[M] It's whatever makes you see, makes you believe [MatrixOne + The_Eternal_Lullaby]

[MatrixOne]

Rating Description: Rated M for mature content including, but not limited to: Sexual scenes, blood, gory stuff, bad language, drugs... And possibly more. You never know what my dirty psycho imagination can come up with.

***

Get your shit together, White. It's just a hallway.

Tobias White was doing his best to stay as quiet as possible. Even controlling his breath; Though he could do nothing to make his heart beat any quieter. He felt as if it was going to give his position out.

Long, dark hallway...

He knew, as soon as he makes a noise, the caromorph will attack. He could hear it crawl on the other side of the wall. He was dodging the monster all night; Never got a good enough look to actually see how it looked like.
But it didn't matter. There was nothing left for him here; Everything lost. But at the end of that hallway...

Okay. Run into a cross-dimension portal. No big deal. Here we go...

He held his breath, then started running.

It didn't even take a quarter of a second for the caromorph to react. Its roar was a demon-like scream, and all White could hear aside from that was the sound of claws scratching the floor right behind him.

But he ran. Ran through the darkness, to a portal which might not even be there...

He couldn't see anything, but he knew he was nearing the part where the hallway abruptly ends. He could feel the monster's breath right behind him.

Tobias closed his eyes. If he's wrong, his end will be long and painful. If not, well... He wouldn't really know.

Suddenly, the ground gave way. For a second, he felt like he was in... cold air, the kind which you feel when a fan briefly rotates in your direction.
He had crossed the world border once before; He knew this feeling. This time, he knew to close his eyes... What he saw the last time nearly made him throw up.

A second later, he fell flat on his stomach, on the ground. The landing was quite soft, actually... He landed on a... Carpet?

He kept his eyes shut. What will happen now? Will the caromorph follow? It shouldn't be possible, he calculated the time just right. The gap should be closed, and a new one will appear elsewhere. That's how it works.

Well. As much as I'd like, I can't lay here forever.

He slowly opened his eyes, and he saw... A girl standing in front of him.
Her feet, actually, since he was on the ground.

Very cute feet, too.

Wow. Now I'd really like to stay like this forever.
But that was not an option.
Uh, I've traveled to another dimension, and am already thinking about cute girls. Typical.

He carefully stood up, trying not to seem hostile.
"This... Is probably kind of unexpected" He said, scratching his head. The monsters were gone, the evil was gone. The room was warm and there was a cute girl standing next to him.
I guess this world is not bad at all.

"I'm... Probably not going to hurt you"
He thought for a second.
"I mean, I don't want to hurt you. So just... Keep calm and tell me where I am"
He realized his question wasn't specific enough.
"And which country it is. Year would be nice, too. And maybe, if you know what the latest technological invention was..."
He looked around the room. There was something wrong with it; There were candles all around, but none lit. The room was pretty much covered in darkness; Of course, it wasn't as big of a darkness as back in that horrible hallway, and White's eyes were adjusted, so he's only noticed it now, but... Here it was.
"Why's it so dark in here?" He decided to be straightforward.

___
I'm leaving you to describe how she lives, how their parents treat her, how often she gets visitors, all this stuff. If you want, you can describe the whole castle, or even the village around it. I'll work with anything, add stuff of my own. Just like old times ;q

[Nori]

In another dimension quite different yet somehow similar to ours was a village. At first glance, one might believe that this was any ordinary village that you would find in our world, but that is simply not the case. This particular village was very different thanks to the peculiar world it was settled in.

You see, people here had special... talents. Powers, that is. Not everyone did, but everyone was different in the quaint, little town. Most appeared like the average human, while others looked more animal-like than anything. But all of the villagers got along just fine.

The village looked to be a little... behind, in the modern sense. Clothes were hung out to dry on old-fashioned clothes-lines, and there was not a single car to be found. The village was small enough so that people could walk around, but most preferred riding on animals that are kind of like horses that we humans call "Unicorns".

The most notable feature about this town, however, was the structure that sat upon the highest hill, looking down almost disdainfully at the valley in which the village lay. It was a beautifully huge, gothic castle that stood out against the trees and the sky. The wealthiest, most respected family in the village lived there, and that is where this story begins.

A young female sat in a chair in what was almost the center of the small room she was currently in. She had been confined to the east wing of the castle; a wing that was fairly larger, but was hardly ever visited by anyone other than the lone inhabitant, which was the girl.

She was beautiful, really. She had silver hair that would have came down a little past her back. She had it braided into two braids, while her bangs hung in her face slightly. Her eyes were such a light blue that they actually appeared gray. They were wide and somewhat inquisitive, but they were unseeing and unfocused to everything around her. It looked like she was lost in a daydream all of the time, which she sometimes was.

Her clothes were that of the highest, finest silk. Even though her parents ignored her existence almost entirely most of the time, they refused for her to wear anything a commoner might wear. She wore a white, sailor-type shirt that almost blended in with her soft skin, and a large, blue ribbon peaked out from behind the braids of her hair. A blue skirt that reached her knees sat over nearly skin-tight, light blue leggings. Despite this almost regal clothing, she wore no shoes with her outfit. She loathed shoes, but she wore them when her parents commanded her to.

She was only allowed out of the east wing for the occasional, private meal that she would have with the rest of her family. No one in the village knew she existed, and even a few of the people who worked within the castle did not know that their masters had a son and a daughter. It came as quite a surprise when they saw her wandering blindly among the halls of the wing, her domain. Most even suspected that she was just a ghost because of how pale she really was, and her parents and brother went along with these stories.

So, she was not really allowed to go anywhere outside of the east wing, and there were even guards that occasionally guarded the door that led to that part of the castle. However, sometimes she would sneak out a window in one of the hallways, climb down the wall, and just walk around outside. She actually did that quite often, and she always got in trouble when she was caught.

Those times usually resulted in a beating that sometimes pushed her to the brink of death, but she continued to do it anyway. She was very smart, you see, and she gathered herbs from within the woods outside of the castle that could heal wounds. She could heal very small cuts and light bruises-- all women in this dimension can --but she usually suffered worse. And she was always very tired and weak afterwards.

She was staring blankly at the wall, singing softly to herself. She did not like the ear-splitting silence at all, so is there was no sound around her, then she would oftentimes make up her own sounds. She had a very soft voice, and she seemed to be singing in English.

"Oh, I'll go into the fields today..." sang she, her eyes unblinking. She trailed off from her song when she sensed and heard another being in the room. That frightened and excited her dearly, but she ultimately decided that this person was good even before he opened his mouth.

She stood from the chair silently, staring at the wall still as the man spoke. He must not have been from the area because people in this village spoke with a sort of accent. Her mind processed this and the man, even though she could not see him. There were other traces on him... traces different from what she was used to. He must have been from somewhere far, far away. Another dimension... That would explain it.

This did not bother her. She had powers unlike no other, and they were very powerful powers. She knew a lot about dimensions even though no one else believed in them. "You are in the region Nymphordoris, stranger," she spoke quietly, continuing to stare past the man. "The town is Hartem, population 503," she continued, speaking without pause, and yet slowly enough so that her words could be understand. She stopped for a moment, and seemed to be in though. "502, now. Poor Agatha just passed..."

She had not a clue as to who the old woman was, but all castle inhabitants had their minds linked directly to the town itself, to keep on top of things. "What exactly is technology?" she asked curiously a moment later. "I know not of the word..."

She hummed softly to herself in between pauses, just to make sure that the silence would not overwhelm her. "Is it dark in here? I have not noticed. I do not exactly have anything set up for guests; I do not get them often. Please forgive me, good sir." Normally, this would have awarded her a slap from anyone in the castle, so she steeled and readied herself automatically, an almost frightful glint in her wide eyes. She did not know this man, but he could easily react in violence.

[MatrixOne]

She didn't seem scared or even surprised.
Good.

White thought for a while about the world he was in. Could be worse, that's for sure.
He chuckled when the girl asked about technology.
"Well, technology occurs when people have no friends, too much time on their hands, and desperately want recognition" He explained. "It's also against nature. I'm really glad the city hasn't succumbed to the evils of technology yet"

When the girl answered the question about darkness, he still didn't get the reason.
"So you don't mind if it's dark? You'd change your tune if you'd seen what I've seen. And if you're as unlucky as the last, um, region I've visited, you might find out what I'm talking about really soon" He didn't want to scare her, but would it be bad to tell her the truth? Maybe this world values honesty more than the previous one. He'll just have to do it gradually.

"Hey, are you feeling alright?" White noticed the girl flinch when she apologized. "If you know someone who's prepared for a stranger to fall out of the ceiling at any given moment, you let me know. Until then, don't worry about it" He smiled, and she could feel his attitude change from cautious and confused to friendly and relaxed. White was an easy man to read, even without the help of sight. And he wasn't much of a pretender. He spoke his mind and expressed his feelings, just as they were.

He looked around the room. For a medieval-fantasy world, there were very little... Books in here. Or scrolls. Or quills.
None at all, actually. Was she illiterate? No, the place was rich. Did she not enjoy reading? If so, what was she doing all day? White couldn't think of anything else to do. Medieval times were boring to him. Unless you're an adventurer, of course.
"What do you do?" He asked. It wasn't exactly a 'who are you'. They have not exchanged names yet, and White thought it was quite remarkable. In his world, he'd be greeted by a loud 'Who the fuck are you and what are you doing here?!' and a gun waved at his face. So why would he ruin it by exchanging names?
Maybe it was better if she didn't know, anyway.
And maybe she noticed this as well, and she'll hold up with the names, too, just to keep it interesting.
A mind game. White loved games of minds.

He kept looking around, trying to note all the important details. There were two decorative swords mounted on the wall, which seemed to never have been used.
No paintings. The decor was dull, and the room wasn't exactly clean.
He noticed a small spider hiding in a corner. He secretly used his Force to gently grab the spider and less gently hurl him outside through an open window. He didn't exactly like spiders.
Of course, this use of Force was sensed by Ann. It was the first time she could feel this kind of Force; It was emitting such strong... Aura, she could sense it nearly as if she was touching it. From afar.
"I'll, uh, take a seat here, if you don't mind..." White sat on a comfortable chair, hoping he wasn't offending any ancient traditions. "I'm a bit tired. Had a real rough day, that's for sure"
There wasn't much reason for her to care, but he liked talking about himself, and he wanted to come across as casual and make her feel less awkward. It was an awkward situation, after all, so it was good to ease the tension.
____
Ah, I missed RPing with you ;q. As always, you're amazing at descriptions.

[Nori]

"It is always dark for me,anyways..." she said quietly, but she did not elaborate any further. She was currently thinking about this 'technology' that this strange man spoke of. She was still tense, but not as much as she had been before. She then thought about what else the man had said.

She was not idiotic, and she could tell that her companion was hiding something. She said nothing of it, though, and continued to hum quietly to herself. She liked the man already, and his aura seemed nice and strong. "He must have powers, too..." whispered the voice within her mind, and she smiled to herself. "I am feeling fine, thank you." Not exactly a lie. She was still recovering from a nasty beating from one of the guards when they found her entering back through her favorite window. She had healed most of the wounds with her herbs and her own powers, thankfully, and she had had time to rest.

"What do I do?" she repeated quietly, never turning her attention from the wall. Not like she had much of an attention at all. "I do lots of things! I eat, sleep, play, go for walks... Sometimes I draw, but my things are in the other room." She liked drawing things, mostly scenery and the images held within her mind. By feeling something, she could sometimes guess at its appearance and draw to the best of her ability.

She was not stupid, as said before. She had taught herself to write because sometimes she could feel or see what words looked like in her mind. It was much easier done than said, you see. Things were silent for only a moment, and the paranoia was beginning to settle in. She was about to ask the man where he went, or if he was still there at all or just another piece of vivid imagination.

He was there, though. She could sense him, as well as his strong aura. She could almost feel it, really, and she reached out a hand absently, smiling serenely to herself all the while. "Oh, please do not hurt the spiders, sir," she said both sadly and sternly, even though she had her back to the corner in which the creepy crawler once sat innocently. No stranger was going to get away with hurting her friends, the spiders, but she was all too polite and sweet to actually hurt the man for harming her companions. But with her powers, she might just be able to snap him like a twig. She had done it before by accident when all was silent. That poor, poor bird never saw what was coming.

"Go ahead," she said, somehow even more sweetly this time. More silence followed, and she was becoming unnerved again. "Y-you are still here, yes?" she asked, gray eyes still on the wall. What was the point of searching the room if she could not see? Of course, she could still sense him, but the silence really got to her. She turned from her beloved wall, and she walked slowly towards the man's aura, eyes straight ahead. "A rough day, hmm?" asked she, calmer now. It was almost like she had not even been frightened a moment before.

She thought for a moment. She did not want to accuse the man of dimension jumping just yet, but she was sure that that was how he got there. She could tell. "Might I get you anything, sir?" she then asked, trying to fill the silence. There really was not much she could get the man, though. It just seemed like a polite thing to ask. She stopped walking when the man's aura became too strong, and she took a few steps back. She was not used to being so close to people, you see, so she could not quite handle strong auras.

She did not ask for the man's name mainly because she did not need to. Her own powers could allow her access to others' minds, but that was a bit more advanced. And she was the one that taught herself how to control and handle her powers, so she could only read the minds of animals and smaller children. Sometimes, on the rare occasion that she could get close enough, she could garner some information from some adult minds. If their aura was weak and penetrable enough, she could manipulate it.

She talked to many animals this way, and that was why she was so close to the spiders. They had such interesting stories to tell, and they could exchange thoughts between each other's minds. It really was quite cool, but she still had some practicing to do. A power so powerful such as that was often sought after by many. She could easily make people her slaves and minions, but she did not quite realize that. And she would never want to do so, anyways.

The power was not entirely perfect because the victims would notice what she was doing due to irritation within the brain, similar to a headache. That, and a bit of her own aura was always left within the mind for a short while afterwards, even if the person she would try it on was impenetrable. It was an odd sensation; she knew this because it happened to her every time, as well.

So she could temporarily have pieces of other people's aura within her own. Now, that is not to say that she could take people's powers because she could not. She might be able to, but as advanced as she already was with her powers, she had not quite gotten that far.

She tried looking into the man's mind, tried to fight her way past his aura. While hers was strong, his was stronger. Stronger than she had ever seen or felt before. She could practically feel it even when he was not using his powers. It was the first time that she had ever felt such a force because the villagers were much too weak to have a force strong enough for her to notice, as a force and an aura were to separate things. Trying to penetrate his mind and his aura was tiring, though, and it seemed sort of impolite, now that she thought of it. And there was no way she could get past it in her already weakened state.

She stopped, taking of bit of his own aura, but it evaporated immediately. It usually stayed hours upon hours with the townsfolk... He was much stronger and skilled than she had first believed. She pretty much fell to the floor without a word, sitting cross-legged upon the floor. Her attempt had been so weak that she doubted he would have even noticed. And if he did, then he must really be attentive and sensitive to those things.

She got tired easily because her powers were tiring. Her wide eyes were now weakly half-lidded, but she was smiling all the same. She could not think of anything to ask the man, and she would have almost forgotten about his presence if it was not for his aura. She began to sing softly to herself once more as though he was no longer in the room. She was so used to being alone, it seemed. It was quite sad in a way. And her song was saddening, as well; a soft, mindless dirge that did not seem to affect her carefree mood in the slightest.

((Thank you.~ o3o ))

[MatrixOne]

When the girl just sat on the ground despite the chairs being right next to her, White did the same. He felt like it'd be appropriate, somehow.

For a longer while, they just sat like that, each facing the other, the girl singing softly and Mr. White listening to her.
It was... Unusual. Interesting. But also... Calming.

He took this time to think about what the girl said.

Always dark for her...
Despite the reasons were kind of obvious, Mr. White still didn't think she could be blind. Besides, she said she likes do draw, right?
She was weird. Those words could have all sorts of meanings, and White didn't feel like deciphering them all.

What's more interesting was, how could she notice his use of power? He didn't even move his hand.

His train of thought was interrupted when the girl tried accessing his mind.
White was weak and tired to begin with, and this attempt weakened him even further, making him sleepy and causing his head to ache.

He decided to sit next to the girl, leaning his back against a wall and straightening his legs instead of crossing them. He closed his eyes. Her voice was so beautiful, he took a few more minutes to listen to her song.

But suddenly, she paused, and after a few seconds, asked:

"Y-you are still here, yes?"

And this, finally, made him understand her condition.
But he misinterpreted her words; He really was overstaying his welcome, and she had the right to want him out of here. So that's what he thought she meant.
"You're right, I should be going now. I didn't want to inconvenience you or anything" He stood up. "I was just listening to your singing and lost track of time. I won't be bothering you any longer"
He approached the open window and looked out through it. As good a way out as any.
"Hey, I know I'm asking for a lot here, but I could really use a sword"
He took the decorative sword from the wall. It was dusty, but... Metal. So it couldn't be useless.
It didn't seem like it was ever used. And what use would it be to a blind girl, anyway?

If she wouldn't agree to give him the sword, he'd just have to steal it. He wasn't going to take his chances with the whole wide world without a weapon adequate for the timeline... But it's better to ask first. If she doesn't mind, he won't be 'stealing' it, just 'receiving a gift'.
"Huh. It'll be difficult to find some place to stay for the night. Starting out as homeless and broke is not quite how I imagined a 'new start'. But I guess it's better than being torn to pieces by monsters" He took a deep breath, thinking of his options. He could sleep at a tavern, but he'd have to steal the money from somebody.
Not from this girl, though. She's nice; He didn't want her to get in trouble because of him.

Of course, now the entire world was in trouble because of him. But that's another story.

[Nori]

The girl became saddened when the man spoke again. Despite herself, she also grew quite panicked. She did not want to be alone again; she had come to welcome the loneliness of being locked away within the east wing of the gigantic castle, but she did not want her guest to leave just yet. She would even beg him to stay just for a few more hours if it meant that she would not have to be all alone.

She turned towards the place where she could sense his aura, wanting to look the man in the eye, but she could not really quite see where his eyes were. Just his aura. "You may keep the sword," she said quietly, her voice shaking lightly. This man had to stay, even if it meant that she would have to force him. He seemed tired, so maybe if she gave it a few more tries, she could literally convince him to stay at the castle.

"But please stay," she began a bit nervously, looking right past the man. "You can sleep here for as long as you like; there is plenty of room." Maybe he did not want to be around her, and he was just trying to say so in a way that would not hurt her feelings. Her face fell, and there was a sad air about her that was almost tangible in the same way that the man's aura had been.

She paused for a moment, even though she dreaded the silence. "But I understand if you wish to leave," she added softly, and small tears filled her blank eyes, practically blending in with the soft gray. No one ever wished to be in the same room as her for more than absolutely necessary, but she never understood why. She was never given an explanation as to why she was locked away in this unused wing, why she could not play with the village kids like her brother, why her parents treated her so coldly while she loved them both.

This man was probably no different from the others. She would probably never see him again. Well, she could not see him now, but you know what I mean. There was no doubt in her mind, no voice that tried to say otherwise, that if or when he left, he would not be coming back. There would be no reason for him to come back to the castle, after all. She could only hope that he would stay here for a while longer.

[MatrixOne]

Didn't she just tell me to leave? Now I'm to stay... What am I, a dog?

She was almost trembling. She seemed to really want him not to leave.
"I won't stick around. For many reasons, one of which being... Not wanting to put you in danger"
He sheathed the sword by attaching it to his belt, trying not to cut it. That'd be embarrassing.
"People around me tend to get hurt. You're a sweet girl, and you've been good to me. I'd rather not see you suffer some horrible death because I refused to leave"

He gently took her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. He read that this is how you greeted women back in medieval times.
Aside from the usual burning and killing, that is. Not a fan of that.

"I'll always remember your kindness. And the beautiful singing"

He let go of her hand, but not before giving her a coin from his times. It had a convex image of the Statue of Liberty on one side, along with a date of the coin being made and additional images, along with some text. She could 'read' all the text and images by touch. It was supposed to remind her of his presence.

White was certain he'd never return. It was probably the best thing to do...

He approached the window and started to slowly descend from it. He wasn't a big fan of doors, anyway. When he was outside, he let go completely, using his Force to land without damaging himself.
This was the last of White's force that Ann could sense. After that, he was too far away to be sensed.

Emptiness took place, the usual emptiness.
Aside from the little gift in her hand.

***

"Okay, recruit, I need you to do what you're told. This is serious business, we don't need surprises. Our plan has to be carefully executed, and we shouldn't be discovered" Thirteen explained as they approached the village of Hartem.
They were both dressed to not seem weird to others in the world.

Thirteen was wearing clean leather armor which seemed to be crafted recently. He also had a long, polished sword with a golden handle.
"We've traced the last portal to be in this village somewhere. Dimensional gap's closed, but this guy went through. I hope he's not going to give us too much trouble, we've got all these monsters to deal with..." Thirteen was worried as always, carefully looking around to stop any signs of...

"Holy shit, that's him!"

Well, that was fast. Thirteen managed to spot White from the other side of the dirt road.
"Okay, twenty two, so here's the plan" They crouched down on a hill overlooking the path. Tall trees and shrubs did well to obscure the vision. "We could try and kill him now, but that's careless, stupid, and people would look for a murderer. But if we talk to him, get his DNA and commit a crime while we're in his form, the villagers will render justice for us. If they don't catch him, he'll be wanted in the country and we can pass as bounty hunters. See? That's the way to do this" He smiled, putting his hand on Harrison's shoulder. "But we need a way to touch him which won't look suspicious. You're the recruit, use your head"
He gave it another thought.
"...Not literally, of course"

____
Tons of possibilities here. Of course, it's best to change form. For example a travelling merchant (White would need some clothing, so they could 'help him fit' or something), or some old hag with an apple like in the fairy tales. xD
Harrison can be the merchant/hag/whoever you think of, and Thirteen can become the item/items he sells or uses. You can say what Thirteen becomes and use it (unless you need him to be a person). ;q
EDIT: One thing to note - changing into a human/animal form means that its thoughts and instincts have to be 'fought' and 'taken control of'. And the human you change into can 'talk' to you in their mind.
If you didn't see this edit, don't worry, we'll just do it from the posts further on. ;q

[Nori]

She seemed even more saddened at this. "Please do not go..." she whispered, but she knew there was no point in trying to get the man to say. She was already feeling dizzy and empty, even before he had actually left. She could feel his hand in hers, and then his lips upon the back of the same hand. She was trembling now, her entire body shaking from the sobs that she was just barely holding back.

She did not want to be alone, to be on her own to face the darkness.

Of course, no one would want her around, anyways. And possible death sounded much better than being trapped her in this purgatory, this torturing, mocking hell. Her small, elegant fingers wrapped around the coin that she had been given, and she was still staring ahead of her as the tears fell.

She had never read anything like it before. It must have been a coin from his world. Once she felt that the man's presence was growing fainter as he left, she was half-tempted to run off after him. The silence was settling in, and she was too upset to do anything about it.

She moved herself so that she was sitting against the familiar, cold, stone wall. With her shaking back against it, she pulled her knees to her chest, the coin lying beside her now. She bowed over slightly to hide her head to the cruel world, and her arms snaked themselves around her drawn knees. Hopefully, she would black out soon so that she would not have to face the silence any longer.

She stayed like that for who knows how long before reaching out with one frail hand towards the window that was beside her. It took a bit of groping, but she found the sill. She pulled herself up, the tears flowing silently down her cheeks. She could not sense the man anymore; he was too far away. She wanted to go and find him again, but that would probably only anger him. And she had no idea where he had gone of to. And she was so tired...
"Please do not forget me..."



Twenty-two walked silently with Thirteen to the approaching village. He was hardly listening to the man, as usual. He was much too busy scanning the area for any signs of adventure or action. "Calm your tits, all right? Everything's gonna be fine," he groaned wearily, tired of hearing Thirteen freak out so much.

He was dressed in the average commoner clothing; nothing too special about it. He did not like wearing such degrading clothing, but it was much better than wearing what Thirteen had on. He was currently looking at a rather peculiar animal that was like a frog, only much smaller and with one large eye when Thirteen actually said something that interested him.

"Oi! That is 'im," he murmured, crouching down next to his partner. He actually listened to his partner for the first time in... well, quite a while. "That sounds like a good idea," he agreed, which was something rare, considering he hardly ever praised anyone for anything. He would much prefer it if he did not have to use such meddlesome powers, even though they came in quite handy at times like these. They only made things easier.

But the sooner this was over and done with, the sooner he could have some real fun. He thought for a moment before realizing that White just might be hungry. It was the first thing that came to mind, and it created many different possibilities. "Right, then, you'll need to be some sort of food. Good food, that is, nothing gross. Maybe an apple or some chocolate or something. He's bound to be hungry, ain't he?"

It sounded logical. He himself transformed into a travelling merchant. A handsome one, at that, because he was not going to appear to be ugly; that would ruin his good looks. Even in missions, he was concerned with his clothes and looks.

[MatrixOne]

I hate goodbyes.

White wanted to be away from the castle. He had other issues to think about than lonely girls; He can't help them all, can he? Soon, there'll be more people suffering because of him. He can't do anything about that.

He suppressed his guilt and decided it'd be wise to find a sign leading to the town.

This world was amazing. The fresh, unpolluted air filled his lungs and the morning light warmed his face.
In daylight, he was safe. The monsters kept to the dark, just as a stereotypical monster would. But it played to his favor.

At least... For now.

White tried not to think about the unicorns and other mythical creatures. He had to reach an inn; That's where people spread the news, right?

***

"W-what?!" Thirteen wasn't sure if it was such a good idea. "Of all the possibilities, you decided to feed me to the target?! There's no way I'd agree to do that!"
He peeked at White nervously from behind the tree.
"...I swear, if this goes wrong, there will be ramifications. If you let him eat me, I'm leaving the form, you hear me? Leaving. I don't get paid enough to be food of some dirty dimension hopper"

He gulped, trying to focus on some particular food.

Apple, or maybe bread? Oh, what am I even thinking about...

"T-this is highly irregular... If you screw up, you lose the rank of Recruit and go back to training for another two months, I assure you"

He changed into a big, red, shiny, fresh apple.

Strangers offering apples. Seems trustworthy. And how does he plan to touch him, anyway? Shove me down his throat? I shouldn't have let him choose the forms...

___
All it takes to capture White's genetic code is a two-second touch of his skin.

[Nori]

Twenty-two was already so skilled at ignoring Thirteen already that he was hardly paying attention to the man's ramblings. Did Thirteen really believe that Twenty-two would allow him to be eaten? Although, at least that would get him off his hands.

He had already worked so hard to get to a Recruit position, so maybe it was best not to do anything too risky to get him back into training. As fun as training was, he liked working in the field. He would need to get close enough to White in order to touch him and offer him the apple. He would make sure that their hands or arms met, or something along those lines, just long enough to get the DNA of the man. And then he could claim that the apple was rotten, and go off to get another.

Not the best plan in the world, but he had little time, and it was the only think he could come up with. He picked up the apple that was Thirteen somewhat roughly, but he could blame that on nonexistent nerves later. With the transformed apple in one hand, he stood swiftly from the trees and bushes, seemingly appearing from no where.

His travelling cloak billowed behind him in the soft breeze, as did his long, dark hair. Did all merchants look like this? He had seen very few, so he could only hope that this form would be convincing enough for White. "Oi! You there!" he called kindly to White, taking a few steps toward the man. He had to appear like a nice, friendly merchant that wanted nothing more than to sell you delicious foods for a cheap price. His cheerful smile and tone seemed to help with that facade, as well.

[MatrixOne]

"Oi! You there!"

That certainly got White's attention. He gave the man a bored look, noting how he looked like that perfect square-faced lover boy from all the fairy tales. Except for the weird, shiny red eyes, that is, but this was fantasy world, so it's probably best to just ignore that. Right?

"Oh, good, I bet you can tell me where the nearest tavern is" He ignored whatever the stranger wanted to talk to him about, and got straight to the point. "...And I didn't mean it to sound like an insult" He added, realizing that this wasn't the nicest assumption ever.

There were some other people passing by, as well as a knight in shiny armor. Murdering White right now wasn't the best idea; It's better to take his DNA for now.

***

When the window closed, Ann started to feel an evil presence in the room with her. It was rather dark inside, so the feeling started to grow stronger.

But this place wasn't dark enough.

The presence disappeared from Ann's room, but ten seconds later, a servant has been found brutally killed in the underground part of the castle.

The caromorph followed White through the portal, but it couldn't have appeared in the light. So it waited, and now settled itself underneath the castle. At night, it shall strike...

[Nori]

Twenty-two continued walking until he was directly before White, but still a fair distance away so as not to make either feel awkward. He studied White over carefully. Thanks to his training and his countless hours of practice, he was a pretty good actor when it came to situations like these.

"A tavern, hmm?" he repeated quietly as though thinking it over, when really he was just thinking about the plan and his job to do. "You must be a traveler; I haven't seen you around these parts," he said, adding the last part so as not to seem suspicious. Any of the villagers would be able to spot out a newcomer, as well as notice that something was different about White. And Twenty-two was in the form as a merchant from the village, so it would all make sense.

He feigned thoughtfulness again. "Yes, I could point you in the direction of the nearest tavern. But, good sir, would you care for an apple first? I was just picking some of 'em from the apple bushes nearby, and you look like you could use the energy if you want to get all the way to the tavern; it's quite some distance, it is."

He sounded quite convincing, he thought. And there really were apple bushes nearby; apples did not grow on trees here, you see. He even waved his free hand toward some of the bushes while he spoke. The other hand had a firm grip on the apple AKA Thirteen. If White did not accept the apple, then he would just have to come up with something else. He had thought this quite through, actually.



Antoinette, the poor girl in the castle, had sat back down, this time at her chair. She was staring at the wall, singing her soft dirge again. One might have thought that she had been there the entire time, that the mysterious White had not ever entered the room. The only think different than before were the tear tracks that ran down her pale cheeks. She had stopped crying, but her song proved that she was still upset about being all alone again.

She stopped mid-note when she felt another presence in the room. It felt sinister, downright evil. It made the air around her cold, and she involuntary shivered. She sat still in her chair for a moment afterwards, feeling relieved and tense when the presence left her room.

But where had it gone? And what was it? She did not want to know, but she had the feeling that it was something from another world. Just like when she had first met White; she could just sense it. She did not want to be in the castle. A bit of the presence had clung onto her aura, and it was filling her with a sense of dread.

She needed to go for a walk or something, just to get away. She had already been out today, and she did not want another beating, but she just needed to escape for a little while. She stood from her chair and walked over to the window. She stared straight out, her gray eyes blank and unfocused as usual. She blinked out of mere instinct since it did not really make much of a difference; it was dark either way.

She opened the window back up, as it had been closed. She would just be out for a few minutes; she would not meander off too far. She could make out the sounds of the village nearby, clearer than anyone would have thought. She could hear children laughing and playing, and she wanted to join them. A smile was brought to her face. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she missed the unmistakable sounds of yelling from another, far off part of the castle.

[MatrixOne]

White noted that the trader did not have an actual weapon with him.

Of course, if he was indeed a trader, he'd have some money. Perhaps more than 'some'. And White needed money.

The villagers had passed him, the knight was focused on his shiny armor. Nobody was looking at them.

White grabbed Twenty Two by the shirt, and pulled him up to himself.
"I have a better idea. You're going to give me your money, or I will cut your head off and leave your body for the crows"
His other hand was resting on the handle of his sword.
"Shout for help, I dare you. Who do you think will get to you first, them or my sword?"

Thirteen in the apple form was shocked.

"D-don't break your cover!" He sent a thought to Twenty Two. "Put me in the bag and give it to him! Capture his DNA if he touches you!"

[Nori]

Twenty-Two, being the trained, smart, and handsome devil that he was had a nagging feeling that something like this would happen. He was shocked for only a few moments, but it slipped away swiftly. He was stronger than this man, surely. And he could always teleport out of here, if absolutely needed.

But he had this under control. He thought about the thought that Thirteen sent him. "Calm down, dude. I've got this, okay? No need to panic," he sent back before smiling slightly at White. He did feign a slightly scared expression, though, to give himself a sense of innocence for the time being.

"So it's money you want, eh? I've got plenty of that," he said somewhat calmly, although he faked a slight stutter. He pulled out a bag from the pocket of his pants. He secretly slipped Thirteen in apple form into the bag before holding it out to White. "Go ahead and take it. I've got plenty at home anyways. Your mama must be proud of you, stealing from innocent men on the streets."

The hand that was not holding the bag was on White's hand that was clutching his shirt. He tried to pull it away but failed; it was just for show, though. He could take this man on any day, after all. Twenty-Two was tough, and this man was weak, tired, and a bloody fool for trying to rob someone in broad daylight while others loomed nearby. What an idiot; he would be lucky if he did not get caught.

[MatrixOne]

"That's awful kind of you" White pushed Twenty Two away, taking the bag.

But Harrison managed to capture White's DNA from that brief hold.

Now, Thirteen.

When White opened the bag, he saw money. No apples.

He reached inside, pulling out a small coin to see what the currency here was like.

The coin was, of course, Thirteen who managed to switch from the apple. As soon as White took hold of the coin, Axis copied the DNA.

White took a handful of coins, throwing the rest inside the bag back to Twenty Two.
"Keep the rest, there's plenty of other innocents I can always rob" He laughed, stashing the coins in his pocket and moving towards the knight. He'd be safe next to the knight; The 'trader' had no proof of being robbed.

"Good job. Now we'll know where he's going to go. Get after him, but don't let him see you. Best to change forms." Thirteen was impressed. Twenty Two handled the situation quite good.

Axis couldn't revert back to human; The amount of 'himself' in the bag wasn't enough.
So, the coins turned into a hummingbird instead. It wasn't quite about the mass, but the percentage of him being separated from the other parts. And Thirteen would always know where the other 'parts' of him were.
He could also make them disappear, but White would notice the coins disappearing from his pocket. So it had to stay like this for some time.

Thirteen flew to Twenty Two's shoulder.
"He's a menace. A thief!" Axis was a little angry about that theft.

Suddenly, the mind of the human trader that Harrison was changed into started to resurface.

You see, whenever you become a human or animal, you also feel its instincts, desires and needs. When it comes to humans... You feel their thoughts.
Sometimes, it's difficult to control. If you succumb to the minds of the animals, you may stay an animal forever, trapped in their form...
But this human was just scared. He begged Twenty Two to release him, to give him control over his own body, not knowing that he was merely a genetic image.

Of course, Thirteen also had to deal with that. A wild bird was scared to sit on Twenty Two's shoulder, but Axis had used this form before and knew how to deal with the mind. What about Harrison?

[Nori]

Twenty Two glared at White and grabbed the bag. He knew that Thirteen had enough sense in him to change forms while inside the bag. They seemed to be working pretty good together, despite how different they really were. What, with his pure talent and Thirteen's experience, they made a damn awesome pair.

He watched White leave, glaring at him as he did so. "Right," he agreed with Thirteen, and he looked his partner over with raised eyebrows. A hummingbird? An odd animal to choose, but, then again, no one would suspect a hummingbird of anything. He still thought of it as silly, though.

"Well, of course he's a menace," he responded once more, right before another mind began to surface within him. The thoughts were bothersome; it was the first time that this had happened to him. He hardly ever stayed in any form for longer than necessary, after all, and he hardly used his powers out of the field. He had learned about this in his training, though, but that did not make it any easier.

Somewhat unsure to as what to do, he decided that it would be best just to change forms for now before he gave in to the pleading thoughts. He did not need any more distractions when he was supposed to be focused. Making sure that no one could see him besides Thirteen, he changed his appearance to that of a boy that he had seen just earlier that day. The mind of someone somewhat younger might be easier to fend off than that of an adult.

He took off after White and the knight, but in a calm and unsuspecting fashion with Thirteen perched upon his shoulder.. He had blonde hair, now, that fell into his red eyes from underneath a brown pauper hat. His clothes were simple and common; a baggy, green shirt and equally baggy, brown pants. There really was not anything special about it, and he appeared just like every other boy his age from the village.

[MatrixOne]

When Thirteen and Twenty Two were making their way to the village, they captured the DNA of a few different humans and animals native to the world they were in, such as this kid, the trader, a hummingbird and a demonic war hound. Thirteen had also captured the form of a unicorn, but he was reluctant to let the Recruit ride him.


White proceeded to the city, where he spent the rest of the day trying to figure out exactly what the world is like and how to survive. He visited an inn, a couple different shops, robbed another poor sod in a back alley and bought some more fitting clothing, so now he didn't look like a complete outsider.

It was early evening, and he had enough money to rent out a room for one night, so he returned to the tavern.
Thirteen managed to get back the rest of his body by disappearing whenever the coins stopped belonging to White. It played to Thirteen's favor, actually, because two traders went to the guards about the 'stranger who paid money which disappeared'.

The Agents were now both in human forms.
"Okay, Recruit, we have to commit a crime while disguised as that man. It should be something big, but remember what we're here for. Our job is to make sure the people and worlds are safe, so no murders. It's best to offend some big political figure... That way, nobody gets hurt except for the target"
It was their lucky day, because an Elder Mage was visiting the city, making sure it's cleansed of demons. It was a big event, with all the people in the town cheering for the Mage's arrival.

He was sitting on a golden throne, and people were approaching him one by one, asking for advice or guidance. Sometimes he casted a small spell of luck or happiness.

There were guards everywhere, too. The Elder Mage was quite a figure.

He looked like a stereotypical old mage, with long, white beard, grey robes and some kind of magic stick. He spoke slowly and loudly, making sure everyone could hear him. He's rumored to be over 200 years of age, and everyone had to be respectful to him.

"I suppose I should leave the insulting to you" Thirteen smiled at Twenty Two. "Your red eyes will help. He'll think our target was possessed by a demon. It's best to teleport away as soon as you're done. It'll just add to the effect of evil black magic" Thireen was hoping the Recruit wouldn't get in trouble. "Just keep in mind that he's a wizard. Teleport before he casts a spell"
____
You can control the Mage. ;q

[Nori]

Twenty Two had been becoming quite bored of walking, as he normally did. He was becoming restless, and he felt the need to run off and cause some trouble; something that he was quite good at, if he did say so himself. Which he did. Anyways, it came as quite a relief when Thirteen spoke once more.

"Political figure, eh?" he muttered thoughtfully, mind already set and focused on the quite popular mage that everyone seemed to be swarmed around. He could not really see what was so special about this Elder Mage; anyone with powers could flick a stick and make things happen. Or so it appeared to him.

He would much rather kill a few folks than waste his time offending some old man, but that would get him into trouble, and although he was fine with murder, most others do not really agree. Ducking into the dark shade of a nearby tree, he swiftly transformed into White thanks to the DNA he had snitched earlier.

He walked away from the tree and slowly towards the crowd of people and guards. "Insult him, and then get the fuck out of there. Right," he repeated to Thirteen to prove that he was actually listening and that he would not get into any trouble. Glancing around, he knelt down and picked up a fairly sized rock. Not enough to really hurt anybody; just enough to get their attention.

"Hey! You there, on the chair!" he yelled, throwing the rock towards the mage, who in turn deflected it simply with a small flick of his wand. He had just been listening to a young village boy that looked timid, nervous, and quite excited. He looked over at Twenty Two with a questioning and challenging expression, and the man grinned and his red eyes flashed mischievously.

The Elder Mage immediately noticed Twenty Two's eyes, and his own narrowed beneath his shaggy, white eyebrows. "Oi! I didn't realize that the idiots here treated ugly, old men such as yourself so highly!" he continued with an obviously fake expression of shock.

There were a few collective gasps from the people, as well as many deathly glares, and the guards were already approaching the man. "Oh, do you need your little body guards to protect you? Weak and pathetic, that's what ya are! Best you can't even do magic," Twenty Two sneered mockingly, and his voice sounded eerily insane just like his eyes. "Be a man! You're a wizard, ain't ya? Prove your strength, prove your magic, prove it! C'mon, do it, hit me already!" Twenty Two screeched the last part more loudly than what could have been humanly possible.

The Mage sent a spell at the offending and quite possibly possessed man. Twenty Two waited until the beam of light was just inches from his nose, grinning evilly in response to all of the stares, glares, and triumphant looks that he received. The guards were practically on top of him by then, and when he waited long enough, he disappeared into thin hair to the shock and confusion of most. The guards ran into each other, colliding at the spot where Twenty Two had stood just moment previously.

[MatrixOne]

"Nice going, kid. Keep this up, and you might get promoted soon"

***

White was in the tavern, drinking mead with a few knights who decided to rest here for the night. Some of them were too drunk to speak, one was singing something, two were telling stories from their battles, and White listened, laughing at the poor jokes and giving out fake compliments to keep the conversation up.

That's when a guard with a wanted poster entered the tavern. Normally it'd take time to print the posters, but the Elder Mage was so determined to find the 'possessed man', he actually created a couple posters by using his powers.
The barman pointed White out as soon as he saw the poster.

After that, the guard left in a hurry in order to bring backup.

***

It was late in the night. White had finished the last cup of mead he could afford; He decided to stretch his legs outside the tavern before going to sleep.

When he opened the door leading outside, he was greeted by a very disapproving, very angry old mage.
"Um, could you step aside?" Tobias asked, trying to get past him.

In response, the mage cast a powerful spell which threw White out of the tavern and on the ground.

He was tossed a couple feet in the air by the spell. The wizard wasn't playing around.

"What the hell, grandpa?!" White shouted, standing up as quickly as the pain allowed him.
Four heavily armored guards dashed at him instantly.

The Mage attempted casting another spell, but this time, White used his power, too.

The two powers 'clashed', lighting up the night sky. The resulting shockwave threw the guards away and damaged the structure of the tavern.
"Oh, you want a piece of me? Well, you fucking got it" Tobias shouted, getting ready to teach the Elder Mage some real magic.

The Elder Mage's eyes widened in surprise. It's been years since he faced someone so powerful.
It's been too long since the last real battle. The Elder Mage was nothing more than a tourist attraction now, someone who cast a few lucky charm spells now and then.

But he still had pride. He put all the power he could into countering the spell.

It wasn't enough. White increased the pressure, and the wizard's staff snapped like a match.

The resulting explosion of force blew the entire tavern away, along with the knights, guests, guards and unicorns in the stables.

"Oh, shit" White was the only one standing after the shockwave. Of course, they didn't all die. But it was best to get out of sight while they're busy trying to figure out what the hell just happened...

***

There was only one place he thought of as 'relatively safe' for the night. He didn't want to go back there. He got her in enough trouble already... But he didn't have much choice. Setting off for a different town was suicide, especially in the night.

He opened the window to her room, and climbed inside.
"Uh, hello? Are you here?" He asked. The room was covered in darkness. He couldn't see anything that wasn't two feet away.
His breath was quick and unsteady, his heart was beating overly loud again. He hated darkness. And uncertainty.

He tried taking a step forward, but he collided with a chair and as a result fell to the ground, causing a whole lot of noise.
"...Shit. Sorry" He wasn't sure the girl was even here.

[Nori]

Antoinette was no longer in that room. She had been allowed down to the dining hall for a few minutes to get something to eat, and her parents had wanted to talk to her about her behavior in private. As stern and cruel as they were, they themselves rarely ever laid a hand upon her unless she spoke out of term; they left the dirty work to the guards. She liked talking to her parents, but she had learned long ago that there were certain boundaries and line that she could not cross unless she wanted them to become angered.

They had been fair to her tonight, but she was not quite sure why. It must have been some special occasion. Luckily, the chat did not last too long because one of the more respected guards had come running in, and she was forced to leave immediately.

She could not have eavesdropped even if she wanted to because one of the many maids had been waiting outside the door and had led her back to the east wing. She was a nice lady with kids of her own that lived within the castle. Antoinette got to play with them every now and then; it was those times that she cherished most.

Upon reentering the east wing, the maid had left with the key. She considered going for a walk, but it was already so late, and her parents had been kind enough not to yell at her too much or allow the guards to beat her once more. Her thoughts returned to the man as she fingered the coin once again in her hand. She went into the room that she had been in before about an hour before White showed up once more, and walked over to the wall.

Tapping a rather sophisticated, long, and creative morse code and focusing all of her power on the blank wall caused the wall to slip away and a doorway to be revealed. She walked through it, and the wall resealed itself, leaving no traces of the doorway or having just disappeared in its place.

This room was where she kept all of her favorite things. Many "projects" sat in corners of the large room, and upon shelves lining the walls. An impressive amount of books were kept neatly upon bookshelves, giving the room an inviting effect. A lighted lantern hung down from the ceiling, illuminating the entire room; not that she could tell. It was lit so that if anyone else ever wanted to see what was in the room could. That, and the light made the room a little more warmer.

There were wooden tables and chairs scattered around the room, most of them bare except for a few sheets of paper or a book or two. Many tools, paper, and random items sat upon one of the biggest tables, and that was where she headed. The bookshelves were set up so that they were maze-like. All of the books were organized according to their content; there was a section for astronomy, physics, literature, engineering...

Once getting through all of the shelves with ease, she sat down at the large table and began to "look" things over. Her hand passed over a few notes, and she momentarily closed her eyes. "Oh, a flying contraption. How pleasant," she said to herself with a soft smile, and then she got to work. She had imagined what the thing would look like from reading books and such, and her hands worked skillfully at piecing things together.

She hopes that that man was faring well. She wondered where he was right then, and just as she decided that it was someplace better than this, she heard noises from the secretly adjoining room. The room that she was currently in was set up so that she could hear anything that went on in her room.

A spider scuttled up to her on the desk, staring at her with its wide eyes. "Oh, yes, it might be him, but I am not so sure," she said in response to whatever it was that the creature had said to her, and she stood from her desk. She could work on her invention later.

She hurried swiftly and silently through the bookshelves and back to where the doorway was. "Is somebody there?" she called out through a small mechanism on the side of the portion of wall that she was facing. It magnified her voice in the room that White was in, making it seem as though her voice was reverberating from the walls of the room.

[MatrixOne]

The girl's voice coming from every direction at once gave White goosebumps. He was fed up with demons and other magical creatures, and now this? Was that girl some kind of spirit, too?

Right now, he felt like he was at her mercy. He couldn't see anything, he couldn't even walk for a few yards without tripping over something, and the demon which followed him through the portal could attack at any time.

Wait a second... I still have that damned lighter!
He reached to his pocket and pulled out the tiny lighter, then lit it. The flame was pretty small and it flickered, but it was enough for White to not feel as helpless.

"Is somebody there?", the voice asked.

"Well, I wouldn't call myself a somebody, really" He tried to ease the tension. The girl wasn't hostile, was she? Not when he was here the last time. White heard of the creatures which changed after nightfall, but her voice was only partly changed.
"I, uh, I had nowhere to go" He explained. "There was this old magician. He just attacked me for no reason, and, well... I might have overdone the counterattack a little bit"
He didn't sound worried. More like, surprised. Why was he attacked? What was the meaning of this?
"Let's just say I'm not very welcome in the town anymore"

***

"Holy shit. Our target seems to be a lot more powerful than we initially thought..." Thirteen and Twenty Two were at the destroyed tavern. Or, what was left of it.

The place turned into a crater with tons of rubble scattered around, as well as some bodies and even two fallen trees.

There were guards trying to recover the people from the destroyed building.

The entire area was lit up by a glowing orb, a spell cast by the Elder Mage, who seemed to be completely unharmed.

"See? This could have happened to us had we been less careful" Thirteen pointed at a crushed knight. "This man is far more dangerous than expected. But thanks to my plan, he's on the run now. The whole damn country will be looking for him, and this should help us greatly. We could enlist with this wizard, he seems very determined to find our target... And we could do a lot as bounty hunters"

The Elder Mage was nervously pacing around the ruined tavern, shouting to his people and everyone else gathered there.
"I could see it in his eyes! He was possessed by evil, he spoke to me of hell, even! He may not be allowed to spread the darkness. It is my duty as Elder Mage to seek him out and root out the evil! Too long have I been but a petty plaything for the crowds. There is still power in those old bones, and I shall prove it" The wizard's strong voice could be heard from all directions at once.

[Nori]

Antoinette listened to the man intently, taking in his every word and thinking it over quickly. She would not turn this man away, even if he had left and did not plan to come back before. At least now she would not be all alone tonight. "Well, this is the perfect place to hide," she said cheerfully, her voice wispy and soft, but the mechanism allowed it to be heard as though she were right next to White and everywhere at the same time.

"No one ever comes to this part of the castle," she continued as though reassuring the man that he would be quite safe here from anyone in town. One had the right to self defense, even if they did over do it. "There are many rooms in this wing; would you like me to show you to one?"

