecks of gold and green on her cheeks and forehead. The walls were lines with plants from across existence, and the air hung humid and heavy with their sweet smell. Pherdel's own presence added to that smell, and Branwen could feel her nose getting stuffed up.

" Zota, how's tricks?" she asked, approaching the shopkeeper. The blue woman, Zota, smiled and made a motion with her hands, pulling them in front of her face slowly.

" Things are well, Bran. I trust you are also well, my former guide?" her voice was light and feminine, the bare lilt of an accent gracing it.

" I'm, um... Groovy." Branwen opted not to explain their earlier experience, although she knew Zota of all people would understand and provide wise council. " Listen, I got a new group today and I have a guy who's... well, he's like you. So I need some sun tabs and water." She pulled Pherdel closer to the cramped counter. " Pherdel, this is Zota. Zota, Prophet Pherdel." she introduced the two. Zota repeated the motion with her hands.

" Greetings, Prophet Pherdel." she handed him a small bag. " You, like I, will miss the sun, but these provide a great deal of comfort. Ingest one by mouth as often as you need. Be sure to keep your eyes closed for the full experience."

" Okay. Charge it to the Guild, Zota." Branwen left Pherdel at the counter, moving out of the small shop to check on the rest of her charges.

" Link, please tell me you are not touching anything." she said, exasperated. " Okay, guys, while we're out, anyone have any pressing needs that we should address? Lunch will be served in the hall, and the Guild caters to carnivorous and vegetarian diets."

[Crypes]

Crypes stepped forward when asked about pressing concerns. "Yeah, I've got one. What's it take to grow a plant around here? I need to set up some hydroponics, but don't know how well that'd work. Or, uh, how much it would cost. Any ideas?" He took another drag from his cigarette and blew out orange smoke again. "It's not too urgent, but sooner or later it's going to be a problem."

[Security of Mem]

The group had wondered from the edge and began walking back to the covenant hall. The usual sorta odd setting. Sedi was becoming slightly annoyed that she ignored all their efforts to leave. Branwen left the group out as they walked close to a botanist shop. Sedi walked in with Pherdel and Branwen. There were severally different sorta smells, some sweet, some hazy. He was use to the smell of different smells of flowers, so it didn't bother him.
He watched as they gave water and some sun pill. Then they walked out. Branwen continued the group going and then said as they got close.
"Okay, guys, while we're out, anyone have any pressing needs that we should address? Lunch will be served in the hall, and the Guild caters to carnivorous and vegetarian diets."
Sedi stared at her.
"What about rock diets?" Sedi asked, "I eat a nutritious value of Iron Ore and Vultra Diamonds, sometimes I even eat Nutrol Rubies. And for junk food sometimes I eat Pixie Saphire."
Sedi gave her a look, one that was sharp and precise, but also filled with knowledge. He was actually surprised he remembered what he ate, but nothing else about his past.
But he had to turn the humor of his diet on a more serious note.
"And how do I know if that sun pill even is good enough for Pherdel?" Sedi asked.
Sedi turned to Pherdel.
"Give me one Pherdel, I have to test it," Sedi said.
Pherdel gave a bit of a laugh and then handed Sedi one.
"Stand back, I'm trying one of these," Sedi said.

[SikstaSlathalin]

King and Knight

The events between the Edge and the trolley weighed little on the minds of the Stalkers. They smelt the new human female ,young and a fighter. But once again not much of threat like all the humans around them, their minds were lost within themselves. Replaying the memories slowing them down, speeding them up. Looking at them from every angle and possible meaning. The message was obvious to them. Azzarox knew he had to find a way to untie his race and take back the night. Raorna had to defend her King and the Stalker way of life. While their mouths were silent their minds were roaring up a storm.

"My King will we be able to preserved our way of life in this strange world?" The King mulls over the statement before replying.
"I think so my Knight. We know the ways somehow, if we can interbreed with these Scarens and each other. It might not be a pure Fearstalker race but with the possibilities this place offers there might be a way to exist both in our world and here."
"But how can we manage that my King? This Sidhe seems to have eyes everywhere." And none of these other beings smelt right enough to trust if we need aid."
"I know Rasorna, but we are Fearstalkers. We've existed as long as fear of anything has existed. We haven't been around that long being fools."
"Of course my King."
"Call me Azzarox, Rasorna." The Knight was visibly surprised at this but regains her composure and responded.
"But your majesty I'm just a Knight, the only ones allowed to speak like that are the Wraith and your..your Queen." The King is quiet for a long time they're almost to the shop when he responds again.
"I know and to perserve our race that's what you must become. Will you accept Queen Rasorna." There is no hesitation in her response.
"Of course Azzarox my mate. But should we let the prisoners know?"
"No, the less they know about us the better. We'll do the ritual in our room when we get back." With nothing but a nod Rasorna looks up as they reach the strange shop. Reptiles or not the Stalkers don't much care for humid places. They elect to stay outside in the street, standing on either side of the door they cross their arms and stare out into the madness that is the Sitchel.

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen smiled at Crypes. Something about him struck her as very familiar...

" Sure, man, talk to Zota in there." she gestured back to the shop. " She's the best botanist in Sitchel, and if it's in Sitchel she can get it for you. If not, she can help you find out how to get it."

Branwen watches Sedi in amusement, grinning as he proclaimed his intent to swallow a sun tab.

" You could, and I think it probably wouldn't hurt you, but I wouldn't advise it... Might make you smolder some, big guy."

[GraftRaven]

Geru followed the others back to the trolley, then to the shop, constantly thinking about his daughter... the feel of her in his arms, then looking down to see the horrible spiked things that had replaced his first set. He wanted that feeling back, even if he had to fall off the edge of Sitchel to achieve it, there was nothing for him to loose now.

Urgent needs... a new icon appeared on his glasses at that thought, the one that was tied in with the systems on his arms, the one that told him they needed power soon to be functional past regular actions. He finally spoke up. "And what about mechanical and energy needs?" He reached up and scratched his nose with one of the long claws on his right hand. His tail still flicked back and forth restlessly, not sure which way to go just like his mind.

[Iwanami Kitsune]

"I'm Chiaki, nice to meet all of you." Chiaki said with an earnest smile. She would tell them something about herself but she just about as much about herself as they did. The memories she did have were a convoluted mess. More they contradicted each other. The most of the group seemed to dismiss her. However Chiaki was curious about them, they were all quite extraordinary.

Not having been outside the building she woke up in Chiaki was amazed at the sights she saw. Cats in tophats?! Something about that struck her as bizzare. It was amazing. It also confirmed something to her. She still remembered the things that were familiar to her. That at least was a comfort.

As Brenwen walked into the shop Chiaki stood at the door. Brenwen began to deal with a blue woman at a desk. She bought sun tabs and handed them to the one called Phedral. He needed sun? For photosynthesis? That would mean he was like a plant. He looked human, though his skin had the texture of velvet. She wondered what he thought about vegetarians.

" Link, please tell me you are not touching anything." Brenwen said, exasperated.

Chiaki looked over to the one Brenwen had been talking to. As she looked at his blond hair and hat, that face was familiar to her. It was a video game, Legend of Zelda, though for the life of her she couldn't remember what it was about. "L-Link?!" She said in incredulous disbelief.

[Pope Jako III]

Buck had spent most of the trolley ride reminiscing on his newly re-acquired memories.

Buck looked up as his dad once again left to go hunting in the bush. He was 5… he never saw his dad again.

Buck was 14 and swimming in the river when a croc came out of nowhere & grabbed him dragging him under. Buck tried to break free but he was nowhere near as strong as the Crocodile. As buck started to punch it the reptile went into a death role trying to detach the Australians leg from his body. Buck having livid in the outback all his life let his body grow lazed so all the croc was doing was twisting the human and not the flesh.

As the reptile became frustrated at its inability to kill its victim it dived in an attempt to drown its capture. Then tear off the meat when Rigamortis set in. however buck noticed at the bottom of the lake was his bowie knife. Reaching for all he was worth he grabbed the knife, swung up and slashed the croc’s throat. The reptile loosed its jaws in a screech of pain & that’s all the Aussie needed Buck was free and he didn’t waist it he swam to the surface and got the hell out of dodge.

Buck was 20something hiking through the black forest of Germany, when encountered a wolf the size of a small horse. As the wolf started to stalk him sniffing buck looked at his S&W 500 before smiling and dropping it as he took his bowie knife from his boot his smile turned predatory. He crouched in a launch position; “it’s time to get, Buck Wild!” with that he launched himself at the wolf as the wolf did likewise. To Bucks surprise the wolf was much stronger and faster than he thought was possible… for any creature. It barreled into him with a force that quite literally took his breath away. As he lay panting for breath the wolf dived for a second charge, but the Aussie was expecting that and rolled to his right. Bracing himself he ran and leapt rebounding off a tree onto the beasts back. Buck started to stab the monster with his knife but the Wolf didn’t even seemed fazed by this attack, it merely rolled and slammed its back into a tree, once again momentarily stunning Buck. Buck was trying to recover from his latest beating when he noticed the wolf’s jaws coming in for a kill, buck sprang to the side barley missing his death, but the wolf was just as agile and tried to claim a second strike. Buck, instead of rolling or dodging this time actually charged into the wolf this time, bracing himself he used the Beasts own power and momentum to bury his knife into the predators face, the wolf howled in pain and slashed at buck with its claws catching him right across his right eye. Buck screamed in pain and fell back losing his knife still lodged in the wolfs skull. As buck tried to reorient himself he felt a crushing pain in his shoulder. The wolf had buck in its mouth and was currently crushing his shoulder. Buck having long given up surviving this encounter, but not wanting to go out without a fight started to hammer at the bowie in the wolfs face driving it deeper into the monsters skull. Bucks breaths were shorter and shallow, his vision was blurry, his body was on autopilot, and he just kept hammering until his knife was buried past the hilt. All of a sudden quite buck looked up and saw how the wolf was on the ground very dead as buck closed his remaining eye he smiled to himself, and accepted his death.

Buck woke up on the park bench he had just heard the most sad and beautiful song he had heard in a long while. He looked over at the girl who was putting her guitar away. “Well I usually don’t just barge into people’s lives but this time it might be necessary.”

Buck and Deoiridh followed the Asian into the rib joint up to the Asians partner that just reeked of cop that needs to retire. “I mean were not the only thousand calories a day fur wearing freaks!” the guy said in a harsh whisper. “What?” was his partner’s response. “Oui names Buck! And I guess were also what’s the term; thousand calories a day fur wearing freaks.

“Yep” Buck said as he watched the little group hang around the store, cept fore the lizards, “don’t know how but I’m gonna find ya De you can bet on it.”

[RainCheck]

Angelus got off the trolley and was overhearing Branwen’s description of the “Edge, when he sensed a very familiar presence moving toward them. <I remember this feeling.> He thought < But I don’t remember what it means, I just know it’s not a very good feeling…> As he was trying to sort his thoughts, he was suddenly taken aback by the sudden crash and burn of a new arrival. The young man stood up out of the crater that he had created in front of Branwen. The man spoke with an odd accent: “GODDAMN! That sucked mate!” he shouted as he got out of the crater; he was dirty but otherwise unharmed.<What the bloody hell is he> Angelus thought, <I know I know what he is, but I can’t place him. Whatever that memory is, it isn’t pleasant> “Huh?” a huge grin suddenly grew on his face, “HAHA! Guess I pressed L HAHAHA!” <This guys seems more bent than the demoness bird> “Oui! “G’day mates” he said, Angelus saw this…whatever he was look around at the group, “Crikey! must have hit my head on that fall. Huh, usually heals faster than this. Oh well.” <Heals faster than this? So he is something more> the strange human looking creature began to look around the entirety of where everyone stood. “Okay definitely not where… hold the phone, I don’t remember!?” “Do I have amnesia? No I can’t, monsters don’t get amnesia. Wait! I remember my fight & that girl, so what in the crikey fuck is going on!?” <Ok, the demoness is perfectly fine compared to this wackjob. The little sod needs to be committed> Angelus studied the new arrival intently, but later turned away to listen to Branwen explaining the Edge.

“ Right. Back to the lesson. Because Sitchel is always expanding and all that, it occupies a rather large space in existence. We know this mostly because that’s what the Elder Scholars say and I guess they know. Now, because of the sheer scope of Sitchel, it kind of tears the fabric of reality and gives us a really unique feature. Thus, the Edge.” Branwen gestured to the ledge behind her, with only blackness visible beyond, dusted with stars.<The Edge of all existence of Sitchel. This place just goes on doesn’t it?> “ Most Guides won’t bring you here, and the reason I did is to show you why there is no way home. I didn’t get it for nearly three quarters of a century before I saw this.” <Wait.> Angelus suddenly realized something. <We were brought here because our planes were not able to keep us and yet we’re ripped here to a place that actually has an edge to it planar existence? Oh great! Next thing your going to do is ‘Prove to us that it leads nowhere by looking over the bloody thing>“ Okay. We are all going to look over the Edge at same time.” <Bugger I hate being right sometimes> “I’m going to warn you,” she continued “some folks have violent reactions to this, but if you feel dizzy or nauseous, step back.”<Yea or you’ll fall off into nothingness.> She guided them up to the Edge, trying not to get lost staring into the far blackness herself. <There’s going to be panic and trouble> “ All you have to do is look over the edge. Remember to breathe. Everyone, all together now, on three.”< Heh easy for the ones who do breath> She positioned herself at the ledge, Angelus copied her movements. <One, Two, Three, This is gonna suck> Angelus bent down and looked over the Edge.

Angelus could feel himself getting light headed. The black nothingness made his very soul burn in him.. <This is end of everything. The very fathoms of nothing and everything> He heard Branwen speak with great difficulty. “This…Is…Infinity”<You got that right love.> As he looked, Angelus noticed a small light growing in the center of his vision. He tried to speak but the words never left his mouth. A warm beige light surrounded the group, filled with a balmy warmth and a humidity. A being appeared, a woman of silvery hair and odd clothing. She sat on a plain throne, a small smile gracing her elegant lips and pale eyes. Her skin was dark and her long limbs were covered in fresh cuts.

" We are Sitchel." She spoke and her voice was huge and small, reverberating from everywhere and from within the listeners, all at once.

" We apologize for the abrupt intrusion, but unfortunately, there was no other way. We are in pain, and we fear we are in great danger. Parts of ourselves are falling off..." The being gestured to the cuts across her body, then let her hand rest on her belly. "Our need is dire, and our purpose must be fulfilled. Existence must be maintained. We desire, no, need your help. We are prepared to reward you for your assistance." The being waved her hand, causing a visible jolt of shock from the group. " We have granted each of you a memory of your old life. Consider it a down payment. If you assist us and discover the reasons for our agony, we shall reward you with more memories. And if you end our suffering and save our being, we shall restore each of you to your home planes, not moments after your departure." The being smiled softly. "As though you had never left." The being stood, her awe-inspiring presence filling the space. " This is our request. We trust you will accept it."
Angelus screamed as the very core of his being burned. He felt his soul burn, like fire inside him. The memory he was granted played before his mind.

Angelus laid upon the cold ground. Beaten, bruised, as near to death as a vampire could ever be. Suddenly, heavy, plodding footstep approached him. He hear the demon’s voice, low, menacing, and evil :“You have endured the required trials.”
“Bloody right I have” Angelus answered.
Angelus moved himself to a slump sitting position to face the demon. “So you’ll give me what I want.” he said as he sat up as straight as he could.
Angelus felt beaten and broken but tried not to show it on his face to the demon.. “Make me what I was meant to be, so the world gets what it deserves.” He spoke as proud as he could.
“Very well.” said the demon
He reached toward Angelus with an open hand. “I will return…your SOUL!”
“WHA-” Angelus tried to object but as the demon placed his hand on Angelus’ chest, Angelus could feel the burning, freezing, pressure of something being forced mystically into his chest. Angelus screamed in pain as he felt something, some part of him being painfully restored to his entire being. He felt his eyes burn white hot. He felt his mind racing. He closed his eyes and saw every single life he took. Every family he destroyed. Every man, woman, and child he tortured. He could hear their voices begging for mercy, questioning “WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?”

Angelus pulled away from the void that was the Edge of Sitchel. He looked toward the sky of the strange cityscape. He felt his soul burn within him. He closed his eyes and looked down at the ground. Tears welled up in his eyes. He could still see their faces and hear their voices in his head. Angelus pounded the ground with his fist. “Angelus…” he heard a voice in his head, “Angelus, be calm my love”
It was Grace’s voice. Angelus remembered this from when he first completed the Trials of Hell. “Grace,” Angelus spoke softly “Why did this happen?”
“Because, you were never a monster as deeply as you thought you were. You were always something more, something better than that. I was the one who showed you your true self.”
Angelus opened his eyes. He was resting on his hands and knees just a few feet beside the Edge. He could feel the same rush of confidence he felt in the cave after the trials. Angelus stood up and dusted himself off. He placed his hand over his heart. “ I will always love you Gracie” he said.
And without acknowledging the rest of the group, Angelus made his way towards the trolley care. <It seems I must awaken it as soon as I get back to my room.> he thought to himself.

[SikstaSlathalin]

King and Queen

The Fearstalkers never ceased watching the hustle and bustle of Sitchel. They've sampled every scent this crazy place has to offer and tagged them to at least 12 dozen races. If they weren't fully fed they'd be feasting upon the fear laden air. Right now it was just making them grin grimly as it warms their scaly bodies. If one was watching the Lizards you wouldn't peg them as dark monsters of the night. The King's scales were a deep healthy green and Rasorna's were a lighter shade of green with a blue-purple sheen to them. The King's throat is bright blood red that fade to a deep red the closer it gets his mouth. The Queen's arms sport four, three inch long barbs partially serrated. All their spikes are black as oil and shine dully in the strange light of this mad world.

The denizens of this world glance over at the strange creatures not with any kind of interest just caution. Noticing these looks Azzarox probed one of their minds, the closest one was some kid with a yellow rat on his shoulders.
"Wonder if those two are Pokemon? They kinda look like those Scarens, they aren't Pokemon either but still cool." With a odd quirk of his eye he sends a message to his Queen.
"What the fang is a Pokemon?" Rasorna look around then answered.
"Not a clue Azzarox. But I have located one of those Scarens the Sidhe mentioned over by the red fruit stand." With a slight turn of his head the King scans the area and locates a 9 foot tall, reptile with light green scales, smooth rounded head, long arms and claws. He was dressed in just a pair of brown pants studded with little spikes. The Scaren dropped a large clawful of red fruit into a filled basket then began walking toward the Plant shop.

As the Scaren walked by the King takes a long sniff IDing him. The creature stopped in front of the King and looked studying him.
"Did you just sniff me Cousin?" The King uncrosses his arms and looks into the eyes of the Scaren.
"Did you sniff me?"
"Yes."
"Then yes." The two stand in silence watching each other, Rasorna watches the two spotting another Scaren, female about 8 feet tall dressed in a long brown cloth skirt and top. She holds her basket of vegetables watching the males after scanning Rasorna over who in turn scans back. This stand-off continues for many minutes. Before the males grasp forearms the clack their claws against each other. The Scaren nods grabbing up his basket.
"See you then Cousin King." The King nods.
"Gladly Cousin Chief." The Scaren wander off and the King nods to his Queen then goes back to leaning against the wall watching the crowds again.

[Pope Jako III]

Buck was starting to get used to his surrounds, usually a fairly adaptive person this place was so outside his realm of experience, he was just not able to keep up. Pocket planes, memory erased, weird edges, and some godlike woman thing. He was just too mixed up at this whole situation to have any real rational thoughts.

Eventually he started to get his head raped around the situation and started to examine his companions, they were an interesting bunch but he’d seen weirder beings by far. Buck started to familiarize himself with each being. Buck started to sniff around when he came to a shocking realization: that Angelice guy doesn’t have a scent! That can’t be right, everything has a scent, hell even bacteria has a scent why in the crickey fuck doesn’t this guy have one?!

[The Gypsy Queen]

" Seriously, Sedi, I wouldn't advise it. Those sun tabs are some pretty uber magic." Branwen ran a hand through her long black hair, wincing as she encountered a knot. " Geru, there are power hook-ups in your room. If for some reason they won't work for you, let me know, and I'll get a Guild Technician to have a look."

It had take her a few minutes but she had sorted things out in her head. The proposition really hadn't changed anything. She still had to teach her charges about Sitchel, they didn't stand a chance of meeting the plane's demands without that basic knowledge. She glanced up at the sky, noting the fading light. Night was falling, and night in Sitchel could be very dangerous.

If you were prey.

She glanced around her group. Proserpine, Angelus, Buck, and the Fearstalkers would not get too much trouble. Anyone who had been in Sitchel for any amount of time would know better than to mess with them. The others, though, might qualify as prey to some of the larger, more confident predators.

Branwen glanced about her to make sure no one had wondered off, then stepped towards the street, preparing to cross it to Conant Hall.

" Well, I for one am starving, so unless anyone else has something they need to ask, let's get going, shall we?" She started across the street, glancing behind her to make sure they were all following. "Remember, stay out of arm's reach!" she called back, picking her pace up a jog as she avoided the rushed travelers on the street, all in a hurry to get off of it before darkness came.

[SikstaSlathalin]

King and Queen

As the Sidhe began moving back to the Hall the Fearstalkers shove off the wall and follow her. Their noses have never stopped tracking since they arrived in this world. They've catalogued nearly 350 different species and an endless array of non living scents. It was almost too much to take never have their noses remembered so many different smells in one place. Some of the smells were strong and made their noses burn. Others were light and pleasant, some were even weak and barely noticeable. The King looked up sniffing the air above the heads of the Market goers.
"Night will arrive soon my Queen." He says in the female's mind. She sniffs the air lightly then nods.
"Yes my King, we'll do the ceremony then go hunt?" Azzarox nods dropping his head catching a strange scent.

More familiar then the rest he's sampled. It smelled of sand and dry wind, and it made the King's blood boil and he lets out a deep fierce snarl looking around for the source of the scent. Rasorna smelt it too but she couldn't understand why she felt the rage. But knowing better then to overlook anything strange that made her instincts flare. Looking around the area she catches a passing flutter of white clothes and a glimpse of deep black hair. The King saw them too because he had a small black ball of energy ready in his claw.
"Peace your Majesty. You know attacking an unclear target is asking for death." Powering down the ball he growls going back to following the Sidhe.
"What happens at night here Sidhe? Speak fully and don't hide any facts."

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen winced, but continued across the busy street, at one point climbing on top of a hovering saucer shaped vehicle, then back down the other side.

" At night, the hunters come out... I told you this before, lots of things here would be okay with eating you. Carnivores tend to survive more than omnivores or herbivores." Branwen hopped up onto the curb, checking to make sure her group got across safely. Once sure of that, she led them into Conant Hall and hung a right to the cafeteria. " And aside from the regular predators, they're all sorts of crazy groups out there... kidnappers who sell people to whore houses, religious cults who take people to sacrifice them, or eat them, or rape them and eat them, or whatever... Science groups who want to experiment on subjects... whatever you can imagine. It's just generally safer to be inside and behind locked doors at night."

They reached the cafeteria, which was about as plain a cafeteria as anyone could imagine. Branwen led them to a large table with several different styled seats around it and a big number 3 painted on it.

" Okay, this is our table. We don't have to eat together but we do eat here. Now, when you arrived, the guild took scans of your biological data to see if you matched a profile and to find out what you need to survive. You'll all find that Cook back there-" she pointed to a fat, grizzled humanoid with one leg behind the cafeteria counter. " Has got just about anything you biologically need, including more sun tabs, Pherdel. Now, Sedi, we had a bit of a problem with you... we've never had a being like you before, so we had to kind of scramble to find something suitable... we just had a load of what I'm told is high quality rock imported from the Earth Verse, but you need to go through that and let me and Cook know if anything is no good, or just right, or whatever. Everyone else matched a profile, so just tell Cook what you want, and he'll get it for you, so you all go eat. You two-" she gestured to the Fearstalkers. " Follow me."

She led the two reptilians into a small, plain room off to the side of the cafeteria, and closed the door behind them.

" This room was set up especially for you two." she paused to hand them both a pair of flat, round metal discs attached to wires. " I'm told this is an emotion processor... effectively it grabs whatever emotion you want out of the air and feeds it to you telepathically in a compressed form. The last beings I had that used it told me it has kind of a kick to it, so be careful. All you have to do is press those metal discs to either side of your head, and it does the rest." With a nod of the head that might have been a bow, Branwen opened the door again. " I'll leave you to it. I'll be back to check on you in a few minutes, but call for me if you need anything."

And with that, she bowed out to check on the rest of the group.

[Security of Mem]

While walking to the cafeteria and hearing Branwen's warning Sedi stared at the Sun Pill. He stared at Pherdel and then back at the Sun Pill. Pherdel, Sun Pill, Pherdel, Sun Pill, Pherdel, Sun Pill. It when on like that for a good four minutes. Sedi had a duty to Pherdel, but the warning of the pill sat in his stomach like a hearty rock stew.
He needed to make a decision right now. And then they found themselves in the cafeteria.
Pherdel gave a look at Sedi and raised an eyebrow.
"I'm taking this Sun Pill, step back," Sedi announced.
Sedi placed the Sun Pill in his mouth and then suddenly it felt as if he were eating a hot pepper. It was extremely hot and he felt sorta warm. Pherdel touched Sedi's stone skin.
"Wow, you're really warm," Pherdel said, "Is the pill okay...Sedi...you're really warm."
"Yeah, it's more like eating a pepper then the sun," Sedi said.
Sedi watched as Pherdel grabbed out five more Sun Pills and handed them to Sedi.
"What?" Sedi said.
"Take more, I actually quite like this more then taking them myself," Pherdel said.
Sedi took more of the Sun Pills and he really felt as if he were on fire right now. He really needed something to get that pepper flavor out of his mouth. But Pherdel seemed to enjoy the warmth. Pherdel grabbed more Sun Pills and gave them to Sedi.
Sedi took them sadly. And then some sort of different reaction Sedi wasn't expecting. Pherdel stared at him and Sedi watched as the plant's pupils dilated and branched out like vines.
"Sedi," Pherdel said with an odd giggle.
"I think..." Sedi said.
Pherdel giggled and gave Sedi a hug. It was almost as if seeing Pherdel as a child once again.
"You're so warm...heheheheheheehehehe," Pherdel said.
"Uh..." Sedi said.
"It's so funny Sedi," Pherdel said.
Sedi had only seen this reaction before. From a plant who hadn't felt warmth or sun in a few months. Somehow he remembered the plant being a little, high from the sun. Sedi's fears were correct when Pherdel began sapping on him creating an odd nectar on his body. Which was the same color as Pherdel's blood, blueish.
And then a sweet smell started to fill the room. Sedi realized he should have never taken those sun pills.
"Uh..I think...I think, he's a little high," Sedi said.
"Nay Sedi, it feels so good...hehehehehehehehe," Pherdel said.
"Someone help me," Sedi said, "Before he does any more....oh the smell....it smells so sweet."
"Sedi, will you do something for me? hehehheheheee," Pherdel asked.
"Yes....No wait I can't get high too," Sedi said, "Someone help me."

[Govannon]

Eldwin sat, staring with intense concentration at the meal that the chef had given him. He was resolved that he was going to eat this little bastard if it was the last thing he did and judging by the look of it, it might well be. The bastard in question was something green, largely amorphous, seemed distinctly unlike a steak and didn't seem to take kindly to being eaten.

Despite his best efforts, Eldwin's meal had seemingly flowed around his fork, never letting him get a solid purchase, and Eldwin was getting the distinct impression that the gel was laughing at his futile efforts. It was only after several minutes of his fork bouncing futilely off of his plate that Eldwin heard a distinctly British voice coming from behind him, offering some much needed advice. "Just hit the thing, stuns the little blighter and makes it a bit easier to pin down." Eldwin turned to find that the voice in question belonged to a rather old-fashioned looking man who would have been in perfect Victorian dress, if it wasn't for the rather large steam engine strapped to his back and the gun he had slung on his hip. Eldwin sheepishly thanked his benefactor and turned back to his meal, which was now trying to dissolve his dinner plate.

Once his meal was subdued, Eldwin was surprised to find that it tasted pleasantly egg-ish. He unfortunately didn't have time to enjoy very much of it before Sedi began to lat off a startling amount of heat and light, and Pherdel began to emit an odour that, while not unpleasant, seemed to be rather, odd.

It didn't take long before Eldwin began to notice the effects of the gas upon the human portion of his physiology. He was aware of the fact that his biological side couldn't hold up against the drug, and that a drug trip was preferable to having the two portions of his head conflicting with each other. As a result, it was only a matter of minute before Eldwin was as gone as Sedi and Pherdel.

[SikstaSlathalin]

King and Queen

As the Sidhe led them into the cafeteria. The first thing that came to the Queen mind was.
Does she not know we don't eat much normal food? She was about to voice her thoughts allowed when she led them to another room and handed them two metal discs. She sniffs them curious as can be, the instructions were just silly.
"Press these against our heads?" The Sidhe leave not hearing her question. The King growls lightly looking the discs over.
"Good thing we're fully fed for all we know these things could be a trap." Rasorna nods setting the discs down climbing up to the window and opening it.
"Come my King there's quite a view of our potential prey." Azzarox clambers up and sits on the sill with his Queen sniffing the air scanning over the land with his keens eyes.
"That group of kids with the weird yellow rat seems plenty full of fear." She nods looking to the right.
"And that short kid with the weird hair talking to the metal dog seems ripe." The King gives an evil smile finding the perfect prey.
"That girl in the short green dress with the little Fox Demon is loaded down with fear lets go after her first." The Queen smiles with her King locking onto the girl and the Demon's scent.
"Perfect my King."

[Crypes]

Stepping out of the plant shop, Crypes was incredibly happy. He'd found enough nutrients to keep his habit going for quite some time, along with the plastic pipes, gutters, and epoxy to grow all the plant he'd ever need to support. Sure, he could have bought a premade set. But where's the fun in that? Besides that, home made hydroponics always turned out better. He turned to see the metal carts loaded to the brim with barrels and plastic following him and grinned, lighting up a cigarette as he did so.

Feeling that something was wrong he turned back around and noticed that his guide and group were gone. "Well shit. Which way was home again?" He said, before picking a random direction and walking off. "That guide is going to fucking skin me alive." he muttered, not noticing how dark it was starting to get, and having no idea what he was really going to have to worry about.

[Pope Jako III]

Buck was happy. In fact he was downright ecstatic. Now buck is usually happy or at least in a cheerful mood, and he is also one of the universes easiest beings too please. Basically a knife, beautiful woods, and a good meal and Buck is set to go. However that is not what was making him happy this time around, it was the metric ton of food.

Buck was currently on his fifth helping and what was his fifth helping consisting of: 12 full racks of ribs, 32 cheddar brots, a pound of sausage, a pound of bacon, a brisket , and a loin of beef. And this was his smallest helping yet. He was probably annoying the chef by now but he really stopped caring around the time he discovered the meals and food were free. Bucks a one thought at a time kind of guy.

Buck took a break in his consumption to do a quick sniff surveillance. Let’s see here *Sniff* hmm were missing three people, maybe four where’s that weird dude… ok he’s over there drinking some sort of red wine. Alright Lets see where’s “dreads” *Sniff* oh hell mate, he’s way out there hmm weird. Okay Lizards*Sniff* hmm just leaving! crickey them too? Am I missing something here? Aww hell mate, not my business the airy fairy will have it figured out soon enough.

As Buck once again started to finish his meal he saw the Sidhe start to sit down with her own meal. Buck took this as his opportunity to get her to answer his most pressing question about this place. He had already been informed of his possession whereabouts in his room, and retrieved them, but he needed to know something far more urgent, to not so much his, but to everyone else’s safety. He sat down in front of Branwen. “Oi ‘airy fairy I been meaning to ask u a question about this place.” “if there are any what are the lunar cycles like here?”

[John]

Proserpine followed Branwen into the cafeteria, listening to the speech about the predators of Sitchel. Proserpine still found it hard to believe that there was anything here that she really needed to worry about. She sat at the table and watched as Branwen lead the Fearstalkers to another room and the others went to the chef and to retrieve what ever food met their needs. Proserpine did not need to eat, but she could if she wanted to. Though she did prefer to eat things that screamed while being eaten; and she doubted Branwen would allow her to do this.

Proserpine smiled as she watched Eldwin play with his food. It granted her some amusement and she wondered if the green thing could feel pain. Her expression changed to disgust when a sickly sweet smell overwhelmed her senses for a moment. It was coming from Pherdel and appeared to be having an intoxicating effect on Eldwin. The smell actually made Proserpine want to vomit, but she became more intrigued by Eldwin. To her knowledge, she had never seen someone like him before, and perhaps something interesting would happen. If she couldn’t go out and kill everything she could find, she would at least attempt to find some amusement in what was happening around her. Besides, she figured that eventually there would be something she would be allowed to kill.

Proserpine continued to watch Eldwin with an intense curiosity as the effects of Pherdel’s scent began to take hold. She wondered for a moment what this must be doing to the Stoner. Proserpine looked around the table and then around the room. She could see no sign of Crypes. Proserpine remembered him going into the plant shop, but found she did not remember seeing him come out. Glancing in the direction of where Branwen had led the Fearstalkers, Proserpine could see Branwen returning. Buck immediately started asking about the lunar cycle, and she jumped in before Branwen could answer him

“The Stoner’s not here and I don’t remember him coming in with us. Perhaps I should go look for him?” Proserpine’s tone was hopeful. It wasn’t that she cared what happened to him. But if he did get into trouble, perhaps she would be able to blow off a little steam by coming to his aid.

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen stood up from table three and stumbled. Then she giggled. Which she never did.

" Pherdel... Sedi..." she paused to giggle, watching Pherdel practically try to climb up Sedi. " What the fuck..."

I'm high... She realized it suddenly and violently, with a jerk.

" Fuck..." she said with a giggle, lightly smacking her cheek to get herself to focus. She looked around the room, counting heads out loud, then having to count them again when she realized Cook didn't count. And again because she forgot what she'd counted to. And a third time when she thought that they were three short.

Except they were three short.

She heard Proserpine and held up her hand to ask for silence as she glanced about.... Crypes wasn't the only one missing.

Most of her group had been reduced to giggles or happily accosting Cook, whose grimace never changed. Crypes and the Fearstalkers were missing. Just to be sure, she stumbled over to check the off room and found it empty.

" Dammit. I swear in Aurora's name..." she wasn't giggling any more. " Proserpine, you stay here and if you leave this hall I swear... " she let the threat hang. " Make sure no one else leaves." she added before storming out of the Hall and into the quickly emptying streets.

She reached to her ear set and fumbled with it a bit before finding the right button to push.

" Dispatch, I have a Blue Code 1 and 2. And I'm high."

" Guide, you're... high?"

" The plant guy. Apparently he emits some sort of gas that makes people high..."

Dispatch snickered. "Who are you missing?"

" Crypes, the human with the metal powers, and the two reptilians." The street was practically empty so she sprinted across it. Zota's store was closed but it was a good place to start looking for Crypes, and he was the Code 1. Which meant he was not an obvious predator. " Okay, I'm at Crypes' last known location."

" Downloading the security feed."

Branwen watched the security feed on a small holographic screen until she spotted Crypes taking a right.

" Ugh. Goober. It's right across the street! How could you miss it?" She disconnected from the Dispatch and sprinted down the street. She stopped at a street corner and shook her head, trying to shove past the nausea as her Sidhe night vision took over. But it would help her track Crypes. Sidhe eyes could follow power patterns, and Crypes had a very clear one. She could see his resonance going further down the street, and sprinted after him.

The street narrowed to a dark alley and she could clearly feel another being following Crypes. He was being stalked. And then she spotted, cruising along cheerfully.

She also spotted the female rakshasa, a sort of were-tiger with a penchant for ripping it's victims hearts out of their chest, ready to pounce from the arch above his head.

" Crypes!" she screamed to get his attention, hoping he had some idea on how to fight for his life, and that the Fearstalkers weren't in any trouble, that she'd made the right call by going for him first, and that she wasn't too high to find a way to save his stupid neck.

[Pope Jako III]

Buck watched the retreating form of Branwen then looked at his forced companion. “So… ya… you gonna follow that order mate?” the demoness in question raised an eyebrow in interest. “Ya, me neither” Buck said with a smile removing his S&W 500 from its holster. With a very predatory smile Buck started to make his way to the door “alright then Sheila lets go hunting.”

[SikstaSlathalin]

King and Queen (a few minutes prior)

"My King look it's the smelly human." She points her claw at Crypes across the street to the human wandering aimlessly about.
"Great now the Sidhe is going to lecture and rant to us if he dies and become overbearing if he lives." She nods growling a little watching the strange creature waiting in the alley for him
"Should we save him?" The King thinks for a bit then nods.
"Yes if only to save our ears from the Sidhe's voice." With growls the Stalkers open black portals in the room and jump in.

Azzarox

His portal opened in the back of the alley. His night vision takes over and he spots a large feline looking creature huddling in the shadows behind the arch. He was shorter then the King but wider and more muscular and reeked of demon. With a deep growl the King figures out the plan. The female wounds and kill the smelly human and the male watches her back. Well two against one is odds a Fearstalker never uses it's either one on one or evenly matched sides. So with a deep roar the King attacks the male slashing deep into it's flesh.


Rasorna

Her portal opened up on the building above the alley overlooking the arch where the female Demon was waiting to kill the smelly human. Crouching down so the shadows of the other building hides her. Invisibility is only used to hunt or stealth kill and it costs a deal of energy to maintain. Besides the Demon would probably smell her anyway. She sees the Sidhe run into the alley and yell to the human. Knowing this would set the Demon off she lunges with the same roar her mate used she tackles the Demon off the arch taking her place.
"TAKE HIM AND GET OUT OF HERE!" She growls and tackles the female demon again.

[John]

Proserpine watched as Branwen left to go after Crypes. She felt angry as the Sidhe had told her to stay put. Proserpine was worried that something might happen to Branwen. Her death would nullify the contract, and Proserpine would be right back where she started. Proserpine started to realize the mistakes she had made in the wording of the contract and cursed herself for not thinking more carefully before offering the deal.

Buck turned to Proserpine and started to speak to her. She showed interest at the idea of not following the order. She definitely did not want to stay in the cafeteria, but Buck didn’t understand, she had no choice. Proserpine had to do exactly what Branwen wanted. Proserpine smiled as she watched Buck draw his weapon and head toward the door.

Proserpine leapt into the air and glided over to the door. She stood in front of it and faced Buck, a wicked smile on her lips. Perhaps listening to the Sidhe could provide some amusement. Branwen had also told her that no one was to leave, and she was quite happy to see that no one did.

“I’m sorry lycanthrope,” Proserpine’s tone was condescending and sarcastic. “Branwen has said that no one is to leave. So perhaps it is best that you just go sit down and gorge yourself some more.” Proserpine blew a kiss at buck and the smile faded from her lips.

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen spotted the Fearstalkers approach, and grimaced. Rakshasas were serious business, and she doubted if anyone but her knew how to kill them. But first things first.

Rakshasas felt no fear, no remorse, and were immune to all weapons but one. The Fearstalker's had no weapons that would work against them, and rakshasas by nature sought the hearts of the most powerful beings possible.

Which meant she had to be the most powerful being in the area.

There was a loud crack as she let the disguise that rendered her human to all senses slip away. Human was an easy guise to hold. To appear as what she was, as a Sidhe, inspired some fear in those around her.

Her black hair waved wild in an invisible wind, ears became long and pointed. Her eyes took on an otherworldly glow and slanted inwards as her face elongated with the rest of her body. Her eye teeth sharpened just a bit in her mouth and she raised her thin lips in a snarl.

" To me, demon." her words echoed telepathically and with the physical force of a huge wind. The rakshasa's attention snapped to her. She could feel her power bleeding out of her, and bit back the urge to conserve it. Now that the rakshasa was focused on her, it would pay no heed to anything else. She took the opportunity to toss her only personal item, a silver pentacle and chain, to Crypes.

" To kill a rakshasa, one must pierce it's heart with silver. There is no other way, as they are immune to all other weapons." Her voice echoed from within and without. The rakshasa approached her, snarling. If it attacked, she could hold it at bay, but what she was banking on was the metal bender behind it.

Get the point, Crypes... get it...

Power bleeding faced and with a quick prayer to her Queen, Branwen prepared for a face off she knew she was likely to lose.

[Pope Jako III]

Buck looked at the demoness and chuckled. “You’re good Sheila I’ll give ya that. But, if you know what I am then you know there is no way you can stop me mate. Her grin was almost begging him to try something “he he so you’re not getting out of my way huh?” “Well as much as I’d love to have a little spar I’m afraid that you are mistaken Sheila, the ‘airy fairy said and I quote: Make sure no one else leaves” “I don’t know who Noone Else is but I’m not them, my name is Buck and I’m bored & full.

Buck smiled he didn’t know exactly what Proserperine was but he knew the type, where he was from most things that go bump in the night: spirits, banshees, gouls, demons, wraiths, didn’t really like his race that much. That’s why he carried an all purpose anti-monster round in Vera. Pretty much if you were supernatural this baby killed you. All 8 rounds were made from a silver cross from Lancaster church, cooled in holy-water, blessed by one cardinal Riechnew XVI. Throw in the fact that every one of them were 50. Caliber .460 S&W rounds using mn9 marvel cartridges. It could kill just about everything. Not that buck was actually considering using it on Proserperine he liked the Sheila, she was only doing her job but he was bored and if she decided he would look better as a 9 ft wolf rug well, he wasn’t about to let that happen

He holstered his pistol “So how bout it Sheila so scared of the ‘airy fairy u gonna sit here and miss the fun?”

[John]

Proserpine watched as Buck holstered his pistol. She smiled again and narrowed her eyes at Buck. She had no concern for the weapon. She could sense something different about it, and although something about it seemed familiar, she could tell that it posed no real threat to her. Though she figured it would probably hurt. It made Proserpine wish she could remember more of who she was. She wanted to understand the familiarity she found in the weapon. She eyed it curiously and continued to smile.

“Interesting weapon you have. I am curious to see what would happen if you shot me with it. And to answer your question, I am not afraid of the Sidhe. I am also definitely not afraid of you. The only way out of this room is through me, and I don’t think that Branwen would appreciate it if I had to neuter you. So why don’t you be a good boy and go find a leg to hump before you hurt yourself.” Proserpine was hoping deep down that Buck would attack. She knew that Branwen would be upset if she didn’t at least give him a chance to back down. Though she couldn’t get angry if Buck attacked her first; well at least not at Proserpine.

[SikstaSlathalin]

King and Queen

As the Sidhe her full form the Stalkers watched feeling nothing but a bright light. But the Demons seemed drawn to her. Granted nothign short of a Sidhe Queen would make the Stalkers stare like that. But she did give them the first good advice they've heard their whole time here. Those demons can only die from silver to the heart. Noting this the Stalkers take the Sidhe being distracted and run with it. Dissapearing into the shadows they go to hunt.

[Pope Jako III]

“HAHAHAHA!! Your something else mate you talk the talk.” Through Bucks grin you could see his teeth sharpening and elongating, his hair was being rustled by an unseen force as the mop grew longer, reaching down between his shoulders, he grew from his usual 6’ to about 6”5”, his ears got pointed and his finger nails elongated. “But can you walk the walk?” His good eye turned gold. And to answer your questions: try it, you’ll find it don’t come off easy but with right… persuasion, you can get a… very stiff reaction. And since you offered a leg to hump why don’t I take… YOURS!

Buck launched himself at the demon in a standard forward rush, which Proserpine easily dodged by flying up and over Buck, however she was not his target with her above him the door was open and in front of him which he happily took. With a “g’day mate!” he was out the door and into the night, and was abruptly thrown into a wall.

“Ouch?” he looked up at Proserpine she smiled and held up her hand “bad puppy!” and buck was once again flying into another wall. Buck braced himself and grabbed the wall, and threw all of his strength into his push, throwing himself onto the building’s roof. He dusted himself off and Proserpine could see he was defiantly more wolf his height had increased to 7”1” and his ears were now full wolf ears as well, plus his hands were more like paws now. “Haha! not bad Sheila!” Buck called “but how about this!” “whats that combo? Down” Buck leapt into the air. “Forward,” he somersaulted down and landed perpendicular on the wall behind the demon “punch… HADOKEN!” he pushed off with all his lycanthrope strength and did just that he using the force of his push he pile dived into the demoness causing both of them to go spinning onto the pavement. As Proserpine got up she looked to see Buck on his feet already. “By the way advantage number 2 of being a Loup Garrou, I’m faster than sonic the hedgehog.” And with that Buck became a blur of brown and blond as he disappeared down the alleyway

“By the way thanks for going easy on me Sheila!” he called Proserpine looked at his retreating from “fast as hell no doubt, but you have been around mortals way to long if you think you can compete with a demons speed.” With that her wings beat and Proserpine was off like and arrow, while the demoness was not as fast as the Were it mattered little since he had to go around buildings and other obstacles while she just flew above them soon she found her target. Much like a bird of prey who found a hare she dive bombed him. Buck heard a sound causing him to stop and turn just as Proserpine hit him right in the stomach, creating a small crater in the road. She got up from where her fist had caught him. “How’s a demons strength mutt?” asked Proserpine. As she tried to take her hand away she noticed that arm was stuck. “huh?” she looked down to see a huge fur cover clawed hand had latched onto her arm. “She looked at Buck to see he was now a full 8’7” bipedal wolf. His pants were shredded and now could be called shorts and his shirt had become a very loose vest, his eye patch had come off revealing that he had one other perfectly good eye.

The Were growled “That Hurt!” it bellowed in a weird kind of howl/growl voice. He tightened his grip on her arm and swung the demon around throwing her into a wall. Proserpine crashed into the wall creating a small indention as she did. Before she could even look up the Were was in front of her, damn he’s fast, she thought but before she could counter, the Were’s fist slammed into her gut in a powerful uppercut. As Proserpine doubled over she felt a hand wrap around her head, suddenly the wolf arched around and slammed her face first into the concrete. The Loup let go and gave a victorious howl, oblivious to the fact that its opponent was far from defeated. Buck suddenly felt a pull on its tail next thing it knew it was spinning in a circle before it was let go to be sent crashing into the opposite wall. The Were looked around and saw its previously “dead” prey standing up. Proserpine’s clothes were dirty and torn and her hair was a mess, but the most noticeable things were her wings were in full spread and her eyes were glowing blood red and bright enough to light up the alley giving it a blood tint. “Okay, Now I’m Pissed!”

Proserpine shot her arms out, a wave of power swept forward knocking the Were through the alley wall, and the next one, and the next one, and the next one. Buck got up and roared in defiance, Proserpine lifted her right hand causing the wolf to slam into the building’s roof. As the Loup fell back onto the floor Proserpine threw her arm back down causing the same invisible force to slam into the creature, causing another small crater in the floor. As Buck got back up, the demon squinted one eye lining up her perspective so it appears she was wrapping her hands around the Were’s arms. Proserpine smiled and threw her arms out in opposite directions. Buck was instantly hanging in the air as his arms were slowely being pulled apart by the demoness. There was two pops as Bucks shoulders were dislocated by the force pulling his arms apart. Proserpine smiled at the wolfs roars of pain “lets see ya heal from this mutt.” Buck Roared in defiance, suddenly Proserpine’s hands were forced to start moving together again “what the hell?” she looked up to see the Were was growing. The wolf was standing at approximately 9’ tall but because of the growth its shoulders had been forced back together again. But it also meant her hold on the wolf was over and it charge at her. “I don’t think so!” the demon screamed the wolf was once again flattened by the telekinetic force of the demoness, creating the fifth crater for the night

“To me demon!” Branwen’s voice suddenly echoed across the alley way. Proserpine looked in the direction of the voice it was telepathically enhanced but she could still tell the direction of the source. However she could feel another presence, a very familiar one, but the memory was still evading her. She looked at the Were which was also looking around for the voice. “sit and stay, I’ll deal with you later mutt.” With she took off into the sky towards the Sidhe, this begged to be looked into. Buck saw its opponent leaving but it had more important things to do so he took off after the demon the scent telling him the way to the Sidhe.

[Crypes]

Crypes turned to hear the shout as Branwen changed forms. Shit was getting serious. The demon that had been about to attack him had turned it's back on him to face Branwen as she tossed the pentacle and chain to him. "I'm all for theatrics, but this just isn't the fucking time."

Midair, several feet from the Rashaka, the petacle changed into a dart before swinging around and cutting a path to the beast's heart. As it knifed in, the creature must have sensed something, as it dodged out of the way to have the dart soar straight at the Sidhe. The demon was grinning all the way until it realized the dart had turned to stick it right through the chest.

It spasmed and jerked until it hit the ground and died. Crypes walked over and called what was left of the pentacle to meet him half way. He did his best to reform it into what he saw before she threw it, but he doubted it would ever be the same. Walking up to her, he held it out. "Sorry about your necklace." He said. "I didn't get a good enough look at it before I changed it."

[The Gypsy Queen]

She heard Crypes speak and her lips twitched.

Insignificant mortal, how dare he...

She turned her eyes to meet his, desperately trying to let go, to stop the surge of magic within her, but she couldn't. She met his eyes and collided head first with his mind and soul. And he with hers. She saw what was within him, the truth of him as only the deepest, darkest recesses of himself knew it. And he saw within her as well. She stumbled back, her human guise slipping back into place.

" Sorry." she said, not looking him in the face. " I didn't... I can't really control it... when I'm like that." Her legs were shaking and she knew she was pale. Too long without the Summer Queen, too long without a Summer Solstice. " Come on." She grippes Crypes' shoulder to hold herself steady. " Where'd the lizards go?"

[Security of Mem]

Sedi was trying to fight the drug of the sweet smell, but it was becoming surprisingly difficult. And there seemed to be mad fits of laughter by Pherdel and he was trying to fight the urge of laughing himself. He was trying to stay Sedi. But he was on the brink he couldn't....
"Sedi," Pherdel said with a giggle.
"Yes Pherdel," Sedi said.
"I'd like to kiss you," Pherdel responded.
"Okay," Sedi said in the dull of the high.
Sedi watched as Pherdel puckered his lip and leaned in. The dull of the high disappearing as he was fighting.
"What no...wait..."
And right before he knew it Pherdel kissed him on the lips.

[GraftRaven]

Geru ate his given meal, something resembling a steak except blue with pricks of green running through it... it was quite tasty along with the drink that went with it. As the others left and the sickly sweet smell permeated the room he became increasingly irritated, although the ones who remained seemed to be going the other way. His upper lip raised in a snarl as he showed his slightly yellow and pointed teeth.

The logical side of his mind was nearly gone, replaced with a sort of rage that came from nowhere... a will to take control of the situation that was buried in his brain. As he came closer to Pherdel and Sedi the claws on his hands twitched faster and faster as he became more aggravated. "Alright you two, break it up!" He wouldn't remember anything after that later, but he would certainly be told. What he would be told about happened as he was going separate the two by force; the scent had indeed effected his brain function because when he told his arms to move he instead triggered the shoulder locking mechanism and they promptly dropped off, leaving only the orbital rotator cuffs that were implanted into his shoulders. "You have got to be kidding me!"

[John]

As Proserpine flew in the direction of Branwen, she was smiling. She felt invigorated from the fight with Buck. In fact, it was almost like she didn’t even have to put any effort into the fight at all. Still , it felt good to blow off some steam.

Proserpine rounded a corner and came upon Branwen and Crypes. Branwen appeared to be fatigued and was leaning on Crypes for support. They were standing over the body of a slain demon. Proserpine thought that she recognized it, but like most things, she couldn’t remember. She landed next to Branwen and smiled. Proserpine needed to use tact here. She had actually disobeyed Branwen by leaving the cafeteria, but had done so to obey her other order.