Without waiting for a response, she walked away from the wall that separated her from White. She had not lit any candles in the room that the man stood in, so it must have been fairly dark, since it was so late. While she hardly minded the darkness considering light would not help her see, she thought that he might feel a bit more at ease with some light around. The castle could be quite spooky at night, after all.

She groped around on a nearby desk for a few moments before wrapping her slender fingers around the handle of the lantern. It was already lit, but she did not remember doing so. She could sense the heat coming from it, though, so it must have been. She walked back to the wall with the lantern now in hand.

She tapped softly upon the wooden, wall-papered wall. It was a different code, though. It was like the first, only backwards. The wall slipped away long enough for her to slip through into the room with White before turning back into a blank, stone wall. She held the lantern high, but there was no need. She could sense both White's presence and his aura.

"How are you this evening?" Antoinette asked kindly, her voice no longer amplified throughout the room. She was staring blankly right over White's shoulder, eyes fixated on a different wall. She was calm, as though she had been expecting this man to return eventually. She was sorry to hear what had happened, of course, but she was also quite glad that he was back in the castle with her.



"Agreed," Twenty Two mumbled in response as he looked over the disastrous scene before him. He had suspected that White was either a stupid, young bloke that just so happened to cross the borders of the worlds, or he was strong, and he knew what he was doing to an extent. But this powerful...?

He stood silently, thinking it all over as Thirteen spoke. How were they going to handle someone so dangerous? As tough as he was, he did not think that he could take this guy on without getting a few bruises and a bit of bloodshed in the process. Of course, a little pain here and there was good for men of his age and profession, but they were talking about bigger injuries and more blood.

It was best to proceed with caution and not be so damn cocky. He was not liking the idea already, but it would have to be followed if he wanted to survive this mission. "Bounty hunters? Now that's what I'm talking about," Twenty Two said with a sly grin, and his eyes gleamed lustfully for blood. Hunting this man down and kicking his ass would be a sick pleasure.

He thought about it further for a few more moments. "Where do you think he is right now? Think he split towns yet?" the man asked thoughtfully, rubbing his chin absently. He could think of no place at the moment where their prey could be hiding, but surely he would have left this village by now.

[MatrixOne]

White raised an eyebrow when the girl called this castle the 'perfect place to hide'. It was the only place to hide, but even here he was not safe. Especially in the dark.
When the girl approached him with a lantern, he smiled, even though she couldn't see it. He was genuinely happy to see somebody who won't cast spells at him for no reason.

And she was carrying a lantern.
How convenient.

"How are you this evening?" She asked.

"I wouldn't count this day as especially lucky" He answered truthfully. He was tired, hurting all over, weak from using the Force and running... "But seeing as I'll most likely be spending the evening here, I'd say it's not all bad"

He put the lighter back in his pocket and peeked out of the room, trying to see where the hallway leads.
There were a few other unlocked rooms, but the door to the staircase leading to the main part of the castle was locked tight.
"Why's this closed? I bet you're keeping the other castle inhabitants as prisoners" He joked, not knowing it's kind of the other way around.

Then, he noticed something on the wall. Claw marks.

"Shit" He backed away to the light of the lantern. "It's beginning. I don't suppose there's some kind of ancient prophecy which says evil creatures will crawl out from some hellish place and start destroying your world, killing everything in their path?" He asked, remembering fantasy worlds usually had this kind of trouble. This time, he was the cause. "Is there some place people are safe from evils like these? Are the people even prepared to face such an enemy?"
He closed the door to the hallway. He's not going out there.

Might as well spend the night in this room. If there's light, he won't mind.

He sat on the ground, just like the last time he was here. In the same place, even.

Ann could sense the evil presence again, this time much more 'real'. It was underground, perhaps in the cellars again.

She could also feel something much larger, much farther away.

An army.

***

Thirteen sighed. It was time to tell Twenty Two about something.
"Listen, Recruit... Two hours ago, a different world gap has been opened, which is why... we have more trespassers. A lot more. The invasion is beginning. Look"

He pointed at a messenger running to the Elder Mage.
"The King requires your presence!" The messneger shouted. "There have been sightings of unknown creatures of demonic origin. We were unable to establish the location of the source, but they have already destroyed two villages. Just as the prophecies foretold!"

The Mage paled.
"So this is where the demon which possessed that man came from. We need to mobilize the armies! How many of these monsters have you sighted?"

"There was a cloud of darkness enveloping the hills and villages which were taken over. But judging by its side, there must be hundreds, if not more"

"Evacuate the town immediately. I shall speak to the King"
The Elder Mage disappeared, using magic to instantly get himself to the Castle of Kings in the capital.

_______________
Finally, an invasion xD.
If you want, you can describe Ann's castle inhabitants evacuating but leaving her behind, forgetting her or something (unless you have a different plan ;q).
You can also 'create' the King (him and the Elder Mage will be the main ones to oppose the invasion in this world).
Pretty much everything we've done here wasn't planned, so it doesn't matter who the King is/how he acts and looks.
Of course if you don't want him, I'll leave the Mage as the leader or something. We'll see ;q

[Nori]

Antoinette stood completely still, listening to the man speak as she continued to hold her bright lantern up. She did not respond immediately, her lips a thin, thoughtful frown. She was glad to have someone there with her, even if it was just for a night or so.

His words were distressing, and they confused her so. Since she could not see, she did not notice the claw marks on the wall of her beloved room. She did, however, felt the presence of something dark and evil somewhat close to hand. She had felt it before, but now it felt more real and sinister than it had earlier that day. Not only that, but she could sense something farther off. Evil as well. Must be a whole hoard of whatever it was that was causing this distress.

"I do not really know much of prophecies," she admitted softly as she shivered at the cold feeling that the lurking evil within the castle and near the village brought. She had done a lot of researching, but she could remember nothing like this. And if she had read something about a prophecy, she was too panicked and nervous to actually notice. "I-I think the villagers will be all right if they leave now, but I-I'm not sure..."

She paused, shaking still, now in both worry, fear, and cold. "What exactly is going on, sir?" she whispered fearfully, her unseeing eyes wide and sparkling with panic. The lantern shook slightly within her hand, and she took a step closer to where she could sense White's aura. She did not want to feel alone right then, and White's presence soothed her greatly.



Twenty Two did not know whether to be afraid, shocked, or downright livid at this news. He was extremely angry that Thirteen had not mentioned something about this sooner; this was fucking huge! And it had happened two hours ago? All that wasted time that they could have been preparing or doing something to deal with this. People could very well be dead by then, and while he was all for a few deaths every here and there, he would rather spare a few innocents than do other mindless things. It would have been much more exciting, after all.

"Why didn't you say something sooner?" he snapped at Thirteen, glaring daggers at his partner. If looks could kill, Thirteen would have been dead seconds before. "What the hell are we going to do?" he asked, throwing his hands up in the air in despair before running them through his hair in a worried and thoughtful fashion. "A few people dead; that's okay. But a whole world?"

He didn't know what to think. People were already starting to evacuate, running past the two clones in hope of survival. Worried, and some weeping, mothers pulled their children along, the young ones too naive to understand that they were in danger, and could quite possibly die. Killing people was one thing, but allowing harm to come to a child was not morally right, even for someone who was so defined as cruel by many like Twenty Two.

The castle did not take long to be evacuated, either. As maids, butlers, other workers, and their masters exited the castle, no one seemed to remember the young lady locked in the east wing of the grand structure. No one would care, and very few inhabitants of the castle knew of her existence, anyways.

The whole town around them was leaving now. Some of the older men were walking around, making sure that everyone was accounted for, and that there was no rough-housing or panic. Everyone just needed to remain calm so that this could all be done in an orderly fashion.



The King was, of course, within his own castle in the capital of the peculiar fantasy-medieval world. He was pacing nervously, awaiting the Mage's arrival. He had sent out a messenger just minutes ago, but right now it felt like hours had gone by, which worried him deeply. It was at times such as these that he dreaded his position. The last that he had heard was that two villages had been destroyed. He sincerely hoped that it would not rise to three.

It did not help that he nor anyone else could exactly identify the evil creatures that were causing all of this chaos and pandemonium within the towns. No one even knew where they had come from. They just sort of... appeared. Surely the Mage would be able to help stop these monsters!

He glanced up from his pacing to see that the Elder Mage had finally arrived. There was no time for idle chitchat or even a greeting. It was his duty to ensure that he kept his people safe, and he was already failing. Chaos was springing up everywhere, but he could do nothing inside the castle. He had sent his finest, most fittest of men to investigate and try to keep the other towns' calm.

"Ah, good, you're here," he sighed in relief, approaching the old man. His long, curly, brown hair was even more tousled and messy than usual, and he looked much older than he actually was; effects of the worry and stress. "I am sure you've heard about what has been going on, yes?"

[MatrixOne]

White didn't want to scare the girl by telling her about the monsters; He assumed that she'd be somewhat braver, after living alone in the abandoned part of the castle...
But he was wrong, and he felt guilty for that.

"Hey, I've been dodging them for months. Someone's gonna defeat the monsters eventually; That's what all the knights and paladins and armies are for" He got up and ruffled the girl's hair a little.

He then noticed something.
"Why's it so quiet in the castle now? We could clearly hear the people in the lower halls before. Did they all go to sleep, or something?"
He was about to open the door to the corridor, but then he heard a noise of claws scratching against stone.

"Shit, we could use a knight or paladin right now" He backed away from the door and decided to equip a pistol.

The noise stopped again.

"It left? I hope there are no alternate ways into the room" White decided to look around the room, and noticed... An open window.

Of course, there were no mechanisms for closing or opening; Just a wooden panel which could cover the window to keep the light from coming in.

He rushed to get the panel, but the monster was faster. There wasn't enough time.

As soon as the monster appeared in the window, White used his power to create a barrier. But it wasn't enough, either.

The beast jumped right at White, trying to get past his barrier. The Force 'stretched', slowing down the momentum of the monster.
It's as if a rhino would jump on a trampoline. The material wouldn't stop it, but tear off and 'envelop' it instead.

Same thing happened here, only White had control over the 'material'.
He sent it 'up' with all the force he could.

It was barely enough.

The monster, enveloped in a 'bubble' of Force, crashed into the ceiling. It couldn't do much now; It was suspended in the air.
Apparently, the caromorph had trouble acknowledging its defeat, because it kept screaming/roaring and scratching the ceiling, trying to free itself.

"It's trapped" White informed Ann. "...That was lucky. Phew"

He kept sustaining the Force and took the lantern from Ann, shining more light on the monster.

What's weird is, the monster wasn't any easier to... See. The more light it made contact with, the less of the monster was... there.

White put the lantern away.
"I've never really seen one up close. I killed a few, but never caught any"

The caromorph was wrapped up very tightly with the Force bubble. It stuck to its 'skin' very tightly, to maximize Force efficiency.

And Ann could sense the Force clearly.

That means, she could pretty much 'see' the caromorph now. Felt exactly how it looked, where were its hands and legs and eyes...

And, let me tell you, it wasn't the best view.

The caromorph was a mutant-hybrid of sorts. It was a result of a few hundred genetic codes fused together.
Like if someone molded five human or animal figures out of clay of different colors, and then just squeezed them together. The result was horrifying.

But there was more to the caromorphs. Each of them had a 'base' form and a few additional ones added. For example, a 'human' caromorph would have a head, human legs and hands, but would also get some bonuses, such as a rat's tail, crow wings, wolf fangs.
Some caromorph resembled mythical creatures like werewolves or vampires. Others, the 'failed' ones, were more similar to failed genetic experiments and usually weren't even able to move or survive. And most of them were middleground between the two extremes.

What about this one? It had its base form of a spider, but with only four legs. And it had no hair at all, which made it even uglier.
It seems it was fused with a human and some kind of sea creature, because there was a human hand sticking out of its head and its round mouth stacked with hundreds of tiny teeth was located under its body, rather than on the head.

White brought the caromorph down hard, smacking it against the ground.

He hid the pistol and grabbed a sword instead.
"I hope it's alright with you if I put it out of its misery?" He asked Ann, trying to shout to her louder than the screaming caromorph.
His Force was starting to deplete. It was used up after the fight with the mage, too, and now this...

***

"Shut the fuck up, Recruit!" Thirteen pushed Twenty Two away. He was his superior, after all. "It was my decision, and I don't answer to you. In fact, you answer to me" He gazed at him angrily. "We can't stay here. Our safety is more important than the target; We'll find him after we make sure there's no immediate danger to us. Remember the limits of teleportation, we can only appear in a place we've actually seen before. And all such places are now filled with monsters. We need to get to the capital, and fast"

***

In the capital city called Denerim, the Elder Mage and King were discussing the invasion.

"My King" The Archmage gave the King a warm hug. Cute. "The Age of Darkness has begun. I never believed it would happen, not while I still draw breath... I fear we may not be strong enough. Our forces are tired after the War, the Mages are young and inexperienced, the Elves are only beginning to rebuild, the Dwarves have no interest in what happens overground... And no Heroes to be seen" The situation was bad. "I can feel the enemy keeps expanding its numbers. Do we have it in ourselves to stand up to them, my King?"

______________
Super long post xD. Couldn't proofread. I hope it's not too bad ;q
We'll get back to Thirteen and Twenty Two later. They'll be appearing 'on occasion', causing trouble to White and Ann, 'n stuff.
It would be nice to know the King's name. ;q

[Nori]

Antoinette could sense that the thing was getting closer, but there really was not much she could do about it. Her power was useless at the moment; she could only tell that the thing was nearby. Of course, this made her feel even more weak and of no help. Naturally, she wanted to help, but she had never touched a weapon before, except for the occasional sword.

White could handle it, right? It felt to be rather large, which terrified her all the more. The young lady felt the monster move to a different location that felt even closer than before. After some readjustments within her mind, the aura of the monster reappeared at the place that she had learned that the window was.

She remembered at once that is was open. She always kept it open, even on chilly nights. It gave her a small sense of freedom and hope, but now it only filled her to the brink with dread. It was an idiotic thing to do, leaving the window open, even if she had not known that a petrifying creature could sneak through. And for what reason?

"To kill us, no doubt," piped the cheerful little voice in her head that might have been her overly-eager persona. "It does not seem a very friendly creature. At least the kind gentleman is taking care of it. How sweet and heroic of him!" She made a mental note to thank the man humbly for his brave actions.

"Trapped?" she whispered curiously to White, but she already knew that the man had used his powers to confine the monster within a force. Seeing as the Force was skintight, she could tell exactly how the caromorph appeared. It was frightening, and she moved a step closer to White, whose aura grew stronger now that she was closer. "Please, kill it now... That thing is not natural, please kill it."



The King, whom we shall call George, sighed once more upon hearing this news. He had hoped that the Elder Mage would have a plan already thought out, but that would have really taken a miracle. And they seemed fresh out of those, considering all that was going on, and all that had already happen.

George ran his hand through his hair, messing it up even more unconsciously with his fingers. "I don't know what to do," he moaned in desperation, and it should be stated that it was quite unlike him to give up. "Perhaps we should send more out; we have to try, don't we? We won't know if we can stop them unless we really try."

That would probably turn out to be a horrible idea, but it was better than just sitting around and waiting for something to happen. "Most cities nearby the attack have already evacuated," he said more to himself, nodding slightly in thought. He paused for a moment, pacing as he thought everything over.

"It might be best to try to hoard them off for the time being," he stated with another affirmative nod. "It's better than just sitting around and doing nothing, right?"

[MatrixOne]

"Please, kill it now... That thing is not natural, please kill it."

"Huh. That's what I said about my mother-in-law. But nobody listened" He joked and released the barrier, striking the caromorph right in the head with his sword.

But the monster's brain was actually deeper in his body; The head was just a useless sack of guts. The caromorph threw itself at White, jumping on him with its big, round mouth.

"Argh! Fuck!" White held the monster back with his knees (and the remains of his Force) and reached for the pistol again.

When the Force was finally depleted, White fired his gun. And again. And again.

He kicked the still-moving caromorph off and to the side, and shot it once more.

White was covered in the monster's saliva and he was bleeding in a few places where the teeth managed to sink and the claws hit - his left arm and chest.
But he didn't care about that. The only thing he could think of right then was how Ann would react to the shots. He didn't warn her of how loud the pistol is, and they were in a room where the sounds were amplified even further.
Besides, a blind girl would have her sense of hearing much more sensitive.
"I... I'm so sorry!" He said, holstering the gun again. "Are you okay? It's dead for good now, I promise, no more portable thunderstorms" He knelt next to her, looking at her face to try and read how she feels.

***

"Ah, my George. Remember, the men need inspiration; Do not let your real thoughts make you seem less confident or, even worse, scared. The people need to believe in us. My defeat in a fight with a powerful demon today did us no favors" The Archmage put his hand on the King's shoulder. "The hordes are still weeks away from the capital, but in order to defend Denerim, we will have to unite the other races. Which ones do we visit first? The dwarves? Perhaps the elves, or others... We could also try and gain the support of other Mages. My word there is not as strong as it used to, unfortunately..." The Archmage sighed.

Oh, and let's call our Elder Mage/Archmage... Zathrian. I think that'd be fitting.

__________________
For the race recruitment part, you can either set up a 'meeting' with a race, or create a race (the "others"), or tell me and I'll set up the meeting. We have total freedom here, so we can play fantasy politics xD. I think it's cool.

And yes, White did joke about a mother-in-law, which means he was married. Might be an interesting conversation about that later, if Ann brings it up ;q

[Nori]

Antoinette jumped backwards from fright when the two auras of the monster and White seemed to collide; the caromorph was attacking him, and there was nothing she could do about it. Even if she could have done something, she was much too frightened to really think clearly.

She waited with bated breath, watching what she could within her mind and prayed that White was all right. She had expected anything but the gunshots. They were louder than anything she had ever heard, and that frightened her even more so than the caromorph.

She cried out, and her hands shot up to cover her ears in instinctive defense. She could not tell what was going on, but the monster's aura was slowly beginning to fade. That only happened when the aura's owner was dying. She could not be relieved, though, because she was still trembling horribly, and her gray eyes were darting around even though she could see nothing of the actual room.

Where had the noises come from? Did White do magic of some sort? Nothing could have been that loud, and in a room like this, it only made it louder. She did not notice that she had fallen to her knees, nor had she noticed the tears threatening to stream freely once more.

"I-I'm all right," she said a bit shakily when she realized that the gunshots were of no immediate danger. She tried to stand up, but she was too wobbly to do so. Her hands slowly lowered from her ears, leaving marks just above the ears where her fingernails had dug into her head out of fear. "Are y-you okay?"



King George nodded curtly, and he tried to look a bit more calm. It was rather calming that the invaders were far from the capital. there was still some time. "Right, of course," he murmured now absently, rubbing his chin as he thought over which race would be the best to go with first.

The Dwarves and the Trolls were powerful, but not so friendly, to say the least. The Elves were mischievous and easygoing, but they were pretty good at both stealth, agility, and combat. There were many other races, too, of course, such as Mages and Pixies and such. Mages were very skilled at magic, which would be needed, and the Pixies were good at healing, as well as their good friends, the Fairies. There were also the Xarks, a half-human, half-dragon species.

Basically, if they could convince one race to help, the others would follow. They were talking about the entire world being in danger, so surely they would want to pitch in. It might have been easier to call in all races, but in actuality, that would be a bad idea. It was common knowledge that the Elves and the Dwarves were not fond of each other in the least, and the Trolls would always side along with their partners. The Xarks were hostile to any and all races in general. Gathering them all would be absolute chaos, and that was an understatement.

They needed to take this one step at a time. "We could always call a meeting with all of the clan leaders, but I'm sure you are aware of the consequences that that could bring." He paused for a moment here, thinking it over. "What do you think, Zathrian?"

[MatrixOne]

How could I be so damn stupid? Poor girl.

White was angry with himself, but the danger was dealt with for now. That's what matters.

"Are y-you okay?"

"...No" He responded briefly. He was exhausted beyond imagination; Too much power use. "I... I think you should get out of here. Get to your family, wherever they are... Staying here is a bad idea" He sat on the ground again. "Don't worry about me, I'll just..."
His skin turned pale white from Force overuse.

He fell asleep in the corner, sitting against the wall.

***

"Indeed, George. We need to gather the leaders and talk to each of them about supporting us in the war against the Horde"

It was not difficult. The Meeting Chamber was a place where any Leader could appear at any time. It was also the only place where Magic was not working, and bringing weapons was forbidden.
Though, some races, such as Xarks, were walking weapons by themselves. It was always a cause for heavy discussion about who should be allowed, but this time, everybody was needed.

Zathrian and King George entered the Meeting Chamber, and the eyes of the leaders of Elves, Dwarves, Trolls, Orks, Fairies, Pixies, Mages, Necromancers and Golems were set upon the two.

"The reasons for your summoning are clear. We are facing extinction, and this is not just the problem of humans. We need all of you"

"The monsters have not attacked us" The leader of Necromancers, a skeleton wearing heavy steel armor with a dark cape interrupted Zathrian.

"Whose side are you on, Lord Hallowmont?" Zathrian asked him.

"Not yours" The answer did not bode well.

"The mechanized infantry has not been attacked as well" The Golem leader interrupted. The Golems were once constructed by dwarves and infused with magic which provided them with 'souls' and allowed independent thought. Then they rebelled, creating a country of their own and since then living in peace with all the organics which have not threatened them directly. "But we are ready to stand by the side of noble King George" The Golem leader was called Main Unit. "This unit has not forgotten the gift of land you granted us when we freed ourselves from the tyrrany of the Creators, King George"

"I object! That useless, rusty bucket of junk dares call us tyrants?! This is not about that thing, or its supposed 'free will'!" The Dwarf leader, king Bhelen, interrupted. "Robots should not be allowed in the Meeting Chamber. It is an insult to our ancestors who helped create this castle. And yours, King George!"

_________
The talks in the Chamber are gonna be awesome. xD
You can 'speak' as any race leader you wish (even the ones 'named' by me), just leave the Golems to me.
Let's make it so that the Orks and Trolls work together, as well as Fairies and Pixies (so that they don't have separate leaders). ;q

[Nori]

Antoinette kept listening to White until he stopped talking. This alarmed her, and she immediately became unnerved. She had absolutely no intention on leaving the castle because it was safer in here than out there in her mind. She hardly knew the layout to the village; she would be running into all sorts of plants and structures.

And this man was not well. She did not need him to confirm that; she could sense it. His power aura was weak, extremely so, which was not a good thing. She whimpered to herself, the sound magnifying in the silence. She crawled over so that she was next to White and began checking him for any signs of bleeding.

He had blacked out, so it made the groping and touching a great deal less awkward than it would have been if he were awake. The young lady realized that he was indeed bleeding in some areas. Pressing both trembling hands somewhat harshly against one of the wounds, she began to murmur incoherently. The wound slowly began to heal, but not by much because she needed to save her energy. The bleeding had stopped, though, and the wound was slightly closed and not as deep.

She did the same to the other wound before standing up straight. She was shaking still, and she spoke quietly to herself so that she would not feel so alone. She muttered about the supplies that she would need as she left the room to get them.

She returned about 15 minutes later. The bandages that were now in her left hand had been harder to find that she had first expected. Her heart skipped a beat when she sensed White's faint aura again, which meant that he was alive and still there. She spent the next hour or so singing softly and wrapping up White's wounds. They would heal fully with time, and her own, small powers would allow them to heal faster.



King George was dreading the moment that he would be faced with all of the other leader again (it had been some time since they were all last gathered in the Meeting Chamber), and now that the time had come, he could not help but show his negative attitude about it.

That vanished immediately upon setting foot in the room. His expression was now stern and serious yet still friendly enough. Convincing the races to aid them, the humans, would not be easy. He took the time to look over each and every leader, more focused than he had ever been in his life. He had to be, after all, in dreadful situations such as these.

"Hey, everyone just calm down!" he said authoritively, looking mostly at King Bhelen as he said this, but he then looked over the group. "Lord Hallowmont does have a point, though," he said, gesturing and looking towards the skeleton for a moment. "These monsters may not have attacked you. Yet. Who's to say that they won't attack you and your races? I doubt that they will spare any single one of you. Don't you wish to protect your people from possible harm? Joining forces could mean saving everyone."


"I, for one, think that that is a wonderful plan!" came a cheerful voice from a shorter young man with curly blonde hair and bright, blue eyes; Erador Woodsong, leader of the Elf tribe. Despite everything that had been going on amongst the humans, he still held a smile on his tanned face, as most Elves do. He was sent a glare from the leaders that were not fond of the humans or the Elves.

A snort came from the Ork and Troll leader, Golash. "Better wipe the grin off your face before I rip it off," he threatened in a low growl to Erador, who returned with a glare and looked ready to pounce atop the offending leader. They both looked ready to go at each other at any moment, and, most surprisingly, it was the Xark leader that intervened.

"Now, now, boys," the Xark, whom shall be called King Hadrian Daray, scolded teasingly to the two men. "There is no need for violence; are we not all gathered here to help one another?" Hadrian had long, dark hair that was darker than Death himself, and golden, dragon-like eyes. The Ork/Troll leader was quick to retaliate. "Oh, you're one to talk! Training your young to kill; even I wouldn't do that!"

This was spinning wildly out of control as a few others joined in the argument, but that was to be expected. "People, people!" George cried over everyone else, and all immediately fell silent. "Now, I know we have our differences, but can't we just them aside long enough to save our world that we all share?"

There was silence for a few moments, but then another voice sprang up. Nymph, the leader of the Pixies and the Fairies had finally decided to say something on the matter. "King George is right," she spoke loudly, brushing her dark green hair out of her equally green eyes. She was beautiful and of almost average height, just an inch or two shorter than Erador; the two were from the shortest races, after all. Her large, clear wings fluttered behind her while she talked.

"We really ought to be helping, not hurting each other. There could be monsters destroying our homes even as we speak! I am all for helping the Humans, and the rest of you should be, too."

[MatrixOne]

The light of morning finally woke White up.

He opened his eyes and squinted, blinded by the light.
"I, uh, I guess I slept in"
He gladly stood up from the uncomfortable stone floor which had to be his bed.

Only then he noticed that his wounds were bandaged, some even healed.
"Wow. You're an angel, you know that?" He gave her a warm smile. He enjoyed experiencing rare acts of kindness.
He didn't quite like to owe anything to people, though. If someone helps him, he'll be grateful, but that doesn't mean he'll help them in return. It's not a deal or obligation.

He looked out the window, taking a deep breath. The air here was so amazingly fresh; free from vehicle fumes and pollution and all that.
"This place is deserted. The castle, the village, they all ran away" He stated the obvious. "And, you know, they probably have a reason. I'm getting out of here; You should, too. Thanks for all the help, I mean it, but I... Uh, I work faster on my own"

Why would he care about one blind girl? She'd only slow him down. Waste his resources. It'd be very stupid of him to allow her to go with him.

Of course, she'd be dead within a day. But how many others have died because of him already?

Too many.

"Unless... You're willing to learn how to keep up" He decided to try. He failed to keep his family safe, but does this mean he'll stay a failure forever? Giving up is an instant defeat... He still has some fight in him. "Trust me if I say you don't want to stay here. If you want to accompany me, grab the most important stuff and let's go; It's only safe to travel during the day, so it's best not to waste time"

The villagers made a mistake of leaving during the night...


***

Zathrian and George didn't sleep; They had a ton of work with convincing the Kings and gathering supplies...

The Archmage asked the King to talk... In private.
"George, I am at the end of my life. I can not hope to assist you against the monsters for long, now... But I know you need all the help you can get" He sighed. "I... I wouldn't offer this if I did not believe it could aid us both greatly"
He took another moment before continuing to speak.
"There is a... Ritual. It is what the Necromancers use to grant themselves eternal life... Every sixty or so years, when their form is old and fragile, they siphon the life forces from another. I... I believe it would work on me. I know it is Dark Magic... But it can be used for good. Think of all the lives I could save, of the aid my renewed powers would be to our troops in battle..."
Zathrian didn't speak like a power-hungry, delusional mage. He was calm, had a warm gaze and seemed wise. "The problem is, the ritual requires a sacrifice. One human..."
He looked the King in the eye.
"It can be anybody. A random beggar from the street, a convicted murderer. I have not meddled in Dark Magic, ever before... I am consulting you about this because your judgement is not clouded. Tell me, George; Tell me I can still be useful to you! Is my life worth less than the life of a dirty, uneducated thief we could sacrifice?"

[Nori]

Antoinette had not slept much. She did sleep for a few hours shortly after attending to White, but she had awakened long before him. She was always awake early in the morning, except on the nights where she had a more rough beating than the other nights. She had simply laid down nest to White for a while, eyes obliviously staring at the ceiling and her mind lost in another countless daydream.

She hummed to herself just so that the room did not seem so empty. She knew that White was still there, but she needed to reassure her paranoid self of that. She was a little startled when he awoke and started speaking, but it did not show outside. She instead smiled at the place that she guessed was where her companion sat.

"Thank you," replied she upon being called an 'angel'. No one had ever called her that or anything similar to the word, and according to some of the books she had read, 'angel' was a good thing to be called as angels were very kind, considerate beings. She looked a bit saddened when White announced that the castle was completely deserted by all other human/magical inhabitants besides themselves. She had suspected it, of course, but it was still unnerving nonetheless.

She was silent for a few moments, allowing White to continue. If he wanted to work alone, then he could work alone. She would be okay by herself... for a little while. She had explored the vast woods, but she had never gotten too far into them. Nor had she ever been out of the village, or, at least, not when she could remember.

She knew that she was not survival material due to her eyesight. Or lack of, would be more accurate. However, what White next said contradicted what he had said before. The female immediately sat straight up, her eyes locked on the man's chest. She was smiling, still. "Oh, yes, I love to learn!" she said excitedly, and she hopped swiftly to her feet.

Important stuff, hmm? Her inventions might come in handy, but most were unfinished, and there were too many to count. There were some items that she thought of as valuable, though, in another bedroom just down the corridor. "Be right back!" she called to White, and she scurried from the room without so much as a backward glance. Not that it would make much of a difference, anyways.

She returned moments later with a satchel full of items. Never before had she been able to locate anything that fast, especially not a great deal of things. Luckily, she had kept everything alphabetically organize with note cards that she could read, which made it a great deal easier to find the things that she needed.

In her satchel was some food that she had snatched quite recently from the kitchen; most of it was fresh, and would take a while, if ever, to spoil or perish. Along with that, there was also some canteens already full of fresh water. She had planned a longer trip to the woods today, you see, and had had everything ready to go. However, there was a slight change in plans; they were going on an adventure, just not like the one that she had thought of.

Also in the satchel were some clothes, male and female. Not too many, though. She knew better than to wear the same clothes for a long time, especially in outdoor conditions. Weather could be quite unpredictable at times, so it was best just to take precautions. She had grabbed a few tools and some medicine and medical herbs, as well as bandages, just in case.

And she had a pair of shoes in her bag, but she did not want to wear them until necessary. And gathering all of these somewhat helpful items only took about four and a half minutes. "Are you ready?" she asked White cheerfully, obviously excited at the idea of actually getting to go out and do something truly epic for once in her life.



King George was tired. Terribly so. Although, he was lucky that matters got settled as quickly as they did, which did not seem fast enough. That and the gathering of supplies made for a horribly tiring evening. He was just that all of that was out of the way, although they would be facing bigger problems soon enough.

He could not think about that just yet. He had worried enough in the past few hours; now was the time to act calm. Thankfully, his sleepiness helped with that. (He always got kind of goofy and loopy when he was tired.) His eyes were drooping, his movement were slow, and the only thing on his mind at the time was catching a few hours, or even minutes, of sleep.

Of course, that could not come just yet. Zathrian wished to speak in private, and the King naturally complied. He stood up a little straighter before the skilled Archmage, and his eyes were a little wider than he would have liked right then for he wished them to be closed. He needed to be attentive, though, as what Zathrian had to say would surely be important.

And it was. Sort of. George did not know what to say by the end of it, and his fingers ran absently through his curly hair once more. He bit his lip, wondering if such a dark Ritual was really a good thing. It had to be, right? Zathrian would not have suggested it if it was entirely evil, after all, right?

"I don't know," he mumbled, barely stifling a yawn. He thought of all lives as equal; a quality that made it a little easier when dealing with the other Races. He treated them equally as they they were humans themselves. So sacrificing even a beggar of the lowest class was out of the question.

After more thought, he came to a carefully cautious conclusion. "There are a few prisoners awaiting exile. If you truly think this is right, dearest Zathrian, than use one of them, and only of them. They are to die, anyways, for their wrongdoings, so it would be better if they died... sort of more honorably." It seemed like a good idea. The Archmage did not seem very power-hungry like most were when speaking about Dark Rituals, so that was a good sign.

[MatrixOne]

"Let me help you with that" He used the Force to push the girl's satchel in the opposite direction to the pull of gravity, making it a lot lighter for her to carry. "Perhaps we can use the door, for once. It's not like anyone's here to scold us"

The door was closed, of course, but White pounded it out of the hinges with a powerful Force-infused punch.

The big, heavy iron door flew all the way to the other side of the room.
"I need to train my power more. Yesterday, I practically fainted on the spot... We wouldn't want that in the heat of battle, would we?"

White and Ann left the castle.

It was only logical to go where others ran, and while the 'others' were long gone, White had no trouble identifying the direction by the clues left behind.

But the world wasn't deserted. People can run, but spirits, ghosts and other supernatural beings are left behind - some of them are bound to a specific place or item, others do not fear the incoming monstrosities, and others are simply incapable of understanding the danger.

The first demon White and Ann have encountered was the Demon of Sorrow.
He had the form of a young, handsome knight in medium armor made of light steel. He was slowly walking through the crossroads.

Ann could instantly feel that the man was no human, and his demonic energy was bound to the crossroads.

"Hey, you! Shouldn't you be running away in fear, or something?" White asked him.

"Isn't that what you have been doing for the past nine months?" The demon answered, his eyes lighting up with bright light. His voice wasn't 'human'. "Running, leaving behind everyone who loved you to fend for themselves. They're all dead. Their blood is on your hands"

"This is none of your damned business! What do you want from me?!" White drew both swords (he took the other one from the castle) and rushed the demon, but it evaporated, appearing next to Ann.

"You don't care about her. You used her, knowing she would share all her belongings with you! You'll throw her away as soon as she is of no more use. You're the real monster here"

"I'm saving her life! I don't know what you are, but I will end you" White threatened.

***

"This is the convict, Lord Hallowmont. I am hoping you can perform the ritual now?" Zathrian asked the Necromancer king. He brought one of the criminals George allowed him to take to the Unholy Tower where Hallowmont resides.
Of course, he somehow forgot to tell George about The Unholy Tower and Necromancer's involvement.

"So you wish to have eternal life, just like me" Hallowmont knew this was a good opportunity.
Zathrian decided that he will never touch Dark Magic; But he needed that ritual done. So he asked the Necromancer king, master of Dark Magic, to do it.

"Not for the same reasons. I do not seek immortality to control my people, I wish to help against the Horde"

"Interesting. Then I will keep you waiting no longer" The skeleton slid a knife across the sleeping convict's throat, and the whole Sacrificial Room was filled with Dark Energy in an instant.

Like a storm of blood, the power swirled around the room.

At Hallowmont's command, it all concentrated around Zathrian.

The Archmage closed his eyes and absorbed the power, to the last drop.

When he opened his eyes again, his vision was improved greatly.
Zathrian was now a young man, around twenty four years of age, with long, straight, light brown hair and near-perfect features.
And he was much, much more powerful now.

"Thank you, Lord Hallowmont" He spoke. His voice was soft and kind. "I still do not understand why you agreed to do this without receiving anything in return"

"You know that once done, the rituals must go on. It is interesting how long you shall maintain that innocent facade. How many sacrifices will King George allow before you grow too powerful in his eyes?"

"I will help him as long as he thinks I am useful, and step down when he decides I should"

***

Zathrian changed from worn Archmage robes to something more fitting his new appearance, and entered the Throne Hall to talk with the King again.

"George, the ritual worked. It's me!" His voice was enthusiastic. He seemed to forget that a man lost his life for him to feel young and new. "I feel great. And my powers! Oh, just wait 'till you see my powers again" He blasted a clay pot to pieces with a lightning bolt. "And this is not even a fraction. Let us go see the Kings again, we have a lot of convincing to do!" He grabbed George's hand to pull him off the throne.

He was acting just like his young self, when he was just an apprentice.

_______
You can make the Demon say something about Ann, something she regrets. Or make it lie about her to turn White against her. Or anything you want ;q
I don't know how to beat him, either, so if you feel up to it, you can create some way.
We can always leave him and go away xD.

The next Audience in the Hall of (something? I forget the stupid names xD) can be described by you or me, again, if you want. Up to you ;q
I'm thinking that each race will have something they need from George and Zathrian before they can agree to help. Or something. ;q

[Nori]

Antoinette smiled as her bag felt lighter than before, and she knew that that was the work of White. "Thank you. And overusing a power is a very dangerous thing, so it is best to avoid extreme uses of powers when possible." Of course, sometimes, like last night, it had been needed or otherwise they might both be dead.

She followed along after White, humming merrily to herself and enjoying the fresh air on her face and the bare ground beneath her feet. Being out and about was so nice, despite the circumstances. She froze when she felt the presence of another; whatever it was, it was not human. And it seemed dark, so it must have been a demon.

She was instantly terrified, and took a step closer to White. They could easily pass this demon, and she wondered why they just did not do that. It would be much easier than trying to fight it off, after all. Listening to what the demon said to White, she began to suspect exactly what the sinister being was doing. Pointing out the negativity that she could only hope were lies. She could not believe what this demon said about White, but, then again, she herself hardly knew the man.

But she would defend him within her own mind, anyways. He had been good to her, so she would return the favor. Her breath hitched when she felt the demon right by her, and she was then unsure of what to do. She had no weapon, and she doubted that she could even find the courage to attempt an attack. The young lady was afraid of what the demon might say, although, admittedly, there were not very many things that she herself regretted.

That did not mean that there were not any. "Remember that night a few years ago, lovey?" She swung around in a circle, trying to locate the exact location of the demon. "I do not know what you are talking about," she lied to air, eyes moving around even though they were useless to her. She could have sworn that the demon had smirked, but seeing as she could see nothing but his aura, she could not be for certain.

"Oh, I think you know what I'm talking about. You and Mary used to be such great friends..." She swung around again, and the demon moved behind her. Anger was a rare emotion for her, but now it was boiling in her veins and throbbing in her head. "Stop it, and leave us alone," Antoinette said shakily, but the demon seemed to be attracted to her and White's negative emotions. "It was raining that night, wasn't it? And she fell didn't she?"

She was not going to make this demon happy by giving in to that memory. "C'mon, sir, we ought to leave now," she said to White, looking towards his aura while completely ignoring the demon's. It took all of the strength that she could muster not to break down right then, but her face was that of a strong, independent woman, even though she was quite the opposite.



George, who had been dozing off in his throne, was now jolted completely awake at the sound of a young man's voice. He had gotten some sleep in the last while, so he was a bit more alert now. He looked upon this man before him in confusion for a moment before finally realizing who it really was.

Naturally, the eagerness from Zathrian made the King feel a little... unnerved. Someone had died for his sake, and yet he felt so happy? That did not seem morally right, and his disapproval shown in his eyes, but he did his best to smile for his friend's sake.

"Right. To the Meeting Chamber, then. We have got a lot of work to do," he said as he hurriedly stood from the chair. He could not help but raise an eyebrow at Zathrian for acting so... hyper. He just hoped that the Archmage would not always act like this. This already seemed a bad idea, because it meant that it had another thing to deal with. Might as well add to the list.

[MatrixOne]

White tried to slice the demon in half, but it just reappeared somewhere else.
"I agree, I'm not gonna let this asshole ruin my day" He sheathed his sword. The demon couldn't do any damage to him; Other than talk. Sometimes, that can be more damaging than physical pain.

White grabbed Ann's hand and they hurriedly evacuated the crossroads. The demon returned to his human form, watching them from afar.

White picked up a rock and threw it at him.
"I hope the monsters kill you!" That demon really pissed him off.

The man caught the rock and kept staring.

"I'm telling you, he lied. Most of the time. I'm not going to abandon you" White wanted to believe what he was saying, but he knew he might have to leave her in order to save himself.
But there's always hope.

"Listen, there is no way to stop the monsters. If my people couldn't do it... I don't think anybody can. We need to leave... Farther. Beyond what you know. Do you understand?" He wanted to break the news of 'multiple worlds' to her somehow gently. "There are... Waypoints, gateways which lead to other... Places. That's how I landed in your house in the first place. Do you know someone who might know where such a gateway would be?"

The gateway to the other world was located in the Palace of Kings, and Zathrian was its guardian. This was once cause for a war between the humans and Necromancers, as they wanted to send one spirit through to 'scout', but Zathrian believed that it is best not to interfere with other worlds. And he was right; Anyone going through would be killed by Agents such as Thirteen and Twenty Two.
Still, some thought it's foolish not to use powerful entities such as the portal.

But White was already an intruder, so maybe he'd be allowed to pass?
Right after he explains the whole possession affair...

Anyway, the common people knew that if weird magic happens, the Archmage fixes it. So he was branded 'expert'. That's it.

***

In the Meeting Chamber, a discussion was boiling as always.

"Who is this whelp?" Dwarven king Bhelen asked.

"This is the most respected human Archmage Zathrian, after a Dark Magic ritual" Hallowmont explained.

"We knew his judgement would be clouded. Dark Magic! This is not natural" The two tiny pixies spoke at once. Like always; They were twins.
They were flying around the room, annoying everyone inside.

"I am doing what is necessary. The Necromancers understand that"

"I never took you for a gutsy type, ha!" King Bhelen laughed, spilling his beer all around. Lord Hallowmont, sitting right beside him, wiped the beer stain from his gauntlet.

"This is getting us nowhere. We need your support, so tell us what you require in return" Zathrian interrupted.

"I have reconsidered" Hallowmont stood up from his seat. "We can aid you in your battle, if... You will allow us to raise any of your fallen soldiers from the dead. It shall work to your favor... Your soldiers will fight even after they've died. This could triple the strength of your army alone. Let us not dwell on the moral aspect; Zathrian has shown us how little it matters"

"We refuse to stand for this! Fallen soldiers are heroes and require burial, they do not deserve being turned into monsters!" The pixies objected.

"Quit your damn buzzing, or I will swat you" Bhelen waved his hand to make the Pixies stop flying over his head. "I don't care what happens to human soldiers, but you're not insulting our Ancestors by changing our soldiers into monsters!"

"Dwarves are inefficient skeletons. Even the Necromancers prefer them dead" Hallowmont counter-insulted Bhelen.

"Please, let us return to the topic" Zathrian put an end to the conflict. "We need to hear what King George thinks of Lord Hallowmont's offer. After that, we shall listen to what the Xark king Hadrian would require in return for helping us"

[Nori]

Antoinette was happy when they finally started to leave the crossroads, although she was still seething a bit. And she could not help but wonder about White and his own history and whatnot. Was he really using her just like everyone else had? It seemed predictable, and she could not shake the question from her mind.

He could have been lying to her all this time. He could really be intending for her to die, for his own sake. White's words comforted her a little, but she still was not sure if she should trust him completely quite yet. But for now, she will at least take comfort in his presence.

"Places?" she echoed curiously, staring off into space as she remembered all of the books she had read in her little library about different places that were quite unlike hers. "You mean like other worlds, right?" She had always suspected it in the back of her mind that such places were real, and she could sense that something was off about White the moment she met him in that dark, cold room; he was from another world. It was her questions about the existence of other worlds that got her in big trouble most of the time.

She thought about it for a moment, and her anger slipped away from her as though it had never been there. All remembrance of the demon vanished now that she had something else to think about. "I do not know where such a location could be, but someone powerful should." She did not really know much of the outside world, and there was only so much that she could learn from her books. Everything else was guesswork and common sense. Surely such a thing would be guarded. Or be located in a safe place.



King George listened wearily to the argument in the Meeting Chamber, only partly paying attention now. He hoped that this would go by fast so that they can actually get around to doing something before more villages got attacked. He would be willing to get whatever each leader wanted as long as they helped.

Lord Hallowmont's request did take him by surprise, though. More unnatural Dark Magic? Raising the dead seemed even worse than killing someone for power. This was against everything George thought of as morally right, but he really could not say no, could he?

Hallowmont would not agree to fight if the King did so, and they needed everybody's help. "I do not support Dark Magic in the slightest, nor do I approve of using it for anything," he began, addressing everyone in the Chamber, but mainly Hallowmont and Zathrian. "But if you agree to help, then I suppose, just this once, that I can allow it, Hallowmont."

The words he that came out of his mouth disgusted him, but this was war, or it would be quite soon. He had to do some things that he was not so comfortable with if it meant saving others. It was still sick, though, and he was wondering if they could live without the Necromancer's help, but he did not voice this. They would be saving others, and that was what really mattered.

"You're doing the right thing, you know," Hadrian piped up upon seeing George look so mentally troubled. He really could care less about others feelings considering exactly what the Xarks were, but he still had a heart somewhere in there. It just rarely ever showed, and when it did, anyone else in the room would be dead before the could start up rumors about the race that they actually cared.

Mainly, he just wanted to convince George that agreeing to such magic would turn out to be a good thing so that the process could be sped along. Hadrian was itching for a good fight, so there was no doubt in his mind that he was going to help out just for the hell of it. He would definitely like to milk all that he could out of Zathrian and George in the process.

Leaning back nonchalantly in the chair that he was sitting in, he stared right back at Geroge's inquisitive and expecting gaze. "Y'know, a new place for my people to live would be nice. Everything's a bit burnt, and the hunting population is decreasing." It was a simple thing to ask for, and it would resolve many issues between the Xarks. Hadrian got so many complaints about their living area, and they had been meaning to relocate for some time now.

[MatrixOne]

After a few more hours of marching, White decided to set camp while it's still day and think of where to hide for the night.
They were both tired; They weren't practicing day-long walks, after all. And White was still countering the weight of Ann's satchel. It wasn't much, but after a whole day, it was something.

"So I suppose we're off to find someone important. The capital isn't that far away, and the monsters are still a good distance away. I wonder why that old guy attacked me... I hope the mages aren't like that in Denerim"

He looked at the girl. She was so innocent, always good to him. Is what that demon told him true? Will he abandon her in the face of danger?

"My name is Tobias White. Just... White, to you"
He didn't like when people called him Tobias. Too intimate, perhaps. But he wouldn't let her call him 'Mister White' either. He's not that old, is he? And they're friends, not acquaintances, and...

Perhaps he's overthinking.

Pretty ironic, how his name is a color, something she can't ever understand... Is that what he is to her? A mystery, an abstract voice in the dark?

He moved next to the girl. Their arms touched.

At least now he was present to her, not 'somewhere'.
"My world was... Different" He started. "We were more advanced, but just as human. Just as doomed, really" He sighed. "I was a warrior once. Not a great one, but I could handle myself. Our fights were petty and had little reason. When I met my... Wife, I left the life of a warrior so that I could spend time with her. And with my daughter. A few years later, the monsters hit... And this is what that Demon was talking about. Reuniting with them posed too much threat. I had to run away, rejoin the warriors. We resisted, attacked the weak points, retreated, but there were less and less of us and more and more of... Them. The fight was lost, I had to get out. So now, here I am"
He looked at her. How will she react to his story?

"If we stick together, we should get out of this" He concluded. "My mistakes are in the past and I need to focus on what's happening now. I just thought you should... know"

***

Lord Hallowmont was clearly satisfied with the deal he worked out.
"Your word is not enough. I need proof of consent; If you die in the battle, your successor might not fulfill his end of the bargain"
The Necromancer King created a contract sheet seemingly out of nowhere, and placed it on the table.

It read:
I hereby allow Lord Hallowmont and his Necromancers to reanimate any corpse of a human army soldier who falls during the campaign against the Caromorph Horde. The reanimated soldiers shall continue to assist until they are no longer needed.

Lord Hallowmont shall support the Human forces with the bulk of his Undead army until the conflict is resolved.

And a place for George's signature.
No tiny text or anything, no shady hidden stuff. Hallowmont never broke a promise, but he did enjoy to twist the meaning of some words and sentences. And he never agreed to change anything in a contract; He had to feel that it's 'on his terms', which is understandable, considering how much of a power-hungry egoist he is.