“Forgive me Branwen,” Proserpine’s tone was apologetic but had a very happy sound to it. “I know you told me not to leave the cafeteria, but it was only to bring back the lycanthrope.” She continued to smile and her tone became one of relief as she tried to change the subject.

“It is good to see that both yourself and the Stoner are intact. When you called for me, as you did, I was fearful.” Proserpine shifted her gaze around the area and could sense Buck approaching.

“Buck will be here momentarily, and I await your command.”

[Govannon]

This was great. This was just, too, great. Prosperine, who had turned out to be a demon, got into a fight with Buck, who had turned out to be a werewolf and had run off somewhere. The rock and the plant were kissing! Kissing! The furry cyborg's arm had fallen off, something that Eldwin's drug addled mind perceived with a sense of smug satisfaction. Still though, it would be nice to have removable body parts, perhaps not overly practical, but nice all the same. Maybe he could creepy people out by having an autonomous eye. Actually, with an eye that could function on it's own, creeping people out would probably be the last thing that he would do... and with that thought, Eldwin slipped into an even broader smile than before.

"Y'know what the problem is here? Too quiet. Far too quiet. And boring. Something must be done." Eldwin wasn't really sure whether he was thinking that, or saying it out loud, but at this point he was simply too far gone to care. He also wasn't really sure about what exactly he could do. Maybe he could do something if he had access to the lighting system or a speaker, but he didn't, so he couldn't. He was trying to decide on an entertaining course of action when he spied Geru's recently detached arm. "That'll work."

Eldwin looked through the crowd until he spotted a particularly high-strung looking man, and without a word of warning, grabbed Geru's arm and tossed it over his shoulder. A shout of indignation told Eldwin that he had hit his mark, and he felt as though his smile was threatening to show molars. It only grew wider as he heard the sounds of a growing fight. Eyes glinting, one figuratively and one literally, he turned and jumped into the fray.

[Security of Mem]

After the kiss Sedi's more in control senses were feeling slightly sickened by the fact that he just kissed his non blood related brother. But the less controlled senses, the high ones were actually enjoying it. It was giving him the oddest feeling of two different functions normal Sedi was trying so hard to fight that high and Sedi starting to give.
"Ppppp," Pherdel said is spitting at the ground, "Sedi you're lips taste all rocky and gross...do you clean you're lips?"
"I would assume since I am rock....that I would taste like rock," Sedi said.
"hheheheehehehehehe, Sedi you're funny," Pherdel said.
"hahahahahahaa, You know what Pherdel I see a bunny," Sedi said.
The last of Sedi's control was gone. He couldn't control it any more.
"You're funny, you're seeing things now," Pherdel said.
"No you're funny for not seeing the bunny,"
Both laughed in a made rush of giggles. Sedi was more loud and Pherdel sounded like a child. It was the single most frightening thing anyone could have seen.
"I always enjoyed the smell of grass hahahaha," Sedi said.
"And me mum always saw bunnies," Pherdel said.
"Wow, that's cool then I'm not actually crazy hahahaahahahahaha,"
"hehehehehehee,"

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen blinked at Proserpine, Pherdel's drug and her own exhaustion weighing her on mind.

" The lycanthrope? Oh, you mean Buck... He's out? Fuck." Still leaning heavily on Crypes, she paused to glance down at the pentacle. It was slightly misshapen but that was part of its charm and age. It had been around her neck the day she awoke in Sitchel... it must have been special. She blinked again and struggled to think.

She was no use to anyone any more, not without a good night's sleep. She'd exhausted what little she had to spare by reverting to her true form, and she still had no idea where the Fearstalkers were... she had half a mind to write them off as runaways, forfeiting them the protection of the guild. Proserpine, however, was at full strength apparently, and bound to follow her orders, so long as she phrased them correctly.

" Okay. Proserpine... go find Buck and bring him back to Conant Hall. Alive and unharmed. Crypes and I will head there now..."

She watched the demoness fly off, and the walk back to the Hall was full of stumbles and aches. She was thankful for Crypes' presence... without him, she very likely would have become someone's dinner.

As the two of them arrived to Conant Hall, she finally spoke.

" Seriously, no more wandering off, okay? I can't go doing that very often... and... don't mention what I turned into, okay?"

With a deep breath, she entered the Hall on her own two feet, standing tall and trying not look exhausted, and swung into the cafeteria...

Which was in mayhem.

Geru had no arms, Eldwin was swinging one of said arms about, Pherdel was kissing Sedi, Sedi didn't seem to mind, and everyone was high.

For a long moment, Branwen blinked at them. Then, with a sudden snort, she burst into laughter.

" By the Queen, this has been the weirdest day ever!"

[John]

Proserpine flew off at Branwen’s command. She was smiling because she would get to have another go at the werewolf, though she did feel agitated that Branwen required him to be unharmed. Proserpine experienced a strange feeling of concern. It was for Branwen. Although she was unharmed, Branwen did appear to be suffering some ill effects, due to her encounter. Proserpine quickly shook away the concern and dropped down in front of Buck.

Buck in his wolf form loomed over Proserpine, who appeared quite tiny standing in front of him. She smiled evilly as Buck looked down on her, breathing heavily and growling. Buck started to lean over and snarled at Proserpine.

“You are going to accompany me back to the cafeteria,” Proserpine’s voice was stern, but she was still smiling. Buck continued to lean over further, coming nose to nose with Proserpine. He was breathing heavily and Proserpine’s face changed to one of disgust.

“Your breath is awful,” Proserpine continued to smile. “Crikey!!! Better go get you a milk bone Bruce!!” Proserpine did her best Australian accent, which was quite good, in order to agitate Buck. It appeared to be working as buck roared at Proserpine.

“Bad dog!!” Proserpine’s hand came up as fast as lighting and she slapped Buck in the nose with the full force of her strength. Buck’s head slammed into the ground and he let out a kind of snarling yelp.

Proserpine spread her wings and glided up into the air. Turning she watched as Buck got to his feet and looked up at her. Instantly, Proserpine swooped down and glided along the asphalt away from Buck. Buck launched himself at her as she raced down the alleyway, getting further and further from their destination. Proserpine turned in the air and began to fly on her back, tilting her head up to view the rapidly pursuing Buck. Effortlessly, she rounded corners and watched as Buck ran across the sides of buildings, and jumped from one to the other, slowly gaining ground on the smiling Proserpine.

She rounded another corner and decided it was time for a change of view. Seeing the ladder on the wall of a building, Proserpine turned a ninety degree angle and flew straight up. Unfortunately, she had misjudged the speed at which Buck was moving, as well as his agility. He came around the corner, rebounded off a building, grabbed onto the ladder and flung himself straight up. Buck reached out his arm an managed to catch hold of Proserpine’s leg. The two came down, and as they did, Buck slammed Proserpine head first into the top of one of the buildings.. Still holding her ankle, he swung her around, smashing her through a chimney, the pieces of which exploded from the sheer force of contact. Proserpine crashed through the chimney and Buck swung her off the roof and into the air over what appeared to be a large courtyard.

Proserpine tumbled through the air, trying to right herself, when Buck, leapt off the roof, and catching Proserpine in midair, slammed her into the ground, landing with his full weight on her chest. The ground cracked and gave way under the force of the blow, and what appeared to be blood(though it was black in colour) sprayed out of her mouth. Proserpine’s eyes blazed and she grinned maliciously at Buck.

“I get to be on top!” Proserpine moved her hand and the energy slammed into Buck, sending him sprawling through the air. Effortlessly, Proserpine shot up, and flipping in the air, brought her feet into Buck’s head, sending him tumbling into a wall.

Proserpine shot off down one of the streets of Sitchel. She could see a few of the denizens milling about, engaging in what appeared to be all sorts of dark dealings. Again, she became intrigued by Sitchel, especially the night. There was life, but all had an edge of darkness. Screams echoed occasionally along with other unidentifiable sounds made by creatures who had to be in some form of exquisite agony. These sounds rang in Proserpine’s ears like a song and she smiled.

The smile quickly turned to a look of surprise. She had become so fascinated by the happenings around her that she momentarily forgot about him. Buck landed on her back and she hit the street and skidded along for a few feet. Buck didn’t allow her a moment to recover, and Proserpine was picked up by the back of the head and her face crushed into the pavement. Buck grabbed her ankle again and swung her upwards, over his head, bringing her down not to the street, lying on her back. Buck brought down his enormous hand and slashed her across the stomach. Proserpine’s black blood oozed from the wounds, and she moved her hand again, sending Buck sprawling into the air. She moved her hand again and Buck stopped in midair, hanging over the street. He was growling and struggling, but it was to no avail.

“Enough!!!” Proserpine shouted the words and this time a deep growling voice accompanied them. She lowered him down closer to the ground and leered at him. Looking down, she watched her wounds start to heal themselves and examined the tattered remains of her shirt, now soaked with blood mixed with dirt.

“You know, I really liked this shirt.” The whisper had returned to normal and Proserpine smiled at Buck. “It is time for us to return. I think I will leave you up there. Think of it as a leash.” Proserpine turned her hand and the energy seemed to enclose Buck in an unbreakable bubble. He lashed out, but was unable to get past the energy.

“Walkies!!” Proserpine’s voice sang out and she flew off in the direction of the cafeteria, towing buck behind her.

[GraftRaven]

Geru burst into a tyrannical rant directed at Eldwin after he threw his arm. "Oi, get back here you! How would you like it if I threw your arm at someone else?!" Then he tripped and hit his back on one of the chairs. His back paralyzed by the unexpected pain Geru was unable to get up and merely laid where he fell for a minute or two before scooting over to the fight on his stomach and trying to get back at Eldwin. his attempt failed miserably as he was thrown from the group a few seconds later, landing on the same chair he had fallen into a minute ago. At this point he was extremely irritated and found that as he sat in the chair he was becoming tired. Perhaps it was from being thrown half way across the room, maybe it was because his arms also stored bio-electrical energy, or maybe it was because of the fumes that still permeated the air. In any case he managed to stand again and noticed that Branwen had returned. making his way over to her and leaning on the wall for support he used the only thing he had left to forward the situation: his voice. "What happens now?" He asked, his sluggish mind unable to come up with anything more inventive.

[Govannon]

Geru was screaming at him for reasons he couldn't quite remember (although he strongly suspected it might have something to do with the arm he was now wielding as a club), Sedi and Pherdel were still kissing, with neither of them showing any indication of stopping any time in the near future, he had just been punched clear across the room by a man whose hair was obscenely blond and spiky, and despite all of these facts Eldwin could not stop laughing. There was a beauty to this chaos, a certain and distinct lack of order that Eldwin felt was missing from his everyday life. Or at least, it had been, Sitchel wasn't the most ordered of places after all...

But still, a lifetime of stringent rules and regulations had left something of a mark on Eldwin subconscious, a hidden desire for the random and the insane, strengthened by the confused, chaotic beauty of the goddess and brought to light by the effects of Pherdel. This desire, unfettered by both the restrictions of his machine mind, and the common sense of his normal brain was now firmly in control. He knew that it wouldn't last forever, he even knew, in some way, that what he was doing was a really bad idea, he just didn't care.

Eldwin, still laughing, pulled himself out of the wall he had been thrown into and jumped back into the fray. It was at this point that, unbeknown to Eldwin, Branwen had re-entered the room. She surveyed the scene, laughed, talked to Geru and was almost hit by the flying form of the spiky haired man from earlier that Eldwin had just taken sweet revenge upon. It was while following this man with his eye, that Eldwin caught sight of Branwen again, and the sight of his guide momentarily caused him to pause.

"I'm ..."

What he planned to say next is lost, both to Branwen and Eldin, as it was at this moment that Elwin was hit by at least three limbs, all from the same disturbingly purple creature.

For Eldwin, the night was well and truly over.

<OOC>
(super)

[SikstaSlathalin]

King and Queen.

The Stalkers had armed themselves with various weapons from a local Shop. Mostly silver knives and some strange long metal weapons with triggers. The sales tag said Rifles, they even grabbed the little metal balls called bullets and stored them in some black magic bags with the rifles slung over their shoulders. The night was in full swing and the Stalkers were in their element, shadows all around, the sounds of this mad night in this mad world hiding their invisible steps as they prowl the back alleys and rooftops tracking the prey they selected for the first Stalker feeding frenzy.

They found someone far more fearful then the schoolgirl and fox demon or the kid with the yellow rat. They found a young man dressed in a suit, he was very twitchy and his hair a prematurely thinning. He was loaded down with fears of losing control of himself in anyway. Perfect in the Stalkers opinion, with evil smiles they go invisible and creep after the man.

They follow him to an old looking neighborhood with a lot of fog that seems to permeate in the street. They hear a violin playing somewhere in the night. Looking up they see a sign that reads Baker Street, they think on this a little before they catch the scent of pure fear from their prey. With deep growls they take chase on all fours loping along the street until they feel a disturbance in the air. With lighting reflexes the Fearstalkers leap out of the way of something resembling a bull on two legs. The thing crashes into a wall chipping away the brick.

"What in the fang was that?" Azzarox says in the mind of his Queen. Rasorna growls looking for the creature.
"It looked like a giant human my King." The Stalkers sniff and scan the air tracking this new challenge.

Silence hung heavy on Baker Street, the violin had even stopped. The Stalker's senses were totally concentrated on the scent of the creature's fear. It was small but still there. The slightest growl behind the King makes him spin and slash. His attack is greeted by a deep bellow and blood spraying over his face a little. A heavy blow pounds into the King's magic armor sending a thunder clap of noise into the still night waking any neighbors that were sleeping and sending the King back a few feet back. Rasorna had been creeping around the creature and pounced onto it's back digging her claws into the thick flesh. Another bellow and the female is thrown only to rip deep gashes in it's skin. As the creature roars in pain the Stalkers creep into the shadows sniffing for fear.

That small thread of fear is gone and only rage is present. While not useful to the Stalkers, putting the creature into a rage might make others fearful and that's perfect for them. As the creature goes on a rampage through Baker Street the King and Queen sit back and drink in the fear.

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen blinked at all the activity, her brain struggling to process everything. She did understand one thing, though. It was time to be mommy.

" Bed. Everyone to bed. I don't care if you don't sleep, go twiddle your thumbs. Just do it in your rooms!" She giggled a bit at the end of the statement, unable to keep quite serious. All the same, she herded them up the stairs, then directed Proserpine to drop Buck off in his room and do the same. Only then did she follow them up to the third floor.

As an afterthought, she scribbled a note to Buck, warning him not to run out like that again and letting him know there were no lunar cycles in Sitchel. She left the door unlocked, on the off chance the Fearstalkers might return. Then, finally she retired to her own room, at the end of the hall next to the stairs.

It was covered in little trinkets and odds and ends she'd picked up in her long years in Sitchel. She stumbled a bit before finally reaching her bed and collapsing into it...

Such a strange day.

Toying with the silver pentacle around her neck, she lay still for several moments, allowing herself to relieve the day. There was a way home. She just had to figure this out why Sitchel was falling apart, and keep her rowdy group safe at the same time.

Yeah, no big deal. Not a problem.

I'm going to die.

Branwen rolled to her stomach, burying her face in her pillow, and relished her new, beautiful memory, trying to convince herself that by morning, she'd have a plan.

[John]

Proserpine entered the cafeteria, Buck still in his telekinetic prison had reverted back to human form. She viewed the strange scene and a smile crossed her lips. For some reason Proserpine found this to be amusing. Since her arrival in Stichel, Proserpine had found herself developing a sense of humour. She could actually see the humour in a situation which before would have just irritated her. She glanced over at Pherdel, who was currently getting his rocks off. When this thought entered Proserpine’s head, she actually laughed out loud. Her laugh was melodious, but the whisper echoed behind it and made it sound rather creepy.

Branwen had finally decided that enough was enough and ordered them all to their rooms. Following Branwen’s orders, Proserpine deposited Buck in his room, before going to hers for the first time. She opened the door and entered. The room was decorated with a cream coloured, flowered wallpaper. The bed was of a good size and had a white comforter on top of it. On one wall was a Victoriana style dresser with a mirror attached to the back. On the dresser was a basin of water with towels sitting next to it. The room was really quite nice. Though Proserpine thought it needed more black.

Proserpine looked at herself in the mirror. Her shirt was ripped to shreds and she was covered in blood. Picking up one of the towels, Proserpine paused and felt a memory trying to push it’s way through. Looking into the mirror, Proserpine passed her hand in front of herself, and nothing happened. She didn’t know why she had done it. It just felt like the right thing to do. She did it again with the same results, after which, she stripped off her clothing and began to clean herself.

When Proserpine had finished, she opened the drawers of the dresser and put a pair of jeans and a white shirt on. Moving over to the bed, she stared at it for a few moments. She didn’t require sleep and as such, thought it was pointless for such an item to be here. Proserpine crawled on to the bed and sat in the middle with her legs crossed. She wrapped her wings around herself and started to meditate. Reaching out with her mind, she tried to contact the being known as Sitchel. She wanted information, and perhaps Sitchel would be willing to provide some. Event if she didn’t get any answers, it gave her something to do to while away what she was sure was going to be a long night.

[SikstaSlathalin]

King and Queen

They've been following the mad creature for some time now, like they suspected he caused fear to just flood off the prey. And the Stalkers suck it in gorging themselves on the emotion. The creature ran amok all the way back to the Sidhe's hall. The King and Queen squatted on one of the nearby shops as the Creature stopped panting blood crusted over it's body. Foam drips from it's mouth as he scans the area looking for something to crush.

After a few minutes Azzarox gets an evil grin on his lips, saying a short spell he throws his shadow against the wall inside the Hall. Seeing the movement the creature charges and tried to smash through the door but the spell the Sidhe spoke of zapped and launched the monster clean across the street into a caged yard. There's loud howls and growls then the creature's bellows, Azzarox lets out a low laugh hearing the sounds of the fight.
"That was a good hunt wouldn't you say my Queen?" Rasorna nods looking at the sky.
"What time were we to meet the Scarens my King?" The Stalker King thinks then sniffs the air.
"Soon lets begins the journey." He holds his claw out to Rasorna who takes it lightly. With another spell the King opens a portal and they climb in.

[RainCheck]

Angelus followed Branwen and the others. He was paying no attention to what everyone else was doing. He was deep in thought on what he must do.<I gotta do it No other way 'round that.> he thought to himself. <Heh, even when I stole the bloody thing before my soul, I was afraid of it, but if this world needs a Champion I need to gear up for one hell of a brawl. What ever that figure was that gave me back the memory: god, great deity, or what the bloody hell ever, If IT can do that and still needs help, I need to awaken it. Hell's a-comin. That is for certain. >

Angelus snapped out of head to notice that Branwen was leading them into a cafeteria of sorts. "Oh bloody brilliant." He said aloud "I've been hungry for a while now" They reached the cafeteria, which was about as plain a cafeteria as anyone could imagine. Branwen led them to a large table with several different styled seats around it and a big number 3 painted on it. <What with the three? Bugger it I'm hungry!>

" Okay, this is our table. We don't have to eat together but we do eat here. Now, when you arrived, the guild took scans of your biological data to see if you matched a profile and to find out what you need to survive. You'll all find that Cook back there-" she pointed to a fat, grizzled humanoid with one leg behind the cafeteria counter. " Has got just about anything you biologically need, including more sun tabs, Pherdel. Now, Sedi, we had a bit of a problem with you... we've never had a being like you before, so we had to kind of scramble to find something suitable... we just had a load of what I'm told is high quality rock imported from the Earth Verse, but you need to go through that and let me and Cook know if anything is no good, or just right, or whatever. Everyone else matched a profile, so just tell Cook what you want, and he'll get it for you, so you all go eat. <What we need to survive? Well, I have it easy then. Blood.> she gestured to the Fearstalkers to follow her <Yeah take those two to a nice little rock under the sun, so they can much on ants and speak of simplier times sitting on rocks under the sun and munching on ants>
Angelus saw Branwen take the lizards to another room and he made his way up to the cook. He held up his hand in acknowledgement to the man behind the counter. "Right, name's Angelus, the Vampire. The fairy bird says you got what I need to fill this hole in my stomach."
The grizzled cook looked at him and nodded. The cook fidgeted around and finally brandished a small tray with a single glass of blood. He gave the tray to Angelus, but all Angelus grabbed was the cup. He downed it in a few seconds "Oh God." he said as he drank "It's bloody ambrosia!". He sat the glass down "'Nother re-fill please mate." The cook looked at Angelus and handed him another glass. This one a little larger then the last. "Thanks mate." He didn't down this one in one full swig, but rather held it in his hand and made his way to the table.
Angelus noticed something curious about the others. They were swaying back and forth, giggling uncontrollably, and looking really stupid. <Good God you guys, the fairy offeres you food and all you do is get pissed.>
Angelus continued to watch the others and he noticed the plant guy was emmitting a strange fragrance. Angelus took a qucik smell of the air. <Oh my god. They're not pissed, they're three sheets to the wind high.

"Bloody brilliant!" Angelus said angerily.
He backed himself into a small corner of the cafe."Might as well sit back and watch them make total idiots of them selves"
Just then, he heard a loud crash and clatter of bodies. <What now?> He turned toward the noise and saw Buck and the demoness getting into a fight "Hey, a tussle goin down"
He saw the two figures getting into it until he noticed something interesting about Buck. "THE STUPID AUSSIE SOD'S A WEREWOLF! OH JUST PERFECT. NOW NOT ONLY DO i HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THE DEMONESS AND THE REPTILES. I GOT TO DEAL WITH FIDO NOW!!"
Angelus saw the demon and the wolf knocking over other patrons and getting the rest of the cafe involved in other fights. Angelus was then knocked foward by another person. he turned around to see the fperson responsible. It was a tall man with long, flowing, silver hair. He wore a black, duster concealing a long six to seven foot katana. Angelus looked into the strangers eyes. They were a very dark shade of blue. "You're in my way" he spoke in a monotone deep menacing voice.
"Am I mate. Well, I sat here first and you fell into me"
"Move or it's your funeral I will be attending" said the stranger.
Angelus noticed that out of his shoulder a long, single, black wing emerged. Angelus drank what was left of his blood like a shot and turned to set the glass down. "Never had a proper one, you one-winged poof." he said turning back at the stranger. as he faced him Angelus swug hitting the stranger right in the face. The man fell, knocked out cold. "WEll, that was a slap and a tickle." Angelus said un-enthused.
He then heard Branwen's voice roar over the commotion." Bed. Everyone to bed. I don't care if you don't sleep, go twiddle your thumbs. Just do it in your rooms!"
<Right time to go. Mommy's very angry. Oh well I need to do the rights and ritual anyway.>

Angelus and the others were hearded back to their respective rooms. He looked at Branwen and bowed his head in acknowledgement, but he saw that she was still pretty angry with the group.<Mommy's VERY pissed off> Angelus made it to his room and locked the door. <Alright, you accursed thing> Angelus looked at the long sword sheathed on his table.<Let's play!> He grinned defiantly and reached for the hilt of the sword and drew it from it's sheath. The Runes upon the blade began to glow a light, bright blue. <That poncey king couldn't wield you without going batshit, let's see what a vampire with a soul can do to you. Angelus put his palm on theedge of the blade and cut his hand. He allowed the blood to fall onto a majority of the runes. He then took the blade and held it away from him body pointing the tip at the wall. "By my blood, I take control of you. My blood now binds me to you. Awaken at my voice. FROSTMOURNE recieve your new master." The runes on the balde began to glow so bright they looked white. Angelus' blood was absorbed into the blade itself. The small eyes of demonic skull forged into the hilt began to shine a deep, dark red. "Now let's see the "Threat" campare to this."

[Pope Jako III]

Buck woke up from his little escapade as a wolf, in his room. He looked around stretched a bit. “Not a half bad bit o fun there.” He looked around after procuring his more essential valuables (Vera, Dingo, his hat, & his eye patch) he walked over to his dresser to procure some clothes when he noticed the note from Branwen. “Hmm, no lunar cycle this could be interesting. I’ll never be at full power but I won’t risk de-transforming in the middle of a fight either, definitely interesting mate.” “and don’t leave ,haha! ya like I’m gonna listen to that!”

Buck finished getting dressed put on his hat and eye patch, sheathed dingo and strapped on Vera. Buck opened his door and started making his way down the hall. “Christ I could go for a pint mate. Now, where was that cafeteria?” He looked around, “Oi! Screw this noise!” SNIFF SNIFF “gotcha!” Buck started to move down the hall towards the cafeteria. “Now just hope the airy fairy aint up or else im gonna be wolf chow mien.” Buck stopped and started laughing “HAHAHA! Werewolf of Sitchel, HAHA!” Buck resumed his walk down the hall singing:

“I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand
Walking through the streets of Sitchel in the rain
He was looking for a place called Lee Ho Fook's
Going to get himself a big dish of beef chow mein
Awhooo!! Werewolves of Sitchel!"

[Security of Mem]

After the incident there seemed to be a calm going on. As everyone settled to sleep. But Pherdel sat on the perfectly made bed at the wall. Everything here seemed to fit everyone's needs. It was some sort of creepy way of assimilation. And Pherdel could feel this isn't what he wanted. This isn't where he belonged. He didn't understand this kind of rejection. Maybe it was because he was so use to accepting everything with a sort of respect and dignity.

But here it felt as if he were being forced to accept it. He was being forced by them giving everything the way he liked it. By putting his stuff here. He fixed his crown and as Sedi walked into whom looked ready to take a break Pherdel stared at him with the expression of a leader.
"Get your clothes on Sedi," Pherdel said, "We're leaving."
Somehow there was a smile to Sedi's face. He had been waiting for this order for a while. Pherdel had accepted their hospitality and now it was time to figure out how to go home. Pherdel couldn't stay where he didn't want to stay. And he wanted longed to see and travel more. Pherdel watched as Sedi got dressed and he smiled at Sedi.


"How are we doing this?" Sedi asked.
"Front door," Pherdel said.
"But..."
"It isn't guarded or anything,"
Sedi nodded and both walked out of the room. Sedi checked the halls and they both walked down the stairs and looked around. It was surprisingly silent through and through. And they both walked through the hallway. And Sedi looked to see if anyone else was there. But once again dead silent. They found themselvs near the door and then they both opened it and stepped out into the night.

The air was different. Thin and cool and it felt almost interesting. Where were they to start to find this ship?
"I think somewhere dense," Pherdel said.
"Most likely," Sedi said.
And they set off in a direction they didn't know.

[SikstaSlathalin]

King and Queen

Azzarox and Rasorna arrived at the general location of the Scaren village they were invited too. It was a strange deep jungle, it appeared to be a dark place even during the day. They hear a long undulating cry from somewhere deep in the humid depths. Taking deep whiffs of the air the Fearstalkers search for basically their cousins. Easier said then done, this jungle was full of smells, animals, plants, some hairy man hanging out with the animals. And metal a distinct smell of metal, pretty uncommon in such a place. Locking onto the scent the best they can the Stalkers take off running on all fours again into the thick jungle.

The jungles rushed pats the Hunters as they dodged around tree roots and leapt over small rivers. Their keen eyes scanned for any sign of the Scarens, they saw much but no fellow lizard creatures. No sight but luckily the smell is stronger the more west they go. They just see the lights of some village when they feel the air heat up and two orange lights shot from the darkness.

Azzarox

A deep growl escapes the King's throat as he springs onto a tree avoiding the beam aimed at him. It roared past obliterating the tree behind him. Wasting no time he launches a ball of pulsing blackness in the direction of the beam. The attack hits only trees sucking them into a black void. Another blast of heat and another orange light from...above collides with the King's hastily cast shield. With a deep roar the beam rebounds and connects with a small body broiling it but not killing as it runs off into the woods.

Rasorna

The beam of light come to quickly for the Queen to fully dodge but with a quick flick of her tail she spins herself then launches a purple beam at her hidden attacker a loud screech makes her smile as she sees bushes and trees shoved aside by something large fleeing by. But her triumph is short lived while something as large as a tree branch and sharp slashes her cloak. Swinging her leg and roundhouses a female shape which crumbles to the ground with a roar. Crouching down she pulls the body closer and growls lightly.
"My King we're fighting the Scarens!"


King and Queen


Azzarox was about to rips the spine out of the assailant he knocked out when her heard his Queen's words. Grabbing the attacker by it's shirt he spins it and looks into the strangely human face.
"Good fight Cousin." He drops the would-be assailant, the male straightens out his light armor and nods.
"You too Cousin, I thought only Scarens fought like that." The King growls nodding.
"I thought the same for Fearstalkers. We came to meet with your Chief Cousin care to assist us in that endevoer?" The Scaren nods then leads the King down a path where he meets up with Rasorna and a smaller male with a fresh scratch across his face. The larger male led them pats the well-hidden gates to the village and into the surprisingly advanced looking streets of the Scaren empire. The smaller male wiped blood off his face shooting Rasorna a mixed look before drifting into a house on the left. The remaining male leads the pair into a large house surrounded by a high brick wall. After a few words with a Guard they group walks down the walk to the front door. The male knocks a few times and the Scaren Azzarox and Rasorna met in the marketplace opened the door carrying a spiked hammer in one claw. He looks the King over and smiles showing his teeth.
"Welcome Cousin King, so I take it you two were the ones that had the village in an uproar about invaders?" Azzarox nods smiling back.
"Your guards are quite skilled at using hit and run tactics Cousin. Almost smudged my scales." The Chief let out a small laugh.
"I don't think I ever got your names Cousins." He looks at the King and his Queen.
"I am Azzarox King of the Fearstalkers." Rasorna steps up and introduces herself.
"Rasorna... She looks at her King who nods. Queen of the Fearstalkers."
"And I'm Jericho Chief of Scarens Lord in the lands of Empress Zazied the III."

Jericho took the Stalkers into his house and set them up in a room. But other things are on the minds of the Fearstalkers. The night is almost over and they yet to complete the Ritual. It's not a very long one but their instincts tell them it's important.
"Ready my King?" Rasorna asks pulling her armor off and placing it on the table. Azzarox pulls his off placing it next to her gear with a nod. They strip down to their scales and circle each other slowly. Sniffing and growling a little, they make two complete circles one going left the other right. Their growls slowly grew deeper with each step. Then they stop, staring into each others eyes swaying back and forth slowly swishing their tails in time. After a few minutes they begin chanting in the Stalker tongue.
"The night has shadows, death has decay, if thy are the one, our souls shall bind. Night with shadows, death with decay." The chanting slowly escalates until they both let out deep snarls and charge each other closing their eyes they slash. After a few seconds they open their eyes and look over themselves. Rasorna has two diagonal slashes across her left breast and three slashes over her left cheek. He skillfully tagged her heart but poorly her jaw, She's his superior in the hunt for food but subservient in mating.

Azzarox has three claw slashes straight across his chest but one on the right front of his neck. She poorly tagged the one of the strongest muscle groups in his body but masterfully tagged his throat. He's her superior in fighting but subservient in eating. They lick the blood off their claws then looks at each other.
"My Queen and mate." He says nodding to her.
"My King and mate." She pulls him into a kiss and they begin the new ritual.

[John]

Proserpine was right about it being a long night, Her mediation was not yielding any positive results and was being disturbed by sounds form the hallway. First there was the singing of Buck as he went off to who knows where. Shortly after, she could hear the sound of clomping as Sedi went off sown the hall. Proserpine smiled to herself. She didn’t know where they were off to, but she definitely wanted to find out.

Walking to the door of the room, Proserpine abruptly stopped. In her zeal, she nearly forgot that Branwen had told her to stay in her room. This made it so she was unable to leave without permission. Proserpine shouted with her mind trying to speak to Branwen. The fact that Branwen was in another room shouldn’t have mattered, but Branwen did not reply. This could only mean one thing in Proserpine’s mind. Branwen was sleeping.

Proserpine sat back down on the bed and started to meditate again. This time she let her mind wander and reach out to Branwen. She pushed as hard as she could slowly entering the dreams of the sleeping Branwen. It was hard for her to do, but eventually Proserpine found herself standing in a meadow. Trees lined the outside edge and flowers bloomed throughout. She could see fairies fluttering about, not seeming to take notice of her. Form the center of the meadow, came the sound of music. The song came from an invisible lute and laying on a couch, was Branwen.

Proserpine approached Branwen, who was staring up at the sky, sipping form a glass which appeared to contain wine. As Proserpine approached, Branwen turned to look at her with a look of surprise. Branwen started to speak but Proserpine cut her off.

“Forgive the intrusion, but it seems some of your charges have wandered off. I would like to go look for them.” Proserpine watched as a fish swam from the trees and Branwen nodded her head in agreement. Instantly Proserpine’s eyes opened and she exited the room.

Proserpine quickly walked down the stairs and could once again hear the singing of Buck. Poking her head into the cafeteria, she could see him sitting at one of the tables, drinking heavily. She quickly turned and exited the hall.

The streets of Sitchel were quiet, but shadows were lurking in the corners. Unseen figures preparing to strike, and some of them were moving towards Proserpine. Paying them no mind, Proserpine closed her eyes and reached out, trying to pinpoint the location fo Pherdel and Sedi. Though she couldn’t determine exactly where they were, she could ascertain which direction they went.

As one of the shadows leapt at her, Proserpine threw it into the air with her telekinesis and flew off in the direction of the rock and plant creatures. It had taken a fair bit of time to invade Branwen’s dream and they were a fair distance off. Proserpine sped through the air quickly closing the distance between them. Sensing she was near to them, Proserpine scanned the area with her eyes and could see a group of monkey like creatures moving through the alleyways as if stalking prey. She recognized the creatures as goblins and could see now where they were going. They were moving fast and were preparing to strike Pherdel and Sedi, who were about to be hopelessly outnumbered.

Proserpine aimed at them and sped towards them, the gusts of wind created by her wings knocked over garbage cans and caused a car to roll several feet down the street. Just at the moment they were going to strike, Proserpine grasped Pherdel’s and Sedi’s arms in her hands and flew into the air, carrying them both. They started to struggle as Proserpine gained altitude and started heading back to the hall.

“I would suggest that you both stop moving. It would be a shame if I lost my grip and you fell. Though I have to admit being curious if either of you would bounce.” Proserpine giggled slightly and took Pherdel and Sedi back to Conant Hall

[Govannon]

Eldwin awoke on the floor of his room, startled. He couldn't remember anything. Why couldn't he remember anything? Had the jump to Sitchel really screwed up his processors? No, the memories where there, a fact that caused Eldwin to calm slightly. But why couldn't he remember them consciously? and why did he hurt do bloody much? He decided that there really wasn't much use wondering, especially not when the answers were right in front of him, and began to play back the memories of the night.

As the memories of the night began to flash before his eyes, Eldwin's mood went from bemused, to intrigued, to deeply, deeply humiliated. He just really hoped that everyone else was as out of it as he was. "How could you let yourself loose control like that?" Eldwin chided himself, "and how in the hell did you let yourself get taken out by that... thing... it didn't even have any bones! That's just pathetic." Breathing out sharply, Eldwin decided that if anyone asked, it was a side effect of the drugs, and that would be the end of it.

The damage to his body was nearly universal, between all the various blows and slashes he had taken over the course of the night, there was barely a part of his body that was unscathed; thankfully, however, despite the extent of the injuries, they were all fairly minor. Nobody in that fight was looking to kill, and all of the injuries he sustained would most likely have been healed by his nanobots before morning. He reflected for a moment on how it was possible for someone to have smashed him across the room and at the very least a half foot into a wall, while at the same time only giving him minor scratches, he promptly wrote it off as one of the quirks of Sitchel.

As he sat down at the desk and plugged himself in, Eldwin reflected on just how many unexpected tidbits of information the night had given him, especially on the identities of his teammates. Who would have guessed that the slightly touched Australian would have been a werewolf? or the other woman in the group to be some sort of demon? Regardless, they weren't normal, which meant that they were on his radar. As his computer screen flickered to life in front of his eyes, Eldwin's mouth curled into a predatory smile. It was time to plan.

[The Gypsy Queen]

Morning arrived in the same cacophony that it always did, and Branwen greeted it with her same stoic refusal to love the world she was in. Floor three was in a state of limbo, half awake and half not. The job of awakening her charges was not hers, and she stood in the hallway tapping her foot, waiting for the building’s intrinsic alarm to go off. The high pitched beeping was designed to annoy most species, and it certainly annoyed her.

She ushered her still half asleep charges down the stairs and back to the cafeteria, where she made sure they all got fed. Her ear piece buzzed with location updates and the security readings from the night before… it seemed that she hadn’t been out of her mind, and Proserpine really had entered her dreams. Sedi and Pherdel had left but appeared unharmed… she wondered if they had any idea how miraculous that was. The Fearstalkers were nowhere to be seen, but a message had been sent to the Guild from the Scarrans, explaining their absence. The brains behind the Guild said that was fine, so Branwen was meant to pick them up when she received notification. Which annoyed her greatly.

As the group ate, Branwen decided now was a good a time as any to talk to them… at least they were relatively quiet.

“ Okay, kids, here’s the deal. We all know what happened yesterday. And I’ve been giving it a lot of thought… I’m really not sure where to start with this whole… thing.” She ran a hand through her long black hair. “ I barely know anything about Sitchel breaking apart, much less how to figure out why. So, like I promised Eldwin, we’re going to the Archives today. And, since I have no idea how long it’s going to take for us to figure this out, if ever, I still need to make sure you guys learn everything you need to know about Sitchel. So I’m still going to be teaching you.

“Now, it’s come to my attention that some of you got the wandering urge last night… I need to discourage that again. You’ve all been very, very lucky so far, and while I can’t stop you from leaving the Hall at night, please don’t. I don’t want to have to pick up your corpse.” She paused to give them all a stern look, but knew they didn’t get it… it would take something drastic to convince this group that there were things in Sitchel that wouldn’t break a sweat killing them.

“ Okay, next thing… Some of our group was transferred to another guide last night, and we got two new people… We’ll be picking them up at the Archive. So, let’s not keep them waiting.”

It took a few minutes to get everyone out the door, into the bustle of Sitchel in the morning. Sentient dinosaurs, bird people, something green and made of tentacles all brushed past, and Branwen hoped her group would follow her lead and not meet anything’s gaze. She was still exhausted from the night before and wasn’t sure she could be any help in a fight… Pushing those thoughts aside, she led them down a new series of streets to a bus stop, where she paid their fare and hustled them all on. The bus itself was a converted sail boat, with portholes for windows and the mast still towering over it. Motioning for her group to stay close, she began her new lesson.

“ Since we’re going to the Archives today, now’s as good a time as any to explain how Sitchel works on the civil level… As I’m sure you’ve noticed by now, there is no law enforcement. There is no central government, or regulatory committees, or anything like that. No one rules Sitchel. What we do have, instead, are a whole lot of guilds and firms. There are three major groups to worry about; The Church of Sitchel, The Bengal Firm, and the Elders. The Church is probably the nicest, since they run all the charities and schools. They also own the Guild. Officially, I am required to tell you that the Church looks to enlighten all of Sitchel’s denizens to the truth of Sitchel’s holiness, but I personally think that’s all crap.

“ The Bengal Firm is largely in charge of what does pass for law enforcement. They’re basically a huge group of mercenaries, and there are dozens of other groups like them. Bengal is the biggest, though. Do not, under any circumstances, fuck with them. You’ll be dead before you know what hit you. Most people pay a fee to either Bengal or one of the other groups for protection, so you can call them if you’re in trouble. You won’t have to worry about that yet.

“ And then there’s the Elders. They’re the scientists and the lawyers… they keep all the records in Sitchel. They’re the ones who keep the Archive, and they’re also in charge of all legal proceedings… so when you’re sued, and you will be, everyone is eventually, they will appoint the judge and select the jury. You have to find your own lawyer.”

The bus finally stopped in front of a huge building, with curved sides and a sloped roof, and a large, gothic styled door. Branwen led her charges off the bus and led them to the door, trying to keep herself from tipping over from the sheer size of the building.

“ This is the Archive. It’s the only building in Sitchel that was actually built here, not absorbed, and it’s the biggest. This is where all records and knowledge is housed. It has four hundred stories, and each floor is massive, but there are maps posted all over the place to help you find your way.” She turned to lead them in, biting her lip. The Archive was huge, but she could use her ear piece to track the security system to know if one of her charges left… They’d never cover enough ground if they didn’t split up…

“ Okay. So, we’ll split up in here and meet back here, in the lobby-“ she gestured to the huge tiled room, sparsely decorated and echoing eerily. “- in four hours for lunch. There are electronic terminals if you want to try those, and there are plenty of books. I’m not sure what we’re looking for but…” Branwen’s voice trailed off as she spotted a pair of eight foot tall bald humanoids climbing the nearby stairs. “ Try starting with anything about how Sitchel was made. So. Have fun, and ask an Archiver if you need help. They all wear black robes with a book on the back.”

And with that, she darted off after the bald humanoids, hoping maybe she could talk her way to some information.

[SikstaSlathalin]

King and Queen.

The mating ritual was a success the scars healed do a dull red which meant their souls bonded. If they healed black then they weren't meant to mate, the morning brought a rare calm to the minds of the Monarchs. They rolled off the fine bed and dressed themselves in their under clothes then set about polishing up their armor before they went to see the Empress. From what the King gathered from the mind of Jericho the present Empress hated all the pleasantries of visiting dignitaries. She’d much rather plain talk and bluntness to anything else. This gave the Hunters an idea where to go when they get in to see her. It was agreed that Azzarox will do all the talking and Rasorna even as Queen didn't know as much about talking to Monarchs as him. After they finished polishing and jumped into one of the many ponds around the Village to bathe then dressed themselves and with Jericho in the lead they walked down the main road of the village to the palace.

As they drew nearer the Visitors began observing the village fully. The Scarens appeared to be both a militaristic and an agricultural race. The farmlands were cleverly hidden behind the almost impregnable jungle. The village sprawled down a large hill into a large valley that you wouldn't even know was there unless you got into the village and looked. The palace was almost smack in the middle of the valley and the farmlands spread out over the valley floor stretching who knows how many miles. No wonder there was such good defense around the village. And that's how the King and Queen knew the Scarens were militaristic. The village was in a perfectly defensible location. The thick jungle in the front another thick jungle on the other side of the valley, needless to say they probably had smaller outpost running along the bottom of the valley for more defense. The Fearstalkers from a primarily warring race could easily spot that.

The village itself seemed to be divided up into a type of grid system. The main street split off like a tree into smaller streets those streets broke off into more streets. It was strangely orderly, a rare sight indeed in Sitchel as far as the Stalkers have seen. The Chief led them quickly to the palace, it was large but not tall and it was painted green as the forest behind it. They were led up the wide steps to the front door where guards in the same green outfits as the paint job stopped them with two crossed tridents.
"Halt state your business with these outsiders." The one on their left speaks growling lightly as he scans over the Fearstalkers.
"These are our Cousins newly brought to Sitchel. They hope to speak alliance with the Empress." The Guard sniffs lightly then opens the door for them. The inside of the castle was as practical as the rest of the village guards every 30 feet checkpoints the works the walls were an array of dark colors that gave one the feeling of smallness a simple psychological tactic but effective to most. Jericho leads them to the throne room. He said they lucked out by getting here early, the Empress shouldn't be too busy as of yet. Soon the trio entered through a couple of large dark woods doors into the throne room.

It was a small room with a low ceiling the walls were painted black and a kind of purple which went with the rest of the castle except for the long white rub leading form the door to the throne where a female Scaren sat dressed in a long red dress with a gold crown atop her head. She looked at the three with a mixed air of disdain and boredom.
"Are these the two mighty warriors that beat 4 of our Guards?" She say to Jericho raising her eyebrow slightly. He bows before speaking.
"Yes Empress, this is King Azzarox and Queen Rasorna of the Fearstalkers. They were brought here and are requesting an audience with you to discuss Alliance. They are great warriors and Magic users." She growls lightly rubbing her long neck slightly scanning over the King and Queen.
"Very well you can speak with me but just you your Kingship. Nothing against you Queen Rasorna I just find such talks are better one-on-one." Azzarox nods pressing his claw into Rasorna's shoulder lightly she tenses then relaxes nodding to her mate.


Azzarox

"Very well Empress Zazied, you have my full attention." Zazied nods then rises to her full height just by eyeing her He could tell she was almost 10 feet tall and she appeared to be well-built from what he could tell by the flowing dress. If she tried treachery the King might get a decent work out, a grim smile crossed his lips as he followed her into a small side room that looked like a study. She closed the door behind them then seated herself on the large red couch behind the desk. Not in the mood to sit Azzarox leans against the wall where his eyes can watch the door and the Empress.
"So my King you wish for an alliance between our two races yes?"
"Yes, my Queen and I don't trust this place much and any kind of alliance we can make with a race would be helpful. And who better then our own cousins?" She nods watching him.
"Very wise of you your Majesty. But from what I've heard your Queen ad you are the only one of your race here how can my people profit from this?" Azzarox shrugs slightly.
"My Queen and I are the best warriors of out race and we have power that our chicks will possess that you might find useful in the future."
"Like what?"
"Well we are skilled in Dark Magic and our natural abilities make us perfect assassins and killers. We have no fear and feed off fear, once we have chicks they'll be schooled in our ways and hopefully pick up a few things from your mighty race. And down the road if it comes to interbreeding, we could have Fearstalkers the size of Scarens with the ability to shoot heat beams from their hands. Or Scarens that can teleport to any place in Sitchel with a wave of their claw."

The Empress sat for many minutes mulling over this proposition, she could tell the King was truthful about the Stalker skills. From what she heard from her source within the Guild. The King and Queen were not creatures to take lightly, they were masters of the night. But Scarens have had back luck with interbreeding in the past even with a race so close to them as the Fearstalkers were.
"Do Stalkers have any genetic defects that might injure my races genes?" Azzarox thinks for a time then shakes his head.
"None that I can think of as long as there's fear the Stalkers will always thrive."
"And what about the gestation period of your people?" A little voice in the King's head tells him the answer plus the answer to her next question.
"About 6 months, and we can breed at any time. How about your race?" The Empress sits back on the couch looking at the ceiling.
"Except for being vulnerable to sub-zero climates we're a healthy but rather unlucky race when it comes to interbreeding. And as for gestation since we're larger then many races and we have our heat organs it takes a Scaren chick about 10 months to be born." With another nod Azzarox says pushing off the wall.
"Sounds like a fair deal on both sides, so do we have an alliance?" Zazied nods standing yawning slightly.
"Yes my king on the condition that you're first born will we be betrothed to one of my kin of the same age." Azzarox stops looking at her carefully.
"Only if it means no superiority over the other." He says growling lightly
"What do you mean?" She asks narrowing her eyes.
"As long as you kin doesn't try taking over the Stalker stake on Sitchel." She considers this for a minute then nods.
"Fair enough my King. Anything else?"
"No my Empress I'm glad we could come to an agreement." With a nod he opens the door and exits going back beside his Queen who was studying the Scarens and the room.
"Were we successful my Azzarox?" She asks in his mind watching his eyes.
"Yes Rasorna, I'll give you the details later." He responds with a slight smile.


King and Queen

Clasping claws the Stalkers return to Jericho house and find a couple of surprises on the bed. The rifles they had stolen were gone and in their places were a couple of weapons that looked like the rifle but all silver with larger shorter barrels. On scrape of paper beside the weapons was a note.

To my Stalker cousins,

The weapons you had while effective were obsolete to most of what you'll come across in Sitchel. These are Scaren Pulse guns, they shoot a small heat beam similar to ours while not as powerful it'll level most enemies you'll come across in your travels.


Yours truly,
Chief Jericho

P.S. If you plan on returning to your Guide group they are at the Archives back in the city. I sent word to the Guild heads about you. Ask one of the Guards and they'll tell you where to go.



Folding the note and place it into her pocket Rasorna picks up the gun and inspects it. It seems brand new and engraved with her name.
"Interesting, didn't think we made that much of an impression on him." Azzarox inspects his.
"It's what families do my Queen." She nods slinging the weapon over her shoulder adjusting the knife belt a little. The King mimics her and together they leave the Scaren village and return to the prison group.


As they arrive at the location the Guard told them Azzarox sends a mental message to the Sidhe.
"Still alive I assume Sidhe? Rasorna and I have returned from our mission. Just save us the lecture. Chief Jericho told us word had been sent about our whereabouts." Adjusting their weapons the pair walk into the Archives setting themselves back into predator mode watching and waiting, feeding off the fear choked air.

[Kirra]

Pike

And endless land of freedom. The world was his, or would be someday. As the prince of the Crytim, much was expected of Pike.

His father was a towering 12' 8" tall. And at 800 lbs of pure muscle, Rikla was one of the largest Crytim ever born. At the age of 50 he was already larger than anyone around. he was praised as the best pack leader in the history of all of Gia. Pike could never live up the those standards.

Pike was always the runt of the litter. Weighing in at 380lbs and coming to 6", he was always considered to be to small and weak to become the pack leader. But what Pike lacked in size, he made up for in intelligence. Pike was smarter than any Crytim he had ever met. It was Pike who had created the smelter that was now used every day to help create homes and weapons for the Crytim. But intelligence was widely respected amongst the Crytim.

While the other congratulated Pike on his invention, only is mother truly respected him for it. And once she passed, the attacks on Pike became more severe. That is why he was always running. If they found him, Pike would be challenged to the death for his heritage.

But he was tired. And he had to sleep.

In his slumber a vision appeared before Pike. One of a pale woman with fresh cuts all over her body. Pike could smell the fear and worry pouring off her. "Do not fear us. We are Sitchel. We have a dire need for you. We know you have no idea what is going on, but all will be explained. You must join the others. Protect them. You must protect them so they can save us. Above all else protect the angelic one."

And then it was gone. Pike awoke knowing nothing of where he and little about who he was. The only things he recalled was he was a Crytim and he was just being chased before awaking here. He was gagged and couldn't move. A jumble of weird words played in his head. He could only seem to understand ever few words. But suddenly a person read from a piece of parchment lazily glancing over it before setting it down. He released the gag from Pike but wouldn't free his movements. "Hmm. Cket is ijfafa. His faojs rejecting deu afdoj. inea is fasfd liug fsdasnj difficult."

The fool may have captured Pike, but he should have realized Crytim don't stay captured. He forced his body to move shattering the invisible bindings on him. The man that captured him stepped back but made no move to retreat. So it was a challenge. Pike let loose a blood curdling roar before charging at the man. His right arm coming down to crush him until Pike heard a loud pop coming from his chest. It was his heart. Pike's body dropped to the floor.

Yuchi

Yuchi awoke to a start. She didn't know where she was or even truly who she was. Her name, age, her godly heritage, and then something about a garden. Everything else was a fuzzy blur.

She wasn't truly awake but she could hear a voice around her.

"The Arrivals Guild is certain that you will, with time, adjust to your new life here on Sitchel. We encourage you to seek out your purpose here, and look forward to seeing you. Welcome.”

She awoke to find she couldn't move or even speak. A god shouldn't be bound like this.

“ Welcome.” A male spoke in a loud, clear voice. “ Please remain calm. You have been absorbed by the plane called Sitchel. You are being restrained for your safety, as well as mine and those around us. You will be released momentarily, after I am certain you understand your situation fully. I am your Guide. I'm Maren, and I am charged with your protection and education in this plane until the time comes that you are fit to provide for yourself. I am your ally in this plane, and the beings around you are your companions. We are in this together." The man dropped the paper he was reading from and looked at the Yuchi and then to her right. He really didn't seem to care about what he was doing.

“ I will now release the gag on you and return your ability to speak. For your safety, you will still not be able to move. I must remind you to please remain calm and be considerate. I will do my best to assist you in any way and answer all of your questions.” The man tapped his ear piece. “Lapse to security sequence code three.” Suddenly the gagged removed from her mouth.

The man looked back to Yuchi's right side with a questioned expression. "Hmm. This is weird. His body rejecting the microbes. This is gonna make communicating difficult." Yuchi realized that she wasn't the only one captured.

But what she saw next truly terrified her. The man to her right seemed to break free. He let loose a roar like nothing she had ever heard before and charged at the man who had captured them. He almost made it before a loud pop followed by a hole appearing in the mans chest. He fell to the ground.

The startled capture let loose a sigh and tapped an invisible field before him. "Well thank god for that." He turned to Yuchi with a smile on his face. "Sorry some times people are a bit aggressive. This is for our protection as well as yours. If you promise you wont do anything silly I will drop the hold on you."

Yuchi shook her head slightly, to scared to do anything else. The hold on her body dropped and she felt a little more relaxed. "Why did you capture a god? My father will be upset about this. You better return me home before he finds you." Yuchi assumed he would do as she asked, everyone always had.

The man laughed a bit under his breath. "Look girly I don't know what world you are from but here we..." His words where cut off by a large hand around his throat. The man who had died was back up. Who can survive their heart exploding? He quickly turned to Yuchi. She nearly jumped out of her skin.

He turned back to the man and squeezed harder on his throat. Small pops kept happening on the towering mans body. But every time it did his wounds sealed back up. Yuchi ran to the man pleading for him not to kill the small man.

Once she touched his skin, she realized she could talk to him through skin contact. 'Please don't kill him. They will kill us both. Please. I don't want to die.' For some reason the man listened and dropped the other man.

The small man gasped and backed up to the wall. "Screw this. I don't want this job anyway." He opened the door and ran out.

A number of armed men entered the room and surrounded the large man. "Miss I don't know how you calmed him before, but if you could do it again, I promise no one will die. We are going to relocate you some where different. We have never met a man like your friend here the elders want to ask him a few questions."

Yuchi touched the mans arm and said, 'Please don't do anything rash. They want to help us. The are going to take us to a place to find answers about the place we are from.' She thought it would be enough to keep him calm. It seemed to work. It worked really easily actually. But most people listened to her so it was nothing new.

They where brought to a library of sorts with lots of elderly men inside. The man who lead them asked them to sit here and wait for further instruction. Yuchi nodded and the large man simply stood there.

[John]

Proserpine spent the rest of the night in her room attempting to contact the being that was Sitchel. Her attempt to do so was fruitless and was interrupted by what could only be described as the most annoying sound that she had ever heard. Getting off the bed, Proserpine went to the hallway, where Branwen was already waiting for them. The rest of the group joined them and Branwen escorted them all to the cafeteria.

Once there, Branwen gave another warning for them not to leave the guild at night. Proserpine glanced at Pherdel and Sedi and gave them both a smile. Branwen also said that she was going to take them to the archives. Proserpine had wondered when they were going to get around to investigating the matter of Sitchel breaking apart. She understood that Branwen had a job to do first, but Proserpine was impatient.

Proserpine followed as Branwen led them outside into the chaos was daytime. Creatures moved in all directions and choked the street with their numbers. It was such a contrast to the night, a time cloaked in shadow where the denizens preferred not to be seen. Proserpine watched the creatures move about and could hear music playing, gradually getting louder. Looking in the direction of the music, Proserpine could see a trumpet, trombone, clarinet, and a drum. The instruments had legs and were walking down the street playing a New Orleans style jazz number. Proserpine smiled lightly and followed Branwen on to the bus.

During the journey to the archives, Branwen gave them a rundown on what passed for the government structure on Sitchel. While Branwen spoke, Proserpine sat quietly and gazed out the window. The more she looked, the more she found herself fascinated with Sitchel. She wanted to learn everything she could about the plane, and was starting to grow anxious to arrive at the archives.

The bus stopped and Proserpine was taken aback by the sheer size of the building which stood before them. They had arrived at the archives, and judging by the enormity of the structure, finding specific information could take some time. Branwen explained that the Archives was the only Structure which had not been absorbed, instead being built in Sitchel, and led them inside. Once inside Branwen, instructed them to split up and find information. Proserpine immediately headed for the map which was on the wall. As the archives had four hundred floors, the map was rather large, and a little difficult to read, until she found a little red dot with the words “You Are Here” written next to it.

Taking note of where it was on the immense map, Proserpine began to scan through the list of sections in the Archives when she realized that she really didn’t know what she was looking for. She wanted to find out about how Sitchel was created. Her eyes blazed and fell on the word “Religion” on the map. Below the word were dozens of subsections, denoting all forms of religious belief. In fact there was so much information available, it took two floors of the archives to house it all. Proserpine started to wonder if four hours would be long enough.

Proserpine looked around until she saw a door marked stairs. Moving to it, she entered the stairwell and launched herself upward. She continued to fly up until she saw the number “341” on a door, and passed through it into the religion section of the archives.

Proserpine entered into a large room. Shelves lined the walls and stretched off into the depths of the room. The middle of the room was an open area with tables and chairs. Behind that were two sets of wooden stairs which curved up to the next floor. Various creatures were seated and reading different books. Archivers moved about the room, shelving books and aiding other patrons. Proserpine looked at the shelves and decided it might be best to ask for help, though she was loathe to do it. Walking to one of the Archivers, Proserpine smiled.

“Excuse me, I was wondering where I might be able to find religious information pertaining to Sitchel itself. I am interested in finding information on the creation of Sitchel.” Proserpine spoke politely, but the whisper had a slight sneer to it. The archiver eyed her for a moment and then pointed at the stairs.

“All information on the religion of Sitchel can be found on floor three hundred and forty two. Row one hundred and thirty one.” Proserpine smiled at the archiver and thanked him before walking up the stairs. Walking through the aisles of shelves, Proserpine finally cam to row one hundred and thirty one. The shelf was labelled with the words “Church of Sitchel” , and Proserpine immediately began to browse the books.

After about three hours, Proserpine was beginning to feel frustration set in. Her search thus far had revealed endless tomes on the structure and doctrines of the Church of Sitchel. It was all really quite useless and Proserpine was beginning to fear that she wouldn’t be able to find anything before she had to get back. Pulling yet another tome from the shelf, Proserpine flipped through it, reading as fast as she could. She stopped when she came to an entry regarding something called “The Pact of the Gods”. It was reference to another book and Proserpine immediately started to look for it. After another twenty minutes, she found it. Removing it from the shelf she, started to read.

It was a large volume, the beginning of which concerned the creation of Sitchel itself. It seemed that the gods, in an effort to expand their own planes, were creating too much and extending beyond their own spheres of influence in an attempt to gain more worshippers, and thus, more power. The gods decided that a committee needed to be formed to look into the matter. They selected the most powerful and wisest among them to solve the problem. Unfortunately they were all too busy to attend and instead, each sent one of their representatives to act on their behalf. Immediately they started to argue, mostly about which god was the more powerful and ultimately who should be responsible for saving the universes.

After days of bickering, and trying to come up with a solution, one representative suggested that they make a plane that would absorb the excess creation. They all agreed that this was the best solution and then proceeded to say that each of them had known it all along. This caused them to go back to arguing for days, about whose idea it had actually been, each of them proclaiming that the others were using trickery to achieve their own ends.

Eventually the gods grew tired of waiting and showed up to see their representatives arguing with each other. They became angry and the representatives quickly gave their suggestion and grovelled to their respective deities. The gods then proceeded to argue for a full year about which of them would create the new plane and thus gain more influence throughout all of time and space.. In the end, the gods, not wanting any of them to gain more power, agreed that they would use their combined wills to create Sitchel. And so it was done.

Proserpine smiled as she read. This was what she had been looking for, and had managed to find it within the allotted time. Quickly making her way back to the library, she stopped dead in her tracks at what she saw before her. There was a girl sitting on a bench. The word flashed in Proserpine’s mind. It was as if instinct was taking over. Warning her that this was the one thing she feared. The thing that would destroy her. This creature was an angel. Though here was a nagging feeling that something wasn’t quite right about it, but Proserpine stepped back around the corner and stayed out of sight. With her mind she called out.

“Branwen, I think I need your help.” The sound of fear was evident and Proserpine stayed perfectly still and quiet.

[GraftRaven]

Geru awoke in his bed, surprised by the seemingly sudden change of scenery. The annoying sound and splitting headache he had didn't help either. He sat up, then realized his arms still weren't there, he soon spotted them on a rack in the corner plugged in for the night. Geru slid out of the bed doing his best not to fall over and finally made it to the rack. As he stepped between the arms they linked up with the ports that were on his shoulders and there was a frenzy of clicking and clanking as they attached with the synthetic joints then unplugged themselves.

He stumbled out of his room and joined the line headed up by Branwen, he didn't even pay attention to anything until they got to the Archives, his headache wouldn't allow it. As they split up he looked around, after the incident he really hadn't been prone to books... his fingers weren't suited for that kind of work anymore. He watched his glasses as they pulled up a wireless link with the archives database and then turned up possible links to related bits of information. He swung his mind halfheartedly at one of the links and was immediately dissatisfied with what he found: a map to a data-file rack somewhere on the 44th floor.

He set off to try and find away up, a surprising amount of options presented themselves: stairs (as always), an escalator system that reached from one floor to the next, a strange kind of levitating plate that had no visible means of protection from falling, even a system of tubes that ran all over the building as far as he could tell. He figured the platforms were unsafe, the escalators would take too long, the tubes weren't his style... that left the stairs... too much work with a hangover. He started browsing for something on the floors closer to where he was now, this was going to take a while...

Geru watched helplessly as the demon flew up the stairwell... lucky, she didn't have to walk up all of those... or fall off the platforms from that high.

[Crypes]

Not thinking much of the night's events, Crypes returned to his room and promptly began work on his hydroponic setup. He worked all night getting the water and nutrient dispenser to feed the plants perfectly, and by the time he was done the room was barely recognisable. The walls were covered in gutters and tubes that ran out of the bathroom sink. And the little bit of space left for maintenance was barely a fifth of the room's total space. After suspending his babies above the water, with just the tips of the roots hanging down, he carefully made his way to the bed and hit it like a half ton of steel, which was actually a damned accurate comparison. He'd just closed his eyes when a horrible shrieking sound jarred him back to the land of the living.

"Motherfucking hell...." He mumbled into the mattress.

He made his way downstairs and walked to a table, pulling a metal container of coffee right off the chef's counter and into his hand. He then chugged the hot coffee like it was water. "Isn't that hot?" an older looking human asked him.

Crypes nodded. "Yep, but I'm too tired to care." As everyone began leaving to go to the library he was only half awake. He'd heard the part about the police and made a mental note to see if John-o was there later. Upon reaching the library and hearing he had a history assignment he groaned. "If you don't mind, I'm gonna catch up on my sleep. When I was in school, I failed every history project I ever had because of my crappy research skills. So, until you need some common sence or narcotics, I'll be in that desk."

And with that, he sat down and went to sleep with his head on a desk, fighting off the feeling he was back in middle school. Sure, he'd never made it to grade 10. Not like it mattered in the end. Especially in the current situation.

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen was nearly to the Archiver's main desk when she got the mental message from Proserpine, and the twinge of fear that came with it. Her self-satisfied smirk faded and she came to a stop on the stairs, considering. She reached up to push a button on her ear piece, studying the holographic security screen that popped up carefully. Finally, she spotted Proserpine's signal, almost to the top of the Archive, blinking near two other signals.

" Oh fuck me." she muttered. She had completely forgotten, in her excitement, about her two new charges, one of which came with the always fun tag on his data file saying "WARNING: EXTREME CAUTION ADVISED." Muttering to herself, she stormed onto the third floor, across the archive and took a teleporter up the floor Proserpine was on, closing her holographic screen as she approached. Glancing past the skittish demoness, she spotted her two new charges, and immediately noticed Proserpines concern.

Keep out of arms reach, Proserpine.

Cautiously, she approached the pair, a large humanoid male and smaller female. They were definitely not the same species, but there was an apparent bond between them, something deep that she could sense at the base of her skull.

" Hi, you two. My name is Branwen, and I'm your new guide. I'm sure your old guide gave you the whole spill, so I won't bore you any further." An alarm dinged in her ear and a small holographic screen popped up in front of her left eye, which she read with a frown. " Okay, big guy, so your body is rejecting the microbes... you can't understand a thing I say." There was that tickling feeling again... Her eyes flashed to the small female. " But your translating to him telepathically. I'll be damned. Clever."

She approached the pair fearlessly, inspecting them briefly, before gesturing to them to stand up. She made the snap decision not to tell them about the... she wasn't sure what to call it. The directive from Sitchel. Better not to get their hopes up.

" So you two stay with me, okay? I've got a lot to catch you up on, and I'll be happy to answer your questions, but for now, just stay a few feet behind me and don't make any noise, okay? Good." She turned and marched off without waiting for a response, only glancing back to make sure they were following her.

Proserpine, stay near me but keep out of sight. I'm going to do something very, very stupid.

She led them through the teleporter, waited while they rode out first timer's nausea, then led them to the Archiver's main desk on floor one hundred and fifty. Before they got within the tall, bald Archivers' sight, she led them off into the aisles of books, jogging across the floor to a small closet, where she pulled out a black Archiver's robe. Glancing around to make sure there were no other on-lookers, she promptly began to strip her skirt and corset off. Once fully naked, she pulled on the Archiver's robe, which was intended for an Archiver, who were all over eight feet tall. It was huge on her, revealing way more than she would like. But that wouldn't be a problem in a moment.

She tossed her clothes to the small humanoid female, and then still her body and mind, concentrating on the tingle of magic at the base of her skull. She pictured the Archivers' long, thin form, completely hairless, with flat almond shaped faces and small slitted nostrils and eyes. She felt that same hazy, ticklish feeling she always got as her form shifted, twisting to the desired shape. Her limbs lengthened, her hair faded away, and her face changed, until finally the glamor was complete.

Glancing down at herself, she grinned at her two charges, who stared at her with stunned expressions. She imagined a grin must have looked really unsettling on an Archiver's face. Archiver's had not real mouth or vocal facilities, so she opted for telepathy, reaching mentally for both Proserpine and the small female.

Stay back, act like you don't know me. This should only take a moment.

She marched confidently up to the desk, not allowing herself to consider the facts. Like the fact that the other name for Archiver was Mindflayer. Like the fact that if they discovered her to be an impostor, her mind would be torn to pieces until her head literally exploded. And the fact that Archivers communicated entirely by telepathic means, whereas she had trouble talking to two people at once in her mind. She would need all her concentration to pull this off, and she prayed there would be no distractions.

[Govannon]

The Archives. The building was just as massive as Eldwin had hoped, and he was certain that he would be getting a lot of use out of it over the course of his time in Sitchel. He was happy to see that the Libary itself was archived electronically, it seemed as though trying to find books in the real world version of this building would be deeply confusing, if not overtly perilous. The electronic version would mean that he could get access to the books instantaneously, but much faster than was possible to read in the real world. It was with this happy thought in his head that Eldwin connected one of the terminal jacks into a port on his arm.

The next thought Eldwin had was one of unmitigated nausea. This net was bad. Really, really bad. The entire thing had been cobbled together by god alone knew how many different computing systems. It was a bizarre mixture of languages and styles, and they hadn't been merged very well. The walls of the cyber-world were bent and distorted, with gaps and holes at corners and in odd places, allowing one to see, if they were so inclined, into the straight code beyond. It would have been depressing to look at as code, but trying to make sense of it once it was rendered Eldwin was feeling bile rise in the back of his throat.

Still, this was something that needed to be done and so, Eldwin began to pull titles into his mind. Maps, atlases and methods of navigation were amongst the first topics to be searched. The majority of Sitchel seemed to be covered, at least in broad strokes, but all of the guides came with the disquieting notice that Sitchel tended to change at will, to varying degrees, for reasons nobody really knew. There was one field in particular that had seven different mappings of it made, which were apparently dependant on the phase of the moon. The fact that Sitchel HAD no moon was not lost on Eldwin.

From there, it was just a targeted mass download. Everything regarding beasts, races, magic, alternative physics, weaponry, tactics, raw materials, equipment creation and abstinence, advanced sciences and whatever else Eldwin could think of off the top of his head were simply downloaded straight into his hard drives. He didn't even know the titles of most of these books yet, much less the actual content, that understanding would come later. For now, all of his processing power needed to be focused on simply absorbing the books themselves, before he ran out of time.

The download, however, would take a while, and so Eldwin decided that his time might be better spent taking a walk through the virtual library. Nimbly, he leaped over a section of the floor that faded away into god alone knew what, and made his way into the massive maze of bookshelves that were designed for online browsing. He made a few good finds "Logical Paradoxes and You! An Elementary Guide to Defeating Advanced Robotics" made him chuckle, and he decided to pick up a copy of it for curiosity's sake. Didn't the author know anything about paradox reducing buffer zones? "10 000 riddles to save your life" as authored by the Sphinx seemed like another good one. The search was going well, the downloads were nearly completed and Eldwins spirits were fairly high. They only improved when he noticed a small weak section of wall. "Pathetic, just pathetic, really..." Eldwin didn't even really know who he was talking to, but something this pathetic couldn't just be left uncommented.

Putting his mind behind his blow, Eldwin's virtual body ripped through the weak wall like tissue paper, causing him to tumble through on the other side. "The mainframe... Interesting." He made a mental note of their location, shortly before making a backdoor for himself, in case he needed to return.

"Well then. Let's see what everybody's up to... Crypes was out cold, Geru appeared to be browsing, most of the others seemed to be out of range of the cameras. Branwen, well, now that was interesting. She seemed to be going into some sort of closet on one of the higher floors, and when she came out, well, she didn't really look like Branwen anymore The long robes she wore almost completely obscured her smaller form. It was to Eldwin's great surprise that the robes simply, inflated, moments later to reveal something that looked like most of the other librarians. "Now what might you be doing... Eldwin wondered aloud. "Still though, it wouldn't do to have our guide being accosted later, now would it?"

With a casual flick of his wrist across the various buttons and keys that comprised the UI of the mainframe Eldwin very carefully deleted any record of the four people ever going to the 105 floor, as well as turning of the recording of any cameras in the immediate area. It wasn't much, but it was all he could do for now. At the very least, it would make the case against them harder to prove, assuming that they would live to see a trial.

[Kirra]

Pike

The thoughts of the small winged girl where still ringing in his head. The thoughts had an even sweeter sound then when she spoke. Pike somehow knew she wasn't evil. And then it hit him. The cut up form asked Pike to protect people. The one it mentioned specifically was the angelic one. Her voice and form reminded Pike of something angelic. But he couldn't pin it down.

It agitated him to no end that he couldn't remember his past or was sure about his present. But he had a goal now. He was to protect this girl and find the woman named Sitchel. It may have been a dream, but it was the only thing he had to go on.

As they made it to a structure full of bound parchment, Pike's nose filled with smells he had never smelled before. 'Absolutely discussing. What the hell are all these retched creatures.' Pike quickly noticed that none of these creatures had mouths, but they had squid like faces. It amused him that they would walk over to a bound parchment pick it up and place it in a different spot.

The man clearly in charge led Pike and the girl to a bench. He said something to the girl as she sat on a bench and walked away. 'Oh good. They aren't even going to try to talk to me anymore. Works for me.'

The girl reached her hand up to Pike and placed it on his. Her thoughts again flooded his head. 'We are to wait here until someone arrives to tell us what to do. You can sit next to me if you want.' In his mind he merely thought, 'No thanks.' It appeared the girl got it, as she removed her hand and nodded.

Pike decided to scan the area a bit, but was smart enough to stay in arms reach of the girl. The number of odd things he saw amused him. He decided to watch the opening of the building after he had seen, or smelled everyone inside. His wait wasn't long before he noticed a group of people who seemed off, even in a place like this.

Must of the species he had seen only stayed around their kind, but this group seemed to be mixed up. He scanned over the group catching each scent. A girl with very pale skin and dark hair. Something seemed off about her smell though. Like she was hiding something. The second one he noticed was a girl with wings similar to the small girls, only black and slightly larger.

As Pike watched the rest of them pile in he kept track of each of their scents. Even the vile ones from the disgusting looking man who smelt of smoke and the lizards. Afterwords Pike sat on the bench next to the small girl.

Moments later Pike caught the scent of the black winged girl from before. She was close, and walking close. Suddenly she stopped moving forward and Pike started to smell the fear coming off her. It didn't bother Pike as most people that he had run into recently felt the same way.

The pale woman walked directly towards them and began to speak. 'She must be the one we where waiting on.'

Yuchi

Yuchi watched curiously as her companion looked around the building. Before long he sat beside her.

A few moments after he had joined Yuchi on the bench, a woman with pale white skin walked up to them. She introduced her self as Branwen and began to speak about being their new guide. 'Oh that's right. The first man I saw said he was a guide too.

Branwen stopped suddenly and looked directly at the towering man beside Yuchi. "Okay, big guy, so your body is rejecting the microbes... you can't understand a thing I say." She then looked at Yuchi. "But your translating to him telepathically. I'll be damned. Clever." Yuchi quickly placed her hand on his to start translating. She then smiled and nodded at their new guide.

The woman continued. "So you two stay with me, okay? I've got a lot to catch you up on, and I'll be happy to answer your questions, but for now, just stay a few feet behind me and don't make any noise, okay? Good."

They walked onto a small pad that moved them to a new location. Yuchi was barely able to stand upright after this movement. She instinctively grabbed her companions arm for support. She looked up at the man and noticed he seemed unfazed by the effect. She was amazed by his endurance and stoic nature.

When the started moving through the hall, Yuchi noticed a bunch of creepy tall creatures in long robes. One started to come their way and Branwen pulled them away and eventually into a closet. She couldn't help but notice that her large companion had to wait outside.

Once inside their guide pulled out a very large robe. Yuchi assumed it was new clothing for the large man, as it was way to big to fit the girls in here. But what happened next she could never imagine. The woman who was to guide them suddenly started removing her clothing. Yuchi had seen herself naked before, but that was it. The differences where astounding. Her body was curved in ways that made Yuchi feel insignificant and childish by comparison. She couldn't stop her face from turning red at the sight of a naked person.

Branwen pulled the large robe over her and then tossed he clothing at Yuchi. Suddenly her formed changed to one of the creepy creatures that roamed the library. Yuchi was stunned by the power it must have took to change form. She would have questioned it but she received a telepathic message from Branwen. 'Stay back, act like you don't know me. This should only take a moment.' Yuchi quickly passed on the message.

As their guide walked up to the desk, Yuchi simply stood in on the aisle of books watching her. She didn't notice as one of the creatures walked up behind them. Yuchi suddenly felt a strong mental pull on her. Something trying to get information out of her. She turned to see the creature was less than a foot from her. As she gazed into it's eyes the pull became stronger. 'What are you? What are you doing here? What is your name?' Innocent questions maybe. But it wasn't a question. The information was trying to be ripped from her. She froze, unable to even breath. The voice was breaking her down. She didn't know how long she could hold it.

Suddenly it stopped. Everything was back to normal. But all she could see was the large hand of her companion in front of her face. A growl was coming from him. Yuchi could see the creature backing away as the large man lowered his hand. Yuchi grabbed his arm and held tight. 'Thank you so much. You keep protecting me, and I don't even know your name.' 'Pike,' was all he said. Yuchi smiled and held squeezed slightly. 'Thank you Pike. I'm Yuchi.'

[Pope Jako III]

Buck took a look around the library. “ Ya… no, where’s the pub mate?” Buck started to sniff around looking for that sweet scent of alcohol. He started to make his way around the library when that cool sensation made its way into his head. Hmm someone’s telepathically talking ?! Curious Buck started to nose around until a scent caught his nose that made him stop dead. “Hey that demon chick is… crickey, scared !? Now this I gotta see mate!” Buck took off to see what could possible make that Sheila shake.

[Pope Jako III]

Buck took a look around the library. “ Ya… no, where’s the pub mate?” Buck started to sniff around looking for that sweet scent of alcohol. He started to make his way around the library when that cool sensation made its way into his head. Hmm someone’s telepathically talking ?! Curious Buck started to nose around until a scent caught his nose that made him stop dead. “Hey that demon chick is… crickey, scared !? Now this I gotta see mate!” Buck took off to see what could possible make that Sheila shake.

[John]

Proserpine stood in silence as she watched Branwen lead her two latest charges into one of the teleports. She waited for a few moments and followed after. The teleport, put Proserpine into yet another large area of the library. Proserpine was a little worried at the moment. Although she was truly scared that one of the latest arrivals was an angel, she was now worried because Branwen had telepathically told Proserpine that she was gong to do something stupid and that Proserpine should stay out of sight.

Proserpine cursed herself for not thinking more carefully about the wording of the deal she had made with Branwen. Proserpine had no choice but to do what Branwen had said and if things went badly for Branwen, she wouldn’t be able to interfere directly. This thought caused Proserpine to think of the other major flaw in the deal. Something she hoped Branwen would never realize.

Proserpine weaved through the shelves of books, following the three to a closet. She watched as Branwen went in. When she came out, her appearance had changed to that of an archiver. Proserpine had to admit that she was beyond confused at this moment. She had absolutely no idea what Branwen was trying to accomplish.

Receiving another telepathic message that she should act like she didn’t know Branwen and stay back, Proserpine continued to watch as Branwen approached the desk. Proserpine decided that she needed to look a little less suspicious. If any of the archivers saw her, they might wonder what she was doing there. Reaching up, Proserpine grabbed the first book she saw of the shelf. Looking at the cover, she could see the word’s “Don’t Panic” emblazoned on the cover in large letters. Proserpine smiled, thinking that this was good advice and opened the book to the first page and started to read.

“Space, is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly hugely mind bogglingly big it is. I mean you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to space,” Proserpine looked up from the book and continued to eye Branwen and the angel.

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen was out of her mind. Literally.

The minute she approached the Archivers' desk, she felt herself yanked out of her own body and into a spinning vortex of co-mingled thought. Wordless thought raced through her mind and she felt as though she'd been spun and lost her orientation, images, emotions, words assaulting her. Her head throbbed painfully and she fought to keep her faraway body still moving toward the desk as though unaffected, while simultaneously reaching into the shared consciousness, probing thoughts seeking anything the ancient and fearsome Mindflayers knew of Sitchel.

Their collective mind was deep, deeper than anything she'd ever felt, vaster by far than her own presence, and dwarfed only by the impossible presence of Sitchel itself. It took every ounce of composure and strength to keep her own mind separated from them, knowing that if she let them in even the slightest, they would know her for the fraud she was and destroy her from the inside out. But she had to know.

If anyone in all of Sitchel would know, they would. They knew everything that was in the Archive. The Elders called on them for all things. Powerful and nearly omnipotent, if there was a way home, they would know. They had to. And they had to know why Sitchel was breaking apart.

She dove deep into their shared mind, offering the pretense of questioning a tome to curious minds. The curiosity did not fade, but no suspicion panged against her mind. A deep within their knowledge, she found something that hit her like a ton of bricks.

They'd always told her Sitchel was made by the gods to monitor the expansion of planes. This was common knowledge. But there was something else... Sitchel, so powerful and so mighty among even gods, was a threat to its own creators. A potential god in its own right, Sitchel could steal worship from other gods. So, the creators had built in a flaw, the simplicity of which struck Branwen like being doused in cold water.

She pulled her mind away abruptly, and turned her body back towards the closet. As soon as she was out of sight and telepathic range, her body began to shift back to her human form, and she began to trip over the long robs. Finally she collapsed at the door of the closet, bare breasted as the robe nearly fell off her frame. Her mind reeled and her body shook as she tried to comprehend what she just learned, what it meant. What it meant she, they, would have to do.

She gripped Proserpine's hand as the demoness came close, taking a deep breath to steel herself.

" It's the Church." she whispered. " The Church is destroying Sitchel... you can't pray to Sitchel, every prayer is like a whip to it..." She looked up towards the ceiling. " We have to destroy the most charitable and humanitarian organization in all of Sitchel."

[Pope Jako III]

“Oui! airy fairy did I just here you right?” said buck as he came around the corner. He had been looking for Proserpine but had heard that from Branwen and decided that it needed his abrupt attention. “you mean to tell me that you are gonna destroy the organization you work for, and more importantly that keeps the peace in this world,?” Buck stared incredulously at the fairy.

[John]

Proserpine watched Branwen link with the archivers. At least that’s what she assumed was going on. Although she could attempt to listen in, it could have dire consequences for Branwen. Continuing to watch, out of sight of the angel, Proserpine hoped that nothing would go wrong. After a few minutes, Branwen walked away from the desk and headed back towards the closet. Proserpine suspected that Branwen would be fatigued from the event, and her suspicion was confirmed when she watched Branwen collapse just inside the closet.

Immediately, Proserpine shot across the room and into the closet. At this moment, she didn’t care about the angel. The safety of Branwen was far more pressing. That, and at the speed she moved, Proserpine would have appeared as little more than a blur.

Branwen reached up and took a hold of Proserpine’s hand. As Branwen spoke, Proserpine listened and felt a true sense of malevolence flow through her at the words she was hearing. Branwen was telling her that they would have to destroy a church. To Proserpine, there was something about this that sounded so right, if not near impossible. It would be one thing to destroy the building and the worshippers, but another thing altogether to destroy the idea that the church had been founded on. Proserpine picked up Branwen’s clothes and handed them to her, along with the book from the religion section of the archives.

At that moment Buck entered the closet and started asking questions of Branwen. Proserpine glared up at him with a scolding look.

“Give her a moment. She’s been through a lot.” Proserpine moved her hand and the door closed, wedging itself into the frame.

“I did as you asked. This book details the creation of Sitchel. It’s mostly a lot of text relating to the ranting of gods and their underlings. But once you sift through the bullshit, you get the general idea.” Proserpine knelt down and placed her hand on Branwen’s forehead. Pushing out with her mind, she gave Branwen a small amount of energy which would help her to get back on her feet.

“Don’t worry. You’ll be fine.” Proserpine smiled and spoke in a nurturing tone which the whisper echoed. The smile faded from her lips and she continued speaking.

“Feel free to take a moment and then, if you please, could you tell me what I’m going to do about the angel?” Proserpine’s voice was steady, but the whisper seemed nervous. She still had a feeling in her gut telling her things aren’t always what they seem. But she was having trouble arguing with what her eyes had seen.

[SikstaSlathalin]

King and Queen

The Stalkers entered the large building and for the first time in their lives they experince geniune awe. Never have they seen a place so insanely large and extensive. Their noses were assaulted by an array of new smells, living things books, dust, Ectoplasm. This world seemed to have a smell for every little object in it's domain, the Monarchs looked over at the new comers talking with the Sidhe.
"A Lycan? He doesn't smell the same and the annoying human." Rasorna says to her mate's mind.
"He's not one I'm not sure what he is. Let find someone who can get us some information." Scanning around the main floor Rasorna see something like a metal man with glowing eyes. They smell cowaridce coming of this contraption. Finding an easy prey they walk up to it.

Azzarox stopped in front of the creature sending a mental attack into it.
"You will find us information on Demons, Lycans, plant creatures, rock creatures, Cyborgs both of canine and human kinds, mutant humans with metal control, Vampires, Sidhe, half Sidhe, all kinds of mutant humans Angelic beings and anything that even come close to Lycans. Do that and you won't burst into flames." He sent a surge of fire into the brain and without a word it accsessed the computer and begain downloading the info. The Stalkers press their claws against the golden head and use a spell to sap the info from the creature. Soon they have all they want to know about their comrades. Once the Download is complete they pull back and the King growls wiping the creature's mind of the whole encounter. With a confused whirr it turns and what they'd guess is look at them then says in a kind of whiny computer voice.
"Oh hello there I am Infobot how may I help you?"
"Where are the documents on Unholy creature weaknesses?" The King asks staring at the machine.
"Just over there sure I may not be as Knowledgable as the Archivers but my memory isn't totally faulty." He points a stiff arm to a section marked Dark/Occult." With a pair of growls the Stalkers go to that section and begin scanning the shelves.

[Kirra]

Pike & Yuchi

Moments after threatening the creature that came up to Yuchi, Pike noticed that the transformed girl was staggering back to their location. Once she was out of site of the other creatures, Branwen returned to her normal form. She then collapsed inside the closet. Pike picked up Yuchi in one hand and darted to the door. It was only a moment after the black winged girl had entered the room.

As Yuchi relayed the message, Pike replied by asking through Yuchi, “’Where is Sitchel. I saw her before. She looked injured. I was told to protect people so they could save her.’ That is what Pike said.” She added. “Wait. I thought Sitchel was a place?”

Pike motioned to Branwen’s clothing. The small girl moved to help their guide dress. He then placed a large hand in front of the man who smelled like lupine. He wasn’t completely sure who the woman’s friends where, but didn’t want to take any risks.

Yuchi helped their guide into her normal clothing, tossing the robe to Pike. Her bashfulness was nothing to be concerned with at this point.

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen dressed slowly, the bit of energy from Proserpine helping her keep steady. Her eyes rested on the new pair, and Buck behind them.

" He's with us, big guy." she muttered, leaning against the door frame, finally back in her own clothes. " Sitchel is a place, kid. And a thing. And some kind of being... It's a plane of existence with it's own sentience." She leveled her gaze on the large male, sensing him out with her own extra senses. " And that is very interesting, because something very similar happened to us." She turned her eyes on the small female. " What are you? Are you some kind of angel?"

[GraftRaven]

Geru was sifting through the information being displayed in front of his eyes, maps, bits of scriptures.... all passed before him with minimal scanning, he was too out of it to really concentrate... well, that was until the programming on one of the pages he was looking at reverted to binary and some of it seemed to be moving. Before he knew it the page was back to normal. He flicked his mind around the interface, trying to find out what that had been. He quickly found a function on his display to convert everything into a 3d rendering of the cyberspace in the archives. This was much more appealing to him, now he could reach the information very quickly, he saw another figure slip through a door and then close it.

Geru flicked his mind at the door, but quickly recoiled finding the effort too much in his hungover state. Instead he initiated a back-trace on the signal that had moved through moments ago. He found it linked back to Eldwin, not that unexpected, he seemed like the kind to acclimate to computers. the 3d render closed down and Geru initiated an audio link with the cyborg's communication system, just wondering what he was doing sneaking around cyberspace. At once a small microphone on an extension flicked down out of the left support on his glasses. "Hey, Eldwin. What did you find creeping around in the archives cyberspace?" He didn't even know if Eldwin would hear him, but it was worth a shot anyway... that guy seemed like the type to stay on good terms with. A memory flashed back to him of Eldwin swinging one of his claw arms at someone else the night before.... definitely not one to cross.

[Govannon]

"Hey, Eldwin. What did you find creeping around in the archives cyberspace?"

"Now that is interesting. I suppose I should have expected you to find me here. To tell you the truth, there isn't much here. The security in this place is crap, but there are a lot of cameras. I know that Branwen, Prosperine and two others are up to... something up on one of the higher floors. Here, I'll give you a feed."

A few quick key taps later, Geru had access to the security camera overlooking the closet where the other member's of their group had gathered. It seemed as though Buck had joined them since Eldwin had last checked. "I can only assume that the little girl and the large man are both new members of our group."

"Can you do me a favour and check back about 5 minutes? Let me know if you think that they all look really surprised for a second or two." It didn't take long for Eldwin to receive a response to the affirmative. "Yeah, that's what I thought. I really wish that these things had sound..."

[Kirra]

Pike & Yuchi

Pike caught the robe and tossed it over his shoulder. It was more cover than he had, but he really needed to find some better clothing. A slight touch of the hand and Pike received the message from Yuchi that the Lupine smelling boy was ok. He walked over to Branwen and helped her to her feet, allowing her to lean on him until she regained her balance.

Yuchi listened in amazement at the explanation of what this world was. She again passed the information along. Their guide new a lot. It made her think of what she could have learned if Pike hadn't attacked their first guide.

Branwen turned to Yuchi and asked her an odd question. "What are you? Are you some kind of angel?"

Yuchi was unsure what to say. She wasn't even sure what an angel was. She wasn't sure how she knew this, but Yuchi was sure she was a god. At least she was sure that is what everyone called her. Nothing else made since. "Umm. What's an angel? I'm a god. At least I think I'm a god." She looked around the room seeing each persons reaction to her answer. Pike of course was unfazed not knowing what was said. "Is... is that not right?"

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen blinked. Even in Sitchel, the proclamation of being a god was a bit of a stretch. She knew gods were more or less unaffected by Sitchel's power, which she now guessed must have been another safety precaution on the creator's part. But it wasn't unheard of. There were gods that inhabited Sitchel, most of them rather psychotic from being separated from the bulk of their prayer base.

She had to be sure.

" Okay. Hold still." She stepped forward, still supporting herself on the large male's shoulder, and put her hand on the small girl's chin, forcing her to meet her own eyes. She'd never Looked into a god before, and wasn't sure if she'd exit the encounter sane or even alive, but she had to be sure. With a shaky breath, she felt her own mental and magical presence enter the other female, feeling herself being entered as well.

Looking was sharp, hard, and painful. She was looking into the soul of this girl, the very essence and being of her. And in return, she was opening herself for the girl to see. Every inch. She found a being on par with herself. Equal to the power of a Sidhe. Breathing a sigh of relief, she looked away, severing the connection... but the feeling of seeing within a person still resonated within her.

" Not an angel." she said to Proserpine, leaning heavily on the large male. Not a god, either, she added mentally to Proserpine alone. She wasn't sure how to tell the small girl she wasn't a god. " Okay. Let's see if we can find some of the others..." she lifted her hand to her earset to glance at the security feed, where she found a few interesting things. " Huh. I think Eldwin just watched me strip on camera. Proserpine, please go check on the Fearstalkers, and report back to me. I'm not getting anything clear on them."

[John]

Proserpine froze as she heard the voice of the one she thought was an angel. She didn’t speak or move, just staying frozen with fear. She was hoping that the angel would perhaps not attack for fear of upsetting Branwen. Branwen asked the question, to which the angel replied no, and Proserpine felt a wave of relaxation wash over her.

Nodding her head at Branwen in acknowledgement of the mental message, Proserpine got to her feet and turned to the door to go and look for the Fearstalkers as instructed. Pausing she turned back to say something to Branwen. Proserpine was quite surprised to find that the she was no longer standing in the closet. Instead she was standing in a sea of darkness, alive with colours, looking at Sitchel. The being stood before her and Proserpine felt the urge to kneel to it. Remembering what Branwen had said, she resisted the urge and listened.

“We are happy that all of you have accepted task we have set you.” Proserpine was puzzled at the words “all of you” until she realised that it must be talking to the others as well. “The road ahead of you is long and treacherous and we know that you may need some help in accomplishing your goal. To this end, we will grant a memory to each of you in the hopes that you can gain something useful from it.” Proserpine was about to speak when the scene changed.

This time the memory was not as before. Before it was though she was watching the memory. This time, she was in it. Proserpine was standing on what appeared to be a field of clouds. In her hand she was holding a sword made of fire and her wings were white. Glancing around, Proserpine viewed the row of angels that appeared to stretch into infinity. To her left, was the most beautiful creature she had ever seen. He was tall and his wings were brilliant and shone with the light of the morning star. He was righteous and though Proserpine couldn’t’ remember who he was, she knew that she loved him.

Looking across the filed, Proserpine could see rows of angels charging towards them. They were shouting and looked as though they meant to cut down every last one of them. Proserpine shuddered and tried to remember why they were fighting when the one next to her placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Do not fear sister. We are Seraphim, and we are righteous. The day will be ours.” Proserpine looked up at him and nodded her head. All at once, the angels on their side rushed into battle. The clouds quickly turned red from the carnage that ensued. Angles were destroying each other and both sides were suffering heavy casualties.

Proserpine raised her sword and rushed into the battle. She swung her sword and her enemies died, showering her with their blood as they fell. Proserpine felt the urge to leap into the air and as she did, she felt different. This time the flight felt different and looking down, she noticed she was changing. After a moment, Proserpine had transformed into a dragon. Everything about her was as if she were an actual dragon. The flaws in the scales, the feeling she had as she soared through the air, even the scent emanating form her had changed. Proserpine roared and began to rain fire down on those who would oppose her.

Proserpine blinked and the image was gone. She was standing back in the closet with the others, all of them looking as confused as she. Taking a moment to think about what she had seen in the vision, Proserpine smiled and looked at Branwen.

“I am assuming that you do not want the Fearstalkers to know they are being watched.” Proserpine winked at Branwen and changed her shape. It wasn’t a transition, instead, in the blink of an eye, she appeared as a human male. She stood about five feet seven inches and had blonde hair that was tied back in a ponytail. She was wearing glasses and a black business suit. Looking over at Buck, she noticed him staring at her and sniffing, a puzzled look on his face.

“Don’t worry doggy,” Proserpine’s voice had changed to that of a man with an English accent, and the whisper was gone. “It’s still me. Now be a good boy and I will bring you a treat later.” Proserpine laughed and exited the room, walking to one of the teleports. Just before stepping inside, Proserpine reached out with her mind and locate where the Fearstalker were. Stepping inside, she pushed the button corresponding to the floor they were on.

Proserpine stepped out of the teleport and started to walk through the Archive. It was another extremely large room and Proserpine started to try and locate the lizards. She could have reached out again, but using her powers this close to the Fearstalkers would probably give her away. Passing by a desk, Proserpine grabbed a pad of paper and a pen and put in the inside pocket of the jacket she was wearing. Continuing to walk, she soon found the Fearstalkers, huddled in front of a shelf, browsing the books.

Proserpine took note of the section and walked past the Fearstalkers, grabbing a book whose spine read “Necronmicon Nox Arcana. As she passed them, Proserpine nonchalantly looked to see what they were reading and then proceeded to a table that gave her a clear line of sight. Pulling out a pad of paper and a pen, and opening the book, Proserpine started to take notes and watch what they were up to. She made mental notes of each book they examined and continued to write about the Necronomicon on the pad of paper.

After about five minute, she got up and went to the desk and asked the archiver about sending a message to someone else in the building. The archiver turned the console and pushed a button.

“You can send a message from here. Simply type the name of the person and select the floor they are on.” Proserpine thanked the archiver and, making sure the Fearstalkers couldn’t see what she was typing on the screen, sent her message.

“The Fearstalkers are are in the occult section, reading books about demons. I will return to you shortly.” Proserpine clicked on send and then emptied the sent messages folder, erasing all trace of the message from the system. Turning away, she went back to the table and continued to observe.

[Security of Mem]

Pherdel walked through the archives. He found it odd that Sedi hadn't said much after the other incident. And he couldn't find him to talk either. While every followed Branwen and asked idle questions and had idle thoughts Pherdel felt static. As if he was walking on a road he was forced to. Pherdel was known as being the independent leader with the ability to say as he pleased.
He was able to work situation and he was able to work out every walk of life. But this one. This he was being pulled on a leash and forced to stay there like a good dog. Pherdel really felt something he may haven't felt before. Anger. He couldn't think straight. In truth he wanted to go to violence. He wanted to hit and scream.
"Something bothering you?" Sedi asked.
"Not exactly," Pherdel said.
Sedi said nothing afterwards, which made Pherdel more angry. Sedi was suppose to say something, He was suppose to say something to ease his mind.
Somehow as Pherdel wasn't exactly paying much attention to the world, it felt like many wiggling hands were in his mind and he was beginning to get an image from some time ago.

It was a rustic earth look. The buildings were made of metal that looked like skeletons of a building. People were staring up at their
charismatic leader. Without any perception that he may be an alien from not here.
“Time is not how we perceive it. Time is merely there. To say we need more time is foolish since time does not exist. No time is something only us as humans can perceive to make life seem like its moving, but in all reality life is not moving forward it is moving circularly.
Days are not days and nights are not nights. This is the illusion of the earth. What also is an illusion is the illusion of harmony and peace. Our town, our nation, our earth is under attack at the moment and it would make me a fool to say that we are trying to make harmony and peace.
This is just an illusion of a leader who is trying to keep his nation from being panic stricken.
No as I Prophet Pherdel I will give you everything. I will tell you as much as I can that is not a secret.
I’m not fond of secrets, but some I have to keep sadly, but I will try to tell as much as I can…”
Pherdel’s voice was cut off by gunfire. Pherdel hit the concrete pavement his guards and caretaker all kneeling as his warm blue blood began to spill out.

“We interrupt your daily show to bring you the cover story of the shooting that has now happened…today when the most promising Prophet gave his political speech…
“We interrupt your daily news for something even more special,” said a deep robotic voice.
The news was cut off and the T.V had a black background with digital warriors logo. The enemy had tapped into their systems.
“We will blow up the main capital with Prophet Pherdel inside of it in three days if you petty humans do not do as you are told…you must meet these agreements one you will all bow to us and never offend the Renex clan ever again, second Pherdel must be stripped of all political power, and third I commander Dialide will become your new leader…we were also the cause of the shooting today…we will be looking for Pherdel’s answer to this message tomorrow so inconsequential humans record it,”

The memory was slightly warped. Darkness as the mind tried to remember.

“Renex I do not need a day to send you a message because I will reply immediately...understand this we humans have fought countless centuries of wars so what makes you think we would be afraid of some piles of metal junk who think they are all mighty...the humans will not stand for you rule and neither will I,” Pherdel paused, “Go ahead and try to bomb the main capital you're going to have a hard time. Just because you think were are in a Digital Depression doesn't mean we are. We are humans and we have prevailed with technology...who do you think made you.” warbled the space communicator.

“Then we will blow up the city,” Renex leader said

A smog of haze cleared the memory again.

“This is the Vitrix Ion Ore the last hope of humanity,”Pherdel said through speakers, “This is our Digital Awakening the technology of the Vitrix Ion Ore is far more complicated then you Renex...after all you are just renegade man made robots.”
The sphere shape vibrated and the electric laser beam was reflected back to the Renex ship. The ship sputtered in a ball of fire and then exploded in a larger bloom of fire. Chunks of the Renex ship fell in a spherical shape across the blue sky. Lightning it up like fireworks. Heated flames of heads belonging to the Renex seemed to float down to the surface.

And then the memory faded. Pherdel stair at the ground for a moment. A little reminiscence of what had happened on Earth. But why did he have such clear memories of that time? Did they need him again?

[SikstaSlathalin]

King and Queen.

The Fearstalkers had studied p on most of their group in addition to what they took from the metal creature. They'd sent some power out to locate their group which was huddled around a closest. It concerned them little what they were planning, if all else failed the Stalkers were more then prepared to hide out in the world and kill them all in their sleep. A few Patrons looked at the armed reptiles ad spun around the way they came. This brought small smiles to the Stalker's lips. More fear to feed them and more fun for them to watch. They've selected a book on Demons it was chocked full of Demons that have come and gone in Sitchel. Each page had a date, name, and a list of powers and weaknesses they even saw a plane of origin and present location on a few of them. Turning to the last page they found a reference to a Cross-Road demon. No name or anything just a side note jotted in.

The Cross-Road Demon is always female often beautiful in a dark kind of way. They posses high skill in mind magic, shape-shifting and manipulation, they are always high-ranking and powerful. Usually an advisor of the S class Demon Lilith, afraid of Angels like any other Demon. Need a powerful pentagram and Holy fire to contain them. J.W.

They nodded then smelt something that made them growl. They smelt the Demon woman from their group. The Queen glanced around but didn't find her, with a growl her eyes locked onto an odd man that picked a book off the self near them and seemed to pay no mind. She smelt no fear or any emotion from the man, that was a red flag right there. No matter how brave you are two armed and armored spiked lizards will make you take notice. Her eyes narrowed as the man sat at a table and began writing notes from a book glancing up at them and the red flags keep coming. Taking another smell the Demon's scent is closer but she still can't see her. Putting two and two together she snarls and send a mental message to the man as he retook his seat at the table.
"Listen here Demon be the Sidhe's errand bitch all you want. But don't insult us by trying to disguise yourself with a Glamour. We aren't as stupid as you think, that doesn't hide your scent." She places the book back and nudges her King out of he Demon's sight.
"The Sidhe sent her Demon to spy on us." He growls looking over his shoulder for her.
"I thought I smelt her, but come we go what we need for now I have an idea on how we can expand out knowledge of this place more."

As the Stalkers left the Occult section something brought them almost to their knees. They both saw and man and women before them both very tanned with jet black hair, they were both dressed in white flowing robes and their eyes burned with a mighty fire. A voice coming from no where told the Monarchs the names of these creatures that brought pure hate from deep inside the Stalkers.

"Sunfighters deniznes of the light-filled world on the other side the Night Sky river. They are the complete opposite of the Fearstalkers and they have the powers of the sun. Flight, control over fire, control over gravity and steeped in White Magic. Kill them on sight or they'll do it to you."

[Kirra]

Pike

Holding Branwen's small body was as easy as holding up a feather. Pike wasn't sure how he knew this, but all his of race where extremely strong. He wouldn't admit it, even if he could talk to them, but her soft warm flesh pressed against his felt really nice. It was a bewildering feeling.

Pike's body started to slowly let out low levels of pheromones. It was something that happened anytime he got to excited. Luckily Pike was able to control himself. He pulled back the inadvertent release and started to regain his composure.

Pike watched as the dark winged girl seem to cower every time Yuchi spoke or moved. He was baffled that anyone could be afraid of the small girl. The tiny winged girl was the most fragile looking thing that Pike had ever seen. And of course the woman named Sitchel had also told him to protect her. That was all the proof he needed to know she wasn't dangerous.

After Branwen looked into Yuchi's eyes, the dark winged girl seemed to relax. It really started to annoy him that he couldn't understand them. But for some reason Pike had the feeling that, even if he could understand, there was something being hidden from him. They way she didn't respond directly after Branwen spoke. It was almost like something else was said, but Pike wasn't going to have Yuchi bring it up and he had no real way to do it.

“We are happy that all of you have accepted task we have set you. The road ahead of you is long and treacherous and we know that you may need some help in accomplishing your goal. To this end, we will grant a memory to each of you in the hopes that you can gain something useful from it.” Pike was confused by the voice in his head. It wasn't the same as Yuchi's. It reminded him of the woman called Sitchel. Not by the sound, but the feeling was the same.

The world around him suddenly changed. He was no longer holding Branwen. He was in a savage world. He was back at Gia. Pike looked at the world with every sense he had. The smell of the grasses and animals, the sounds of the rustling and scampering. It surrounded him. Pike was unsure of what was going on.

Pike turned and jumped back as a large hand sat on his shoulder. A man twice his height was staring down at him. "One day son, this will all be yours." His father. Pike was looking at his father and he wasn't sure how he could have forgotten him. "We Crytim are a proud race. And due to your small size you will be challenged. Do not fear them son. While you may be small, you are the most intelligent and ferocious Crytim I have ever seen in battle. Do not fear son. When you show them fear, you will lose."

Pike wanted to reach for his fathers arm, but the world around him faded. He wanted to jump out of his skin, but he wouldn't. He had to remain calm for Yuchi and Branwen who where going to lean on him for strength. In Branwen's case it was quite literal. Pike remained stoic.

Yuchi

"Not an angel. Okay. Let's see if we can find some of the others..." Yuchi wasn't sure what that meant, but she just assumed Branwen believed the same as Yuchi did. She smiled a bit at the fair skinned woman. And due to this, even the dark winged girl seemed to lighten up a bit.

The next thing said was, "Huh. I think Eldwin just watched me strip on camera." Yuchi looked up at the camera in question then she went blood red. She wasn't sure why, but the idea of someone watching here embarrassed her to no end. And she was fully clothed.

Yuchi watched as the dark winged one changed form to follow some other creatures on order of Branwen. And she started to giggle when the dark winged girl told the other man in the room, "Don’t worry doggy" and "Now be a good boy and I will bring you a treat later.” It amazed her the level of power she had. She couldn't help but let the her thoughts escape. "Is she a god too?", she offered to Branwen. After being answered, Yuchi seemed confuse, but generally accepted it.

Yuchi turned and started to look at books. She found on with a title the peaked her interest. Mainly due to the recent word she had learned being in the title. When she made contact with the book images flooded her mind. A man named Robert was running around in a pair of chinos pants, a turtleneck, and a tweed jacket trying to solve mysteries.