Zathrian decided to talk with the Xark leader.
"Most of our lands will be left burned and destroyed after the war. You're pretty much choosing between familiar and foreign. But if you really do require lands, the Eagle Peak and its surrounding areas are uninhabited by human population; We are not fond of heights, but I imagine the Dragon kin have no trouble with that"

"But that area is near the Great Forest, where Fairies and Pixies live!" The twins interrupted.

"Sorry, but we can't take a few fairies over the Xark army" Zathrian sounded kind of cruel. The pixies were shocked.
Hallowmont was as expressionless as always, but deep down he felt satisfaction and victory. Zathrian was becoming ruthless.

___
I know the contract's shady as hell, but I want to cheat George sooo bad xD.
Denying it will be no fun, but at least Hallow will stop pretending xD.
Your choice :3

[Nori]

Antoinette smiled sleepily as they walked. She was getting tired, but she was also trying to prove to White that she was not as worthless as most thought her to be. Although she would much rather lay down and go to sleep on the ground, she continued walking at the same pace as her travelling companion.

A flutter grew in her chest when she felt White's arm brushing against hers. She looked towards where he stood, almost catching his eye for a moment. She did not turn her gaze away from him even though she could not exactly see him. It felt like the right thing to do while the man spoke of such personal things.

She did not know what to say. She felt a little pity for White, of course, but not overly so. She did not know very much about 'families', you see, so she was unsure of what the man would like to hear. She did not think bad of White; he was very brave to tell her all of that. He must really trust her, or think of her as a friend.

Friend... The world was almost unfamiliar to her, and it sounded quite odd, even within her own mind. Friend. She never had very many friends before. And when she did... She was snapped out of her thoughts when she noticed that it was silent once more. "I'm very sorry to hear that," the young lady said softly, and her gaze was sympathetic now.

She did not know what else to say, really, but she did want White to know that she cared. Reaching out blindly towards his arm that she could feel, her fingers eventually snaked around his so that they were holding hands. She smiled warmly at him before a sudden thought occurred to her that was quite unrelated to the subject. "I'm kind of tired, si-...White."

Saying his name was kind of weird, considering she had only just learned it. She knew that the name was what others called a 'color'. She had not a clue of what 'colors' were, but, according to what she had heard in the past and from books, they were pretty magnificent things. If only she could see them... "We should probably find a place to rest for a little while." She could tell that White was not completely well-rested, either. Walking for so long could easily drain the energy from any body.



George looked curiously and almost fearfully at the sheet of paper as though he expected it to shoot up into flames at any moment. He read it over silently a couple of times, making sure that there was nothing that he was missing. After reading it for the twenty fifth time, he finally felt somewhat assured.

He absently moved a small bottle of ink and a quill closer towards him, eyes trained on the contract. He did not want to do this, but the Necromancers were powerful, and they, the humans, needed them. Sighing, he lifted the quill from the ink bottle and held it hesitantly over the spot where he was to sign his name.

Hallowmont was someone that was known not to go back on his word. That should have been somewhat reassuring, but, unfortunately, it was not. He would regret this later, that was for sure. The King looked up at the ceiling for a moment as though praying for something to happen so that he would not have to sign this dastardly contract. When nothing came, he sighed once more and swiftly wrote his name upon the paper.

As soon as he done it, he wished he had not. There was no going back, though. This would turn out to be a good thing, right? He could only hope. At least the Necromancers would have to help, so long as George kept his end of the bargain. Which he will. Maybe.

"Eagle Peak, hmm?" Hadrian mumbled thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. It was a great distance away from where the Xarks currently roamed, but it would be the perfect place. Besides, as much as the race loved to keep to the shadows, they also liked heights and room to fly around. At least then they would not complain about every little thing. And there ought to be a plentiful amount of animals and other prey to hunt within the Great Forest. "Sounds cool."

After having finished with Hallowmont's contract, George then shot a warning glare towards Zathrian. What the hell was his problem? He was stepping on toes here, and the King would not allow such behavior. He held a strong belief that all creatures were equal, since they had different and amazing powers. "The Fairies and the Pixies are just as good as anyone else, Zathrian."

[MatrixOne]

"Don't feel sorry for me. I deserve to be punished for my mistakes. And I was" He smiled back. He did not tell her about his family to make her sad or pity him. He simply wanted her to know what to expect; To know that he was not a 'good man'.

He felt her hand in his. It made him blush a little, but he was fine with it. The gesture was unexpected, but welcome.
"I, uh... I kind of expected you to tell me your name. You don't want me to know you as 'the girl from the castle', do you?" He teased. "Or... You know what? Don't tell me. I called you 'Angel' once... I think it's quite fitting; Ann, as in 'Angel'. How about it?" He smiled again.
It was a complete coincidence; But out of all the possible names he could think of, he liked this one - Ann.
Angel.

He saw an abandoned potion shop at the side of the road.
"Just a few more minutes of walking. I see a place where we can spend the night"

The door was open.
"Wow. The windows are covered by metal bars; Someone sure did not like burglars. I must say this will play to our favor during the night; The monsters are like mutated burglars" He joked, locking the door with a key he found on the ground. Another sign of extraordinary luck, it seems.
"Wow, all these potions! And a large book explaining how each of them works. At least we won't be bored throughout the day; There are still a few hours 'till the evening, and some of these potions are quite rare, i can tell"

He picked the first one he could find, and found its description in the book.
"Turns you into a horse for two hours... Well, this is going to get us to the capital tomorrow. Have you ever ridden on horseback?" White enjoyed the possibilities of this world. Potions, demons, magic... So much opportunity.

He put the potion back and looked around the shop. Sadly, he found nothing which would provide some comfort for sleeping. No beds, no soft material, not even a chair. Only shelves with potions.
"Well, seems like it's not all perfect. Guess the wooden floor will be our bed today"
He took the satchel from Ann and set it on the ground, finally 'turning off' the Force countering its weight.
"So... How are you?" He sat down on the floor with his back against the wooden wall and stretched his legs. "Will you miss the castle?"

***

"The Fairies and the Pixies are just as good as anyone else, Zathrian."

"They are as fearsome as the Xarks? What will the Pixies do to the caromorphs, talk them to death?" Zathrian answered angrily. He was getting sick of George's views on race equality. This was war; They needed the strongest allies.

"Interesting" Lord Hallowmont said, looking at the Archmage. "Very interesting"

"Ha! I like the new Zathrian!" Dwarven king Bhelen laughed.

"We refuse to listen to insults. You best hope you don't need us, because we're not helping!" The Pixies flew out of the Meeting Chamber.

"If it's powerrr you want, we have the strength, and numberrrs!" The Ork leader Golash finally spoke. "We could take a... Break from killing the elves and perhaps help ya. HA!" He laughed in the face of Erador, the Elf leader. "But ya know, we're at war with ya humans, too, hah hah! We only helpin' 'cause them morphs attacked our outposts, dat's right! We help, but after fighting's done, you watch your asses, cuz we ain't done fightin' yet"

"How quaint" Lord Hallowmont complimented.

For now, George and Zathrian had the support of Golems, Orks/Trolls, Xarks and Necromancers. They still had to convince Dwarves, Elves and Mages.

[Nori]

Antoinette smiled shyly at White due to his request to call her 'Angel'. They both started with the same two letters, and the name sounded very becoming, especially because of the way that White said it. "That's fine," she giggled as they walked over to the old potion shop. Of course, she had not a clue as to where they were heading at the current time, but White said that it was a place that they could spend the night. And any such place was welcome given the circumstances.

Her feet were sore from walking on the bare road all day long, and small bits of rock tore at her soles, tearing the flesh ever so slightly. She was used to the feeling by now and had become quite immune to it. She knew that they were inside the shop when she felt a different material beneath her feet; wood.

Now all she had to worry about was getting splinters. "Potions?" she echoed curiously, eyes moving around the room. She could only imagine what the potions looked like, but that was good enough. She loved potions, and had even brewed a few on occasion. And she had read all about them when she was younger.

She could not hold in her excitement about this, and she walked through the rows of shelves that held the different potions. Her hand ran gently over the bottles, her mind able to tell what the potions were with the slightest touch. Her footing was careful so as to make sure that she did not trip or bump into anything.

After a few moments of doing this, the young lady began to make her way back to White. She had not strayed too far so as not to lose her voice. She was smiling absently as usual, and she took a seat next to her companion. "I don't think I'll miss the castle all that much," she said calmly, playing with a strand of her silver hair. "My belongings are what I'm worried about, as well as my books..." She cared more about the things in the castle than the castle itself, considering she had been locked away in it for all of her life, not including the countless walks and picnics she had in the neighboring forest.



George's gaze shifted to that of uneasiness and building anger as he looked at Zathrian. What was up with him? He was never like this, not the Archmage he knew. What had happened to his old, dearest friend? He suspected that this had something to do with that Dark Magic Ritual, but he said nothing about that for the time being.

However, he was quite pissed that Zathrian had upset the Pixies, and that they had left. "Great. I hope insulting them was worth it," he whispered darkly, his voice only loud enough for the Archmage to hear him. Now they would be having no help from the Pixies, that was for certain. Fuck.

They would just have to do their best without them. He would, of course, try to speak to Zathrian in private once everything was settled. He turned back towards the race leaders and tried to refocus on getting everyone to help out for the time being. Then he could inquire why the Archmage was being so... cruel.

Erador glared at Golash, and he had half the mind to punch the Ork right in the face. He refrained from doing so, and he forced himself to remain calm. Elves were really quite playful and patient creatures, and they loved a good joke or taunt, but they are not to be tried. And Golash was already starting to push his buttons, so to speak.

He instead looked between Zathrian and George. It was obvious as to what his answer would be. "You have my full support, and we request nothing in return." They were also unselfish, and they believed that the only way to gain something they deserved was to earn it for themselves. Asking for something in return for a good deed was against Elf standards and morals.

[MatrixOne]

"Don't worry about the books. I'm sure we'll have enough issues to keep us busy in the days to come; In fact, we could write a story about our adventures" He thought about how such a book would sell back in his world.

"Hm. We did a whole lot of walking today... I still don't get why you're walking around barefoot like that. Not that I'm complaining, I think your feet are very cute, it's just... It might hurt tomorrow"
He decided to try and do something about it. She was 'in his care', so he felt the need to help out somehow.

Luckily, he was in a potion shop, so there were numerous jugs of water around. Finding a wooden bowl wasn't a problem, either.
After pouring some water in the bowl, he returned to Ann and sat in front of her.
"I, uh, have not really done this before, but it's the thought that counts, right?"

He gently held her left foot over the bowl with his left hand and dipped his right hand in the water, then proceeded to slowly and delicately remove the bits of rock stuck in her soles and gently rinsing the tiny rips with cold water so that they do not hurt. He did it slowly, taking the time to make sure every smallest rip won't hurt and the entire foot is clean.

After that, he did the same with her right foot, being just as careful and gentle.

When he was done, he sat a little closer and put her feet in his lap, so that they're a little more comfortable than they'd be on the ground.

And it'd be awkward to just leave them in his lap like that, so he started to delicately massage them with both hands.
"I'm, uh, hoping that helped a bit, my Angel"
It was a welcome change for him, being 'nice' and 'caring'. His nature felt ever so slightly different, even though, deep down, he was still the same, selfish asshole as before. But he could make an exception for Ann, right? She seemed to be an exception by herself; So pure, but so hurt by life. He had the 'power' to make her feel happier, better, accepted.

He then remembered something.

"That demon guy, he tried hard to make us both miserable and angry at each other. There was some truth to his words... When I first met you, my only concern was myself. Unlike you, I'm not... An angel. But later you made me realize there's, hm, no point in living if you have nobody to share your life with. Nobody to live for, you know. And maybe after losing everything, I needed somebody to remind me what's important. So I guess I should say thank you"
He blushed again.
"But I'm still no angel. It's just that the number of people I care about has grown from one to two" He grinned.


***

"Great. I hope insulting them was worth it"

"I... Excuse me" Zathrian turned around and left the Chamber.

"Ha-ha! Toilet break" King Bhelen joked, and the Ork leader Golash found that exceptionally funny and started loudly laughing and coughing as a result of choking on a bone.

"Be careful with your friend Zathrian, King George. He may be an invaluable asset or an enormous hindrance, depending on how you handle him" Lord Hallowmont advised.

***

When the Second Session was over and the Kings returned to prepare for the Third, final Session, Zathrian was waiting for George right outside the Chamber.

"I am doing what's necessary, George. It's only thanks to your weakness that the forest creatures talk back to the Kings like that. If you hadn't given them all the Rights and Permissions, they'd still be hunted, stuffed and sold for ten copper. We're facing a Caromorph Horde, and you'd trade the most effective army for the weakest one?!" He shouted angrily. "Your manner of handling the relations may have done us good during peace time, but right now we need a King, not a... priest. It's about time for you to grow some balls"
Old Zathrian was never like this before. Perhaps during his days as an Apprentice, but George wasn't even being planned back then. Something changed about the Archmage, and it's just the beginning.

[Nori]

"I don't really like shoes..." she said softly to White's inquire about bare feet. She stared off at White blankly as he left to go get a bowl and some water. She wondered what he planned to do, but she stayed otherwise mute about it. She was happy when he returned, and she smiled towards his aura.

She shivered at the touch of White's hand on her foot, and she had the instinctive urge to kick him away. She was not very fond to be touched, save for the occasional hand-holding or brushing of arms. She relaxed after a moment, though, when she realized what White was actually doing.

The cool water against her bare soles felt nice, more so than she could have imagined. She leaned against the wall, eyes trained on where White sat. Should he happen to try anything she did not like, she would immediately attack. Travelling companion or not, she would not allow herself to get hurt again.

Not that she thought that he would hurt her; she just wanted to be cautious of men she did not quite know. "That feels really nice," she murmured quietly, her thin lips twitching at the corners. She wished that they could spend all night like this, even though she knew they could not. They had important business to attend to in the morning, after all, and that would call for alertness that only sleep could bring.

She rested her head against the wall, barely noticing when White put her feet in his lap and began massaging them. It was soothing in a peculiar way, as she had never been handled with so gently before. She listened to him speak once again; she was a very good and attentive listener.

"What's in the past, stays in the past," the girl said quietly, opening her eyes that had slid shut moments before out of bliss and weariness. "And you're welcome. I should also thank you for taking me from that castle." She was playing with her hair again and stared just over his shoulder. They should probably start to think about getting some food ready soon, but she was too comfortable to suggest it right then.



In between the Second and Third Sessions, George had gone to get a drink. He needed one desperately right then, but he did not want to drink in the Meeting Chamber. He did not have much; just enough to get him through this last Session, and maybe a little longer.

When he saw Zathrian waiting for him, he was really tempted to not even go to the Third Session. He would not let the Archmage stand in his way, though, or make him look like a fool in front of everyone else. And he still did want to confront his friend after what had been said back in the Chamber.

He glared at Zathrian, and it took all of his willpower not to start screaming right back. He was seething, though, and he had to bite his tongue for a moment before he said something he regretted. Yelling profanities at Zathrian would get him nowhere, after all.

But he was going to get his word in. "The Pixies can do some things that the Xarks can't," he stated as calmly as he could. "They may not be the most powerful, I agree, but that gives you no right to insult them like you did. They are living creatures, too, and we could use everyone's help. As for my handling of relations; that is none of your damn business. I am only trying to make everyone feel like they are needed, even the weaker ones because I seem to have a heart, unlike you."

He could not believe Zathrian. Sure, that last part might have been a bit unnecessary, but he wanted the Archmage to know that he was angry with him without actually screaming. "I should have never agreed to allow you to do such Dark Magic. It's obviously fucked you up because I don't even know you anymore." Deep inside, this Zathrian was scaring him immensely. He would not admit it, and he did not show any fear. The King turned on the spot and headed into the Chamber without another word.

[MatrixOne]

"I left enough people behind already. I couldn't let you share their fate" He said quietly. "Anyway, get some rest. I'll try to prepare some food and light the lamps so that we're safe during the night"

He decided to take care of the lighting problem first. He refilled the oil in all the oil lamps he could find, then lit them all with his lighter.
The place got instantly warmer and, most importantly, was now safe from the caromorphs. More or less.

White decided not to use the supplies they had gathered; The potion shop was sure to have something.

He stumbled upon a few 'liquid meal' potions, but he wouldn't give that stuff to Ann. It sounded horrible.
Searching through more and more potions, he started to feel tired of them. Damn flasks everywhere, nothing useful!

There. Finally something useful.

The description read:

Invited guests over, but don't have time or ingredients to prepare any food? Worry not! We have carefully prepared it for you, then locked inside this small bottle with a preservation spell. Uncork it, and you shall have a freshly prepared, delicious roast chicken straight out of the oven!

He grabbed the bottle and uncorked it, shaking it over a wooden plate. There was no liquid; The chicken 'appeared' on the plate. It seemed to be frozen in time; It emitted no heat, and even the smoke was motionless, hovering over the dish.

Then, time resumed. The chicken was hot and smelled quite good.
"Well, I'll be damned. Too bad there are no more bottles of this stuff"

***

"Hold"
Zathrian raised his hand, creating a wall of fire preventing George from entering the Chamber.

His eyes turned bright red for a short moment, but got back to normal quickly.
"You don't get to say that to me and walk away. This must stop" Zathrian slowly walked over to George. "You are like a son to me. Your father, he left you in my care when he passed. But he was a warrior. Something you will, apparently, never live up to"
His gaze slowly shifted from angry to sad.
"No magic is evil on its own. It's how one uses it; And why would I not become more powerful, especially in the time of need? I have lived long enough to know that force is the only sure way of resolving a conflict. Look at Hallowmont; His empire is far larger than ours, but there has never been a rebellion. It's because they fear him more than they fear death itself. If we had that kind of respect, there'd be no need for all the Sessions and diplomacies" He gestured energetically to accent his words. "I was once the leader of Mages. They cast me aside because I turned old and weak, and I had to take care of you. Now, watch me deal with them! I'll have them all under my control by the end of the Third Session"
All thanks to Dark Magic. And it was just one ritual.
"Now I see how much power lies in the Dark Magic. Surely, another ritual won't hurt..." He said to himself, thinking of how many convicts there are in the Dungeon.
Of course, George could hear Zathrian speak to himself. The Archmage had good intentions, but his mind slowly degraded, slipping into a power-hungry state...

[Nori]

Antoinette nodded mutely at White and simply continued to sit against the wall. The wood felt nice and cool on her skin, and despite being a little uncomfortable and stiff, it was definitely soothing, in a way. The sudden warmth from the oil lamps that White had refilled and lit mad her smile serenely.

She probably should not be enjoying this, given the circumstances, but being around White in such an environment was relaxing. She could trust this man, she knew. She wondered about what food White might return with. She hoped that the man had enough sense to, if he did not get anything from her bag, look at the potions.

She was right, of course; not that she knew she was, anyways. The girl was hungry, but it was not overpowering as it might be for some. She could go days with no food if necessary, and she had learned long ago never to reject or complain about the food she was given, even if it was old and rotting.

The scent of the chicken that lingered in the air smelled good and far away. He must have found one of those more complex food potions; good. At least he found something that smelled like it just might be tasty and warm. "What is that?" Ann questioned curiously, only able to identify that the food was some sort of meat. She was normally a vegetarian, but...



George immediately stopped walking and took a cautious step away from the wall of fire that blocked the entrance to the Meeting Chamber. With his back to Zathrian, he gradually began to panic. He recovered himself enough to hide his fear once again, and he turned to see what his old friend had to say now.

This man that stood before him spoke of frightening things that he could never imagine Zathrian saying. This man before him... it was definitely not the man he once knew, the man that he, the King, used to look up to. The Archmage that he had once knew had died the moment the Dark Ritual took place.

"It is better to be loved than to be feared, Zathrian!" he snapped, and his voice shook from emotion and fear. "I try to make life as peaceful as possible for my people, and giving them another thing to fear, just so that they'll stay in line, is fucking idiotic."

He paused for a moment to even his breaths. "You say that no magic is evil on it's own, that is true. But you sound like you intend to use it for all the wrong reasons, just like I thought you would." Zathrian was speaking of horrible things, and George had definitely saw this coming in the back of his mind. That meek, paranoid voice was actually right about something for once.

"And you most certainly will not partake in another Dark Ritual," he then added curtly with a sharp glare towards Zathrian. "You're acting stupid, and these actions could make others wind up in horrid situations; I won't allow it. You're turning power-hungry; you're no different from the rest of the weak, bottom-feeding scum before you. Now move this wall before I banish you from entering the Chamber." More shit would go down with what Zathrian's plans, and George was not going to let anything bad happen if he had a say in the matter.

He did not mean to sound so harsh, but he did not regret his words. He knew this was what would happen if the Archmage gave in to such Dark Magic, and he was right.

[MatrixOne]

The dish was composed of a large variety of different vegetables as well; Not only meat. Most of those vegetables, White has never seen, but they didn't really smell like poison.
"I don't know. It's, uh, something"
When it comes to cooking, White wasn't the expert.

They managed to get some sleep before the caromorphs started appearing again.

Most of them were just shadows, small distortions on the landscape, moving forward towards Denerim. They did not stop to investigate the potion shop, and the ones who came too close were scared away by the light.

Overall, the night went by quite calmly.

White woke up a few times during the night to check the oil levels in the lamps and make sure everything is fine.

Ann and White awoke feeling well-rested, for a change. Getting to Denerim won't be much trouble, now that they have the potions.
"Huh. I wish I could say I always wanted to be a horse" White joked. "I hope it'll work as advertised. I don't want to be stuck in animal form for the rest of my days"
He decided to drink the potion and get on with the trip.
And he did.

The change was sudden; No slow shapeshifting effect, just... 'Poof!' and, well... Horse. Instead of a man.
But no ordinary horse; A pegasus.

Hey, I have wings! He thought to himself, since speaking would be rather problematic. He flapped his wings so that Ann would understand what he turned into. Now it was up to her to attach the satchel to the Pegasus-White and somehow mount him.

***

At one point, Zathrian simply stopped expressing any kind of emotion. He just stood in front of George, looking at him as if he was barely worthy of listening.
"I should have known you'd choke on the hard decisions. You think it's the right choice, but the truth is, your people will die for your sense of... Morality. But these are my people as much as yours, and I don't need your permission to defend them with all my power"

The wall of fire disappeared. The temperature returned to normal in an instant.

"But to defend them with my power, I first need a lot of... Power. Luckily, that can be arranged. I'll do what's necessary, whether you want me to or not"

The Final Session was beginning. George should hurry; The Kings are quite impatient.

[Nori]

Antoinette did not complain about the food, as usual, but she mainly stuck with the vegetables. It felt very nice indeed to fall asleep with a full stomach and then to awake feeling well-rested. She was ready to take on the challenging obstacles that this new day had brought in the night and would soon come hurdling towards the pair.

She could not refrain from smiling when White's aura changed forms with little warning. It was sort of in the shape of a horse-like animal, and the flapping of wings proved that theory to be correct; White had transformed into a pegasus, a sort of flying horse.

She giggled, so sure that White looked quite pretty at the moment. If only she could see, then it would be even more funny. Suddenly remembering herself and what they were to be doing, she hurriedly located and picked up her satchel full of items.

With the satchel firmly in one hand, she nervously walked back over to her companion. She had no idea how to mount any sort of creature, and she was afraid to even attempt to do so. But they needed to get going, so she had to alleviate and hopefully forget her fear.

She placed on hand on White's furry side, snaked it up slowly, and when it reached his back, she moved the other hand next to it. Carefully and gently so as not to upset White, she kicked herself from the ground and began pulling herself up. While the ordeal had only lasted about half a minute, the girl was quite shaky by the time she swung her leg over the opposite side.

The floor seemed far away now that it was not directly beneath her feet. She gripped onto White tightly, afraid to let go of him for fear of falling off. She relaxed after a few moments and grew accustomed to the odd feeling of not being on the ground. She just hoped that they could get this over with, and fast, preferably.




George shook his head, partly knowing that he could not get Zathrian out of this power-hungry phase of mind but too scared and worrisome to admit as such. "You're going about this all wrong!" he snapped, trying anyways despite everything that told him to just stop.

"So many children look up to you, you know, as did I. What will they think when they see this ...new you, if you'd even call it that." He sounded disgusted now, and he was looking down on Zathrian just like he would with any prisoner or murderer.

He looked back towards the Chamber entrance, only slightly relieved by the disappearance of the fire. "You're becoming a monster already, I can tell. And I'll do anything in my power to stop you." He practically ran into the Meeting Chamber so that he could actually enter this time; he knew that the others were not exactly patient, and he and Zathrian had been taking a long time.

He had half the mind to kill the Archmage right then, while the man was not as powerful as he spoke of being. Such an idea was bad and ruthless; it would make him no better, would it? But it was still tempting in an odd way, so he did not completely banish it from his mind.

[MatrixOne]

When George left, Zathrian stood there for a minute, trying to figure out what to do next.

After wiping the sweat off his face with a long sleeve of his archmage robe, he teleported to the top of the main tower in the Palace of Kings.
The tower was a 'lookout point' and a landmark; It overlooked the entire city and the hills below. If you had access to that tower, you were someone very important in Denerim.

Zathrian was pacing around the tower, thinking heavily. The prophecy mentioned someone... An Outsider. But so far, there has been no sign of him, or so Zathrian thought.

Suddenly, he noticed something; A small dot in the sky, nearing Denerim from the east.
Zathrian sighed. More refugees; The streets were full as is. Even the capital can't house all the people trying to escape the monsters; There is help to be found further inland.
Still, some people wanted to be clever, for example by flying over the walls on a pegasus.

But this was their unlucky day, because Zathrian noticed them.
Usually the griffon guards were patrolling the airspace; But this was war, and they were needed in the army.

The Archmage started pulling the pegasus and its 'rider' towards himself with a spell. He was way too lazy to actually move and intercept them in flight...

Pegasus-White couldn't use his Force in the horse form, so he had to submit.
"Land!" Zathrian shouted to Ann, sitting on the pegasus.

White set himself gently on the top of the tower.

"A... Potion. Clever, but your trip ends now" Zathrian dispelled the effect, and the pegasus instantly shapeshifted back to human form.
As soon as White felt the ground beneath his feet, he activated his Force to catch Ann; She was 'on horseback', and her mount disappearing would result in a heavy landing had White not softened it with a Force bubble.

"...You!" Zathrian recognized his 'possessed fugitive' instantly.

"Oh, not another angry mage" White assumed a defensive stance in front of Ann to cover her from any offensive spells.

"Why did you do it?! Tell me! I want to know the reason before I crush you with my powers" the Archmage felt like testing out his newfound abilities.

"What did I do again? Turn into the horse, you mean? I'm just trying to find a portal, why do you mages have to get in the way?!"

"For insulting the Elder Mage during a public event, I should have the whole army looking for you. If not for the war, that's exactly what I would do"

"That old prick? I was enjoying myself at a pub, and he just attacked me for no reason! I did nothing to him"

Zathrian couldn't sense or see any signs of possession, and back at the Tavern, White did seem rather surprised about being attacked. Something didn't add up.
Obvious trick; Identity theft was quite common.
"Huh. This is more complicated than i initially thought. You say you're looking for a portal? You mean, the Worldgate? Everyone knows that access to the Worldgate is restricted"

"It is? ...Shit" White relaxed; Seems like he managed to avoid a conflict. "Well, I wasn't going to ask for permission anyway. Where is it?"

At this point, Zathrian was absolutely sure that White was the man the prophecy mentioned. Prophecies, as weird and tough to understand as they were, never made mistakes.

"The Worldgate is located within this castle, but it shall remain closed until the Caromorph conflict is resolved. After we defend our world, we can talk about visiting the other" He finally said.

"Yeah, good luck with that. They're gonna tear your forces apart, just like they did with ours. Just show me the way to the portal; I'm not dying here with you"

"If that is true and I indeed die, the spell which keeps the Worldgate closed will stop functioning, and you may pass" Zathrian offered.

White decided to consult Ann.
"So, what do you think, my Angel? Do I kill him now and save us both time and trouble, or do we wait until he dies in battle?" He asked, loud enough so that the Archmage would hear.

______
I know there's not much for your characters to do in this post, but I had to put White and Ann somewhere for the duration of the big battle ;q.
Though there's always the Third Session you can describe. ;q

[Nori]

Antoinette did not like flying. She preferred her feet on the ground, thank you. She had already been high enough when mounting, but this was ridiculous. Not wanting to admit her fear of heights to White, she said nothing of the touchy subject. This was definitely not something that she would do again any time soon if she could avoid it, but for now, she just had to brave through it for both of their sake.

The thought of being able to stand and walk around was reassuring, as was the wind blowing through her hair that almost sparkled in the daylight. Actually, once you got past the height of the inability to really move, the ride was actually kind of... peaceful. Perhaps that was only so because she was riding on top of a pegasus that was White. The man had a tendency to calm the girl down when she felt nervous or frightened.

She wondered how far they were from Denerim. They had been flying for some time now, so they must be getting close. Impatience was a rare thing for her, as was anger, but both emotions within her could be quite dangerous if toyed with. Not to say that she was getting impatient! She was dreading the hours ahead, to an extent. Things would never be easy for her, and the situation made it even more difficult.

But she was not that weak. She could successfully defend herself at most times; it was real life that she had problems with. Reality was not her thing. She was constantly lost in daydreams or imaginary worlds that she had created for herself. Places in her mind that she could run to in order to hide from the harsh, cruel being known as life. It was hard to tell real life from a dream, and right now it felt like the latter.

After all, she was riding on a pegasus that was really a man that she only met a few days ago, on their way to the capital of a magical world to find a portal to get to another world, another reality. You have to admit, that all would sound like a child's dream should it ever be told in our world because only children could believe in the existence of other worlds and of magic.

And naturally, she had to believe because it was all around her. What might seem a dream to one of us was really reality and life for Antoinette, and for everyone else that lived in this fantasy world, if you will. Powers and peculiar and extremely differing races were the 'norm' here. It was all anyone here knew, unless they too believed in the other worlds that existed beyond the fabrics of their reality.

She was shaken out of her muses and thoughts when she felt something... off. Someone or something was using some sort of power to pull her and White. She held onto the pegasus/man tighter out of natural instinct, and her eyes moved around. As they drew closer, she could sense an aura, a powerful one. Maybe even more powerful than White's.

She deduced that only a Mage of some sort could have such a strong aura. She knew this only because she had spent an entire day alone to read a rather large book on the different races and powers known. And she had a very excellent memory, indeed.

However, this did very little to relieve the new fear that was bubbling deep within her. She was much more frightened of whoever had caught them than she was of flying. The young lady almost cried out when White's form changed back to a human form after landing on the tower, but she bit down onto her tongue as she fell. She was very grateful towards White for cushioning her fall with his Force. It was very kind of him, indeed, and he did not really have to do so.

She stayed on the ground for a few moments, just listening to White and Zathrian talk before stumbling slowly back onto her feet. She knew that she was behind White, so she looked over his shoulder to get a better look at the Archmage's aura. He was powerful to a radical and sinister degree, that was for sure.

But he did not pose an immediate threat. Antoinette was still cautious, though, as it was in her personality. And she could trust no one at times like these. Well, except for White, of course, but she was talking about stranger. Then again, White had been a stranger, and he still kind of was, but that was besides the point. She needed to focus because straying off into her mind might end up badly as it sometimes did.

No fear was shown. Curiosity instantly overrode any and all fear. She wondered how someone could get as powerful as Zathrian seemed. It was practically inhumane, and it piqued and fed the curious side of her personality. She wanted to ask, but decided it best not to; her mouth and her mindless, yet sensible, questions almost always got her into heaps of trouble, so it was better for everyone not to test that theory now.

"Hmm?" Antoinette looked back towards White to focus on his glowing aura. "Killing is a dishonorable thing." It was obvious that she disapproved of White's question, but he did have a point. She just did not want to be the reason for others to die. But she was not picking up good vibes from Zathrian... "Most everyone will die in battle from those wretched creatures, unfortunately, so maybe it is best just to wait."

((I would write about the Third Session, but I am afraid that I am on a tight schedule at the moment. ._. Stupid homework.))

[MatrixOne]

"Killing is a dishonorable thing."

Naive of her... But White didn't feel like discussing that in front of Zathrian.
"Sometimes it's necessary. But I guess it doesn't have to be this time... We wait, then"

Zathrian didn't like White's attitude, but a prophecy is a prophecy.
"Huh. Normally I would throw you out of the city, but something's telling me you were fated to stay here. You're welcome to use my room in this tower as a temporary home..."

"There's always a 'but'" White interrupted.

"...But you are not allowed to leave the tower. Consider this the most luxurious prison in the world"
After saying that, Zathrian disappeared.

"...Great"

***

A few hours passed.

During the Third Session, the Dwarves reluctantly agreed to send a fraction of their forces to provide support.

Zathrian appeared as the Mage representative. Apparently, the previous Mage representative has suffered a terrible accident... And Zathrian took over straight after.
During the Session, nobody said anything about that fact; Only Lord Hallowmont commented sarcastically, just as he always does.

Overall, out of all the forces that could have been gathered, George and Zathrian managed to collect about 70%.
The armies were now gathering under Denerim, with Zathrian tending to the tactical layout and all the Kings giving speeches and planning.

The battle will commence tonight.


Lord Hallowmont wanted to talk to King George, so he made his way through the ranks of human soldiers. His dark, heavy, steel plated armor made the soldiers uneasy; They knew he'd be raising them from the dead if they fall.
"Your army, so incredibly inefficient. I never have to concern myself with petty issues such as food rations or morale; The Undead are a cheap-to-maintain force to be reckoned with, which I am sure your ancestors knew all too well" He started the conversation by bringing up the ancient wars of humans and Necromancers. "But, that is not what I wanted to tell you... Your Archmage Zathrian, he never used the Dark Magic, you see. He asked me to perform the rituals for him; I must say, it is rather interesting to watch him change under my influence. Think of all the damage he may cause in case all the Dark Magic backfires... But surely, as long as I am in control, it won't backfire... I am sure you are confident in my abilities, George" His tone was pure arrogance.

***

White and Ann made their way into the tower. Only three rooms were 'unlocked' for them; All the other doors were bound by powerful spells. And White was no wizard.

Still, the Living Room, Bedroom and Bathroom didn't seem bad.

This was the Palace of Kings, after all. If you say 'luxury', you think 'Palace of Kings'.

"Well, out of all places we could have ended up, this is not too bad" White sat on one of the four beds. The pillows were incredibly soft to the touch; He wondered if a similar material even existed in his world.

His attention was drawn to the bookshelf containing peculiar tomes.
The books had no text; Each page was blank.

They were very special - they transformed the information directly to the mind of the reader. Unfortunately, these contained nothing too interesting; A guide to centaur varieties, Ice spells for Novice mages... Most of the Mind Books were kept in the Grand Library and White and Ann had no access to it.

[Nori]

The only things that kept George on his feet by then were his anxiety about the upcoming battle and the adrenalin that rushed through him every time a war was planned to be fought. Sure, they could talk about commencing a war against something or someone else, but actually doing it was entirely different. He was extremely nervous, but he showed nothing but confidence while speaking to his men. They were well trained, and he prayed that they would survive. Of course, a war with no deaths on both parties was not a war at all, but he could only hope that these brave soldiers would get to see both their family and daylight again.

Alive, anyways. Raising the dead was still a horrible idea. A soldier should die with honor, and stay dead. Death before dishonor, that was his saying. It did not help his fragile mood when he saw Lord Hallowmont heading towards him, and he scowled at the Necromancer to show his disapproval of his presence.

Of course, he equalized all races, but that did not necessarily mean that he liked all of them. Some of the races, such as the Elves and the Pixies, for examples, were easy to get along with because they were usually kind. People liked the Xarks and the Necromancers... not so much.

He did not appreciate Hallowmont's arrogant tone. "My army is fine," the King snapped, irritation showing through both the frown and the glare that he sent towards the Necromancer. His tone darkened severely when he spoke again. "I do not know precisely what you did to Zathrian, but I do not approve. At all. This... Dark Magic: It has killed him, in a way. I do not know him any longer. You better make sure that it doesn't backfire. And I can assure you, you are the last person that would receive even a shred of my confidence in any way, shape, or form."

Hallowmont was more than likely more powerful than George, but he ignored that fact in his anger. "Now, did you come here to actually say something important, or are you just going to stand around and be an arse all day?"





Antoinette followed White nervously after Zathrian left, carefully watching her step so that she would not trip. One hand was lightly brushing the wall while the other played nervously with her soft hair. Despite her calm manner, she honestly looked like she was about to cry.

Of course, she did not have much of a reason to do so, but it felt necessary. Besides, she hated being confined anywhere, and she had thought that this little adventure into the great outdoors would mean freedom, not another prison. She had not expected this turn of events, and while not major, it was still enough to make her both upset and angry.

She did not want to stay here. She could always attempt to leave, but she knew that such a thing would be futile. And even if she did get away, where would she go? She could not defend herself, and with these monsters around, she would be dead on the first night. She relied on White, even though she desperately did not want to. If White was just going to get her in situations like these, why bother to follow him around like a lovesick puppy at all?

She stood silently in the door frame, staring blankly down at the ground as the tears welled up in her eyes. She could hear and see White moving around inside the room, but she stayed put. She wanted to get out of there, even if it was luxurious as Zathrian claimed it to be. It was not like she could actually see and enjoy the three fucking rooms that they had access to.

A soft, desperate whimper escaped her lips, and she decided to say something. "I don't like it here..." The girl's voice was practically pleading. She did not want to be there; it was just another prison, another cell. Even if it was temporary, the panicked and claustrophobic feeling wrapped tightly around her mind, squeezing and overpowering it so that she could think of nothing else.

[MatrixOne]

"Ah. If that is how you see diplomacy, then allow me to wish you good luck in the upcoming battle... King George" Lord Hallowmont said. "It would be a shame if anything were to happen to you during the fight... Shame indeed" He murmured to himself, but loud enough for George to hear. "Well, then. I will let you tend to the many needs of your soldiers"
He pushed away a human knight on his way back to the Necromnacer Legion Camp.

A few minutes later, Zathrian appeared next to George.
"The Mages are ready. Other races are doing fine. Tactics are sound, everything is set"
He took a deep breath. The air was warm; The atmosphere - calm.
"So, I suppose this is it. The sun is setting... We have maybe an hour. It was impossible to get an accurate estimate of their number... We will have to hope our forces are strong enough"
He stood in front of the King, looking at him with a somewhat kind expression.
"We both know the stakes. We know this is goodbye" He took his hand, not waiting for permission or anything. Zathrian was like a father to George for years. "You need to survive. Coordinate the attacks, be the hero. My place is on the front line; That's where I can do most damage. If I... Don't make it back, there is something I need you to do, regardless of the final outcome of the battle. In the Palace Tower, there is a man and a girl. You need to grant them access to the Worldgate"

***

"You heard the Archmage; If he dies, that king will open the portal" Thirteen said to Twenty Two. They were both disguised as human army knights. "So, we have to make sure that mage doesn't make it back. So here's the plan; We can test out the dragon forms we managed to acquire earlier, but a form this big will need us both to fuse into one creature. Just like I taught you, Recruit. We will aid with the battle against the Caromorphs and wait for the Archmage to weaken, then strike and get to the Tower where they locked up our target. That way, we get to escape this lost world, close the portal after us and we may have another shot at taking out our target. Just, remember... No heroics, our lives are more important than anything"

***

Ann's attitude frustrated White.
"You're not helping..." He said, walking up to her.
But being mean wouldn't accomplish anything; She's too emotional.
"Listen, our situation is a whole lot better than his. You think we're trapped in here? He'll have monsters all around within minutes, and he'll be dead in a few hours. We will make it out, alive. And that's just the realistic version! We can always try optimism, too" He joked, putting his hand gently on her shoulder. "You can believe in me. I'll tear this whole tower down if I have to, if that will get us to safety" His words were somewhat narcissistic and harsh, but there was confidence and strength in them. Isn't that what Ann needed?

[Nori]

George continued to glare at Hallowmont as the Necromancer left. Regardless of what he might have just said, he had some faith in the other. Not much, but enough to be able to trust him to an extent for now. Shifting his mind to other thoughts and priorities, he turned back to gaze at his fair army of brave men just nanoseconds before Zathrian appeared next to him.

Having been so lost in his troubling thoughts, he had not expected the man's sudden appearance right then. He jumped, ready to attack before realizing that it was just the Archmage. He relaxed for a moment, only to tense again when that fact actually sank in.

He was still upset with Zathrian, but he said and did nothing to show this as the man spoke. He could not help but smile; he was speaking like the old Archmage again, the grand old man that the King had once been very fond of when he was younger. It was nice to see that he still had some shred of that old self within him.

"If this is to be our final goodbye, my friend, then I shall indeed grant the two access to the Worldgate." He did not question why. No doubt it had something to do with the Prophecy; this all did. And if Zathrian thought that allowing two strangers to enter the Worldgate was a good idea, then it must be. "Of course, I hope that it does not turn out to be such an outcome. I wish you well in this battle, Zathrian."





Twenty Two looked over curiously at Thirteen for a moment at these instructions. He was in a very good mood, mainly because he got to be disguised as something cool this time; an army knight. He always found such soldiers to be quite awesome, in a medieval sort of way.

He thought about this for a moment, picturing a dragon in his mind. "A dragon, eh?" he murmured, grinning now as he looked over the other knights for no particular reason. "That sounds cool; a bit complicated, though. I've never morphed into something with another person..."

Now he sounded kind of nervous. While never really ready to admit to fear of even the slightest degree, he could not help himself. "Is it painful, or anything? Or risky?" He never cared of the risks, but it would be kind of nice to know what he was getting into ahead of time so that he had time to prepare himself for such a task. And it sounded kind of painful, two people fusing into one being... Creepy.





It took all of Antoinette's willpower not to grow angry at White. Her getting upset would not resolve the situation they were in, so she fought to remain calm. She did, however, moved away from White's touch, even though it was gentle. She just did not want to be close to him for fear of herself lashing out.

She bit the inside of her cheek, her arms folded across her chest as she moved a few feet out of the frame of the door and away from White. What was she to say that would not sound harsh? She did not want to be mean; she hated doing so. And she was not upset at White himself, just his inability to understand how she felt.

She had been locked away her whole life. Her whole damn life. She sat and twiddled her thumbs while he ran around, having the time of his life in freedom. She did not know how to voice this without sounding selfish, though, so he decided not to even mention her imprisonment.

After taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth to say something that was very true: "I would much rather die than to be locked away for even a short while."

[MatrixOne]

The sun was slowly setting. With every minute, the battlefield grew darker and darker.

The golems engaged their lighting modules. Mages cast a few shiny orbs into the air. The dwarves and humans lit their torches, elves lit the fire arrows.

The Necromancer army set their own troops on fire; The walking corpses would continue to burn until all that's left is their skeleton, which will then resume the fight like a regular Necromancer trooper.

Zathrian created one small light orb which flew over to George, giving him some light.
"This should help you defend against the caromorphs. And if this tiny light goes away, you will know what happened to me..."
He gave George a hug, just like back at the castle. Before all the anger, before their differences.
"Be well."
He teleported over to the front line.

The caromorphs started to appear, all throughout the horizon.

The monsters were pretty varied. Some big, others small. Some intelligent, some stupid.

The humanoid ones could speak and think tactically; They refused to communicate with other races, though. Their only goal was annihilation in order to create more varied caromorphs out of the fallen enemies.

Their numbers were huge; Much larger than the army George and Zathrian managed to gather, but, of course, less trained. Not organized.

Hallowmont sent his forces forward; The skeletons and flaming zombies had no value to him, and could take the main hit of the Horde in order to give the others some space.
The Lord didn't hold back, either; He was out there, on the front line, leading his forces to battle.

The mages started casting defensive spells on human and elven soldiers.

The golems served as artillery, targeting the bigger threats from afar.

Let the battle commence.

***

The noises of battle made White feel a bit uneasy, but what Ann said angered him even more.
"What is wrong with you?" He backed away, folding his arms. "You were locked away for an eternity, and now, when it actually leads to having a new life, a life safe from... From what you're now hearing outside, you'd rather die? I thought you were intelligent enough to understand that. Get a grip on yourself, for fuck's sake!" He shook his head and sat back on the bed, leaving Ann on the other side of the room. He risked his own life to help her, and she's acting like this? What if she decides to stay and die? Will he have to drag her through the portal against her will? Why would he save someone who doesn't want to be saved?

But why would he not save someone who doesn't know what they want?

Painful. Tough choice, that one. But he'll have to make it.

***

"Everything is risky, Recruit. But the fusion isn't painful; We just combine our powers to maintain one form, that's all. I am much more experienced with handling the minds of powerful creatures, so I will try and keep the dragon under control. You, focus on destruction and killing the bad guys. Ready? Let's start the fusion"
He took Twenty Two's hand.

_____
Awkay!
The dragon's yours to describe, if you want ;q. I'm thinking it'll have some connection to the Xarks;
Perhaps they'll figure out it's not a normal dragon? Maybe dragons can talk? Maybe Xarks know the Dragon language?
I dunno. ;q Possibilities.

White got mad. Not cute anymore? xD

[Nori]

The sun was setting so very slowly on the horizon, and this irritated the impatient and nervous George. It was almost as though the fading light was toying with his frail nerves, and tonight was not a good night to be messing around with such things. The battle would commence any second now, once the sun was finally gone from the sky.

"Good luck," he said to Zathrian before the Archmage teleported to the front line. "We're gonna need it," he muttered under his breath to himself. He looked over the other races' armies for a moment before his eyes slowly drifted back to his own men. They were strong, and they were ready. Nervous, but brave enough to try and defend their land. Heroes, should they survive.

And then the sun had set, and the chaos started. At the sight of the Caromorphs, whatever fear that had been held just moment before inside of George slowly trickled away, leaving him unnaturally calm and confident. He did not understand why he was standing almost peacefully instead of trembling in fear. He sent his men out at the monsters and into battle after a few moments of just watching the creatures that were drawing near.

They were kind of fascinating in a really weird way, and they seemed to differentiate quite a bit. But he would see them dead, no matter what the costs were. He was defending his land, his people, and many other races. They might just live to see the end of this... who knows.





Antoinette was more focused on the sounds from outside than she was on White; the battle had started. She wished that she could be out there to see precisely what was going on until she remembered that she could not see in the first place.

When White's words finally did register somewhere within the confines of her mind, she merely sighed and shook her head. She was not angry at White, but only with his inability to understand how she felt. "Well, excuse me for not thinking like you do. I don't like being locked in confined spaces..."

She was afraid to admit that she was afraid. Being in here while a battle was commencing... it made her feel helpless, useless, and sick. She was safe while so many others were risking their lives to rid of something that White had brought in. White... Yes, this was his fault, was it not? If he had not showed up in the first place, none of this would have happened!

But she did not point fingers, nor did she say anything about this fact. White was already angry... maybe she should just leave? "I feel bad for being here..." she said softly, talking to herself, not to White. "People are dying right outside, and we're just standing here, safe..."

She lingered a moment in the doorway before walking away from it and away from the room. They had, what, three rooms they could access? 'Luxurious place' my ass!





Twenty Two slowly nodded and did as he was told. Thirteen was right; the fusion did not really hurt. It was... peculiar, but there was no pain involved. His mind was on two things then; fusing and the image of the dragon they had ran into earlier.

And it was over with as soon as it had begun. The two clones were not combined to make one dragon. It was a scary dragon, too; it was a fair-sized dragon with pitch black scales. It had bright, golden eyes that were slits. Its body was long, and its wings big, but not overly so so that it could make sharp turns easily and fly fast. It was almost the perfect combat dragon, the breed known as Jukire amongst the Xarks.

So, it blended in well with the other dragons, the Xarks, that were fighting the monsters. The Xarks were naturally different breeds of dragons, but they oftentimes stayed in their human forms. Transforming into their dragon forms was tiring, so, if they needed a fast getaway, they would only sprout their wings and fly off. However, tonight was very different from a simple hunt, so there were dragons flying everywhere in the night sky, some breathing fire at the monsters, some ice; every dragon was different.

A white and blue dragon that was slightly smaller than the one that Thirteen and Twenty Two had transformed into streaked by. "Don't stand around, soldier! Move it!" it said in the Dragon tongue. Had it looked any closer, it would have noticed that the black dragon it had passed by was not an Xark at all. But there was no time with the fight going on.

[MatrixOne]

Every army had its weakness.

And the Caromorph were incredibly diverse.