As she saw the last image, Yuchi let go of the book and started to stumble. She would have fallen if it wasn't for a large hand at he back holding her steady. She looked up to see Pike looking down on her. 'Did he drop Branwen?' She thought to herself. Her answer was quickly answered when she looked further back and saw the guide held up at chest level in Pike's other arm.

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen's entire being seized as she was overcome by a memory, rising deep from the bowels of her mind like a terrifying explosion.

She felt hands shoving her from behind, a voice screaming at her to run. The cacophony of battle raged around her like Hell itself. Hellhounds bayed, Sidhe in their true forms wielding silver swords and throwing magic of deadly caliber. Somewhere, wolves bayed, and wizards roared spells. Turning back, an action that seemed to take a million years, she beheld a tall woman with short blonde hair and fiery blue eyes, screaming at her. Although every instinct bellowed for her to run, far and fast, her feet carried her back to the human woman.

" Run, Bran!" the woman had to yell to be heard, reaching for Branwen's hands and pressing a silver pentacle on a chain into them. " No matter what happens, you have to survive!"

She stumbled away, her tear filled, wide eyes beholding a field of carnage, bodies of Sidhe, human, and monster for miles on all sides.

Branwen blinked, her breath suddenly popping out of her. She had stopped walking, security screen still spread from her ear set. The screen suddenly beeped and she stopped to look at it, blinked, then started running, pushing Proserpine's message to the side.

Proserpine! Run! Warn the Fearstalkers!

" Stay behind me!" she shouted to the group with her, Buck and the two new ones, as she ran for the teleporter in a dead sprint.

Meanwhile, on the ground floor, a six and a half foot blonde woman with stern features, her long hair braided behind her. She sported heavy golden armor and a war hammer in her left hand. Her long blonde braid whipped as her head turned quickly, expression souring. She began to glow, as her three pairs of wings spread.

And then she spoke, in a voice that resonated deeply through the cavernous lobby.

" By the clack, smack, pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes."

[Govannon]

Eldwin stood over a child's broken body. He hadn't meant to do it, he hadn't known that it was going to happen, but the absolute and undeniable fact was that he had killed this boy. He had just taken another human being's life, and the thing that was first and foremost on his mind was trying to build a defence. He was 11 years old.

Eldwin remembered the boy, Samuel, and remembered the place. He knew that he had just returned to school recently. He knew that he had just finished a lengthy period of rehabilitation and adjustment, but for the life of him he could not remember any of it. He knew that Samuel had been a member of a fairly radical anti-technology group. He knew that Samuel had friends, lots of friends, while someone as meched up as him was lucky to be thought of as anything more than a calculator. he remembered that Samuel had thrown the first punch,and the second. He had taken beatings from Samuel's gang before, but this time was different, this time they didn't seem to be inclined to stop. One punch from Eldwin was all it took to send his aggressor flying into the wall of the school building, smoking and burning and dropping pieces of himself as he went.

It hadn't even been a conscious decision. Neither the machine or the meat in Eldwin's mind could remember bringing his fist around to bear, but the result remained the same. A boy was dead, and what remained of his head was streaked along the edges of Eldwin's arm. The police were called, he was taken home and guarded. He was too young for a standard court, to say nothing of a holding cell or prison. The Eldwin of the modern day couldn't exactly remember what happened from that point on, but the final thought that he had was a sick revulsion in the part of his mind that was still human that he slept soundly that night.

"Well," Eldwin said to Geru, "that was... slightly less than pleasant." "Why is it that all of my memories really suck?" Still, there wasn't anything that could be done about that right now. Judging by the suspicious looks that the group by the closet was giving the camera it seemed that he had been found out. "Do I want to try and lie to a telepath, or should I just wipe my memory of this whole camera incident and get some plausible deniability?" Eventually, Eldwin decided on keeping the memory, he didn't really have many of them to go around, and with a final wave of his had to get rid of any and all recordings performed in the library that day, he logged out of the system and found himself back in the real world library. The large blond woman in the golden armour didn't even warrant a thought in his mind.

[John]

Proserpine breathed deeply to get a sense of her own smell. The lizard was right it seemed, she still held her own scent. She could only assume that it was because it was like using a new ability for the first time; there were bound to be setbacks. Concentrating a little harder, she removed all trace of the scent. It was pointless to do it now, but it was not a mistake she would ever make again.

Getting up from the table, Proserpine walked to the Fearstalkers, transforming back to normal as she walked. Coming to a halt right in front of Azzarox, she pulled the book form his hand and read the page he was looking at. Smiling, Proserpine handed the book back to him.

“Believe me your majesty,” Proserpine’s tone was condescending, and the whisper took on a mocking tone. “I have no need of a glamour. I can change my form, I do not mask it.” Proserpine giggled at Azzarox

“And I wouldn’t put too much stock in the things you read. Do not presume to know what I am, for you have no idea.” Proserpine turned her head and gazed at Rasorna.

“Personally I am surprised that a creature as intelligent as you would bend your will to someone who obviously doesn’t have the intelligence to find out the true facts. Just doesn’t seem strategically sound to me.” Proserpine winked at Rasorna and then floated into the air and in the direction of the teleport. She stopped when she received the message telling her to run and warn the Fearstalkers. On the first word that entered Proserpine’s mind, she used her will to block the message so that none but her could hear it. She smiled, but felt a little worried, not knowing what she was being warned of. Walking into the teleport, she pressed the button corresponding to the floor where she had left Branwen.

“What the-” As Proserpine pressed the button, a light for a different floor lit up and she materialized there instead of where she wanted to be. Taking a moment to view her new surroundings, Proserpine’s stomach snak and fear coursed through her. Standing about twenty feet form the teleport was what looked like an angel. But this time, Proserpine could feel the raw power created by the divinity and light which the creature wielded. The word “Seraphim” appeared in her mind and was quickly followed by “Archangel.” It was at this moment Proserpine finished speaking her sentence. “-Fuck!”

Before Proserpine even had a second to react, the angle leapt at her and brought it’s hammer into her chin. Proserpine flew backwards into the teleport and smashed through the glass tube which housed it. Hitting the ground, she sent a message to Eldwin with her mind.

“Sorry,” As the word entered Eldwin’s mind she moved her hand and used telekinesis to throw him into the Angel with a force that surely would have liquefied a lesser being. She knew that Eldwin might be hurt, but at least he would be alive, and wounds would heal. Proserpine suddenly wondered why she cared and, without bothering to see if the angel had been slowed down, flew off in the direction of the stairwell.

Proserpine had no intention of fighting the angel. This was a creature that coursed with the power of a god, and she was certainly no match for it. Her only hope was to outrun it. Just as she reached the stairwell, she felt a hand grasp her leg and she was whipped around into one of the columns that was supporting the ceiling. As she crashed through it, the angel let go and she went sprawling into one of the walls, leaving a rather large indentation.

The archive was turning into pandemonium as archivers and patrons alike were screaming and trying to find an exit to keep from getting caught in the crossfire. Proserpine glided to her feet as the angel rushed at her. She moved her hand and started throwing the patrons of the archive at the angel. The angel came to a stop and directed the bodies flying at him to come to rest gently, out of harm’s way. Proserpine needed a new plan.

Bringing up her hands, Proserpine made a single clap, which reverberated through the room, shattering the windows.. With a motion of her finger, the shards of broken glass flew at the angel, who in response brought up it’s hand and the glass turned to dust.

Proserpine didn’t move, instead she crouched on the ground and waited for the angel’s next move. It glared at her, not moving, but preparing for whatever futile assault Proserpine would send at it next. It was then that the angel smiled.

“You have no power over me fallen one,” The voice echoed throughout the room and Proserpine cowered slightly at the power behind it. Proserpine gazed at the angel and felt as though she wanted to cry.

“Please. Show Mercy.” Proserpine spoke and the words came as little more than a whisper, filled with sorrow and fear.. The angel smiled and leered at her.

“Sorry. All out of mercy.” The angel lunged at Proserpine, but this time she was ready and she sprang up and sped for the window. The wind slammed into her and she immediately started to gain altitude. She could sense the Angel behind her. It was keeping pace with her, but it wasn’t gaining. Perhaps Proserpine could outrun it. It was just going to take some time, and maybe a distraction or two.

Proserpine reached the top floor of the building and crashed through the window. Immediately patrons started screaming and running about. Reaching out with her telekinesis, Proserpine found tow of the patrons and sent the hurtling for the window. The angel caught one as it came to the window, but the other went off hurtling towards the ground four hundred stories below. This caused the angel to stop and send out energy towards the patron, who ceased their descent and came to rest inside the room. Proserpine didn’t see this happening, instead, using the time to stretch the distance between herself and the angel.

Crashing through the window, Proserpine shot straight down. Once she had arrived at the floor where she had left the Fearstalkers, and flew through the window. Glass flew in all directions and she could see Branwen and the others, just a small distance form the teleport. It looked like she was about to warn the Fearstalkers, and Proserpine used her telekinesis to activate the teleport, and push Branwen and her companions back into it, with the exception of the Fearstalkers.

Continuing to speed forward, Proserpine flew through the teleport, smashing it to pieces. Coming to a stop, she looked at the Fearstalkers and a malevolent smile appeared on her face. Proserpine raised her hands and pushed the patrons and archivers to the nearest teleport or stairwell. She then caused the shelves to fall over, creating a domino effect, smashing the remaining teleports.

At this moment, the angel appeared in the window and shot towards Proserpine. Flying drectly between the two lizards, she looked back to see that the angel had angled it's flight, sensing what they were, and shot towards them.

Proserpine didn't know the Fearstalkers' fate. She wanted to stay and watch, but as soon as she had distracted the angel, she immediately bolted for the stairwell. Quickly descending to the next level, Proserpine changed her shape to that of an archiver, she took an extra moment to make sure that there was nothing left of her and walked into the nearest teleport.

Proserpine appeared back on the floor where she had originally started. Branwen and the group were there and she walked by them , making a bee line for the closet. She didn’t change her form and projected two words into Branwen’s mind.

“I’m sorry,” The voice had a sad quality to it and Proserpine retreated into the closet, and changing back to herself, started to weep

[SikstaSlathalin]

King and Queen

The chaos of the next few minutes was quite interesting. But the interest was short lived as a searing pain rushed over the Stalkers flooring them. Holy Power was in the area and it was killing them. They thrashed and clawed around the area destroying anything that got in their way bookshelves were toppled, rugs and tiles were torn up, desks were crushed, walls had holes in them. Soon they roared spells to dull the pain, they worked well enough so they could stand and asses the situation. The library was pretty much deserted on this floor and the sounds of battle going on elsewhere. The pain was a dull burning now if they stayed much long they would die here. Staggering for a side door they see the Demon rush toward them. With a snarl the King begins to prepare an energy ball top blast her but the burning came back at full force and he dropped to his knee roaring. Rasorna has barely recovered herself when the Demon rushed by and the burn flared back. The pain made her spasm and lunge back into a book case toppling it over barely missing a slow patron that was still running away.

What happened next was the closest thing Azzarox or Rasorna had come to death. One of the Angels appeared and the pain was unbearable. Their bodies and souls were on fire. They say the being soaked in light first watch the Demon escape then them they knew it felt their evil since they felt it's good. As it moved a new spasm of pain hit Rasorna and the King they both reeled but Rasorna wasn’t lucky she stumbled right into the Angel it's radiance fully touching her head and back shattering her armor she fell like a brick to the floor. Azzarox felt his mate fall and his pain was replaced by rage. Dark aura closed around his body shielding him from the Angel's radiance long enough for him to grab Rasorna in his arm. Not know how long the shield will hold out if more Angels arrive. He raised his claw and roared a spell darkness exploded around him rushing over the floor making everything dark. It was a smoke screen, it would probably kill the King fighting this creature so the only option open was escape. With the floor locked in darkness and most of the furniture destroyed. This would be one hell of a bill.

Using the last ounce of his power he opens a portal and goes to where the group is. He drops onto the ground still clutching Rasoana to his chest. His eyes lock send nothing but hate onto everyone in the group but especially on the Sidhe.
"May...your...soul....burn forever...for leaving .... leaving that... cowardly Demon....to send that Angel on us." His eyes hardened and he slowly struggled to his feet fighting the raw fatigue of using that spell.
"We may...may not be the most pleasant of creatures. But...don't..deserve..to die..like that!" With a mournful roar he drops onto his knee cradling Rasorna to him slowly stroking the seared flesh of her head Tears dripping down his scaly cheeks chanting a healing spell. The only white magic spell a Stalker can give at the cost of a part of himself. His left arm slowly vanished until there was nothing there. Rasorna let out a deep gasp and started breathing again but her eyes remained shut.

[Kirra]

Pike

The commotion of everything that happened started to annoy Pike. He couldn't tell what was going on but he knew he wasn't going to like it. As the others ran towards the 'Teleport', as Yuchi put it, Pike decided it was best to follow. When they got through to the other side the black winged girl flew by and pushed them back through.

They where sent back to the top floor. Pike charged to the railing and looked down. He saw the girl being chased by another with six wings. 'protect them.' Pike let loose a small growl as he turned to the three behind him. He nodded to Branwen to let her know he was going to fight.

Pike then leaped over the railing and fell strait to the ground floor. For a lesser creature this would have shattered bones. But not a Crytim. Pike tried to chase down the two fliers as the moved around the room. But it wasn't until the black winged one hid, did Pike get his real chance.

Pike was applaud that the black winged girl hurt others to protect herself. But he wasn't here to judge. He look at the people around him. The metal man was not moving but Pike could still smell the oil and hear the gears. But the lizards, one seemed dead, and the other close to it. Then the male used some magic to vanish.

The creature in armor headed straight to the closet that the black winged girl hid in. Pike didn't like their the girls attitude, or the feeling she put off, but he would never let someone kill in cold blood. Pike positioned himself between the door and the armored figure.

"Move boy. God has no problem with you. Let me deal with the creatures who plague our lands." Pike was really getting pissed that he couldn't understand anyone. A growl escaped from his teeth. "Fine. It is your life to throw away." The creature charged at Pike, swinging it's large hammer. Pike swung his right arm and collided with the hammer in the dead center. A shock-wave was sent through the air.

The creature was stunned for a moment before speaking again. "What kind of creature are you?" Pike ignored the random sounds and charged forward. He was able to plant a strong hit directly in the center of the creature launching it backward. Pike knew this fight wasn't over though.

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen screamed in rage as she was shoved back through the portal by Proserpine's telekinetic push, the force of which sent her sprawling on her back. She scrambled to her feet, slamming her fist in rage on the wall as the teleporter dimmed and went unresponsive. Immediately she spun and shot across the floor, sprinting as fast as she could, when Proserpine reappeared with an apology and tears.

" No no no no no!" she screamed, hauling the demoness to her feet. " You have no idea what you've done!"

The angelic being appeared, smashing through the floor with her hammer, every stroke sounding like she had stuck a huge and magnificently crafted bell. The large male, with a nod, shot off to engage it, ignoring Branwen's screams. Security feed was flying in front of her eyes, Eldwin had been used as a weapon but appeared more or less fine, the Fearstalkers were fucked up, and she couldn't find anyone else. So left with no other option, she did the last logical thing left in her arsenal to protect her group.

She charged the two combatants, leaping between them and letting slip a surge of her own power. The angelic being stilled, steady, cold eyes turning to Branwen.

" You have ten seconds to speak, Choiceless one. You are no better than the fallen and if you come before me without good reason, I shall end your pathetic life."

" Spare them." Branwen said simply, falling to her knees. " Spare the fallen and the lizards and this boy. They know not what they do."

" A Choiceless one begs for the lives of these demons?" the being was incredulous. " Your tricks do not work on me, girl. Remove your glamor. I wish to stare into your real eyes as you beg."

Branwen refused to think every foul thought that leapt into her head at the being's vindictive words, because she would hear them. She had no desire to be forced to do that mind meld thing with this creature, but saw no other options. Keeping her head low and staying on her knees, resisting the urge to snarl at the belittlement, she let the wiggling pressure constantly on the base of her skull slip, releasing her near permanent glamour. Her form shifted to its true nature, black hair billowing in an unseen wind, pale blue eyes slanted on her narrow, foreign face, thin lips pursed, and skin deathly pale from her lack of exposure to summer's power.

" I am impressed, Choiceless one. I assumed you to be a normal, sniveling, groveling Unseelie, but I admit I was wrong." The angelic being approached her, yanking her to her feet with a rough jerk thatn Branwen knew would bruise. " A high Sidhe shall at least stand, even if you are first among the Choiceless." The being grabbed her cheeks and forced Branwen to look her in the eye. " I am called Eve. Give up to me your truths."

At those words, Branwen physically cringed and squirmed as though she'd been burned. Her stomach sank through her feet and into the floor. This was worse than she'd thought. So much worse. But then she was drawn into the endless, emotionless expanse that was the soul of a Mother. First and best among her kind, the Seraphs, as they were called, created and protected directly by a god.

Released from the look, Branwen stumbled back, barely able to stay on her feet. She was shaking like a frightened puppy.

" You beg for the life of these... creatures?" Eve asked, snarling openly at Branwen. " Branwen of the Summer Court, would you stake the life of your Queen and Court on theirs? Know that if I am attacked again, my children will raze your home world and your people to the ground."

After seeing into the soul of this Demigod, Branwen knew that it was all true, not empty idle threats.

" You cause them no more harm and I will make sure they don't harm you. Are we agreed?" she asked.

" No, we are not." Eve responded, voice resonating threateningly. " Those who have already attacked me shall receive retribution from my creator. But if no further attacks occur, they may survive my creator's wrath."

" Agreed." Branwen said and Eve nodded.

And then, the Mindflayers showed up, surrounding the two women.

" Tsk. It is time for me to leave. Goodbye, Choiceless one. I pray you survive the next few minutes." And with a flutter of her six wings, Eve shot off... Even a Mother dared not incur the wrath of Mindflayers. Branwen did not revert to her human form, hands held up in submission and a peaceful smile on her face. She took a few steps back and kicked the new guy's shin.

" Time to make a quick and strategic exit." she muttered, before pushing out a telepathic message to her whole group, loud enough to jar anyone from sleep.

RUN! GET OUT OF THE ARCIVE!

[Crypes]

Sound asleep, Crypes saw the Stitchel, and remembered his first out of world experience. The first time he saw the world through unclouded eyes. He was eighteen, back on Pupukea hill, the path up the mountain and into the deeper forest that was more or less untouched by modern hands. He stood next to an old SUV, on the edge of a hundred foot drop. He sighed and flicked his cigarette off the edge, grey smoke trailing behind it during the drop. He walked behind the thing and put his foot on the bumper. He gave it a light push and watched pick up speed, grinning grimly as it smashed into a large tree. "Fuck you, dad." Was all he said as he dug out his stolen cellphone and called his friend.

Siting at his desk was Alex, typing computer codes at a practical sixty lines a minute. The loud music in the background nearly blocked out the sound of the phone, but he noticed it on around the fifth ring. "Hello?"

"How goes it Alex? I just trashed my dad's truck. Seemed like a good going away gift."

"Hahah! I didn't think you were going to do it! You going to go back to look at his face? Or just come over here and hide until we go out of state?"

"I think I'll just hide out. Oh yeah, that reminds me. I---Pick-----Top-----"

"Dude? Hello? You still there? Hello? Guess I lost him."

Back at the top of the trail, Crypes swore loudly and threw the phone down to shatter against the wrecked SUV. "Three miles....Three fucking miles of forest in the middle of the night, with wild pigs. I. Am going. To die out here!" He dug through his hair and gave his head a squeeze as he considered what he could do. It was tough. He was one, unarmed person in one of the most hostile natural environments in the island. If the pigs didn't get him, the guys running the nearby pot farm were likely to shoot him. They didn't take kindly to people wandering around their fields. He ran a hand through his tangled hair, only beginning to form dreadlocks as he considered the "Fuck it" option, and started the long trek to Alex's house. He jumped at nearly every moving bush, trying to avoid anything that moved. But eventually he saw a fire. Figuring that he could reason with the pot growers better than he could a pig, he started walking over. What he saw surprised him. It wasn't a fire, and there was no light anywhere to be found.

Just a lone pot plant. A red one. Not a single grower or guard to be found. "Fuck it, if I'm going to die out here, I'm going out high. Radioactive weed or not." He said, pulling out a switchblade and a pipe. Within moments he had the plant in a packable form, ready to go. He lit up, and his mind was instantly blown. He saw in colors he never knew existed. The trees bent, and a loud crunching was heard in the distance. Crypes looked to see a metal monster emerge from the trees, going as far as pushing one of the large things down with a thundering crunch. It roared and screeched, a metallic sound that was heard all through the mountain. Crypes fell back as it got closer, seeming to sniff at him. Crypes screamed as it roared and tried clawing at him, failing as the claw passed right through. It roared in rage and continued to try, Crypes gaining more and more courage as it continued to fail. He chuckled weakly, "Heheh, you can't touch me. You aren't real, are you?"

The thing continued to grunt and growl as it circled him. But he heard a voice that jarred him back to reality. "RUN! GET OUT OF THE ARCHIVE!" he heard as he turned around in the dream world. He was faced with his ex, and felt rather confused. "You aren't Branwen. You aren't even supposed to be here. I haven't met you yet."

"I'm a psychic you idiot! Now wake up!" She said, slapping him into the waking world. He literally slid along the desk from the impact.

Feeling his reddened face, he muttered to himself, "That's why we broke up." He immediately ran forward through a glass window, figuring he should follow instructions. He was immediately out on the street, looking for the others. "Guess I should feel lucky, camping where I did. Wonder how the others are going to make it out." He muttered, slowly walking away from the building. He figured there was a good reason to be elsewhere.

[John]

Proserpine continued to cry as Branwen pulled her to her feet and scolded her. She was shaking and in a state of panic, which was being made worse by Branwen’s anger at this moment. Continuing to mutter the words, “I’m sorry” over and over again, the look of panic changed to one of sheer terror as the Angel smashed though the floor of the room.

Branwen let go of Proserpine and began to plead with the angel to spare the lives of her companions. Proserpine started to move and was slowly making her way past Branwen’s flank. As she did, her eyes fell upon one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. Even from the side, Proserpine was captivated Branwen’s true form. She felt drawn to her and wanted to be closer to her. Unfortunately there was the matter of the angel.

The sight of Branwen, calmed Proserpine slightly and she stopped moving. Instead she just wacthed intently as Branwen negotiated with the angel. At times, Proserpine wanted to move to aid Branwen as she did appear to be in pain, but for now she could only wait. It didn’t take long for the two of them to come to an agreement and then the angel and Branwen were surrounded by the archivers. Proserpine felt her adrenaline start to rise, but she couldn’t move until the angel had left. Anything she did would most likely be construed as an attack and then Proserpine would most likely be killed. The angel quickly left, leaving Branwen alone in the circle of mindflayers.

Immediately, Proserpine reacted. Sending a mental message at Branwen to duck, Proserpine sent books flying off the shelves and at the archivers. The books flew around the room and gave Proserpine the distraction she needed. The mind flyers began to focus their energy at the books deflecting them and sending them hurtling off through the Archive. Proserpine sidestepped as book flew at her, and noticing the title, snatched out of the air and stuffed it in the back of her pants.

As the books continued to fly around the room, Proserpine extended her wings to their full length and wrapped them around Branwen. Pulling Branwen in close to her, Proserpine looked into Branwen’s eyes and felt like she was starting to lose herself in them Shaking it off, she looked at Branwen and smiled.

“Hang on, and hold your breath.” Proserpine’s whisper had an almost sensual sound to it as she spoke and her wings came up and she flapped them with their full force as Branwen wrapped her arm’s around Proserpine’s neck. The gust of wind created by her wings sent the mindflayers sprawling. Not waiting to see how they recovered, Proserpine instead wrapped a wing around Branwen and sent a wave of energy at the ceiling creating a large hole. Bits of concrete and plaster rained down on Proserpine and bounced of the wing which was wrapped tightly around the Sidhe. Proserpine could fee Branwen’s warmth against her and she felt strange. It was as if a feeling she didn’t now was entering her. None of the flashes of memory came with the feeling and Proserpine was a little puzzled, and feeling strangely excited.

Feeling invigorated by this new feeling Proserpine pushed herself straight up, the ceilings crashing apart ahead of her as she rode in the telekinetic wake. Proserpine moved fast and after a minute had crashed through the top of the building and cam to rest on the roof. Releasing Branwen, she stared again into the eyes. Those blue eyes. Proserpine wanted to swim in them as if they were an endless sea.

“Everything is going to be fine,” Proserpine’s voice was soft and sounded almost loving, and there was no sign of the whisper. The whisper was always there, but Proserpine wasn’t bothered by it’s absence. Something about it just felt right.

“I can allow you to see into my mind and use my power to fight the archivers from here. I assure you that no harm will come to you, though you may see some things you do not like.” Proserpine continued smiling and absently licked her lips as she gazed on the eternal beauty of the Sidhe before her.

[SikstaSlathalin]

Azzarox

He was numb to the world around him, he saw only his Queen in the sleep of the dead and his own tears. Stalkers never cry so this was new to the Monarch. He felt only deep sorrow no other feeling, a Stalker Soul bond is unbreakable no force anywhere can cease it after a Stalker has bonded with another. They feel each other even in death, a Fearstalker that has lost a mate is dangerous even by Stalker standards. They lose the instinct of self preservation, they'll go after a God in this state. They become ticking time bombs, luckily the King wasn't at this point. His mate still lived which meant he had to be here when she wakes up. Using more of his limited power he sends her back to the Scaren village he knows she'll be safe and protected there. He remained on the ground slowly coming back to himself the pain of the Angel being close by was just a buzzing to the one-armed King. The pain stopped and he heard the Sidhe's message. He came fully back to himself and gazed around the old men were coming after them. He knew these creatures are tough but worry never crossed his mind. He saw only enemies between him and his Queen.


With a deep growl his eyes return to their old malice and hate he takes a deep breath taking in the fear in the air from the recent event. It was enough to give him enough power to fight. The first creature tried to send a mind blast to the King but Stalkers were one of the original mind killers. He snarls sending a mental pulse at the creature flooring it the surprise of a creature actually repelling it's attack probably did most of the work. But Azzarox never looked a gift horse in the mouth. Starting to a run he blasted Archivers and barreled over any that got in his way. He didn't care about killing them right now he'll do that when he's at full power. Right now he just wanted to get out to plan his next course of action. He was almost at the door when a Archiveer larger then the rest stepped in his path. He sent an even more powerful mental blast at the King and it actually dropped him but not of long survival was coursing through his veins letting out a deep roar he powers up his black orbs and makes to rip through the Archiver a twinge of fear crosses it's face but with a devious smile Azzarxo slams his fist into the ground and leaps over the Archiver his tail just grazing the top of it's bald head. Doubling his speed he bolts the the Archive building.

[Kirra]

Yuchi

After Pike leaped over the railing everything went like a blur. She ran to the railing and watched as he fought with the angel. Yuchi's remembered from the book she 'read' that angels where creatures of good. Then why was it attacking her friends?

As the two exchanged blows Yuchi kept feeling like she was going to fall. What kind of power did these two things have that it could send shock waves like this. Then Branwen was in front of the angel and started begging to it. Why would she need to beg? Yuchi was to confused to think.

As she watched from her elevated spot, Yuchi couldn't help but feel useless. Then something worse happened. The library elders started to surrond her friends. She froze and feared for their lives. The dark winged girl grabbed Branwen and flew into the air. But Pike and the others where left down there.

While wondering what to do Yuchi felt a sharp pain at her head. No, it was in her head. One of the creatures had cornered her. She was scared and didn't know what to do. The pain in her head became to much and Yuchi fell over the railing plummeting to the ground.

Pike

Pike was quickly alone and surrounded by disgusting creatures. He started to feel pains in his mind. It felt similar to Yuchi's thoughts only highly aggressive. This didn't faze him at first but as the attacks kept coming Pike started to get pissed off.

He had to stop them, and his first thought was what he went with. With all the air he could muster, Pike let loose a blood curdling roar that even the strongest creatures would feel pained from. As he let loose this verbal attack he threw his head upward and saw Yuchi falling from the sky.

Pike charged at one of the colloms and launched himself off in her direction. After catching her in his arms, Pike landed on the floor. he made sure to land in a way that would force the shock of landing only in his legs to prevent it from hurting her. 'That is gonna hurt a bit.' Pike sat Yuchi on his shoulders and thought to her hold on. He then charged through the floor grabbing the metal man and the smelly human and bolted out the door.

[Govannon]

"There really isn't any way I'm going to live this down" Eldwin thought to himself sadly. "The first fight I get into is the supernatural equivalent of a bar brawl, where I got cold-cocked by some squid-thing, so we can count that as a loss. Then I go and in my second fight, I get taken out before I even know what's going on, thrown into an Angel, thrown into a wall, thrown onto to the shoulder of the linebacker from hell and carted out of the building. So that's 2-0. Maybe I could get a sneak attack in on the lizards..." It was at this point that Eldwin caught a glimpse of the fearstalkers over his rescuers shoulder. "Or perhaps that would be considered in bad taste after today..."

The archive building was now behind them, although the howls of mindflayers still echoed from within. He may have gotten taken out in the 'fight' with the angel, but at the very least he could do something useful here even if it wasn't really direct combat. Eldwin slipped off of his new teammate's shoulder muttering "thanks for the ride" as he did.

Run C :\Program Files\Hidden\Tools of the Trade\ Library.exe
********
Welcome to the Sitchel Public Archives site. We boast a full online catalogue of all books, treatises and other texts or media contained within the library. What would you like to do?
********
"Login, executive user
Username: Buffalo
Password: Buffalo"
*********
Authorization recognized, welcome commander. What would you like to do?
**********
"Retarget security system to archiver bio-signature."
**********
Confirmed and implemented. Awaiting next instruction.
**********
"Activate all security systems."
**********
Confirmed and implemented. Awaiting next instruction.
**********
"Erase login records and logout."
**********
Goodbye.


Eldwin smiled with no small amount of self satisfaction as he heard the various defences in place in the library turned themselves on and targeted what he could only presume were their former masters. It should help those still remaining within the building no small amount. "Seriously though," Eldwin said to himself, "it's just a crime to build a system like this, and then hand it over to a group of technophobic psychics that don't do anything with it but let it fall into disrepair. Their loss I suppose."

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen blinked at Proserpine, somewhere between terror, relief, nausea, and unbridled disgust at herself for being belittled by that Demigod. She wasn't exactly sure how she'd gotten on the roof, but her sense of vertigo told her it had something to do with Proserpine's flying. She was over four hundred stories in the air, and she wasn't a fan of heights.

The security feed screen, still spread across her eye, flickered as her charges fled the building... she watched as someone, who she knew must have been Eldwin, changed the security settings to attack the Archivers.

But it wasn't going to be that easy, of course. The Archivers, using blasts of telekinetic energy or something like that, were popping through the hole in the ceiling, escaping the blasts of the Archive's own security system. She knew that the blasts would not kill any of the Archivers, but it would distract them. And now, Proserpine was all glares and bristles, ready to fight.

So far, they'd avoided doing anything but defending themselves and each other. That would hold up under scrutiny, but the Archivers worked for the Elder's and to harm one of them would not hold up well at all.

She needed a distraction. Geru was still unaccounted for, but she had to trust him to get out on his own... Eldwin had given him a clear distraction. And the bulk of the Archivers were coming to the roof. She couldn't let Proserpine fight them, and there was no where to run.

Except...

As soon as the idea occurred to her, she shot to the left in a dead sprint, straight for the edge of the roof.

" Oh sweet Queen Aurora I am absolutely insane!" she screamed as she ran, the edge of the roof racing towards her.

With the sound of wind in her ears and the heat of the Fire Verse on her cheeks, she flung herself clear of the roof of the Archive, squeezing her eyes shut so as not to see the street, rapidly rising to meet her.

She didn't notice that it began to rain marbles.

[John]

Proserpine watched as the mindflayers ascended through the hole in the roof of the Archives. Turning to face them, she prepared for the onslaught to come, when something totally unforeseen happened; Branwen ran of the roof. Proserpine felt a tinge of panic leapt into the air, blasting back the mind flayers with gust of wind created by her wings.

Proserpine flew as fast as she could over the edge of the building and sped towards Branwen who was freefalling to the street below. It was in this moment that Proserpine realized that even though Branwen had wings, they did nothing to help her in the air. Proserpine’s panic started to increase as she realized that Branwen was angling towards the building, and would hit it long before the time she reached the street. Proserpine moved as close as she could to the building , and used her hands to gain more speed using the building for leverage. Her hands started to bleed and the skin was flayed from them by the concrete wall as she gained speed, flying faster than she had ever done before. Just as Branwen was about to hit the wall, Proserpine caught up and grabbed her out of the air. Pulling her in close, Proserpine held her tight and as the Sidhe wrapped her arms around Proserpine’s neck, they descended to a roof top that was out of the rain of marbles.

As soon as they landed, Branwen released Proserpine and stared at her with a look of concern. Branwen did appear to be shaken, and a feeling of worry filled with relief flowed through the demoness. She continued to look into the eyes of Branwen, when the Sidhe wrapped her arms around Proserpine and kissed her on the lips. It was a deep kiss and Proserpine felt herself start to quiver. As Branwen pulled away, she kept her forehead pressed against Proserpine’s, and stared into her eyes.

Proserpine held Branwen’s head in her hands, staring into the hypnotic blue eyes of the Sidhe. Proserpine was breathing heavily and trembling. The new feeling continued to rage in her and she saw flashes of memory. Images of pain and death. Of sex and blood. They were images of a demon’s lust and this was not what she was feeling. Caressing Branwen’s cheek, Proserpine finally identified the feeling. It was something she had never felt before, but she knew she needed to explore it. It was a feeling of passion, and it was intense. It was consuming every fibre of Proserpine and her eyes raged with all the colours of the spectrum.

I..I…” Proserpine leaned in and pressed her lips against Branwen’s. Her hands moved to the Sidhe’s back and she caressed and held her tightly. As Proserpine probed Branwen’s mouth with her tongue. She wrapped her wings around the source of her passion and started to float upwards. As the two embraced, their legs intertwined and they floated into the sky.

When Proserpine finally pulled away, she noticed the look of surprise as Branwen realized they were in the air, hundreds of feet above the building, and continuing to rise higher. Proserpine smiled and held Branwen close to her. Branwen was warm against her and Proserpine didn’t ever want to let go.

“You are safe with me.” Proserpine spoke the words and the whisper was absent. Instead it was replaced by the sound of longing and passion. Proserpine’s words were like the song of an angelic choir. Floating higher and higher she continued to hold Branwen tightly

After a few minutes, though Proserpine couldn’t tell for sure, She had become lost in them moment and time no longer held any meaning for her. Their vision was obscured as they passed through a cloud and once they were through, they stopped rising and Proserpine stood on the cloud. Branwen held on tighter and Proserpine looked into the eyes for a moment. Now rods were necessary for her to tell Branwen that she was safe and she lt go of her.

Branwen looked a little surprised as she stood on the cloud without falling through. Proserpine held her hand and continued to smile.

“You won’t fall,” Proserpine leaned in and whispered the words. Her sensual voice filled Branwen’s ears and Proserpine started to breathe on Branwen’s neck, inhaling the soft scent of the one she wanted. Kissing her neck, Proserpine could feel Branwen tremble with anticipation..
“I can be for you.” Proserpine’s voice was filled with desire. “And only you. I can be whoever you want. I can be with you in your dreams, and I will protect you until the end of time.” Proserpine continued to smile and ran her nails gently up Branwen’s arm.

“I have…” Proserpine looked away from Branwen feeling a little ashamed. “Feelings for you. I have never felt anything like this before.

[Kirra]

Pike & Yuchi

After leaving the Achieves, Pike came to a stop and sat down his companions. As Pike turned around he saw weapons firing at the creatures who attacked him. He was surprised that their own weapons would turn on them. Then he looked down at the metal man who had a smile on his face. 'Could he have done that?' Pike was truly impressed.

As Yuchi was sat on the ground she was still a bit shook up. She leaned on Pike for support. Her only thought was, "Could someone explain what just happened?" She looked around at her comrades. Her look turned to terror when she noticed some where missing. "Wait where are the others?" She grabbed Pike's arm and held tight wondering if Branwen and the dark winged girl was ok.

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen blinked slowly, still half amazed to be alive, never mind passionate kisses from a very attractive demoness.

She wasn't sure how to respond to Proserpine's confession. After all, she'd only know the demoness a day.

But it stirred that old, raging longing deep within her, the kind unique to Sidhe, to know carnal pleasures and share them. Still in her true form, her eyes were glazed with her growing lust. Anything resembling coherent thought was pushed aside.

Until she looked down and remembered she was standing on a cloud.

With a surprised yelp, she shot back to Proserpine, clinging to her. She also slipped back into her human form out of sheer force of habit.

" Okay." Branwen muttered, calming herself. " I don't like heights." she continued, looking back up at Proserpine's passionate eyes, which still stirred her own desire. " Oh, by the Queen..." she moaned lightly. Now was not the time to want to jump the demoness and make long passionate love to her. " Yes, Proserpine, I would like you as a lover, but first I need to get back the ground... oh my... and find the others... and we need to get back to Conant Hall." She inhaled deeply and released it to steady herself. " And we can... talk... about this further there."

She clung to Proserpine like a frightened child on the whole flight down, and her legs were shaking as she was finally deposited on the ground near the rest of the group. She was pleased to find them all there.

From there, she hustled everyone on a bus, half to shelter them from the colorful and yet painful marble rain. This time the bus was a converted yellow submarine, the inside of which had shag carpet and bean bags.

The marble rain was driving heavily when they arrived back to Conant Hall, forcing everyone to sprint for the door and crowd in all at once. Once there, Branwen felt like she was going to collapse at any moment.

" I don't care what you do here, but if anyone leaves the Hall, I will personally hunt you down and beat you to death with your own arm, or whatever appendage correlates. I hope I've made that clear. I need to go deal with this now." And with that she stormed up the stairs to her room, slamming the door behind her.

Her first order of business was to contact the Guild. She had to report what had happened in the Archive and the sooner she did, the more likely they were to believe her when she said her group was attacked first. As soon as the message was transmitted, she received a response from Dispatch. The Fearstalkers were now under the care of the Scarens, and the Guild backed her fully

Her stomach sank at those words. The Guild was owned by the Church, and the Church promoted prayer to Sitchel, and prayer to Sitchel was destroying it. Her only chance at ever going home was to stop all prayer to Sitchel, which meant destroying the very foundation of the Church. It was all tangled and horrible in her head and she fell backward onto her bed with a groan.

She had a fantastic headache.

She felt, rather than heard, Proserpine enter her room. She didn't open her eyes. And when she felt lips on hers, she gave up resisting.

[John]

Proserpine lay on the bed and held Branwen in her arms. The experience of the last few hours had left her feeling invigorated. Proserpine ran her finger through Branwen’s silky hair and continued to feel the passion burn inside her. She had not been fully prepared for what she would do under passion’s influence. And judging by how exhausted the now smiling Branwen appeared to be, neither did she.

From the moment their lips touched, Proserpine’s passion exploded through her More than anything, this was what she wanted. In this moment, the thoughts of returning home had left her. Proserpine was consumed by the passion and it drove every move she made.

Proserpine and Branwen’s tongues entwined as they embraced on the bed. They kissed passionately and felt every inch of each other, their hands probing and caressing. They responded to each other with a the familiar knowledge of lovers who had been together for an eternity.

Proserpine moved her lips and began to kiss Branwen’s neck. As she flicked her tongue and her teeth brushed against the skin, Branwen moaned and her body started to writhe as her ecstasy rose. Pulling away, Proserpine gazed into Branwen’s eyes and smiled, her eyes ablaze with fire and light.

“I want you as you truly are,” Proserpine spoke the words and the whisper was replaced by an echoing of her voice. It was melodious and the sound vibrated through the very soul of Branwen. Changing to her true form, Branwen smiled up at Proserpine and moved her mouth as if to say something. Proserpine brought a finger to her lips and made a soft shushing noise. Straddling the Sidhe, Proserpine moved the finger playfully, tracing the red lips of Branwen. The Sidhe nipped at the finger playfully and Proserpine started to quiver again. Pulling her finger away. Proserpine’s nail grew slightly and she ran it down the front of Branwen’s shirt, cutting it open and tickling the skin ever so lightly. Branwen bucked her hips into Proserpine’s pelvis and she felt an intense wave of pleasure wash over her. Proserpine purred with delight and, removing her shirt, embrace Branwen, and continued to remove her clothes, their lips locked in a timeless embrace.

As they lay entwined, locked together in the throes of passion, their minds linked; each able to see into the very heart and essence of the other. As their bodies moved in unison, so did their minds. And although the pleasure that Branwen’s body was feeling, it was nothing compared to what was happening inside her head. The two fell through the dreamscape which had been created by their passion, and they enjoyed every pleasure the other had to offer. As the two became as one, the room began to shake and they collapsed together , each still trembling from the act.

Now they lay together, pressed against each other. Branwen had a relaxed and sated look on her face, but Proserpine was enjoying the warmth of Branwen and couldn’t help project what she was thinking and feeling. She wanted more. Branwen moaned and Proserpine could hear the fatigue and continued to hold the Sidhe close.

Reaching out with her mind, Proserpine moved the book she had stolen form the archives, from the pile of clothng on the floor and into her hand. Opening it she quickly scanned through it until she found the passage she was looking for. Looking down at Branwen, she began to read aloud.

“The waies, through which my weary steps I guyde,
In this delightfull land of Faery,
Are so exceeding spacious and wyde,
And sprinckled with such sweet variety,
Of all that pleasant is to eare or eye,
That I nigh rauisht with rare thoughts delight,
My tedious trauell doe forget thereby;
And when I gin to feele decay of might,
It strength to me supplies, & chears my dulled spright”

Branwen sighed and snuggled closer to Proserpine. Proserpine wrapped a wing around her and held her as Branwen drifted off into a deep sleep.

[Kirra]

Yuchi

After the incident at the archives, Yuchi felt tired. Completely unsure on how she knew this, Yuchi knew she had never in her life had she seen such amazing powers and horrible destruction. The entire bus ride she had driffted in and out of consciousness. She felt bad about it, but leaned on Pike the whole time. The warmth of his massive body made her feel safe from all of the craziness around her.

Once they arrived at the Conant Hall, Yuchi was so tired she could barely move. She looked to Branwen for advice on where she should sleep, but the guide seemed distracted, and tired, herself. As the guide left them she noticed that the other girl followed. She couldn't seem to find a reason why.

Yuchi decided it would be best to follow them and ask where she should sleep but was stopped by a large hand on her shoulder. It was Pike. He simply shook his head no and lead Yuchi to a room marked with small white wings. The door opened with ease and Pike started to softly push her in.

Yuchi was scared still and didn't want to be alone. She grabbed onto Pike's arm and thought, 'Please stay with me. At least until I fall asleep.' Pike merely nodded and followed her in. The small girl didn't have the energy to look around and appreciate her humble abode. Her body wanted to simply shut down.

She started to wobble as she walked across the room. Pike picked her up in one of his large warm arms and walked over to the bed. Yuchi could barely keep her eyes open as she watched him pull the sheets away and sat her down on the soft bed. As Pike pulled the sheets over her, Yuchi grabbed for a few of his fingers and gripped them in her tiny hand.

It was only moments until Yuchi's body couldn't stay up anymore. She drifted into slumber thanks to the occasional gentle rubbing on her forehead.

Pike

As Branwen and the dark winged girl walked up stairs together, Pike could feel the level of heat and passion that was poring off their bodies. It took all he could not to rip the two apart and take Branwen with him. But he had another responsibility first.

Yuchi was leaning on him the entire time. Pike could tell she was about to fall over. He found it odd that she started to follow the two girls. She must have no clue what they where feeling. Pike held her back and led her to the room that, from what Pike noticed from the others who went to bed, was marked for the small winged girl.

After he left Yuchi to her bed, Pike decided he would go after Branwen. But Yuchi had other plans. 'Please stay with me. At least until I fall asleep.' The words where that of a frightened child. Pike couldn't turn her down.

As the small girl was falling into slumber, Pike couldn't help but gently caress her forehead the way his mother use to do for him. Even the way she griped his fingers reminded him of one of his only memories. It was only a few minutes before the small girl breathing slowed and evened. Her grip went limp and her heart slowed down. She was completely out.

Pike quietly left the room and headed up the stairs. His body told him to burst through the room and take Branwen for himself. But the scent in the air and the silence of the room, told him not to. Pike decided it would be better to wait for her outside of her room. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, trying to rest his body a bit before Branwen came out. He couldn't help but clinch the hand that collided with hammer. The bones only now completely resetting.

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen awoke with a start, feeling warm, comfortable, and slightly sticky. She shot out of bed, still not recovered fully from the dream she'd been having.

So many bodies... so much blood...

She found herself naked, being eyed by a similarly clothed Proserpine.

And the memories came rushing back, staining her neck and cheeks a dark red. Words suddenly became unnecessary, though. She could still feel the demoness in her mind. Sighing, she expressed her intent to take a quick shower, turning for her bathroom.

She should have known Proserpine would follow.

After a not so quick shower, she dressed in some old jeans and a torn tee shirt, hair dangling loose and wet. She was still hopping on one foot, trying to get her shoes on, as she went through her door...

Where she promptly crashed face first into the larger of her new charges.

" Oh, sorry... right, you can't understand me." She smacked her own forehead, ignoring the sudden sense of a large male in very close proximity to her, and the fact that her natural instincts were still in overdrive... She grabbed his forearm, making it easier to let him hear her thoughts, but also making it hard for her to keep him from her emotions.

Sorry. Didn't mean to run into you. But follow me, we're going to make it so you can understand everyone.

It took a few minutes for her to work up and down the hall and cafeteria, letting her scattered charges know she was going out to get a translation spell for the big guy and they could come if they wanted.

From there, she headed out of Conant hall, catching a floating trolley to the edge of Sector 3. Normally, should would have been explaining how to navigate Sitchel, but she was tired and Section 16, where she was leading them, was a dangerous place to be.

" Alright," she started, echoing her words telepathically for the big guys benefit. " I know I've said this before, but this is a rough side of town, so it goes doubly so. Don't touch anything or anyone, and keep close... There are things in this side of town I don't even want to see, never mind fight."

Section 18 was dark and slummy. It had the same random mishmash of architecture as the rest of Sitchel, just in a bad state of disrepair, and most of the street lights were out. Every street was lined with scantily clad women and a few men, glowing red signs, all showing the same sign - XXX. The universal sign in Sitchel for sex. Prostitutes, strip shows, bordellos, cabarets, whorehouses, sex clubs, and anything else imaginable.

Ducking her head low to keep her face out of sight, Branwen charged down a narrow street, ducking past streetwalkers who didn't bother her, but were more than willing to harass her male charges. They came in every race and color and number of appendages, and they were bold. There was no one to stop them and they had a living to earn.

Finally, they reached the trashed, hole-in-the wall store, and she ducked into it gratefully, heart pounding. Heat was pooling uncomfortably in her belly and the smell of sex was thick in her nose. Desperate for a distraction, lest she do something rash, she charged the aged counter and rang the ancient bell on it.

" Miracle worker, you piece of shit!" she yelled, watching as the teetering old man came up to the counter.

" Why do you always make such a fuss, you silly girl? A hundred years I've see you come and go, and always with the fuss!" his voice was high and nasally. " What do you want with Miracle Max now?"

" This one." she said, grabbing the big guy and pulling him to the counter. " New arrival. He's a regenerator, his body is rejecting the translator microbes. I need a translator spell."

" Translator spells are tricky business... It'll cost you and I don't deal with the Guild, not since that peanut fiasco, you remember-"

" I have currency." Branwen interrupted, waving a card under the old man's massive nose. The old man smiled at her.

" Now we're talkin'." he snatched the card, scurrying to the back. There was a flutter of voices, including a high "Inconceivable!"

After a long moment, Miracle Max appeared again with a beaker in his hand, foam overflowing from it. He marched up to the big guy and shoved it into his hand.

" Well, tell him to drink it!" he told Branwen impatiently. Branwen relayed the message telepathically, and watched the big guy take it in one massive swallow. He made a face at the taste, but Miracle Max spoke before Branwen could.

" What's your name, kid?"

[John]

Proserpine was learning one thing about the new feeling of passion. She was insatiable. After Branwen awoke, Proserpine followed her into the shower and spent even more time pleasuring the source of her passion. She really enjoyed the feeling of it, and although there was no love behind it, she felt closer to the Sidhe.

As Branwen dressed, Proserpine folded her clothes and placed them on a chair in the room. Sh had grown tired of the look, and now that she was able to remember an ability that she had, she could look however she wanted. But what truly interested her, was how Branwen would want her to look. Proserpine considered probing the Sidhe’s mind for answers, but deciding that this probably wouldn’t be the best idea for her to do, she instead decide to take a little initiative and come up with something on her own.

Plroserpin’s appearance alters. Her porcelain skin was instantly covered. On her torso was a black tee shirt which hugged her form, accentuating her breasts. She wore skin tight black jeans that were complimented by the leather boots she wore which came up to her knees.

As the two exited the room, Branwen ran right into Pike, who appeared to have been waiting for her. Branwen began talking to him telepathically and Proserpine glared at Pike. Proserpine could sense what he wanted, but also observed that the injuries he had sustained in the fight with the angel had now healed. Her voice shot into Pike’s mind as sounded as a demon form the pits of hell growling at him. To be honest, Proserpine didn’t know why the thought of this teenager with Branwen bothered her so much. She didn’t love Branwen, that was true. And she had no worries that this “dog” could satisfy Branwen more than she could. But for some reason Proserpine was feeling a little jealous.

Proserpine ignored her surroundings and focused on Pike throughout the entire journey. She watched his every move and waited for him to try something. She hoped that the growling in his head would get her point across. But she doubted this. She could sense the mating instinct coming from him, and he was young, it was more likely that he would think with his privates and not his head.

Inside the Miracle Max’s store, Proserpine still ignored most of the conversation, keeping her eye on Pike. She was trying to ignore him but still couldn’t understand why all this bothered her so much Proserpine had had many partners throughout her existence, and she had no doubt that the same held true for Branwen. She needed to talk to Branwen, and although she could speak into the Sidhe’s mind, she would have to wait, as Proserpine wanted to do it with her voice in private.

[Kirra]

Pike

It was a few hours before Branwen awoke in her room. Pike waited and listened as she cleaned and clothed her self. Pike heard her move to the door and got up off the wall. The second set of foot steps didn't go unnoticed. As Branwen hopped through the door and crashed her face into Pike's chest. The girl, he had now learned was named Proserpine gave him a devious glare.

Pike helped the woman balanced her self and pretended not to be annoyed when she spoke out loud to him. He smirked a little at the demon girl as he helped Branwen. Then Branwen grabbed his arm. Pike felt surge of passion running through the two of them that was being held down by will alone. But then he got a message 'Sorry. Didn't mean to run into you. But follow me, we're going to make it so you can understand everyone.'

Pike wasn't surprised that someone besides Yuchi was able to talk this way. What did surprise him was the voice that entered his head. It was amazing. More beautiful than her normal voice. It reminded her again of the power he always felt behind Yuchi's mental words. He almost pulled her into his arms at that moment. But instead he let her go and decided to follow her. Before leaving the hall Pike had thought about waking Yuchi. But in the end, he decided she would be safer sleeping in bed.

As they left the hall, Pike noticed the vast world around him. He kept taking in new scents and visuals. But his focus never drifted far from his guide. Even the mental daggers that the Proserpine kept trying to hit him with didn't bother him. Each time she tried to deliver a message into his mind, Pike would think 'GET OUT!' He wasn't sure if it worked the same as Yuchi, but hoped she heard the message.

The world around him was filled with the strangest of creatures. Pike even noticed a group of small woodland critters in red garbs that sat around a tree with a upside down star on the top. Pike really didn't like them. As they traveled further down, Pike noticed a large number of buildings with three X marks on it. He didn't know what it stood for, but he could smell the scent of sweat and passion. A younger Crytim would have charged in after the scent. But Pike had another in his mind.

One of the, female he guessed, creatures stopped Pike and started speaking to him. It was getting to the point that he wanted to beat the next person who spoke to him. He motioned the woman aside, even pushing her when she didn't leave, and caught back up to the woman he wanted to chase.

Finally they reached a building, that even for a place like this, had seen better days. The smell of passion had even infested the inside of this place. Branwen walked up to the counter and rang and old looking bell. Apparently it did nothing as she started to yell across the room.

Apparently that worked. A small man appeared and started to talk with Branwen. Even if Pike couldn't understand the words, he knew he hated this guys voice. Branwen pulled the confused Crytim to the counter and started motioning towards him. After a few moments of talking, and the guide handing over a piece of hard square parchment, the man left the room.

Minutes latter the old man returned with a thin glass filled with a putrid smelling liquid. He shoved it into Pike's hands and said something to Branwen. 'Please drink this.' Pike quickly swallowed the vile. It was a vile as it smelled. His head felt woozy and sounds started changing around him. Was he poisoned?

"What's your name, kid?" Pike grabbed the old man and lifted him off the ground. He couldn't help but shout, even though he knew no one would understand. "You try to poison Pike of the Crytim you pathetic old man. I ought to rip you limb from limb." The old man merely smiled at him and then he heard. "So it did work. But sunny, if it's limbs you wanna rip. Why don't you go get that witch that is haunting my back room."

Pike was stunned. For a moment he couldn't even think. He sat the man down on his feet and apologized for the rough treatment. "Sorry, I didn't know. What the hell did you do to me?" He turned to Branwen and saw the smile on her face. Could she understand him to. Pike glanced at Proserpine and saw her amazed, but annoyed expression. "So it is tr...' Pike's words where finished with a ganging sound that he couldn't hold back. The old man walked up to him and sat his hand on Pike's shoulder.

"Well I should have warned you, try not to talk to much before the magic takes it's full effect. I would say about half a hour and you should do it." Pike was annoyed once again. It didn't last long however. Pike cleared his throat and managed to squeeze out, "Thanks old man. I hope I didn't hurt you." The old man laughed a bit and walked over to Branwen. "I never worked so little."

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen rolled her eyes at the old man, holding out her hand.

" Give me my card back, you old scheister." she demanded, snatching the card when he reluctantly offered it. " And whatever outrageous charge you put on there better be the only one." she threatened, and the old man did his best to shrug and look innocent. When she turned around, though, she found Proserpine attempting to glare daggers down Pike's throat, and Pike returning the sentiment. Confused as to what may have set them off, she squirmed her way in between them, feeling fairly dwarfed. Undeterred, she led them out of the small, dingy shop.

" Okay, you two. Let's get back the Hall. I'm sure it's in some kind of-" Branwen was unable to finish her sentence, as she was at that moment tackled by what appeared to be a blur.

Finding herself on her back, she blinked up into a familiar feline face, with tan fur, an upturned nose, bright green eyes, and bright red hair. The catgirl sat on Branwen's waist, tail flicking and ears twitching playfully.

" Bran!" the catgirl giggled, hugging Branwen tightly.

" Vee..." Branwen muttered, part shocked, part horrified, and just a bit pleased.

" How's it going, Bran? We missed you back at the Lounge! I heard you got a job as a guide, what's up with that? How have you been? Did you miss me?" Vee shot off, in her trademark rapid fire manner. Branwen sat up, dumping the smaller girl on the ground. Vee was unconcerned, bouncing back to her feet with a friendly grin at Proserpine.

" Hey, Vee!" a shout came from across the street. " Phay says you need to go look in on Lily down on Broadway!"

Vee jumped up and down in her place, waving at the young man who'd shouted at her.

" Yeah, okay!" she called back, then turned back to Branwen. " You should come along, Phay would love to see you! She still says no one could work a corner half as well as-"

" Yeah, no, sorry, Vee." Branwen interrupted. " I'm on the job." she gestured to Proserpine and Pike. Vee regarded them both grinning.

" Hey, he looks like Aerin." she said, bouncing up and down again. " Okay, that's cool, though. Things have been all wonky since that ship showed up in the middle of the Lounge and-"

" Wait, what ship?" Branwen interrupted again. That was often the only way to get anywhere in a conversation with Vee.

" Oh, some crazy space ship looking thing just appear yesterday in the Lounge! Right over the main stage too. Crazy, huh?"

" You know what, I think I would like to see the Lounge again."

A few hours later, Branwen was standing in the middle of the Lounge in between Sedi and Pherdel, staring at the ship lodged in the ceiling over the main stage. The nose of the ship was angled downward and hard more or less destroyed the three strip poles on the stage.

" The guys the Elders sent say it was an absorption, but not like any other they've seen." Branwen turned to the voice behind her, and smiled at the tall, pale woman in a Chinese-styled silk dress, with long straight black hair and dark green eyes.

" Yeah. Looks that way." She agreed.

" Hello, Branwen."

" Hi, Phay." Branwen's smile was brittle. " I've called the Guild's lawyers. That ship belongs to these two." she gestured to Pherdel and Sedi. " They'll be filing an extraction suit today, and I assume you'll be wanting to settle?"

" Yes, I would like this dealt with as soon as possible." Phay agreed, nodding. Then she smiled, an eerie, devious grin. " Not doing bad for yourself, are you?"

Branwen ignored the question with a wave. " See you later, Phay!" And with that, she led her group out of the Lounge with its XXX signs, making her way back to Conant Hall.

[Pope Jako III]

Buck was walking down the slums with the group he was of course not really that concerned with any of the threats around though he probably should have been. Guess I’ve been immortal for too long mate, ya know when ya don’t even start to look and just assume nothing can kill ya. He thought but still after seeing that little lounge, as Branwen & the snack had called it, he had to start assuming that the creatures around here carried all sorts of anti-monster weapons, seeing how heavily armed the Snack was just told him there was more than meets the eye with that group.

Back on earth the rounds he carried in his revolver could kill anything, but here he was just not sure. And what was that woman in the lounge? Buck knew he had smelt something like her before. But it was hard to place, someone he had met when he and De had been traveling. Buck suddenly had a spark of insight. He hurried and caught up to Branwen at the front. “Oi, ‘airy fairy, than woman in the strip club, it was a doppelganger wasn’t it?”

[Security of Mem]

Pherdel and Sedi couldn't believe their eyes. They seemed to widen in an almost cartoonish glee. Both were so estatic they were barely hearing the conversation between Branwen and the people.
"Thank you so much for not removing our ship," Sedi said.
"I missed this ship," Pherdel said.
"I think I may want to embrace our ship with love," Sedi said.
"I'd do the same," Pherdel said, "But I best avoid it."
"This is our baby," Sedi said.
"That it is, but shouldn't we wait for them to remove it out of the middle of their building?"
"But..."
"You're right, let's just go tell it...it won't be alone for long,"
Pherdel and Sedi had set their minds to do what they had to do. They gave each other the head nod and set off like that of an army. They looked almost ridiculous with such a serious face with their minds set on such a frivolous task. The woman behind one of the desk got up.
"I um wouldn't..." she began, but never finished.
They had already embarked up the stairs.

It seemed like someone had set up the stairs for a serious workout. They were finally on the second floor. It seemed like a normal office building plain walls, little decorative plants. And a few squabbling, angry woman staring at part of a ship.
In full glory the ship would have looked like that of a model of the atom they taught in school. With rotating disked wings with translucent connectors between each rotating circular disk. The cubby bit in the middle was that of a shape of almost a sports car. It would be metallic chrome and looked sleek and shiny. About four people could fit in there and only 200 pounds of could be carried.

Sedi and Pherdel almost felt like proud parents who found their lost son. They slowly edged closer and close to the ship. Till the woman stared at them with gleaming eyes. Sedi and Pherdel smiled.
"Is this yours?" the woman shrieked all together.
"Er...yes," Sedi said.
"Um, I apologize if we interrupted you...."

It almost seemed odd what the woman did next. They bent down and grabbed their high heeled pumps and ran for Sedi and Pherdel. They went around the parked in building ship being battered by shoes. The woman would pick up whatever shoe had been thrown whether or not it had been their shoe or not.
If they got close they would wack Sedi or Pherdel with the shoe. Around the ship, in the office spaces, down some stairs, turn around back up the stairs. Tried to get close to the ship. Behind some rubble. And then down the stairs running around the secetary desk and then around the waiting room chairs. Back upstairs and back around the ship. In and out of the woman's office and back in front of the ship.
The woman put back on their shoes. Fixed their now less professional hair and stared at the Sedi and Pherdel.
They took their time buttoning their suits, wiping dirt off.
"What are you waiting for?" asked woman.
"We told you to go," said another.
"We have important business to attend," said the woman.

And with that done Sedi and Pherdel walked down the stairs. Their hearts broken and their faces, heads, and legs bruised from the butcher of shoes. They sighed heavily and began to make their way back to the Branwen and the others.

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen resisted the urge to spin on Buck and give her a defensive glare. Instead, she fought to keep herself calm and easygoing.

" I really wouldn't know, Buck." she answered conversationally. " We're not close." Of course, no one was close to Phay.

As Sedi and Pherdel approached, looking a little worse for the wear, Branwen offered them an encouraging smile.

" That probably wasn't the best idea. Those girls get irritable when someone interrupts work." she said, patting them both on the shoulder. " But don't worry. There will be an extraction team on the job tomorrow, and we'll get estimates on how long it will take. But for now, let's get back to the Hall. I'm sure the others are up to mischief and mayhem."

The walk back to the Hall was muted. Branwen felt sick. Being back in the Lounge was unpleasant to say the least, and she was still exhausted from the day's events. And she needed to think, which was impossible to do lately. Her stomach was constantly twisting itself into molten pools of excitement, and she blamed Proserpine for it. And worse, she couldn't seem to go near Pike without wanting to melt in a useless pile of goo.

This was shaping up the be the strangest group she'd ever guided.

As Branwen led her group back to the hall, she took a deep, steadying breath before opening the door.

" The Queen alone knows what kind of crazy is going on in there." she muttered out loud.

[Pope Jako III]

Buck had been a little startled by the Sedhi’s venom. While there were no apparent signs of hostilities his nose could smell the hormone change for hostility, plus his eye patch made it so she couldn’t disguise it with glamour. Huh guess I hit a nerve with this one mate. And what’s that smell on her? Smells like… No! no way, with the demon bird, HAHA! You got some strange appetites mate?

As the group made their way back to the hall Buck suddenly had his second moment of insight for the day “Oi ‘airy fairy is there a way to track something by a magic signature? like you know find all the items that have say… the ability to block mind affecting abilities?”

[Kirra]

Pike

After the group had left the magic man's home, they headed to where Pherdel's ship was. Pike decided to use this time to check on the small girl this planet told him to protect. He walked over to Branwen and grabbed her arm. Pike could instantly feel her desires. It was hard to move for almost and instant. He composed himself and relayed his message in the way he knew she would be able to hear. 'I think I should go check on Yuchi. She might wake soon, and I don't know if leaving her unprotected is a good idea. I don't think she could protect herself even in her world. We should talk when you get back.' He forced himself to release his soft grip on the woman he pined for and headed back to the hall.

It took a lot of concentration to keep Pike going the right way. The smells, both good and bad, kept distracting him. He had to keep his nose on the trail to make it back. Pike was truly discussed by the acts he saw around him. People exchanging money for pleasure in public, people holding weapons on others. Even people taking things out of the pockets of others. Luckily for Pike, he had no pockets, or stuff to steal.

He tried his best to ignore all the sounds and smells around him, but what he heard this time he couldn't ignore. A small voice, barely making a sound even with his ears. "Please no. I'm only a kid. Don't do this." Pike decided to head in the direction of the voice. For all he knew this could be someones child. Suddenly a second voice came out, this one was older and male. "Look girly, dressed that way. You are lucky this is all we do to ya."

Pike turned down into the ally that the voices came from. He saw four men folding down a small girl with silver hair. She couldn't be older than 15. 'Vile.' Kept running through his head. Pike cleared his throat when he got close to the site. The men turned to him, but kept the girl held down, even covering her mouth so she couldn't speak. "What the hell do you want?" Pike looked over the men. Two humans, a cat, and a lizard. "What are wanting to watch or something? Sorry kid, this ain't no free show. Get the fuck out of here." Pike simply stood in place. The second human, a round short man, walked up to Pike and poked him in the chest with his fat finger. "You heard us you piece o shit. Get your retarded ass out of here." Pike looked down at the finger at his chest and smiled. "Bad move" Pike grabbed the man's hand in his own and squeezed. He didn't know what would be worse, the pain or sound as ever bone in the man's hand broke. Pike thought it would be the sound.

The man dropped to the ground and backed himself into a wall. It was unlikely that he would get back up. But of course his friends where another matter. They charged at Pike with complete disregard for a fighting style or skill. The second human was first to reach him. Pike simply grabbed his out stretched arm and threw him into a wall. The cat was second to get in range. He was quicker, and fought a bit better. He was able to avoid being hit by Pike long enough for the lizard to sneak behind. The tall thin man also rejoined the fight and pulled out a knife.

As the three circled Pike, he decided to close his eyes. Pike listened to each drop of their feet. It reviled their next move like it was being drawn in front of him. Finally they all attacked. The cat came in high, the lizard low, and the human came at his midsection with the knife. In a fluid motion, Pike lifted his left leg in the air kicking the cat into the far wall. He didn't get back up. Then spinning from that kick he was able to place the human in a head lock and disarmed him. The lizard was no problem at this point. Pike finished his movement by hitting the lizard in the chest and using the same leg he used on the cat to pin down the lizard's neck against the street.

Pike looked at the small girl, who was frozen with shock. "Kid. I would leave this place. And don't come back here again." She shook her head and ran as fast as her legs could take her. 'Now what do I do with them?' As Pike tried to think about it, he heard a sound like someone was going to vomit. Which apparently wasn't far off. Pike looked down just in time to receive a blast of green goo to the face. The goo was burning his face so Pike used his hand to pull it off. Of course now it was on his hand.

In a fit of rage Pike dropped down to one knee, the tall human still locked in his arm, and placed the gooey hand on the lizards face. By his reaction, it burned him too. "Stop please! I'm sorry!" Pike removed his hand and watched as the scorched lizard ran away. The tall man seemed to be unable to hold his tongue. "How did some bitch in rags get the best of all of us." Pike looked down at his clothing. It truly was rags. Pike let the human free and glanced over his outfit. Black leather with metal pieces to hold it together. And the red gloves where nice too. "Fine give me yours then." The man was quick to scoff, but as soon as Pike held up the smoldering hand of goo the man quickly striped to his underwear and ran off.

Pike quickly wiped the goo off his hand and watched as the flesh healed back to normal. 'That stung like hell. I got to stop doing that.' Pike quickly changed clothing and started back on his way to the hall.

When he arived, Pike checked in on Yuchi. She was still fast asleep. How such a small creature could need so much sleep was beyond him, but he decided to let her rest. He pulled the sheets, which at some point she must of tossed out of, back upon her and left the room. Pike checked around to make sure no one could bother her and then went to Branwen's door way to wait for her.

Yuchi

A world of nothing but flowers. It was beautiful. Yuchi touched each and every flower as they told her their story of life. She was truly happy. Then Yuchi spotted a flower that had started to wilt. She walked over to the flower and touched it. When she did, it said nothing. It was odd. Even things that had passed had spoken to Yuchi. Chairs made of wood told her of when they where trees. Glass told her of when it was on the beach as sand. But from this flower there was nothing.

Yuchi tried to water and feed the flower but not matter what she did, it old seemed to wilt faster. Then it happened. The flower turned gray and fell. But it wasn't over. As the first flower fell, every flower that it came in contact with grayed and fell as well until the entire world was full of dead flowers. It took only an instant, a blink of an eye and it would have been missed. Yuchi froze.

She didn't know what to do. She tried to talk to some of the flowers, but they became silent as well. She thought about praying like she had heard her followers do, but who was a god to pray too. She even tried commanding the flowers to come back to life, but to no avail.

Finally Yuchi could do nothing but cry. As her tears hit the ground a ripple effect came from each tear and stretched the length of the world. When she could cry no more, Yuchi sat up and saw a woman standing before her. The woman was beautiful and exuded a calm from her. "Wh...who are you?" Yuchi could barely muster the words. The woman sat her hand on Yuchi's shoulder and knelt down in front of her. "Dear child, we are Sitchel. And we need your help."

They sat in place until Yuchi could gather herself. When she was composed, Yuchi began to speak again. "Thank you for letting me gather myself." "Of course child. Take all the time you need." Yuchi smiled. "I'm ok now. So what could you posibly need from me? I'm not strong like Pike or Sedi. I can't fly like Proserpine. I'm not smart like Branwen, Pherdel, or Eldwin. Even Buck and Crypes has a better chance of helping you than I do."

"You are wrong." The words almost seemed hostile. The woman named Sitchel's face twitched a bit, as if trying to force it's self to stay calm. It bothered Yuchi a bit, but she didn't say anything. "You are the only one who can do this for me due to what you are and how you look. You see, the reason I am in need is that the church is killing me. They know not what they do, but they must be stopped. By any means." The last part seemed to be lined with venom. "Due to your appearance, the church is more likely to listen to you. But the others that look like you will question the decision to close the church. You must hold firm. If it is not closed, all is doomed."

Yuchi was starting to get scared. She had no clue how to convince people to stop praying. And even with others to protect her, Yuchi wasn't able to fight a war. Sitchel, as if hearing her thoughts, spoke again. "Thanks to your special power, you can speak to me more freely than the others. All you have to do is reach out and I will answer you." The woman touched the grass and the world returned to its beautiful form. Sitchel leaned in and kissed Yuchi on the forehead causing the dream to break.

Yuchi woke in her bed. She was unsure of what to make of everything that had happened. But she knew she had to pass the word along. Yuchi then began to hear voices outside of her room. Had see overslept this much? Due to her embarrassment, Yuchi pulled the covers over her head. She would wait for Pike to come get her before she told everyone what happened.

[John]

Proserpine paid little attention to the creatures they met as the group found Pherdel and Sedi’s ship. Her attention was mainly focused on Pike. She almost laughed as he yelled at her to get out of his mind, but she didn’t really want Branwen to know that she was doing it. She could sense that Branwen knew there was something going on, but was unsure as to what it was.

Proserpine, quite frankly, wanted to jump on Pike and tear him into little pieces, putting his regenerative powers to the test. It was something she would’ve wanted to do anyway, but at this moment she was driven by a jealousy she couldn’t really explain. Proserpine continued to speak into the mind of Pike, though this time it came as words and a whisper.

“You can’t have her. You’re just a pup. Perhaps you should go and sniff Buck’s ass. I hear he has a penchant for that type of thing.” The whisper taunted Pike and Proserpine made sure to keep it silent to any who might try to listen in.

Inside the club, Proserpine could smell the aroma of sex. To her, it was almost overpowering. Her ears could pick up the sounds of moaning, and other noises that she wasn’t too sure of. The sounds emanated from the second floor and it was only because of her heightened senses that she knew it was there. That and lust appealed to her. She could feel it inside her, and felt slightly drawn to it. But for now, she preferred the company of Branwen, and she meant to stay close to her.

Pike had left their company, presumably to check on Yuchi, and his absence made Proserpine feel a litle more at ease. She knew that the pheromones he exuded would affect Branwen in a way that Proserpine would not be fond of. As they arrived back at the hall, Proserpine decided to tell Branwen of her need to talk.

“Branwen,” Proserpine’s voice held a tone of concern. “When we arrive back at Conant Hall, I was hoping that we-. Well that is to say…” Proserpine felt frustration as she was starting to become fluterd.

“I wish to talk to you. Alone.”

[RainCheck]

"You cannot defeat me!" his adversary shouted throught the blistering cold. I am the shadows! I AM THE VERY DEFINITION OF FEAR!
"Right then mate, lets just see how powerful you are then..."
Angelus stood stalk still in the snow. His pistol drawn and ready to fire. The tall armored figure he challenged walked slowly toward him. "You may be a vanquisher of evil, now that you got your little soul! But you will never defeat the throne of the Lich King!"
I fought for my soul to protect the one I love from creatures like you! I went throught the Trials of Hell, I surely can defeat a winey, little, bratty, prince who misses his daddy!"
Arthas reached to hisleft side and grabbed the hilt of his sword. He drew it slowly out of its sheath. "You may have your little gun, but I have Frostmourne. The sword forged by the old gods, and made to steal souls."
"Right...I have a GUN and you have a sword. I think I may have the upper hand you bloody poof."
Just then, Arthas appeared infront of Angelus. "Do you really think you can win a fight against yourself?"
As the words left his mouth, Arthas' face transformed into a mirrior image of Angelus. "Fight for your soul, just to lose it all over again to protect those you barely know?"
Angelus awoke in a cold sweat. <Bloody hell!>He thought. <I am stronger than that. I went through the Trials. I fought for this soul inside me. I was different even before I got it, I knew how to love.> He looked over at Frostmourne, resting in the corner of his new room in Sitchel. "Bloody thing." he said.
Angelus got up from his bed and grabbed the hilt of the sword. He immediately felt the blade go ice cold. He drew the blade free from its sheath and held it blade up and examined the runes etched onto flat of the sword. He looked defiantily onto the accursed rune-blade of the Lich King. "I fought for my soul. Now I fight for the souls of others.
" he said with a sneer.

Later in the morning, Angelus was hustled with the rest of the group to the archives. with was less than climactic for him "Books are for the little sods with the glasses and the pocket protectors." He told Branwen.
She responded with a quick smack to the face. While everyone was doing their own thing in the Archives, Angelus mostly stayed to hime self. The nightmare a few hours earlier still playing in his head. He was pulled out of his head at the appeareance of an angelic being. that turned out to be a demi-god of Sitchel itself. Then directly afterword, strange Squid headed beings appeared. and another fight broke out.

Angelus wandered out of his little hiding corner. "Can't this place bloody get along with itself?" He said to himself
"No, it can't." said a voice behind him.
"Who's there?"
"Someone who knows that you shouldn't belong in this world or any other."
Angelus turned to see a man leaning against the wall. I didn't ask who you describe yourself as being, mate. I asked WHO are you as in your name."
"WE both know you don't belong actually it's just a matter of what are we going to do about it." another voice said behind him
Angelus wheeled around to see another man, dressed in a long, maroon, robe standing behind him. What the bloody hell is going on here? What your sodding names!?
Angelus reached down and drew Frostmourne out of its sheath. The runes on the blade began to glow their bright blue. "He has awakened Frostmourne. You were right Venser." Said the robed man.
"Well, Mishra, I believe you owe me 1300 cash" said the other man
The one named "Venser", walked toward Angelus and examined the sword. Angelus stood defiantly staring back at the two men. "Do you two retards know the history behind this sword? If so, I don't think you pissing me off, like your doing is the best of ideas." he said
"We know this sword very well." said Mishra And we know a great deal about you, Angelus..."
"How do you know my name?"
"We know more than your name vampire." said Venser "We know all about how you were the first vampire to understand unconditional love. We know how you fell into a deep depression after Grace was taken from you, and how you searched for a reprieve, and you found it, but it was not what you expected. Instead of making you the monster you thought you were suppose to be, you got yourself a soul and took up arms against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. Until at last you reached the pinnacle of of evil: Arthas, the Lich King."
Venser stopped and reasched into his breast pocket of his trench coat and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He took one and gave it to Mishra. The robed man snapped his finger and a small blue flame appeared on his thumb. Mishra took a drag of the cigarette. Venser just pulled out a lighter and lit his, he then offered the pack to Angelus. Angelus re-sheathed Frostmourne, and took a cigerette, lighting it with Venser's lighter. Angelus took a drag, "Alright, you told me the most recent events of my life...which I know because I was there. Why am I not walking away from you two"
"Because, said Mishra "We are here to tell you that that sword you got off of the Lich King's body, isn't going to curse your soul, but the souls of all those you slain. And that There is more to that sword than you know."
Right, then mates, What is the next chapter of my life?

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen rubbed her face, focusing on the bridge of her nose with a sigh. Her headache was back, and she was sick to death of surprises. Her stomach was still twisting in knots and she had no idea why, but was ready to either jump someone's bones or kill them.

She took a few moments to gather her wits again, and hustled her group into the cafeteria, where they were all suitably distracted by food. Crypes was as mellow as ever, Sedi and Pherdel's mood seems lifted, even if a bit beaten, Buck was up to his normal shenanigans (she made a mental note to make sure to take him to the market to see if he could find his magic items), and Angelus seemed moody, as usual.

She pulled Proserpine to the side after they were all eating.

" Okay. You wanted to talk. Here I am. Talk."

Proserpine stuttered for a bit before Branwen felt her open her mind. Branwen returned the gesture, placing a hand against Proserpine's cheek. She could feel Proserpine's confusion and passion, and she answered with her own steadiness. She will Proserpine to understand her nature as Sidhe, and that she wouldn't be good if she was tied down, but that she was totally okay with being a lover all the same...

She left the conversation feeling Proserpine's ease and comfort. Reassured, she climbed up the steps to her room, fingers pressing a button on her earset. She sent a quick message to an old friend, knowing she would need an ally who had been in Sitchel for a while.

She had no idea where to go now. Or what to do. She could only hope either one of her charges or her friend might be able to see it more clearly.

As she turned into the hall on the third floor, she saw Pike waiting for her. She took a deep breath, and approached him.

" Okay. So what's up?"

[Lerouge]

A gentle breeze brushed through the striped-fur of Stribog as he lay at the roof of one of the many buildings that line the horizon of Sitchel. His light blue eyes floated between the line of alertness and complete unconsciousness as he lay there, he had learned one thing about his home since he arrived 5 years ago, "Sitchel is boring." He muttered he as his eyes finally closed and his body stilled asides from the gentle swaying of his tail in the air behind him. Boring might not be the term many hear for this land, but as they say even excitement in the same surroundings becomes nothing more than a hobby. The randomness that was Sitchel was the most boring trait of it for Stribog, yet he would never leave even if he could. "Not like I have a home to go back to anyway..." He whispered to himself as he lay there and eventually fell to sleep.

The communications bot flew gently overhead as he slept, a simple silver oval-like structure, yet it was one of the most simple forms of communication for those who couldn't wear headphones. The small device floated down to him and gave a beep to alert of sleeping tiger of it's presence.

"What is it?" He muttered to it without even opening his eyes to look at it, his tone calm rather than annoyed as one would imagine. "Branwen again?" The device didn't react at first, but then a small latch opened in the side of it's reflective shell and a wire flew out and pressed against the black collar that Stribog was wearing. It rested there for a few moments before finally retracting into the shell and finally allowing the orb to fly off, leaving Stribog once again alone. "Is that all she needs... must be an interesting group."

The tiger's eyes opened as his body forcing himself into a standing position, his body arching down as his mouth opened resulting in a sound that seemed to be a yawn and roar combined. His back stretched in relief and he held the position for a moment before pushing forward with his legs and leaping off the building on which he was resting. The fall to the ground was about 6 stories, and he stared quietly at the ground as he fell his body getting closer to the concrete below him. A few of the people below noticed him quickly jumping aside leaving a small opening for the beast to land, to his death as most of them thought. As Stribog reached the ground his body came to a halt about a foot from the ground, his body floating slightly before finally resting with a gentle thud on the streets. With a disappointing groan, the audience thinned allowed and continued on their way.

"Always looking for blood, tsk..." He said before walking down the street in front of him, his eyes staring at the floor in front of him. It would be much faster for him to just run, he could be there in almost a second if he wished but something about these tasks always bored him. A group of restless adventurers looking to be the biggest thing around, how little they know of how complicated this world actually is. The path to the Conant Hall was short, nothing more than a 10 minute walk for him as he looked up at the building before him. He always disliked coming here, it was always crowded and noisy and something his other form would be more able to deal with yet he knew the personality of his other end could not deal with this.

Stribog spent most of his time in his tiger form, leaving his human form as a simple second thought that would randomly randomly take over. It was surprising when it happened since many people that he had known for years completely forget who he was. Few people could cause him to be calm enough to transform, and the person that called him is one of them. He finally managed to break away from the crowd and enter the building, his eyes meeting at once with the rowdiness that food always brings out in people. Food was always an interesting concept to him, and he had even attempted to each it before finding it nothing more than a sour taste and a weight to his body. His eyes gazed around looking for Branwen, the familiar face not catching his eyes causing a sigh to escape his lips.

"Where the hell are you?" He muttered as he growled once again as he walked into the building and jumped onto the nearest table, ignoring the unhappy growls off the people around him and once again looked around. "Well... it seems as thought I have been brought here for nothing. Too bad I was hoping to have some fun with these new "players" in this game that is Sitchel."

[Kirra]

Pike

As the others entered the building Pike could sense a level of ease coming from most of the group. However; the one her had in mind seemed stressed. Unsure of what was bothering her, Pike decided it would be best to wait for her to come to him.

As the beauty appeared before him, Pike fought to hold himself back. 'Just hold a moment.' When Branwen got close to him she smiled her friendly smile. "Okay. So what's up?" He could feel her frustration even more. But he knew it wasn't towards him, and thanks to that Pike thought he could help her release her stress. Pike pushed himself off the wall and walked over to the small woman. "I wanted to thank you for the magic. It was getting aggravating." Pike got inches from her. "But even if I can understand, I am not a man of words." Pike started inadvertently releasing pheromones.

Pike placed his large hand on the back of Branwen's neck. He then started to lean down as he pulled her lips up to his. Her tender lips seemed electrified when they had connected to his. An energy that she sent through him, as sure as he was sending energy to her. The embrace lasted only a second but it was enough to make him want more. Pike was smart enough to know when to stop though. No matter if he knew how Branwen felt, Pike wouldn't push himself on a woman.

But it would seem he wouldn't have to. Branwen threw her hands around his neck and pulled their lips back together. The sparks where stronger this time as they pressed together. Pike placed his arms under the woman's small frame and pulled her up to him as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Pike slid his other hand on her back and they moved to the door of her room. Branwen started smacking at the door until she was able to find the access. As the door opened, and they had nearly fell through, Pike walked over to the bed and dropped his would be lover on the bed.

Pike climbed on top her, making sure to keep his body inches away as to not put pressure on her. He leaned in close and pressed his lips up to her ear. "You can't hide your true form from me." Pike then used one of his razor sharp nails to slice Branwen's clothing down the from, being oh so careful to prevent from hurting her. He then tossed the shards away and tore off his newly acquired shirt. Branwen's small frame almost shaking with anticipation below him. Pike lowered his body slightly so that his heat would flow onto her.

Pike could hear her heart racing and feel her breath as she tried to catch it. Branwen shed her false form and put her arms back around Pike's neck, pulling him back in. The world around Pike disappeared, leaving only his beautiful goddess below him. Pike slide his hand up her back and gave into the passion that was filling the room.

[Pope Jako III]

Buck was bored. And when Buck gets bored he starts to wonder so as he was wondering around the streets of Sitchel he decided that he needed a brew. Se he looked around and discovered an odd looking place that reeked of a 1900’s cabaret house. The sign read “Mamma Gkika’s” on the roof. “Well not my first choice but let’s have a look inside before we judge mate.”

Buck walked through the door and instantly knew he was home the place was currently in a bar fight. Not one to sit out a good brawl, Buck leapt right in. and was instantly thrown into a wall. wait these things are as strong as me. Buck saw one of the weird monsters take a metal pipe to the head then turn around and throw his attacker through the wall. And almost as durable as well. Bucks smile grew predatory, his fangs enlarged, and he grew a couple inches. “Now we’re talking.”

Buck threw himself at the nearest creature grabbing him by his head he spun around and threw him through the stage. He then turned and kicked the nearest monster into the bar. Buck finished his assault by grabbing a table and smashing it onto one of the creature’s heads. Buck was satisfied but didn’t have time to breathe he got punched in the head and was sent flying into a table. Buck jumped up and grabbed the table and spun it like a Frisbee taking out several bar patrons except for one as it literally back flipped over the table then Looked at Buck. “you iz dot bad .” It said it the things weird accent. “crickey you guys are durable was Buck’s reply.” “of course, ve are Jaegerkin, ve are very ard to killz.” “Hey Jaeger how about some help over here!” came a shout from the stage buck looked around to see his second cat girl grab a chair and jump into the air to do a flying power bomb with the cair onto some poor guys head. “coming Serin. He looked at Buck and shrugged. “gotz to go. If you gotz in de back dere iz de drink, I see you later ja?” Jaeger turned and took off after his friend Buck smiled and went to the Back for a pint. “you know,” he said “I like the ambience in here.

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen slid out of bed with wobbly legs for the second time in one day. Pike was more or less out of it, and took another shower, and discarded the second set of clothes torn off her body for a fresh outfit, this time capris and a tee-shirt.

She didn't make it out of the room before being attacked again, but this time managed to convince Pike not to pin her down to the bed.

Upon entering the cafeteria, she found it in it's normal state of pandemonium. She scanned the room, and smiled in relief upon spotting a sight of much needed sanity.

" Stribog!" she called to the large white tiger, waving her hand.

[Kirra]

Pike

After the long night of passion, Pike awoke to see his guide walking out of the shower. He silently darted across the room and got inches from her. "Hi." The words truly meant more than he let on. He placed his hands around her and pinned her to the wall, but he noticed she was reluctant. Pike let her dive into his mind. 'What is it?' She squirmed a bit and smiled at him. The flashes in her head showed Pike that she wanted to go again but couldn't. "Pike I can't now."

Pike let off her and smiled. "It's fine. You do have a job to do." Pike watched as Branwen got dressed, a huge grin on his face, and she left the room. Pike grabbed his clothing headed to the shower to clean himself up.

When he finished Pike headed down stairs, noticing that most of the people had head out. 'The must have gone to eat. I bet Yuchi is hungry too.' He headed to Yuchi's room and knocked on the door. "Who is it?" The voice was so tiny and weak, Pike was unsure if she would get scared that he could talk. "It's Pike. Can I come in?" "Pike!" A loud thump came from the room followed by a small whimper. Then he could hear her stumble around in the room as she ran to the door. The door flew open and Yuchi wrapped her arms around him. "Where were you?" Did she not notice he was talking? "Wait, how can you talk?" There it is.

Pike laughed a bit before he looked over the girl and noticed she was in a thin gown similar, only thinner fabric, to the one she had on when she appeared. A sleeping gown? "We can talk about that after you get dressed. Even without my good eyes, someone could see through that." Yuchi looked her self over and then smiled at Pike. "Ok. Come help me pick something out." The idea didn't bother Pike. He saw the small girl more like a daughter than a woman.

Yuchi

Yuchi lay in her bed waiting for someone to come get her. From what she had seen out her window, she didn't dare go out on her own. Yuchi decided curl back up in her sheets. Seconds later a knock came on the door. Who could it be? Maybe it was Pike, or Branwen. She wasn't sure if she would open for anyone else. Well only one way to find out. "Who is it?" The response stunned her. "Pike!"

'That's not possible,' kept running through her head, but she knew it to be his voice. The voice that responded made her jump out of bed, a bad move when the sheets are wrapped around your legs. She feel on her butt and let out a whimper of pain. No she had to get up. She ran to the door and threw it open. He large friend, and first friend on this planet, stood there towering over her. Yuchi quickly threw her arms around him.

Yuchi wasn't sure what was going on and didn't really care at the moment. "Where were you?" Of course that wasn't the most important question. "Wait, how can you talk?" Yuchi didn't even care that he laughed about it. Pike commented on her clothing which made Yuchi blush. "Ok. Come help me pick something out." She walked in the room holding Pike's hand. She led Pike to the edge of the bed and then continued to the wardrobe as he sat down.

She looked through the clutter of clothing until finding a few cute dresses that she liked. She held two up to Pike. "Red, blue, green, or yellow?" Pike smiled and pointed at the blue dress. "It works well with your bubbly mood, kiddo." Yuchi set the other dresses down and tried to pull off her gown, but she got it twisted up and was stuck around her neck. She almost fell over before she felt someone catch her. "Be careful." Pike helped her finish changing and than placed he clothing in the hamper.

It didn't bother Yuchi that Pike helped her change. Where she came from, where ever it was, Yuchi was use to wearing nearly see through gowns. She wasn't sure how, but she knew it was a custom she was use too, and Pike reminded her of someone who she knew protected her.

She quickly joined Pike on the edge of the bed and curled up against him. He was always so warm. Pike placed his arm around her before he started talking. "Branwen took me to some magic man who put a spell on me so I could speak. That is where I was." Yuchi let out a small sigh. "I'm so glad. It's nice to hear your voice. And now you don't need to deal with me. I'm sorry I am so weak all the time." Pike gave her a good squeeze, and his thoughts flowed into her head. 'I like this way better anyway.'

Pike smiled and looked down at Yuchi. 'You need to talk about something, I can tell.' Was she that transparent? 'Pike. I had a dream. It was weird. The woman you described to me was there. She seemed nice, but I have the feeling she was mad. She told me I was needed to take down the church. She said because of how I look, they would believe me. But I'm scared Pike. What if I fail? Then everyone will die. I don't think I can handle this kind of responsibility.' Her entire body was shaking. Her eyes darting about in her head.

A firm squeeze from Pike helped stabilize her. He got up and knelled in front of her, holding her shoulders in his large hands. 'Look. No one, man, planet, or god; is going to make you do anything you don't think you're up to. And no one is going to hurt you as long as I'm here.' His words helped her settle more. If anyone could protect her, it would surely be Pike.

Yuchi stood up and wrapped around arms around his neck. 'I know, but I want to. If Sitchel is destroyed then the planet will fall apart. We have to do this. But thank you.' "I think we need to talk to Branwen about this." Pike nodded and got to his feet. Yuchi finally noticed something different about him. As they walked out the door and headed down to the cafeteria she asked him about it. "Pike. Where did you get the new clothing?" A smile came to his face. "Some guy gave them to me." Yuchi believed him of course. "Oh how nice."

When the two joined the others at the cafeteria, Yuchi's stomach growled. "Let's get you some food first. I think I will eat too." Yuchi had a confused look on her face. Where did her get money? "Oh the guy gave me his money too. Said he didn't need it." He shrugged and then led her to the food line. After they got their food, Pike having two trays worth, they found Branwen and sat down at a table next to her. Yuchi noticed a smiled on his face as they got close to the guide. She could only guess at why as she spoke up. "Um. Branwen. I... I think I need to talk to you."

[Lerouge]

Stribog waited a few moments and allowed his eyes to continue looking around the room before finally climbing off the table. A tinge of concern filled his mind as he walked between the rows of tables in which people were sitting until he finally made it to a clear table in the corner. He leaped up and landed on top of the taking a few turns in circles before laying his body down and rested his head on his paws. He hated waiting but it was something he was used to, especially with Branwen. His blue eyes scanned the room looking from one familiar face to another before and noticed a few he did not recognize. Must be them... he thought to himself before looking away and noticing Branwen finally.

His ears perked up at the sight of her and he stood up on again and kicked off the table allowing his body to soar over the heads of the individuals in the room. He seemed to be almost floating, yet it was nothing more than the strength his legs carried in this form. Stribog's legs stretched forward as he landed on the railing besides Branwen, his eyes staring at the wall for a moment before turning to face the room. His head turned to look up at her and as it did he seemed to be growing in size. His paws began to leave the ground and rested on the railing in front of them as the fur on his skin began retracting into his flesh leaving the slightly tan remains of human flesh behind. The color of his eyes changed from blue to green as the feline look of his face changed, a human face replacing it as the rest of the fur on his body vanished one the shoulder leaving only the white shoulder-length hair in its place.

Stribog couldn't help but transform around her, she was the first person he had ever met in his life that he hadn't killed or hidden from. It was as if she was a childhood friend that has never left his side, his fear vanished instantaneously at the sight of her and his now human form was proof of that. He was almost a foot taller than her now and his body was leaning forward against the railing before he finally spoke.

"Branwen. It's been a while since you have called for me, how have things been?" He spoke examining her body with a quick glance and knowing something off about her. The way she stood, moved, even breathed seemed to be off from normal, well normal for many other people to have seen of her. "Seems as though I have come at a bad time."

[John]

When Branwen went upstairs, Proserpine just stood and watched the antics of everyone in the cafeteria. None of it really provided any amusement for her. Except for the talking tiger that was standing on one of the tables, much to the chagrin of the patrons of the cafeteria. It had come into the cafeteria and appeared to be looking for someone. Normally Proserpine would have gone up to the cat. But at this moment, there were only two things she wanted to do. Branwen, and find a way to help Sitchel. She did feel better after her “talk” with Branwen. She found that her jealousy had faded into nothingness. Still, she did want to test the limits of Pike’s regenerative powers. Branwen had her nature. Proserpine had hers.

After a long while, Branwen returned to the cafeteria The tiger transformed into a man with white hair and approached her. Proserpine continued to observe, and a sick thought entered her mind as she watched the two engage in conversation. Not long after that., Yuchi and Pike entered. Proserpine smiled at Pike and sent a thought into his head. Keeping it silent to all others.

“Do what you like pup. But know this. If you ever harm her. I will shred you to pieces for all eternity.” The voice in Pike’s head came as the guttural growling of all the abominations of hell. It was the voice of a timeless evil. One which had existed for eons.

When Yuchi approached Branwen, she expressed a need to speak to the Sidhe. Proserpine immediately reached out with hr mind. She was curious and wanted to know what the false god deemed so important. Proserpine’s eyes widened in disbelief at the answer. Sitchel wanted her to pose as a god. Proserpine cursed at the thought but couldn’t deny that it was a good idea. They just had to figure out how to do it.

Proserpine smiled at the though which entered her head. She had an idea, and it was good one. Or at least she thought so. Proserpine guessed that Yuchi must have some kind of power, but didn’t know what it was. But that was only one of the ways which Proserpine could help her. But what person in their right mind would trust a god that had a demon serving them? What Yuchi needed was a prophet. Someone to spread her word. Which no doubt would be full of peace, love, and all the other things which Proserpine despised.

Proserpine walked towards the door of the cafeteria. And as she exited it, she unfurled her wings, sending a small gust of air over all of the patrons of the cafeteria. Proserpine wanted everyone to see her leave, and this would no doubt see to it. Once she was outside, she hurried around a corner. The moment no one could see her, she turned back and her form was changed. She had grown a few inches and was quite slender. Long sandy hair flowed past her shoulder and she had a braid of on one side. Rushing back to the cafeteria, she entered and immediate ly walked up to Yuchi. Proserpine knew that no one in the group would know that it was her. Everything abut her had changed. Her voice and scent were different and now she was someone else.

“Please forgive me. My name is Ghanima and are you not the goddess Yuchi.” Ghanima appeared to be examining Yuchi with curiosity. After a moment, her eyes widened with fear. Immediately Ghanima dropped to her knees and stared at the floor.

“I humbly beg you forgiveness goddess. I did not mean to doubt.” Ghanima’s voice was wavering and she didn’t look up. “I’ve been searching here on Sitchel for you for what seems like an age. And now that you’re here, I wish to serve you. Allow me to spread your word and bring enlightenment to the beings of Sitchel. Allow me to be your prophet and let all know of your divine wisdom.” Ghanima pressed her forehead to the floor in an attempt to bow even lower. She began to kiss Yuchi’s feet in an attempt ot grovel more . She was so happy that she had found her goddess and tears flowed from her eyes.. It was as though she had finished a long journey through the desert. And after all this time her prayers had been answered Sitchel’s Lord and saviour had been found at last.

Proserpine’s voice echoed in the mind of Yuchi, blocking out all others. “I read your mind little one. And I think what Sitchel wants you to do has merit.” The tone of the voice in Yuchi’s head was confident and reassuring. “But I think you will need my help. For this to work everyone will have to believe. I will act as your prophet and I can help you with my own abilities. I do confess I am unsure as to what your abilities are, but I can make it seem that you can move thins and allow you to use my essence to help to restore energy to others. You only need to think of something and maybe move your hand and I will move things for you. Please do not reveal this to the others. I will of course tell Branwen in my own time what it is that I am doing.”

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen felt a little overwhelmed, so many things happened at once. She instinctively reached out to touch Stribog's shoulder, letting his presence flood her mind. She opened her memory to him, letting him view in stark detail the events of the past few days, as well as the dilemma she found herself in. And she also drew quite a bit of comfort from his presence within her; something familiar and stable.

Then Proserpine suddenly left. It only bother Branwen because she knew she smelled like Pike and had the look of someone recently sexed. She worried Proserpine might do something dumb... but the security feed never beeped to notify her exiting its range. Curious, she opened the screen in front of her and watched Proserpine re-enter the cafeteria... in another form. Branwen watched, her mind still completely open to Stribog, as the point of the show Proserpine was putting on suddenly became clear.

She reached out with her mind to Yuchi, confirming her suspicions. As she thought, Sitchel had a plan. But Yuchi was balking at the sudden attention. She had to act fast.

It would have taken too much energy to explain to anyone but Stribog and Yuchi what she was about to do. Instead, she threw herself to the floor in a heaving fit, and began to speak in Sidhe, a lilting language laced with magic that the translator microbes couldn't deal with... she suspected only Pike would know she was listing off the best ranked restaurants in Sitchel, occasionally throwing in the word Yuchi.

She kept her mind within Yuchi, willing calmness to the startled girl.

[Kirra]

Yuchi

Everything was wrong. Yuchi wasn't ready for this. She had always had been worshiped, but never like this. The woman named Ghanima had dropped to the ground and started begging her for forgiveness. Yuchi became almost frozen with shock. Who on this planet knew she was a god beyond her friends? Did someone from her planet get brought to Sitchel as well?

Yuchi's first instinct was to hid behind Pike. It was all to much for her. But when the woman started kissing Yuchi’s feet, every contact told Yuchi the truth. This was the demon girl Proserpine. What was she up to? Then the demons words flowed into Yuchi's mind. "You will need my help...I can make it seem that you can move thins and allow you to use my essence to help to restore energy to others...Move your hand..."

She had wished that someone would have told her this plan before hand. But with things are they are now, even Yuchi could figure out that she had to be strong. Maybe she could make a speech or... "fhadsi9gstehfiaoehf9auehr3 Yuchi rhirhanjf Yuchi nfaifafadsfsdfp" Yuchi quickly turned to Branwen seeing her convulse on the ground. What was going on? Was Branwen really hurt, or faking like Proserpine? She had never understood how to fake anything. She had never needed to.

With the gasps from the staring audience that had accumulated, Yuchi's was being overwhelmed. Her breath started getting heavy and her vision was loosing focus. She stumbled back, thinking she would fall, but the strong hand at her back kept her safe. Her mind screamed into his. 'Please help me Pike. I don't know what to do."

Pike

'What the hell is going on?' Was his thoughts as the woman entered the room and threw her self at his small companions feet. Right away he didn't like this woman. Something about the was she spoke, hell even the way she walked, seemed off to him. Pike took a whiff of the air. 'I don't know her. But something smells... familiar.' If she tried anything, Pike would have grabbed her by the head and thrown her from the room.

He looked to Yuchi. She seemed nervous, but not overly scared. Maybe the woman was ligament. Then he saw Branwen hit the floor. She started convulsing and speaking about the oddest things. "The Stew Per Se, Yuchi,
Higuma, Chez Prosper Yuchi Crap what's another good place." His initial reaction was to run over to her and help her up. But when Pike had recognized some of the names she had said from the signs hanging outside of different building containing food, he held. Was she faking? She had to be.

Pike turned back to the woman on the floor. 'What are the chances that Branwen would fake a breakdown and mention Yuchi, and at the same moment some complete stranger came into the room begging to worship the small girl?' You average Crytim would have just shrugged and assumed the two where unrelated. But Pike was not your average Crytim.

As Yuchi fell back into his open arm, she confirmed his thoughts. 'Please help me Pike. I don't know what to do.' She didn't say protect me. And she didn't say help Branwen. Something was going on, and Pike had almost completely figured it out. 'Tell me who that is on the ground.' Pike passed to her in their special way. 'It's um...' She was almost scared to say it. 'Proserpine. She told me not to say anything. I'm sorry.' A smirk came to Pike's face. 'Tell her to play along and this will go smoothly. Tell her you want this room to liven up a bit. I think she will understand.' Pike could only hope the message was passed along and hoped Proserpine would cause movement in the room as Yuchi played her next part.

Pike stepped between Yuchi and Proserpine. He then shouted out to scilince the crowd. "Hold your tongues!" A hush filled the room. Only Branwen's talk of salad bars and half of night at the steak house could be heard. He turned to Yuchi. "Goddess Yuchi. This woman is in need of care." He sat his hand on her shoulder. 'Tell Branwen to play along and if she can, make it look flashy.' "Only one as pure as thou can save her." Yuchi nodded agreeing to both thought and word. The two walked over to Branwen. Pike pretended to restrain her as Yuchi set her hands on the guides chest. 'Time to watch this show unfold.'

[Pope Jako III]

Buck was on his 20th beer walking down the street of Sitchel, he was just coming around a corner when he saw a group of people hanging around outside “Oi what’s all this mate?” “Don’t know, looks like a parade or a geme ja?” replied Bucks newest accomplice the Jaegermonster known as jaeger wolfnbach and his boviphobic friend Serin. Buck decided to check it out since he had to go into the cafeteria anyway. He muscled his way through the crow, not hard when you have a werewolf and a jaegerkin, into the cafeteria to see Branwen on the floor shouting something incoherent, a girl bowing down the crème puff and declaring her a god. “What the Hell Mate?!”

Buck was looking at the absolute chaos around him he looked at the new people, the new cult blossoming in front of him, and he decided he had had enough. Buck turned to Jaeger and said you know a good way to clear a room, do ya mate?” “As a matta uf fact Hy do” replied the Jaegerkin. Jaeger took a laser pointer out of his pocket and pointed at the Serins feet. Instantly the cat girl attacked the red dot, and chased it across the room, Jaeger sat back and relaxed while Buck watched in fascination at the chaos unfolded when as Jaeger pointed the laser at Ghanima’s head.

[John]

Ghanima continued to grovel, when Branwen fell to the floor and began to convulse; speaking the Sidhe language. She could understand exactly what was being said. It changed nothing. She had found her god and would stay at her feet until told otherwise. She would be penitent and humble before her god.

Ghanima looked up slightly as Pike stepped in between her and Yuchi. Ghanima was forced to move out of the way to allow him to get in the . It didn’t deter Ghanima. She would prove that she was loyal to be Yuchi’s prophet, and she moved to her deities side, keeping her forehead against the floor. Pike led Yuchi over to Branwen and Ghanima folowed, her forehead still on the ground. Pike said some words to get the crowd’s attention and asked for Yuchi to heal her.

“Please oh merciful one. Save this poor woman so that she may know your benevolence and see the light.” Ghanima spoke and tilted her head up to get a better view of her god’s power as Yuchi laid her hands on Branwen.

Proserpine thought it was a good idea. Especially when she heard Yuchi’s voice in her head telling her to play along. Not that it was necessary to be told, she had fully intended to put on a show for the people in the cafeteria. But this made things somewhat easier. It also told her that Pike had guessed what was going on. Or Yuchi had told him. Eihter way, it gave Yuchi a chance to show off her “powers.” As Yuchi’s hands touched Branwen, she started to rise up a few inches off the floor. A tiny light appeared above Yuchi’s hands and the audience stared in disbelief.

“Make it look good Branwen.” Porsepine’s voice echoed in the Sidhe’s mind. Proserpine was amazed that she was actually getting a kick out of passing off Yuchi as a god. And with a few good special effects, people would be kneeling before Yuchi in no time. As Branwen floated in the air, Proserpine felt a strange sensation on the back of her head. She had been so engrossed in her part she hadn’t noticed the Serin bounding about the room. Proserpine had only one thought in this moment.