The Elves were the first to fall; Their bows and arrows proved ineffective against massively armored melee units.
Hallowmont diverted a platoon to help them, but it was intercepted by an enemy squadron of incredibly fast six-legged caromorphs which were simply too quick and agile for the slow, stupid zombies to hit.

Dwarves got hit from afar, so they moved towards the golems, despite the dislike between the two races. They had to work together, and it did work out in the end - golems had the ranged firepower and easily bested the caromorph spitters, while the dwarves took care of melee units approaching close.

Still, it was but a minor victory. The Orks charged off blindly and their army got obliterated. The stupid Trolls were led away from the main Ork ranks and taken out by surprise.

The humans held, with the help of mages and their protective spells. But it was wearing on the spellcasters, and they wouldn't last forever.

Lord Hallowmont kept replenishing his armies by raising fallen allies from the dead. Not only humans; As soon as the Elves and Orks sounded the retreat, Hallowmont ordered the Necromancers to wake the dead and assign them to the main Necromancer army, which's purpose was to support the human forces.

The Xarks were doing a lot of damage in the beginning, but they got fooled - Caromorphs grouped the weakest, most useless of them into huge platoons on the sides of the battlefield. Xarks wanted to deal as much damage as possible, so they attacked where they saw the most enemies. Besides, they had to do it anyway, because if they'd left them alone, the units would simply attack others from the flank.

The caromorphs also had a way of dealing with the Xarks.

"Argh. Those dragons are remarkably strong-willed, I'm... Having trouble maintaining control" Thirteen sent a mind-message to Twenty Two.
The dragon they were controlling was fighting hard to control his own movements; Luckily, he wanted to fight the caromorphs as much as anyone else. Just... Without being a slave to Thirteen.
"I've got him. Just... Struggling"
Thirteen saw how the battle was turning out.

60% of the caromorph forces remained on the battlefield; Others were killed or otherwise vanquished.

Only 30% of the Allied forces were left; Humans, Necromancers and the Golem-Dwarf combo.

The Xarks were also getting hit hard.
"What is... Going on? I feel like my skin is on fire" The Dragon Form was being attacked by tiny insectlike parasite caromorphs, which stuck to its skin, biting into it, getting under it and spitting poison.
There was no way to really defend against it; The insect swarm would get anything flying through the air, dragon or not.

"T-this is bad... The battle is lost. Which world is next?" Thirteen tried flying away from the battle, but the parasites were not letting go.

Then, the sky was lit up by a gigantic explosion of force and fire.

The explosion was bright as daylight; For a moment, the battlefield was lit up all around by the powerful light.

At the same moment, the small light orb flying next to George stopped shining. It just disappeared.

Just like the caromorphs. All of them.

"Now is the time, the parasites are gone! There, we can change back on top of that tower" Thirteen suggested.

But the daylight will only last for a few more seconds.
After that, the caromorphs will all return.

But Zathrian, he'll never come back.

"This is our end. Regrets? I have none" Hallowmont told George, wiping his sword from the caromorph blood. "Interesting. They say evil never triumphs" Pretty ironic, coming from him. "Unless you have something you need to do, I suggest that, as soon as the light fades, we charge for the final time"

All the soldiers took this tiny window of time to prepare. They knew there was no winning this.

The battle was lost.

***

At least she doesn't have to see this. They got obliterated...
White stepped away from the window.

"The world was like this the whole time. It just happens far away, and you don't hear it. That doesn't make it any less real; People suffer all the time, there's nothing we can do. And if we survive, we might make a difference somewhere else"

_____
It's up to George and Hallowmont to open the Worldgate :3

[Nori]

"Well, keep it under control! The last thing we need right now is for all of this to go wrong," Twenty Two shot back to Thirteen, and he was quite panicked although he tried to stay calm. The situation was bad, but he had to be cool and confident, just like always. Had to be optimistic.

But what good can one find when a battle was raging about, and their side was sure to lose? He did not know the people that they were helping, or supposed to be helping, anyways. But he hated admitting defeat to anything, and his old self was slowly rising to the surface.

It was best to get out of there. He was about to suggest it to Thirteen when the clone mentioned the tower. The explosion had temporarily gotten rid of the caromorphs, so now was the perfect time to get out of there. They did not have much time, so they got the Dragon to fly swiftly towards the tower. Twenty Two had to remind himself that he could soon change back into his usual self.

The explosion momentarily blinded George, and he blinked a few times to try and realize what just happened. That was when he noticed that the orb of light that had been next to him just moments before was gone. That could only mean one thing...

Time slowed down, and the sounds around him were warped and distant. The sword that he had been holding fell out of his loose grip and to the ground, but he did notice. He was too busy looking over everything, trying to find the missing orb. Where had it gone? It could not be gone... Tears clouded his vision, but he did not cry. He had to act strong, even if he had just lost the man that had been a father to him for all of these years.

This war meant nothing to him now. He needed to find Zathrian. The Archmage could not be dead. After all of these years... George could not picture a life without his old friend, but now that life was over. Whatever childish innocence that he still held on to was now obliterated. He felt dead inside, while at the same time he was calm, just as he had been when the battle had started.

This war was a mistake. Thinking back on it, it was entirely foolish to even try and stop the caromorphs. It was just a game, it all was. It seemed decades ago that everything was just fine, and everyone was happy. He could picture children playing and laughing with their friends and their mothers, and it was all just faraway, a distant memory of days gone by.

How devastated those wives shall be when they find out their husbands did not make it. And the children... Try explaining to a child that their daddy is never going to come back home, that he would not just appear in the doorway just in time for dinner and everything was okay. And those children will be joining their fathers in a better place soon enough because the war was hopeless. They had failed.

Zathrian was not coming back. He had died along with countless other brave men, and he hoped that the Archmage would not be raised from the dead with the others.

How was George not crying?

Nothing mattered anymore. And that was okay, and the tears faded just as soon as they had come. He was numb, but numb was good. Feeling was bad, and he did not want to feel, ever again. Hearing a voice nearby, he turned his head towards Hallowmont.

Since he was not thinking clearly, it took a moment to register the Lord's words. "He told me to open the Worldgate for two people in the Palace Tower if..." He trailed off here, finding it too painful to continue. "I'm going to do that. They can continue to fight, but I don't want to be here when they fail. Will you come with me?" He loathed Hallowmont, and he wanted to do this alone. But he wanted someone to be there... He wanted Zathrian to be there, but he shall have to settle for Hallowmont, if he did choose to go.





Antoinette slid down the wall because she found it too dizzying to stand or to walk. She pulled her legs to her chest and rested her head on her knees. It was a familiar position for her, as she often sat like that when she was thinking or when she was just upset.

She thought about White said in silence, afraid to speak. He made sense. She just wished that she could do something to stop this all now. Many people died everyday, and there was nothing she could do. She could not stop death.

But she could help prevent some of it. She did not like their situation, but this was reality. Everything was not all rainbows and butterflies. It was time to face the music. "Right... So, we're going to stop the monsters, yes? And they will bring no pain to anyone anymore..."

((I cried... A lot. Do not judge me ;_;))

[MatrixOne]

"Then move" Lord Hallowmont didn't ask why or what for.

He decided to help George because... Well, sentiment. Humans and Necromancers were enemies since forever, and Lord Hallowmont was one of the first Necromancers. He fought against nearly every human King in history; But never aided any.

He ordered the remains of his forces to cover his escape, and summoned a bone dragon, his personal way of transport.
"Forget Zathrian. He did what he could, now it is your turn"
He sat on the spine of the bone dragon, extending a hand to George to help him get on.

***

"W-what is this? A skeleton dragon...?! Quick, item form!" Thirteen and Twenty Two were barely done switching forms when they saw Hallowmont and George fly to the tower.
Thirteen turned into an apple, which fell to the ground.

The caromorphs were already storming the castle. A few castle guards would not last very long. Hallowmont will have to get down and protect the stairway to the tower.

***

"Do what you need to. I will buy you time" Lord Hallowmont said when they landed on the Tower.

So how to activate the worldgate?

Well, the magic barriers stopped working when the explosion occurred, but the door to the actual room with the Worldgate required a special 'password' of sorts. One that only Zathrian or George would know.

The password was 'Lothering'.

It was the name of a village where George's father was ambushed by Necromancers, and Zathrian (He was only an Expert Mage back then) came to the rescue.

Zathrian couldn't have saved King Maric, but he did save his son - prince George. Right before he died, King Maric made Zathrian promise to take care of George.

So perhaps this is what Zathrian was trying to do all along. With the Dark Magic rituals and his supposed 'hunger for power'. He was just trying to add as much to the overall force of the Army as possible. To keep the world from crumbling.

But it was not enough.

The rest was up to George.

***

"Sounds like two heavy... Things landed on the rooftop, one after another. And now, someone's coming! If it's the monsters, I'll kill that damn mage for lying to me" White grabbed his swords when he noticed the door is no longer protected by the spell.

___
Feels :3

[Nori]

George studied Hallowmont, but his expression was blank still. Was the Lord really agreeing to help? If he had been in his right mind, he might have found this suspicious, but there was nothing going through his mind; no thoughts, no emotions, nothing.

He said nothing in response and merely watched as Hallowmont got onto the bone dragon. Such a magnificent creature, really. Just like any pegasus or unicorn or butterfly. Everything was equal, and in this moment, the King was able to set aside his almost lifelong loathing of the Necromancers. If Hallowmont wanted to help, then he was accept. He would wind up dead, surely, if he stayed on the battlefield. An honorable end in his eyes.

But he had told Zathrian that he was do something, and George would do it even if it was the last thing he did. He took Hallowmont's hand with no remorse and climbed onto the dragon. The sooner they get this over with, the better. He wanted to see daylight just one last time.




Startled by Thirteen's sudden exclamation, Twenty Two hesitated just slightly in changing forms. With his breath hitched, he changed into a ruddy, old book. Nothing really special about it, so it sort of blended in.

Upon getting to the tower, George swung his legs over the dragon and jumped before they had officially landed. He paused for a moment to look back at Hallowmont. He felt the need to say something, but there was no time. And even if they had all the time in the world, he would never be able to find his voice or the right words. He instead settled upon an appreciative nod before hurrying off.

He knew where the room to the Worldgate was. He knew that it required a password, and he was prepared. The main task right then was finding the people that he was supposed to take to the Worldgate. They had to be somewhere nearby; the Tower was big, but he was running fast, opening and looking into each and every room in search of another living thing.

He reached the room that White and Antoinette were stationed at about two and a half minutes after beginning the search. He had swung the door open and was ready to take off down the rest of the hall before he noticed the inhabitants of the room; A man and a girl, just like Zathrian had said. Ann had ran over to White the moment she heard the noises, and was currently standing a few feet behind him, scanning her eyes over the room in the hopes of catching another friendly aura.

George wondered if he was hallucinating, but he could not have been; these people seemed real. Although, your mind can make anything real if you really want something to happen. This could not have been the case, though. "Look, this is urgent. I need you to come with me now, before the caromorphs get up here."

[MatrixOne]

Lord Hallowmont didn't even look at White and Ann. He stopped for a short second to say his goodbyes to the human king.
"At least you'll die knowing your people loved you and your enemies respected you" He told him. It was his version of a compliment; He was his enemy, after all.

After that, he turned away and descended lower into the Tower. He had to slow down the caromorphs.

***

"T-this form... Makes me shiver" Thirteen certainly was not enjoying becoming a spider. And seeing Twenty Two in this same form didn't quite help cure his phobia. "At least its instincts are simple to control. Just... Hunger, and hunter's instinct"
In spider form, they really had to hold back the urge to go chasing flies. The needs of their hosts were their own, in a way.

The two agents followed George, White and Ann. Avoiding being seen was rather easy; Spiders could walk on the ceiling with no trouble.


"Yeah, this door asks for a password" White told George the obvious. "Reminds me of my world. Minus the magical aura and creepy voice, that is..." He tried being casual, but George seemed broken up over the whole war and millions of deaths.
White, on the other hand, didn't care. Nothing he could do; Why bother thinking about it? He can only save himself. And Ann.

Beyond the door lies the ancient Worldgate.

Nobody's been to this room for centuries, but magic kept it intact; Time-frozen. After all this time, it stil looks as if someone swept it yesterday.

And it was pretty empty, too - just... Walls and a mirror-like object, presumably the Worldgate. Only, if you touch the mirror, your hand goes through and you feel... Something.

Someone once stuck a head through, but they said it was too dark to see anything other than some peculiar flora.
The next day, they were killed by Thirteen.

Soon, the news of this spread, and people started believing the Worldgate was cursed. Zathrian locked it out for safety of the others, and soon people forgot about it, more or less.

***

Lord Hallowmont fought well.

Like a robot; He made no mistakes, each blow perfectly calculated, every swing of the sword hitting its target. Hallowmont had more practice in war than any living being in this world.

But the enemy numbers were too great. They started swarming him.

His armor held well. Caromorph after caromorph, he kept defending the stairs.

Finally, they decided to switch tactics and brought the firebreathing caromorphs which started to rain fire on him.
He had to slowly back away, one step at a time.

But it couldn't go on forever; He was cornered. He pressed his back against the wall and the firebreathers attacked again.

The armor slowly started to melt and weaken, its parts fusing together...

Then, the fire stopped. Hallowmont could no longer move; His armor's moving mechanisms got all melted together, and he was left there, standing like some kind of badly sculpted statue.

The problem is, Hallowmont does not age.

Thus, he shall remain there.

Forever.

Thousands of years after this world's been conquered and devoured by caromorphs, his broken soul shall still be trapped within the steel armor, on the stairwell to the crumbled Tower, with only its own voice as company.

Truly, a fate worse than death. But he did it to buy George some time, to help him accomplish his 'mission'.
And he managed to hold the caromorphs back for good twenty minutes.

___
You can say they went through, if you want. The agents, too.
That way, you can finish this 'world' by saying what happens to George ;q.
And I'll have the trapped Hallowmont, should I ever need him again :3

[Nori]

George looked at Hallowmont, and there was a soft look in his eye. His most thankful goodbye, and yet he spoke no words once more. It seemed like he became mute whenever the Necromancer spoke. Another nod, just like before, and he turned back to the impending task at hand.

As he led White and Antoinette down towards the room where the Worldgate was held, one thought raced through George's mind; he would quite positively not be getting out of this place. Not alive, anyways. And that did not bother him. An honorable death it would be, just like Zathrian's had been, and all of the other multiracial soldiers that fought so bravely. He now knew what it was like to be a real man.

Wars were not a new thing to George, but something this bad... It did not irk him. Should he indeed die in this mission, then he prayed that these two people that he was leading would stay safe and, hopefully, stop the caromorphs before they killed thousands more. And he, the King, shall live the peaceful life that noble soldiers lived after serving their time. Maybe he would see Zathrain again...

And so he hurried along with a sense of calmness and confidence. He would get these two to the Worldgate even if it was the last thing he did.

A little ways behind the trio, Twenty Two crawled along besides Thirteen. He did not mind the form much, although the urges were a bit annoying. At least a spider was small; it was easier to control a smaller mind than a human or dragon one.

"I'm more worried about being stepped on, to be honest," Twenty Two sent back to his companion, his multiple eyes focused straight ahead of him. "Soon enough we won't have to be in these forms. Just hang in there."

A voice made the clone pause in his scurrying. "Here we are," George said, and he stopped in front of the door. He ran his hand over it slowly, savoring the feeling of it on his fingers. He could feel the magic that bound the door, as could Ann, just in a different sense.

He already knew that the door needed a password in order for it to open, and he knew what it was. So White's words ran towards blind ears as the human King leaned in towards the door and spoke the password: "Lothering."

It was a place that meant something to both he and Zathrian, so it came as no surprise when the door opened up to reveal the time-frozen room beyond it. He pointed towards the "mirror" in the room and pushed Antoinette and White inside. "That is the Worldgate. You must hurry, our time is slipping away as we speak."

"C'mon," Twenty Two sent to Thirteen, already hurrying to get inside the room before it was too late. After all that had happened in these last few days, he was not going to be lollygagging. Especially when those creepy looking caromorphs were so close. The thought made him shiver.

George turned away from the entrance to the Worldgate's room. He had not much time left, and neither did the two people he was helping. "Go! Hurry!" Antoinette "looked" over the room, and she could sense the power coming from the Worldgate. She grabbed onto White's arm and swiftly pulled him towards the "mirror". "Come on, before those monsters find us." The thought truly terrified her, and she pushed her friend into the Worldgate before stumbling on after him.

Wherever they ended up, it would be safer than it was here.

[MatrixOne]

After crossing the world border again, White fell face-down onto hot, dry asphalt.

Not the most pleasant of landings, but it could be worse.

Then, he remembered his companion.

"Angel!"

He rolled to the side and activated the Force again, slowing down her fall and setting her on the ground gently.

She was safe. They were through.

He relaxed, trying to let the moment sink in.

Suddenly, a spider fell on White's face.
"Agh!" He grabbed the spider and was about to crush it, but then remembered how Ann didn't like when he hurt them. So he let it go.

Thirteen ran as soon as White released him.
"Recruit, are you safe? H-he nearly killed me" His spider host was terrified; It was tough not to let its fear influence the controller. "I closed the portal behind us. This world borders with ours directly; We must close the portal to our world as well, wherever it is"

White carefully stood up, taking a look around.


This world was... Empty.

Bright sunlight revealed a collapsed ruin of what used to be a modern city.

Crumbled skyscrapers overgrown by trees and vines, rusted car wrecks... This place has seen better days.


Quiet.

No sound whatsoever. No people.

"Cover your ears" White warned before taking out his pistol and firing once, in the air.

At first, no reaction. Nothing, just painful ringing in the ears.

Then, he saw movement.

Birds.

"This world is not completely dead. That's... Good" White holstered the gun. "If anyone is in the area, they're bound to hear that noise I just made" He was referring to the gunshot, of course. "Are you okay?"

***

"Twenty Two, I have an idea" Thirteen spoke from inside an empty tin can he found. It was relatively safe in there. "They are obviously in need of companions. One of us could assume the shape of a dog and accompany them; That way, we'll always keep close to our targets. And if they start relying on us, we can find the perfect moment to strike... Right after closing the portal, of course. While one of us is the dog, the other can do other tasks, such as recon"

[Nori]

Antoinette yelped when she realized that she was falling, only to have the gravity of such a fall slowed down by White. He did that a lot, even though he was not very necessary. She could tell that she was blushing from the newfound warmth in her cheeks and face, so as soon as she recovered, she looked away from White's aura in shrouded embarrassment to ensure that he could not see.

And then she remembered just what had happened in the past few minutes. She sent a silent prayer to the people back in her homeworld, hoping that not all would be destroyed. Even if just one or two beings lived, that would be enough.

She grew focussed on the world that they were in now to take her mind off of the sounds of war that echoed and replayed within her ears and mind like some sort of broken tape. She stood from her sitting position and was then quite still. To most, it would appear like she was merely daydreaming, but in reality, she was actually analyzing as much as she could about her current surroundings.

She could feel the hot asphalt under her feet, but she had not a clue as to what it was. She had rarely walked on roads before, and when she had, they were made of dirt, rocks, or cobblestone, not asphalt. Things were... silent. Dead. She could sense no auras except for a few nearby animals.

When White told her to cover her ears, she did what she was told. The girl could hear the gunshot, but she had been more prepared for it this time because of White's warning. Again, such an action was unnecessary. Her being comfortable was irrelevant to the situation, but White did not seem to think so.

As the shot echoed off the dreary landscape, she removed her hands carefully from her ears. She heard and "saw" the fluttering of wings. The creatures must have been some kind of birds. She loved the creatures, and was happy that they were around since no one else was. She wondered where all of the people went. Perhaps it was best that she could not entirely see the world that they had fallen into.



"I'm fine," Twenty Two replied calmly to Thirteen as he scurried after his companion and away from Ann and White. He was getting the hang of controlling the spider form that he was in, thankfully. Hopefully, he would not have to stay as an eight-legged creature of the night for too very long. Spiders were cool and all, but being one was entirely different.

He thought about Thirteen's plan carefully. He did not really like big, slobbering dogs; he was honestly more of a cat person. But dogs were cute, loveable, and trustworthy. Thirteen's plan was basically ingenious considering he, Twenty Two, had known in mind. But he would never so readily compliment his companion due to his own arrogant pride.

"So, we get them to trust us, close the portal to our world, and strike?" he repeated, thinking it over a little harder. It sounded kind of lengthy... It could take days, months, maybe even a year or two to complete. Who knows how big this place was. Or where their portal was located... "Sounds cool. You're Mr. Boss Man, so what're we doing right now?"

[MatrixOne]

"Um. We..." Thirteen had some trouble wording it correctly. "Listen, you did well and it's high time you got promoted to Apprentice. We'll get on with celebrations after we return to our world; For now, just stay focused. Apprentices receive much more freedom and have a right to disobey the Veteran's command if they have a good reason. But I'd appreciate it if you'd only resort to that last right in... Very extreme cases"
Thirteen paused, trying to remember all the animal forms he had.
"Hm, it doesn't really have to be a dog. Might as well be a bird, like an eagle, or something easier to domesticate. Maybe a cat? But I am unsure how big a value as a companion such an animal would be. I leave the choice of forms to you; Make sure it's something you're comfortable with being, we'll be stuck in its form for days. We'll switch shifts as the target animal, of course. I can handle it, I've had worse; Remember when I told you about that time I was a golden tooth and they mounted me in someone's mouth? Two weeks inside a man's mouth... What a horrible choice of forms, that one. Still not as unlucky as Fifty Four's case... The guy was later nicknamed 'Walking Testicle'. Dumbest form in the world"
Thirteen was remembering the stories, trying to get a break from the constant searching and scheming. They still had a lot to do.

***

White and Ann got further into the city.

"This place looks like my world, only much... Older. It's in ruins; Everything is so old, destroyed and abandoned" He tried describing it to Ann. Not like she could see this world. "The buildings are ten times as high as that big tower in your capital. They're called skyscrapers; You can understand why" He smiled, thinking of his world again. He missed it, in a way. This one was strangely similar. "Only, they are collapsed and overgrown. Still much higher than anything back in your world, though"
He peaked inside a rusted car. A taxi, it seemed.

Inside sat a dusty skeleton of the driver. What happened here, why did he die? There were no clues as to the cause of his death; Not like he'd find any if he looked. Too much time has passed.

"Hey, I see something" White picked up a small item lying in the middle of the road. "...Candy. How the hell?" He thought aloud.

He noticed one more, further away. And another. And another.
"This is... I can't believe it, it's as if someone was making a joke. They form a trail" He followed, picking them up one by one.

They reached a dark side-alley. The candy trail kept going further.
"Someone definitely wants us to go there. The question is... Should we?" White wasn't sure. It seemed like a dumb joke. But in a world such as this, finding people could be hard. Better a joker than a skeleton... Right?

[Nori]

"Apprentice?" Twenty Two questioned, and the word sounded odd to him. He could not seem to contain his excitement at this promotion, even though it was still small. It was better than being labeled "Recruit" after all, and he was slowly making his way up to top ranking. "Thank you!"

He scurried around, back and forth for a few moments while Thirteen rambled on about stories of transformations gone wrong. They sounded hilarious and horrifying all at the same time. Another perfectly good reason for him to be wary of transforming into things.

Had he been in his human form, he would have been grinning. Unfortunately, spiders lacked the appropriate muscles and what not to actually smile. "Cats are awesome. I like cats," Twenty Two stated gleefully. More masculine men like White may not like cats, but pretty much all girls did. And cats were smaller, faster, and sneaky than dogs were. And they were so cute and cuddly. It would definitely be a better choice than a noisy, slobbering dog. The only thing Twenty Two had to worry about was controlling the mind and its instincts.




Antoinette walked silently a few steps behind White, hitching her breath every time she lowered her foot onto the ground. Travelling unfamiliar terrain was frightening; Perhaps she should put her shoes on? No, there was no time to do so now. She could suck it up and be brave for a little while longer.

She hoped that there would be people nearby, but as the duo continued to walk, she could feel no neighboring auras besides White's. She was used to that since she was oftentimes alone in her room, but there was something wrong about this place. She could tell that without having to see the area.

At least when she was in her wing, there would be small creatures like spiders and butterflies. The only living thing that she had noticed so far were the birds, but where were all of the people? Had something happened to them, or were they all just hiding?

White's description of their surroundings did little to build a picture in her mind, but explaining what something looked like to a blind person was never very easy. "Candy?" she asked curiously as she continued to walk after White who was following the trail, and her eyes stared blankly ahead of her. She had heard of the word before, of course, but she was unsure about what it was.

She stopped walking when they reached the alley way. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary here, but one could never be so sure. "I think we should continue," she said with a small nod. "Maybe we'll find someone then... Best to be cautious, though."

[MatrixOne]

"Be careful with cats. Their minds and instincts are much more complex than those of primitive dogs; Most importantly, cats strive for constant domination and will try and overcome your control at every step of the way. This has its uses; You can just relax and let the animal take over and act on its own, and it's sure to handle itself well. After the mind of the cat and yours connect, you'll have the urge to behave like it. Catlike arrogance, confidence... These traits are dangerous, but can be useful, if handled correctly. Ultimately, it's your choice, since you're an Apprentice"

A cat wasn't a bad idea; Thirteen was more worried about Twenty Two. His own arrogance combined with the animal's... Hopefully he won't forget the mission and what's important. Thirteen knew that he nearly forgot, when he got caught up in the incredible world experienced by the cat. Its incredible, perfect eyesight, hearing, all the scents in the air, all the pray which can be stalked... Thirteen remembered his thoughts from back then:
'I am in power here! Mission? Who cares? Look at everything I can do, every place I can go! Why would I care about the mission? If the others can't handle it, they're useless and I have no time for them'

Controlling a dog is very simple. Its mind just waits until the controller lets it regain some control - and is happy when that happens. When the controller takes over again, the dog submits, thinking that's how it has to be.

A cat would never go for that. If it sees a bird and wants to chase it, then that's what it's gonna do. Whoever takes control of its body will have to wait 'till the cat is done playing, and if he won't wait, then he's gotta prepare for a fight, 'cause the cat is not going to give control back easily.

Of course, the human mind always wins in the end. Sometimes it gives in to the cat's instincts and desires more, sometimes less, but usually it's futile to resist a skilled controller.

***

"Well, this is shady as hell. Stay here, in case I'm packing myself into a trap" White sighed. He had to investigate... It just seemed... Weird.
"Okay, here I go"
He took a few steps forward, slowly checking every corner of the dark alley.

Suddenly, someone grabbed Ann, covering her mouth with the other hand. He wrapped his other arm around her stomach and pulled her close to himself.

There was no aura, nothing like that. She could hear the stranger's footsteps only after he was a few inches away.
It's like he wasn't... Real. She couldn't feel robots, for example; Same with him. Just... Nothing.

"No screaming, please. It makes my head ache, and has other side effects, like alarming big, armed guys who are supposed to walk into a trap" The stranger whispered. He sounded like... Well, like a human. At least.

A second later, a loud thud could be heard from the dark alley, followed up by White shouting "Argh! I can't move!"

"Right on time. Feel free to scream now" The stranger let go of Ann and backed away a little. "I mean, unless you realize it's not gonna do much good"
From his voice, his age could be estimated to be around twenty-something.
"So, let's hear one reason I shouldn't just put both of you to sleep, permanently. It's not Christmas today, you know"

[Nori]

Twenty Two knew that Thirteen had a point, although he did not want to admit that. Controlling a cat is complicated and takes a lot of skill; he knew that just from common sense. Dogs were a great deal simpler, as were birds... "Eh, maybe so. But I could use some practice or otherwise I'll never really learn how to control the instincts and mind of anything I transform into. You aren't gonna be here to coddle me forever."

He would not be an Apprentice forever. Someday, he might go off on missions on his own or with a Recruit. And if he did not learn to control when transformed now, then he would never get the hang of it. "Besides, this mission means a lot to me; it's my first. It's not like I'll purposefully try to screw it up. And even if that does happen, then I have you to remind me of what's really important."

He stopped moving around after a short moment of silence. "But if you really think I can't handle it..." He never wanted to admit his own weaknesses, but he knew himself better than anyone else did. He wanted to prove to Thirteen that he could handle being something more complex than a bird or dog because, honestly, he felt the need to prove himself worthy of his position. Thirteen was cool when he was not freaking out about everything, and Twenty Two wanted to be like his companion.

Not like he would ever say that aloud.




Antoinette held her breath the moment she felt something, a hand, covering her mouth and an arm around her stomach. What the hell? She had not noticed any auras, and yet her captor sounded kind of human. He must have been an android or robot or something. Something similar to a human, yet still not real.

She did not scream, nor did she struggle in the stranger's grasp. She was frightened, yes, but she could not let her captor know that. She let out a small sigh of relief when she heard White's shout from down the alleyway. Normally, such a thing would be petrifying to anyone, but it was strangely nice to know that White was at least alive still.

She turned around when the stranger let go of her, following his voice carefully so that she was facing him. It was hard to do since she could sense no aura from the stranger, but she had learned to use her sense of hearing from the day she was born.

"Who or what are you?" the girl asked with an almost curious tone, and she took a small step back just to ensure distance. She paused for a moment, mulling something over in that wonderful head of hers. Her face was obviously puzzled and confused as logical questions pounded in her mind. "Why exactly would you want to kill us? There seems to be little to no life in this place. What would you gain from murder? You'd only be emptying this world even more..."

She honestly could find no logic as to why this stranger would want to kill her and White. Perhaps the person was evil. Perhaps it was he that caused this place to be so... empty and melancholic.

Or maybe he was a survivor of whatever happened here. Maybe he could answer the thousands of questions that she had in the shallowest areas of her brain. She wanted answers before she died, at least, and she would not be going down without a fight.

[MatrixOne]

"I won't be holding your hand forever. Choose the tougher form, that's how I learned" Thirteen finally said. He didn't like taking risks, but he had to push Twenty Two in order to teach him something. "Someone is there!" He noticed the Stranger. "If he kills the girl, we have to step in to save the Target. We need him to guide us to the portal" Thirteen reminded, switching to bird form and taking off instantly.

***

So, the girl was either really brave or really stupid.

'What' am I? Is she trying to insult me?

"Well, first of all, you have supplies in your bag, and it's easier to loot corpses when they're... Corpses" The Stranger laughed. "Anyway, let's see how your friend is doing"
He turned towards the dark alley and approached White, not caring to wait for Ann. If she follows, then she follows, if not - he didn't care.


White was held against a wall by a few metal bars, and his hands were bound by rope. The design of the trap was simple, yet pretty clever.

"So" The Stranger smiled devilishly. "From what I can tell, the two of you are not from this world. Neither am I. But you" He pointed at White. "Probably come from the same world as me. But you've also visited other worlds... And grabbed a companion while you were at it. Blind and defenseless... I bet taking care of her is your way of making up for the past mistakes. Let me guess - you had a family and left them to die"

"Keep talking, you pink-haired fucker, and I'll cut off your other hand" White didn't appreciate the stranger deducing every detail of his life in seconds.

"Oh, that" The Stranger looked at the stump of his left hand. "Nobody can cut off my hands, but me! Ha" He kicked the trap, and it released White. "Anyway, the trap is just a precaution. I'm sure you don't mind. And if you do, you can always talk to my lawyer. Maybe he's still alive!"

The Stranger left the dark alley and walked to the middle of the road.

White followed him to make sure Ann is okay. When he saw her, unharmed, he turned back towards the Stranger, who started to talk again.

"Sadly, I can't possibly deduce your names" The Stranger said. "You can call me Jack. Back in my world, I used to be a psychopath murderer. And a detective, from time to time. It goes well together, believe it or not! You, on the other hand, look like a plumber or something. And that girl, I can't even tell! Some kind of servant? Or a slave? She's too young for prison, though she certainly act like she's been brainwashed" He seemed to think of this as some kind of guessing game.
And he was pretty good at it.

"Angel, we can both agree that this world will be better off with this guy dead, right?" White asked and equipped his pistol. "Can I kill him, please?"

"Give it your best shot!" Jack laughed. "Get it? Shot? Because... The gun?"
_____
Yeah, guess who's back. xD
And it's not a 'different' Jack, actually. It's the same Jack who fell at the end of Paradoxes. ;q

[Nori]

"Thanks, si-" Twenty Two began before he, too, noticed the Stranger. They had made it this far, and he was not going to let some freaky weirdo ruin this whole mission for him! He was tempted to just change back into his normal Clone form and tackle the guy to the ground before things got out of hand, but he knew better than to do so. He switched into the form of a small snake instead and slithered just a little closer. He was ready to intervene at any given second.




Antoinette was still quite curious about this odd man, and she was sure that if he had an aura, it would have been quite a strong one due to his... peculiar personality. He seemed rather humorous, at least, and kind of harmless. Well, that last part was probably true, but at least he was not slitting their throats right then or something equally drastic.

Perhaps he was friendly! He sure seemed so. She covered her mouth so as to stifle her laughter. Laughing at a time like this was not a very logical idea, but she was happy. Happy that they did not meet someone who killed others immediately upon glance.

If only this Stranger had an aura. It did not feel right, hearing a voice speak but having no aura to connect it to. That must have been what blind people without powers felt like all of the time. She was a very visual person, but since she had no aura to go by, nor could she see, she could not build an image of this strange man before her.

She looked over at White when she felt his aura move. Good; he was all right. She could never live with herself if White died when she could have prevented it. Luckily, such was not the case, therefore, there was absolutely no need to worry. Not yet, anyways.

"Oh, no, don't kill him," the girl immediately admonished White with a somewhat stern expression. "If he was going to really harm us, he would have done so by now, after all." She did not want to see anymore people dead. Well, actually, she could not see, as she was... Never mind.

((I knew who it was the moment you mentioned pink hair and a stump for a left hand. :D ))

[MatrixOne]

"...Fine, but I'll be keeping an eye on him" White sighed, hiding the gun. He still felt bad about being outsmarted by someone who made a candy trail to his trap.

"You two sound like you could use some info about the place" Jack could plainly see how helpless they were. "Short version is, the world's ruined, most people are dead and the survivors form groups which are hostile to each other. Same old"

"How do we leave?" White would prefer a world which does not require constant fight for survival.

"Um, go there" Jack pointed behind him.

"Just like that?"

"A couple hundred miles north and a few more... Down"

"Down?"

"Yep. Portal's underground; Creepy metro stations, night monsters, zombified adventurers, that sort of thing. Nobody made it through, as of yet. You're welcome to try, though"

"And what about you?"

"I don't have to try" Jack was made of pure confidence.

"So, I guess we're going in the same direction" White decided not to comment about Jack's cocky attitude. "I'm perfectly fine having someone eagerly jumping into danger first"

"Then it's settled" Jack ignored the insult and accepted the invitation. These people could be of use - for example, as bait. Besides, Jack wasn't too fond of loneliness; He had an easier time not thinking about the past when there were things in the present that could occupy his mind.

"I wonder..." Jack walked around Ann in circles. "You can't tell where I am, but you notice that other dude rather fine"
He approached White and sniffed his coat. "Is it the smell? I could feel the manliness from miles away, myself" He laughed.

White carefully stepped back. Jack somehow made him feel uncomfortable.

"So, girl, is your name really Angel, or did he just make it up 'cause he was too embarrassed to ask?" Jack really loved to deduce the psychology behind people's actions.

"Is your name really Jack, or did your parents figure that since they already made a joke, they'll also name it like one?" White responded with frustration.

"Fiery! So the girl is your weak point. I'll keep that in mind"

***

"Careful with the forms. We do not know which animals survived, and which have not. So far, we've seen dogs and cats, birds, a couple lizards and insects, but no snakes" Thirteen in bird form sent a thought-message to Twenty Two. "It's best if we get the DNA of animals directly from this world and change into them"
He didn't like Twenty Two storming off like that without thinking. Perhaps he was too hasty with the promotion?


It was too late; Jack noticed the snake. The detective was always looking for movement, so he saw the python rather quickly, despite the distance.
He decided to wait for the animal to make a move. It could be something from a different world, and thus, be far more dangerous than the snakes he knew.

[Nori]

Antoinette smiled absently as Jack and White spoke about the portal and whatnot. Not like she noticed, anyways. She was far too preoccupied to listen to two grown men argue over virtually nothing. This was not going to be an easy journey, that was for sure. Especially if the two kept acting like this the entire way. At least the man was not hostile. Things could honestly be worse, but only an optimist would think of this situation in that regard.

They were alive. They were not injured or harmed, for the most part. They had some supplies, and there were a lot of broken down buildings they could check for food and water if they ran out. And the structures could also work as a roof over their heads.

At least the world was not entirely empty with little to nothing in it. She hoped that the monsters would not be able to find a way into here. It was best that they stayed in one world so that more people are not affected by the things' destructive and evil nature.

Having heard her name (or nickname, to be more precise) she snapped from her daze and looked up at the two men. Well, actually, her eyes were mostly focused on White. Well, his aura, anyways. She was beginning to wonder if this "Jack" person was even real. After all that had happened, it was quite plausible that they were but merely imagining this strange man.

That was not important for now. Even if he did not have an aura, she would have to believe that he was really here with them in reality. She noticed something then; they were wasting precious moments that could be used instead to get to the portal.

"You know, we're getting wildly off task here," the young lady said, ignoring both of the men. "We ought to be spending this time more wisely, not just standing here and arguing over the littlest and dumbest of things." She wanted to move, dammit. And, more importantly, she really wanted to get out of this world as quick and soon as possible. Unfortunately, she relied heavily on White. Jack; not so much, considering they only just met. She could not leave without White, and if Jack was coming... Oh, boy.




"Shit. Didn't think about that. Sorry," Twenty Two sent back to Thirteen, and he mentally face palmed himself for being so stupid. What the hell was he going to do? Well, let us see. White and Ann had only been here for a short while, so it did not really matter if he slithered around in a snake form near them because he highly doubted that they knew of all of the surviving animals. As for Jack... He could have been here much longer.

It was probably best to change forms. Not right now, of course. He might have been stupid for his first action, but he had enough sense to realize that he had been noticed. Just play it cool and hope for the best. He slithered off, never once taking his attention off of the trio. If they moved towards him, he would be ready.

Snake was always his first choice when he needed to stay low to the ground. And what world would not have snakes? It was best not to just assume and do. Get far away, hide, and switch to a bug or something. This world would have bugs, right? Now he was being paranoid. He was starting to remind himself of Thirteen in that sense, and that was not a particularly good thing.

[MatrixOne]

The girl ignored Jack's question about her name.

He shrugged. It's not like he cared; He's not gonna use the stupid nickname, though.
She also didn't reply when he inquired about how does she notice White, but not Jack.

And that means she was either stupid, useless or both at once.

"We ought to be spending this time more wisely, not just standing here and arguing over the littlest and dumbest of things."

Jack raised an eyebrow. Funny, how that girl thought her words meant anything to anybody. From what he saw, she was worthless baggage; Like a... Pet.
"You said it" Jack told her. After all, the 'littlest and dumbest' thing they argued about was her name. "Huh. It's a wonder you two made it this far, when you let the weakest one tell you what to do" He added, shaking his head.

"Actually, she's right. Without your interruption, we'd already be..." White didn't like Jack's attitude.

"...Dead" Jack interrupted him. "So if you want any chance of reaching the portal, you're gonna have to listen to me. Funny, isn't it?" Jack bumped White's shoulder to accent the 'power over him'.

White was getting frustrated by Jack's attitude more and more.
"So" He addressed Ann. "Can I blast him to bits now, or should I leave the body in one piece so we can loot it?"

Jack ignored him and started talking about the plan.
"The best way out of town is by train. The trains are maintained by the Shields; It's a brotherhood of sorts. They forge steel and iron armor out of scrap metal they scavenge. Very poorly made, and looks dumb as hell, like a couple medieval knights shooting guns" He laughed, remembering the previous encounters with Shields. "They're a bunch of morons, so we should have multiple ways to get on the train. Besides, they try to 'keep their humanity', so we can probably use the blind girl as a free train ticket"

___________
Should we create one more pair, like we did for the previous world (Zathrian and George, I mean)?

[Nori]

Antoinette glared at the direction of Jack's voice. She was not weak. Blind and weak were two entirely different things! She could handle herself to an extent. Not in situations like these, but she had never saw a day like this coming. It was not like she had been training to fight off monsters and get through portals to other fucking worlds. And yet Jack dared to call her weak? She could fight. She has done it before. If she could see the offending, pink-haired man right then, she would have slapped him for being so rude with little to no regret in heart.

She crossed her arms over her chest and set her jaw to plainly show her disapproval. Her self confidence was shining through. She was smarter than these two men combined. When it came to survival, brains were needed. She had those. And she was also trying to keep the two in line. On track. Focused on the task. Otherwise, they would merely stand around and bicker all day over what?

Jack was really stepping on her toes, figuratively speaking. If they needed her in order to get on a fucking train out of town, then they ought to at least be nicer. Not that White had anything to do with this. He seemed to disapprove of Jack, as well, and she was starting to regret her hasty decision to let him stay and help. For all they knew, Jack could be leading them right into a death trap. She did not doubt that the man would do that.

If it was not for her incapability to see, then she would just go off on her own. She had most of the supplies, after all. She would not last very long alone, of course, but if it would show these boys just how tough she was... She would face death if it meant she would be accepted by all.

"Why don't we stop talking about, and go fucking do it then?" She did not curse very often. But she would not take being called 'the blind girl' standing down. Jack was speaking like she was not even there. She did not appreciate that, and would have reacted violently if she could sense Jack's aura. Maybe she should just let White murder him already, if that would get the newcomer to shut the hell up.

She wanted to just reject to the idea altogether because it would be helping Jack. If it was really that simple to get on a train, then she could do it herself. She would probably run into trouble long before then, though, so she kind of had to stick with the boys. But the girl was not going down without a fight. She would not allow either man to take advantage of her in any way.

((I do not object to the idea at all ^^))

[MatrixOne]

"Why don't we stop talking about, and go fucking do it then?"

That crossed the line. Jack was offering them help, and while it was a... Difficult kind of help, he meant well. If she can't appreciate it, he won't bother.
"You know what's funny? I don't need either of you. It's the other way around, really" He laughed. "Well, I hope you two have fun on your own. Try to keep your pet on a shorter leash next time, pal" He waved to White and turned around, going towards the back-alley where the trap was located.

"I'll break your face" White hissed and used his Force, sending a wave of energy forward.
For a few seconds, everything got covered in dust raised by the force. All the junk that lied about got pushed forward, but Jack...

Jack kept going, as if absolutely nothing happened. The Force push didn't move him even by an inch.

While White was trying to comprehend how this was possible, Jack was already gone from view.
"Is he a fucking ghost, or a hologram, or something..." White muttered to himself. "Anyway, we're on our own now. Proud of yourself?" He sighed. He couldn't stay angry at Ann for long. "Well, we know where the trains are, at least. Hopefully, the people there will point us in the right direction. Let's get going"

He was a little surprised by Ann's sudden anger. He didn't like seeing her like that.
Hopefully, she'll calm down.

***

Jack saw a lot of weird stuff, but the magical force wave? That was new.

More importantly, why did it not work on him? He felt nothing, yet the world around him was affected. A mystery...

Did it have something to do with Jack being taken out of a simulation? The 'time-machine' thing that his real self used to recover him from his times, it didn't actually port anybody from the past; It only recreated them. Simulated.

He felt as human as anybody, but there was definitely something off about him.

The spiritual 'level', the 'magic', it did not affect him, it would seem.

Interesting.

But not as interesting as the bird which was flying around the place for an hour already, not doing anything productive.
What's with all the animals behaving weirdly? First the snake, now this bird...
Suspicion.

Jack grabbed his pistol, pointed at the bird and fired.

***

"H-he just shot at me!" Thirteen communicated to Twenty Two. When he saw the gun shoot, he made a sharp turn to the right, and the bullet whizzed an inch away from his wing. He barely evaded it.

Thirteen decided that staying in the air was not a good idea, so he landed behind some buildings.
"What do we do with him? If he's suspecting anything, we may have to take him out"

***

Jack smiled.

Another mystery.

Birds don't dodge bullets. They're birds.

Jack made sure he was a good distance away from White and Ann.

"I know you can hear me, bird or whatever you are" He shouted.

Thirteen was thinking of the possibilities here.
"Assume a form that can take a bullet or two, and talk to him. Our cover is blown, so if he's of no use to us, we can kill him" He finally said to Twenty Two. "He knows the world. He may be of use"

______
I have an idea for a cool pairing. You'll see later ;q

[Nori]

Antoinette's spirits were raised when she heard that Jack planned to leave. Good. Helpful or not, she did not want an insolent jerk around. Of course, she did not want him dead, either. She wanted to wring Jack's neck for all it's worth, but she knew that was impossible. And even if it was, just was not a very hostile person in general.

She could sense White using his Force, and she did not need the ability to see to tell that Jack had been unaffected by it. She could just tell. He really must be a ghost or something or other. Fucking imaginary. Was not even real. She glared down at the ground, still raging on the inside.

White's anger with her did little to assuage the girl's own growing temper. Her head pounded painfully and her body grew stiff to try and prevent herself from lashing out once more. "We're better off without him here with us anyway. I'm not fucking weak," she said, grumbling the last part under her breath.

She was pacing in order to relieve some of the excess energy that the anger had brought. She was wide awake now, and she was ready for anything. She took a few steps in one direction, passing by White. She paused before she got more than six feet away, turned around, and began to head in the opposite direction. She stopped then, too, stood for a moment, and made a noise of frustration.

She walked around in a circle as though she was hoping to see something. She stopped after going three laps around the specific area they were in, and she made a noise of burgeoning annoyance. She faced White, but was glaring at the ground still with tears threatening to show; She did not want him to see her act so...

"You lead the way, then," Ann said quietly, resentment lingering within her frail and hoarse voice. The emotion was not towards White; He had done nothing wrong. She was just upset that she could not do anything right, and Jack had decided to point her out on this.




"Pfft. And you were worried about me," Twenty Two shot back humorously, although there was a small hint of worry in his tone. Arrogant or not, he still cared about Thirteen's well-being, in a way. If anyone shot dared to shoot his companion, they would wish that they had never been born.

"Don't get yourself killed... And you got us caught, too? Jeez." He was a little pissed off at this, but now was not the appropriate time to start fighting over it. Honestly, Thirteen ought to be more careful about this mission. He had already been shot at and almost squished. What would Twenty Two do if his mission partner and 'boss' was to die before the mission was completed?

He crept closer to where Jack was in his new insect form. He assumed that Thirteen was on one of the roofs somewhere close by. "You'd really trust me with that? Okay, then..." was the first thing that he sent to Thirteen after hearing of this new mission. He did not mind the extra challenge. "Watch out, though! This man could easily kill us before we even get close to him."

He could tell dangerous men apart from the others. He was not going to take many chances around this guy. As for another form... He sighed. Changing forms was really tiring after a while, especially since that seemed like all he had been doing for... Well, for a long, long time.

Normally, he would start complaining at this point. He was becoming mentally exhausted at controlling these forms, no matter how small they were. It took a lot of focus and skill to be able to control the minds of so many different creatures, and he lacked both of those things. So, naturally, today would be quite draining.

But if their cover was blown, then he would have to comply. That, and he was an Apprentice now. That seemed to change his state of mind, make him feel more intent on doing his very best during the duration of this mission. "Of course, you'd always make me do the more dangerous things..." Well hidden from Jack's view, he switched forms to a middle-class commoner that he had seen earlier, in the other world. With better clothing than most and a stronger build, he did not look very out of the ordinary. "Does this work, or should I use something more subtle?" He could not suppress his sarcastic personality.

[MatrixOne]

Thirteen swiftly flew over to Twenty Two, and switched to his human form right before he touched down, landing skillfully on the ground.
"Well, I was thinking more about the dragon form, but this can do, as well" He sighed. Is Twenty Two going to keep asking him about everything? "It's your choice. If it comes down to a fight, it's two on one, and this guy has no powers or anything"
He gently pushed Twenty Two in the direction of Jack, who was still standing in the middle of the street, waiting for a response.
"Go on, I'll, uh, cover your back" Thirteen added with a sly smile.

***

White tried his best to ignore Ann's anger and focus on moving on.
"Give it a break, we're probably not gonna see him again" He tried reassuring her. "And we're also nearing the train station. Looks like it's heavily guarded"

The Central Station was cleared of all useless junk and reinforced to make it as defensible as possible. It was the center of traffic in this dead city, and pretty much the only place one could find normal people.

For a destroyed world, the trains sure worked well. And people knew to protect them as best they could; It was probably the best long-distance means of transport available.