“This is gonna suck.”

Ghanima turned her head just in time to see the Serin fly through the air and land on her. She felt it’s claws sink into her face and neck and it’s teeth tore into her skull. Ghanima let out a scream and slumped to the floor as the Serin detached and bounded off after a small red dot. The dot was the last thing Ghanima saw as blood flowed from her wounds and she died.

[The Gypsy Queen]

Even though in the back of her mind, Branwen knew that Proserpine had to be faking it, something cracked inside her. Too many things were happening at once, and she was beginning to lose control of the situation. She let Proserpine's magic lift her off the ground, then shifted her glamor to bathe herself in light. If she could have manipulated sound, she would have tried for an immaculate chorus too. As it was, too many people were watching, and she need to get her group out now.

Back on her feet, she feigned shock, and then bowed deeply to Yuchi, while forcing a telepathic message to her whole group.

Get out of the Hall. Go across the street to Zota's shop. Pike, carry Proserpine. Whoever gets to Zota first, tell her Branwen sent you and the password is "cricket." Follow her. And Buck, I don't know where you've been but you better get control of your friends or else.

Then, she spoke aloud.

" Gracious lady, I was overcome by your holiness. If it pleases you, allow me to serve you in all things."

[GraftRaven]

Geru sat up at his desk as he felt another message push into his mind... it was beginning to annoy him how easily his mind could be invaded that easily. "Zota's shop... the blue lady, right...." Geru mumbled to himself as he unplugged from the room's power supply and walked down the stairs to the entrance of Conant Hall. Was it wise to step out of the one safe place left in Sitchel for him? probably not. Dd he have to? probably yes. Did he want to? well, it was better than sitting around with nothing to do in particular.

Geru stepped out onto the crowded street, picking his way across it making minimal contact with anyone or thing. He felt a slight pull on his vest and whipped around to see a man in a white robe with one hand outstretched, the hand was missing a finger. "I wouldn't try it dude... unless you mind loosing another one." The man retracted his hand, then took a step into the crowd and disappeared. Geru shook it off as 'normal' and kept going.

He made it to the door and entered, coming up behind the store's azure proprietor. He tapped her on the shoulder, then spoke in a quiet tone. "Zota, i don't think there's much time. Branwen asked all of us to come here and tell you that the 'password' is 'cricket'... if you know what that means..." His ears and tail drooped as he realized just how silly that all sounded and he stopped mid-sentence, his mouth hanging open.

[Crypes]

Crypes was far too high to realize what was going on. He'd just returned from a rather profitable day of selling his nonpowered pot, and had smoked a bit too much with his new friends. His powers may have been at their peak, but his attention span wasn't. He looked around blankly, noticing how everything was flat. Like a cartoon....

He blinked and focused back in on the group. "Woah. What's going on exactly?"

[Kirra]

Pike

It's amazing when a plan comes together. Pike almost couldn't hold back the laughter as the gasps and one word praises that came from the audience. The light show that radiated from Yuchi and Branwen was a nice touch too. He wasn't sure who it came from, but had a feeling that Proserpine was involved. Of course nothing was perfect.

Pike watched as Buck and his friends appeared at the edge of the crowd. One of them shot a little red light around the room. It reminded Pike of the light on the weapons that the guards had when he first came to Sitchel. But no weapon so he didn't bother. However, it seemed like Bucks other friend went crazy at the sight of the light. She darted after the light and eventually tackled Proserpine and sliced up her face.

As the screams came out 'Ghanima' dropped to the floor and bled out. Her heart stopped. Her breath stopped. She was dead. The cat girl charged around the room again and eventually bound towards Yuchi. Pike grabbed the cat mid jump by the neck. 'This could work to our advantage.' "An assassination attempt." He then threw her out of the room towards Buck and his friends.

He grabbed Yuchi's hand, 'Respond by saying I must revive her.' "Goddess we must leave for your safety." "No. I must revive her." She was scared, but played her part quite well. "Yes my queen." Yuchi said something to Branwen as Pike went to Ghanima's body and lifted her into his arms. 'You are such an over actor demon girl. I hope you make this one good. We have to go.' He knew she was listening. Pike knelt down as Yuchi placed her hand over Ghanima's face. Again the effects happened and the demon girl resumed her false life. "The goddess Yuchi has revived you. You are to come with us. There are things that must be done." Pike then turned to the human named Crypes. "You boy, help her walk. I trust you can do that."

Pike sat the woman on her feet and lead them out of the building down to Zolta's shop.

Yuchi

Yuchi was being overwhelmed to much laity. If it wasn't for Pike, she would have passed out. The display of magic and light was weird enough. But when the cat woman killed Proserpine, she was terrified. Why would she do that?

But again Pike seemed to have control. He passed a message along to her and she promptly followed. She said, load enough for others to hear, "It shall please me for you to follow. We have things that must be done." It took a lot for her not to stutter.

As Pike brought the body of Proserpine to him, she didn't know what she should do. She couldn't raise the dead. What did he expect of her? But Pike had never steered her wrong before. She placed her hands on the demon girls face and waited. Another show of magic. And Proserpine had returned to them.

Yuchi thought she should say something godly, but her mind was to shaken to come up with anything. Again Pike had saved her. She never thought Pike was stupid, but never realized how quick his mind was. He quickly wrapped up the situation and even helped gather a few of their allies. As Pike lead her out of the cafe and to the other building, she was slowly able to catch her breath. As they reached Zolta's shop, Pike walked up to the door and told the woman the password along with, "They're with me." The woman lead them all inside.

[John]

Once the group had entered the shop, and were alone, Proserpine changed to her normal appearance. It didn’t matter if the group knew now, and she figured it would only be a matter of time before one of them figured it out. Shooting a confused look at Branwen, she approached her. Proserpine took Branwen’s hands into her own and looked at her with caring eyes. She did care about the Sidhe a great deal, and Proserpine found herself wondering when and how that happened. She was a demon and hated everything and everyone. She thrived on chaos and destruction. But lately, she found herself consumed with the well being of Branwen. Not to mention the others in the group.

“Branwen I think it was unwise to leave the cafeteria. Yuchi just performed a miracle in front of an audience. I’m sure the reaction would have been favourable.” Proserpine smiled at Branwen and hoped that she had some reason, which was pertinent to their cause, for bringing them here. Leaning in, she kissed Branwen on the cheek and then turned to Yuchi. As she looked at Yuchi, images flashed in her mind. Images of what she thought a god should be.

“Yuchi, listen to me,” Proserpine’s voice had a confident yet soothing tone. “A god does not panic or get scared. A god is confident and should show poise. Remember Yuchi, you are supposed to be all powerful. You need to trust that I won’t let anything happen to you.” Proserpine smiled at Yuchi. She had no doubt that they could pull this off. Turning back to Branwen, she changed back into Ghanima.

“Now maybe we should head back and see if we have converted anyone to the path of Yuchi.” Ghanima spoke the words and a cruel smile came across her lips. “And where’s that fucking cat? I want to make some violin strings.”

[The Gypsy Queen]

" No, wait." Branwen said, grabbing Proserpine's shoulder. " Let them think on this. This is not a war. This is a publicity campaign, and those need to be timed and planned. We can't just barge in there." she paused, composing herself. Her hand was shaking and she felt very cold. " Let them talk. Give them a few days. Gossip will spread like wildfire, and the less they actually see Yuchi, the fewer chances we give someone with half a telepathic talent to figure she's not actually a god." Branwen blinked at the group assembled before her, almost surprised to find them still there. " By the Queen, if we play this right, we actually have a shot at this."

She gripped Stribog's shoulder, leaning on him for support. She felt her knees would give out at any minute. The faces around her frightened her more than comforted her. She didn't think herself any kind of leader. But the promise of home, of basking in the warmth of her Queen's light that she so craved, drove her on.

" Everyone just calm down for a minute. We need to think about this. Zota, make sure no one finds us here." The blue woman nodded and rushed down the stairs to the front of the shop. Branwen finally lost her footing and sank to the ground. She needed rest... and sun...

Her earset beeped and her ear suddenly filled with the voice of the Guildmaster, a halfling name Regina.

" Exactly what do you think you are pulling, Guide? You had better have a good explanation, the Church Dominar is breathing down my neck! What is this we're hearing about a new God?! I'll have your head on a stick if you don't-"

" Consider this my resignation, Regina. Kindly fuck off and die in fire."

And on that note, Branwen blacked out.

[Kirra]

Pike

As the group finished filling in, Pike took his normal cross armed stance just to the left of the door and leaned against the wall. He was surprised that everyone had made it to the shop. "I guess we're bunking here." It was a small room for the number of people, but Pike had no plans to sleep. Not until this was all figured out at least.

As Proserpine started talking Pike mentally mocked her out of boredom. But when he saw her kiss Branwen, Pike couldn't help but twitch. He wasn't sure why. Technically Branwen and Proserpine were lovers before he and the guide were. It still bugged him though. He couldn't help but imagine Proserpine as a child taking the toys that everyone else was playing with. And of course once the fight was over and she had the toy, she would discard it like trash. He only hoped this wasn't true.

The demon then turned to Yuchi and started explaining to her the proper way for a god to act. She was trying to be helpful, but with Yuchi in her condition, it was only hurting the young girl's pride. Pike was getting annoyed with this woman's new attitude. Couldn't she just act like the selfish brat she was before. It made her so much easier to hate.

The demon even spoke of dragging the young girl back out there. "Back off. Yuchi has been through enough today. You really think it would be a good idea to drag her back into the spotlight like that? Not to mention the fact that you decided to do this without even telling anyone." Pike would have continued if Branwen hadn't asked for calm. Pike let out a deep breath as the blue woman who now housed them had left the building. He sat his hand on Yuchi and passed her a message. 'You did great today. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.' He then crossed his arms back.

Pike decided he might as well doze while they talked and have Yuchi fill him in. It had been quite a while since he had slept. But just as his eyes shut, Pike heard a voice coming from the guides ear. 'Regina. I'll have to remember that for later.' Pike decided to change his tactic as Branwen passed out. Pike leaned closer to the door. "No one leaves until Branwen wakes up. We are going to talk this out." Pike seemed zoned out, but anyone with half a sense knew, sneaking past him wasn't an option.

Yuchi

As Proserpine walked up to her, Yuchi felt afraid that she would be yelled out for reviling her secret. Or was it because she failed? She didn't know exactly but she was worried. Yuchi had only been up for a few hours, but felt extremely exhausted. It almost made her ill.

“Yuchi, listen to me,” 'Here it comes. Don't cry Yuchi. No matter how much she is mad.' But the words that followed didn't seem mad. Proserpine seemed to be trying to help Yuchi. As she described the way a god should behave, Yuchi remembered her father. She couldn't remember much about him. But she knew he was a true god in all rights. Yuchi couldn't help but mutter, "I'm sorry," after every word the woman said to her. She knew she had failed.

Then the room heated a little. Branwen disagreeing with Proserpine, and it seemed like Pike as well. Only Pike seemed more angry. She wanted to stop him from yelling at her, but was a little to scared to. Not at him of course. Yuchi was scared of doing the wrong thing. She was to afraid to go back out there. The thought made her heart want to leap from her chest. But she knew Proserpine only wanted to help.

Luckily Branwen stopped them. Yuchi stood close to Pike as Branwen spoke. His mental message made her feel a little better. But it didn't last long. "Someone with half a telepathic talent to figure she's not actually a god." Yuchi's heart sank. But she was a god. Far from a good one, but she was. Was she that bad at it? Yuchi was so grief stricken, she didn't even notice the rest of the talk. She couldn't hold it in longer and ran over to Pike and cried in his chest as he wrapped an arm around her.

[John]

A lot was happening right now, and Ghanima had a distressed look on her face. Her god was crying and Pike was scolding her. Not to mention that there was a pissed off Halfling threatening Branwen; who had collapsed to the floor. There were in this moment, quite a few things which Ghanima needed to do. But one thing at a time. Walking over to where Pike held Yuchi, she placed a hadn on her shoulder.

“Yuchi,” Ghanima’s voice was soothing. “You have nothing to be sorry for. You have done so well and already exceeded my expectations. I want to help you. But you need to trust me as your prophet.” Ghanima smiled and moved over to Branwen. Kneeling down Ghanima gathered the Sidhe into her arms and pressed against her lips with her own. Proserpine reappeared and sent some of her essence into Branwen. After a moment, Branwen’s arms tightened around Proserpine and they kissed for a few moments. Proserpine pulled back and looked into Branwen’s now open eyes, smiling.

“Welcome back,” Proserpine’s voice was tender. “Rest for a moment. I promise you will be fine.” Proserpine moved a chair to her with a wave of her hand and helped Branwen into it. Afterwards, she moved back over to Pike and Yuchi.

“Listen Yuchi,” Proserpine’s tone was full of caring. “I know you must want to go home. We all do. But in order to that we need to get people to stop worshipping Sitchel. If you have a better idea, I will gladly defer to it. As it is, I see no other option.” Pausing for a moment, Proserpine exhaled and then turned to Pike.

“As for you,” Proserpine’s tone was calm. “I do not wish to harm her in any way. I do think it would be best to go back out there. Right now there are a lot of frightened and confused people out there. And an appearance by a god could help to quell some of that and win favour. As for not telling anyone what I was up to. I felt it would be more effective that way” Proserpine looked into Pike’s eyes and smiled.

“Now while I find your opinion interesting, I feel that I know something about gods. Though I can’t remember how or why. I just know that I am right. I know that I used to be a seraphim which would imply that I once served a god.” Proserpine recalled the memory of the battlefield and tried to recall something more. When she couldn’t, she continued to speak.

“But understand Pike, the choice is not yours to make. It is Yuchi’s. And should she decide that she is not up to the task, then I will step aside and we will find another means of helping Sitchel. But you too need to trust me.” Proserpine’s smile faded and her face became more serious.

“And do not presume to give me orders.” Her tone was still calm. “There is only one here I will take orders form, and it is not you. So please trust me and let’s help Yuchi accomplish what is to be a rather daunting task. I am not your enemy Pike. And quite frankly I think it would be so much better if we all worked together.” Proserpine still wanted to filet him. She wondered if he tasted like chicken.

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen tried to protest by sitting up, but quite nearly fell out of her chair.

" Okay, everyone just calm down." She was barely conscious, and even then only just thanks to Proserpine.

She couldn't remember exactly why but she had a very good reason for wanting to keep everyone inside... if only she could just think...

" We need to talk about this. We need a plan." she managed to grind out. " The Church isn't going to like this... They're going to..." And then she remembered. " They'll try to kill Yuchi."

[Lerouge]

Stribog's eyes closed at the feel of Branwen's fingers on his shoulder, his head leaning forward so his hair covered his face to the people around him. Flashes of her thoughts flew through his silver pupils, images of the things that had been happening the last few days. He watched silently at first until the image flashed to a certain scene filled with flesh, passion, and a familiar sound to his ears. His human heart broke and his body began retracting and his transformation vanished leaving him in his feline form once again. The grip on his shoulder from Branwen tightened, she knew what he was seeing and understood the need for him to transform yet she felt as though he needed comforting. He kept his eyes closed as he continued watching, his heart and feelings gone now before looking up at Branwen.

"So is that it?" He muttered to her softly as he stepped away from her touch and began walking toward the stairs down into the crowd once again, her following him as he went. His thoughts were open and racing for her yet something seemed odd about the moment, he could no longer feel her in his thoughts and turned to see her watching Proserpine leave the room. "Branwen?"

"Oh, I'm sorry Stribog. I got distracted by..." her voice trailed off as she looked back at the door, an annoyed expression on her face. "someone." With that she turned back to him and followed his down the steps and to a nearby table and sitting down on it. Stribog laid his body down on the floor beside her, his hands resting on his paws once again as his eyes looked up at Branwen. He thought about what to say to her, how to tell her he was going to help her deal with the situation; however, it seemed she was popular now and two others joined them and began talking with her. His eyes gazed at Yuchi since he already knew very well who the other was, and his eyes examining her curiously as he tried to listen in on what she was going to say to Branwen.

Before he had a chance to realize what was happening the appearance of Ghanima caught his attention. His eye turned toward her in confusion since he could smell Proserpine from this new person, not the most clever of costumes... he thought to himself as he sat up and watched the group. Branwen fell to the floor and the noise of her and Ghanima praising this Yuchi seemed to be catching the attention of the people around them. Most had stopped eating and turned their face toward Yuchi, staring at her in curiosity and he could tell this was a bad idea.

"Damnit... why don't you ever think." He growled as he stood up on all fours looking around in fear. Branwen had entered his thoughts again, he could hear her speaking to him as well as the others to escape and he turned to look at her and asked one thing of her. "Why?" He waited a moment as she explained and that's when he understood, that one thing everyone else wants except for him. Freedom

"Fine... I will help you. Go on I will meet you all soon" He said as he watched he crowd's expressions, each one different than the last and their whisper's flowed into his ears.

"Could this really be a new god?"
"No not possible... the church of Sitchel is the only god."
"No you are wrong, look at her power!"
"We must alert the church..."

It was time for him to act and as he watched the others leave he took his chance to make his move, he had only one plan and it was one he hated resorting to. The people watched the others leave and as they did Stribog leaped up onto a table again and sighed. His front right paw lifted up and pointed at the door and with one swift movement the exit to the room was blocked by a wall of fire. A gasp followed soon by a scream followed that moment as the flame spread throughout the room filling it with flames causing panic in every being there. Fear filled eyes turned to him as he stood there quietly and eventually they began leaping toward him.

Stribog wasn't an extremely expert fighter, yet his skills were one of the most rare in all of Sitchel. None of the people were even able to reach him before being pushed back into the flames by a gust of wind. His eyes were empty as he watched them die, their screams filling the air until nothing was left but silence. "Good... time for step two." He muttered as he transformed and leaped onto the ground. Ash from the surrounding flames began coating his white robe and as he walked toward the entrance of the building a path appeared for him. His lack of control in this form was apparent as the flames licked at his clothes, burning through some of them as he made his way outside.

As fresh air met his lungs he collapsed to the floor and bowed his head against the ground. It wasn't long before officials arrived at the scene and they were met by the sight of Stribog screaming into the air his arms waving above him. "Oh Sitchel! I have killed those who wished to have faith in another! Uprising against the great Sitchel will not be tolerated!!!" His voice screamed into the wind as the people around him watched before finally two of the officials that had arrived ran to his sides and lifted his body up. Their touch was frightening to him and his body shook completely at the pressure they placed upon him.

"Stribog! What is the meaning of this?!" One questioned him ignoring how full of fear the elemental was.

"Rebellion... the room... convinced... new god... must not challenge Sitchel." He said to them in broken words as they continued holding onto him in an attempt to comfort him.

"Very good Stribog. You shall be rewarded, a position within the church, protection... Very good."

"Please... let me be. I shall come to the church later, I accept anything that Sitchel wishes of me." His body changed back into the white tiger and the two men let go of him nodding in agreement before turning toward the burning building and working on trying to subdue the fire left behind. Stribog took the chance to walk to Zota's shop, standing on his hind legs and leaning his front on the door and muttering "cricket." The door opened for him and he walked inside and up the stairs to where the scent of the others came. Zota's eyes stared at him as he arrived up the stairs and at first looked afraid, but it seemed that Branwen comforted her by stating he was a friend. With a final muttering of welcome she ran by him and down the stairs as Stribog walked forward and transformed into his human self.


Branwen's presence was comforting enough to allow his form to remain and he closed his eyes allowing the others to talk. Suddenly her presence was gone and his eyes snapped open and watched as her and Proserpine, now in her regular form, kissed. His eyes turned away from the two and stared at the ground besides him, his body shaking slightly as Branwen awoke and spoke.

"Things... should be ok... I think... you all were foolish to act so suddenly. Belief isn't something you can change with the snap of a finger, you all would have been killed."

[John]

As Proserpine watched Stribog enter the room, she was reminded of how he had regarded Ghanima in the cafeteria. She hadn’t paid too much attention to it before. She was trying to play a role. One that she didn’t wish for people to see through. But regardless, she knew what the look signified. Once again she had been detected. Proserpine had to admit that she rushed the transformation. She had wanted everyone’s reactions to be genuine. As such, she didn’t take enough time to make sure that she had transformed completely. A mistake she would not be making again.

Proserpine regarded Stribog with a kind of curiosity. He seemed to be a creature of intelligence and power. But it appeared that he didn’t truly comprehend just what Proserpine wanted to accomplish. She did agree with him that a belief couldn’t be changed with the snap of a finger. But sh had not expected for everyone to believe instantly. It was just the first step in a larger plan. Walking up to him, Proserpine smiled.

“I do understand what you are saying.” Proserpine’s tone was calm and the whisper echoed the same. “I certainly didn’t expect to change anybody’s belief today. I only wished to give them an idea.” Proserpine looked over at Branwen. She was not herself and Proserpine would have to tend to her in a moment.

“An idea can be a very powerful tool. And if only one person agrees with that idea, they will pass it on. Whether it is to try and prove it or not, people will talk. Then people will want to see for themselves. It’s when they start to agree with that idea, that a belief forms.” Proserpine placed a hand on Branwen’s shoulder.

“Now I’m not saying that this will work. But I would prefer to try something than merely sit here with my finger up my ass.” Actually she wanted it in Branwen’s. But that would have to wait until later. “Besides, we have to start somewhere.” Proserpine removed her hand form Branwen’s shoulder and stared directly into her eyes. In truth, Proserpine wasn’t sure what the effect on herself would be given what she was about to do. She placed her on either side of Branwen’s head. Pushing as hard as she could, Proserpine sent her essence into Branwen. It would revive her and possibly strengthen her as well. Proserpine didn’t know for sure. She only knew it would help.

Proserpine concentrated as hard as she could and nearly depleted herself in the process of helping Branwen. As she felt herself beginning to fade, Proserpine stopped. Blinking, she stepped back and found she had to right herself. It was hard to stand and she was unsure as to exactly what this feeling was. It was something that felt completely foreign to her. Turning her head slowly, she looked at each of the people in the room. Her vision blurred slightly and she opened her mouth.

“How strange,” The words came quietly and Proserpine fell to the floor and lost consciousness

[Kirra]

Yuchi

Yuchi's face was still buried in Pike's chest as Proserpine walked up to her in her shifted form. She nodded against Pike as the shifted girl tried to reassure her. It made her feel a bit better, but she was still to worked up to stop her tears. She was barely able to squeeze out the words, "Please don't fight with each other." She knew that even though they seemed calm, Pike and Proserpine still had animosity. "I promise I'll try my best." Her voice still squeaking from her emotion.

Yuchi was still zoned out when Branwen came to. She heard Branwen speak though and it froze her to the core. "They're going to kill me." The idea had never even crossed her mind. Why would they want to kill her? She had never done anything to them had she? "Why?" Her voice was only a whisper. She grabbed Pike's clothes and held tight.

The new man to join them only reassured Yuchi's fears. He seemed to be sure that they where going to be killed. Yuchi's breaths got shorter and faster. She wasn't able to think strait. "Wh... why? What did... I don't... I don't wanna die!" She started hyperventilating. Her vision started to fade until everything went black.

Pike

It appeared that Proserpine wasn't going to let up. It was really getting on his nerves. Especially since her could here the small girls heart increasing and her breath shortening. If she wasn't careful, Yuchi would pass out. He had to calm the situation. And while he wanted to fight with Proserpine more, partly just for fun, he decided it would better to let it die down.

As the demon continued to speak, Pike simply tried to tune her out. Especially since she wouldn't stop touching Branwen. But to Pike's surprise it wasn't the Proserpine that made the next shocking statement. "They'll try to kill Yuchi." as the guides words reached his ears, Pike instinctively held Yuchi closer. Even placing his other arm on the back of her head. Yuchi quickly blacked out and went limp.

Pike lowered himself to the ground keeping Yuchi firmly in his arms. The others where to busy to notice that the small girl, who they played off as a god, was now unconscious. He repositioned Yuchi so that her back was against his chest, using his arms to keep her steady. Her heart rate and breathing returned to normal. She was resting for now.

"I hope your plan doesn't require Yuchi to be awake Proser... Damn it." Pike had only now noticed that the demon had fallen to the ground. It seemed she too needed to rest. Maybe it was for the best. But they did need to make a plan. Pike decided to turn to the newest member of the group. "I'm Pike. So what's your name?" After getting his response Pike continued. "i'm not going to ask you why you are here. It is obvious that Branwen trust you. That's good enough for now." Pike started to pet Yuchi's head causing her to lightly whimper. "Any clue what we can do about this situation? I won't let Yuchi die. I have the feeling, that like me, you are able to do the things that have to be done if the need arise."

[Crypes]

Crypes watched what was going on through glazed eyes. He didn't much care for what was going on, but he figured it was better to go along with it than wander off. Didn't stop him from wandering outside a moment to continue his smoking, though. He glanced around, noticing the various creatures go by, lost in his own head. So spaced out was he, that he almost didn't notice the large armored figure advancing on him. He blinked twice and turned his head, wondering what the thing could want. But before he could ask it stopped, pointed a finger, and said "You!" Before chucking a large metal....Car, thing. Those inside the green house would only see a shiny blur speed along the side the building before Crypes vanished.

Stepping out of the wreckage a good deal away from where he was standing, Crypes barely had time to glare before the armored man slashed at him with a large blade. He couldn't help but think there was something familiar here, but shrugged and proceeded to tightening the armor around the man's neck and chest. At least he tried.....But it was like something else was pushing back! He didn't know about anything that fight a Metalhead that way aside from....

"Another metalhead?" He muttered out loud, ducking a swing of the man's blade to get kicked in the face and sent flying. "A strong metalhead....." he said as he rubbed his face. The metal man was charging again, and Crypes didn't think he'd live through another assault unless he did something fast. So he threw yet another car thing at the guy, who held his ground as the car bent around him. He walked through the thing before taking an engine to the face and growling. Yet after all that, he was still coming. More cautiously of course, but no less angrily.

[Lerouge]

Stribog didn't expect someone to disagree with him, even if it was a gentle conversation it was more than his human form would normally take. His eyes moved between Proserpine and Branwen, who once again was laying unconscious on the chair and had to step back his body collapsing forward into his animal form. The transformation was starting to become frustrating to him and as the more confident side of his personality took over he cursed himself for being so weak in the other form. Stribog's head stared at Proserpine as she spoke, letting her words settle before chuckling slightly.

"Your theory has one major flaw in it..." He started saying as his head turned up to look into Proserpine's green eyes, a trace of a smile on his lips before he turned away. "You aren't understanding the laws of Sitchel, there are none. Your almighty god won't look so powerful if she was killed after her first appearance, which would probably have happened if I hadn't killed all those people that you foolishly tried to trick." His eyes turned back toward the demon and the sight made his jaw drop slightly seeing her collapsed on the floor besides the still unconscious Branwen. "Well... I think I just missed something..."

A groan of frustration escaped his lips as he he walked over to Proserpine and pressed his paw against her rolling her onto her back allowing her more comfort. Once assured that she was comfortable he turned over to Branwen as his body transformed into his human state, his hand buried into his robe shuffling through it. He concentrated on his pocket at first and smiled as he pulled out a small medicine bottle filled with bright yellow pills and popped one onto the palm of his hand before storing the bottle again. Suntabs, the greatest form of energy available for beings that rely on the heat of the sun for energy. He leaned down onto his knee's besides Branwen and pressed the pill between her lips and ran his other fingers over her revealed neck. Branwen swallowed instinctively from the action and the pill vanished into her body. "There that should get you up and running in a few minutes."

Stribog turned and was greeted in surprise by the sight of Pike and Yichi right beside him. His body leaped back slightly but his form remained the same as he looked down at the girl being held in Pike's arms. She seems so young, they are placing all their hopes on her? he thought to himself before looking into the familiar face of Pike, well familiar to Stribog at least thanks to Branwen's memories.

"My name is Stribog..." he said to Pike's first question and waiting for him to speak once again and finish his question. "Well... we have secured just about every measure to keep her safe I can think of... except one." As he finished the line he reached down toward Branwen's ear and pulled out the communicator earpiece she was wearing and placed it on the ground placing his palm over it. His eyes closed as a pulse of pressure flew through his arm and he pressed down on the communicator, a hole appearing below it and having it drop down into the planet's surface. "Those communicators are very tricky; leave them on and you can be found in a heartbeat, try to destroy them you will be killed in the process. One of the many creative toys the arrival guild has on the guides, after all if anyone knows Sitchel inside and out it's her."

His body relaxed now that the final step had been taken care of and he sat with his legs crossed in front of him. "For now we need to rest and plan what our next move it, and let's make sure it's not as foolish as the mess I just had to clean up." His eyes scanned down at Yuchi and another sigh escaped his lips. Damnit... why do I always get myself into these things.

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen woke up suddenly, sitting bolt upright and stiff as a board. Her body felt tingly and warm, it was hard to blink, her heart was pounding in her chest, and her thoughts were racing through her head, tumbling over each other.

Sun tab. Stribog was the only one who would have though to give her a sun tab. She vaguely recalled Proserpine sharing a bit of energy with her, and the two types of magic within her were not mixing well, leaving her with a sense of nausea.

She glanced around. Stribog was sitting next to her, looking simultaneously bored and worried, something only he could manage. Pike was holding an unconscious Yuchi, and he didn't appear pleased at all. Proserpine was unconscious nearby, and although she worried briefly, she knew of no surefire way to revive the demoness.

" Wait, where's Crypes?" she asked out loud, and was answered by a crash outside. Never a good sign. Scrambling to her feet, she rushed to a small window and looked out onto chaos.

Conant Hall was on fire, Church Guards and Investigators were everywhere, and Crypes was throwing cars at some guy.

Branwen screamed, gripping her hair in frustration.

" It never fucking stops!" she yelled, stomping her foot petulantly.

Stribog was the only one who could have done that to the Hall without the security system being able to stop him. And she tried not to think about the people who had been inside the hall... Life was cheap in Sitchel after all. And she was no use to Crypes. He'd never seen him fully display his ability and he was impressive, even among the more powerful denizens of Sitchel. But as impressive as he was, the Church was creative. They'd find a way to arrest him, and failing that, they'd kill him. Even as the most humanitarian organization in Sitchel, they didn't take well to threats to their holiness.

But she was not a fighter. She might provide a good distraction but if she stepped out, the Church Guards would recognize her and try to either kill her or arrest her on sight. She'd sealed her fate with the Church. She bit her lip, straining to think, before rushing to the door.

" Move, Pike." she demanded, slamming the door open when he did. She stormed down the stairs to Zota. " Alright, so we'll need to use the tunnels. You might want to close shop for the day." She paused as one of the two combatants outside destroyed the shop next door. " And also I hope you have insurance. Stribog, carry Proserpine, we're going somewhere further away from the Church! And Pike, follow Stribog and Zota!" She called up the stairs, then turned back to Zota. " I don't care where you take us, just not here." She then turned to the shop windows, approaching them slowly and carefully.

She saw Church Guards, in their red combat uniforms, slowly surrounding the two combatants in pairs. Each pair carried a long black tube between them. Branwen bit her lip. She'd seen those before. They were net launchers, used for capture beings alive. The nets were heavy, magnetized to cling together, and electrified to render the being captured effectively paralyzed.

Crypes, I don't know what you're up to, but the Church is going to try to capture you. You need to run. If you can get in here, the Church will go after that guy first, and I can get you somewhere safe...

She hoped he was listening to the thoughts she pushed into his head.

[John]

Although Proserpine was unconscious, at times she was aware. She had nearly depleted her essence in aid of Branwen, and now was unable to move. To the others it would appear that she was sleeping. However, at times, she wasn’t. What was happening is that she was fading in and out of existence. She was tying to cling to the outside world, but was unable to penetrate the barrier created by her fatigue and weakness. It was as though she were being swallowed by darkness.

Normally the thought of this would have appealed to Proserpine. She loved the darkness and found it’s cold embrace to be quite soothing As it was, she was fearful at the thought of losing her own existence. She could hear muffled voices through the barrier and wanted to call out. Proserpine wanted help and a feeling of desperation overtook her. She was unsure of how long she would be able to hold on and hoped that she would be able to snap her body out of unconsciousness.

Proserpine tried to call out with her mind for Branwen, but was stopped by the barrier. Her energy was nearly depleted and she screamed against the darkness. The scream was in vain as no one could hear her. A part of her thought that it might be better for her to give up and fade from the world. Thoughts of despair entered her mind. Would anyone truly miss her if she was gone? She doubted it. She was a creature of darkness and evil. And even though she tried to deny her nature, there was nothing she knew of that could change that.

Proserpine thought of the others she had met. All of them were far more than she could ever hope to be. They were good people. And although she found them amusing, the only one she found herself caring for was Branwen. Proserpine had found happiness in her arms and actually felt good about it. She had no memories of happiness brought on by another person. And even if her memories were intact, she doubted she would find any. Proserpine started to wonder if their was any hope for her. How could she continue as a creature of destruction and chaos? The despair increased and although she didn’t know it, in the waking world, a single tear rolled down Proserpine’s cheek.

[Kirra]

Pike

Pike smiled a little as Stirbog spoke. The man must be rather intelligent to know the effects of the device and how to deal with it. The power this man possessed interested Pike. Transmogrification was one thing but he seemed to be able to slightly alter reality. He didn't realize creatures like him existed. Pike could feel the power that this creature held. It was enough to earn a level of respect.

"Who's the arrival guild? Is it the person who just spoke to Branwen, Regina?" Pike held onto that name. He had a feeling that the person wasn't at the top, but maybe high enough to answer some questions. "The more looses ends we tie up, the safer this will be." He looked down at the small girl in his arms, caressing her forehead. "Can I count on you to help me with this?"

But before he got his reply, Branwen had awoken. It appeared the shifter knew much about Branwen. Pike would have to find some of these sunlight pills. The guide got up from her chair and started darting around the room. 'Damn she has a lot of energy.' Pike smirk as thoughts came to his head on how to use that energy. 'Now is not the time Pike. What if Yuchi starts reading your mind right now?" Pike shook his head to clear the thoughts, and then relaxed again.

Branwen stomped over to Pike demanding he moved. "Wait where..." He shook his head again. "Never mind." Pike reluctantly got to his feet and carried Yuchi over to where he considered a soft spot. He sat the small girl down. Pike pulled his jacket off and sat it on Yuchi's small frame. 'That should keep her warm. Pike's heat was always enough to warm any cloth. Now that the girl was out of his arms, Pike returned to his thoughts of Branwen. He let out a short chuckle.

Pike walked to the stairs looking for the one he desired. "Bran, what's going on?" Her response was quick and direct. "Shit." Pike turned back into the room and picked up Yuchi, wrapping the jacket around her. "Here that Stirbog? I guess we are on the move again." Pike turned to the others and added, "Come on guys." Pike went back down stairs with Yuchi in one arm. He walked over to the blue woman and helped her close the shop doors. "So what's the plan?"

[Lerouge]

Stribog was beginning to get used to the people around him, his fear was beginning to vanish and his human form was becoming easier to maintain with every passing moment. He was proud of himself as Pike began speaking to him, he was actually holding up a conversation with someone other than Branwen. A gentle smile appeared on his lips as he listened carefully to what Pike had to say, but the moment wasn't long lived as a crash from outside accompanied by the recovered Branwen screaming out for Crypes.

"Crypes?" He muttered to himself for a second recalling him from the ex-guides memories earlier and looked around the room hoping to see him standing in the corner. His fears were realized as he didn't see him as well as Branwen's scream and he rushed over to her side besides the window to see what was going on. The scene outside was frightening as the one known as Crypes was battling with another and the authorities quickly running in to stop them. Stribog's eyes widened in fear at the weapon they were wielding, his hand instinctively running to his arms and rubbing them. He knew the power of those shocks, he had the marks to prove it under his robes... but now was not the time to lose control.

Stribog, carry Proserpine, we're going somewhere further away from the Church!

The words rang in his ears and he turned swiftly toward the sleeping Proserpine and with a gentle wave of his hand lifted her off the ground and had her floating at waist height beside him before leaning down slightly and resting his arms under her. They arched up and he held her close to him before turning back to Zora, who was moving aside an old raggedy carpet revealing a tunnel underneath. "Hmm... I always wondered why the tacky green carpet... makes sense now." He said as he looked over at Branwen, who was still closing the doors with Pike beside her.

"Come on let's get going..." He called out to Pike after he had prepared Yuchi for the trip. "We need to getdown, I'll go down first and then you two go. There is a ladder, but it would be risky to climb down it with Yuchi in your arms... just trust me. I'll send up a platform for you all to climb down on, it will be faster." He spoke quickly as his eyes turned back toward the dark hole beneath them and gave a gentle gulp. "Things are really getting serious..." and with that he jumped, still holding Proserpine tight in his grips his eyes were instantly met with darkness.

His first instinct was to create a flame, but he couldn't risk it in this form he had to concentrate on the ground. Stribog took a deep breathe, gathering as much air as he could in his lungs leaning his body forward enough to see the ground and breathed out. A gust of wind began blowing down to the ground and their speed was instantly slowed to almost stillness as the two landed safely on the ground. With a gasp of relief he looked around and smiled in relief at the torches of everlasting that were placed down here, lighting the room for him. Quickly, he placed Proserpine down and got down on his knees and placed his palms on the rocks beneath him. A slab of rock in front of him broke away from the rest of the floor and shot up into the air and stopping at the entrance of the room and he waited for the others to join him.

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen was not keen to leave Crypes behind. Instead, she loaded her group onto Stribog's rock slab, thee at a time. Proserpine, and Pike carring Yuchi went first, followed by Sedi, Pherdel, and Geru. Eldwin, Angelus, and Buck were last. Zota was getting anxious to evacuate, but Branwen was dragging her feet, desperately trying to give Crypes time to get into the shop and join everyone.

If she lost sight of Crypes, she would have a hard time finding him again, even if he wasn't captured. Without her earset and the guild's resources, she'd have to rely on information networks which were sketchy at best when it came to finding people.

The street outside was a wreck. The Guards were in position. It was do or die time.

" Go down. You and Stribog take everyone to the Menzo. You remember Baecryl?" she asked of Zota, who nodded, wide-eyed and alarmed. " Ask for her when you get there. Tell her what's happening. She'll hide you till I come."

" What are you going to do?" Zota asked. Branwen didn't answer. " Goddess be with you."

And then Branwen was alone with her thoughts, which she was pushing into Crypes' rather distracted mind.

Out of time, Crypes. Either get in here or I'll come out and make a distraction for you.

[RainCheck]

Venser and Mishra stared. They were examining Angelus' reaction to what they had explained in great detail what he must accomplish to forever stave off the evil within Frostmourne and help Sitchel survive. "Oh, you can't be bloody serious!" he said, "There is no way I could do that. Even with my vampire strength and the power of Frostmourne at my fingertips."
Venser looked at Angelus. "You must. It is the only way mate"
This world needs Champions and you pretty much fit that bill back on your home plane." said Mishra, "Take us for example..We come from a line of great heroes created by a greater power or being or what ever you believe. Now it's up to you man."
Angelus drew Frostmourne and stared at the accursed blade. "Champions" he said How is someTHING like ME considered a Champion? The soul that blessed me has been damned by this sword. Granted, I brought it onto myself to awaken it and bind it to me, but CHAMPION...That's a phrase that I would never give myself."
"Look mate," said Venser I was a simple Insurance Agent before I was tossed into a battle that would seal the fate of two parallel worlds. I was just a pencil pusher/claims receiver when I fought off the forces of half-demons, mystical drug dealers, dragon worshipers, the works. But it took my belief, in my core group of rag-tag nobodies, for me to believe in myself."
Angelus re-sheathed Frostmourne. "Well, I went through the Trials of Hell, so I already know what the bad place below has in store for me, should I fail." he looked at the two strangers, "Thanks. I'll remember all you told me"
Angelus held his hand out toward Venser. Venser extended his hand and shook Angelus' with the topmost respect. "Believe in yourself and in your party" said Mishra also shaking Angelus' hand And they will never do you wrong. Find that one connection with someone, and keep it close."
Venser and Mishra walked away, disappearing into a back alley. Angelus turned and headed toward the group. He held Frostmourne's handle as he walked. <Those two really seem to know their stuff. I wonder where THEY came from originally>

Angelus was taken a gasp at what he had walked into on his way to re-join the group. A large, white, tiger was keeping itself close to Branwen. <Right, I bloody leave for a few days to understand my purpose and we get a sodding cat to go along with the wolfman>. Angelus sniffed the air in search of the werewolf aussie, but something else caught his vampiric senses...<Great, just bleeding perfect. Not only are we worrying about what the hell is going to happen to our "new home", everybody's decided to shag one another while we're here. Bloody, hormonal, humans..plants..demoness,,,THINGS! It's like the sodding High School Prom Night of Dungeons and Dragons in this group!>
Angelus made his way toward Branwen to see IF she could make heads or tails of what's been going on, but he was sorely mistaken of expecting a decent conversation. Branwen's body language was maddening, rushed, and deeply, deeply, exhausted. <The Fairy bird got herself a little action. Bloody hell, this is going to be hard to sort through>

Suddenly, Branwen had turned and told everyone to hurry toward a small shop. Before Angelus, could make heads or tails of the situation, he immediately ran with the others to the location.

Inside, most of the group was debating and deliberating what the next plan of attack was going to be. Angelus stood in a corner listening in as best he could, when another voice rang in his head. HE is not what I was led to believe.
<Who's that?> Angelus thought
A god has joined our ranks Angelus, or should I call you William
<WHAT?>
I am here, at your side. You may know me by THIS VOICE
Angelus could hear the voice of Arthas in his head. <No bleeding way>
YES..When you killed me the remainder of my soul was absorbed into Frostmourne. And when you decided to awaken it's true power, I was allowed into your mind.
<Shut your gob! YOU'RE DEAD AND BURIED BENEATH THE SNOW AND ICE OF NORTHREND.
Angelus shook his head. "You're dead" he said softly.
"What was tha mate? Couldn't quite hear you there."
Angelus looked to his side. Buck, the werewolf was standing next to him in the shop. "Nothin'. Just thinking aloud."
Well, crikey, someone from the old empire. "God save the Queen an all' eh?"
"You're sorely mistaken my friend. I don't hail to her. She's just a little ol' lady with a big, shiny hat as far as I'm concerned"
"AHHH...Rebel. Fighter...I like that mate! Good on ya. To the bowels of Hades with them all"
Angelus chuckled. "You're alright for an overgrown flea bag"
Buck placed his hands on his hips "HA! An you're not a bad specimen yourself for a leechin zombie"
Angelus and Buck laughed quietly together, but Branwen said something that snapped Angelus out of his good spirit. " The Church isn't going to like this... They're going to...try and kill Yuchi"
Angelus felt his insides sink. "You alright mate?" Buck asked
"Church! It had to be a sodding CHURCH that we had to get into a tussle with." said Angelus
Well, what's wrong with a church? It's big, open, with a lot of little ol' ...OH I get it now.." said Buck understanding Angelus' dilemma.
"Took a little bit for that train to reach the station did it?" sad Angelus
"Right then, you jackass," said Buck "Let's see you figure that out after a bout twenty-something beers"
Angelus chuckled slightly.

<PERFECT! It HAD to be a Church we were Fighting!>

[Security of Mem]

Not much of the situation was registering to Sedi and Pherdel. Well more Sedi then Pherdel. Pherdel pressed his thumb to his chin, thinking of what he could do to remedy the situation.
When he heard a sudden gasp for air. Sedi and Pherdel just watched two folks pass out and Sedi began to gasp for air.

"OH MY GOD!" Sedi said in a high pitch voice, "OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!"
Sedi began bouncing up and down clapping his hands, he was screaming and hyperventilating.
"AAAAAAAAH!"Sedi said.
"Now now," Pherdel said, "Sedi please calm down."
"Oh my god that guy collapsed," Sedi said.
"Yes, you've seen this before,"
"No no no no, I haven't!"
"Yes you have you're a warrior,"

"No I'm not,"

Sedi began screaming running around. And Pherdel was staring at him. This was the odd intermission between deadly evil and normal people.

[Crypes]

(Apologies, work has been brutal.)

The two stoners stopped their fight as they noticed the guards surrounding them with guns. The armored man growled behind his helmet and Crypes took another drag from his cigarette. "Looks like you're gonna have to maul me later, John-o. We've got company." he said, looking around at the guards and holding up his hands. John-o nodded and did the same before they spun around and tossed the heaviest chunks of scrap they could as a distraction before running for the shop. As the guards fired their net guns the stoners laughed and sent them right back at their owners, leaving dozens of stunned captured guards on the ground. "Grab one!"

John-o nodded and grabbed one by the shirt before following Crypes inside. His mask melted away from his face as he looked at the members of the group inside, all apparently ready to throw him back outside. "Look, I'm smart enough to know when to trade one opponent for another. I'll settle my business with Crypes later."

Crypes took another drag of his cigarette as nodded. "Yeah. We'll settle it later. We've got a bit of survival to worry about."

[The Gypsy Queen]

" Thank the Queen." Branwen muttered. She didn't give a rat's ass who was along for the ride at this point. Beings the Church deemed dangerous were never seen again. She was not going to be on that list. " Come on." she grabbed the pair by their elbows and dragged them onto the tight confines of Stribog's rock platform. She felt her usual sense of vertigo as the platform rushed down, jammed between to the two males.

How do I always find myself in these positions? she wondered to herself.

Once at the bottom, she hoped off the rock, nodding to the rest of her group. She glamored the hole they'd come through and took off at a jog down the tunnel, occasionally glancing over her shoulder to make sure they all kept up.

" Stay close..." she called in a hushed voice, panting lightly. " ... the underground of Sitchel is... a maze of... catacombs... mines... sewers..." she began leading them on a winding path through a series of crypts. " Beings get lost down here... and they never come out... but the Church never comes... down here cause... the Underground belongs to the Menzo... you'll see."

Branwen lit their way with a series of fluttering balls of light that followed them as they emerged into a huge cavern, littered with bones.

" The Underground also belongs to all kinds of nasties." she whispered, slowly leading the group through. " So be quiet."

She wasted no breath, leading her group through a labyrinth silently. Finally, after what seemed like hours in the deep, confined darkness, they emerged onto another cavern, this one lit by purple lights and covered in stalactites. Occupying the vast majority of the cavern was a half a city.

" Welcome to the Menzo." she said, leading the group towards the gates. " If you ever thought about taking me seriously about the whole 'don't touch anything' deal, now would be a good time. These fuckers are mean down here."

Branwen charged ahead to the gates, grinning and holding up her hands at the pair of snake like guards.

" Heya boys, I'm here to see Baecryl Baerun? I'm an old friend and she owes me a-" Branwen was interrupted by a deafening crash as something tore through the cavern wall and charged the city, coming at her group from the left. It was about twenty feet high, and lizard like. It walked more or less on two legs, had spine ridges, a long snout, and plenty of sharp looking teeth. It roared loudly and seemed intent on death and destruction.

" Oh, for fuck's sake."

[John]

Proserpine opened her eyes. She stared up at the ceiling of the cave. She was disoriented and still quite fatigued. She had no desire to get to her feet. That is until she heard the sound of something crashing through the wall and a loud roar.

Proserpine pushed herself to her feet and stared at the creature which had come into the room. She was wobbly on her feet and was in no condition to fight. But that wasn’t going to stop her. As the creature charged at them, she motioned with her hand and sent a wave of psychic energy at the creature. The wave dissipated the moment it left Proserpine’s mind and she dropped to her knees.

“Fuck!” Proserpine spat at the ground and a black bile like substance was expelled from her mouth. The creature was bearing down on the group. It was about to overtake Angelus and Proserpine reacted. She actually felt surprised at what she did. Even with her waning strength, she was able to spring into the air. Flying at the creature, she crashed into it’s snout and the two went tumbling across the floor. Proserpine hit the ground with a thud as the creature rolled over top of her. Proserpine lay still for just a moment. But unfortunately it was a moment too long. The creature was incredibly fast and had righted itself and grabbed her in it’s clawed hand.

The creature lifted Proserpine into the air and immediately slammed her head first inot the ground. Proserpine thought she heard a cracking noise and her vision became slightly blurry. She could feel a cold sensation where blood was seeping from the wound in her head. Blood and bile few from her mouth as the creature slammed her down a second time. Proserpine looked up at the creature and gasped as she felt yet another sensation she had no memory of. As the claws of the creature ripped through her back and came out her stomach, Proserpine felt pain.

Normally Proserpine would have already started to heal. But she was weakened from giving up so much of her essence to Branwen. Proserpine had a bad feeling she was going to die. She had no clue what she could to save herself. And she doubted that any of the others would be able to save her in time.

A memory flashed in her mind. It wasn’t clear, more of a muffled blurred image in her mind. She had a memory of when she was unconscious. It was one of the times that she was somewhat aware. Not so much something she heard. But a feeling. Something had changed. Something had happened to Branwen. It was as if she became charged with energy. Energy above and beyond that which Proserpine had given her. It was as if Branwen had been imbibed with the energy of a sun.

The creature lifted Proserpine level with it’s eyes and roared in her face. Saliva and foul breath, which came form the remains of rotting corpses between it’s teeth, washed over her. As the creature opened it’s jaws, Proserpine sent out her last remaining ounce of strength. What she wanted to do wasn’t hard and since she was about to die, Proserpine found just enough. Just enough, to steal one of the sun pills which Sedi was carrying. The pill flew and landed in Proserpine’s mouth. Proserpine swallowed as the creature placed her head between it’s jaws and bit down.

It’s teeth crushed her head and it let out a howl of pain as bright flames exploded form Proserpine’s head. The creature flew backwards into the wall, and let go of Proserpine who crashed to the ground. She wasn’t moving, but she was alive. She could feel the fire starting to build inside her. A growing flame looking to explode with a hellish fury. Proserpine’s wounds were starting to heal and her body became engulfed in the flame. Slowly she started to stand as the creature righted itself and started charging for another go. The fire burned from her fingertips and Proserpine realized that she could control it. But she still didn’t have enough strength. All she could do was watch as the creature bore down on her.

[GraftRaven]

Geru took a wide stance as the creature rushed them, but Proserpine beat him to it... and she wasn't doing too well. He thought it was over, but then Proserpine burst into flame, sending the creature reeling back in confusion. The absolute chaos of the last day had been causing a growing feeling in Geru, something like an extra bit of himself, and this moment of seeming impossibility completed it. With a rush of wind Geru pushed himself up, landing with one hand on the thing's head, his eyes seemingly replaced with incandescent orange flame and his claws glowing and crackling with bright red lightening.

With a flip of his body Geru's other hand came to rest with its claws embedded in the creature's back, then he slid down, his claws slipping through flesh like a band-saw through chicken. As he reached the thing's hips Geru pushed off, flying back through the air, and a lance of psycho-kinetic energy shot from his forehead through the tip of the creature's tail. As he landed Geru felt as though his own mind was being riven in two, it took all the strength he had to maintain his sanity, then the creature stopped and whipped around, its tail smashing Geru in the stomach and sending him careening into the nearby wall.

What had just happened?

[Kirra]

Pike

As they had reached the Menzo, Pike's nose became filled with vile scents that made the smelly humans who accompanied them seem like daisies. But the city was still rather beautiful. You know, in a dark dank kind of way. Pike could only guess at the reasons Branwen had brought them here. But he trusted her wholeheartedly.

As the guide spoke of the amazing underground city, Pike started to notice loud steps heading in their directions. He turned to see what it was as the beast crashed through a wall. It seemed that Branwen noticed it as well. The beast charged towards the group with a hungry look in its eyes.