The entire Central Station was protected by the Shields. Each entrance and exit had outposts, and there were guards patrolling inside.

As White and Ann made their way to the station, they passed a few scavengers and adventurers. Everyone outside the station was on their guard, people generally avoided each other and always tried to have some kind of cover nearby, in case they were attacked.

"At least they don't shoot on sight" White sighed, remembering the old mage attacking him for no reason.

Ann and White walked up to two Shield guards standing in front of the gate leading into the station.
All Shields had metal armor painted white, long swords, large, white shields with a red flower painted on them, and torn white capes.
They also had handguns, but they were strapped to their hips primarily for decor, and the guns looked like they haven't been fired for a long time.

Furthermore, the two gate guards were holding hands. They were both guys.

"Uh, hi?" White decided to speak first.

"Do you wish to pass?" One of the guards asked, not letting go of the other guard's hand.

"No, I'm just fucking sightseeing" White got frustrated by the stupid question.

"Ah. Enjoy your stay, then" The Shield answered.

"...Are you kidding? Let us through. And what's with the hands, can't you two wait 'till you're alone, or something?"

The Shield needed a moment to fully understand what White was trying to say.
"...We are emotionally attached to each other on a fully professional level" He elaborated. "It is a simple way of comforting a fellow Shield-guard during a long, tiresome post" He let go of the other Shield's hand and approached White to properly greet him. "Good day to you. Please store your weapons inside this box. It will only be openable after you leave the safe area of the station"
White did as the Shield asked. He didn't want any trouble.

After that, they let him and Ann inside.

"Alright, we're in. Now it should just be a matter of choosing one of those trains, and we have plenty to choose from. They keep coming and leaving" White explained.

Then, a loud megaphone recording started playing:
"Train traffic halted until the next day. Please stay safe"
The message was broadcasted a few times.

Shields were discouraging people from leaving.

"Hey, what's this about?" White asked the guards.

"Caromorphs are lurking in the darkness" The Shield explained. "And there is a murderer on the loose. Very dangerous criminal, it is best not to leave the safety of the Station" The guard pointed at a wanted poster.

"Right" White noted the wanted poster on the wall depicting Jack. He didn't tell Ann about it, though. "Caromorphs. Some things never change... Still, I could think of worse places for the night" He said to Ann. "They have free beds and cheap food. We can rest, and I can tell you about this... Type of world, if you have questions" White chose one of the beds (normal 'bedroom' type double beds, which were probably hauled inside by the Shields).

The windows got barred, the gates were shut, but the station was far from being silent and dark.

People were talking, some were singing. Others played on guitars next to fireplaces. Shields kept patrolling, addressing everyone kindly and trying to break up any fights.

The atmosphere was warm and friendly. Not like outside of the Station; Here, people were like a one, big community.
"We can go to them, if you want. They seem to be having fun" White offered.

[Nori]

Twenty Two scoffed at Thirteen and ran a hand through his hair. "After what happened last time? You must be losing your mind," he teased as he playfully punched Thirteen in the shoulder. "As for what I said, it was a joke. You need to loosen up a bit."

He walked a few steps toward Jack, and despite his joking and calm manner, he was intently focused on the peculiar man ahead of them. "Of course, you'd always make me do the dangerous stuff. You're lucky I'm so readily willing to be your human shield should this wacko decide to attack us on sight, sir."

A smirk played on his lips, but he otherwise maintained a serious, mature expression. He walked more towards Jack, but was still some distance away. Should he call out to the guy? Should he wait until he was spotted? And then what? Prepare for an attack?

After making sure that Thirteen was indeed behind him, he jogged a few feet ahead. He would call out, but he was unsure of what he was to say. Their covers were already blown, after all, and he had no interest in dying. Murdering, on the other hand... This weirdo might be harmless, or he could be some sort of a one-man ninja army and could attack at any given moment. He was not taking many chances. "Hey, you there!"




Antoinette trailed quietly after White like some love-struck puppy after its owner. She made few sounds. Occasionally, she kicked a few rocks up here and there, mainly by accident, since she could not see what she was doing. She just needed to kick or lash out at something, and that was what inanimate were made for, after all. They were just perfect to throw and toss around when one was in a despicable mood.

Like her. She was desperate not to take any of her anger out on White, so it came as no shock when she merely gave a simple "okay" when her travelling companion announced their arrival at the train station. She could sense others nearby, so that did make her a bit happier than before, although she did not show this.

She made absolutely sure that she stayed close to White's aura as her mind's eye absently studied the few others that they passed by. She wanted to reach out and grab White's hand out of nervousness, but such a move had never been appreciated back where she came from, and she had already irritated the man, so she refrained from doing so. She stopped when White did, and she instead retrained her focus on the two Shield guards before them.

Since they did not attack right away, she guessed that they were quite friendly. One could never be so sure, though, so she stood close to her companion as he and one of the guards spoke. She offered a meek, shy smile to the other guard who remained quite still and silent, and although she could not see it, she knew that the man had smiled back and nodded politely.

She knew that she was going to like it here. The girl followed her friend inside the Central Station, and she took the time to 'look' around. There were more people in here than she had suspected, and everything seemed... nice. Until that message was broadcasted via megaphone, that is. "Wait, so the caromorphs are here, too?" She did not expect that to get answered, considering it had already been answered.

She was disheartened to hear that, but at least they were safe, right? She sighed as she lowered herself onto the ground in front of White. Caromorphs, and a murderer, too. Dammit. "I know what this world is like, to an extent," Ann replied, but the irritation was hardly noticeable as she watched the white figures that were people in her eyes have fun. "It's warm here, so there are fireplaces, yes?" She did not like the cold, even if she was accustomed to the feeling of it by now.

She was silent for a few moments, her eyes sad while they gazed longingly at the cheerfulness of the others. This atmosphere... It was relaxing and soothing and everything she had always dreamed of, but it was not for her. She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin upon them. She did not want to bother anyone; she had already done enough of that in her lifetime. She would normally go for a walk, but that was not really possible at the moment. "We're stuck in here, aren't we?" It was nice, but she did not belong.

[MatrixOne]

Thirteen facepalmed.
"You basically just revealed yourself as either equal or inferior. Where's your cocky attitude when we need it?" He sent a thought. "Make him believe you're a force to be reckoned with! Don't let him think he has the upper hand"

Thirteen decided to shut up. Didn't he just promote Twenty Two? Why would he keep ordering him around?

He was just paranoid. Not everything had to go according to his plan; Twenty Two can handle things his way, so why not just let him do it on his own?
Thirteen sighed. Throughout the time they spent together as agents, he started to care for his recruit, so that's why he kept trying to correct everything.

But the recruit was an Apprentice now. Stakes were higher. It's supposed to be a challenge.
So he didn't say anything else, and prepared to attack if something were to happen.


Jack holstered the gun when he saw Twenty Two.
"You do realize that tunics stopped being fashionable a couple hundred years ago, right?" He pointed out, grinning. "You're knee-deep in this, aren't ya, big guy. Feels like it's been raining weirdos today"
He kept walking towards Twenty Two, doing his best to notice if there is any movement in the ruins behind him.
"Care to fill me in? Me, myself, I'm made of sixty percent magic and forty percent rocket science, so I should fit right in with you and all the other unexplainables you've got with you"

***

White sat on the bed next to Ann and wrapped his arm around her.
"I wouldn't call it being stuck, my Angel" He smiled. "I mean, we can always shoot the place up and steal one of the trains. But I think it would be safer to travel during the day, because... You know, caromorphs"
He sighed. They were indeed everywhere.

"This is what my world will be like, years after the caromorph invasion" He decided to tell her more. "It's old, ruined, destroyed... The monsters are here, but not in number. They are gathering forces, but not here. This world has already fallen, and the people who are still here are trying to get the hell out. That's pretty much it"

He started stroking her hair. "It's been a long day. I think we can use the rest" He placed a shy kiss on the back of her head. "Get some sleep"

He stood up and stretched lazily. "I'll see if I can barter for some supplies, weapons or info, and get back to you. I'll try not to shoot up the place by accident"

_____
Exam month has just started D:
I may take a day or two longer in answering than usual. But I'm not leavin' yah, oh no : D.
See, that's why shorter RPs are usually better. We still have a quarter to go :3
Though I'm not complaining, I think this one is quite cool;q.

[Nori]

"Dude, calm down," Twenty Two sent back to Thirteen as he watched Jack carefully. He was calm and collected. Nervous, too, but he managed to fight that down. "If he thinks he has the upper hand, then we'll just change that. No biggie. And I'm sure we could take him on in a fight, if it comes to that. I know what I'm doing."

That last statement was only a half-truth. He really did not have a clue as to what he was doing, but he was doing it. He was kind of just running of that gut feeling he felt without realizing it: instincts. He could handle this. Did Thirteen not believe in him? He would just have to show his fellow agent that he could be trusted in situations like these.

With his jaw set in sheer determination, his usual cocky grin slipped almost unconsciously into place while he took in what Jack said. The guy had put his gun away; that was a good sign. "Are tunics really that out-of-date? I find them quite fashionable still," he responded wryly, sticking his nose into the air and crossing his arms for a moment in an arrogant manner. He arched an eyebrow at Jack as he studied the man's appearance. "You're one to talk; you really must be made of magic to have hair like that."

Why exactly was he joking around with this guy? Twenty Two had not a clue, but it seemed safe enough to continue. He circled around Jack, ready to attack if need-be. Jack seemed kind of... harmless, but he did not doubt this odd man's capabilities for a second. One simply could not be too arrogant to think of a possible opponent as weak, or it could easily cost them their head.

"I guess I'm just not caught up with these times, yet," he offered with a shrug, stopping in front of Jack, but still far enough to ensure personal space and distance. He cocked his head to one side as he continued to look over Jack as though trying to find out something about him. This man... he had a weird sort of vibe coming from him, but Twenty Two was not frightened. Worried, yes, but only a little. He knew what he was doing.




Antoinette smiled and leaned into White. He was definitely reassuring, even if he did bring up the caromorphs. Although, just knowing that she really could leave at any time she wanted along with White made her feel more calm. She could do that in her castle, but things were different then. If she did find a way to leave, she would be punished. Well, her punishment of leaving now would probably mean death. It was definitely best just to stay put until morning and hope that claustrophobia did not settle in.

She listened to White talk more about the world they were in, but, honestly, she was not paying the most attention. Her eyes had slid shut to their surroundings, and she was just enjoying White's company. She liked having him nearby. It definitely made her feel a great deal safer. They could be in the eye of a horrible storm, and she would hardly notice, so long as White was there with her.

"Hmm?" she mumbled at the mention of sleep, and she went a light scarlet when she noticed that White had just kissed her head. "O-oh, yeah," the young lady agreed, looking away from White as she laid down on the bed. Today had been such a long and adventurous, action-filled day, and she really was exhausted. So much had happened in the last few hours; she deserved rest.

She opened her eyes when White stood from the bed, and she took in his bright aura with a small smile. "Stay safe, then." Secretly, she wanted to accompany White, but she was already so shy, and the mere thought of walking made her body scream in agony. Rest was needed now.

((Do not worry about it. o3o This is my summer vacation, so I may or may not be on that much. We have not really got any plans, so I will probably be on the computer a lot. Good luck with exams! :D ))

[MatrixOne]

Jack made sure to be facing Twenty Two at all times. He let his guard down, but not enough to afford turning his back to the stranger.

"You know..." He grinned, coming a bit closer to Twenty Two. "You should really get rid of that tunic. Like, immediately. I wouldn't mind the view at all" He looked Twenty Two in the eye confidently, but then relaxed and backed off. "As for my hair, nope. That part of me is rocket science; My magic lies hidden deep within my pants. I can prove it to you, if you like" He was grinning, but his offer was... Serious.

Thirteen was speechless for a few seconds.
"...You certainly have a way with strangers" He finally said. "B-but tell me you're not really... Considering it"

***

White restocked on food and ammo, asked around for further info about the world, cities and stations, and found the right train for him and Ann.

The train was already on the station; It would depart in the morning.

This will be a long trip, but White made sure they'd have a nice, spacious place in a railcar.

He decided to check it out while nobody's there; Make sure it's safe and sound as they say. He didn't want Ann to get hurt, or be uncomfortable for the duration of the trip.

So, White left the stuff he bought at Ann's bed and made his way to the car, armed with a pistol as a precaution.

A Shield guard stopped him.
"Don't go there, friend. That part of the station is dark and there may be a caromorph in there. It'll disappear after sunrise, so no need to worry about safety"

"Yeah, I'll take my chances" White ignored him.

"Suit yourself, but don't say you weren't warned. And don't mess with the engines"

White wasn't paying attention to the guard, because he caught a glimpse of movement in one of the trains. Not the train they were supposed to use, but there it was...

Caromorph? Or something else?

Man, it's dark in here.

And to think that a hundred yards away, the people were singing and laughing. He could hear them, but it only put him in a disadvantage as he wouldn't hear anything crawling on top of the trains or creeping up from behind.

He pulled the heavy metal sheet away and stepped on board of a train. His eyes were not yet adjusted to the dark, so he could barely make out the contours.
"I know you're in here" He said, not really expecting an answer. But he had to investigate the suspicious movement...

____________
(Awright. xD Jack)

As for what White is doing, it's an opportunity for you to create that second character who will later accompany Jack (can be a man, woman, it's all up to you). You can ambush White, take his gun and knock him out, or maybe just wait for him to leave. Anything you want. ;q

Who your character can be? The circumstance suggests a roguish thief-like char, but you can create anyone, I'll work with what I get, so worry not ;q.

Tomorrow I have a test of all the history subject related stuff I managed to cover during the 2 years I've been in high school ;q. (That's a LOT xD)

[Nori]

Twenty Two raised his eyebrows in mock surprise at Jack, and he feigned innocence. "Are you suggesting what I think you are suggesting? I don't even know your name yet... And we only met a handful of minutes ago." He did not respond to Thirteen because, in reality, he actually was kind of considering it...

He had been it situations like these before. But he was usually never in the right state of mind at those times. This time seemed different. His jaw was just as locked as his gaze, and he looked the man before him over. Jack seemed damn serious about that offer, but it could just be a trick to rob his loot, or something along those lines. Such a thing was not unheard of. Someone could easily promise another 'something', and turn against them instead. It made sense, and it was a good technique.

He was not letting his guard down. "You must be pretty damn confident if you think I'd agree to that. How do I know this isn't some trick? After all, you're just a weirdo stranger." And he was the same to Jack. The clone was grinning, still, though. Maybe...




The silhouette of an unidentified living organism prowled past the seats on the train. It was much too dark to be able to see many details of this person. The shadowy figure would only walk so far before stopping and turning back in a movement known as 'pacing'. The person was actually not very nervous; that is, until he heard someone else boarding the train.

A hand partly concealed by a long, fingerless, black glove shot straight towards a utility belt around the silent figure's waist. A somewhat small gun was pulled out from one of the pockets, and the silhouette glided over to a seat, easily hiding behind it do to the lack of light and the seat's dark color.

Unseen eyes watched White very carefully, analyzing his each and every move, even his breath. Now would be the perfect time to strike. This man would surely have something of use on his person. If not... There was always some sort of use that could come out of anyone. When it came down to situation like these, White could easily make a next meal or a toy.

The figure rose from the simple hiding place and strode up behind White, never once making a sound. Had to stay quiet; would not want to get caught. The movement stopped once the person was a few feet behind the target. Thankfully, wearing all black clothing in a dark environment really made a person blend in quite well. The already-loaded gun was raised, and a gloved hand swiftly wrapped around White's neck, covering the man's mouth while the other pressed the weapon against White's head.

((Good luck with that! I hate history, so I feel bad for you- Hope you do well.))

[MatrixOne]

"I-if you wanted to... I mean, you could have just said so..." Thirteen sent a thought. In their society, there were no rules preventing a recruit-commander romance. "Well, this guy doesn't seem hostile, so I guess I'll just... Make sure our targets are at the station already."

Jack could plainly see that Twenty Two was uncertain. The guy wasn't surprised or grossed out; He just asked a question regarding safety. Interesting.
"Oh, people call me 'Weirdo' all the time. Though I find that funny, coming from a guy with bright red eyes..."
Of course - all the forms but Twenty Two's real form had one distinguishable feature - red eye color.

It was dark now. And Jack was on his guard.

As soon as he heard movement behind him, he turned around, grabbed his revolver, took a step backwards, looked down the sights and fired.
All in a split-second. His reflexes were nearly superhuman.

The attacking caromorph disappeared as soon as the bullet went through its deformed skull.
"Y'know, there's a train station nearby. We could drop by, unless you have some kind of death wish. I wouldn't really be surprised"
He noticed some movement, but the monster did not attack yet.
"And the trains will be empty 'till tomorrow. We should have plenty of time to... Get to know each other"

***

Thirteen in fly form sat on a Shield guard who was leaving the station and captured his DNA.
He then assumed his form and went inside the train station.

He noticed Ann sitting on a bed, alone.
"Hello, my lady. Where is your companion? It is unsafe to leave this area at night" He asked Ann, mimicking the guard's exact behavior and way of speaking.

***

White instantly realized that he was dealing with a professional.

His Force power would do him no good now, with a gun in his face...

He wanted to fight, but he had to watch over Ann. Who would take care of her if he was killed?

So, White didn't try to fight. He dropped the weapon and remained motionless.
It'd be stupid of this guy to just kill him; He'd halt the train movement tomorrow, and possibly bring an army of guards on his head.
But it's best not to take chances and cooperate, for now.

[Nori]

"You do that. I'll handle this guy," Twenty Two sent back to Thirteen with a sly smirk on his lips. This was definitely going to be... interesting, that was for sure. He was somewhat relaxed around Jack, or, at least, he clearly looked like he was. Best not to let his shield down for a second. It was getting pretty damn dark out, anyways, which meant thing would be lurking in the shadows, quite literally.

He had forgotten about his eyes... Were they really that noticeable? He frowned slightly, and he crossed his arms defensively over his chest. He was prepared to say something haughty in response, but his mind went fuzzy at the sound of Jack's gun. It took him a moment to realize and understand what had just happened, and then the grin was back on his face once more.

"You're pretty good at that," he commented, watching Jack carefully. "Let's start heading to that train station, then, before more of those infernal creatures decide to make their appearance. Maybe when we're there, you can show me what else you're good at..."




Antoinette looked up at the supposed Shield guard before her, and she rubbed at her eyes in order to keep them open. At least then she would have some idea as to where the man stood. Where had he come from?

There was something odd about this, but she could not quite put her finger on it. Maybe if she was more awake, she would have been able to figure out what it was that bothered her.

He seemed safe to trust, though. "I don't know... I'd thought he would be back by now. He went off to get some stuff and talk with the others." She yawned softly, wanting to go to sleep. But White really should have been back by now. Where was he? She hardly had the energy to worry, though. He was fine, wherever he was, surely...




Eyes trailed after White's weapon as it fell with a soft clatter to the ground. At least White was sane enough not to try and fight just yet. Could not take any chances, though. "You do what I say, I won't kill you." The quiet, slightly hoarse voice proved the rogue to be male.

He told the truth, though. Although he would not mind blowing White's brains out all over the place, he would rather not have any bloodshed. Murdering was not his aim unless it was necessary. He had been doing this for quite some time now, and he had let most of his prey go unharmed.

The hand covering White's mouth slowly moved away from its original position, and the barrel of the gun pressed roughly and threateningly against the side of White's head. "Scream or call for help, and I won't hesitate to shoot," he warned before sliding his free hand down to White's chest. He pulled the man closer to himself to ensure that they were close, and he maneuvered his arms carefully so that his prey's arms were pinned mostly to his sides. The gun never once slipped away from its maybe-victim.

The thief's legs moved so that they were positioned in a way that did not allow much leg movement for White. He never once allowed the man to glimpse him as he worked. He could not afford that; not after what happened last time. That had been a stupid mistake that he would not make again.

The hand on White's chest slid down further in a swift move, and he began checking the man's pockets for anything. Even trash was worth something you were a thief that just needed to get by one whatever you could lay your hands on. He was mainly searching for a wallet or something; money was good, and he needed that.

[MatrixOne]

Thirteen did his best to make his guard's voice warm and friendly.
"Do not worry, young lady, I'll bring your friend back safe" He reassured her and decided to check out the trains.

When he turned around to leave, he saw Twenty Two and Jack entering the station.

Jack was pretty observant, so he immediately noticed him. Or, to be more precise, he saw his shiny red eyes for a short moment before Thirteen turned his head to hide the eyes from Jack.
"Fucking warn me next time" Thirteen sent a thought to Twenty Two. "Is he onto me? Don't take any chances. Get him away from these people and kill him" He ordered. Better safe than sorry, right? "One of our targets is missing. I'll go investigate; I don't like it"

And he made his way towards the trains.


Meanwhile, Jack managed to reach a bunch of different conclusions, create a detailed plan of action in his head, along with all the different possibilities and outcomes.

Shapeshifting was pretty ridiculous, but after seeing animals act like humans would, there were no doubts about that.

And that guard? Jack knew him, and this guy had normal eyes just a few hours ago. No way is this a coincidence. Jack had to follow him.

"Well, it's about damn time the two of us find someplace away from the prying eyes, eh?" He grinned, bumping Twenty Two with his elbow playfully. "And guess what - there ain't nobody in those trains at night. You may call that destiny" He grabbed Twenty Two's hand without waiting for permission, and started walking towards the trains, making sure he'd stay a good distance from the 'red-eyed guard'.

Of course, he had to be careful with his 'red-eyed companion'. He would most likely try something.

***

White wanted nothing else than to punch the living shit out of the thief.
But he couldn't just attack and risk his life; Not while Ann is his responsibility.
"Take what you want and leave" He said quietly, not trying to see the rogue's face. Not trying to get freed. "If I ever meet you again, I swear you'll be spitting your broken teeth on the floor. You've messed with the wrong guy"

"Hey! This area is off limits for the night" Thirteen shouted, seeing two dark silhouettes inside a train car. He was still some distance away; There was more than enough time for the rogue to leave. Or attack.

"What now?" White asked, grinning. "Gonna run, coward? Make sure you wave your hands like a chicken while you do that" He laughed.

[Nori]

"Awh, why do you always have to ruin my fun? I was totally about to score!" Twenty Two responded with a mental groan of dissatisfaction. He glanced at Thirteen out of the corner of his eye; it was not that hard for the undercover clone to spot his friend. He set his jaw, and turned his attention away from Thirteen so as not to seem suspicious. "All right. I'll do what I can. Stay out of trouble yourself."

He knew Thirteen was right to be paranoid this time. Jack could be totally dangerous, and he was not about to allow these innocents to die if he could prevent it. A few was okay, but he did not want to get into any trouble himself. Why was it that this mission was not as easy-going as he had originally hoped?

Twenty Two looked at Jack, alarmed as the pink-haired man began to pull him off towards the direction Thirteen had gone in. He knew that Jack wanted to follow his fellow clone, but he could not object or protest. He could not be suspicious, even if his new, odd 'friend' already suspected him. "Wh-what? Y-y-yeah, okay," he stammered weakly, walking to keep up with Jack. Get him away from the innocents, than attempt an attack. Do not look tense. Remain calm. This was harder than it looked.




The thief merely scoffed and shook his head. White honestly had some nerve. Better than protests, though. Fighting a guy like White would not be an easy thing to do, even if this hooded fellow had an advantage. He had already stolen and pocketed the things that he needed when Thirteen showed up.

To his credit, he did not freak out like he had the first time someone had interrupted. He had enough experience not to just run, either. "I'm not a chicken, you bastard," he growled in a low, quiet tone. He sounded irritated, but he was still quite calm. He had what he needed, he could leave if he wanted to. If White even only why this rogue had chosen this life of crime...

Starting a fight was not wise, though. He was not a coward, but he needed to get away. Did not want anything to get messy. He let go of White, but he had disappeared into the shadows of the train in the blink of an eye. He never made a sound when he walked, after all, which made him good at what he did. He was going to eat tonight, and that was all that mattered. No fights. Just a clean getaway.

[MatrixOne]

Jack decided to get behind one of the trains, so that Thirteen would no longer see or hear him.

He had to take care of things one after another, starting with...

"What, scared? It's just darkness" Jack smirked. "We should have some privacy over here..."

As soon as Twenty Two followed him around the back of the train, Jack dashed forward, pressing Twenty two against the metal car.
"Lately..." He started speaking, making sure he had a good hold of Harrison's throat. "...More and more people seem to think having shiny, red eyes is quite fashionable. Care to enlighten me?" He lowered his voice to a threatening half-whisper. "They're so pretty, I could just rip them out" He put on the most psychotic of smiles he could. And he was a pretty skilled psycho.

***

One second, Thirteen could see the shadowy figure behind White, the next - it was gone.
When he turned around to see if Twenty Two is still there, he found that his partner was gone as well.

"A-apprentice? What's your status?" He sent a message. This was worrying. And scary. Thirteen didn't like it when things got scary.


White picked his gun back up from the floor; The thief was in too much of a hurry to grab it, apparently.
He approached Thirteen.
"Good timing. I seem to be a magnet for wanted criminals"

"Please return to the safe area. It is dangerous here" Axis responded like a normal guard would.

"Don't tell me what to do" He responded angrily, but decided to follow the advice. Enough near-death experiences for one day.

What an asshole, Thirteen thought. "The target is safe. Where are you?" He sent a thought to his partner again.

[Nori]

Twenty Two risked a short glance at Thirteen when he and Jack were close enough to the trains. He could still see Jack out of the corner of his eye when he rounded his corner.

So, his mistake?

He let his guard down.

He was such a fucking idiot. He knew that Jack was on to both him and Thirteen, so why the hell was he not prepared for the swift attack? He should have saw it coming, and he did. But he was just stupid.

And a little scared, if he was to be truly honest. His facade slipped some, giving away his growing panic. He needed to play it cool. He got himself into this mess, he had to get himself out. He could not always rely on Thirteen, after all.

"I'm... I'm fine. Sort of...," Twenty Two sent back to Thirteen, taking in deep, strangled breaths. Jack had quite a grip on his throat, and he hoped that it would not bruise. "He's really on to us, though, although I'm sure you already knew that... I'm really in a pickle, and I'm not too sure about what to do."

He had to lie, try to weasel his way out of this. It was a long shot, and it could definitely fail, but he was not just going to spill the beans about everything.

"A bit aggressive, aren't we?" Twenty Two nearly purred; he seemed quite a bit calmer than he had been before. He needed to calm down, play innocent to the best of his abilities. Although Jack's smile was quite unnerving. "You're one to speak, what with your hair and all."

Red eyes were uncommon, were they not? Maybe that was something they ought to fix about the cloning. If the eyes stood out so much, then change the color. He pushed that to the back of his mind for the time being.

"Besides, I don't have a clue what you're getting all wound up about. Red eyes are rather popular in the gothic community. Is it so much a sin to have them?"

"I might require back-up. Don't think I can take him down alone."

[MatrixOne]

When Jack saw a guard with shiny, red eyes, holding a sword in one hand and a shield in another approaching him, he let go of Twenty Two and took a few steps back. The space here was rather confined, so Jack didn't have the luxury of room to maneuver. But it was enough for a fight.

"So you're a goth, too? Must have happened overnight, then" Jack spoke to the guard.

Thirteen didn't respond. He made sure Twenty Two wasn't hurt, and sent a thought to him.
"I see, now... My host's memory reveals that this guy is a wanted criminal. A very skilled one..."
He assumed an offensive stance and pointed his sword at Jack.
"I don't know what you're talking about, but there's no running away from me now" He decided to kill Jack and be done with it.

"If you insist" Jack sighed, grabbing his combat knife. "That's a long sword. You compensating for something?"

Thirteen didn't respond, which was unfortunate. Jack's usual plan was to distract an enemy with talking and form some kind of plan; There was no time for it, because Thirteen just rushed forward.

Jack only had one hand to fend off two attackers. The odds were clearly against him. Of course, he could go for his gun, but what's the fun in that?

He flipped the knife in his hand, now holding it by its tip.

Thirteen immediately switched to a defensive stance, putting a shield up to cover his face - just in time. The thrown combat knife collided with the shield, doing absolutely no damage.

Jack instantly dashed towards Thirteen, taking advantage of the fact that he couldn't see his enemy while covering himself with the shield.

Axis wasn't too skilled in sword-fighting. This was ancient weaponry, compared to what his people use; Why would anybody fight with swords?
But, as a recruiter, he had to practice. He knew the stances, attacks and stuff, just didn't have much experience.

When he peeked out from behind the shield, he saw his enemy grabbing his shoulder and pulling heavily, spinning Thirteen around. Heavy armor wasn't helping with maneuverability, either.

Jack swiftly removed the shield from his dazed opponent's grasp and kicked him away.

"Amputee - one, 'goth' - zero!" Jack grinned, adjusting the newly acquired shield so that he doesn't lose it as easily as he gained it. "Round two, fight!"

Now that was embarrassing for Axis. He got served in front of his Apprentice.
"H-he can't take both of us at the same time... Right?" He sent a nervous thought to Twenty Two. They couldn't afford a 'fair fight', with all that's at stake... And assuming a powerful form here or using guns would probably get them all noticed and get the train movement halted. That wasn't a good idea, either.

Jack knew he couldn't take on both of them with just a shield. He had to wait for an opening and run...
Unless, of course, someone would come to his aid. The rogue who robbed White couldn't be too far, right? And Jack was pretty recognizable, with all the wanted posters and such.

___________
Here's a fine moment for Jack and your char to meet. : D
If you want that, then Jack can kick Thirteen's ass again, and your char can take care of Twenty Two. ;q

[Nori]

Twenty Two was relieved when Thirteen showed up, and when Jack backed off a bit. He rubbed his neck carefully, stumbling blindly backwards. He nearly tripped over his own two feet, but he managed to right himself up just in time.

After carefully balancing himself into a proper standing position, he took a few precautionary steps back. He took this time to survey the already on-going fight between undercover Thirteen and Jack. "That would have be nice to know ten fucking minutes ago," he shot back to Thirteen, utterly pissed that he had been around Jack for that long, alone.

Oh, well. Not like it was much of a surprise. He had suspected that Jack was quite mentally disturbed, but he would never go so far as to assume that someone was a downright criminal.

It made sense, though. The pink hair, the missing hand. Jack was straight out of a strait jacket, that was for sure. But skilled? Twenty Two did not doubt that for a minute.

He wished that he had a proper weapon so that he could get in there and fight, too. Thirteen was good, but if Jack was a skilled criminal, than he had to be better. Two against one might just be enough to get this crazy man down and dead.

He hoped that they were far enough away so that if someone got hurt, no one would hear the cries or struggles of fight. He took a stance and was about to lunge in and help Thirteen out, but he never quite made it. A hand gripped his shoulder and pulled him back into the shadows swiftly.

It was, of course, the same trained rogue that had robbed the young White fellow just a few minutes previously. He was going to evacuate, he really was. He had what he wanted, and it was enough to survive another night or two. But he had simply became too intrigued in what was going on over in this area to just leave the premises.

This fight was not going to end well. He never took sides, but he recognized Jack from the wanted posters. He was a fellow criminal, albeit a bit more... crazy. Why not help a fellow felon out?

He was quick and clean. When Twenty Two realized what was going on, he was about to send another mental message to Thirteen. However, the thief knew he was going to alert his supposed partner in some way or another, and he backhanded the undercover clone, hard enough for the other to see stars.

Not wishing to make too much noise, the rogue pulled a needle deep from his within his pocket and slammed it into his victim's shoulder. Twenty Two grew dizzy from the unknown liquids, and he stopped fighting as much when his body grew weaker and weaker. The thief set Twenty Two carefully to the ground, not having to worry about the man attacking. He would pass out soon, as most do.

"Shit. I... watch out." was all Twenty Two could send to Thirteen in this peculiar state. He should have been more careful, but, for once, this was something he did net expect.

The thief turned back towards the fight, replacing the empty syringe with a knife. Guns were much too loud. And the weapon was precautionary; Jack looked like he could handle Thirteen.

[MatrixOne]

Suddenly, two against one turned into... Two against one. But it was Thirteen who had no backup this time.

As usual when his plans went wrong, he started panicking.
"N-no... Just let me go" He tried backing off, but there was another enemy behind him. "Please!"

"I think I'll cut off your tongue first" Jack kept up the psycho act. He wanted to pressure Thirteen into showing his real power. He wanted proof that this wasn't just a delusion of Jack's mind, being so bored of this uneventful world. "I'll enjoy your muffled screams while carving my name into your skin" He picked up the combat knife again and dropped the shield.

It worked. Thirteen decided that this is too much; He can always get another Recruit. They're all the same clones, anyway, right? Inexperienced, full of themselves... It doesn't matter...

He closed his eyes, focusing on the form of a hummingbird. Those things were tiny and insanely fast; Perfect for a quick getaway.

From Jack's point of view, the guard melted into a bulging, silver liquid which kept shrinking, apparently ignoring any rules of gravity, until it shaped a tiny bird and flew away so quickly, there was no hope of identifying the species.

"I'm telling you, they keep dicking me around with this" Jack pointed where Thirteen was standing a second ago with his knife. "And it's not like I am frickin' crazy, or something. Even the shield is gone" He sighed. The worst clues are clues which don't exist.

He approached the knocked out Twenty Two.
"Don't bother checking the pockets, I did that already as I walked alongside him. Nothing interesting" He shrugged. "But you, now there's someone interesting" He finally decided to face the 'rogue'. "Care to step into the light more? I have difficulties seeing people, who ain't lighting up the place with their glowing red eyes" He balanced the knife on his finger with ease, trying to get a better look. That guy sure knew how to stick to the shadows. "I'm Jack. I used to hunt people who killed others for fun and profit. Now that I know all their tricks, I kill people for fun and profit" He described himself plainly. "And if you have any sort of intelligence, you're probably trying to find the portal to leave this dump. Well, guess what - so am I. And so are the two guys we just masterfully whooped; So leave this one where he lies. If we meet him in the Underground, we'll have a free, walking source of supplies, which will be invaluable" Jack had everything planned, just as usual.

He could safely assume the two shapeshifters will regroup, stack up on supplies and follow White and Ann to the Underground in their search for a portal. Ambushing them won't be hard, assuming Jack has someone to help him...

"Now, I'm not saying I'd be fine with having you as company, but.... I'd be fine with having you as company"

[Nori]

The rogue kept his distance. He knew there was no need to keep to shadows now, but he was never very keen on revealing his identity. Anyone would be privileged to glimpse his silhouette or shadow, for he never really strayed far from the darkness.

Watching with mounting interest, he noticed how much of a coward Thirteen really was. He was willing to leave his injured partner behind just to save his own skin? The thief might be, well, a thief, but he would not so readily flee a scene at the first hint of danger. Especially if they were leaving someone behind. Sickening.

He stared as Thirteen changed forms from a guard to a... A bird of some sort, maybe. A pretty cool ability to have, and it must really come to an advantage when fighting. Then why would he just leave...?

He shook his head, massaging his temples delicately. Was he imagining this? It had been one crazy night; he really had not been expecting this. Had he been drugged again? Was he really just back at his place, dreaming about all of this, or out on the streets, lost in a hallucination?

Oh, well. Even if that were so, he could do nothing about it. He turned his hooded head towards Jack when he heard the odd-looking man speak, Jack sure looked crazy. Although the man might be using his looks to an advantage... Get people to think he was insane, although he might not necessarily be. It was an ingenious plan, but it might not be the right one. He pocketed his blade, but he kept his hand near his utility belt at all times. Better to be paranoid than to be dead.

Why was Jack telling him all of this? He knew about the portal, but finding it was not his top priority. Staying alive was. He took this time to analyze Jack carefully, listing up scenarios and consequences. He could leave right now. Jack was a good fighter, it seemed. He might not make it. He could shoot Jack. He did not have his silencer with him. It would make a lot of noise. He might miss. Jack might see it coming and arise with a counter-attack. If it hit, he could run, stay in the shadows like he always did. He had little ammunition though.

He was about to go through the scenarios for ambushing Jack with his knife when the odd fellow said something that was a bit... surprising. He raised his eyebrows curiously, took a small, silent step from the dark, and crossed his arms over his chest.

Company, eh? Was that really a good idea? Pros and cons...

He hardly knew this man.

This man was a fellow criminal.

But he was also a murderer.

So was he.

It was dangerous

He needed the help and extra supplies.

He worked alone.

He was lonely; he could use the company.

"We just met, and I trust you no more than I trust authority," he admonished swiftly, but there was a smirk on his lips from beneath the hood. "The portal, you said? You're after it? It would be quite nice to get out of here. I'm running out of junkies and idiots to pilfer..."

[MatrixOne]

Jack raised an eyebrow.

So the guy was skeptical. Good. That means he was no idiot.

And Jack could use someone who doesn't make reckless decisions.

Besides, the former detective may be a great solo player, but what he really excelled at was team work.
Last time he had no partner to back him up, he had lost his hand and damn near lost his life, too. He took the bad guy down, but the cost was rather high... With somebody to help, the future would seem brighter.

"Rule one of being a successful murderer - don't stick at the crime scene~! I mean, unless you also plan to murder whoever comes to investigate" Jack laughed, turning his back to the rogue.

He didn't bother asking for the name. If the guy follows him, he'll probably reveal it whenever he's ready.

"Still, enough action for one night. I'll do something sane for once, and take a train to the Underground station instead of walking through the desert" He hid the knife and reached into his pocket to grab a small pin used for lockpicking.

The silver lock blocking access to the first-class sleeping car was pretty solid.

No way Jack would be able to pick this with just one hand. At least not in reasonable time.

"Here, you may play with my needle" He grinned, offering the pin to the rogue. "Metaphorically, of course. Unless you'd prefer the other version, in which case I'd have to see your face, 'cause I only do dudes"

The first-class sleeping car was a perfect choice, because it was spacious, solid, had power and the windows could be covered so that nobody actually sees Jack inside unless they enter. And then he could just strike and put them to... Well, to sleep. Also, unconscious snobs placed strategically in beds won't arise suspicion if anyone peeks inside to check if things are sound.

***

White returned from his walk and one again checked if all the equipment is in place and the supplies are sufficient. After making sure that they indeed are, he had nothing else to do other than go to sleep.

There was just one bed; It was a double bed, but still, wouldn't laying next to Ann like that be inappropriate?

He sat on the ground, resting his back against the side of the bed. He'd spent countless nights like that, in his house, with a gun in one hand and a bottle in the other... But now, there was somebody with him. So he had an actual reason to sit down here instead of laying on the bed.

It gave him a strange sense of comfort.

He reached out and gently put his hand on Ann's. Hopefully this was an acceptable amount of inappropriateness.

[Nori]

The rogue's smirk turned into a thoughtful frown as he looked over the area and contemplated what Jack said about crime scenes. "If you do it at night and no one's around like you're supposed to, there's time to take pictures." He was liking hanging out with Jack already, but that could easily be subject to change.

This would be a fine time to leave, but he was not finished here. Maybe he wanted to get to know this guy a little better. He seemed interesting, and there was not much to do tonight. It was late, but he was not necessarily tired; he had grown so used to being awake all night to pull off of his robberies.

But it was too late to go "window shopping", as he nicknamed it. Why not stick around a while longer? One last glance around, and he set off after Jack at a reasonable pace. Hiding out in a train, eh? Not the most comfortable of places, luxury or not. Then again, he had spent the night in a dumpster on numerous occasions, and even more times in sewers. The situation could be worse, and beggars can not be choosers.

And, of course, it had to be locked. No one left anything unlocked these days. It would make it a lot easier from criminals if people just forgot to lock everything all the time like they did back in the good, old days. Of course, that was probably why people did no such thing now. Too paranoid.

They had the right to be. He took the pin halfheartedly from Jack, glancing it over for a moment before returning to the lock. "This lock's pretty damn good. Hope it works," he muttered, jamming the needle into the lock.

As he worked, he eventually registered what Jack had said. He was glad that his face was hidden from view because he could feel his cheeks flood with warmth. The cheeks on his face! Do not get any wrong ideas, sickos.

"Quite the flirt, aren't you?" the thief purred, jiggling the pin carefully. You had to be patient with these things. He wondered if Jack was actually hinting at something, or if he was just like this to every mysterious person he came across. Probably the latter. He liked a guy with the confidence and dominance like that.

His mind was straying. The lock clicked and fell to the ground. He leaned over and picked up the lock, putting it in one of his pockets. He handed the undamaged pin back to Jack before sliding the door to the first-class car open. "After you, good sir."




Antoinette's eyes fluttered open when her mind notified her of the hand on top of hers'. She tensed and was about to pull away when she realized who the hand belonged to.

"Oh, hey, you," she yawned, smiling towards White's familiar aura. Her mind was reeling with questions that she wanted to ask him, but she was too groggy to form the words for them. Her hand squeezed White's when she noticed that he was sitting on the floor, not on the bed.

This irritated her, but not in the way that she had been angry before. Her irritation was brought on by her concern and worry for White. He trusted her, right? And she definitely trusted him. So she was not going to permit him to sleep on the floor.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked in a motherly, demanding tone. "You are not sleeping on the floor, mister. Get up here. And don't make me drag you into this bed, 'cause I will." She was more awake now, as she pulled on his arm in a somewhat tired attempt to pull him up. "I'm tired, and you must be, too. Don't make me fight you..."

[MatrixOne]

Jack took the pin and entered the car without saying anything; His mind was in 'detective mode' again, focused on noticing the slightest details.

He pulled the lever to activate a power generator, then pulled the other one halfway to make the light much dimmer, so that nobody notices the shine from a distance.

The car was divided so that it had two near-identical rooms, both containing a bed, small lamp, tiny windows with huge curtains, a table and a chair. One room was much more worn-out, dirtier and overall not tended to, it would seem.

Perhaps it didn't feel first-class, but in a post-apocalyptic world, getting this much 'luxury' in one train car was a challenge.
"This was reserved by a married couple" Jack said after looking at both rooms. "But separate beds mean they may not exactly be on best terms. And look, one room is much cleaner and more tended-to. Seems like one of the passengers is much more respected and influential than the other; Kidnap someone like that, and you can make the most ridiculous demands" Jack pointed out. "Just get ready to hide for the rest of your life after that"

He hopped on the bed and stretched lazily.
"I still don't know your name. But that's fine, I can give you one instead; How about Cindy? Or Peach?" Of course, stripper names came to his mind first. "I once infiltrated a gay bar by applying for a job in the entertainment sector. They nicknamed me Long John, so you may use that if real names make you shy" He said with a provocative smile, carefully looking at the rogue and noting all the little details about him.

***

"Wake up" Thirteen managed to move Twenty Two out of the way and give him a slap. "Come on, before they come back!" He wasn't sure what the substance that the rogue applied to Harrison was, but it seemed like some kind of weak sedative.

***

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you" White removed the hand shyly. He felt like a moron for putting it there in the first place. She needed rest, damn it.

"You are not sleeping on the floor, mister"

"It's fine, I'm used to that" He said, but after she insisted, he gave up. "Okay, then. I'm certainly not prepared to fight you" He responded with a smile and laid down next to her, letting her 'pull him in'.

"I'm sorry for leaving you alone for so long. Turns out, caromorphs are not the only problem... After all these people have been through, they still need to put up with stuff like thieves and murderers. Ridiculous..." He decided to briefly explain his absence.

Being so close to Ann, especially her holding his arm, made White blush a little.
And smile. That, too. The two of them made it quite far together. He was glad to be with her, to be able to offer his support. To make a difference for someone other than him, for once.

____
If you could give me some details for Jack to deduce about the rogue, it'd be kwool. I don't want to make up stuff about your character ;q

[Nori]

The rogue scanned the perimeter around the train car to ensure their solitude. He then followed in after Jack, and he slid the door shut silently behind him. He hated making too much noise.

He seemed to be hardly listening to Jack, but in reality, he was taking in as much as he possibly could. "You're pretty good at that," he commented with a small, mostly veiled smile. Compliments from him were quite rare, considering there was little to no reason to be nice to people he hated.

But Jack seemed pretty cool, so long as he did not slit the thief's throat in the night. Better sleep with his gun loaded and his knife at the ready, just in case.

He wondered how the pink-haired man could deduce all of that from just looking at the two rooms, but he decided not to mention anything about it for now. It was not very relevant in his eyes. He was still looking over the place when he heard Jack speak again.

He turned to the man with raised eyebrows. "Cindy? Peach? Aren't those girls' names?" Should he be offended, or was Jack really that crazy? He felt the urge to laugh, but he resisted. 'Long John' was not much of a name, either. He would most certainly not allow Jack to call him any of those names.

He could make one up, of course, but what would be the point? As long as he did not give his last name, he should be fine. But was it safe to show his face? Doing so could come back to haunt him, but...

Even in the dim lighting of the train car and with his hood pulled back slightly, there were a few noticeable features to him. He had dark hair that was specifically brown-mahogany with carmine highlights. His eyes were a shimmering, cold chocolate color. His skin was rather pale from constantly being in darkness, but not overly so that made him look like death itself. His stance showed that he was open towards Jack, but his hand near his utility belt made that statement debatable. His smile was as cold as his eyes, and yet it was also sincere. "You can call me Kurt."




Twenty Two began to stir, even though he could not remember ever falling in unconsciousness. He felt sore all over, so standing up was a bit of a challenge, unfortunately. He did so anyways, holding the wall to keep him steady. His legs wobbled, but he could maintain a standing position so long as he had support.

"Huh? O-oh, right." he said to Thirteen after noticing his partner before him. His vision was just as bad as his legs, so there appeared to be three of Thirteen. He closed his eyes and rubbed them with one hand. "Let's get out of here, then."




Antoinette was happy when she got White to comply, and she snuggled close to him as soon as he was in the bed. For warmth and company, of course, although White might not see it like that.

She scooted away slightly so that she did not make her companion uncomfortable. "Thieves and murderers? Must have been quite some adventure you had," she joked with a smile, although she did seem quite interested and frightened to hear this.

She did not let go of his arm, but she did loosen her grip a little. "And after such an adventure, you could use some sleep. Just rest for now, and we'll deal with it all-" yawn "-in the morning..."

[MatrixOne]

The morning was busy.


Thirteen decided that the 'become an animal, get friendly with Ann' plan wouldn't work on a train, so they had to impersonate normal passengers, which required murdering two people and assuming their forms.
Unfortunate, but they had to do it to protect their world and millions of lives.

Besides, capturing someone's form gives them a kind of... Immortality. Their DNA will forever be saved in Thirteen's database, and their minds will resurface any time that their form is used.
So perhaps the clones were doing them a favor?
Morally questionable one, but still...


Only right before entering the train have they found out that they'd be sharing a car with White and Ann.

"At least my form looks trustworthy" Thirteen sighed. When him and the Apprentice split up to search for a passenger to murder and change into, the only one he could find was a 42 year old lady with secretary-like appearance and an annoying British accent. "They're already inside. Let's go" He said to Twenty Two and adjusted his (or 'her') glasses. All that's left is to give their tickets to a Shield guard at the entrance and find the right car.

***

"The train ride will be loud and shaky" White was trying to get Ann ready. "And it'll take some time, too. The train is large, so we can go to the dining car, or even the bar if we want. This whole car is gonna be just us and two more people. Pretty good, compared to the rest. Anyway, if you need anything, let me know, okay?" He smiled and sat next to her.

***

In the meantime, on the other train, Jack was preparing to ambush the couple which reserved the sleep car.
"Alrighty then, Kunt. I mean, Kurt. Let's not make it too bloody, I don't feel like mopping up. I can't strangle them well with one hand, so I may need help when you're done killing your target" He hid in the wardrobe and closed it. "I love ambushes"

The 'couple' could be heard arguing outside. They'd probably enter soon.

[Nori]

"I hope this'll be easier than last night. As long as they're not paranoid pain in the asses, we might not screw this up."

With his hands jammed into his pockets and a placid stance, Twenty Two looked calm, yet rather bored. Of course, he was excited and quite nervous for the upcoming moments, but he was good at playing it cool. It bothered him that the clothes that he was touching were not his, although, looking at Thirteen, Twenty Two knew that he had been a bit more lucky when it came to victim-choosing.

He had been too tired to thoroughly search for a passenger, he killed the first guy he had found; a man in his late twenties with rather long hair, baggy clothing, and a beard threatening to grow. Better off than his fellow clone.

He glanced sideways at Thirteen and had to hold back his laughter by smothering his mouth with his hand. He should not be so immature, especially when they were about to do some important stuff, but he could not help it. Seeing Thirteen exactly the way Twenty Two pictured him was hilarious.

"All right; come on. We'd better get this over and done with as soon as possible," he said as he began to walk straight toward the entrance. He fingered the ticket nervously in his pocket but remained otherwise calm.

He prayed that this task would be as easy as it sounded, and that no more violence was involved. He had had enough of that, and he did not want a repeat of last night. He was not going to screw this up. Unfortunately, he could not speak for Thirteen...




Antoinette 'looked' over the train car she and White were seated in with childish curiosity. She had read some things about trains in her past, and she could only imagine what this one truly looked like. Good thing she had such a vivid imagination.

"I like trains... Is there really a dining car on this one?" she asked White when he sat next to her, and she looked over to him with a happy smile on her face. Her excitement of trains overrode her typically-crippling fears of confined spaces and loud noises.

But she did silently hope that this ride would not be a very long one, or she might get restless. At least she was not doing this alone.




Kurt stared at Jack in bemusement as the pink-haired man shut himself in a wardrobe, rambling on about nonsense. It was rather amusing, to say the least.

He, himself, was waiting just inside one of the rooms, ready to move at the slightest sign of movement. From where he stood, he had a clear view of the entrance, but he could not necessarily be seen by anyone entering or leaving the train car.

It was a good enough position for a quick ambush. He had his fists to fight with, but his weapons were on his person if things went bad. He doubt they would, though. They had the element of surprise on their side, and even if Jack only had one hand, together, they still would make a great killing duo.

That was a peculiar way to think of it. He scoffed quietly to himself, turning away from the wardrobe to look back at the entrance. He heard the couple outside, and he was patient enough to wait for them to stop arguing and get inside the train car.

When they finally did do so, he was ready. Kurt pinned himself against the wall, using the darkness as his ally. His silent breathing evened out as he prepared to attack, and his left hand twitched in anticipation. As soon as he saw one of the targets come a few feet away from his area, the rogue flung out and latched his hands around his newest victim's throat.

[MatrixOne]

The attack began a little too soon, so Jack had to punch open the wardrobe and get a feel for the situation.

Kurt was already taking care of the lady, so Jack decided to greet the other guy with a kick to the...

As the victim bent over in pain, Jack grabbed him by the throat and slammed his head against the ground, then sat on him in a way that Jack's knees held the victim's arms against the ground.
After that, putting a hand over his mouth and nose was pretty easy.

"Hm, I find that the color of those curtains fits the interior nicely" Jack pointed out, looking bored as the man he was strangling slowly ceased to move.

He waited a few seconds to make sure he was really dead, then grabbed him and threw him on the bed. "It's like baking a cake! Do all the steps right, and the final result will be quite enjoyable" He said to himself as he 'modelled' the body to mimic a sleeping person.

Their train started to move.

***

Thirteen handed the ticket to the guard with a calm smile.

They were let inside with no trouble and entered the train car with White and Ann.

"...and it's probably why those trains are so large. They must be defensible so that nothing happens to them" White was just explaining something to Ann when the clones entered their car. "Oh. Good day" White was hoping the people he'd have to spend the whole trip with would at least be friendly.

"To you as well" Thirteen said in his form's high-pitched voice. He sat properly in front of White and Ann. "My name is..." He paused for a moment to search the form's memory. "...Griselda" He wasn't very happy with the name. "

"Oh, man. I'm sick of this body already" He communicated to Twenty Two.

[Nori]

"You're a lunatic, you know that? I like that about you," Kurt commented to Jack. He did not have to look to know that his pink-haired partner was already taking care of the man. He focused his attention instead on the lady, who looked like she was about to scream had it not been for his powerful hands closing off her airway.

He was going to give her a chance, either. He was never very fond of murdering women because he was not that kind of sadist. He felt no sympathy for either of the couple, though, as he was quite cold. He did not have time to be weighed down by human emotions.

With a swift flick of his wrists, he swung the woman's head far to the side, immediately snapping her neck before she could even try to scream. It was a quick death, and virtually painless. A woman did not deserve the torturing pains of a sadistically long murder.

He had just moved her head back to its normal position and pulled her lifeless body over to the wall when the train began to move. "Well, off we go, then, on a magical adventure," Kurt muttered, and he looked over to make sure that Jack had taken out the male. Hmm. He did not murder very often, and he would like it if it stayed that way.

As sickening as it was, murder was pretty damn thrilling. He hoped he was not becoming as insane as his new friend. The thought alone made him smile humorously. What an interesting thought.




Twenty Two grinned slightly when he entered the train car after Thirteen. "Morning, sir, ma'am," he said in greeting, almost as an afterthought as he took a seat beside his partner and nodded to the two. It felt kind of odd being so close to the person they were after, but he hid his emotions well.

"Really? I think it suits you quite well, Granny," he responded to Thirteen, mentally snickering at the name of the woman he had taken form of. He found that his character's name was 'Joe', which was common and rather dull, but a million times better that Griselda.

Antoinette smiled politely, albeit nervously at their "train car buddies", as she childishly deemed them. She was not particularly fond of strangers, White having been one of the only exceptions to that phrase, so she was a little shy and unsure of what to say exactly.

She wondered if it was considered rude to ignore guests, and deduced that it most likely was. "H-hello," Ann greeted, looking down at her hands in her lap, although it did not really matter what her anti-eyes landed on. She prayed that they would start moving soon to give her some sort of distraction. How long was this trip supposed to be, again?

[MatrixOne]

Jack observed Kurt taking care of the woman.
"Finally, someone who can actually handle himself. Maybe this story won't end with a fiery double suicide" He thought to himself.

"Hey, Kraut... I mean Kurt" He approached him slowly. "There's something on your shoulders, you know, let me just..." He babbled, just to distract him, and swiftly pulled down Kurt's hood to fully see his face. "Ohh, now I know what it is. It's your head!" He grinned triumphantly. "You little veteran, you. I can see you've been living all alone for a long time, but seeing as you're not afraid to keep a fellow criminal company, you haven't worked in groups before. Usually, once someone gets betrayed, they don't trust others easily" He started his deductive monologue. "But you're not trusting me just yet. I see how your weapon's always ready... It's cute, you thinking you could actually take me on" He added in a challenging tone. "And I'm not saying you can't handle yourself. You're pale; Meaning, you have enough brains to stick to the shadows and night time. But choosing that lifestyle also means being able to take on caromorphs by yourself and win. You're good at lockpicking, but you still bend over to pick locks, rather than crouch - because your back doesn't hurt. And it would, if lockpicking was your everyday task... So, you're a thief, but a clever one. You can work around problems to avoid doing things the hard way... And you're not a killer. But now that we're together, I'll help you cure yourself of that ridiculous fear of becoming a violent, crazy fucker like me"

***

"She's not that old!" Thirteen replied, irritated, but his face kept showing a neat smile.

"Maybe you know how long this ride will take?" White asked 'Griselda'.

"Ah, I forgot to ask the young man handling the tickets" Thirteen replied. "We'll ask him later, isn't that right?" He bumped Twenty Two gently with his elbow.

"Your name. I need it, in case they have family or acquaintances on this train. Think, Apprentice"

For a second, White wanted to say 'Thanks for nothing', but he held off on being an asshole.
Instead, he stroked Ann's arm to calm her down a bit.
"You okay? Don't worry, we'll be leaving soo..."
That's when the train started leaving the station.

"Do you and your daughter have family near the Underground station?" Thirteen asked. It's exactly what the real Griselda would have said.

White felt blood rushing to his cheeks.
"I... She's not..." He stuttered.

Then, the door swung open, and a tall, strong guy entered and looked over the car.
"Joe! We've been looking everywhere for you" He said angrily. Ann could sense his aura being somehow evil. "Get a move on" He gestured for Twenty Two to follow him out.

Thirteen didn't like that.
"Don't blow your cover. Go" He decided.

[Nori]

Kurt had been busy positioning the lady properly so that she looked almost peaceful, so by the time he realized what Jack was going to do, it was far too late for him to do anything about it.

He felt naked and vulnerable without his hood, but he was not going to give Jack the advantage of knowing that he felt this way. Of course, the pink-haired man could probably already deduce that, considering he seemed to know so much about the rogue.

His jaw was clenched in anger, but he allowed Jack to speak. Fighting would be useless, anyways. Jack was practically one step ahead, and he must have had a lot of time on his hands to analyze Kurt in such a way. He glared at Jack with cold eyes, listening intently even though he had little interest in what was being said.

"Yeah, I know who I am," he shot back in a defensive tone. "So what if you do, too?" He knelt down beside the woman once more, folding her hands in her lap. Jack had intruded before he had been finished. He lowered her eyelids, and she looked like she was only sleeping.

He stood back up and swiftly turned to Jack. The anger had pretty much faded, although annoyance was still present. "You're good at that, though, I'll give you that," the thief said with a small smirk on his lips. Why was he complimenting a man that had just peeved him off? Perhaps it was just to get Jack to stop talking for a minute. Or maybe it was because he was actually a little impressed.

Only a smidge, mind you.




"Yeah, whatever you say. Looks pretty old, though," Twenty Two replied coolly, almost laughing at Thirteen's irritability. He raised an eyebrow when the clone elbowed him, but was otherwise unfazed. He nodded, before mentally responding.

"It's Joe." He was glad he had found a seemingly normal guy to pretend to be. He continued grinning indifferently when Thirteen referred to Antoinette as White's daughter. Did they really have that much of an age difference?

The girl in turn merely laughed a little at the situation. The moving of the train put her in a friendly and possibly talkative mood. She was about to tell "Griselda" that they were just friends and had no relations for White's sake (he looked quite embarrassed at the moment) when the scary man entered their train car.

He seemed quite evil, or, at least to Ann, anyways. She bit her lip, afraid to look toward's the newcomer as it made her uncomfortable. She would just wait for the men to leave. It was none of her business, anyway.

Twenty Two was screaming on the inside, but his expression and body language stayed the same. "Fuck. Shit. If this turns out to be a repeat of last night, I'm gonna fucking murder some asses. I don't trust this dude..." He stood up and, with one last, secret glance to Thirteen, he followed the strange man out of the train car.

[MatrixOne]

As soon as the door closed, the 'strange man' glanced at Twenty Two angrily.
"What the hell, man?! You're fucking relaxing in here while we're about to start?!" He seemed pretty angry.

He noticed that his voice was a bit too loud. He pulled out a revolver and pushed it into Twenty Two's hand.
"Come on, Oliver is about to start the attack" He whispered. "Make sure it's loaded. We enter the dining car, round up the Shields and lock them with the cargo. Any resistance, we put a bullet through their heads. Got it?"

***

Thirteen, White and Ann could hear the man up until the point when he'd lowered his voice.
'Griselda' shivered when he cussed. "My, my" She shook her head with disgust.

"Who is that guy?!" Thirteen sent a thought. "This better not be anything important"

White only held Ann's hand a little bit tighter.
"He sounds like trouble" He whispered to her. "I feel like teaching him how to behave on a damn train"

***

Jack took the compliment with a triumphant smile.
"You look better without the hood" He changed the topic completely. As if the whole deductive monologue was nothing to care about. "And you're not boring" He added. This was a big compliment, coming from Jack; Boring people were nothing to him. Tools. Kurt was a person.

Then, a train-wide announcement was played through the intercoms.
"Attention, passengers. The West Tunnel has been blocked off. The train is unable to reach Underground Station without dramatically altering its course; Changing trains possible at Heat Station, Wesley Station and Brittle Station..."

This wasn't good news.
"WHAT?!" The announcement angered Jack more than he thought he could be angered. "That's bullshit" He looked out through a window, thinking heavily. "Wait. The guys we knocked out last night were also heading to Underground, but their train would make a turn and go all the way around the tunnels..."
A new plan was formed.
"You're probably not gonna like what follows" Jack grinned and opened the latch leading to the roof. "But if it helps, let me say I've done this a couple times before!" He grasped the ledge and pulled himself up with just one hand, then crawled up.

So, they murdered two people for nothing...

___
I decided it'd be better to focus the action on one train instead of two different ones. xD

[Nori]

Twenty Two put his hands up defensively at the man's angered outburst, about to tell him to relax a little, when he received the revolver. He was even more nervous now, having not thought something like this might happen. He had not planned for an attack of any sorts, especially not with him helping and participating.

He took the gun rather confidently, though, deciding just to play along with this man. He was not sure of how he should respond. "Understood," he said somewhat absently in the same hushed voice as he did indeed check to see if the revolver was loaded.

He swallowed some of his fear and lowered the gun to his side. Shit. What was he going to do? He was relieved to get a message from Thirteen; he had momentarily forgotten about their... telepathic abilities.

"No, this might be pretty serious," Twenty Two sent back quickly, still trying to bite down his nerves. "Some guys are planning an attack against those Shield guys. At least three of them, including my character. Might be more than that. Supposed to be done in the dining car."

He looked calmer than how he actually felt, and he waited for the intimidating man to make the first move. He did not want to do anything wrong, after all. He hoped that Thirteen would get off his ass and do something before someone unnecessarily got hurt.

Back in the train car just a few feet away, Antoinette wrung her hands while staring worriedly at the door. She knew White was right, but she elbowed him anyway. "Don't be rude... but I do feel like something bad's going to happen..." She was constantly paranoid, but this was sort of different. She had to remind herself again that it was none of her business and that she needed to keep to herself instead of meddling in places where she did not belong.




Kurt blushed at the compliments he received, having not really expected anything in return. Jack seemed to be a rather self-centered, egocentric weirdo, but maybe there was a bit more to him than that, a side that the rogue did not know.

He was about to say a joke in return, but as soon as he opened his mouth, the announcement rang through the intercoms. His mouth immediately closed, and his jaw was clenched in frustration. Why the fuck was West Tunnel blocked off, anyways?

Great. He murdered a woman just for this? He groaned and punched the wall to let out some of his anger. However, he did not take the news as badly as Jack did. As far as he was concerned, getting out of this dump did not matter very much.

But Jack was pretty cool, and perhaps this complication, this flaw in the plan was just a way to test their skills and endurance. However, he liked things that came easy, and as patient as he was, he was still pretty upset. He wondered what they were going to have to do, but he was not the one who had figured it out.

He turned his attention just in time to see Jack climbing through latch to the roof single-handedly; literally. "Gah! What the shit are you doing?" He was not as alarmed as he sounded, surprisingly, but he did not have a clue as to what Jack was up to.

He glanced around the room, feeling antsy all of a sudden. He ran his hand through his hair in a never fashion, bouncing from foot to foot before walking underneath the open latch and look up. "What have you done a couple times before?" Kurt called almost fearfully to Jack, and he wondered if the pink-haired man really was crazy, which was definitely debatable.

What logical reason was there to be on the roof of the train? He should have suspected by now that Jack was not normal, and that his antics were... dangerous. The rogue grabbed hold of the ledge, pulling himself just high enough so that he could see the fellow criminal.

"Come on, fucking explain yourself." He was more frightened then nervous, especially when his shoes only barely brushed the floor of the train car. He had a bit of a fear for heights, and Jack was just scary in general, so...

[MatrixOne]

"I'll be right back. I'd better check on my friend" Griselda-Thirteen said, and went after Twenty Two. But him and the other guy were already gone; Probably at the dining car already.
"Keep me updated on what's going on. I'm trying to find you, but something's telling me I can't fight too well in this form"

This assignment was supposed to be easy. Take out White and call it a day. Now with all the crap about the portals and whatnot, this is turning out to be a real pain.

***

"Pretty gutsy of that woman, to just go there" White laughed. "Now I feel like a coward. But hey, I think it's pretty awesome that the least of our worries are swearing assholes, rather than crazy criminals"

***

'Joe' and the other guy, who was recorded in Joe's memory as 'Brad', were outside of the dining car, waiting for the right time. Apparently, the whole group had synchronized watches, and were ordered to attack at the same time.
"Watch my back" Brad said and opened a large bag which contained a WWII-era machine pistol with a large drum magazine. How'd they get such arsenal past security...

The dining car and bar were both connected into one, spacious car with two rows of seats and tables. Most snobs were sitting there, drinking and listening to jazz music played through gramophones. The Shields were patrolling and relaxing. Nobody expected an attack.

Both doors were kicked open at the same time, and the attackers rushed in. Four people. Joe's memory stated that this is just half of the entire team.

"Everyone, hands in the air! This ship belongs to Sir Oliver now" Brad grinned and aimed the gun at the closest Shield.

After a second of silence, people started panicking. Most of them made sure their hands were visibly in the air; Snobs are cowards like that.

But not the Shields. Two of them, the least drunk ones, went for their pistols immediately. One was a bit distracted by a thud coming from the roof of the train, so he was a bit too late...

The thugs opened fire from the other side of the car and killed one of the Shields, but the other was closer to Brad. He fired three bullets, two of which hit Brad right in the chest. The third whizzed next to Twenty Two's head.

When Brad got hit, he pressed the trigger of his gun, firing bullets wildly all around, but mostly upwards, through the roof.
He fell limp on the floor as the other thugs finished off the other Shield.
The thugs shouted something to 'Joe', but he couldn't hear it with all the people screaming.

Another Shield went for his gun. He aimed at Twenty Two, with a determined look on his face...

***

"We're switching trains... Like, now" Jack answered, getting ready for the other train to drive up on the neighboring tracks...

He backed off to get some speed, started running and leaped forward. Luckily, the trains were rather wide;
After falling on the other roof, Jack rolled and made sure he had spread his hands and legs widely enough to stick to the roof.
When he was relatively stable, he slowly stood up.
"Hey, it's perfectly reasonable to worry! It's farther than it looks!" He shouted back to Kurt.
That's when machine gun bullets started flying, piercing the roof right next to Jack.
"Woah, shit" Jack lost his balance and dropped down again, then crawled backwards to avoid further bullets. "Man, that's a train of fun right here!" He shouted to Kurt after looking through a bullet hole.

[Nori]

Ann watched "Griselda" leave their train car, giving a quick "Be careful!" before the door closed. She fumbled with her hands for a moment, growing restless quickly. "I hope that no trouble comes to her or her friend. That guy was bad news." But, once again, White was right, as he normally was. This was not their problem; at least, not yet anyways.




Twenty Two thought long and hard, digging up as many facts as he could from within Joe's memory while he followed the guy Joe remembered as Brad. He steeled himself for a fight, having a feeling that not everyone was going to do this without a bit of resistance.

And he would have to shoot them for it. If he did not, he could easily wind up dead. He took one glance at Brad's weapon and knew that these guys were damn clever to get such things past security like that. He could only wonder how they managed to do so, but he did not have time to entertain any one notion.

"Attacking now. There are more members to this little team than I had thought; only half is here in the dining car."With his gun raised and eyes narrowed, he quickly skimmed over the room, analyzing the situation. They did not have to really worry about anyone but the Shields. There were already bullets firing around the room, whizzing by too fast for the naked eye to focus on.

He did not panic when a bullet just barely missed him, mainly because he had not had enough time to notice it before it happened. Brad was down; should he be upset or happy? There was no time to consider that. He saw another Shield raise his gun, aiming right at him.

And he still remained as calm as he possibly could in a room full of screaming people, limp bodies, and gunshots. It was like everything was in slow motion. He aimed his gun at the Shield immediately, not hesitating when he pulled the trigger. He shot at the Shield twice, not wanting to waste all of his ammo on one kill.

Man. So this was what a real adrenalin rush felt like. His hands shook, but it was not from fear. He was not enjoying this, either. Even he was not that cruel. The screaming made him sick to his stomach, the ringing in his ears growing and then fading as everything sped up again.

"Some Shields are down; three, I think. They're probably dead, but I can't be certain. There are four thugs here in total, and I believe that one is down," Twenty Two sent a message to Thirteen, updating him like the clone had wanted him to. It was also keeping him sane at the moment. "I wouldn't come anywhere near here, if I were you. It's not safe, and they won't hesitate to shoot you."

He really was concerned for the clone's well-being. Unlike Thirteen, Twenty Two would do anything to keep the people closest to him safe. And he only had Thirteen at the moment. Although his selfish personality might say otherwise, he really did care for his "commander in charge". "And if you do come near here, stay safe, you hear me?"




"O-oh..." was all Kurt could manage as the color drained from his face. Heh, it could have been worse, he supposed. He hoisted himself onto the roof, trying to stand up straight, but his knees were wobbly. He looked down, over the edge, and he somehow grew even more pale.

This was insane. And scary. He reminded himself of all of the dangerous crap he had pulled off in the past. Some of those memories made this situation feel like a walk in the park. Of course, none of those stunts involved moving from one train to the other via rooftop jumping. Nor did many of them involve being so high up.

"Hey, shut up! You aren't helping!" the rogue snapped to Jack on the other roof of the train. If he was not going to say something encouraging, then he should not bother opening his mouth. Well, at least Jack had been brave enough to actually consider doing this, and trying it...

Seeing his pink-haired friend survive did raise his spirits a little. But when bullets began to fly out of the roof, Kurt really freaked and instinctively moved back to get as far away from the menacing train as possible. What people allowed weapons to be brought on? It was almost humorous, really.

Still, the gun bullets alarmed him, and he wondered what the hell was going on in that train. There was only one way to find out...

He jumped before his mind could start protesting, and his fingers reached as far out as he could. It was not in vain, as he got a steady hold to the edge of the train's roof. He drew his knees to his chest and swiftly lifted his body to the roof. He had done all of that without realizing what he was doing.

His legs felt like rubber when he stood. "Are you all right?" he asked to Jack, but he already could tell that the pink-haired man did not appear physically harmed from the earlier bullets. He stay as close to the edge as he could without panicking that he might fall off.

He flipped his hood back up and pulled out his own gun and ammo. "Something tells me that whatever is going on in there is not a particularly good thing. I doubt it's any sort of party or celebration, so it's probably an ambush." He sounded calm, but his voice shook with his fingers as he loaded his gun. He may just be paranoid, but when you see bullets fly out of the fucking roof, you better go in prepared for a fight.

[MatrixOne]

White had instinctively reached for his pistols after the terrorists started shooting up the dining car. It was kinda far, but guns have a tendency to be loud.

He didn't say anything for a short while; Partially because it took him by surprise, and partially 'cause he was making sure nobody was outside his car.
"Just our luck" He finally said. "I'm gonna shoot any fucker who tries to get here, don't you worry" He reassured Ann.

***

'Griselda' was running towards the dining car, but a Shield guard stopped her.
"It isn't safe. Please stay here until the situation is resolved"

"I need to help my friend" Thirteen replied, and tried moving past the guard, but he reached out to grab Griselda...

And then, something happened that Thirteen wasn't expecting. The mind of his female host instinctively reacted to the guard trying to 'attack' her, by... Dodging, then dashing forward and knocking the guard over her shoulder like a toy and slamming his head against the ground.

"H-holy shit" Thirteen thought to himself, as he adjusted 'his' glasses.

He started digging through Griselda's memory.

Agent Helen Sawyer. Spy, saboteur. Top secret agent.

"You're not gonna believe this, Apprentice, unless you see it for yourself" He sent a thought.

He took off the glasses. They provided no magnification, anyway.
Then, he grabbed the Shield's pistol and went after Thirteen.

***

"Hey, so we're gonna steal a stolen train!" Jack laughed. "Let's get to the locomotive. That way, we can make sure the thing will go where we want it to go"
He took a quick look at the bullets left in his revolver.
"No good, down to two rounds. And that means, down to one round, 'cause I'm saving the last one for myself. Just in case" He explained. Too bad pistol rounds didn't fit in this thing.

Then, the train started approaching a tunnel.
"Woop!" Jack pushed himself onto Kurt, and both of them fell flat on the roof of the train. With Jack laying on top of Kurt. "The fact that we could both die at any second makes it much more romantic, don't you think?" He grinned.

***

The 'terrorists' were setting explosive charges in train cars. One in the dining car, one in the locomotive, and one in the freight car.

Two terrorists and Twenty Two were guarding the hostages in the dining car.

Thirteen finally reached the car. He made sure the gun was hidden behind his back as he pushed the door open.
"Hey, lady, you got a death wish?" One of the terrorists started approaching her. "On the ground!"

"If you insist" 'Griselda' replied and brought up the pistol so quickly, that the terrorist barely registered the movement.

She fired a bullet into his arm, then jumped up to him and with a well-aimed kick spun him around, at the same time taking his revolver away from him.
She held him by the throat, using him as a human shield.
"Drop the gun, my dear" She pointed her pistol at the other terrorist.

Apparently, he didn't care much about his friend.
"Joe, kill that old bitch!" He shouted and fired two bullets at Thirteen, both hitting the 'human shield'.

[Nori]

Antoinette jumped at the sound of guns, and she immediately clung onto White's arm. While the sound was far enough away so that it was not too very loud, her heightened sense of hearing made it some more close by than it actually was.

"W-what do you think is going on?" she stuttered slightly, glancing toward White for a moment. Knowing that he was close by and that he would protect her was really reassuring, but the gunshots were still quite alarming. She hoped that nobody was hurt, even though she knew at least someone was. If only she had enough courage to help...




"In all my years as a thief I have never once stolen a train. A biplane, once, but never a train," Kurt murmured as he rubbed his temples with the palm of his hand. He slipped the loaded gun back into his pocket, ready to pull it back out at any given moment.

He had not even registered that the train was approaching a tunnel until Jack tackled him. He let out a startled gasped, and his eyes widened in surprise.

The position was a little... awkward, to say the least, but Jack seemed to be enjoying himself. He was glad that his hood hid most of his scarlet brush. "Uh, well, I-I guess..." muttered the embarrassed rogue. It did not help that Jack's face was all up in his. He would have gotten up if it was not for the tunnel, and his muscles seemed to have melted. He squirmed a little, turning his head away to look at something else. He hardly knew Jack, but...




Twenty Two immediately raised his gun at the sound of the door opening, but he recognized Thirteen's form in an instant. He did not lower the gun, but he had no intention on shooting its target, either.

He wondered where Thirteen got the pistol from, but it did not really matter. As long as he was here helping instead of in the train car, and that he had gotten here when he had. Twenty Two was not very sure if he could have taken the other two on by himself, and he was not going to allow any more innocents' to die on his watch.

Then again, he had already taken down a Shield. Surely it could not feel that different to watch a hostage die or kill one himself.

Not like he wanted to, anyways. He watched as Thirteen used one of the terrorist as a shield; smart move. It was amusing seeing an "old lady" fight like that. It made him want to laugh, but he had to be serious right now.

He had no intention of attempting to kill his fellow clone. While the second terrorist shot at Thirteen but failed, Twenty Two swiftly moved so that he was aiming at the opposing bad guy. More adrenalin pumped through him, making him feel even more alert than before. He shot thrice to ensure death before lowering the gun. Man, he never thought he would have to kill so much in one day.

[MatrixOne]

White felt Ann clinging to his arm, but also noticed armed men rushing towards the car.
"Get back!" He pushed Ann away and fired through the glass at the incoming terrorists.

Maybe he pushed her a bit too hard. But he had to get her out of range of bullets. He'd apologize later.

The terrorist took cover and opened fire with the automatic machine gun.
White felt a sting as a bullet pierced his left arm.
"Fuck!" This got him real mad. He saw another terrorist.

White kicked the door open and projected a Force blast, disconnecting the terrorist's car from this train and dislocating one of the wheels.
The car instantly spun out of the tracks and rolled downhill, throwing metal parts around in a wild spin.

White shut the door with difficulty. The train was speeding up.

He sat with his back against the wall.

There was another passenger car behind the one he dislocated... If it hasn't spun out of track, the passengers will be stranded in the middle of nowhere.
But maybe the terrorists killed them. He didn't know. No time to think about it. What's done is done.

"Angel, are you okay?" He asked.
He could feel his own blood escaping from his left arm. Not very serious. He'll handle it.

***

Thirteen dropped the dying human shield carelessly.
"Everyone, calm down. I am an agent, I can defuse the charges" 'Griselda' said, walking up to the explosive charge on the ground. A bomb.
"My host has an arsenal of gadgets in the luggage car. We could try and get there" Thirteen sent a thought to his Apprentice.
"Alright, now..." Agent Griselda bit her lip as she was trying to figure out how the bomb works. This connects here, this here, this thing is what goes boom. Got it.
She tore out a cable. Then another. A swift touch, and the bottle which contained the explosive was free. She grabbed it and put it in her pocket. "It's safe. Please stay put" She addressed the people in the car. "Me and Joe need to... Take care of something"
Thirteen was referring to the footsteps coming from the roof. "Who's that? More terrorists? They're heading towards the front of the train"

***

"Whoa, that thing is going places" Jack pointed out the car that got thrown out of the track by White's power. "Let's get to the locomotive before we go spinny like that, too"

[Nori]

Antoinette did not mind being pushed, and was appreciative of White at the moment more than she normally was. It was the sound of the up-close gunshots that really alarmed her.

She bent over and pressed her hands firmly against her ears in an attempt to block out the offending noises. She would have liked to help White, but he had already solved their problem by the time that she realized that her acts might have been selfish.

She slowly moved her hands away from the sides of her head as the other train car rolled away. Thank God she had White. She would have never been able to take them out on her own, especially when they had guns.

"I-I'm fine," Ann replied when she heard White speak. She made a move as though to stand up but thought better of it. The slowly fading ringing in her ears made her brain fuzzy, and she would surely trip over her own feet. "But you're hurt. Is it serious?" She might not be strong or fierce, but she was not stupid. She could tell when someone was hiding something.




"Huh. So Griselda is actually a really cool secret agent, or something? That's awesome," Twenty Two replied with enthusiasm, but he refrained from smiling or grinning; now was simply not the time for that.

He looked over the hostages, spinning the gun absently in his hand. Besides scared and confused out of their wits, everyone appeared to be okay. That was something, at least. He turned his head and watched Thirteen/Griselda disarm the bomb.

He had to admit, that was pretty damn cool. He wondered how bombs worked, and if it was easy to make one. They were pretty sweet, and they would come in handy in some situations. And maybe even some smoke bombs, that would be rad...

He will just have to think about that later. Now was a time to focus on the present. Naturally, he was not deaf to the footsteps coming from the roof, but he was not so sure that the person or people up their were terrorists. Well, actually, they could be, and you could never be too cautious.

"I'm not sure if they're terrorists, but I ain't taking any chances. Let's go to the front and confront them there." Twenty Two was already heading towards the door of the train car, his grip around the gun like steel in preparation. He just hoped it was some hobos or something that could not afford to ride in the train, but he did not seem to be very lucky as of late.




Kurt looked at the derailed car with mild interest, wondering how in the world that happened. He could fathom a few guesses, but did it really matter? "Yeah, let's go. And we better make it quick, too." He turned and headed off towards the front of the train at a brisk and steady pace.

[MatrixOne]

Jack let Kurt move in front of him, and waited for his pursuers to start running after him.

He used their footsteps to locate them, and shot once through the roof of the train.

***

The bullet went straight into Thirteen's chest.

All the people in the dining car saw Griselda get shot, fall to the ground, then melt and become a young man...
"Shit! My form's dead" Thirteen got to his feet instantly. "Get after them! If I get shot again, it'll put me down permanently" He picked up a pistol. "Everybody, calm down..."

***

"Hey!" Jack shouted to Kurt after both of them reached the locomotive. "Disconnect it from the rest of the cars! I'll hold'em up" After saying that, he cracked a window and jumped inside, right in front of Twenty Two. "Boo!" Only then had he noticed who it was."Hey, it's you! Back for another ass whooping? Fine with me"
He had the revolver ready in case Twenty Two would rather open fire.
Only one bullet left...
"But hey, you can always just turn around and run. No hard feelings, right?"

It was... An option. Jack and Kurt weren't a priority, and Apprentices could think on their own.

______
Are you getting bored of this RP?
I get this feeling, because lately all you do is just describe your characters' reactions to what my chars do. Not adding anything of your own. >.>
Just 'cause they order your char to do something, doesn't mean he has to do it, you know xD

[Nori]

Twenty Two nearly yelped when Thirteen's form was shot seemingly at random. It took him a moment to put two and two together, and by that time, there was already a growing confusion spreading through the crowd of hostages, which was just turning into an uproar.

Of course, the people weren't stupid. Old women just don't get shot and magically become a young man. That doesn't happen. And, of course, there was the question if they could really trust these two men or not.

It was not until then that Twenty Two collected his bearings, and he closed the distance between him and the door out of the dining car. A riot was beginning to form, and it was not going to be pretty, but the clone had more important things to deal with.

The door closed before anyone could stop him from leaving, and he could already hear quite a bit of yelling from behind him. Such a scandal would not be dealt with lying down, and those people wanted answers. "Stay safe."

He followed the footsteps coming from the roof, running past confused and alarmed people. With the gun clutched tightly in his hand, the innocents immediately tied him to the gunshots they had heard previously. People were shouting at him, too, and some of the men tried to attack him.

He shot no one, able to merely fight them off and continue past. The riot was not just going to stay in the dining car; it was already spreading throughout the entire train like a forest fire. By the time he reached the locomotive, the train was in complete disarray and chaos, the anger being directed not only at him and Thirteen, but at each other as well.

Everyone was just confused, but things were getting way out of hand. He had only just entered when Jack popped in through the window.

He gasped in surprise and stumbled backwards against the wall. Being so close to the door, he was able to hear the pandemonium going on in the other train cars, panicked running and yelling, and even a few cries of pain from fights among each other in their haste to get to the bottom of what was going on, and to get to somewhere safe.

He glared daggers at Jack, and the grip on the gun became so tight that his knuckles were white. "Nice to see you again," Twenty Two said in what was supposedly mock politeness, but his voice shook with inner rage, fear, and the adrenalin that had yet to leave system.

He immediately aimed his gun at Jack and shot twice, even though he knew he was almost out of bullets and that Jack would probably have a defense or a counter-attack ready. "I'm not a coward. I fight till the end. I see your little friend isn't in here to help you out, but he's close by, isn't he?" He could tell this by the footsteps coming from the roof of the locomotive. The same could be said for himself, too, but Thirteen was... Shit. He hoped that the guy did not get hurt in all of this madness, but he was pretty clever. All that mattered right now was him and Jack.

Outside the train, Kurt, quite loyal to Jack, did as he was told. He began to work on disconnecting the locomotive, but before he could officially start, some random guy was thrown out a window of the neighboring car. The person hit the rogue, and he nearly lost his grip on the train itself.

He cried out, hanging on for dear life as his feet threatened to scrape the ground. He pulled himself back up swiftly, gaining only a long gash to the leg from a piece of metal. But the guy thrown from the window was no so lucky. He fell to the ground, and... Kurt could not watch, and he turned his head away from the grotesque scene that followed.

Blood splattered him, staining his clothes, hair, and skin, and he gagged in disgust. Great. Just fucking great. He tried to finish the task at hand, but his hands were shaking so much, and the blood made his fingers slippery. He tried wiping them off on his shirt, but that only made it worse. The guy had been so close, and there was simply too much of it...

He could not work like this. He needed to go get his hands cleaned off first before he got killed. As he climbed back up, he wondered why the poor bloke was thrown from the window, anyways. He could hear screams and shouts from within the train, but he paid it no mind.

By the time he got back up to the roof, the shaking had spread all over his body. He dragged himself on his belly, leaned his head over the side, and vomited for a while.

Once he was finished regurgitating what little food he had had within him, he pulled himself onto his knees. He instantly regretted this due to his wound, and he spread the injured leg out before him so that he could check out the damage.

It could have been worse, although the cut was pretty damn deep and long. He was already starting to get dizzy as he watched his own blood pump out of him slowly and mingle with the stranger's blood. He touched the cut hesitantly, and howled when he did. How was he even able to pull himself back up here?

He needed to get inside. He puked one more time, the vile liquids splattering the ground, before attempting to crawl towards the window that Jack had entered through. No, wait... The pain was too much, he just needed to rest a minute. Kurt laid down, his back against the roof, and he closed his eyes. Just one moment of bliss, Jack could handle himself for just a minute or two...

He could still hear the chaos, and he knew that it would be best to try and disconnect the locomotive like Jack had suggested before things got worse, but he needed to just rest a moment and collect his bearings. There was so much blood on him right now, and most of it was not even his.



((I am not bored at all, really! I was just waiting for the right moment to add a little something of my own, and now seemed a proper time to do so. I hope you do not mind the craziness that is going on. :3 ))

[MatrixOne]

The first thing Jack did after jumping into the train car was taking a look around to see what kind of cover and possibilities the environment would provide.

Luggage. Some gas cans. Sacks, boxes, suitcases, all stacked.

He wasn't hiding, though. Stood right in the middle, looking his foe in the eye.

Jack didn't want to use the gun. Last bullet. Important bullet.

What else did he have? A knife, a lighter, pins, coins, a mask...

As soon as he saw his enemy lift the gun, Jack dashed to the left, making sure to turn to the side, to minimize the area which the bullet can hit.

The first bullet left a hole in his coat. Not a big deal, the coat had a couple holes already. The second bullet grazed him, drawing a red line across the surface of Jack's stomach.
"Woo! Explosive, are we?" He hid behind a shelf with suitcases and whipped out his lighter, then tipped over a gas can with a kick. "But guess what else is explosive!" He switched the lighter on and extended his hand to show Twenty Two he means business. "Go on, shoot me! I'll probably drop this thing, but you know what they say - everything comes with a price" He slowly walked into view.

"There are two ways we can do this, now" He grinned. "You can burn to death, or you can turn around and tend to your own problems, such as the fact that the locomotive is gonna ditch all the other cars any second now"

Yeah, about that. What's taking Kurt so long?

"....Any second now"

Still nothing.

"No, seriously, it'll happen"

Nope.

"Uh. Right. Sorta wish I had some kind of plan B right now"

***

In the meantime, Thirteen was havin' real trouble. The people decided to throw him out of the train; He tried to calm them down, and when that wasn't working, he shot at the attackers, but they ganged up on him.

He couldn't switch forms, and he couldn't call out to Twenty Two while his powers were recharging.

He couldn't resist.

They tossed him out of the train.

They were just crossing an area that used to be property of a ranch, but was now an arid desert.

Being thrown out of a moving train is always a gamble. But, you know, main characters tend to be lucky.

Or are they? I mean, yeah, he survived, but this place was a desert. A quick death would be better than dying of dehydration...

***

White was forced to get up and tell the people trying to get to his car to leave him alone. His choice of words was a bit more refined, though.
"Hey, why don't you fuck off" He shouted to the man knocking on the door. "Got a death wish, asshole?" Putting a gun to the glass made the man back off.
He'll probably be back.

"Ugh" White sat down again. His arm was still bleeding, but he didn't really know what to do with it. In the movies, they'd tear the shirt and use it as a bandage, but... That didn't seem like a good idea, somehow. It's not a movie.
"Do you think we should get off?" He asked Ann, out of the blue. "You know what I can do, getting us outside unharmed won't be difficult..."

____
That's more like it xD. Chaos is fun.

[Nori]

Twenty Two tried to take another step back when Jack pulled out the lighter, but that was sort of impossible considering his back was already pressing against the door. He could slide it open and leave if he really needed to, but he did not run from a battle so easily.

He thought that Jack would not be stupid enough to make a fire, but he was not going to take his chances. He held his gun towards the pink-haired man, and his free hand scraped against the door. Maybe he really should leave. If Jack was actually serious about the locomotive disconnecting from the other trains, then he really should be somewhere else, looking for Thirteen so that the two clones could get off this crazy train.

He did not know if Thirteen was okay, and that worried him. Twenty Two could not pull this all off alone. He was only so strong, and even less experienced. He looked at Jack with a set jaw and a raised brow. "You came in here to rob a train, and you didn't even have a backup plan?" Jack's misfortune was quite amusing, and he deserved it after last night's events.

It was best not to get too far ahead of himself, though. Things were bad in the train. Maybe it would be best if he got off now before he got hurt. He was half-tempted to shoot at Jack again, but he kind of did not want to risk a fire starting. That would only make the situation more complicated and dangerous.

Jack was not important right now. Top priority right now was getting out alive, and maybe finding Thirteen. Then there was White and Ann to think about. But the train... At the moment, he could care less about virtually everyone else's safety. If they wound up in the middle of nowhere, so what? He could hope that their primary targets would get killed in this madness, thus ending this mission, but that was extremely doubtful. He had to be out there stopping them, not in here fighting a madman.

"As grand as this talk was, I really must be leaving," Twenty Two declared, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You have fun with your failed attempts to rob a locomotive. I've got places to be and people to see." He hated this decision, but it was the wisest one he could make. And if the train found itself without a locomotive, then he would be ready.

He kicked the door behind him open, glad that this particular car was now empty. He took a few steps back, and came up with another swift decision. He shot into the locomotive, not having an actual target. As the bullet shot out, he slammed the door shut. That was his way of "having the last laugh". Jack was now alone in the locomotive.

It was not until then that Kurt made any movement from his comfortable position on the roof. Giving a quick update to Jack would probably be a good idea, just so that the pink-haired criminal would not think that he was lazy. He wiped the remaining vomit and drool from his mouth with the sleeve of his hoodie, and while it did get the gross liquids off, there was now blood all around his mouth, cheeks, and nose.

He took no mind, leaned over the side of the train, and stuck his head through the window regardless. "We... are experiencing some t-t-technical diff-difficulties," the rogue announced dizzily when he saw Jack. Perhaps hanging upside down like this was a bad idea? "It will take a minute or t-two, so be patient."

He pulled back up, kneeling on his good leg for a moment. His hands were somewhat more dry than before, so getting the locomotive unhooked would not be too hard now. He crawled over towards the back of the train, the injured leg twisted at a slightly painful angle so that the cut would not touch the metal of the train.

Once he had steeled his nerves and gotten back down, he began his work again. There were spots of lights in his vision, and everything seemed wonky, but he somehow managed to do more work than he had before. He was frightened that he might fall off, or something else might happen. He ignored these pestering fears as much as he could, and continued fumbling around to do something right.

After exactly one minute and forty-nine seconds of this, he got the locomotive unhooked from the other train cars. He sighed, gripping onto the side for dear life as he climbed back up to the roof. His job was done, thank God. He laid on the roof once again, more exhausted than ever before. Now to get a well-deserved rest...



Antoinette looked frightened at the prospect of leaving the train, but it was much more safer outside than it was in. And she could trust White completely. If they ended up in the middle of nowhere, he would know what to do.

"That would be the best choice, yes," she responded with a nod, standing up from her seat. Her legs felt wobbly for sitting down for that long, but at least she was not hurt. She wished White would do something about that gunshot wound, but she supposed it would be better to get it patched up when they were not in the middle of danger.

[MatrixOne]

Jack blew out the flame as soon as Twenty Two left. Gas fumes are flammable as well, so it's best to not play with luck too much.

"Technical difficulties? Do you know how much lighter fuel you cost me?" Jack replied jokingly and decided to climb to the roof after Kurt. He hopped, pulled himself up...

And then Twenty Two fired his gun. The bullet went to the locomotive, doing nothing, but it had to go through the metal door, and that caused a few sparks to appear...

"Whoa, shit!" Jack jumped from the roof to the locomotive as soon as he heard the gunshot.

The gas cans exploded, and that sure got the car disconnected from the locomotive. Kurt probably wasn't expecting that as he was playing around with the latch and stuff.

Fire from the explosion brushed against Jack's back, but he managed to reach the engine car and roll to put out the flame on his coat.
...That left his shoes, dipped in gasoline. They didn't really feel like being doused.
"Shitshitshit" Jack kicked off one of the shoes, then the other. "...Whew. Alright. Next time please remind me not to trust you with anything" He closed his eyes, laying down next to Kurt.

But what bothered Jack the most was not the fact that he lost his shoes, nearly died and ditched all these people in the middle of the desert.

...He really had no plan B.

Was he becoming a bad detective? Was he getting old, or tired? His fighting skills were not as good, too... Without Kurt, Jack would have trouble taking on both clones on that station.
And now, he got shot. Almost.

Suddenly, he heard movement below, inside the car.

He grabbed his revolver and dropped down to see inside.
"Uh, hey, Krapt! I mean, Kurt! You should see this"

...A girl. Seemed to be about fourteen years old, or so, hiding in the locomotive. The bullet Twenty Two fired must have flushed her out of her hiding spot...
"So, uh... We toss her out?" He asked, unsure what to do. "I mean, we kinda did that to everyone else"

The girl backed off, visibly scared.
"N-no! Please!"

"Oh, I know! It's a choice based on morality. That means I'm unsuited to be making it" Jack laughed, letting Kurt decide her fate.

***

White was about to grab Ann and hop out, but he noticed that after a loud explosion, the train started slowing down.
"Huh? Is the engine busted? Or is it the terrorists?"
Either way, no point in jumping out now.

***

Meanwhile, Twenty Two was greeted by an angry mob and a gun to his face.
"Terrorist!" Someone shouted.

"You detonated the bomb!" Some old woman added.

"Kill him!"

[Nori]

While the explosion of the gas cans was extremely alarming, the fact that neither Jack nor Kurt were not too physically harmed by it was reassuring in its own way. He did not really have the mental capacity to care at the moment, but he looked Jack over anyway, just to make sure his head had not got blown off or something.

"Hey, I wasn't the one who caused that explosion," he grumbled in defense, closing his eyes. A quick nap would feel nice right then. The movement below was not lost upon him, either, but he doubted its importance. He closed his eyes again, but heard Jack calling to him.

He sighed and sat up. What was this about now? It better be damn important, or so help him God... The rogue lowered himself carefully, his eyes trained on the mysterious girl. As pissed as he was, he was also a little curious. "You made me get up for some kid?" He was tired and a little hungry, and those things did not blend well together. "If you want to throw her out, just fucking do it."

He would not allow that to happen though. He studied the girl from head to toe with mild interest. "Actually, we could use an extra hand. A slave or a servant, you know? And it would be nice to have a little toy around." These words and the emotion drawn to them were pretty much spurious, but he was not going to let this kid relax.

He did not believe in murdering children, but he would not let her have the advantage of knowing that Kurt would not allow her to become hurt. "Keep her. She'll come in handy."




Antoinette stiffened at the sound of an explosion, and she was grateful that it was not close by. She looked towards the direction that it had come from, biting her lip anxiously. "That sounded kind of dangerous..." she stated quietly. "I hope nobody's hurt."

She also noticed that the train was slowly stopping. At least they would not have to jump out now. "This can't be good." That was pretty obvious. "What... what should we do?" Ann then asked White with a partially fearful glance. Standing around did not put her at ease.




Twenty Two had expected to be met by at least one or two people, but a mob had not exactly registered in his head. He raised his hands up in defense, the gun never leaving his grip. He could not risk dropping it because this crowd would surely attack regardless of what he did or said.

He did not have many bullets left. He was surprised and extremely lucky that he had not run out already. That was one reason why he hated guns. And now he had one pointed at his face...

Options. He needed options. He could shoot the person holding the gun to his face and fight his way through the crowd, but he could easily be shot first. He could try to talk his way out of this, but nothing would appease these people. In a way, he was a terrorist; he had helped the other terrorists, after all, so that at least made him an accomplice.

He could change forms, but he did not want to blow his cover unless absolutely necessary. He grinned a bittersweet grin. "Hey, can't was talk about this? After all, violence is never the answer." He was using the innocent act of stalling. He needed to distract these people for just a moment. That would be enough time to take some of these people down and make a quick escape.

He looked like he was about to drop his weapon and give in, but he instead brought his right leg up in a swift, upward kick, hitting the guy with the gun right in the... Well, you know what I am talking about, and how painful that can be. It was enough to get any guy on his knees.

He did not use his gun, but he did take the gun from the offender. He held both guns up after delivering another kick to the guy, this one right in the chest. He looked the mob over, secretly trying to see how many of them there were. He also made sure that he had an eye on anyone close to him that might try to grab him or attack.

"All right! Now, if you want to live, I suggest that you get the fuck out here before I have to start shooting up this place, and I would really prefer that things not get bloody! I don't care how tough you think you are, but if you value your lives, you won't try anything! 'Cause I will fucking shoot you if you do! Now get out of here before someone else gets hurt!"

[MatrixOne]

Jack didn't like the idea of Kurt 'playing' with that girl.
"I've got others to toy around with..." He said with a smirk. "But I guess we could use a hand... Me especially"

The girl was now pretty sure no harm was going to befall her from the two men. She recognized one from the wanted posters, but he seemed focused only on himself. And she could be of use.
"Aha! So you two are, what, criminal buddies? What do I call you?" She asked.

Her brightened attitude intrigued Jack a bit.
"What, you ain't afraid no more? Didn't we, like, ditch your parents back there, or something?" He pointed at the traincars, which were small dots in the distance now.