Proserpine and Geru charge at the beast and where quickly dispatched by it. And not it seemed Proserpine was on fire. "Damn it." He set Yuchi on the ground. "Branwen, I trust you to protect her." Then turning to the lizard, he added, "Now why does this remind me of something?" A quick flash hit Pike. A memory of his old life. It was short and sweet, but perfect for this time. "Oh, so I use to hunt things like this. Well I am a little hungry." But due to his comrades more fragile condition, Pike didn't want to risk anything. "Stirbog, you wanna try some of that magic stuff on this guy? What do you say, I go high, you go low?" They exchanged a nod, and Pike charged into battle.

When he got close to the beast, Pike pushed off the ground and landed on the beast back. He grabbed on of the protruding spikes for balance. Pike then climbed up to the creatures neck and started slashing at it's throat with his razor sharp claws. He then started punching the over grown lizard in the back of the head.

Of course the creature wasn't making this easy. Every few seconds Pike would have to move to avoid being slashed by the giant claws of the creature. And worse, he had a lot of trouble hanging on as the beast flailed about. "Stirbog, any time you want to hop in on this." The creatures swipes where getting closer, and he even a few deep cuts into Pikes legs and arms.

Yuchi

Being held by a warm and tight embrace, Yuchi felt like she would never want to wake up. Even as the cold air started to hit her face, Yuchi just nuzzled her head into Pike's chest and felt relaxed. The loud crash caused her to stir a bit, but she ignored it. But then she felt the warmth leave her. It was replaced by a cold hard floor. Yuchi decided it was time to get up.

"Pike, pick me back up. It's cold here." She opened here eyes, rubbing them slightly with her hand. She looked up to see that Pike was not around. She was in a dark cavern. "Branwen. What's going on? Where is Pike?" She got up and walked close to the guide and decided to look in the direction she was. "Pike! Oh no. Branwen what is that thing?"

[RainCheck]

" Stay close..." Branwen called in a hushed voice, panting lightly. " ... the underground of Sitchel is... a maze of... catacombs... mines... sewers..."<Well, at least we're away from those Bible-Thumping religious crackpots> Angelus thought. He gripped the hilt of Frostmourne as he followed the group. Branwen began leading them on a winding path through a series of crypts." Beings get lost down here... and they never come out..." <Wait, So why the bloody hell are we heading down here anyway, you sodding elf with wings?! > "..but the Church never comes... down here cause... the Underground belongs to the Menzo"<OH!....Never mind then.Yeah...lets go away from the religious buggers that WANT to kill us, and head down to a place where the nasties MAY kill us. Bloody brilliant..> "..you'll see..." <Oh goody..goody....Bugger..>

Angelus followed the group for what seemed like hours, until he saw the cavern's opening ahead. "Took bloody long enough." he muttered to himself.
The group made it's way to the opening, and stood a gasp at the massiveness of the city under Sitchel. " Welcome to the Menzo." said Branwen, leading the group towards the gates.<Jesus tap-dancing Christ! This place just goes on doesn't it?> " If you ever thought about taking me seriously about the whole 'don't touch anything' deal, now would be a good time. These fuckers are mean down here." Branwen warned.
"No need to worry bout that love." said Angelus.

Everyone made their way toward the gates to the city. Branwen moved ahead to speak to the snake-like creatures guarding the entrance to the city itself. <Yea...Not going to touch a sodding thing, if those creepy looking blokes are the security.> Just before Branwen could explain to the guards, a thunderous crash and a deafening roar came from the left of the everyone. Angelus spun on his heels to face the direction of the noise and saw a 2Oft tall dinosaur creature running towards the group. The creature was massive. Rows of spines ran along its back, its long tail spun around like a bull-whip. "Oh balls..." said Angelus
The creature made a bee line towards the group. Angelus drew Frostmourne from it's sheath on his left side. The runes on the blade began to glow their bright blue. "Right then...Let's go walk the dinosaur shall we?"
The creature ran towards Angelus, but was stopped by Proserpine who lept infront of and took the beast head on with her powers. <Bloody hell! Demon bird's keeping me safe?...>
Proserpine concentrated a wave of energy at the creature, but the animal shook it off. Proserpine fell, but then lept into the air flying head on towards the creature. "Sodding bint's going to get herself killed!" said Angelus
The demoness and the massive dinosaur continued their onslaught of each other. Proserpine nimbly flying around the beast until it finally clasp its jaws around her head, but instead of decapitating the demon woman, it reared back and let out a shriek of pain. Angelus could see that Proserpine's head was set aflame and had burned the inside of the dinosaur. WHAT THE BLOODY HELL!" Angelus shouted

Proserpine fell to the ground. She looked finished. "NO SODDING WAY THAT DAMN FOSSIL'S GOING TO KILL MY GROUP!" Angelus yelled out.
He gripped Frostmourne tightly, and held the blade upward. "Gods who forged this blade to led Scourge onto Azeroth. Rune-blade of the Lich King. I have bound you to my soul and I now call upon your power."
Frostmourne began to glow brightly filling the area with a bright, blue, light."Awaken your full potential as I call our name...FROSTMOURNE!
The runes upon the blade lit up as brightly as they ever had since Angelus awoke the sword of the Lich King. The demon skull's eyes lit and shined a deep, dark red. Angelus lowered the sword, ut kept the blade erect. He could feel the power of Frostmourne surrounding him. Yet, he could also feel his very core burning white-hot and stinging his chest. He closed his eyes to hold back his expression of pain. The Dinosaur roared loudly and charged towards Angelus. Angelus opened his eyes and on a collision course with the beast. " YOUR SOUL IS MINE NOW!!" Angelus shouted.
The dinosaur opened it great maw to bite down on the vampire. Angelus raised Frostmourne and swung with all his might at the creature. He felt the wet *thud* and cut through as Frostmourne severed the creatures left arm. The dinosaur howled in pain and backed away. Angelus looked at the blade of his sword and saw that the creatures blood was being absorbed into the runes. The terrible lizard regained itself and began another charge at Angelus. The vampire readied himself and ran towards the beast as well. Just before the creature reached Angelus, the vampire leapt into the air and swung Frostmourne at the creatures head. Angelusfelt the blade make contact at the animals jaw joint. He used all of his vampiric strength and pulled the blade, severing the dinosaur's lower jaw from its head. the animal fell to the ground, flailing about in pain. Angelus fell and caught his balance on his feet. He slowly made his way to the suffering creature's head and locked eyes with it. Angelus turned his sword downward and plunged Frostmourne deep into the animals skull. He twisted the blade slowly. As he dd the creature's corpse began to decay. It's flesh rotted in a matter of seconds and fell from the bone. The smell of rotting meat filled the cavern. The dinosaur's bones also began to rot and crack apart. Until, in a matter of minutes, the ground that the beast was slain on was cleared of any and all remnants of it. The ground itself, turned a dark, sickening, black. Putrid pools of rotted bodily fluid sat in the small impressions on the cavern flood. The blade of Frostmourne hovered over the spot where the animals head was. What looked like a thin sheet of ice now covered the metal of the sword. Angelus held the blade for a few second over the ground and then re-sheathed the sword.
Buck slowly made his way toward the vampire. " You alright there mate?" he said cautiously.
Angelus didn't speak.
"Angelus? Mate? You good?"
Angelus turned slowly towards his comrade. Buck let out a gasp and backed away from the vampire. The entirety of the group gasped, yelped, and voiced their surprise at what they were staring at. Angelus' eye's were glowing and flaring a light blue flame. His skin became paler than it was. So, white it looked blue in the low cavernous lights.

Angelus!....This is not what you fought to become.... Grace's voice rang in Angelus' head. Gracie?" he muttered.
Angelus...No...you are not a monster...you are not like the rest of your kind....
"I have damned myself all over again. When I fought so hard for you. Grace. I love you...."
Angelus' appearance returned to normal. He look at the group. He couldfeel himself fainting slowly. He dropped to his knees and then fell spread eagle upon the ground of the cavern. Angelus fell out of consciousness. Hearing Arthas, the Lich King he killed for Frostmourne, laughing in his head.

Did fight so hard for my soul only to lose it and become the new Lich King?.....

[GraftRaven]

He tried to move, but instead simply fell from the Geru-shaped depression in the wall and into a pool of sickly smelling liquid. His eyes returned to normal, as did his claws. Geru looked up at the group, Angelus, who was looking like he was going to faint, and Proserpine, who was still standing. After seeing everyone was still alive, then threw up, tried to reach the edge of the pool before collapsing face down on the ground.

"I told you you should have warned him first." There was a pause, a slight rushing sound in his ears. "Look, he's coming around now, so it doesn't matter." Geru opened his eyes on a totally black room, seeing his own face staring back at him. "Gyyaaaa!! Get away!" He screamed, trying to scoot backwards. He only ran into another set of his own legs. He looked up to see a female version of himself standing over him, the only notable differences between the three of them were that the copies had normal arms... and the one was female. The female clone bent down. "Enjoying the view?" She slapped him in the face, then circled around to stand next to the male one. "Lets have a chat about what just happened."

Geru was thoroughly confused... it was obvious that he was hallucinating at this point, but why? His male clone spoke: "So, you just experienced warp power..." A giant notepad on an easel appeared to the left of the clones, and they were each now holding wooden pointer-sticks. The female one walked around to the other side of the easel, then flipped the first page over, revealing a rather poorly drawn diagram of circles with what seemed like a fiery substance between them. "Universes are like giant bubbles, unless by some freak accident they can't really be traveled between." And now the other spoke pointing his stick at the space between the bubbles. "The space between them is referred to as warp space. Whereas in universes energy acts on objects and is invisible in most cases, in warp space energy is an object. In fact the only object."

"Any questions so far?" Geru spoke calmly, what they were saying was interesting. "Just one: which one of you drew that thing?" The female one looked looked annoyed and whipped the back of the other's head with her pointing-stick. "I told you you should have spent more time on this, whay don't you ever listen to me?" The male one flinched and looked down at his hands, pushing his index fingers together. "Anyway, you can tap into this energy and expel it here... likely destroying something or having semi-magical effects. But there is a danger to this power. Every time you use it, if you aren't prepared and don't know EXACTLY what you want it to do it can kill you and your friends at worst, or make you hallucinate like this at the second best. Best case? You don't even stop moving and keep fighting like normal."

"Wait, if right now is being caused by me overusing this power... then why are you explaining it to me?" They looked at each other, grinning sheepishly. "That would be because it was your first time using it since you lost your memory... plus the energy has a good sense of humor and irony." Geru thought for a minute, folding his legs underneath himself. "So what now that you're done explaining?" The notepad and easel disappeared and the two clones looked at each other.


xXx--------------------xXx--------------------xXx
.:five minutes later:.


Geru looked back and forth between the two of them, holding his cards in front of his face. "Do you have any eights?" The male stuck out his tongue "Go fish!" The female looked around. "Why did we decide to play card games until he woke up again?" "That would be because there's nothing better to do..."

((OOC: huzzah for COLORZ!!))

[Lerouge]

It had been months since Stribog had come into these catacombs and from his last experience in this place, he was dreading what lay ahead. The foulest of creatures had made their home in these caves, capturing and killing the stupid "explorers" who's curiosity got the better of them. It was a place that one would be dead in a matter of minutes unless they had a guide, lucky for them they had the perfect one. He followed the rest of the group quickly, his arms wrapped around Proserpine tightly ensuring she didn't fall as they traveled.

"The Menzo, huh?" He whispered to himself as Branwen spoke and his hands tightened into fists as he grabbed at Proserpine's clothes. "Of all the damn places, why did we have to come back here." With a sigh he dropped the thought and followed for the rest of the path to the Menzo. To someone that hadn't seen the Menzo before it would seem to be beautiful, in a creepy you are never going to get out of here alive, kinda way. Yet Stribog's human form was already shaking in fear from the surroundings. He had spent a good 3 weeks here when he first arrived at Sitchel when his memories were still faded and the church wished to study him, he was after all one of a kind. The only thing he even wished to remember of his time here was that he was lucky to have made it out alive.

Stribog’s body was threatening to change just from the thoughts of being back in this hell and he placed Proserpine down on the ground beside and sighed in relief. He was scared that he would lose control at the wrong time and drop her… Branwen wouldn’t have appreciated that. His eyes wandered across Proserpine’s body, examining her not transformed figure clearly for the first time. In Sitchel, one could not simply judge others by appearance alone, yet the thought still bugged him. “What did you see in her…” He whispered as his body retracted and changed into his tiger form. As his transformation finally completed, he chuckled slightly and stood up turning toward the rest of the group. “This coming from the tiger…”

Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by a crash besides them and a huge beast towered over them. “Gojira…” He said in shock as his fangs barred up at the familiar beast. “Well… it could have been worst.” This was one of the weaker monsters in the Menzo, a Gojira was nothing more than big and strong, luckily not the smartest. He calmed now and sat back waiting to see which of the new recruits were going to be up first, and was pleased to see Prosperine finally awake and up fighting.

One by one each of the different members of the group leaped up at the beast, only to be taken down or injured greatly before finally having the beast fall to the ground. He sighed as his eyes gazed over the various fighters and sighed turning to Branwen. “If we are having trouble with that thing, the church is going to hunt each one of us down and kill us very easily.”

[The Gypsy Queen]

" Optimism, babe. Optimism." Branwen answered. The truth was, Stribog was right. The Church had far meaner beings on it's side than a baby Gojira.

Branwen was feeling bad... the mix of Proserpine's essence and the sun tab were making her sick, and being underground, which was directly against her nature, wasn't helping. But she tried to keep her legs from shaking and not blow chunks.

" Well, I should have guessed." came a silky smooth voice from behind Branwen. Branwen turned slowly and offered a plastic smile to the dark skinned, white haired woman standing in the open gates of the Menzo.

" Baecryl." she said, forcing pleasantness.

" Branwen." Baecryl answered, crossing her arms and staring icily back. " To what do I owe the pleasure?" If it had been possible for ice to form on that last word, Bae would have found a way to make it happen.

" Just calling in old favors, Bae-bae." Branwen said, offering her best smile. The dark elf's eyes narrowed slightly. " How's the hubby?" Branwen asked, for added effect. Baecryl's eye twitched slightly.

" Fine." she snapped. " What do you need?"

" Safe haven." Branwen answered matter-of-factly.

" From?" Baecryl asked. Of course the Lady of Menzo was too smart to let Branwen through her doors without knowing what she was running from.

" The Church." Branwen answered honestly. The little shift in the way Baecryl held her weight was as good as a full recoil.

" Take your disputes with them elsewhere. We don't want the Church here."

" Neither do we. Look, you see what they can do." Branwen gestured to her group. " We won't make trouble for you. Do this and I'll clear what you owe me."

" All of it? You'd clear my entire debt to you for this bunch?" Baecryl was incredulous.

" Something like that. I want food, lodging for all, and protection. In exchange, we will help defend the Menzo. Do we have a deal?"

Baecryl bit her lip, lost in thought.

" Deal. But mark my words, Sidhe. If you bring the Church on my head, I will have yours."

" You have such a way with words."

Branwen spent the next four minutes leaning against a wall inside the Menzo, throwing up everything she'd eaten in the last several days while the gates to the Menzo shut behind herself and her group.

One of Baecryl's guards carried her in its cold, snakelike arms to a house.

" It has ample space for your group. You know I run a tight ship here. Any infractions will be punished." And with that, Baecryl strode off.

Branwen was deposited in the house, where she collapsed into a chair at a table.

" Okay. So. Home sweet home."

She threw up again.

[John]

By the time Proserpine’s wounds had healed and she had gotten the fire under control, the creature was defeated. Proserpine had no doubts that the group would be able to defeat it, but she was surprised nonetheless. But it was her own actions she was surprised at. She willingly threw herself into harm’s way to protect another. And it wasn’t Branwen. Thoughts of confusion and despair filled Proserpine’s mind.

A dark elf, whom Branwen identified as Baecryl approached the group with some of her guards. Branwen struck a deal so that the group would be provided with food and shelter. Even though she understood Baecryl not wanting to give away something for nothing. It didn’t change the fact that Proserpine wanted to gut her on the spot. Though for some reason, Proserpine didn’t’ think she would enjoy it very much. For some reason, Proserpine didn’t find death as enjoyable as she once did. Perhaps due to the fact that Proserpine herself had nearly experienced it.

Once the deal was struck, Branwen started ot become violently ill. Before Proserpine had a chance to react, one of Baecryl’s guards picked her up and started to carry her. Proserpine followed closely behind struggling with the emotions pounding at her head. Eventually they came to a house.

The guard carried Branwen inside and once there, she fell into a chair and started throwing up again. Proserpine acted almost immediately. Picking up Branwen, Proserpine cradled her in her arms and carried Branwen upstairs. Opening a door, Proserpine placed the exhausted Branwen on the bed. She took a moment to wrap the blanket around the Sidhe and then gave her a kiss on the forehead. Proserpine didn’t smile, though she did enjoy the feel of Branwen’s silky skin on her lips. Regardless of the feelings she had for the Sidhe, Proserpine was unable to be happy right now. But then losing one’s identity can do that to a person. Proserpine was having a hard time with her feelings and thoughts. The things she was doing were contrary to her nature and she didn’t enjoy them. But not only that, the things she should enjoy, were seeming pointless to her.

Proserpine exited the room and kneeled on the floor in front of the door, closing it behind her. Branwen needed rest now, and Proserpine would stay in front of the door to make sure that no one disturbed her.

[Kirra]

Pike & Yuchi

"This place is... Homey." Pike decided it would be best if he carried Yuchi through the streets of this underground town. If she wasn't safe on the surface, then she didn't have a chance down here. Yuchi simply nodded in agreement. She was just happy to see him safe from the giant lizard. 'Did that thing hurt you?' Pike shook his head no. 'But I may hurt the vampire if he ever swings that sword near me again.' Yuchi let out a small giggle.

Upon reaching the small house, the two found a soft couch to sit on. Pick first sat Yuchi down, and then sat beside her. But when he did he felt something under him. "What the hell?" He picked up the device and read the random words and symbols on it. "Yuchi, do you know what this is?" Yuchi grabbed the device from him and looked it over. She shrugged her shoulders.

"I guess we can press a button and find out." Yuchi pressed the button labeled 'ON' A box at the far end of the room lit up. #So I told my boss, he can shuck it. *roar of laughter*# "Oh my. Why are those people trapped in that box? Is this a magic wand?" She held the object in her hand and looked over the words. Pike looking down at it as well. She pushed a button and watched as the box on the far wall changed. Now different people appeared inside. #Fernado, I am you lost sister.# She pushed the button again; and again a new image appeared.

Pike got to his feet and walked over to the box. He picked it up and shook it. He looked it over, even pushing on the screen to see if her could reach inside. The image changed again. A dark skinned elf appeared on the screen at a table looking directly forward. #Local officials say that young Gojira have been becoming more rampant. If you are unable to defend your self against one, please be sure to stay inside the city walls. If you must leave there are things to do to protect your self.# The screen flashed again.

"Yuchi, stop messing with the magic thing. It's getting confusing." Yuchi dropped the object beside her and sat with her hands in her lap like a child who didn't want to get in trouble. "Sorry, I didn't mean too. It's so confusing. This place is so difficult." Pike smiled and kept examining the box. When he looked at the box again. This time a man in a tux was sitting at a table. #And the official word is that it was the act of a few renegades who wish to revolt against the church. Currently they have no suspects, but they are following up on leads. While it is advised not to confront these renegades, they are not considered to be a major threat to anyone. If any news is known about this group, believed to be called the Cult of Yuchi, you are asked to report it to local authorities.#

"Oh shit." Pike sat the box down. "Guys! I think we have got a response." Pike moved back over to the couch and wrapped his arms around the nervous Yuchi. She asked him if they could see her. "I don't think this thing goes both ways. I think only we can see them." He looked up to the others again. "Is that a good sign for you Proserpine." His tone was sarcastic.

[Lerouge]

Stribog walked slowly behind the rest of the group as they were introduced to Baecryl, his body arched down and his head low to the ground as they walked by her hoping she would not notice him. His eyes looked at his side as he walked by her and their eyes met for a moment and she gave him a flash of her classic smile. A shiver ran down his spine and he looked away quickly leaping aside and down the sidewalk once they entered the walls of Menzo. He made it to the side of the building that the others entered into and sighed in relief gazing around the corner at the rest of them until they vanished completely.

"Why did we have to come to Menzo..." he muttered to himself as he looked up into the skyline gazing at the sight that was Menzo. The view was almost breathtaking, one of those sights you are amazed at no matter how many times you see it. The surroundings were almost filled with a drug for Stribog, whose body was currently quivering in both excitement and fear of being back in his home for a good while.

"Welcome home Stribog." Came the voice of Baecryl causing Stribog's ears to perch up on his head and his entire body to still. He didn't even need to look at her yet knew who it was, her presence just radiated off of her as she leaned against the wall next to him. "I'm surprised you didn't come to say hello."

"You know this isn't my home anymore Bae... you can't trick me into staying." He said back to her, his voice oddly soft considering the form he was in. His eyes gazed at the concrete between his paws.

"Yet you are back..." her hand rested gently on his shoulder. "I know you are happy to be back Stribog." With those words Stribog was off, his body leaping forward and running down the streets away from Baecryl into the city of Menzo. Considering Sitchel itself is a world full of different types of creatures one would think nothing would surprise you, yet Menzo was something one could not imagine. The creatures that wandered the streets of Menzo were the most frightening and yet interesting things alive. Many who lived here do so because it is free of sunlight, the beings down could be considered monsters... in the most literal sense of the term. Stribog moved against the wall of a nearby building and resting his front paws on the side of the wall and shifted the wind below him lifting him off the ground. He walked up the side of the wall until he arrived to the roof and landed on top of it, laying down and staring over the wall.

He could see Gojira's rampaging in the distance and the sudden slams of them traveling through the outer walls could be heard clearly. His mind raced with memories of being here having to fight every waking moment of every day, yet it was the happiest he had ever been since he had been absorbed into Sitchel. Well, asides from the nights he had spent with Branwen of course. He could still remember the first time he met her and he and her sitting on this very spot when they first decided he should leave Menzo. He sighed gently as a crash next to him caught his attention. His eyes gazed over and saw a winged gargoyle sitting next to him, it's body hunched forward and stared at Stribog. It's mouth opened and a hissing sound came from the back of it's throat as it's long fingers swayed menacingly. "Whoooo are yoooou..." It said in a raspy voice to Stribog. "Dinner?"

"Hmm... guess times have changed. I pose you no harm..."

"Dinner?" It repeated turning toward Stribog it's arms reaching up over it's head the wings flapping viciously. "I eat yoooou!" At that word it dived forward at Stribog, who just as quickly leaped forward off the building, his body gliding over to the next one. He looked over his shoulder to see the beast following, it wings flapping behind it projecting it through the air. Stribog kicked up his back legs causing a gust of wind to fly back and press against the gargoyle, causing it to fly back into the roof behind him. Taking the chance Stribog leaped forward and off the building into the crowds below leaving the gargoyle flapping above the buildings shouting curse words into the crowd below.

Stribog sighed in relief as he watched the beast fly away and turned down the road and began running back toward the house the others had entered. He remembered how glad he was to leave and the first thing he wanted to do was get out of Menzo as soon as possible, but he needed Branwen. He entered the building the rest had gone into seeing Pike and Yuchi staring at a box which was showing a press conference with representatives of the church.

We would greatly like to reward Stribog for aiding the church and preserving the peace of Sitchel, we are waiting for your arrival so we may thank you properly. was the last thing that Stribog heard before he walked away and toward the stairs. "Where is Branwen, she and I need to have a talk right now?" He demanded of the others in the room looking from each of them in turn.

[John]

Proserpine stayed silent and endured the verbal attack from Pike. It was designed to provoke her and under normal circumstances, would have been the type of thing that she might say to someone. But like so much else of Proserpine’s life since entering Sitchel, it all seemed so pointless. This compounded by the fact that she already felt bad enough for the way things had turned out and felt there was no point for Pike attempt to pour salt in her wounds. The TV continued to broadcast the news story about the cult of Yuchi and Proserpine suddenly found herself quite interested in what the newscaster was saying.

“Fortunately, a concerned citizen and friend of the church, whose name is as of yet not being disclosed, has destroyed the cult of Yuchi before it could spread it’s influence very far. The church will be conducting further investigations into the matter. In other news, a large blue police box was recently sighted…” Proserpine smiled at what she heard. Not the police box, but the fact that the church didn’t know she had anything to do with Branwen and the others. The church thought Ghanima was dead so Proserpine was free to roam about. It was about this time that Stribog had returned to the group and immediately inquired as to where Branwen was. He seemed distressed and Proserpine decided to give him an answer.

“Branwen is resting,” Proserpine’s voice was calm but had lost it’s melodious tone. “She needs her sleep, surely whatever you need to say can wait until she has recovered.” Proserpine didn’t want her to be disturbed and hoped that Stribog wouldn’t press the issue.

Stribog raised an eyebrow at the demon and with a quick sniff of his nose recognized Branwen's scent from the room behind her. "This is important and she knows that we have things to discuss... now isn't the time for any of us to be resting."

“And do you care that little for her that her health is not your concern?” Proserpine stayed calm. She had no wish to fight, and she found that quite strange.

His body shuttered slightly, the presence of Menzo and these people he cared nothing for was getting to him. He was here to protect Branwen and she was in extreme danger with this "stupid" plan. "I know her much more than you do, she has taken much more difficult things than just this... you don't understand the situation we are in. Move."

“I have no wish to argue,” Proserpine had a sad look in her eyes. “And I do not take commands from you.” Proserpine stared into Stribog’s eyes.

"Arguing is the last thing I want to do, but we need to at least ask her our next move. I can't plan this alone... at least go in and ask her then or something." He grumbled his patience growing thinner every second his teeth revealed slightly as he spoke with a growl in his accent.

“I will ask her,” Proserpine rose to her feet and prepared to defend herself. “But if she says no, will you abide by this?”

A smirk appeared on his lips and his shoulder waves move in a type of shrug movement. "Probably not... but I don't have time to waste so let's do it your way. It's only our lives we are talking about here."

“Then I will ask her,” Proserpine closed her eyes and reached out with her mind. She invaded Branwen’s dream and approached the Sidhe. Proserpine paid no attention to the surroundings and walked right up to her.

“I am sorry Branwen.” Proserpine stared at the ground and had a sombre tone. “But Stribog claims a need to speak to you. He says our lives depend on what he has to say. Shall I send him in?”

Lost somewhere in a familiar lullaby gone sour, Branwen could barely hear Proserpine’s voice. All she could really discern was the name Stribog and the dream faded, leaving her in a dark place devoid of the sound of metal clashing against metal she might have been dreaming of.

" Yes. Yes, send him in," she answered, still asleep but no longer dreaming.

“May I come in and hear what he has to say as well?” Proserpine looked up slightly and had a hopeful look in her eyes.

Branwen nodded and then shook her head, before throwing up her hands.
" It doesn't matter..."

“Thank you.” Proserpine smiled and opened her eyes. She looked at Stribog in front of her, who had an impatient look on his face.

“You may go in, and I will accompany you.” Proserpine opened the door and the two entered the room. Once inside, she closed the door and locked it behind them.

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen was dreaming. She knew she was dreaming. It was the memory from earlier. Beings of all shapes, sizes, and magical affinities at war. The woman shouting. The pain. The despair.

And then a voice.

She was not awake but she was not asleep either. She was in a dark place, waiting for something, and she couldn't quite recall what. Her eyes slid open and she barely registered a room. She was sick...

Proserpine. Stribog.

She reached out a hand and pulled Stribog to her, pulling him into the bed next to her. She just wanted him near, and she knew she had to talk to him, but couldn't think of why. She let his consciousness flood her mind and slid back into sleep. She felt his thoughts and memories flash through her mind like a fever dream... so much death. She could feel his physical and mental presence all around her and it soothed her some.

She could think properly to him, so she showed him instead her thoughts, flying through her mind in bright, colorful images. She understood his plan. She trusted him. He needed to know that. Out everyone in Sitchel she had called him.

She also detailed a rather muddled plan of her own... she knew he understood what she meant and that she was just out of it. But she did have a plan. She knew how to publicize things. She could sell Yuchi as a god. She just needed time.

Reassured by Stribog's touch and Proserpine's presence, she let them feel her contentment, and then slid back into a dream... this one full of green and song she could never quite recall the words to.

[Kirra]

Yuchi

Yuchi pulled in close to her large protector. She felt as if the eyes of the world where on her. Attention she was use too. But never like this. Yuchi knew that wherever she had come from, she was always cared for and needed no protection from others. With everything she was, the small girl wished to return to that world. She listened to the magical picture box as the report continued. She was completely stunned when they has said that Stirbog had killed them all. He must have cast some kind of illusion.

She couldn't watch it any more and hit the button that changed the image. An image of a verdant field of flowers appeared on the screen. *The home for others like us. The Church of Sitchel. Where are the holy are welcome.* A group of kind looking creatures walked through the fields completely care free. The smiles never left their faces. Yuchi began to feel a little worse. They seemed so happy. Why did they have to destroy their hope. Yuchi looked up at Pike noticing him staring over to Branwen's room. She wasn't sure if she could leave him. She wasn't sure if she could feel safe without him. Yuchi pulled in close to him, nuzzled her head into his chest, and closed her eyes.

She wanted to help the others. She knew Proserpine's plan was sound, and she knew everyone was trying to help. It was the least she could do to try and act tough. Memories of her father flooded her mind. His powerful, commanding presence always filled the room. No one ever questioned his will. Could she pull it off? 'Yes. Yes I will. I have to do this.'

Pike

Pike's attention had been distracted for the last few minutes. He barely noticed as Yuchi stirred in his arms. Of course with her small frame and light weight, it was hardly noticeable to him normally. But he did like the feel of holding the small girl. He felt a bond to her, like one would to a sibling. It would be odd for them to part ways.

But he couldn't keep his mind on her. Branwen's scent coming from the far room beckoned him. She was like a drug the he had quickly became addicted to. He heard every breath she had taken since they had arrived. He wanted to go in and comfort her, the help her relax and rest. But in the end, he knew he wouldn't. And even though he wished otherwise, he had no claim to keep others from doing so.

But now wasn't the time for that. And other things had battled for attention in his mind. Stirbog had made it appear that they had all died. Was that a good thing? And what of the others? Each one seemed to be more interested in getting what they wanted no matter what happened to the innocent girl who they laid their hopes in. Watching as his two rivals in love entered Branwen's room, he couldn't but want to follow. Pike struggled with his thoughts, doing his best to keep them in the back of his mind so Yuchi wouldn't see them. Pike settled in his seat and waited to see what would happen.

[Lerouge]

Stribog glared at Proserpine as she closed her eyes and he assumed she was talking to Branwen through telepathy. He made a note to himself as he waited to kill each and every telepath in Sitchel later, if he was still alive that is.

You may go in, and I will accompany you. She finally said and at once Stribog opened his mouth to complain but instead let out a groan and responded with a rather bitter "Fine." He was hoping to be with her alone and spend some time comforting her in his own way, this extra demon was starting to become a nuisance and he made a mental note to take care of her at the first chance he got. He walked past the demon and entered the bedroom, his eyes staring at the familiar bed that Branwen was laying on. "It has been a while since I've seen this room..." he muttered to himself as his body and mind relaxed allowing his human form to appear.

There was a trace of a smile on Stribog's lips as he approached the bed and sat down on the edge, his eyes scanning the sleeping form of Branwen to assure he didn't wake her to abruptly. His hand found her shoulder and he prepared to shake her awake slowly but instead he felt her hand wrap around his wrist and pull him against her. A gasp escaped his lip as their bodies pressed together, her hand releasing his wrist and finding his hand which she guided to her chest and pressed against her chest. Stribog could feel her heartbeat in her chest as he closed his eyes and allowed his fingers to interlock with her until he finally relaxed and entered her dream.

Everything was rather fuzzy as he entered which he assumed was cause of her sickness, yet he was able to see her clearly. She stood there with her back to him staring into the air at something it seemed only she could see. "Hey babe..." she muttered before turning to look at him. "Long time no see."

"Well, you know me... like the wind." He replied teasingly as his body moved closer to hers and her arms wrapped instinctively around his neck and his own around her waist holding the two close together. "Anyway, do you realize how deep of shit we are in? I mean, I'm happy you found a way to get outta here... but... well how are we gonna do this?"

Branwen sighed, leaning her head to his shoulder. " I don't know. I really don't. I need to make that little girl look like a god and avoid the church.... and I think I know how but it's risky."

His grip on her tightened slightly, his lips pressing to the top of her head placing a small kiss his voice in a whisper now. "Is it really worth it? Is it so bad to be stuck here Branwen with me? You know leaving isn't an option for me..."

She clung to him a bit tighter, not raising her head. " I'm dying here. Without my Queen, I'm dying. I think. I don't know any more. These memories make no sense." she paused to shake her head lightly, kissing his shoulder. " I don't know if I want to go anymore... maybe I have to. Maybe not. But they need my help, regardless."

Stribog pulled back from her slightly, his hand sliding up to her chin and lifted her face to look up at him. His eyes were calm even though his hands were shaking slightly against her. "Fine... I understand if you have to leave. I promised you before I'd always be by your side. You remember, don't you? It was right in this room after all." As he finished his sentence the fog around them vanished leaving them standing at the foot of the bed in the room, her dream catching the image of it and causing it to appear.

She leaned close and kissed him lightly, smiling. " I remember. And I'm always there for you. Now. Tell me about what you're going to do about the Church."

His eyes closed as he kissed her back a tinge of red appearing on his face as he pushed her back onto the bed making sure to be gentle as he lowered her his body leaning over her. A chuckle escaped his lips as he looked down into her eyes. "Well I suppose I should go join them."

Branwen smiled, free of the ache of sickness and exhaustion, arching her body up against his. " Tsk tsk... fraternizing with the enemy? I'll be very distraught with that blow."

Stribog laughed softly his hands running down her arms and to her hands interlocking their fingers once more before pinning them to the bed. "Well how about I fraternize with you before and we call it even?"

Branwen relaxed back against the bed, smiling up at him with half closed eyes. " I trust you." she whispered, squeezing his hands. He nodded in respond and pressed his lips against hers, both of their eyes closing as they kissed softly yet passionately. His body leaned down enough to press against hers while her legs wrapped around his waist instinctively holding him to her. He could feel her lips twitch in the form of a smirk as his hands slide from her's to the hem of her shirt and allowed his cold skin to run under the fabric. He warmth of her flesh spread through him and he could almost feel her even in her dream as the surroundings faded leaving the thoughts of them making love as the last thing on either of their minds.

Stribog's eyes snapped open suddenly and he looked next to him to see the still sleeping Branwen clinging to him, her body squirming slightly which he assumed was because the dream hadn't ended for her. He placed a kiss on her shoulder before pulling away and sitting up, shaking his head slightly before turning to Proserpine.

"She will be awake in a few minutes, let's give her some time alone till then." With those final words he stood up and unlocked the door and vanished through it.

[John]

Proserpine watched Stribog sitting on the bed with Branwen. Though she didn’t invade Branwen’s or Stribog’s mind, she was pretty sure what was going on. She wasn’t the least bit bothered by it however. She could see the way Stribog looked at the Sidhe and could tell how much he loved her. This actually made Proserpine feel good. For she couldn’t be sure that she would ever be able to truly love Branwen and knowing that there was someone who did was comforting. Proserpine moved to the side of the bed and pulled the blanket around Branwen before exiting the room.

Once back with the group , she walked over to Pike.

“Branwen needs her rest,” Proserpine’s tone was full of concern. “If you do truly care for her, allow her some time.” Proserpine didn’t wait for an answer and moved towards the door. As she did, she sent her voice into Stribog’s mind.

“I am happy that Branwen has someone who loves her in the way you do.” The voice sounded sincere and full of respect.

Proserpine exited the house and entered into the Menzo. She had to admit that she did like this place. She enjoyed the gloom which surrounded everything. Still it was enclosed and Proserpine wanted to fly. She also had something she wished to attend to.

Proserpine made her way back to the tunnels. They were something of a maze and it took Proserpine some time to find her way back out to the surface. She had been unconscious when they passed through the tunnels before and she didn’t know the way. But Proserpine was determined. Not only did she want to help the others, she also needed to prove to everyone, herself included, that she could do something worthwhile.

Once Proserpine reached the surface, she immediately glided into the air. She loved how the wind felt in her face. It made her feel so free and she didn’t want it to end. Unfortunately it had to as Proserpine spied her first destination. The Archives.

Landing on the ground, Proserpine made her way to a secluded spot and changed her form to that of an old lady. She stood about four foot eleven and had silver hair. She wore a blue cardigan with a blouse underneath along with a grey skirt and black shoes. The hat on her head was blue and quite small with a yellow bird sitting ornately atop it. The old lady entered the archives and went to one of the mindflayers. She kept her mid closed and spoke aloud.

“Excuse me dearie,” The voice sounded withered with age and had a slight cackle to it. “Could you tell me where I can find information on the Church of Sitchel?” The mindflayer directed the old lady to the correct floor and she made her way through a teleport.

Once she had arrived, she immediately set to work reading everything she could find on the church of Sithcel. Doctrines, laws, rituals….everything. And as the old lady was actually Proserpine in disguise, it didn’t take her long to learn everything she needed to know. Now it was time for phase two.

The old lady quickly left the building, and once hidden from view, changed back into Proserpine, and flew off in the direction of the church. It was a large building that appeared to be thrown together with whatever they could find. The top was a dome which appeared to be taken from a mosque. While the bottom half was more of a Christian style church. Four spires topped with black onions shot a hundred feet into the air in all four corners. It would have been quite grand if not for the large golden neon sign above the door with the words “Church of Sitchel” emblazoned upon it.

Proserpine found a secluded place once again and changed her form. This time, she turned into a man. He was about six feet tall and quite skinny. He wore a blue suit with a whit shirt and red tie underneath. The shoes were a cream coloured court style shoe. His hair was brown and was a spiky. Proserpine took a moment and sent every ounce of her focus into this form. She would become this man and there would be no way anyone would know it was her. Unless of course they were a god and she was in their presence. This time Proserpine had no doubts that the transformation was perfect. Once she was sure, the man walked to the building and entered.

He walked up to what appeared to be a reception are with a woman behind a counter. The woman was mostly unremarkable, except for the elephant’s trunk which protruded for her head. The man looked at her smiling and spoke with a northern English accent.

“Hello, my name is John Smith,” His smile and tone were quite friendly. “I seem to be a little lost. I don’t know how but I’ve ended up in this place. What do you call it? Sitchel? That’s a funny word isn’t it. Sitchel Seeeitchel. Anyway, I noticed you have a church here and I was wondering if you could help me?” The woman looked at John as though he were insane and picked up a phone. She spoke quietly into it and after a few moments a man walked up to John.

“Hello Mister Smith,” The man extended his hand and John shook it. “I am Brother Wumpaonalootalong. How can I help you?”

“Well,” John smiled as he spoke. “Like I was telling this lovely lady here I seem to be lost and I thought, what with you being a church and all, you might be able to help me. I would really like to learn about this church you have.”

“Of course Mister Smith. I would be happy to show you our church and explain just what it is we do here.” The Brother’s tone was happy and he was smiling.

“Excellent,” John Grinned ear to ear. “Well then, allons-y.” And with that, Brother Wumpaonalootalong led John down the corridors of the church of Sitchel

[GraftRaven]

In his imaginary world the copies of Geru dissipated into smoke and he was left standing in an empty space. Then te most peculiar thing happened, a woman appeared. A woman wearing a remarkably odd apparatus on her face, something that looked like a gas mask combined with a Native American headdress. She approached Geru, seeming very interested indeed, and then vanished as soon as she had appeared.

Back in reality Geru stirred and his eyes snapped open in the chair he had been left in. An image burned in the back of his mind, the crossing between two alleys he knew were not far from here and the image of the strange woman standing in the intersection. Without speaking Geru rose and walked through the door, deflecting any questions with stony silence. As he walked Geru ran the claws of his mechanical arms across the walls, leaving 2 inch deep scratches in the soft brick and plaster.

A while later he reached the intersection, and nearly gasped as he saw the woman standing there facing him, as if she knew where Geru would come from. The woman spoke, her voice garbled and twisted by the mask: "So, you are the one... those arms of yours are quite interesting. Do you mind if i take a look?"

Geru gazed on in shock. "Well, no i don't mind. Just don't change anything." He said, extending one arm towards her. She was right next to him in a flash and began darting around his outstretched arm like a hurricane, little more than a blur. "As long as you're here, what is your name?" Geru asked, quite intrigued by her activity.

"Cyren, and yours-- oh, that's quite interesting!" She stopped, quite abruptly and ran her hand over the palm of his, which was glowing.

"Mine's Geru, and i've actually never seen that before..." He trailed off, looking down at his other hand which was also glowing. A loud coughing sound was quickly followed by blasts of fire from both of his hands. Luckily Cyren had moved out of the way and the fire only caught the sleeve of her long gray trench-coat. Geru stumbled backwards, coming to rest against an alley wall.

Cyren stared at him, the gas-mask she wore not showing the gaze of shock on her face. "There's something you ought to see!" She shouted before darting away down one of the alleys.

Geru pushed off from the wall and started to follow her, running at full speed to keep up. "Hey wait, what was that all about-- what is it that i should see?!" He shouted after her as they wove through the back alleys. He almost regretted coming to the alley... almost...

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen awoke alone in the bed, blinking at the wide, empty expanse of blanket in front of her, rumpled and still smelling faintly of Stribog. She turned her face close to the pillows, breathing deeply and relishing in the remnants of pleasure left from the dream. It was soft and good, but it was nothing like the real thing. Which the Sidhe in her craved desperately, and the human in her craved even more.

But he usually had that effect on her.

Finally crawling out of bed, Branwen vomited once more before taking a shower, feeling herself finally rid the last of the bad mixed magic and chemicals from her system. Clean, rested and refreshed, she was ready to take on the task ahead of her.

As ready as anyone could be, that is.

She went in to the main room of the house and confronted what was left of her ragtag group. She was pleased to find that only a few had gone out. And under the deal she'd struck with Baecryl, she was relatively sure no harm would come to the ones who were wandering the Menzo.

" Okay, kids." she started. " I've got a plan."

[Kirra]

Yuchi was to distracted by the TV to see what was going on. She found a show about a boy went to magic school and fought a guy with a weird skin condition and a bald head. She was getting really into it. She sat at the edge of the couch with her hands over her mouth to hold back her gasps each time something exciting happened. She kept jumping in her seat. Pike was to glad she was happily distracted and let her watch.

Pike knew they where about to do something crazy again. They could wait so long. And he wanted the small girl to be happy and distracted as long as she could. He needed some answers from the others. And he wanted them soon. Proserpine comment wanted him to lash out at her, maybe even hurt her. A childish thought, but he felt she deserved it. More often than not she seemed to annoy him, though Pike wasn't sure if she meant to. But she left, so he decided to let it go.

When Branwen came out, Pike darted to her. He couldn't be away from her any longer. He gave her a little squeeze, taking in her scent. It was still as powerful as before. Her soft skin still as delicate as he remembered. Pike never wanted to let her go. But he knew she wanted to speak. He released her but held her hand in his. "Sorry." He whispered to her. Then his voice returned to normal. "What is your plan?"

Branwen smiled and nodded at Pike, slightly taken aback.

"Well... it's pretty simple. Make her-" Branwen pointed at little Yuchi. "Look like a god. It has be carefully done, and we can start her in the Menzo."

Pike was stunned. He never thought about that. In the Menzo, they where guaranteed safety. And they didn't seem to follow the church. Pike could protect her from the few big and ugly much easier than the masses of church followers. "That's a great idea. Do you have any specifics on how to start?"

Branwen nodded, sitting at the table in the middle of the room.

"Some folks down here owe me a few favors. And Bae and her husband would be keen to see the Church go down, and they've got connections all up and down Sitchel. So I make a few deals here and there, and from there it's just a publicity campaign."

Pike took a seat beside Branwen. It was one of the best ideas since Proserpine started this act. He hoped this could add a big enough following that Yuchi would have some more protection from the masses above. He could take care of anyone big enough or tough enough to get past them.

(co op with Gypsy)

[Cookies Ahoy]

Elliana walked out of the guild in a confused state. One moment she remembered being milliseconds away from being beheaded, and then suddenly, she was being visited by an pale haired woman who looked like she was dying. If Ellie had known what a god or heaven was, she would have thought she was visiting one of the two, but she didn't. Instead, she began spitting questions out like a machine gun.

"Where am I? Who are you? What's going on? Am I dead? Are YOU dead?"

The pale haired lady looked like she was in much pain, but she spoke clearly, "You are currently in Sitchel, in short its a different plane that absorbs things from planes that are getting too large. As for what's going on, well, your lying unconscious on the floor of a visitor's hall of sorts. You'll wake up after I've explained your purpose here. You are not dead, for now."

Elliana took in what the woman had said, then questioned, "You still never told me who you were, and how can you talk to me in my sleep?"

The woman drew in a small breath, "I am Sitchel, I am a part of this plane. The reason as to why I can talk to you in your sleep is because I'm a god. Now, before you ask anymore useless questions, I will charge with you with a quest. You must seek out the guide Branwen and her acquaintances, you are to help them accomplish their task. As a reward I will restore some of your memories, that you may or may not have noticed are missing. Time is growing short, go Lady Elliana Mytai."

Elliana didn't have time to ask anymore questions as she was thrust out of her sleep. She awoke being surrounded by various creatures whom she had never seen before. She tried to move, but she couldn't. She was restrained by thin air it would seem. Elliana tried to remember her past while she couldn't move, trying to preoccupy herself and make sense of her dream.

Why can't I remember anything?

Fortunately as Ellie thought that question, the guide standing in the center of the room explained why.

I served under a large empire, in a place called Varsh, but that's all I know now. Oh and there's that guillotine, I wonder what that's about. I guess this Sitchel, or god thing, will explain more once I find a Branwen.

It wasn't long before the guests were released out of the room and into a foyer. The guide told them all to stay close, but a voice dominated Ellie's thoughts.

"Leave your group, I will guide you for now."

It was Sitchel.

"Okay, I will listen," Ellie whispered.

"Good, now wait just a moment for the group to start moving... Okay, now start crossing the street," Sitchel ordered, Ellie obeyed and as she started to cross the street, "Jump onto that carriage that's passing to your left, and hang on until I tell you to stop," Elliana looked to her left and barely caught hold of the back of the carriage, jumping into the luggage basket on the back. A half hour passed. "Jump out quick! There's someone you need to meet."

Elliana jumped out from the carriage quickly, but landed badly. She grunted as she pulled herself off the street. A few people were staring at her, but most of the inhabitants of the busy town ignored her. An image of a man popped into her head. She looked around quickly and spotted him. Elliana began to run towards him before she lost him in the crowd.

As she neared him she yelled out, "Are you Branwen?"

[John]

John Smith thoroughly enjoyed his tour of the Church of Sitchel. It was quite amazing and his curiosity was peaked. He was able to see all of the church, except for the basement. When he inquired of the reasons, they told him it was where the kept there records, and only those higher in the order were allowed to go in. Everyone there was so helpful, and nice. Perhaps a little too nice. But then why shouldn’t they be. The church only had one law. To help those in need. And this bit of information gave John an idea. The brother eventually led him back to the entry hall and shook John’s hand.

“I do hope you enjoyed the tour Mister Smith,” The Brother smiled at John.

“It was brilliant,” John was smiling and sounded quite happy. “I definitely will be back. I mean, what’s not to like about a church that only wants to help others. Perfect thing for a church to do if you ask me The pleasure was all mine. And I definitely will be back for mass. Thank you so much.”

John walked through the doors of the church and back into the chaos of Sitchel. It was time for him to see Branwen and tell her what he had found out. But first he needed a place to change form. A place he would have found easily if not for the woman in armour running up to him.

She asked if he was Branwen and instantly Proserpine probed out with her mind. She needed to read the thoughts of this newcomer and find out if she posed any threat. It only took a moment to find out that Sitchel had sent another to help.

“Branwen you say,” John looked away for a moment putting his hand on his chin. He appeared to pondering. Branwen….Branwen…can’t say I know anyone by that name.” While John spoke aloud Proserpine’s voice whispered in Ellie’s mind.

“I have read your thoughts and know who you are. I will lead you to Branwen but you must play along. Things are complicated.” The whisper sounded concerned.

"Yes, okay, that seems fine. What's so complicated though? Besides finding your way around this place that is," Elliana spoke curiously with her mind.

Ellie began to wonder if this person Sitchel had guided her to was also a god. With what little she knew, it made sense. No one from where she was from could talk with their mind.

“Complicated who said anything about complicated? I don‘t know any Branwen. Really you would think I would remember. Though I have lost most of memory‘s but then that seems pretty common around here doesn’t it?” John had a surprised look on his face and when the whisper entered Ellie’s mind, it sounded annoyed.

“I can hear your thoughts. And we can’t talk about Branwen here. Do you understand?”

"Why can't we talk about Branwen here? This place seems as good as any to talk," Ellie thought questioningly.

"You know," John spoke encouragingly “I know this great shop, why don’t you come with me and we’ll have a look. I love a good shop.” John extended his hand to Ellie and the whisper spoke.

“We can’t talk about it here cause everyone thinks Branwen is dead. So agree out loud to go with John and I will take you to her.”

Ellie took John's outstretched hand, speaking in a cheery tone, "Okay, I'd love to see this shop."

"Lead the way," Ellie said in her mind.

"Bellissimo. Molto bene. Right then. Allons-y." And John and Ellie walked off in the direction of the tunnels which led to the Menzo.

(Co-op post with Cookies Ahoy)

[Merle]

The green atmosphere was something you got use down in the Menzo. However it could be more polite to say it is something you don't get use to. Some wondered, or at least in this group, if the green was from light pollution or if the rock underground gave off such a naturally green colour when light bounced off of it.

Several experiments would have been done to see if this were the case. However the group, the two really, were afraid, well more cautious, the locals were cannibals. Then again living underground they wonder if they would like liquid water instead. One from fresh alpine iced caps. The two held their hands. And it was as if this was done for comfort. But rather to share each other's cold icy touch with one another. The cold seems to be the only true connection between them.

Both seemed to hang themselves in the lower more darker areas. At least one of them was curious of why the lights were blue and yet the rocky sky was green.
Together they decided strengths in numbers and to watch out for any cannibal people.

It was Mary who took the first step out into the streets. She scanned the area for any of the cannibals and then she ushered her hand for the all clear symbol. That was when Echoi came out. He looked far more nervous then his sister did. She was all to settle for the mystery of this world. He could feel single beads of ice rolling down his back and falling out like water.

They had been in Sitche for a couple years. Under the care of Wendalin Who Wencraft. A shabby old lady who looked like that of old time witches. She had long hair and a crooked noise. But no hunchback. She had been their guide till their term with her ended. And then the two spent their time living in the cities of Sitchel. One wrong turn one month ago left them down here a few months later. A few months a million paranoid thoughts and feelings.

"Mary," Echoi said in a whisper.
"What do you need?" Mary said slowly, "Don't you know I'm quite busy."

The way Mary's word came out was like that of a privileged individual that once lived in a castle. However Mary didn't live in any castles. Nor did she know much royalty either. But she had watched several movies in Sitchel. Movies called: On How to Be a Gentleman. With much complaining of Echoi about how she wasn't a man, she took every single bit of their tips and advice. It became quite a site to see, a girl in a dress and cute buckled shoes opening doors and behaving like the perceived stereotypes of gentleman. She even nailed the English accent pretty well.

"I thought you told me you'd cut that out," Echoi said.
"If I had perceived myself not a gentleman, the day I said I cut it out was when I didn't perceive myself as such," Mary said, "But I stared into my reflection and thought I was a gentleman."
"You sound a lot more loonyman than gentleman," Echoi said.
"I beg your pardon, without my cunning wit and charm we'd surely be eaten like Popsicles,"

Echoi on the other hand had been studying in his years in Sitchel the Self Help Movies, You're A Confident Person. He had taken down many of the notes and many of the tips in the movies. Just applying them had become quite the concern in this group. Echoi couldn't seem to find himself asserting in any situation. The clown man who sold ice cream, Echoi couldn't much tell him what flavour he wanted. Nor could he tell the clothes woman his size. And in the end the movie experiment failed. He went onto to reading several of the books and found himself in the end nowhere.