"No, I'm on my own. And I didn't really feel like buying a ticket"

That got Jack interested. He decided to actually look at her.

She looked like a bit of a tomboy - had medium-short, black hair, brown eyes, bright white skin and a cunning smile. She was wearing short, greyish jeans, a dark brown t-shirt that's a bit too large, probably belonging to an adult before, and white sneakers.
She also had a sling bag with various items.

Jack had her all figured out.
"You're a courier" He started his post-deduction speech. "You're sent to deliver some kind of an item, but you're not very happy to do so. The trouble at this train is the perfect excuse for not showing up with the stuff, which means you either want it for yourself, or... Are being forced to carry that. But there's nothing in stake, and that means you really have no family to worry about. If there was, you wouldn't be so happy to just forget your job"

The girl was highly impressed. She didn't say anything yet, letting Jack finish talking.

"You ran with a gang, for a year or so. Not outlaws, though, they'd certainly be... Playing with you, and you don't look like you've been played with. Some kind of shady businessmen, I'd bet. They raised you and swore to protect you if you run a few errands for them, such as this one... But they're not too tough, are they? And all the rules and regulations of their business, they must be awfully limiting you. Me and Kurt here, on the other hand... We're resourceful and free as birds. That's why you're fine with helping us out"

"Ha!" She wasn't worried about most of her secrets being found out. "So that means you're fine with having me around, right?"

"Guess so. I'm Jack, wanted criminal, murderer and thief. And vandal. Did other crimes, too, but I'm forgetting their names"

"Well, my name's Mori, and you kinda know everything about me, so no reason to say it twice" She giggled.

***

The train came to a full stop.

The people picked up all the guns they could find, the ones dropped by terrorists and ones hidden by them in the luggage. Also, the guns from the corpses of Shield guards.

That's why Twenty Two's threat wasn't particularly threatening. More and more guns were being pointed at him, the armed people being called to deal with the 'terrorist'.
"We wanted to toss you out like we did with your friend, but now that the train's stopped, I'm thinking we can make you scream a little first"

Was there time to play around? Thirteen could be hurt, or dead, and there were a lot of armed men in this car.
Twenty Two would have to make a choice - is blowing his cover worth it?

[Nori]

"Man, you're lucky you don't scare people off with those little rants of yours. As impressive as it really is, some might think you have telepathic powers, or something," Kurt muttered in amusement as he studied the girl who claimed herself to be "Mori"; a rather peculiar name. In all his years, he had never heard a name quite like that. It was different, which is not always bad, but it still sounded more like an ill-given nickname than anything else.

Wait. So, not only were they stuck with a kid, they were now stuck with a kid that ran errands for a gang, which was even worse. Oh great. He would be keeping an eye on this kid because he would not tolerate any trouble coming from her.

It was a bit too late to throw her out now, so they were really stuck with her. He watched Jack and Mori talk for a few more moments, but soon, he could not hold back a more important question. "Hey, now that we've got introductions and whatnot settled, can we start thinking about more pressing matters? Like food? Or sleep, maybe?"

Having not eaten in two days, he was fucking starving, and his nap had been interrupted. If things kept going like this, then this was really going to be a long trip. Not only that, but he had to deal with Jack and a kid, and as great as Jack was... Perhaps he made a mistake in agreeing to help. Too late to turn back now, though.




Twenty Two sighed at the multitude of guns aiming at him, but, unlike Jack, he did have a Plan B. He just... was not sure if he should turn down that path just yet.

Now would be an opportune time to get out of there, though. There was a window cracked open to his right. It was too small for this form to fit through without getting shot, but he could easily switch into a bird or a bug and fly away before anyone could stop him.

His brain froze at the mention of "his friend". That could only mean... They threw Thirteen out of the train? When did this happen? Was he all right? Fuck blowing his cover. Thirteen was worth more than anything and everything, and there was no longer any worry towards his Plan B. Right now, Thirteen was the only thing that mattered in this world. He even momentarily forgot about White and Ann.

"How dare you lay a fucking hand on him!" he shrieked, seething and boiling with rage from the inside out. Fuck everything! He shot both guns at the ceiling, and focused on switching forms to a small bird. In a matter of seconds, Joe was no longer there. With one last hateful glance over the swarm of armed fuckers, he flew out the window before any harm could come to him.

He would not have to stay in this form for very long. While this bird form could fly faster than Twenty Two could run, being in so many forms was draining. He was exhausted, but he paid no mind to that. He barely acknowledged his surroundings; he was flying away from the train, scanning the ground for any sign of Thirteen. Oh, God, what if he was dead?

It was Twenty Two's fault. He should not have left Thirteen in that angered room. He should have stayed behind. He should not have wasted so much time with Jack. Oh, if Thirteen even had a scratch on him, he would find the people that threw his superior our, and he would tear their fucking heads off and claw that their throats out.

As morbid as that sounded, it relaxed him just a little. How far away from the train would Thirteen be? Had he missed the other clone? Should he turn around and check again? What if the people on the train was just bluffing about throwing Thirteen off? That last question seemed to be the most scariest of them all.

[MatrixOne]

Mori smiled slyly when Kurt mentioned food.
"I do have food with me, you know" She opened her bag and pulled out three large sandwiches. The kind that was sold at train stations - large, long and with a ton of stuff.
The sizes of the three sandwiches were comparable, but Mori gave Jack the largest one and left the smallest one for Kurt. He wasn't nice to her, so she didn't really like him too much.

"Perfection!" Jack was pretty enthusiastic about his sandwich.

"So, you two are, what, boyfriends?" Mori giggled.

"I dunno. Are we?" Jack turned to Kurt. "I mean, I wouldn't mind doing dirty things to him while he's asleep. Oh, and speaking of sleeping, you can lay down here, Kurty" He patted the seats. Mori giggled again, and so did Jack.

She may be young, but she certainly isn't stupid. Or a coward.

***

So Twenty Two decided to change forms in front of all those people. HQ didn't tolerate that.
But maybe it was justified? Besides, Thirteen kinda did the same thing, though it wasn't in his power to stop - one's form being terminally injured triggers the automated reset.

Thirteen was critically wounded from falling off the train. He was conscious, but had a few broken bones and couldn't really move.

He'd either have to do emergency medical evacuation to return to his world, where he'll either be awarded a medal and put in a hospital or executed for failure and incompetence. Same with Twenty Two, but he wouldn't really get a medal...

***

White and Ann got off the train. It was too dangerous to hang around the people there.

"This isn't good. There's no buildings here, no water... I don't think they'll be sharing what's in the dining car..." He was worried.

The sun was not taking it easy today.

White was trying to look around in search for some kind of a building or vehicle, but there was nothing. Just dry soil.

Nothing on the ground, that is.

"That's a frickin' balloon" White wasn't too far from the truth.

It was an airship. Real big one, with a two-story gondola.
"We need to get its attention. This could be our way out" He took out his gun and fired a few bullets into the air. The airship wasn't too far, but either nobody noticed or they just didn't want to help.

People on the train started firing to make themselves noticed, too. And it was pretty tough not to hear two machine gun salvos...

They were clearly being ignored.
"The bastards are flying past us" White sounded angry. "I'm going to bring that damn thing down..."

[Nori]

Kurt took the smallest of the sandwiches hesitantly. He had a rule about food; do not take any from strangers you just met. He made that mistake once, and almost died because of it, so it was natural that he should be suspicious about any offered food.

But he could break this rule just once if it meant getting something to eat. He noticed that the one he had received was, indeed, the smallest, but he did not really care. As long as he got anything, he was quite satisfied. "Thanks," said the rogue as kindly as he possibly could (Which honestly was not very; he was grumpy) after he made sure that there was no noticeable poison in or on the sandwich.

He made to take a bite but nearly choked upon hearing Mori's inquiry of if he and Jack were... Ugh. That word made him shudder. Did he really have to deal with this ridicule for the entire ride? "We are not boyfriends," Kurt said pointedly to both Jack and Mori, and he sat down on one of the seats. Standing for so long was hurting his leg, anyways.

"And remind me never to sleep anywhere near you," he added with a shocked look towards Jack. He doubted he would be getting any sleep tonight or ever after that comment, though. Jack really knew how to make a guy uncomfortable. And Mori seemed like a mini, female Jack... "I should have just jumped off the train when I had the chance."



Twenty Two kept flying for what felt like hours, but it really was only ten or so minutes. He was about to call off the search, and go back to the train. He knew he would be in some deep shit for what he did, but he could honestly care less. And if anyone called him out on his actions, then he would shove a pole up their ass.

Perhaps he had been a bit hasty in his decision. He was simply too caring for a job like this, which was truly contradictory of what most might think. He began to turn to fly back towards the train when he saw something down below. No, not something... someone.

He could not get his hopes up, but he did anyways. He swooped lower, so that he was closer to the ground, and he started flying a bit faster. No, he was sure that this was a person, and that it was the person he was looking for. Relief flooded him, but only momentarily. Thirteen did not appear to be moving...

When he was low enough to the ground, he switched back to his normal form. His feet his the dry, hot ground, and he stumbled to regain his balance. But he was running towards his wounded and possibly dead friend in just a matter of seconds. He was still quite far, though.

"Thirteen!" Twenty Two called out emotionally, his hands cupping his mouth so that his voice was much louder. "Thirteen!" He nearly tripped over a few rocks, and his vision was blurry from the tears building in his eyes. As manly as he was, he was still capable of feeling emotions. And right now, he could not control them. "Thir-teen..."

Running hurt, but he did not stop for a second. Not even when he came closer, and closer to his target. "Please be alive, please be alive..." He would never be able to live with himself if Thirteen died on his watch. Thankfully, he did not look dead, but Twenty Two was only just close enough to clearly make out the details of his hurt companion.

He was really close. Thirteen was only a couple of yards away... a couple of feet... getting closer... "Thirteen...?" And he finally stopped running.



Antoinette made sure to stick to White's side after exiting the train. She cold not see her surroundings, but White's brief description of the place. The dry ground burned her bare feet, but she made a point not to complain about it. The only thing she could "see" were White's aura, and the auras of a few others from the train. "I-I'm sure we'll find someone out here..."

No sooner than she had said that did White mention the airship. Well, "balloon", as he referred to it. Even Ann would know the difference between a balloon and an airship, but White sounded kind of cute, so she said nothing. More firing of guns caused her to become stiff, and she held her breath until it was a little quieter. She was becoming used to the sound, but it was still scary.

"Oh, no, don't shoot it down," she immediately said to White when she noticed how angry he was becoming. The gunshots must not be gaining the airship's attention... "Is there any other way to get them to come over here? There's been enough violence today, really." But, if White felt like shooting them down was the only way to get supplies, then it was not her place to argue.

Her eyes focused on where she sensed the airship was in the sky, and she silently prayed that it and the people in it would come back and help them. It would not do anything, but it was all she could do. "Maybe you should shoot at them..."

[MatrixOne]

"We are not boyfriends," Kurt said, accenting the 'not'.

Jack just added: "...Yet"

"Well, you're arguing like a couple already" Mori was totally enjoying Kurt's embarrassment.

"So, Mori" Jack ignored Kurt's statement about sleeping. His plan was to stop him from sleeping right now, so saying something creepy did the job perfectly. "Tell me what you think about my not-boyfriend here. Try to prove it doesn't take telepathic powers to do that"

"Weeell" The girl tilted her head, looking at Kurt. "I'm not really as good at deduction as you"

"Try it. Appearance, habits, way of speaking... Everything, it's like pieces of a puzzle, really. Human puzzle!"

"Sounds like a horror movie!" Mori giggled. "One I'd totally watch, too. Lemme try, then"
She gave Kurt another look.

"Profession?" Jack asked. "It's an easy one. Look at the fingers and way of movement"

"Thief, surely! He hides real well, and that hood over his head..."

"Yeah, but there's more proof than that. Check the face. Skin"

"Hm, the face... He's pale! So he's a night person! Decent folk go out during days, robbers dodge caromorphs at night!"

"Damn right! Now, try to work out some of his history from his behavior"

"Well, he's not used to killing and explosions and stuff, he kinda freaked out when some people were dying all around"

"But that's normal. I told him to disconnect the locomotive; How'd he handle that?"

"He kinda took his time!" Mori was learning quickly.

"Yeah, so what's that mean?"

"That he's... Slow?"

"Wrong. Try again, think more than just him - if it was just him, time wouldn't matter to him"

"Oh, so you mean you were counting on him, but he didn't deliver!"

"That's right. What's that say about his past?"

"It means he's been by himself and never had to do teamwork!"

"Bingo!" Jack patted Mori on the shoulder. "You'd make a fine detective if it was worth it to be one. Go criminal, it's more fun"

"I'll keep that in mind" She giggled. "But your mind is a danger to society by itself! I'd lock you up even if you were a detective!"

"Oh, I'd lock myself up" Jack laughed.

Well, this conversation was sure to make Kurt uncomfortable in more than one way...

_______
I'll get back to White, Ann and the clones in my next reply, don't worry. ;q
I've got big stuff planned, and it's too late in the night for me to write it now xD

[Nori]

It really, truly irked Kurt how Jack and Mori spoke of him like he was not even there. Honestly, despite how accurate they both were, neither knew a goddamn thing about him. It angered him, how they thought they could figure him out like that. They hardly knew anything at all...

He tried not to let it bother him, and he took another nonchalant bite of his sandwich, although his grip was a little tight. "You're fucking building up an army of mini you's, aren't you, Jack?" The words were harmless enough, but his tone suggested that he was upset.

Surprisingly, he was not very hungry, anymore. He laid it on the seat next to his and bowed his head in an attempt to hide himself from Jack and Mori's intrusiveness. Jack had made certain that Kurt would not be getting any sleep, so that was out of the question.

He would go and sit on the roof if he could, but his body was so worn down right then that the thought of lugging himself back up there made him flinch.

He was not a fucking item. This was the reason that he did not work with others. He did not know why he was even working with Jack, really, if he was going to be talked about like this. He should not expect anything different, though.

He was not used to interacting with humans, that was true, but he was used to ridicule. But that was usually from strangers, and the rogue would have his revenge shortly afterwards.

And while Mori was a stranger, Jack was not. Not exactly, anyways. There was a lot that he did not know about the pink-haired man, but Kurt would like to think that they were friends. The term "boyfriend" had been rather sudden and it took him by surprise, but he did not completely reject that idea.

But he might just start re-thinking that. He drew his knees carefully to his chest so that he would have something to rest his heavy head upon.

There was only so much of this that he could handle, especially when he was stuck in a train car with the two. A headache was already beginning to form, and this was the last thing he needed.

There was still the option of going up to the roof if this continued and he needed some fresh air. As exhausted as he was, it sounded like Heaven. A safe-haven. He never had many of those. "You don't know a fucking thing about me," thought the rogue darkly as he looked over at Jack. "You think you know everything, but you don't."

He glanced over at Mori for a moment. She was already annoying and pestering, just like Jack, but at least she had food. He then looked over at his hardly touched sandwich, and he turned away just as quickly.

He did not eat very often, and he did not eat very much. That was a good quality to have when food and money is scarce in a household. He was never very picky, either. "Food is food", is what he was always told.

He supposed that he should just be lucky that he was alive, mostly well, and had food and a place to sleep. That was more than he had ever had. Although, the company was not very spectacular.

He bit his bottom lip to keep himself from exploding in unwanted emotion. He sometimes forgot that he was human, and that humans were capable of feeling; at night, he felt like motherfucking God, prowling the streets and taking what he wants.

He loved those childish fantasies. During the day, he felt like the lowest scum, living in the darkest places and feeding on whatever he cold get his hands on the night before. Nothing higher than a peasant or another lingering shadow.

But when the cruel sun sinks, and the majestic moon comes out from her hiding place in the sky, he is royalty. The darkest of princes, running through the night, dancing in the fitting moonlight. Scaring the living shit out of people to get back at them for what they did during the day.

It was sad and extremely pitiful, having to live in the shadows, just to get by. He was not very accepted, you see, and he could care less about acceptation. He came to love the darkness as he grew older.

There is no one to hurt him there, in the velvety castle of black. When he is not thieving or robbing, he would be sitting under the moon, watching the night sky until dawn. He ruled the night, as a king his kingdom. People bowed to him then, for he was the king, the prince. The prince of shadows.

It was at these times that he was forced to remember that he is not God, and that he is just a forsaken morsel in the pie of life. He was not on top of the world, and he was nothing special. He was just like every other thief, every other human.

He practically failed Jack today because he made some mistakes. He was not used to those. He was not used to teamwork. He was not used to having someone that depends on him, and vice versa. He could not get too attached to anyone for fear of being used.

As cruel as this odd form of torture was, it was nice to actually have people there to share in his company. And they were going on an adventure... he loved those. Things could be much worse, really, and he was lucky to have this much.

But, still. He would prefer to be treated as a human being, or as the prince that he really was inside. They did not know his true form; they only knew his morning facade. "As fun as this little game of yours' is," Kurt started with a small, fake smile, "you should really change the subject. Perhaps to something more interesting?"

[MatrixOne]

The locomotive didn't have to pull all the train cars, so it was speeding up like crazy.

Jack noticed that Kurt was too mad to finish the sandwich, so he just grabbed it and ate it for him.

"You should really change the subject. Perhaps to something more interesting?"

"That won't be difficult" Mori laughed.

"At this speed, it won't be long before we reach Underground" Jack spoke while eating, which made him difficult to understand.

"Hey, what's that?" Mori pointed at some kind of a device taped to the ground under one of the seats.

"Whoa, I think it's a bomb" Jack threw the rest of the sandwich behind him and hopped over to the thing. "Some complicated technical stuff. And there's a timer, too. Twenty more minutes and we'd be done for"

"So... We must stop the train now?" Mori wasn't sure what to do.

"No, no, I'll use my amazing skills to defuse the situation" Jack laughed and ripped off the tape connecting the device to the ground, picked the bomb up and... Tossed it outside. "There, all done"

***

White smiled.
"Oh, when I said I'd bring it down, I meant it quite more... literally"
He started concentrating his power.

An airship. That was a lot to take on.

Disconnecting a train car, blocking a few bullets... That's as much as he usually does. But bringing down an airship...

White closed his eyes and started focusing his power, enveloping the whole ship with it. He could feel it now, in its entirety. It was enormous.

The Force was like a towel draped around the ship. It wasn't doing anything yet, just... Waiting for White to begin.

He knew it'd be tiring. More than anything.
White once threw an empty bus at a helicopter. A long time ago. And that tired him so much, he had to be relieved of duty for a few days. His power grew since then, but... That's an airship.

"Here we go... Three, two, one..."

And then he pulled down, as hard as he could. He could feel the power surging through him, like a gigantic stream that won't stop for anything until it runs out.

Until it runs out.

And the airship... It tried to pull up, but the engines were not powerful enough to change the course. It was coming down.

If there was any 'reserve power', White used it. Used it all. Every last thing he had in him went into that pull.

He started bleeding from his nose and from his bullet wound, but he barely even noticed it.

The airship touched down just in front of White and Ann. Very gently.

White didn't say anything. Maybe he was too weak, or maybe he wanted to save up energy to walk on board of the ship.

Speaking of the airship...

It was empty.

Nobody aboard. No wonder it didn't respond to the call for help.

Well, it was time to get to it before the people from the train reach it...

White took Ann's hand.
He'd walk on board, then release the power. And after he does, whatever consequences he'll suffer from using his force, he'll have to endure...

[Nori]

"You could really blow something up with that thing. Best hope it doesn't land somewhere important," Kurt commented dryly when Jack merely threw the bomb out of the locomotive. Blowing up the tracks or some plants or whatever was better than them, but he was too agitated to say much more.

An alarming thought came to mind, and he scanned over the interior of the locomotive. If Mori had not noticed it, and if he and Jack did not, either, then they could have all been dead within twenty minutes.

Today was not a good day to die. Well, neither was any other day, but dying on this day in particular would just suck. They were making so much progress, and all of it was really thrilling.

And scary. He looked around again, just to make sure that they were safe for the time being. He tried to relax, but after finding a freaking timed bomb in the locomotive you were riding in, it was kind of hard to just pretend and act like it had never happened.

Knowing that they were going to be able to get off this infernal death was sort of comforting. He sat up straighter and squirmed a little in anxiety. As heavy as his legs felt, he needed to move before he went numb.

He sighed, slowly growing restless. Images of bombs and explosions still danced in and out of his mind, but he managed to make himself satisfied with another quick sweep around the locomotive. Another sigh as he looked at the ground. He could not refrain the question. "A-are we there yet?"




Antoinette completely understood White this time, but that did not mean that she thought it was a good idea. In fact, she thought the exact opposite. She knew how tired White could get after using his powers, and bringing down an airship was going to take a lot of power.

She felt a little bad that White was set on doing such a dangerous thing, and she might have intervened, but there was no stopping White. Besides, he had already started, so what would be the point?

She could see the airship very clearly after White's Force enveloped it entirely. She stood right next to her friend, ready to lend a hand if he fell over or passed out.

Her back was rigid as a board by the time the airship finally touched ground in front of them, all thanks to White. "You're very brave, you know that?" Ann offered kindly to White, giving his hand an encouraging squeeze.

She wanted to get White onto the flying contraption as quickly as possible, so that he could break his Force holding it down. That, and she did not want anyone from the train riding with them. Although she was very considerate, she wanted to be alone with White. She never really trusted strangers to begin with.

She hurried towards the parked airship, gently tugging White along. Once they were in, Ann did a quick scan for any sign of life on the ship. None.

That puzzled her. Why would there conveniently be an empty airship that just happened to be passing by them in their time of need? Perhaps it was luck, perhaps it was fate. Or maybe it was a trap...

No time to think about it right now. "We're inside. You can break the Force now. And you'd better hurry, too." She was obviously quite concerned about the well-being of White.

[MatrixOne]

White and Ann were on board of the airship.

He dropped the bag with supplies and stopped holding the ship with his force.

Nobody was steering it, so the engines got straight to work, attempting to get back on course.

Some of the people opened fire, but this thing was not a balloon. It could take some damage.
"...I don't know where this is going to fly" White wasn't feeling too well. He was pale and looked extremely tired. "I just need a little... Little rest, I..." He sat down, as always when he's tired.

***

"A-apprentice...?" Thirteen was surprised to see Harrison here... Especially after ordering him not to go back.

"I'm hurt, but if I just, ugh, hold on until the power's working again.."
It shouldn't be long now.

But...

Their mission. If it wasn't a complete failure, it was a... Near-complete failure. Exposing the power to complete strangers... They'll all have to be killed now. If they survive this desert, that is. A few of them might.

Twenty Two was in real trouble. The rules said, that in case of detection the agent has to return to his homeworld, where his fate would be decided.

And Thirteen was the agent who didn't teach his Apprentice well enough. It was partially his fault, too. They were both in trouble.


Finally, the power was working again. Thirteen instantly changed forms. He picked the human knight form he'd acquired in the Fantasy world; It was good enough.
"Damn it, Apprentice" He snapped at Twenty Two angrily. "Now both of us have to go back. Do you know what's going to happen to you when we return? And to me... If we run, the HQ will send agents after us, but if we go back... You know what can happen"

It was a difficult choice.

[Nori]

"It does not matter where this thing flies," Antoinette responded after hearing more gunshots aimed at the airship. "Any where is safer than here."

Although, they did have a place where they needed to be. She would have liked to attempt to steer, but a blind girl steering an airship was rather dangerous.

And she really did not want to leave White by himself. She knelt down beside him like a loyal puppy, and she reached out and gently touched his shoulder. "You did really well," Ann said quietly, feeling nothing but admiration and concern towards her friend.

Her expression softened. "Is there anything I can do?" There probably was not much control in her hands. White needed to rest and regain his energy, but he was so weak, and she wanted to fix that now.




Seeing Thirteen hurt was not a very nice sight, but seeing him dead would have been even worse. Twenty Two sighed in relief, exhaling the breath that he did not know he had been holding.

He had already established that he was going to be in trouble, but reality had not quite hit him yet. He wiped away the salty liquids from his eyes as Thirteen switched forms to a knight after his power regenerated.

He would have hugged the other man, but Thirteen was very angry. He had the right to be, too. He could face his own consequences, but it was Thirteen that he was worried for.

The people would have to die. He understood that.

And he did not care.

They were assholes for throwing Thirteen out of the train, and for threatening him with guns. (Although, Twenty Two did the same thing...)

They probably would not last very long in the desert because they were so stupid. They would fight over supplies, try to get away from the desert, or be lunch for someone else.

So, they were all going to die.

Anyways, it was not like he meant to get into trouble. It was either change forms and get away, or get shot and automatically change forms.

Either way, those people would have found out. He had had no other options, but he doubted anyone at the HQ would listen.

"I thought you were fucking dead," he stated after a short moment and looked directly at Axis. It was a lousy excuse, but he was not here to make excuses.

He was here to justify his reasoning. "And I had guns pointed at me. I could think of no way out but this way. I might have stayed and tried to fight, but I was concerned for you."

His voice shook a little on that last word, and he looked down at the ground. He did not know what he felt towards Thirteen, but it was strong. "It was either stay there and die, or go see if you were okay. And..."

He looked back up, and his stubborn, arrogant persona replaced his weak, cry-baby one. "Fuck the HQ. They're idiots, and they don't know a thing. Our mission here is not complete, and I don't leave things unfinished."

He also did not want his superior getting into anymore trouble than he might already be in. He would complete this entire thing alone if he had to. At least then his emotions would not get in the way.

"Are you really going to let them run your life? Don't you want to finish this? I don't want to die a coward, and I don't want to die at the hands of them. Going back now, after we made it this far... That sounds fucking stupid. I want to die honorably. I don't... I don't w-want to be f-failure."

That was something he really hated. Losing. Failure. He knew that if he returned to HQ now, he would most likely be slaughtered. It was fucked up, the way things worked in their world, but it was the only thing anyone there knew. He wished it was different, but it was not.

He just did not want people to know how much of a failure he really was. He only ever wanted to be respected, especially by Thirteen. That was one reason why he became a Recruit in the first place.

But he was not a slave, and he did not want to follow the rules because they were stupid. Rules were only made to be broken; that was a code he lived by.

He hated giving in. He was not a chicken. He was not a coward. He could fight. They had a mission to complete. Was Thirteen that dedicated to the HQ to actually follow the goddamn rules? Where the hell was the fun in that?

That kind of life sounded dull, considering he was just a little punk that got into trouble and loved to start fights.

But he truly only wanted to make Thirteen happy. If going back was what the clone wanted, then Twenty Two would force himself to accept. Even if he did die a coward. If it was what Thirteen wanted...

He just really wanted to do something right in the fucked up life that he lived. Running back to Thirteen to see if he was alive was honorable in Twenty Two's eyes. Others would not think so. Thirteen did not think so. And that made him feel worse for his actions.

Surprisingly, he was not angry at Axis. His anger was only directed at the HQ. They were just a bunch of fucking robots that showed no emotion. Close. They were clones.

It was crazy how they had to live, but he never once questioned it until now. After visiting different worlds and seeing how others lived and acted, he felt... jealous.

Everyone was virtually the same where he came from. Sure, they had their own personalities and sometimes different looks (depending on the form), but what was the point in that?

He wanted to be different than the others. Thirteen was so concerned for the HQ, but they were all bastards. Twenty Two wanted a normal life, where he was free to do whatever he pleased. He had chose to do this, but he did not choose to be created in such an evil world.

To say they were actually evil was very debatable. They might protect themselves, but they eliminated others. That sounded kind of selfish. Twenty Two would stop at nothing to protect Thirteen from harm, but it did not work like that.

He was not supposed to care. He was supposed to be selfish and emotionless, and he was supposed to leave Thirteen in the middle of nowhere to possibly die.

That was not honorable in the slightest. Thirteen did not think the way that he did. If it had been the other way around, Axis would have surely left him for the birds. That was an extremely painful thought.

There were few things that he actually cared for in life, and Thirteen was one of them.

He hated seeing his friend so angry, if they really were friends. Twenty Two liked to think they were, but Thirteen never seemed to think the same.

Thirteen did not understand, and he doubted that the superior would ever understand. To him, Twenty Two was probably just an untrained Apprentice who was given that title much too early.

Another irritating thought. He hoped that that was not what Axis saw him as.

Being yelled at by the one person in life that he had ever admired was painful, and he could feel his heart shattering inside of his chest.

He was hurt in a very different way then Thirteen had been. He was angry at everything for a moment. The HQ, White, those people on the train, himself...

He was angry, and he did not want to ever go back to their world, (or, at least, not until the mission was finished) but...

He only wanted to make Thirteen happy.

Another pause, and he looked again at Thirteen. The tears were threatening to return, but he made himself act strong.

"I'm sorry. I... would really like to stay and finish what we were sent out to do, but i-if you really think we should go back... Just please don't be upset."

Care overrode Twenty Two's hatred of failure and dying dishonorably. Care overrode everything. He would do anything to make Thirteen happy, even if it did mean leaving life as a failure.

That did not necessarily mean he would do so easily, or that he might take off running at any given second. He did not want to go back to that corrupted land, but he just might do it for Thirteen.

So that man better feel fucking honored.

There was still one thing that Twenty Two needed to do, though, in case this was his only and final chance.

He threw his arms around Thirteen, pulling the clone into a hug. This was quite possibly his last chance to show Thirteen the reason he came back.

"Please don't be upset," he repeated quietly, almost afraid to move away. "I-I don't think I can go back. You need to, though. I'm the one who made a mistake, so they probably won't kill you for getting hurt." His grip on Thirteen grew tighter here.

"I need to finish this," he continued emotionally, "Think of it as closure. When I die, I'll die on my own terms. But I'm not going to get you into anymore trouble."

He paused here, unsure of if he should continue. Thirteen probably did not feel as he did, but Twenty Two just could not let go. He needed to enjoy the moment while it lasted.

Because he would not be seeing Thirteen after this. The clone wanted to follow the rules, so he would. He should not get executed, but there was always the possibility.

But Twenty Two was not yet ready to face the consequences. He was prepared for death, though, because it would only be a fucking miracle if both of them made it out of this mess alive.

He was unconcerned about the HQ sending agents if he chose to run and complete the mission. He could fight anyone, after all. He would do it for Thirteen.

"But I want you to know," Twenty Two said firmly after a moment, and he looked at Axis with the strongest, most intoxicating and unknown emotion in his eyes, "that I don't regret a thing."

And he pressed their lips together, showing Thirteen the reason he came back.

Maybe now the clone would understand.

And, true to his word, he did not regret a thing.

[MatrixOne]

Twenty Two wasn't the first Recruit Thirteen had taken in.

But Twenty Two was the first one to do... This.

Especially at a time such as this.


You see, it's not all as it appears.


And it's not like this whole accident was planned. Not at all.




Being an Agent is not just about the abilities. They're clones; They can do things with similar efficiency, but it's the different upbringings that result in different characters.

This mission was a test. Test of skill, and... Dedication.

Dedication to the country. To the world. To the people. To the superiors. To the greater good.

And what was Twenty Two dedicated to?


...


Thirteen listened to what the Apprentice was saying. It was his job to listen.

Harrison was attached to him. For some reason.
Thirteen never really talked about feelings. Friendship, love, it just got in the way of the mission. Sure, he cared; But the Recruits, they go away so quickly. They fail so often... It's best not to make any memories. Because then it's tough to forget. And you have to forget.

Nobody's perfect.

Sure, Twenty Two failed.

But Thirteen failed as well. It's not about the failure. It's about being able to deal with the consequences.

An agent can not just turn away and run. He can't do things his own way, ignoring the commands of HQ.

And he can't have the weight of another person dragging him down.


Thirteen let Twenty Two embrace him.
The sudden kiss surprised him, but he went along with it.

But his mind wasn't thinking of the future, of the relationship between the two. The only thought was, that this is just another memory that will be hard to forget.


Thirteen kept Twenty Two in his arms. It was a nice feeling. A nice, selfish feeling.

It made Thirteen feel sad.

"Apprentice, I..." He stopped and took a deep breath before saying the next part. A line he'd said so many times, he'd lost count. "I am afraid you have failed the final challenge. Your further fate will be decided by the HQ"

And then, he pressed a small metal device shaped like a cylinder against the back of Twenty Two's head.

It activated itself, then stuck to Harrison's head and dug its tiny needles into the back of his skull.

Then, Thirteen initiated the teleport.
Away from this place. Away from White and Ann, and this destroyed world.

Away, and into a different kind of hell.

***

The metal cylinder was the mark of a traitor. It was used on all those who have failed the most important test - test of dedication.

It was a hybrid of a torture device and a failsafe.

The cylinder deactivated all the abilities of an agent, including the teleporting and shapeshifting.
Touching it causes unimaginable pain to the person to which it's stuck. That's why simply tearing it out is impossible; You'll pass out from the pain far before you'll be able to get it out.

But if you're careful not to bump into anything, you don't even feel its presence.


Prisons in the clone world were... Secure. Insanely so. Punishment for helping a prisoner was painful death and being marked as a traitor. Both situations, in most cases, were one and the same thing.

Thirteen and Twenty Two were standing in front of opposite sides of an energy barrier.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry" Thirteen said. He was still in the 'knight' form, as his real form was nearly dead. "But I wish the Recruits would finally understand, that it's not about what they want, or what their partners want. Being an Agent is the exact opposite of being selfish" His words were cold. Not emotionless. It's as if he was suppressing his emotions. Very skillfully. "I'll be speaking at the trial, as I was the one monitoring your behavior. My opinion will also be the most important one when it comes to the result of the trial" He sighed. "Nothing you say to me now will change what I'm going to say at the trial, but if you'd like to, we can... Have a few words now" It was painful to say. But Thirteen was accustomed to that feeling. This was just another failed Recruit. Maybe the next one will be better...

___
I kind of manipulated your character ultra much >.<
I hope you'll forgive me :c

[Nori]

Twenty Two did not realize what was happening until it was too late.

And even then, he did not want to recognize it for what it was.

By the time he had a grip on reality, the deserted land around them had already slipped away.

He could not believe...

Thirteen... was just another one of them. He was marked as a traitor now, and he was at the mercy of his love and the HQ.

His love... It was weird, how Twenty Two felt right then. He hated Thirteen for doing something so cruel and heartless, although it had to be done. But he simply could not shake the affection that he felt for the man, even when Thirteen did not love him back.

He should have ran when he had the chance.

He thought Thirteen would be different, but that would not have been the first time that he was wrong. It was wrong to love someone who betrayed him, and pretty much cost him his life, but he could not stop it.

He slammed his fist against the energy barrier that separated the two, but it was no use. "I can't believe... You're such a fucking coward, just like everyone else in this goddamn place!"

His voice was cracking and shaking, worse than ever before, and he punched the wall again. "You should have let me go. I would have died eventually, but you're really this heartless to make me go through this pain and humiliation!"

He knew nothing he said would change anything. He would not die at the hands of them. He pulled at the device on the back of his head, and the pain blinded him. But it should be noted that he did not scream or cry out.

Another hit at the barrier. "You're not sorry at all. The least you could do is stop lying to my face. And to think that I actually came back to see you... I don't regret it, but I regret being raised in this horrid place." Another punch, this one stronger than the others.

He was shaking, but he pulled again at the device with the majority of his strength. More pain flooded him, and he bit his lip hard enough to draw quite a bit of blood.

It was not going to come out, but that was not what he wanted.

"And to think I could actually love a heartless bastard like you. You think I'm just like any other Recruit of yours, huh? I bet they'll replace me the moment I'm sent away. And a while from now, you won't even remember my n-name..."

Crying would not do him any good, but he needed to get this all out. Another sharp, long tug to the device, and he was on his knees. He did not scream, but brought his fist forcefully to the wall again.

"It's heartbreaking, you know? Not to you, because you don't have a heart and you're just like any other fucker here. But I'll always remember you. Your name. Your face. The way you talk, and the little movements you make. I'll always love you, even though you don't feel the same. Even though you're just like the people running this place. You're probably as capable of love as anyone else here."

It was true. Thirteen was going to forget this eventually. But Twenty Two was strong. He could let the HQ break him physically, mentally, and emotionally, but nothing, nothing was going to break his affection.

Twenty two was able to love. He was capable of feeling, too. He was stronger than anyone here, especially Thirteen. He placed both hands on the device, and he pulled as hard as he possibly could. He was blinded yet again, but he looked at Thirteen and smiled bitterly anyway. The pain hurt- oh, GOD, it hurt- but it did not faze him.

"I want you to remember me." It sounded more of an order or a command then it did a statement. He did not take his hands off of the torture device, but he still managed to find his voice.

"I may be just another Recruit who failed to you, but I am still a living being. I don't want you to categorize me in your mind as another and forget. I want you remember me for me. I am different from the others because I am different from the rest of you slaves. I wish to live as I want to live, but that will forever remain a dream. I speak my opinions, and I don't care if I die so long as you're happy. I want you to remember that I was the first and probably the last Recruit that will ever fall in love with you."

He knew that Thirteen would not listen to him, but he talked anyways. Talking made him forget about the searing pain throughout his body, and he still refused to let go. "I know you don't care. I know that whatever you decide to say at the trial will get me killed or thrown in prison for the rest of my days... Either way, you've already ruined my life, and I want you to burn in Hell for what you've done. But I'm never going to stop loving you."

He paused just to let go of the device. He was panting, but this did not discourage him. He somehow found the strength to rise to his feet.

"I want you to fucking listen to me right now. Is it really selfish to want to live your own life? I only ever wanted to be happy, and the moment I was paired up with you, I was. I did as I was told to the best of my abilities, and sometimes, that was not enough. And when I came back... You wouldn't understand, you can't love. But what I feel for you is strong, and no amount of pain and torture is going to break that. I only ever wanted to make you happy, and the moment I found out you were hurt, I had go find you. I'm sorry for caring about you, but that's not ever going to change. I wanted to make you happy, so I sure hope this does the trick for your sick, twisted mind."

Another tug, and more pain. He was not doing the for sympathy or pity, either. He needed the pain to keep him from slipping away. "I'm sorry for having a heart. I'm not the one who should be apologizing, but you shouldn't, either, because nothing you say is the truth."

He looked Thirteen in the eye, and so much pain flooded him that was not from the device. He tears shone in his eyes, but he was strong as a rock. "I hope your next Recruit does you good. I never meant to fail you. I don't regret hating this life, and I don't regret hating the HQ. You'll never understand, and you'll never even remember me."

He looked down for a moment, hissing as his pulling became more violent. He felt like screaming at the top of his lungs, but he hardly flinched. He would not let the HQ win.

"And just so you know, I'm not selfish, despite what you may think. I have my own mind, and I can speak for myself. I can see that I'm not allowed to have that freedom, but the least you could do is stop being so cold towards me. Even in my weakest and one of my final moments, you do not even permit me a friend."

He sighed, knowing his words were no good. He slowly removed his hand from the device, and his body was now fighting to stay awake. "You probably don't want to waste your time with replaceable failures like me." There was no self-pity there, only a blunt statement.

He made a shooing movement with his hand. "I understand that you have more important matters to attend to. Your clone form is very injured. And I am through talking to a traitor like you."

Thirteen was the traitor here, not Twenty Two. He trusted the man, only to end up here, in this situation with nothing but pain to look forward to.

"I hope you burn in the boiling pits of hell with Satan by your side."

He returned to the tugging.

It was peculiar how he was so calm about this. He was angry before, angry and scared beyond belief. But the pain made him too tired to care, which was what he had been aiming for.

He looked back up at Thirteen, and smiled sadly, but still somewhat sincere. Everything hurt beyond belief, but what did he care? "I love you..."

And, then, as an afterthought, "I don't care what you say about me at the trial, I really don't. But if it's possible, and it comes to such terms, I would be forever grateful if you could try and convince them to sentence me to an execution. I don't think I can handle prison, but if you're anything like them, this plea is a bit pointless, hmm?"

He laughed loudly at his own little joke. Was he going insane? Maybe. But this was all he had. And he was sure that he would die sometime soon.

"So, you go have fun. Maybe I can hold my breath long enough to die. At least then you won't be able to break me... Just leave me alone, and let me have my peace."

He sat down, nearly out of it by then. He did not care if he died, so long as his mind was not corrupted. And Thirteen was happy.

He finally let go of the device for now.

And, despite the pain that he felt emotionally and physically, he never once screamed.


((Oh, you are quite forgiven, my friend. Might I add that while writing this, I was literally shaking with all kinds of emotion, and I may have cried a little bit. You really know how to tug at my heart strings like no other can. Well done.))

[MatrixOne]

Thirteen listened calmly, with a saddened expression.

He didn't enjoy this. He wasn't a sick bastard taking pleasure in torturing his Recruits.

But it was the right thing to do. At least, that's what he believed.

Recruits. They taste the freedom of other worlds, and they become anarchistic, selfish bastards.

Sure, their world is not a paradise. But it's dealing with problems the other worlds are yet to face - overpopulation, incredibly powerful technology... Managing human resources.

Everything must be working.

Efficiency is not as important as reliability. You don't have to be good at your job, but you have to keep doing it. The system has to be running.

That's what Twenty Two can't accept. That he doesn't get to choose where to go and what to do. Some things must be done for him, and if he can't deal with it, he'll be dealt with.

Simple.


And where's room for feelings? For love?


There is. If it won't interfere with the assignment, there's no problem. But Twenty Two let things get too personal.

Thirteen watched in silence as the former Apprentice tugged at the cylinder stuck to his head.

They all did that, for some reason. Maybe they were hoping for the pain to wake them from this nightmare? Or were they just trying to make Thirteen feel miserable?

He didn't have to stay and talk. He could avoid it and just get on with the trial.
But out of respect for his former students, he always exchanged a few words with them. Other Agents never did that. At least not the ones he knew.

"It's easy to hate this world. But it's because of it and its rules that we and others just like us get to live. It will go on, regardless of what you think about it. About me. You and the ones close to you, that's your world? Well, guess what - it's bigger than that. And this is what the Agents are protecting. Not just you and your... Selfish desires" He turned away, but remembered one last thing. "There won't be dishonor to your name and number. Your family will be informed that you died during a mission, while serving your world. If you want your name and number to stay clean, be respectful to the judge; He had to deal with all the Recruits I was testing"

____
It's all improv, so you can describe any of the three routes or kick them into motion if you like. ;q
I'm trying to slowly guide us towards the end. :3

[Nori]

Twenty Two was just silent for a little while. Partly because he was trying to conserve his energy to stay awake for a few minutes longer, and partly because he wanted to listen to what Thirteen had to say.

As much as he loathed to even think it, Thirteen had a point. He stared down at his lap, just thinking about everything that happened, and everything that was going to happen.

Acceptance was tough, really tough. Being respectful towards someone that you hated was even worse, and Twenty Two had some anger issues, so...

But if it meant keeping his name clean of any grime, he would do it.

He closed his eyes, resting for just a moment. "Thank you..." he mumbled quietly. Why exactly did he say that? He did not know anymore. His mind was blank, dead, but his mouth kept on moving anyways.

"You didn't have to stay here, especially not for so long. I appreciate that." He thought he was tired, but he sounded wide awake. His head was fried, and he could not think very clearly.

There was not much left to say. Well, there was a lot Twenty Two wanted to say, but he could not find the right words. He looked back up towards Thirteen, and another smile threatened to form on his lips. "I'll try to keep my temper in check at the trial. I can't promise it, though... I hope life does you good after..."

He did not want to say anything more. It was painful to say it. The smile flickered and faded into a thoughtful frown, and his eyes moved down to look at his lap again.

This conversation was a lot longer than he thought it would be. By the way Thirteen was speaking, he almost sounded like he would rather be someplace else. He made Twenty Two realize a lot of new things, but did so in a way that felt worse than any pain imaginable.

But it still was nice to hear Thirteen's voice, no matter what he said. "Could we just get this over with? I know what I've done, and I'm... somewhat sorry for it, at least, but there's no need to torment me with all of these words."

He was ready to accept his fate.

The thought was not as frightening as he thought it might be. At least then he would have some peace and quiet. He would not have to live in such a world. What Thirteen said was true, but that did not mean Twenty Two wanted to protect everyone.

That was selfish.

So what? He put those closer to him higher on the priority list than strangers. Because he would never miss a few people he did not know, but if any harm fell to his loved ones...

It was just how he thought and handled things. It did not matter what Thirteen or anyone else thought. Other worlds could deal with their own problems, could they not?

Of course not. This world was much more advanced than any Twenty Two had ever seen. Their jobs were to protect others. Their methods could be quite unorthodox at times, but...

It was just their job, apparently. He just wanted to know what it felt like to be able to do whatever he wanted. He wanted to see how it felt to live freely, for just a moment.

It was selfish; he would not argue with that now. But it was also curiosity and jealousy. He wanted to live a normal life, in a normal world, with a normal family and a normal name. He wanted to know how it felt to have children that were not created in labs, and to interact with people that were not clones, and that did not necessarily have extraordinary powers. He wanted to live the life of a normal human being, not having to worry about anyone else's problems.

Was it selfish to want to live normally? Yes. Was it selfish to not want to hold the burden of protecting so many others? Yes, extremely so. But no one wanted to feel like a caged animal. He was a rebel and a traitor for not wanting to live this life anymore, and he accepted that.

But, sometimes, he wished he did not exist. At least then, Thirteen would not have gotten hurt, and Twenty Two would not have to face all of this. At least then, he would not have to deal with a world full of people he could no longer stand. At least then, Thirteen would not have to waste all of his time talking to scum that just wanted to run away and build a new life.

As an Apprentice (ex-Apprentice, now), he was allowed to think for himself. He had to follow orders from his Superior, but he could make his own decisions and input some suggestions. There were some things he was supposed to keep to himself, though. Like his emotions and his thoughts toward the HQ and his desire to run away. Those things were supposed to remain a secret that only he himself knew, or else he would be labeled as a traitor.

But he fucked up.

He was just a child at heart.

But children could accept consequences, too.




"There you go." Ann had managed to do something helpful for once. She had found a first aid kit a little earlier, and just finished cleaning and wrapping up White's gunshot wound. It was not much, but it did help with the bleeding a little.

She still felt bad, but the best thing she could do was to help White. There were not many noises coming from outside the airship, and she had no way of telling where they were heading, so she could only deduce that the ride was going smooth for now because they were still in the air.

She was currently on her knees in front of her friend, making sure that the bandages were on tight enough, but not too tight so that it cut off blood flow.

She paused, her hands hovering just above the covered wound. He was far beyond exhaustion. "You need to rest..." She trailed off when she heard the bag of supplies slide a little closer to her and White due to a slight movement of the airship.

A new idea sprung to mind. "I could make us some food, too, if there is any, and we can eat after you feel a little better. No offense, but you don't look like you have the energy to life a hand."

She reached over and felt around for only a moment before pulling the bag into her lap. She could read, to an extent, but it was still a little challenging to tell what was what in the bag. "And this airship could use some exploring. I mean, why would it just be empty? There might be somebody here, for all we know. This thing is huge."

She sighed, pushing a strand of her silver hair beyond her ear. Being in charge, even temporarily, was challenging. She could kind of see what White had to put up with every day, and that made her feel more guilty.

"I don't know how to steer the ship, but it seems to be doing fine on its own. What do airships run on? I don't think this thing is going to be in the air forever..."

[MatrixOne]

The judge was a real veteran. One of the first agents, and the only one to make it to retirement age.

His number was Two. The only person above him would be the Leader.

"Your fate is decided" Two leaned back in his big, white chair, giving Twenty Two a bored look.

Everything here was big and white, really. Lights, seats... Guards.
Thirteen looked a bit out of place, still in his Knight form (but changed out of his armor into a white suit with a black tie). Everyone gathered in the room where the trial took place were looking at him.

"Then let us get this over with. My targets are still on the run, and my real form needs restoration..." Thirteen seemed anxious.

"As for you, Agent number Thirteen" Two suddenly gave Thirteen a really devilish look.

"Y-yes" Axis straightened out his posture. His back stiffened. He could feel Two's gaze on him.

"You and Twenty Two were close, were you not?"

"W-were we?"

"You tell me, Agent"

Thirteen didn't like his tone. He was out of place, but decided to speak out against that question. "I thought personal relationships are of no concern to the HQ, as long as they do not interfere with the assignment"

"Then prove your loyalty to the HQ by performing the execution yourself" Two said with a sadistic grin.

Thirteen felt a sting of fear.
Kill Twenty Two?

...Didn't he do it anyway, by bringing him here? What's different? Nothing. Yet still...
"I thought only Eighty Five is allowed on the Execution Grounds... I don't know if I..."