"Well I demand you cut it out," Echoi said.
"Ahahahahaha, I hear you're trying to be confident with me, however it fails because you fear my charming and handsome looks," Mary said flipping her hair the way the movies had told her.
"You're not a man," Echoi said.
"This I know, but I can still be a gentleman you can't spell woman without man," Mary said.
"You need help," Echoi said.
"And you need help yourself....there is a Scissor Scorpion on your back," Mary said.

Echoi screamed loudly and checked his back while Mary laughed.

"And thus you don't carry the confidence to lead," Mary said.
"Then what are we doing?" Echoi asked, "Or what are we going to do?"
"I hear there have been some new arrivals to this cannibal cave, and thus I'll greet them with a few black eyes and made some circumcision," Mary said.
"How about we just don't hurt them?"
"Echoi, my assistant, my guide...listen to my words and we'll proudly ride on the backs or rocks,"
"You're really starting to sound crazy,"
"It isn't crazy, it's confidence,"

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen rubbed her hands together. She always felt better when she had a plan.

" Okay, so here's the dirt. We'll need to divide up into teams. 'Bad guys' and 'good guys.' The bad guys will have the job of harassing the church. Do raids, attack them, just general mayhem. The good guys will follow up with appearances of Yuchi performing 'miracles' nearby."

Branwen paused to look over her group.

" Okay, so, any volunteers?"

Just as she asked though, a reverberating, genderless voice suddenly dominated her consciousness, sending her rocking to the floor in unison with those around her.

" We are pleased. Your efforts are yielding results even now. Continue as you plan.

And as Sitchel promised, another memory flooded through Branwen's mind.

She was a child, in the arms of a tall man. She was happy and safe against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. She was quite nearly asleep but still listening as the man holding her conversed with a woman she couldn't see.

"... your eyes at least." he said, a chuckle in his voice.

" His face and ears though." the woman answered, her voice accompanied by the clink of glass on glass and the swish of water.

" Could've been worse." the man answered as Branwen's small child fingers clutched the silver pentacle hanging from a silver chain around his neck, firelight flickering against the metal. " Big world waiting for her. Could be a wizard, could be a fae. Titania has already sent Fix around checking her out."

" Well, can't blame them. She'd do better in with the Seelie than with the White Council. I don't want her to be another soldier for their war." the woman answered, her voice cross.

" You know she's safe with me, Molly." the man answered, and Branwen looked up sleepily to see a blonde woman leaning over the man's shoulder, blocking his face

" I know. My precious little baby." the woman pressed a kiss to Branwen's forehead...

Back in the present, Branwen gasped and sat bolt upright, surprised by the tears streaming down her face.

" Mama..." she whispered.

[John]

John led Ellie into the tunnels which led back to the Menzo. Once he was sure they were alone, he turned to her and smiled.

“Now then, allow me to introduce myself.” Instantly John’s form changed back to that of Proserpine and she smiled at Ellie.

Elliana jumped at the transformation John performed. She'd never seen magic performed like that.

“My name is Proserpine,” Proserpine’s voice was melodious and the whisper echoed through the air. “I am sure you must have some questions, and I will be happy to answer any you may have now.”

"Well," Ellie drew in a short breath, "Where exactly are we going?"

"We are going to the Menzo," Proserpine wrapped her wings around herself. "It's kind of like Sitchel's version of the underworld."

Underworld? Elliana thought to herself, she had never heard of such a place.

Ellie questioned, a little bored, "I see. Will we find Branwen there? Its very important that I meet her."

"Yes, she is there," Proserpine's expression changed to one of remorse. "I am sorry I read you mind earlier. But I felt I had no choice given the circumstances. But I am sure Branwen will want to meet you as well."

Ellie nodded silently, she hadn't thought about how invasive reading someone's thoughts were. Then a small thought came to her head.

"Proserpine, can you read my mind for the memories I forgot?" Elliana asked wishfully.

"Unfortunately, no," the smile faded from Proserpine's lips. "All of us are suffering from amnesia. However, Sitchel is slowly restoring our memories as a reward for helping him...her...it."

Ellie let out a small sigh. The two kept walking for a few minutes, the silence only being broken by their footsteps.

Breaking the silence, Ellie asked curiously, "What do you mean by it? Doesn't a god have genders? For that matter, what is a god?"

"Look, once we get to Branwen, she will be able to tell you more. I'm not sure I understand it all myself, but Branwen can explain. "Proserpine looked at Ellie reassuringly and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I promise."

“Now unless there is anything else, we have a long walk ahead of us.” Proserpine turned to move through the tunnels, when a familiar feeling slammed into her. Everything went dark and she could see the familiar form of the being that was Sitchel standing before her.

" We are pleased. Your efforts are yielding results even now. Continue as you plan.”

For a moment everything went dark. As if existence had faded and Proserpine had no sense of anything around her. When the darkness cleared, she found herself standing in what appeared to be a large palace. Columns of gold and silver seemed to go on for infinity and the floor appeared to be made of clouds. In front of her was a large throne, upon which sat a being of light. On either side of the throne were two of the most beautiful angels she had ever seen. Instantly, Proserpine dropped to her knees. The two angels approached her and a loud deep voice echoed throughout the room.

“You are the third,” the voice seemed to echo in her ears as well as her mind. “I name thee Persephone and I grant thee the grace and beauty of all the heavens.” The two angels placed a hand on her shoulders and she rose to her feet.

“I exist to serve you father,” The words came from Proserpine and she could see the figure in the chair smile.

“Thou shalt stand as a beacon to all along with your brothers, Michael and Lucifer.” Proserpine looked at each of them in turn and found herself instantly in love with Lucifer.

“Morning Star,” Proserpine whispered the words and he smiled at her.

“Be still my sister, for you have much to learn,” Lucifer’s voice sounded as a heavenly choir and Proserpine felt her heart soar with every syllable.

“To all my children,” the voice of her father echoed again. “ I give one special gift. To you I give two. Not only do I give you eternal beauty which shall never fade, I also grant you speed. For none shall be as fast as thee. The very winds will be a part of you and thou shalt soar throughout the heavens.”

“Thank you father. You are most gracious.” Proserpine smiled and the one called Michael began to speak.

“You are Seraphim,” Michael was smiling and his voice was calm and soothing. “And as such, you are to imbued with the power of our father. Apart form the gifts of speed and beauty, you will have other abilities as well.” Michael then brought up his hand and touched Proserpine’s forehead. For a moment it felt like a freight train slammed into her as the knowledge poured into her mind. However the effect only lasted for a second as the scene faded and she found herself standing next to Ellie in the tunnel again.

Proserpine couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. Nothing all that new had been imparted to her as far as knowledge went. She still had all the same questions she had before. Why did she hate her father? Why was she no longer a Seraphim? Why did she choose to follow her brother? But some good had come from it. Proserpine realized that she had gained another memory of an ability she had. And it was one which would prove quite useful. Looking over at Ellie, Proserpine smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Hang on,” instantly Proserpine and Ellie were teleported to the house in the Menzo. Branwen was standing in the room and appeared to be addressing the others. Proserpine walked over to Branwen and kissed her gently on the forehead.

“It is good to see you are well,” Proserpine smiled and she felt her passion beginning to rise. Unfortunately, now was not the time. There was far too much information to relate. Proserpine opened her mind and looked into Branwen’s eyes and sent her all she had learned. Everything about the church itself as well as the information she had about Ellie. Once Branwen had received all the information, the smile faded form her face and Proserpine’s look became more submissive.

“If it pleases you, I think I have an idea.” Proserpine shifted her gaze to the floor. Her confidence at this point was gone. She had already made far too many mistakes in the eyes of the others and didn’t want to infuriate them any further. She only wanted to help. The problem was, she wasn’t sure if her help would be welcome.

Branwen smiled and patted Proserpine shoulder gently, smiling around the demoness at the newcomer, Ellie.

" We need as many as we can get. Welcome." she turned back to Proserpine. " What's your idea?"

“Well….I…uh..” Proserpine stuttered and continued to stare at the floor. “I was thinking that we could use the churches own law against it. The only thing they seem to preach is to help others. And right now, Sitchel needs their help.

Branwen blinked, surprised at the simplicity of the idea. Why hadn't she thought of that?

" That... might actually work. Okay. So we do that too. As a matter of fact, I think I know someone in the perfect position to deliver that message." She smiled at Stribog.

“As you wish,” Proserpine’s gaze remained on the floor and the whisper echoed in Branwen’s mind, so that only she could hear.

“I feel so useless. Why do the others hate me so?”

Who hates you?" Branwen asked mentally, eyes lingering on Stribog for a moment.

“I feel all of them do,” the whisper in Branwen’s mind had a tone of sadness. “Especially Pike and Stibog. But how could they feel anything other than scorn and contempt for me? I am a creature of evil. Though I no longer wish that to be true. I don’t know if I can change. I don’t know if I can go back to what I once was. Proserpine looked up at Branwen and a single tear rolled down her cheek. Pushing out with her mind, Proserpine imparted the latest memory she had received from Sitchel.

" Stribog is... his own. I've known him a long time, and we've been through a lot together. And Pike is simply young." she whispered back in the demoness' mind. " You are only as evil as you decide to be."

“Perhaps it would be better if I didn’t exist at all,” the whisper changed and now it Proserpine’s voice in Branwen’s mind. A voice which was full of sorrow. “No one would miss me.”

" I would." Branwen whispered back simply.

“But why?” Proserpine’ looked back at the floor. “There is one here who loves you in a way I don’t that I ever could. And as you cannot deny your nature, I don’t know that I can deny mine.” The sorrow deepened in the voice inside Branwen’s mind. Proserpine was now learning a true loathing of herself. Despite the feelings she had for Branwen, Proserpine knew that there would always be a risk of her betraying the Sidhe, or worse, causing her great pain. And Proserpine didn’t feel that she was strong enough to deny her own nature.

" We are what we are." Branwen whispered back simply. " We change what we can and live with what we can't." She avoided the topic of Stribog, which raised pangs inside her she didn't know how to deal with.

“And what of the kitty?” the voice in Branwen’s mind changed back to a whisper.

Branwen did not answer immediately, consumed by the swirl of confused, half-human, half-Sidhe emotions that clawed at her mind and heart.

" I don't know." she finally whispered back.

“I just want you to be happy,” Proserpine spoke in Branwen’s mind. At this point, Proserpine felt there was nothing left to say. And the things that Branwen had said did not help her in deciding what she should do. That was a decision which would have to wait until she had learned more of who she was.

((co-op post with Cookies and Gypsy))

[GraftRaven]

Geru and Cyren had nearly reached the gate of some factory-like building when Geru's vision flashed and he collapsed like a rag-doll. He saw again the figure of Sitchel before him and it spoke. "Geru, you belong with the others, finish what you are doing for it will reward you well, but get back to them as soon as possible" At that point the vision vanished and Geru was thrown into another memory.

Gunfire was flying around him, some bouncing off the light armor he was wearing but most missing him completely. He ran behind a large rock and then poked his head up from behind it, then ducked back down before it was removed from his shoulders, but not before seeing his three assailants. They were giant men standing eight, nearly nine feet tall, and each armored from head to toe and wielding large heavy caliber sub machine guns. Geru made a few mental adjustments and then rushed out from behind his rock towards the three of them. Two dove to either side and the third had his head ripped apart by a warp lance from Geru. As the remaining two continued to fire Geru dove right, clambering over another rock and swatting a gun away before sinking his mechanical claws into the chest plate of the second man.

Geru rushed at the last man, still weaving left and right to avoid the gunfire, then shot a ball of energy from his hand that knocked the legs out from underneath the last man's torso. To finish him off Geru shoved one claw down his throat into what remained of his torso. He looked up to see more landing craft plummeting into the atmosphere, and then there was nothing.

Geru regained consciousness in a dark room surrounded by a great variety of people and creatures, but each had a copious amount of technology with them. He felt around, there was something new on his back and chest, he looked down to see many plates of light armor now affixed to himself with no visible means of support. He sat up, the armor moving flawlessly with his figure, and looked more at the people around him, several of them looked like medical technicians while others looked like common people.

he twitched a part of his mind and one of the plates on his chest detached. He picked it up and put it back where it was; just before it reattached he saw a small disk raise slightly under his skin. that explained how the armor stayed on. Something touched both of his shoulders and he spun around, two of the scientific looking people backed away quickly as large shoulder pads attached to his shoulders and upper back. Something clicked, something felt right about this armor. Geru knew it was his. "Where did you get this?" he asked, almost accusingly.


xXx--------------------XxX--------------------xXx


The ring of people parted leaving one standing alone: Cyren. "Well, it was all pretty much in one area yesterday. I figured you'd want it back because it matched the markings on your arms...."

The anger flowed out of Geru's eyes. "Well, thanks i guess. What is this place anyway?" He swung his legs off the table he was on and stood up.

Cyren stepped up to his side, she was the on who found his stuff and him, so it was her duty to answer his questions. "Well, this is our Guild-hall. Its one of the places throughout Sitchel that we broadcast the Television and Internet signals. Its also our home in the Menzo."

"While you explain this, can we get back to where i came from please?" He started walking towards a door that looked like it led to the outside, but was quickly stopped by Cyren, who had grabbed his arm.

"You don't want to go down there-" a loud explosion emanated from the doorway. "-that leads to R&D which for one is very dangerous, and two is off limits to visitors. You'll want to go this way." She spun him around a pushed him towards another door. "Now, we have a strict food-chain in the guild. People start as Novices, then become Apprentices, and once they've learned enough they become Mentors to other apprentices."

They were walking through a large room filled with library shelves stacked high with spare parts. Geru spoke up: "So, which level are you?"

Cyren looked surprised. "Me? I'm just a novice... almost a Mentor. Anyway, after Mentor there's Master, Guildmaster, and Grand Guildmaster. You know, now that I think about it one of the Guildmasters was present when we were putting your armor on. But he's always interested in that stuff anyway."

Geru looked around the new room they were in, it was very nearly empty an there was the gate to the building at the very far side. "So, do you guys do any magic?"

"Only slightly more organised than when you shot fire at me. Some of the time it backfires, and most of it has to do with putting things together or quickly 'taking them apart'." They were now at the point where the two had first met.

Gery stopped and turned around to face Cyren. "Well, thanks for the info... i'll definitely be back if i need something... which will probably be soon." Geru shot off back towards the house where the others were, following the gouges he had left in the wall before. After a few minutes he reached the house, took a minute to compose himself, and then entered into the main room.

(p2 now finished, please wait a few posts to acknowledge Geru's arrival as he would be a few minutes ahead of you guys.)

first off, the shoulders look something like on this (http://scottthong.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/necronlord1.jpg) only red and gold and just big enough to reach the edge of the shoulder. Also, its not like medieval plate armor, its more mobile and flexible and also only covers the torso. the back looks very organic with five large plates that are shaped to the back and slide over each other. it is all red and gold and the back armor is heavier than the front, but the whole thing is still fairly light so that Geru can move very close to top speed.

[Kirra]

Pike

"Okay, so, any volunteers?"

Pike knew exactly what that meant. But Branwen had to be calmed first. He walked over to Branwen and wiped the tears from her face. He kissed her gently on the forehead and pressed his lips close to her ear. "What did you see?" But she didn't say. Pike didn't press the matter. "A memory." He knew he was right.

Pike pulled his guide in his arms. He leaned in close. His thoughts being set out for her to her. 'I am going to leave for a while. Protect Yuchi. And above all else, don't let her know what I am going to do.'

Branwen rebelled and tried to pull away, her every thought pleading Pike not to do what he was planning.

Pike only compressed her harder. He kissed her one more time. "I have loved you since I first saw you. Please make me this promise." But he didn't wait for an answer. Pike released her and smiled.

Branwen stuttered. "I... I promise... but-" She shook her head. "This is a bad idea." But Pike knew that already.

He turned to Stirbog. "They think I'm dead right?" A nod was all the answer he needed. He walked over to Yuchi and patted her on the head. He knew she would being reading his thoughts. 'Be good for Branwen and the others. I will be back after I do some things. Don't worry, you'll be safe.' He released before she had a chance to reply. Pike walked past Proserpine and hoped she was checking for his thoughts. 'Protect them. I will make this plan work from my end, so don't let it fail on this end.' And he walked out the door. Pike made sure he couldn't be followed, and headed out into the city.

It wasn't long before Pike found his target. He walked up to the entrance of the church looking at the people surrounding it. 'So many innocent lives.' Pike walked up to the church and kicked open the doors.

"What is the meaning of this? This a house of the lord." And the magic Branwen gave Pike to speak was now useless. He had no words to use. All he could was let out a low deep growl.

Yuchi

Yuchi was to distracted by the TV to notice what was going on. It was extremely entertaining. A world of magic and wonder with giant dragons and ghost like creatures. The little boy kept using colorful magic to preform simple task. What a waste of magic.

Suddenly a flash hit Yuchi. She was in a room of all white. She sat up in the bed she was laying in. When she pulled the covers back she noticed a number of people standing around her. She knew who they all where instantly. But only one name stuck out. "Azalea? is that really you? I thought Father said you where traveling."

Azalea, was a beautiful angelic figure who was one hundred years Yuchi's senior. "Well my dear sister, I could help but see you again before I left. You know how much I miss you when I have to leave." Azalea's fully grown body was something Yuchi was constantly jealous off. It was something she wouldn't gain until she was older.

Yuchi moved to get off the bed, two of her servants moved instantly to help her up as a few moved to grab her clothing for the day. Yuchi stood arms spread out as her servants striped off her clothing and replaced her dress with a new one. "Dear sister, you didn't have to go to all the trouble. I know you have been very busy as if late." Once her clothing was on, Yuchi walked forward and hugged her elder sister.

Azalea smiled and kissed her sister on the forehead. "Oh my dear Yuchi, why must you always speak that way. I am never to busy for you." She compressed the child in her arms. "All you need is to think about me, and I will find a way to get to my lovely little sister."

Yuchi was back on the couch, tears forming in her eyes. 'Sister, please find me. I need you so much right now.' Yuchi felt a hand press against her head and instantly knew it to be Pike. 'Be good for Branwen and the others. I will be back after I do some things. Don't worry, you'll be safe.' What did that mean? She tired to mentally reply but he had already released.

Before she could form words, Pike had already left the building. Yuchi quickly ran to Branwen, almost tripping over her dress. "Where is he going? What did he mean when he said he had to do some things? Did you send him to get something?" She saw the tears on the guides face. "Please talk to me."

[Lerouge]

Stribog smiled to himself as he excited the room that Branwen was resting in and looked at the rest of the group sitting outside. He expected his body to change form but oddly it didn't and he stopped for a second and patted himself gently to make sure it wasn't a dream. Normally his body would have changed instantaneously at the sight of so many people but something was wrong. "What the..." He muttered to himself and closed his eyes and willed himself to transform forcing the beast within to come out, but nothing. His eyes shot open in fear and he gripped his shirt softly. "Baecryl..."

There was only one person in the whole world who had the power to stop his transformation and that was Baecryl, a solution they had used to keep himself from changing in her presence. It was rather difficult to make love with a feline so she created a serum that would keep Stribog in his human form for 48 hours. Stribog's head darted to the left and right and looked toward the stairs leading to the upper floors. She was probably sitting up there laughing at him right now and he stormed up them until he reached the top floor and came face to face with a door. His fist punched at the door which swung open and stopped almost magically before slamming into the wall behind it. "Baecryl!" He roared and looked into the bedroom to see the purple woman laying down on the bed trailing the barbs of the whip she carried trailing lazily over her stomach.

"I've been waiting for you Stribog, took you long enough to transform." She teased at him as she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed and smiled. Her voice came with a chill in the air that made goosebumps appear on Stribog's skin and his breathe to come in a gasp. "I knew coating my fingernails with the magic potion before I came and saw you would be a good idea. Now you are mine."

"I don't know why you did this but there is no chance in Sitchel that I will ever be with you again." He retorted as he stepped forward into the room only to find the door behind him slam shut. Stribog looked back wide eyed at the door and suddenly he felt a push on his chest. His body pinned against the door behind him and he looked down to see Baecryl pushed up against him holding him still. Her eyes stared up into his and he could feel her breathe on his neck and couldn't help but whimper softly.

"Such a temper, that little Sidhe must have trained you well as her pet." Stribog's body shook gently in frustration yet he couldn't push her off and he couldn't tell why. It must be fear the only thing about her that made him be with her in the first place... fear can control the strongest of men especially when they are at their weakest.

"Let me go Baecryl..." He said his voice losing the bark it had a moment ago and he could feel her lips against his neck and felt a soft sucking sensation that made his legs shake slightly. "No... don't you dare..." He tried to fight back and a moan escaped his lips as he felt her teeth sink playfully into him. Memories flooded back to him of his time in Menzo, the amount of time he had spent in this room forced into his human form which would only appear at the thought of Branwen. She kept him like this, weak and scared every waking moment yet satisfied completely in the most basic of ways. He felt the clothing on his skin move from what it seemed it's own accord and slowly push back leaving more of his skin visible to Baecryl who took the chance to feel the alteration she was causing to him. A gentle squeeze was all it took for him to give into her.

"I guess you are just as weak as always aren't you Stribog... why don't you just give me what I want." That was the last thing he remembered before everything went blank and he no longer could see or hear anything, he could only feel. He felt a pressure pulling on him and squeezing him tightly and he felt as if he could no longer escape or feel anything in his life. His body floated weightlessly in the darkness with no feeling asides from serenity yet with a slight graze of sharpness that would make his breathe stop. This went on for a good while his body being twisted and turned before finally hitting ground and his eyes closed. It felt as though he had run a marathon and he was gasping for breathe but was simple pushed back and looked into the empty sky. At first this was nice and peaceful then he saw two orbs in the sky which stretched into two pairs of eyes, very familiar eyes and then he felt an explosion in his body. His eyes slammed shut as he felt something push down on him holding him against the ground as he tried desperately to escape. Fireworks rushed into his view, so many colors flooded his view before he fell unconscious.

He lay quietly as his senses returned to him and he felt the soft mattress under his body and his hands running over the sheets. The peace was comforting and relaxing and his mind walked the tight rope between slumber and awareness as he watched the movie play in his head. An old man was laying on a beach staring at the clouds above him his legs arched allowing his toes to dig into the sand. "A thousand years... I just can't take it anymore..." He was saying to himself as sat up and stared into the water that lay at the bottom of the small cliff on which he was sitting. "Why don't I just die..." His body stood up and began walking toward the water and his body moved to reveal a rope tied to his ankle snaking through the sand attached him to large slab of cement behind him.

A pulse pushed through the man's leg and into the ground and the cement began sliding across the sand toward the cliff pulling the rope attached to him dragged along behind him until the slab was against the edge of the cliff. "Goodbye cruel world and I'm sorry to you my son." With that the cement toppled over the edge and pulled the man's body along with it pulling him into the deeps of the ocean into his eternal doom. Next thing he knew he was awake on a unknown planet, much younger and surrounded by bodies of dead people around him.

Stribog screamed and sat up in the bed gasping for breathe and looking around in fear. His body shook in fear and he took a deep breathe followed by a sigh. "Another memory... I haven't had one of those in a while." He muttered before finally remembering where he was and looked to the side to see the bed empty. He blinked in confusion before standing up retrieving his clothes and placing them back on his body. From what he could tell not much time had passed since he had first come up here and he left the room and looked down to see the others standing there staring at Proserpine who was accompanied by someone he didn't know yet.

Stribog's eyes wandered over to Branwen who was being hug tightly be Pike and smiled making the rest of the way down the stairs to hear the last of their conversation. An offensive approach huh? He thought to himself as he leaned his back against the nearby wall and leaned back to watch them.

"They think I'm dead right?"

Stribog nodded and arched his eyebrow curiously at Pike wondering what he had in plan. "Wait you aren't thinking of..." But before he could say anything the boy was gone and he stood there staring at the spot he was at. There was no chance of catching up to him in this form and he cursed himself for not stopping him when he had the chance.

"This might turn out to be very bad..." He muttered toward Branwen and then turned toward Proserpine and the newest person. "Also I don't believe we have met... did I miss something here?" He asked to the three and waited quietly for a response.

[Security of Mem]

It had been a several times as he tried to sleep his eyes would drift to the bed that was his partners. Their unique and charming smile reminiscing in their head. And the day would go over in their head over and over again. How could they lose each other? They weren't suppose to lose each other. They had made a deal with one another that they'd always be together. And they had been together.

They had survived numerous of situations with each other. One particular memory of the Jujigala tribe played in their head. They had thought they lost each other and found each other. And now they couldn't find each other. The group had labeled his partner MIA, missing in action. And yet he found himself almost everyday looking for his partner.

Although it was foolish to assume they were sitting somewhere near the path to the Menzo. Or trying to bang their way into the Menzo. It was foolish to think that the person whom he had adored and enamored for so long was now dead or missing in action. It was all the same. The missing bed. The missing person. The missing feeling. And the missing nights of sleep. Just rolling around staring at the green lights from the Menzo. Just taking in moments of the rocks that reminded him of his partner so much.

How much his partner would have adorned his appetite for the rocks here. All though he may have looked like a giant. Pherdel could only find himself sighing depressingly. But whenever he did come out of his room he would don a few smiles. As if to avoid interrogated questions. Are you okay? You look awful. He wanted to avoid all of that.

He'd miss the fun and queer times with Sedi. He'd miss the warmth of his body after he'd take the son pills. And he would miss the day they'd laugh when Sedi got a heel stuck in his stony body from the time they were chased around their own ship by woman.

Pherdel found himself roaming out of the bed and listening behind the door to see if much was going on. When he could almost hear low dull conversations he came out and wondered down the hall of the giant house. It had always seemed so odd to him that a house like this would exist. Comfortably enough for everyone. Pherdel decided that walking was the best moment and best thing to do at such a time. Pherdel decided that he needed air. But that wasn't exactly the best place since they were underground.

He almost wanted to blame the whole group for Sedi disappearing. But he knew this was displaced anger. And he knew that was all to foolish to even considered. Pherdel just needed to grow up. He needed to be strong. The way he use to be when Sedi was with him. But he hadn't felt much a leader or a person without Sedi. As of late he missed the bask glow of the sun. He missed the sounds of running water. And most of all Sedi. His mind was drifting into deep thought.

Thoughts he shouldn't have to even consider. And yet he was considering ever bit of his thoughts. He was taking such depression with such reality and such conviction. It was almost pissing himself off. He was angry because he was thinking. And because he was thinking he was looking like a moppy depressed teenager. He should just be cutting himself in the corner and crying. Listening to sappy songs and sitting in the corner. And as he continued to walk down the Menzo taking no note of detail or what this world looked like.

His thoughts were interupted as he fell onto the ground with an "Aaaa" and "oof".
At first he stared at a rock as his culprit, but as his eyes drifted he saw a hand.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA WHAT THE SHIT!" Pherdel yelled.
And his eyes drifted from the beautifully pale and dirty hand to a beautiful and pale girl. Her hair was purple and her eyes were closed. Pherdel looked around.
"Did someone misplace a girl?" Pherdel asked, "Whom in their right mind would do that?"

Pherdel walked over to the girl and shook her shoulder and she fell down limply.
"Aah," he said surprised, "Are you dead?"
He looked around and grabbed the girl. She was wearing the oddest of clothing a jumpsuit and a little dress. He walked down the path that he was using as a depressed trump. And found himself back in the house bringing in a girl.

"I think I found a dead thing!" Pherdel said out loud.

[The Gypsy Queen]

Branwen blinked after Pike, nodding to Geru as he entered, and giving Pherdel a curious look when he arrived with a girl in his arms, before reaching to grab Stribog's hand. As she did she felt a wave of something ugly and all to familiar. She was immediately distracted by Yuchi's questions. Her eyes flickered down to the small girl's face, where she fumbled over what to say. How could she tell them that Pike had just gone to his death? She hadn't even been able to tell Pike. He had no idea what he was up against.

Frustrated and ashamed, she gripped Stribog's hand tightly. She'd failed. She hadn't prepared them. They had no idea. The Church would destroy Pike just as it would destroy them all.

Unless...

" I think we-" She never got any farther.

The ground beneath her feet suddenly heaved, throwing her and everyone else down. Her shoulder hit the floor hard and she instinctively scrambled to get her feet beneath her, panic seizing her chest.

" MOVE!" she bellowed, echoing her words mentally. With a thunder-like crack, the floor of the house split down the middle, and Branwen was too busy grabbing Yuchi away from it to scream. She hauled the girl towards the door as the ceiling crumbled inward, and shoved Yuchi ahead of her into the street. Once she'd managed to stumble out of the house, clawing at the swiftly tilting ground to remain upright, she grabbed the girl and threw her into Stribog's arms - she wasn't strong enough to run for her life and carry the girl, but she knew Stribog could.

The cavern that housed the Menzo was filled with the crash and cacophony of rumbling earth and hiss of trapped gases leaking into the air, which was beginning to smell like sulfur. Branwen balked, terrified and unsure where to go or what to do. She'd been near shakes before, when pieces of Sitchel dislodged or fell off, but it had never been like this. She glanced at her group behind her, and made a snap decision.

" Run!" she screamed, throwing herself into a dead sprint for the gate of the Menzo, weaving through debris and dodging falling chunks of rock. She led her group through the gates, and stopped, awestruck, to watch for a few seconds as a fully grown Gojira - over four hundred feet in length - was buried, roaring, beneath the falling roof of the Menzo's cavern.

She started to run again, blinded by tears, panic, and sheer survival instinct, and her only reassurance was that she could feel her charges behind her, keeping pace. Slammed into the wall of the cavern and began to sprint along it's edge, faintly aware that she was gibbering away like a mad idiot.

She passed three collapsed tunnels and began to scream in frustration and fear. She couldn't find a way out. They were trapped.

Branwen ground to a halt as an ear-splitting crash filled the cavern, with her back against the wall and her group crowded near her. She looked up to the cavern ceiling, watching in transfixed horror as the ceiling caved in, the debris falling directly on to the Menzo itself. For one awful moment the cavern reverberated with screams... and then only echoes... and then silence. Light from the surface filtered through the massive dust cloud on the rubble pile that had been the Menzo.

Branwen sank to the floor, listening to the last noise in the cavern... the frantic breathing of her group.

" Stribog." she whispered. She paused, feeling his eyes on her, but didn't return his gaze. " My earset, please." She felt his magic and felt the earth shift beneath her, then took the offered earset, placing it back on her ear. She pressed a button and watched the holographic screen spread over her eye. Immediately, damage reports filled her vision. Catastrophic damage to Sitchel's infastructure. The Council was considered dead. That alone was cause for panic, as the Council was Sitchel's only governing body.

Branwen watched and read for a long moment, occasionally sucking in deep breaths as she struggled to remain calm.

Things had just gotten so much worse.

" We need to get out of here. And we need to get to Mr. Kite."

It took some coordinating, but between Stribog and Proserpine, they managed to get out through the newly formed sunlight over what was the Menzo. The streets above were in utter chaos. Bodies littered the roads and sidewalks, and the moans of the dying filled the air. Almost every building was collapsed and the sheer number that meant was staggering.

" Stay close." Branwen muttered, tear-streaked face hardening as she reached to grab a few of her group and pull them near to her. " Panicked beings do stupid things." She set off at a jog, pulling them along with her, as she headed for the edge of the dense urban area of Sitchel.

It was where the many people who had never fully signed on with the Church would go, to hide and be safe from the Church's martial law... because that was what it was. As she led them through a darker part of town, where blood from the injured and dead had formed a coagulated brown river down the street, she was jarred by a honk. She wheeled around, her true Sidhe form beginning to show through in her panic, only to realize who it was that was driving the old beat up Chevrolet truck.

" Hey, Bran! Get in! We're head to the Circus!" It was Vee. And her truck was filled with all the familiar faces - Mei, still elegant but cradling a broken arm, Lachina with blood matted fur and part of her dog ear missing, Milo who was unconscious, and about half the girls in the back. Branwen nodded to her group, motioning for them all to crowd with the half-dressed prostitutes in the back of the truck.

It was a quiet ride to the edge of the Center, and Branwen decided she needed to prepare her group.

" We're going to Mr. Kite's Circus." she said, not bothering to sugar coat things. " It's the center of all anti-Church activity. I was going to bring you guys here today but I never imagined..." Branwen paused to compose herself. " That must have been a shake... they happen when pieces fall off Sitchel, but it's never... never been that big." Branwen tried to steady her shaking hands. " Okay. The head of the Church, Dina Gavreel, is dead, and one of her subordinates, Raziel Sraosha-" she winced when Stribog shuddered at the name. "-has seized control of the three biggest muscle firms in all of Sitchel in the name of the Church. That means that he now has an army under his control. And just so you know... he's a psychotic, torturing, raping murder." She paused to take a deep breath. " This is a bad thing, in case you were wondering. We need to regroup. We can find allies if we can get Mr. Kite on our side, but this is going to mean all out war. If Sraosha knows about us, then he will send his army to kill us. We need friends now."

" And you've got them!" Vee chirped cheerfully from the driver's seat, where Lachina growled and Mei nodded.

" Lots of friends." she amended. She then ran a hand through her tangled hair and wiped her cheeks free of tear stains. " A lot of beings just died. Survivors are going to be praying. We need to do something. Today."

[GraftRaven]

Geru barely had time to say anything before the floor split, and then everything was in chaos. He heard Branwen shout something, and his instinct told him to follow her. Geru jumped through the closest exit, a window, and narrowly avoided trampling several denizens of the Menzo. He climbed to the top of a boulder and then dove after the group. A few seconds later he tripped and flew into a pile of rocks as Branwen stopped. Geru sat up just in time to see the Gojira fall, and also saw some of the gases ignite in the distance and send a plume of fire skyward. Geru got up and persued the rest of the group, eventually assisting in the climb out of the ruined city.

As the chevy pulled up and Branwen motioned for them to get in Geru jumped aboard and took a seat on the edge of the truck's bed. He offered his hand down to anyone who wanted help. As they started to move he listened to Branwen's explanation of things. Their situation sounded bad, and he couldn't understand why a man like this 'Raziel Sraosha' would be allowed a position of power in a church of all places. Finally he spoke up. "Well, if its war he wants, then we'll give him a war... we'll just have to be careful about the 'not losing' part." Geru's bright yellow eyes scanned through all the people in the truck, they all looked honest enough.

[Kirra]

Hundreds, no thousands of guards. It was more like a fortress than a church. And Pike knew that he had to fight them. Pike was no fool. He knew he couldn't win. But he wouldn't die either. Capture was the most likely option. And why would he want that. Only a fool would charge strait into the lions den. And even that fool wouldn't have charged to face this army. Pike looked at the thousands of solders that stood before him. Each with a look that alone could kill.

The creatures ranged greatly in size and number. There where gigantic cyclopes that stood two or three stories high. Creatures with full body armor with high tech version of primitive weapons. Demonic beast on motorcycles, skinless and repulsive things that kept trying to goat the other beast into a fight. There were creatures who Pike couldn't see, but their smell proved them to be there. There where creatures who made Pike's skin crawl. But he had to get past them. Pike looked through the crowd of guards. He knew he had to fight through them.

A flash hit Pike. He was siting down next to a woman who was dressing in a silky cloth. Pike knew instantly what he was seeing. He was a child, and he was with his mother. She wrapped her arm around him and compressed Pike. "My darling boy, are you ok?" Pike was in tears. He shook his head no. "What is the matter? Are the others picking on you again?" Pike shook his head again. "What is it?" She wiped the tears from his eyes.

Pike could only say one thing. "Dad hates me."

His mother was stunned. "Pike, your father loves you. Why would you think that?"

"You've seen the way he looks. I am nothing compared to him. I am nothing compared to the others. I am so weak and small." His words where barely audible.

Pike's mother grabbed her child in his arms and compressed him. She released and knelled in front of him. "Darling, you may not be small compared to the others, but you have skills that none of the others have. You have a mind like no other. You always have something going on there. And the things you have created make everyone confused on how you do it. Some people suspect that you are getting divine intervention." She giggled a little at the thought.

"But I'm am the next in line for rule. How can I rule if I am weak? Everyone will walk over me."

"You are not weak. Pike you are just as strong as any Crytim your age. You may be smaller, but it didn't effect your strength. But you wont be your father." She watched as his expression lowered. "Pike you will be a better ruler than your father. You have a talent that he holds in the highest regard." Pike spun his surprised look to her. "You speak like a ruler. And you know how to rally others behind you. Do you remember when you kids where attacked by the dracono? Even the ones who picked on you followed your lead. You will lead the Crytim to a new era of rule. An era of peace."

Pike smiled at the memory. It was nice seeing his mother, but was unsure of why that is what he saw. After the flash of memory, a message came. A voice in his mind spoke to him. "Do not fear their numbers. Charge into them. Only then will you be led to the place where you can face this foe. Only after completing this task, will you be able to protect the others." Pike didn't think twice. He charged into the group.

Pike tore into the creatures with ferocity. Blood spread through the air. Pike was unsure of who he was hitting half the time. They swarmed over him. And quickly he was over taken. A fools task indeed. But as the blades and bullets pierced Pike, his body instantly repaired the damage. A net was thrown on him, Pike shredded it like paper. Pike punched through the group and lept on top of a gigantic creature. The creature swung wildly trying to dismount him. But he was causing more damage to the others in the process. Pike watched as creatures where crushed or thrown, killing them in the process. A creature flew up behind Pike and shoved a spear through his chest. Pike wiped the creature around and grabbed it's neck. He ripped the creature in half and ripped the spear out of his chest. He looked down and saw the legion below him trying to climb the beast. Pike took the spear and shoved it into the giants head.

As the beast fell, crushing anything dumb enough to be below it, Pike lept from it's head towards the door of the church. But before he could reach he was tackled by a demonic creature. He was barely able to get on top of it before they crashed into the ground. But before he could get another movement. Pike was stabbed through chest with a sword. He went to pull it out, but had a surge of electricity running through him. But they weren't don't yet. Pike was hit to many times to count. Each time he was blasted with different surges of energy. Even his body has his limits. He threw the creatures off of him. But he was on his last leg. He staggered a bit, walking towards the church. He took a few steps before a giant creatures stood before him. He slapped it's hand down on Pike. The pressure caused him to black out.

[John]

Proserpine watched as Pike kissed Branwen and professed his love for the Sidhe. He had fallen in love at first sight apparently and Proserpine couldn’t help but roll her eyes. It just confirmed more and more what she already knew. He was a child. And it was at that point that Proserpine decided to stop listening in. She watched as he went on to Stribog about something and she didn’t pay him the least bit of attention as he walked out the door. He had left, and a part of Proserpine hoped he wouldn’t return. Still, for her idea to work, he may be useful later on.

It was a good idea, or at least Proserpine thought so; and It seemed that Branwen agreed with her. If the church’s only law was to help those in need, then surely they would have to help Sitchel as well. Proserpine just needed a little time to think of a way to implement the idea. No doubt that John Smith would come in handy again soon.

It wasn’t long after that, that all hell broke loose. The chaos that unfolded as the Menzo crumbled would have normally appealed to Proserpine. In fact, she would have normally helped it to happen. But with all the changes she was going through, she found herself feeling sadness as she listened to the screams of the dying echoing all around her. The first instinct she had surprised her, Proserpine wanted to help. But Branwen had other ideas and Proserpine was bound to the Sidhe. She followed closely as the group raced down the tunnels. Proserpine used her telekinesis to deflect some of the larger pieces of rock away from the group.

Once they had finally managed to make it outside, they were greeted by a truck. Vee and some others had arrived and Branwen spoke with them. It seemed that they were willing to help and the group was going to be taken to see someone named Mister Kite to make an alliance with him. Proserpine hoped in silence that this alliance would be to their benefit. She also noticed that there was still no sign of Pike.

“Branwen,” Proserpine spoke aloud and her voice was calm, yet it was without it’s usual melody. “Where is the teenager?”

Branwen pulled her knees to her chest, hugging them as her lips pursed.

" I don't know." she said finally. " The system is in chaos, I can't find him."

Proseprine thought back to the house in the Menzo, she wished she had paid more attention to what Pike said to Stribog. It didn’t seem important then, but she knew now that it was.

“Branwen,” Proserpine’s voice echoed in Branwen’s mind. “When he left the house, where did he go?”

Branwen's eyes flitted to Yuchi and she bit her lip. The girl would be upset if she knew that if Pike hadn't been killed in th shake then the Church's new army full of trained killing machines would surely finish the job... or worse.

" He went to confront the Church. I tried to stop him."

At this moment, Proserpine shut off her mind. She couldn’t understand why Branwen had allowed this to happen. If Branwen had really tried to stop him, then he would not have gone. This would make it so there was no chance of anything she had planned to do working. But it made her think that maybe her plan was no good to begin with. Perhaps Branwen had only been humouring her. Proserpine had done little to endear herself to the group up to this point and there was no reason why anyone would want her to succeed. In fact, if she failed, it would prove that their opinion of her was correct. She was useless. In this moment, Proserpine felt truly alone. She turned her head to look at the floor of the truck so that Branwen wouldn’t see the tear that rolled down Proserpine’s cheek.

“And what of this Kite,” Proserpine kept her gaze away from Branwen and the others. “How can he help? For that matter, why would he want to?”

Branwen gnawed on her lip till it began to bleed, guilt racking at her gut. If only she had tried harder... she'd been stunned by Pike's profession of love and hadn't responded quickly enough.

Pushing those thoughts away, Branwen brushed the drops of blood off her lip and turned to Proserpine.

" Mr. Kite is a long standing enemy of the Church. His Circus is the center for all anti-Church activity. And it's going to be one of the few safe places on Sitchel now that Sraosha has control of an army. He's always wanted to take down the Church, and I never asked why, he just does. But when we tell him what we know, I'm sure he'll help us."

Proserpine was now convinced that Branwen had no intention of finding a peaceful solution to their problem. It explained why she had allowed Pike to go, and confirmed her suspicion that the Sidhe had been humouring her before. Waves of sadness washed over her and she had to force herself to not cry. Wiping away the tear, she looked at Branwen.

“And Kite has an army that can fight the church?” Proserpine’s expression was one of concern, but the truth was she no longer cared. The only reason she had for living now was to find out why she had turned her back on her father. And she couldn’t help but feel she wouldn’t like the answer when she found out. There was no doubt in her mind that she would soon put an end to her pointless existence. The only question Proserpine had now was when would she do it.

" Fight?" Branwen blinked, confused. " By Tantiana, that would be suicide. Not if we can help it..." she leaned her head back against the side of the truck. " No, I want to tell him about your idea. That's much smarter. And since we may have someone on the inside, it's all the better."

Proserpine glared at Branwen and disappeared from the truck. She appeared at the entrance to the church in the form of a mosquito. Flying through the doors, she didn’t need to go further than the entrance hall to gather the information she had come for. People were moving about, clearing away bodies and cleaning up blood from the walls and floors. Instantly, Proserpine reappeared in the truck in her normal form.

“I do believe that ship has sailed,” the anger was evident on Proserpine’s face and fire burned in her eyes. But the anger wasn’t actually directed at Branwen, or even Pike for that matter. It was directed inward. Proserpine was angry with herself for even thinking that she ever had any real use.

Branwen rolled her head to quirk an eyebrow at Proserpine as the demoness' magic flickered.

" Sraosha has seized power and he's not very well liked within the Church. It's just going to take a proper nudge to overthrow him, and he doesn't much care for the Church's own rules, so we just have to be patient. The ship has not sailed. We just have to change our strategy a little bit."

Proserpine lifted her hand and touched Branwen’s forehead, allowing her to see everything that Proserpine had just witnessed. Through no choice of her own, some of her feelings seeped through with the images.

Branwen sighed and pushed her thoughts into Proserpine's head.

" You can't help what you are, sweetie, any more than any of us. You can't help it if other beings are a bit averse to you. Your idea was good and still is. We just need help.”

Proserpine found herself wondering just how much Branwen had picked up form the contact. Instantly she closed her mind again. She found herself not caring about the plan or anything else now. She could no longer exist as she was.

“I am okay Branwen. Really.” Proserpine forced a smile and looked into Branwen’s eyes. “So what do we do now?” A question to which Proserpine already knew the answer, but still she asked it anyway. She didn’t know what else to say at this point. And didn’t want to risk giving away her true intentions.

Branwen sat up and sighed, looking out over the side of the truck as the familiar cacophony of the Circus rang in her ears.

" We're going to talk to Mr. Kite."

The truck drove into the circus area which was crowded with all manner of people. Merchants thugs patrons just to name a few, as well as some robotic looking guards with a drill on one hand. The guards looked as though they were wearing some sort of modified diving suit.

The area itself was crowded with a circle of small multicoloured tents surrounding one large purple and orange tent. People of every imaginable species moved about and Proserpine could hear an announcer barking about a show involving Harry The Waltzing Horse. The entire scene was chaos on a grand scale.

Proserpine took note of the injured people who were in the area, getting help from healers while prostitutes tried to sell their wares to some of the other patrons. The truck came to a halt and Proserpine stepped out, taking a deep breath and allowing her emotions to spiral further downward.

(co op with Gypsy)

[Cookies Ahoy]

Ellie waited while Proserpine just stood in place. Something weird was happening. Proserpine moved over to Elliana after a few moments, and the two teleported into a house. Ellie was a little shaken from the experience, she had never had anything like that happen to her, but she told herself she would need to get used to strange things in her new home. Eventually, Elliana was able to meet Branwen, and she told Ellie about their plans and what exactly was going on. Ellie scratched her head mulling over what she had been told. It would seem that she had more work to do.

Suddenly Elliana's vision went black. A strange familiar thought entered into her head. She was walking into a long hall full of many people. Someone was sitting on a throne, who is he? Ellie's body moved automatically, she felt no feeling of control, but the movements felt familiar. She was now about ten feet from the important man on the throne. Ellie took a knee and bowed her head. The man stood from his seat, holding an ornate sword at his side. He slowly lifted it above Elliana's head, touching each shoulder softly.

"By the power I, King Nuven, hold, I dub thee Lady Elliana Mytai. You receive this honor for your valor on the battlefield and your commitment to those that you command," The king spoke in a deep voice that sounded like it had been used many years on a battlefield.

The vision slowly came back to Ellie, and not a moment too soon. The whole house started shaking violently. The booming sound of someone yelling to move shot out inside and outside of her head. Branwen guided everyone through the Menzo as it shook itself from its foundation. Elliana ran with the others, scared out of her mind. Running through tunnels and turning around when they hit a dead end, Ellie didn't think that the group would make it out alive. Luckily though, they did. Screams were heard from the fallen cavern. Branwen took an earset and began to see damage reports. Things didn't look good, and Elliana figured that this wasn't a usual occurrence.

The group was lifted from the hole they were now in by Proserpine and Stribog. They were on their way to meet a Mr. Kite. Suddenly a vehicle called a truck stopped. It was apparent that Branwen knew the conductor of the vehicle and most of the passengers. They offered a ride and the group gladly took it.

As Ellie passed the side of the truck she read the name aloud, "Chevy," she said, saying it how it was spelled, not how it was supposed to sound.

Elliana shrugged and jumped into the back of the truck with the others. As the truck rolled down the road, Ellie stayed quiet, listening to the conversations passing through the air. The sound of a circus was growing louder. It didn't take long for them to reach the circus, and it looked like like the people there had suffered injuries and losses as well. The group got out of the truck and began looking for Mr. Kite. Elliana jumped as she felt a hand reach under her armor. She spun around to see who had touched her, it was a scantily clad woman. Another woman came up to her. She was feeling violated, but she couldn't convince herself to just tell off the women. She tried to brush them away, and pulled her dark red hair around her neck. Feeling desperate, Elliana ran extremely close to Proserpine, hoping that the prostitutes would leave her alone.

[Lerouge]

Stribog stood quietly for a moment as he looked around and gave a sigh of relief to be in their presence. It was an odd thought to him but the sight of Pike, Yuchi, and Proserpine along with Branwen was the most comforting thing he could ever imagine. He was trying to block his thoughts from a few moments ago and tried to focus on the present as his fingers interlocked with Branwen's. She knew what happened to him and their understanding was one that transcended that of any normal beings, it was something he could not fight and she knew he was trapped like this. Her grip tightened comfortingly around his hand and with a sigh he was calmed, at least for what he thought.

"We have to go get him..." He muttered softly to Branwen as he stepped a bit closer to her. "Do you want me to go?" She smiled and shook her head gently before looking at the others with a confidence that he had grown so attached to. Her eyes seemed to almost twinkle in excitement at the thought of this adventure. Good old Branwen... He thought to himself and leaned forward to place a kiss on her cheek, but was stopped by the sound of a sudden crash. His eyes darted around the room curiously trying to find the source of the sound and at first saw nothing until he looked down. Darkness was starting to appear between himself and Branwen and he let go of her hand long enough to float up into the air.

Stribog heard her scream and saw her and the others dart for the door and he began following, his body floating gently through the air as he went. His mind was racing at once and his eyes grazed across the ceiling to see the crack appear and lifted his arms above him and controlled the air in the room to rise leaving the oxygen around him gone. The building was collapsing but wasn't falling just yet and he held it till the last of the group left and leaped down toward the ground. His body met with the dirt below and cut through like a knife through butter as his body propelled through the earth in an angle before he appeared right outside the collapsed building. He sighed and looked toward what once used to be called Menzo and saw the horizon begin to collapse inward toward the ground and the sound of screaming could be heard throughout the chaos.

"Baecryl..." He thought at first and his body stared at the carnage and wondered if he could find her, if it would be worth it. "Forget it... you are probably in a better place now anyway." He said as his eyes grazed over the remains of the building he hated so and noticed a familiar sight in the rubble. The hilt of a sword made of the strongest metal in all of Sitchel attached to a staff of the oldest tree that has been known to exist, both were laying right there in the collapsed remains. "That bitch did have them!" He said as he moved forward and reached down to grab each and smiled. He secured each at their rightful spot on his body sighed in happiness, if just for a moment before the ground before him began to collapse and a drill began breaking through the ground.

"Shit!" Stribog screamed as he turned and ran toward the others who were struggling through the street. As he caught up to them he was handed the young Yuchi, who at once clinged to him. He ignored the irony of him holding their future in his hand and followed the rest of them to the outskirts of the city, He moved to Branwen's side to hear her demand for her earset and with a swift movement of his wrist it was back in her possession. "They are here... we need to move..." He begged her and tried to ignore the thought of the monster that was currently in charge. "Why did it have to be him..." He muttered and rocked Yuchi back and forth in an attempt to comfort the poor girl.

"What's the plan?" Was the last thing he remembered saying as the side of a strange device known as an automobile appeared. Stribog had been used to surprises and this was something that Sitchel had absorbed before, but it was still a rarity. He turned toward Branwen and nodded at the plan, Kite would be a great asset... if he didn't make them all go insane first. They climbed into the machine and he sat down Yuchi besides the others as he found a spot on the side bar of the truck and sat down. His fingers wrapped around the cold metal as they device started moving down the path. The situation was getting grim and throughout it all the one thing he could think about was the fact that Menzo was gone... the first place he considered a home no longer existed.

The drive seemed like it would never end and the entire time his eyes would not leave the dusty road they were driving on. This game was starting to become too dangerous and a war wasn't something he was expecting to fight when he woke up today. The familiar sounds of Kite's Circus filled his ears but his mind still resided somewhere in the back of his throat as his heart slammed against his chest. He didn't move along with the others and he simply sat on the side of the car and watched the rest of the group move. Was there a point to all this?