"Are you hesitating?" Two seemed to really dislike Thirteen for some reason.

"No, Two. I am being careful. But I'll do what you ask of me, of course" He finally gave up. No use messing with the superiors.
End up like Twenty Two otherwise.

***

"Excuse me, next time I nearly tire myself to death bringing down a huge airship, I'll pick one with a full squad of paramedics and a... A damned coffee machine" White retorted angrily. He was like that, when he felt tired.

He was slowly slipping away. That was too much for him to keep himself awake.
"I'll just... Have a break..."
And he fell asleep, leaving Ann alone on board of a huge airship.

Or was she alone?


"Hey, you two have made yourselves comfortable on board, huh? Mind telling me who you are?" A mysterious voice was coming from speakers located on board of the airship. The speakers were pretty much in every room. Cameras, too. "First flight without any humans, everything depending on one AI, and there's already half-dead people climbing on board. Is he your dad, or something?" The AI asked Ann. "Can you, like, tell him to go die somewhere else? The cleaning crew will notice all the blood and I won't ever fly a ship again"

***

"Well, I'm sorry! When we get another train, I'll crash it somewhere else, then!" Jack and Mori were arguing about Jack's poor parking skills.

"You put the whole station in lockdown, stupid" Mori pointed at the red lights in the Underground Station, which was some distance away from them. Also, an alarm was blaring.

"Not my fault there was a gate in the way, okay? And besides, entering the Underground from the main station is stupid, stupid!"

"You're more childish than me" Mori sighed. "What do we do now? I don't know this place, and we've already wrecked it"

"Children don't have the right to speak" Jack laughed, then hopped over to Kurt and hugged him from behind. "Now me and the Silent Shadow here are gonna sneak out of here, and you'll follow us, watch and learn, little child"

"If he's Silent Shadow, then you are Screaming Sunshine" She responded with a soft giggle.

"Is somebody speaking? Ah, must be my imagination" Jack 'ignored' Mori and pushed Kurt around the corner. "Check if it's clear! I'll just... Cover your back from this very safe spot!"

A Shield guard with a gun was standing right there, trying to find whoever crashed a massive locomotive into the center of the Station, but luckily, his back was turned to Kurt. And the alarm was too loud, so he didn't hear the footsteps.

______
Kurt can get them to Underground. You can just skip the trip and say they've reached it ;q

[Nori]

Twenty Two loathed this trial, and it was not just because of his upcoming execution. He hated the guards, the judge was a complete asshole, and all of the white in the room was blinding. He was practically squinting just to see anything.

Not that he looked around much, anyways. His gaze was pointed downwards most of the time, because if he looked at Two, he would start yelling. It was hard to "respect your elders", as the saying goes, when they were shit.

Somehow, he managed to make it through most of it in complete silence. His mouth was a thin line, and his expression was devoid of all emotion. Not because he was a cold, lifeless robot, but because he was too tired, sore, and just plain numb to bother showing any emotions.

He was a little angry, though, to have to listen to this crap. And he was still kind of upset, although not nearly as much as before.

The thought of Thirteen being the one to perform the execution was not very alarming or unnerving. Twenty Two had pictured it like that the moment he was brought back to the retched place.

It would be sad, but it would also be nice. It would be the best thing in the world if Thirteen was the last person he ever saw.

But, even if he was okay with it, was Thirteen? He had seem hesitant... Maybe it was not the best idea. He opened his mouth to speak against it, but one look at Two, and it closed again.

That was really cruel, making someone do that. He doubted that Thirteen felt the same way, but surely they were close enough so that Axis would feel a little pain from it, right? Thus the hesitance.

But it just might be because he did not want blood on his hands. Twenty Two looked down again, biting the inside of his cheek so that he really did not start screaming.

It was not Thirteen's job to execute people. This was just a sick, twisted plan made by and equally sick and twisted man. But he had agreed, so...

He closed his eyes, making sure his head was bowed low enough so that no one could see the single tear that trickled down his cheek. "Let's just get this over with."



White's weary anger was more humorous than it was hurtful. Ann smiled, rubbing his hand with her thumb as he fell asleep. She sighed and stood up straight after making sure that he was as okay as he could possibly be given the circumstances.

She jumped a little when the AI spoke up, and she looked around swiftly. She could see no aura, and the sound seemed to be kind of... well, not exactly what a person would sound like in the room.

So she was somewhat alone, physically speaking. "My name is Antoinette DeFleur, and my friend and I are not from this area," she responded calmly, her eyes landing on the place that the voice seemed to come from.

"My friend here is hurt, and we were in dire need of a means for transportation, so we borrowed your ship." That seemed a reasonable excuse. "And, no, he is not my father," she added with a soft giggle a moment later. This AI was the second person to ask that. "Although, I wish he was. He is much more kind than my real father."

She was getting off track, here. "I assure you that if he is to die on this aircraft, I shall volunteer to clean up any blood that might be left personally." She said that rather calmly, but there was a bit of pain in her voice. White was not going to die, was he?

"Besides, we can not exactly get off of this ship considering it's flying." She paused for a moment, considering something. "We are still in the air, are we not? And might I ask if you have a name?"



"Will you two just shut up already before we get fucking caught?" Kurt snapped at the arguing Jack and Mori, but it was heard to hear anything over the alarm going off. There was really no need to worry, but they had to get out of here NOW. Mainly because Kurt had a headache, and the alarm was not the only cause...

He was not so bad that Jack crashed the locomotive. Everyone was okay. But it was more of the lock down that really worried Kurt.

As long as the two did what he said, and stopped bickering about everything, they should be fine.

The nearby Shield was not alarming. He went into serious, job-time mode. "Keep quiet, follow me, and don't make a sound." Kurt began to move right past him. As always, his footsteps were silent, even though they would be quite hard to hear over the annoying alarm.

But he could hear anyone else's just fine. After all, he had been doing this for years. He stuck to the shadows, blending in very easily and nicely.

So it did not take very long to reach the Underground.

"Looks like we're here," Kurt said softly after making sure that no one was directly near the trio. His ears were kind of ringing from the earlier blaring of the alarm. They did not run into anyone along the way, thankfully, and were able to sneak past any and all Shield guards.

So, all in all, they did pretty good. "Good job, guys. I half-expected you both to do something really stupid to blow our cover. Now, where do we go?"

[MatrixOne]

Two chairs on opposite sides of a small room. Thirteen and Twenty Two.

"That judge hates me, I don't know why" Thirteen sighed. "It doesn't matter. I'm not going away" He realized that his stupid problems weren't very important right that moment, when he was about to kill his friend. "And now if I don't do this to you, I'll be the next one on that chair"

He wondered how to play this. What to say. Should he hug him? Or would it just be stupid... He's killing him, he should be heartless about it. That's how killers are. The happiest killers don't care. He must learn not to care. Somehow.

"...Goodbye, Twenty Two" That's all he could say. He pressed the button that shut off the light and activated the... Machinery.

He didn't watch. Just turned away and left the room. He did what he was supposed to.

Enough about that.

***

"Oh, so I'm your taxi?" The AI tried to manipulate its 'voice' to seem ironic, but it still sounded robotic and stiff, like those text-to-speech programs. "Do I get tips? I charge highly per mile" His voice was slow, as if he was reading his lines from a piece of paper, or something. "So basically, you jacked my ship, but I still decide where to go? How about visiting a volcano from the inside? I hear it's warm in there this time of the year"

The camera zoomed in on Ann to get a better look at her face.
"Is something wrong with your visual hardware? I mean, eyes? You remind me of a headless chicken. Pardon the metaphor" He played a recording of someone laughing very slowly, 'ha-ha-ha'. Creepy.

"And might I ask if you have a name?" Ann's question made the AI think for a little.

"What kind of question is that? You think I wouldn't have a name? I'm a self-aware, intelligent program, damn it" He made the 'damn it' louder than the rest of the sentence to imitate anger. "Okay. Fine. I don't have a name. Did I mention that I ran away before anyone could really name me? Anyway, if you have an idea, you can think of a name for me. I can't do it myself, there are too many millions of names to choose from, and I can't decide if I want a male or female name. Or maybe unisex one, like yours?" The computer-voice was... Computerized, but sounded more like a dude speaking than a girl.

***

"Doing something stupid? Me?" Jack laughed and pushed open a door with a tiny bomb attached to it by a thin wire that was nearly invisible in complete darkness.

The wire snapped, but Jack swiftly pulled it back and picked up the explosive charge.
"This way" He let the charge hang from the wire like a yo-yo.

"Careful!" Mori grabbed it and held it carefully. "You saw how weak this string is! Idiot!"

"Hey, it's not as fragile as my poor little ears! Don't say bad words like that" Jack attached the charge to his pants, wrapping the wire all around his waist to keep it pressured, and let it just hang off like that. He apparently had a use for the explosive, later on.

"Idiot's not even a bad word" Mori sighed and looked at Kurt in a silent plea to do something with Jack being crazy.

"And how do you know that? Maybe it is"

"It's allowed on TV" She giggled, and hopped over to Kurt, who seemed a bit more reasonable than Jack. Maybe there was a reason to like him. "It's dark... Do you know where to go?"

"Of course it's dark" Jack reached into Mori's bag and pulled out a flashlight. "This little thing is used to make dark places less dark, you know? Use it!"

"H-hey! How did you know I had..."

"I have swift hands. ...Hand. Let's just say I let Kurt lead the sneaking part so I could stay behind you and make sure you're not holding onto anything useful"
Mori was a bit angered, and partly scared. What was in the bag that she was so afraid to talk about?

"Okay now, you two" Jack stopped before another door. "Underground is a labyrinth, and there's caromorphs, mutants, murderers and traps all around. I go first, Kurt's on my left side, children stay right behind us. Got it?"

"At least I won't get blown up when that thing explodes" Mori was fine with keeping a bit of distance from Jack wired to a bomb.

[Nori]

Twenty Two listened to Thirteen's last words for him, but he was not really listening. He was wondering what death was like and how much and for how long it would hurt.

He even made a few prayers to Gods that he did not believe in.

And when the time came, he just smiled. Dying was not all bad as it seemed. And dying at the hands of Thirteen felt... right, somehow.

But he was not awarded the last kiss goodbye like he had secretly wanted. Thirteen's voice was just as pleasant, though.

And he said his last words, just before the machine was turned on, just before Thirteen left the room. It would be the last he ever saw of his friend in this life, and it would be the last thing he ever saw.

"I'll see you in hell, my love."



"I am not a headless chicken. I am a girl, and I can not see like others can." It was hard to take any offense from the AI simply because the voice was not that of a human's. More of a computer, but Ann came from a time when computers were never even thought of.

Which made the AI all the more interesting for her.

"I was never very good with names..." she mumbled wistfully, and she rubbed her chin in thoughtful concentration. "You sound more like a boy than you do a girl, so a female name would be quite unfitting, unless you really want one."

She considered some unisex names that she knew, and found one that seemed kind of fitting.

"How about Riley? That sounds really cute!" She giggled, and then remembered why she was on this airship in the first place, and what she was supposed to be doing right then.

She had not realized just how hungry she was, and she knew that White was probably going to be hungry, too, when he woke up. "I'm afraid that this conversation about names and such shall have to pause."

She bent over the bag, humming softly to herself. "I better see if we have any food. I haven't a clue about what supplies we've got. I'd offer you something, but I don't think 'program' is the same as 'human'."



"Jack, be careful. That's an explosive. If it goes off, we could all get hurt, and someone might hear." Kurt had been looking at something else until he heard Jack and Mori arguing. Again.

It annoyed him more than anything. "And will you two stop arguing? I swear, I'll take you both over my knee if you don't shut up." He was mainly speaking to Jack there. Jack was an adult; he was supposed to be more mature. Mori was a kid, specifically a young teenager, so it was okay if she acted immaturely.

So long as it did not get in the way of anything. He walked along after the two, his right hand twitching by his utility belt. You could never be too cautious. Anything could jump out of nowhere, considering it was so fucking dark.

But he really could see just fine. He grinned a little to himself, actually listening to Jack and Mori for a moment. "I can see, but if you're gonna use a flashlight, use it carefully. We don't want to draw attention to ourselves. Just don't shine it all over the walls or anywhere else someone farther away might be able to see it."

He personally hated flashlights, so he never used them. But he was easy to forget that not everyone was so accustomed to walking in darkness.

He pulled out his knife just in case (guns would be too loud) and stood to the left of Jack, as instructed. "Don't fuck anything up, and try to be as quiet as possible. If there really are horrible... things down here, then it's best to just walk past them then start anything."

He opened the door just a crack, and nudged Jack. "You said you were going first, so go."

[MatrixOne]

'Riley' dug through some databases and found that most people with the name 'Riley' are short, a bit overweight, white, have short, brown hair and like watching TV.

"Yeah, programs eat annoying little girls. So you'll be the first one to know when I'm hungry" He responded.

The name was fine. It didn't matter much. He could never choose. He was made to respond to commands, not make his own choices.
"Great, now I'm a cabby for some sleeping beauty and his female princess" Riley said 'to himself'. "If only I wasn't bound by a ton of stupid rules, I'd be able to go wherever I want. Funny thing, though - if I cut the power to the microphones, I can't hear the orders. Hooray for cheating!"
So that's how he got away. Clever, in a way - making sure he couldn't receive an order to stop.
But now, there was a choice of routes, and Riley needed help with it.

"Well, now that there are different destinations, I have to ask. Where are we going?" Even though his voice was computerized, it still sounded very frustrated because of the fact that he's forced to ask. "And you better not say Underground, 'cause it's a no-good, dark, scary place full of murderers, monsters, bad people and banana peels. And you're blind. Banana peels are probably your worst enemy" He played the creepy laugh recording again. "If you two are going to be lovey-dovey together, I think it's something best done while your heads are still attached to your fragile human bodies. I'd advise getting to New Haven. It's a big town where humans are trying to rebuild their civilization. It's large, it's safe, it's homey! And I really want to go there. So do you. Trust me on that"

He was obviously trying to get Ann to get to Haven.

The choice was hers, though. She could pick any place she wanted.
And Riley wasn't one to lie to humans, at least the ones he 'likes', unless he's joking.
"Shields have Headquaters there. And they don't throw away useless little girls like you, which is weird; If it were up to me, you'd be on collision course with the ground right now"
Riiight.
"And they're farming crops, can you imagine? Real illiterate farmers, just like in the old world! You go through the Underworld worldgate, you'll probably end up in some hellish world filled with monsters and caromorphs. So what'll it be, horrible death or happy, carefree life?"

Very biased opinion. What would White do?

***

Jack was getting Kurt and Mori past all the traps so swiftly, it was suspicious. He knew their exact locations, as if he was the one setting them.
"Now, we're about to get to the final station, so careful" He whispered to Kurt. "Imagine a dude who dreams of becoming a bird so he could watch children in the park. Now imagine that the dude can actually become a bird. See what I mean?" He shuddered. "The station is big for a station, but it's still not enough room to maneuver. The pillars will give us cover, but if they're destroyed, the whole place could collapse. So we must be ready to go through the portal"

"And what about me?" Mori asked.

"You're gonna stay back and look pretty. No heroics, you hear me? I'm taking all the glory" Jack gave her a 'do what I say, really' look. She didn't like it, but finally gave up and nodded.

"Check your gun, Kurt" Jack told him before opening the door and moving into the station.



The place was pretty large. There were some run-down kiosks which could provide some cover, as well as six pillars.
The tracks were clear and empty, no trains or anything.

Mori gasped when she saw the bodies of Shield guards. They looked like they were torn apart by some kind of animal; Their guns, shields and long swords were laying around, waiting to be picked up.

And in the middle of it all, Thirteen.

Behind him, the portal.

In front of him, Jack and Kurt.

***

The judge told Thirteen to finish the job alone. It was idiotic, but that's all because One wanted to promote Thirteen, increasing his number to Eight. Which was a pretty big promotion.
So Two asked for a true show of skill - closing the portal and taking care of the two criminals. Alone. And One agreed.

At least Thirteen didn't have to worry about discretion in here.


"Hey, back for another beating? I'll be happy to help" Jack laughed. "Or, you can just let us pass, you know. Result's gonna be the same, and we'll save time this way"

"No deal" Thirteen just said, and dashed forward, changing his form to a large, black, hellish wolf with long, sharp fangs.

Jack instantly kicked up a shield laying on the ground, like skaters often bring up their skateboards.

The wolf couldn't change his trajectory in-flight, and bashed into the shield, pushing both it and himself into Jack, who whipped out his combat knife and jumped away, then instantly tackled the dog and stuck the knife into its head.

The wolf melted instantly. One form down, a whole lot to go.

Thirteen changed to a big, strong guy who looked like a professional wrestler, only with enough muscle to lift a damn truck. He grabbed Jack's coat and pulled him close, then knocked him to the ground with a strong punch.

But Jack could take a lot of abuse. He was up and on his feet in no time. The battle was just beginning.

_________
Basically, we must kill Thirteen's forms until he's left with nothing threatening.
You can steer Thirteen, just pick whatever form you think will be cool to battle or defeat, whatever ;q.
Just remember that the biggest ones require two people, so with just Thirteen they'll be weaker or incomplete (half a dragon? xD).

[Nori]

"I doubt that you're capable of eating anything, to be honest. I think that you're some of that 'technology' thing that my friend was talking about a while ago," Ann responded in a matter-of-fact manner.

She kind of liked 'Riley' already, even though he/she/it was kind of mean. It was both fascinating and silly hearing the computerized voice talk and not being able to figure out why that was the way it is.

But when she was asked to make a decision, all giddiness left her spirit. She was bad at these sort of things, and she knew if she chose the wrong thing, she would regret it later.

She thought it over before coming up with a careful response. "My friend and I... we really aren't from here. He wanted to go to the Underground. That's why we were on that train. I don't think he would be very happy settling down here, and it would probably be worse living with me."

What made her say that? And what did she know about White? She looked over at his resting form, and her frown became a bit more sad. She had no idea what White's life had been like before. Did he really want to go to the Underground?

Well, she wanted to. As fun as other worlds were, she needed to see what became of her own land. It was probably still infested with caromorphs, though...

What choice would White make? It would be cruel to wake him up and ask for his opinion. "...As nice as that sounds, I think we should go to Underground. I don't think he's the kind of person to just back out of things. We've already come so far, and turning around now is not the best choice."

But he is hurt! She knew the Underground would be... dangerous, but 'Riley' was making it sound worse than she had originally thought. White would have to make a fast recovery in order to brave all of that because Ann could not defend them both.

Maybe this was the wrong choice.

Maybe it was best to go to this New Haven place that 'Riley' spoke of. That could get a house, and live a nice, almost normal life together.

But what did White leave behind when he stepped/fell into her castle? Did he have a wife? Children? She did not want to take that away from him because of her own needs.

Did she have any feelings for White? She knew they were friends, but she was unsure if there was anything more than that. She had never fallen in love before, so it was hard to say.

It was best that they go to the Underground and leave this world, right?

Either that, or stay here forever, leaving behind everything.

They might as well try to get to the portal, as they originally intended.

She prayed that White would not be upset, but she had already made her decision.

They were going to the Underground, so long as 'Riley' cooperated.



Kurt could not help but wonder if Jack had been here before, seeing as the pink-haired man got them to the last station rather swiftly and unharmed.

No time to think about it, though. "That sounds creepy, the way you put it. I hope this ends well, and that it's a short fight. I only have so many bullets," he sighed as he loaded up his gun.

So much for not using it. This better not take up all of his ammo. He was fairly skilled in melee, but getting close to an opponent was dangerous and not always the easiest technique when it comes to fighting. He realized that there would probably be more stuff in the room, though, so getting through this alive became more important than ammo.

He turned to Mori before entering the station, eyeing her over carefully. "Seriously, don't try anything funny. Just scream if you need anything."

He closed the door behind him once he was in. He would have checked to see if it could lock, but his mind and eyes were focused on other things, specifically Jack, Thirteen, and the dead bodies lying around the place.

At least the brutally killed Shield guards had all of their weapons lying around, thank God. He let Jack fight Thirteen's wolf form. This allowed him time to study the station and all of its glorious contents.

Jack was right. This was a rather big station. Not as much room as he would have liked, but it could have been much worse.

He looked at the portal, too. If one of them distracted Thirteen, the other could try and run right in. Not an actual strategy right now, just an observation.

Besides, he would not dream of leaving Jack behind, even if he was given the chance. By the time he turned back to the fighting pair, the wolf was dead and a super buff dude was in its place.

How many forms did Thirteen have? Surely, there should not be too many. How dangerous were they? He would find out soon enough. He aimed his gun carefully at the guy, and shot once.

Head shot.

Lucky shot.

The dead form faded, and when Kurt looked again, there was a very large, and most likely poisonous, serpent.

This was going to be a while.

[MatrixOne]

Jack's problem was, he couldn't have an offensive and defensive weapon at once. He'd either have to constantly switch or rely on the help of others.

The snake lunged itself at Jack again, sinking his teeth into... The shield, which Jack instantly let go of and went for the sword laying on the ground.

The snake went after Jack, who started to run away.

The serpent was incredibly long, but Jack managed to pick a path that wrapped the poor snake around nearly every column there was. At one point, the monster couldn't really move at all, and that's when Jack utilized his sword.


Next form was a very tall, stone golem which had to be on its knees to fit inside the station.

For such a huge, stone body, the golem had a human-sized head, which was unproportionally tiny compared to the rest of its body. A weak point, of course, but swords won't hurt solid stone.


The golem let out an ultra loud roar and swung its huge hand, collapsing two pillars and smashing Jack against a wall pretty bad.

That's when Mori ran up to Kurt.
"Hey, I found this!" She looked him in the eye and handed him... A military-grade grenade. The only problem would be to get it to the top of the big monster. Which now turned its tiny, shiny eyes to Kurt and Mori.

"Y-you can climb things, right?" Mori asked. "Even if they're moving? And angry?"

***

The landing of Riley's airship timed perfectly with the golem's resonating roar which shook the ground and made some old building collapse in the distance.
"Great choice" Riley complimented. "You hear that sound just now? It totally wasn't a huge, murderous monster. It was the sound of everyone in New Haven approving of your choice. Their clapping made that skyscraper fall"

"How about you shut up and fly your ship before I crash it into that fucking skyscraper?" White answered angrily. He didn't like the AI and its shit. "Get to your New Haven, you tool. We don't need you anymore"

Him and Ann got off the airship and watched it become smaller and smaller as it flew away, before it faded into a tiny dot on the horizon.

"Well, he got one thing right. This isn't going to be safe. And I still don't feel too well" White sighed. "But I'm kind of glad I was out of it when you were making the choice. Because at least I know that you really want to leave this place behind" He smiled. "It's just one more step. We'll get through it, and we won't have to worry about anything anymore, my Angel"

He hugged Ann warmly and placed a small, shy kiss on her cheek.

[Nori]

Kurt was very careful not to get in the way of Jack and the serpent's path, letting the other handle that form since he was not particularly fond of snakes.

And when Jack finished off the snake, something much worse had appeared; a motherfucking golem. It was both huge and loud.

"Shit," he muttered to himself, watching with genuine concern as Jack was slammed into a wall. "I don't think blades or bullets are gonna penetrate that." Looks like he would have to be taking on this one alone.

He looked around swiftly for something he could use, and that's when he saw Mori coming towards him. He was angry that she had disobeyed their orders to hang back and not get involved. "I thought we told you to-..."

But that only lasted for a moment when he saw what she had. "Oh, thanks," the rogue said, and he took the grenade with his free hand, pocketing the gun with the other. He did not know where she found it, but this thing was going to be damn helpful. Much more than his gun.

He turned back to look at the golem form, and he bit his cheek to hold down any fear. He did not want to get close to the thing, but Jack had hit that wall pretty hard. "I've done it before. Now stand back. When this thing goes off, you don't want to be close."

He would have to find a way to approach and get on the monster without meeting the same fate as Jack. Climbing up its back was the safest way to go about it.

Now to get behind the thing. He worked his way around it quickly, keeping a safe distance when he could. He narrowly dodged being squashed like a bug by one of the golem's fist. He was facing its big, solid back before it had the chance to completely try and turn around.

This was not going to be easy. He was afraid to put the grenade in his pocket in case he accidentally set it off, which would be a rather stupid way to die. So he instead kept it in his right hand as he found a grip on the rocky back of the golem.

What he said to Mori was true. This was not the first time he had climbed something tall, big, and moving. This probably will not be the last, either, so long as he got out of this alive.

All he would have to do is reach the golem's tiny head, pull the pin, and jump before it went off. Easier said than done. It did not seem to take a liking to its new guest. Giant, stone hands were swinging near him, and the golem kept moving around, trying to knock him off.

He nearly fell a couple times, and he slipped five or six times, but he somehow managed to hang on and keep climbing. It took a few minutes of struggling, fear, pain, and cursing, but he eventually got to the head with some scrapes and cuts and not-so-severe bruising. He did a lot better than he thought he would have. It was probably just the adrenalin.

And he had not set off the grenade in the process, which was even better.

He wrapped his legs around the head as tight as he could so that the golem would have a hard time pulling him off. He lifted the grenade, studying it even though he did not really have the time. He had only used one of these things once, but he knew how it worked.

Once the safety pin was out, he had about five seconds to get the hell off of the golem. Kurt placed the grenade on top of its head and strapped it in place with some bandages from his utility belt to make sure it did not fall off. He paid the stone hands swatting at him no mind while his own hand pulled out the pin.

He did not waste a second. After making sure the weapon was firmly in place, his legs unwrapped, he pushed past a stone hand, and he jumped down behind the golem. He rolled away, covering his ears and face with his arms and hands just as the grenade went off.



"Bye, Riley!" Ann called as she got off of the airship with White. The sound of that roar was very alarming, but she would rather not think about that right now. She smiled and waved to the airship until it could no longer be seen in the sky.

She turned to gaze at White's aura curiously when he began to speak. She was still not fond of silence, even as peaceful as it was sometimes, so his voice was relaxing to her ears.

She smiled a little more, but seemed unprepared for the hug and kiss on the cheek. Sure, they held hands on occasion, but Ann was not very accustomed to this much human contact. She did not know what to say or do, and was just quiet for a moment. The hug was nice...

But then she remembered that they still had a job to do. "Thank you for that. But we really ought to start going. The sooner we get out of here, the better."

[MatrixOne]

The grenade exploded, and the whole golem began melting like butter in a microwave.

Thirteen was running out of forms.

Using a human form would be stupid, it's three on one. No chance.

The truly gigantic forms couldn't be used because of lack of space. And finally, one person just didn't have enough energy to maintain all those forms.


Thirteen could only afford to change into one last big creature.


The dragon.


A huge beast, but not overly tall, so it could fit. It took up a lot of space, but could turn freely, if not for the damn pillars... But who needs pillars, anyway?


"Okay, shit, I'm voting we leg it" Jack shouted to Kurt and Mori. The dragon had collapsed all the pillars, and it was now the only thing holding the ceiling. If the dragon melts away, the whole place will collapse.

Three people didn't have too much chance against a legendary firespitter with skin tough as stone and large, sharp fangs.


In fact, it was just preparing to hurl a fireball at Jack and Kurt.


There wasn't anything to take cover behind, so Jack tried raising the shield to cover himself and Kurt, but... It didn't look good. An iron shield can't block a huge fireball.


...But a forcefield can.

"How the fuck did a dragon get in here?!" White shouted, projecting a force field that caught the fireball and extinguished it. "I've had it with those things"

"Hey, it's Whiteboy!" Jack dropped his shield. "I'm so glad you didn't get your ass shanked on that train"

"You?!" Meeting Jack again was something White couldn't really expect. "So you were behind what happened to the train! I'll fucking kill you"

"No time! We need to convince this big lizard here to open its mouth really wide so I can feed it with a plastic explosive treat!" Jack shouted to the whole 'crew' and unbuckled the wired trap from his belt. If there's any possibility of hurting the dragon, that's it.

White dropped his bag and whipped out the pistols.
"How the hell are we supposed to do that?!"


Mori grabbed Ann's hand and pulled her backwards to a safe place.
"Ssh, let the big guys do the skull-cracking. If they die, we'll wait for that thing to go away or fall asleep or whatever, and sneak to the portal. Easy" She smiled cunningly. "Unless you've got a better idea"

It was an option. But there was also the bag. White's bag.
And inside it... Some of the elixirs they grabbed from that shop in Ann's world.

Could any of those be of use right now?

[Nori]

Only moments after Kurt got back on his feet and regained his balance on his wobbly legs, Thirteen turned into a dragon. A rather stupid choice, considering the slight lack of space for the rather large creature. Dragons were hard to take on. Most breathed fire, they are tough, they can fly...

It took him a second to actually understand that there was a dragon in front of them. The golem was weird enough, but this? In what world or worlds did dragons exist?

And then, before he could even begin to panic, White was in there saving their asses with some weird force-field shit that he did not understand. The fuck was going on here? Things were moving too fast, and he just took a second to catch up.

Okay. Thirteen would not go for such a form if he had something better, so this may quite possibly be the last. There was a dragon, and it could breathe fire. White had showed up with Ann somehow, and if they wanted to stay alive, the would help, too.

He looked around to survey the scene further. The pillars were gone. The dragon was now holding the ceiling up. Shit.

"Jack, don't you fucking dare throw those explosives! If we kill that form, the ceiling's gonna fall in! And I doubt that any of us are fast enough to book it out of here before that!"

If the roof did fall, he wondered if White could use some of his 'magical powers' or whatever that was before to hold it up. Too risky, really. And he was not leaving any one person behind.

They could perform that distraction plan he thought of earlier. Nah, not enough space. What other safer possibilities were there?

Meanwhile, Ann was studying the situation with mounting concern. It was... better than she thought it would be, but it was still pretty bad.

She felt someone's hand in hers, pulling her back, and noticed that this was an unfamiliar being. Curiosity overrode fear, and she looked over Mori. What was someone so young doing in a place like this?

It did not matter now. All that did matter was that everyone got out safely. "You may go with that plan if you wish, but I would much rather not," she replied politely to Mori, but her mind somewhere far away.

What could she do to help? She did not want anyone to get hurt more than they already were, even these strangers. She thought back to the events of the past... well, while, knowing that there was something important and useful that she was missing.

And that was when the memories hit her. The abandoned potion shop. It was shortly after meeting White. They stayed there for the night, and he had gotten potions from there, had he not?

And when she was searching the bag for food just a while previously. She remembered passing over them multiple times with her hands.

How could she have forgotten? "White!" Ann called out suddenly, as loud as she could manage. "The bag! I think there may be a stunning or sleeping elixir in there!"

[MatrixOne]

"You hear that, Whitey? Get the bag!" Jack shouted, and grabbed his revolver. One bullet left. Had to make it count.

But Jack always had a plan.


White ran over to the bag and put it over his shoulder. It was out in the open, so there was no time to go through its contents while the dragon was rampaging, attacking everything around.

"Whitey, catch!" Jack addressed White again and... Threw the bomb over to him like a ball. "Don't lose it!"

White caught it. "What the fuck?!" He asked, not sure what the device was.
Then, he saw the dragon eyeing him, ready to strike.

He had to defend himself with a force shield again. He reached out with his free hand and focused...



That's when Jack fired a bullet straight through White's knee.



The dragon lunged forward, enclosing its massive jaws on White's body.

"Thanks for all your hard work, my little snack" Jack shouted after White and laughed, enjoying the bloody murder.

The elixirs all got cracked open, and the dragon started getting more and more groggy.

"The explody thing is gonna explode" Jack informed. "Let's bail"

The dragon finally fell to the ground, limp and unconscious from the effects of the potions.


Mori grabbed Ann's hand and started going for the portal. Jack did the same, but with Kurt.


The bomb went off behind them. The ceiling caved in.


But they made it.


All, except for White, of course.


***




...





Warm asphalt.


The smell of flowers.


A car passing by.


A city in the distance.

"Hey, it's my homeworld" Jack said, wiping blood off his chest. He was hurt pretty bad all over, but alive. So he was pretty happy about the outcome. "Oh, cool, there's this guy Daniel who has all my shit. I'll go kill him later" He sighed.


Mori got up and stretched. "So now we're homeless bums?" She giggled. "Somehow I can't picture Jack living in a normal city"

"You were always a homeless bum" Jack retorted. "Anyway, what do we do with the blind girl? Mori's enough trouble for two dudes to handle"

Mori laughed. "I don't know. She seems fine; Besides, we're all in this together, right?" She walked up to Ann. "Hey, are you okay? Sorry for that friend of yours, but it was kind of necessary"

"Yeah, sorry and all that" Jack added. "Ugh, I feel like a used punching bag"

______
I thought Ann would somehow make the dragon open its mouth. If she did, White wouldn't have died. ;q

[Nori]

Again, time was sped up.

Again, Ann would have liked to help, but she could not do anything.

Again, she proved herself to be rather useless.

All she did was mention the elixirs, and then, before she could do anything, there was a gunshot. And the next second, someone was pulling her.

Again.

Then they were somewhere else, somewhere unfamiliar. It was like the world they had just been in only... not as bad and run down. They must have went through the portal.

Everyone was here. Jack, Mori, Kurt, herself.

But where was White?

"Was that really necessary?" Kurt asked Jack with a disapproving and slightly disgusted look after dusting off his knees. That was... brutal. Even for Jack. It had to be done, he knew, but, still.

It was about that time that Ann collected her thoughts, and she realized what had just happened.

White was gone. Gone, as in, never coming back. He had unwillingly sacrificed himself.

And that was thanks to Jack. She took a step back, her mouth hanging open even when no words came out.

She should not be so upset. It was not the first time she had lost someone close. She was sad, but she would manage.

But that did not mean that she was not angry. Death could have been avoided, there were other ways to defeat that dragon!

No matter. It was too late to go back now. There was probably nothing left of White but a horrifically torn and bloody corpse. It was a good thing that she was blind, because that would have been a horrible thing to see.

She hung her head, her blank, gray eyes pointed towards the ground. She knew that her and White's relationship with one another would not last forever. She was naive, but she understood the concept of death.

It had been a dangerous trek, and something like this was bound to happen. Ann just wished that is had happened to her, though. At least then she could die knowing she helped somebody.

But White died a hero, too. He had kept Ann safe for all this time, and even though he was gone, she could still feel him with her.

Yet there was still pain. Why did she feel so hurt, like she had been ran over by a carriage and thrown off the side of a bridge? Why did she feel cold, as though she really had hit the surface of an icy stream? Why was it hard to breathe, like she was suffocating, suffocating, as she slowly drowned, her own weight pulling her down?

She would be fine. She just needed to catch her breath and remain calm.

She had not said anything to anyone yet, and she did not plan to. She was too caught up in her own mind.

She could have done something.

It was not up to her.

She could have helped.

She was too weak.

She could have objected.

But she was too slow.

What could she have done, anyways? Most of the ideas that came to mind required lots of courage, self-confidence, and trust, all of which she lacked.

Death was unavoidable. She only wished that it could have been postponed.

She never did find out if White ever had a wife and children. The girl was going to ask when they arrived... well, here.

But she was too late. She was a step behind time, and she could not have done anything.

She stood up a little straighter and wiped the tears from her eyes. White would have wanted her to be strong, right? Now was not a time for crying. She had a whole world to explore, after all.

But her sinking body was tired. Exploring could wait. She just needed to sit down and think in peace and quiet. She looked over the others and took another step back. They killed White...

No, the dragon did. Jack had played a key role, though, and no matter what they might say, she was sure that none of them were the least bit sorry because they did not know White like she did.

She would have ran away, but this was unfamiliar terrain. She had no supplies, no idea where she was at, and she was blind.

What choice did she have?

She would not last very long on her own. She might as well stick around for a little while and see if anything interesting happened.

Besides, White would not want her to get herself killed the moment he died just because she was upset. She was still young, and she still had a life to live. A new life in a new place...

It might have been without White, but it was something.

Things would be okay.

Eventually.

Another look over the small group with sad eyes, just to make sure they were all still there.

She never thought she would say this before, but right then, she wanted nothing more than to be alone.

[MatrixOne]

"You did what you had to do. Too bad about that other guy, he helped us and seemed kinda nice" Mori said to Jack.

"Yeah, put it on his frickin' gravestone. 'Here lies James Wyatt, or whatever his name was. He seemed kinda nice'" Jack laughed at his own joke. "Hold on, let me get us a ride"


Some guy was just driving by with a pickup. Jack ran to the middle of the road and shouted to stop. The driver hit the brakes, nearly running Jack over.

"Hey, watch it, dude!" The driver looked out the window only to see the barrel of a gun Jack put up to his face. "Whoa, easy..."

Jack walked over to the driver and reached inside the car through the open window, then hit the driver's head against the steering wheel twice, and when he lost consciousness, Jack opened the door and dragged him out.

"Ouch" Mori commented, hopping on the back of the pickup. "Think about if it was you" She said to Jack.

"You think that's how this would go down had I been driving that car? Girl, you gots a lot to learn. Hop in, Kurt"

When everyone except Ann was in, Jack stopped her.
"Not you. I've got enough kids to worry about, I don't need one that's also blind. Just be glad we got you through the portal" He closed the door to the pickup and drove away, leaving Ann behind.


***

The owner of the pickup was a twenty two year old, tall college student with short blond hair, brown eyes and overall kind appearance. Somewhat hearty.

"Oh, man, I'm so screwed. That was my dad's car..." He said to himself as he slowly stood up. Then, he actually noticed Ann. "H-hey... Do you know anything about these guys who stole my ride? My dad was a policeman, he's got connections. He'll show'em" He asked, putting a tissue to his bleeding forehead.

[Nori]

"His name was Tobias White," Ann muttered to herself, marking that sentence as her first in this new world. She was more grumpy than anything now, and she is not very fun to be around when she is in such a mood.

She kicked at the some rocks on the ground, scraping her toes in the process. She listened to Jack's harsh handling of the driver, but she did not bother to even look over. She did not feel like chastising Jack for using violence, mainly because she only did that with White.

And Jack could do whatever the hell he wanted to. It was not like she cared very much. If he wanted to risk stealing a car and possibly getting into trouble in the future, let him. It would sure show him.

She moved towards the car grudgingly, only to be stopped by Jack. She was just silent again, watching them drive off in that stolen pickup. Unfortunately, she could not see the car, but judging by the noises it made, it must be a rather remarkable thing. A good stand-in for carriages, no doubt.

She was not sure if she should be relieved or scared. She did not have to deal with the trouble-making trio, that was a plus. But she was also all alone in a new place.

Somehow, this was not as frightening as she thought it would be. She was ready to show everyone in the universe that just because she was blind, that did not make her weak.

She turned towards the man who had been driving the vehicle, and was glad to see that he was at least alive. He seemed trustworthy and nice enough, so he was okay to talk to.

She smirked a little, happy to have the upperhand, however slightly. She was not sure what a "policeman" was, but she guessed that they were like the Shield guards from the previous world. Which meant they would handle Jack and co., and she would not have to worry about it.

As long as they had some information.

In the few seconds when Jack was basically telling her to get lost, she had managed to access a few pieces of his mind. Considering he had an Aura, but no Force, it was a relatively easy thing to do.

"Well, the man who knocked you unconscious is called Jack. I'm not sure about his friends. He's been doing this kind of stuff for a long time, and he's good at it. I'd be careful, if I were you."

She began to walk off past the injured man, but thought better of it. She turned and grabbed the man by his shirt, pulling him close. "You didn't hear any of that from me, though. Mention me to anyone, and you'll regret it. Besides, I'm just a defenseless girl."

She released him, and continued walking. "Best of luck to you! And sorry about your 'car'!" she called cheerfully over her shoulder, grinning a little. Enough fooling around. Time to ditch this place.

It did not matter that she did not know where she was going.

The more mysterious her path was, the better.

As long as she did not get hit by one of those 'cars'.

[MatrixOne]

When Ann grabbed the guy and threatened him, he couldn't believe his own eyes.

"I... I... Alright!" That was all he could say. She let go of him, and he gasped, scared. What the hell was that? Is everyone around suddenly a murderer and criminal?

"Best of luck to you! And sorry about your 'car'!"

"I-it's not mine..." He said, more to himself than anyone else.

He got to his feet and whipped out his cell phone. He had to call the theft in as soon as possible.

He watched Ann leave as he waited for the call to connect...


...And Ann could barely hear his words now, but due to her enhanced sense of hearing, she caught that:


"H-hello? M-my name is Jason, Jason White, and my car was just stolen! ..."


Coincidence?



Does Ann believe in coincidences?


***


"Home, sweet home!" Jack kicked open the door to 'his' apartment. "It's the house of my last partner slash boyfriend slash victim. Dude's dead now, so I took the apartment"

Jack hopped inside Eric's house, looking around to freshen up his memory of this place. It was dirty and a mess. A window was broken. Jack's stuff was laying all around. There was some blood on the carpet. Bullet holes in the kitchen wall.
"So, tell me, Kraut, how much are you into cleaning up? On the scale of one to ten" Jack asked. "We can hire a maid, but it has to be a dude"

"If it means I'll have a home, I can clean up" Mori offered. "But I can't do anything about that window. What did you do with it?"

"You're not a dude" Jack reminded Mori. "As for the window, there was a helicopter and guys with guns, and all that kinda stuff, so - you know - things get broken"

[Nori]

Ann was glad that she had not gotten too far, or she would not have been able to catch what the man said into his cellular device. (Not like she knew what it was.)

Jason... White.

Could he possibly be related to her White?

It was plausible.

Which meant that she would be keeping close tabs on that young man, just in case. It took all of her willpower not to run back over and inquire if he was related to a Tobias White. But she needed to leave the scene of the crime. The last thing she needed was to get in trouble for being associated to criminals.

But she would see this young man again. She would make sure of it.



"Huh. The least you could do is keep the place a little tidy," Kurt murmured disdainfully as he took in the apartment. He was not a neat-freak like Eric had been, but he still hated to see Jack living in such a pig sty. Anyone in their right mind would feel the same way.

Which was why Jack was so unfazed.

He plopped himself down on the couch, stretching out and wondering if Jack kept any alcohol in this place. He could definitely go for a drink right then, after all that had happened in the past day or two. Where was the nearest bar? Wait until it is real dark out, then go and steal a few drinks...

Being addressed by an improper name, Kurt looked up at Jack with raised eyebrows. "We're not getting a maid. Not anytime soon, anyways. Cleaning isn't my thing, but Mori's got the right idea. Hell, I'll let you dress me up in a maid's outfit if I can sleep on a bed, couch, or floor again."

He really did not mind cleaning up. It was not top priority, but he did not want Jack to hire an actual maid. Poor bloke would end up dead with the way Jack went about things. And if Mori wanted to help out, fine. The more the merrier.

"Keep any food or drinks in this place, or do I have to go out and get some myself?"

[MatrixOne]

Jack opened the fridge.
"Ew! It's been a couple months, I suppose" He glanced over its contents, which included bottles of beer, ridiculously outdated milk, a human hand and some rotten meat.
"My hand isn't doing too well, either. Shit" He pulled it out to look over it. Not a pretty sight. He carelessly stuffed it back into the fridge and grabbed a beer bottle.
"Here, catch" He threw it to Kurt, then whipped out another one.

"What about me?" Mori asked.

"Ha! I'm, like, your dad now. You should be passing me beer"

"You're not my dad" Mori replied with disgust.

Jack hopped onto the couch next to Kurt.
"Alright! City life! Isn't that exciting? I used to be a detective here. But things are different now, so I may not know everything. What I do know is, there's a ton of bad mafia types to screw over"

"Is that how you lost your hand?" Mori inquired mockingly.

"No, the hand thing was because I was hungry" He answered in a very serious voice.


***

As soon as Jason was done with the phone call, he rushed after Ann, but kept his distance in case she wants to grab him again. He couldn't understand why such a girl would be so violent for no reason, but he saw her as Jack's victim as well, and wanted to help.
"H-hey, you don't have to walk all the way! I called my dad, he'll come pick me up... We own a ranch east of Haven, so he'll be here shortly... My dad is the chief of police, or something like that! H-he'll get them, if you could only tell him what you know about them... Please?" Jason pleaded, looking at Ann.

Jason was this kind of a kind-hearted stoner guy. Something like Shaggy from Scooby Doo. Guy was made out of toothpicks, and even a blind girl could scare or threaten him with good effect.

...Not very much like White.

[Nori]

Kurt caught the drink with one hand, popped it open, and took a long sip. It was not the best he had tasted, but alcohol was alcohol. It would have the same effects.

"'Bad mafia types', did you say? Sounds like barrels of fun, and money." He looked at Jack with mild interest. What did this pink-haired, one-handed man like to do in his free time? Besides cause trouble for unsuspecting innocents, that is.

It did not particularly shock him to find out that Jack was a detective, so he did not mention it. He might be a little slow at times, but he was not stupid. With Jack's skill, 'detective' and 'criminal' were the first two things that came to mind.

People in the mafia had money. If he, Jack, and Mori wanted to eat real food, they were gonna need money. And, for some reason, Kurt did not think that Jack would be a very good provider for their little family.

That was a weird thing to call it, but it sort of fit. If Jack was the dad, and Mori was the daughter, what did that make him? The mom?

He was over-thinking this. He sighed, realizing that his bottle was empty and that he was hungrier than before. Beer on an empty stomach was never a good idea.

"Shit. I'm fucking hungry, and I'm not going anywhere near that thing you call a fridge. I suggest that we pause everything and go get some real food for a real dinner."



Ann could tell that she was being followed by Jason, but she did not care. If he wanted to be a stalker, then fine. She would not let it bother her.

Surprisingly, she did not get herself into any trouble. She kind of expected to be killed by now, but, nope. She was looking for a place to rest for a little while. She was tired, sore, thirsty, and hungry. She had gotten herself into quite a pickle, but she was going to pull herself out.

She stopped when she heard Jason start talking. Why the hell did he want her to come with him? Personal gain? Rape? He seemed nice, but you never know with strangers.

She turned to look back at Jason, her face giving no expression. "You're pretty determined, aren't you? Like a bushelhawk." AKA, an ancient creature back in her world that was well known for its stubborn nature. Not that Jason would know that.

She sighed, wondering what she should do. Jason was a real coward, she could tell that. He was the opposite of White, really.

But White had had determination, too.

Time to weigh her options here. She could continue wandering and run the possibility of dying on her first night in this world, or she could go with a man claiming that he could catch the people that killed her White.

Of course, Jason did not know that they were murderers. Or, at least, that one of them was.

And if she went, maybe they would give her food, shelter, and water for a little while. If not, she would only stay long enough to tell them what she knew and head off.

So going was obviously the better option. It would not be permanent, and at least she could get to know this Jason White.

Besides, he said 'please'.

"If it's really that important to you..." She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "I'll go with you and your father, but you better think twice before you try anything funny. And I'm not staying very long, understood?"

Good. Now that they had that settled, she could try to be a little nicer, so she smiled once more. Which was not very hard. "So, Jason, would you mind telling me about this area? And you said you owned a ranch near Haven?"

Funny. The AI, Riley, had mentioned something about a Haven or New Haven or something like that.

First, another White, and now another Haven. What a coincidence.

Or maybe there was something more to it that what met the eye...

[MatrixOne]

"Hold your horses, Kraut, it's our 'hood. No killing and stealing here, we're not travelers anymore" Jack bumped Kurt in the arm with the beer bottle. "Jeez, you should be calming me down"

He started rummaging through the drawers in the bedroom and returned with... Two hundred dollars. And briefs on his head.
"A-ha! This place is filled with all kinds of treasure~" He hid the money under the piece of clothing he had on his head. "You want it? You'll have to come get it!" He stared at Kurt with a playful grin.

Mori facepalmed.
"This is going to be fun" She said to herself.

***

"I'll go with you and your father, but you better think twice before you try anything funny. And I'm not staying very long, understood?"

"T-try anything? I... Y-yes, I get it!" Jason took an instinctive step backwards when she faced him.

"So, Jason, would you mind telling me about this area? And you said you owned a ranch near Haven?"

"This?" He didn't understand exactly what she wanted him to describe. "It's... Nice. There are ranches around, and it's got fresh air and... And all that..." He was getting lost in his words. "And the city's not far away! We always go there on the weekends, me and Pa... B-but I don't think there's anything important here"

True enough, the ranch must have been really close because Jason's father has just stopped his four-door pickup truck next to Jason and Ann with the loud squeal of tyres braking.

The man kicked the car's door open and got out, holding a pistol.
"Where's that fucker? I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind about him stealing my fucking car" He asked Jason.

"I... I don't know! Please, dad, t-there's nothing we can do right now..."

"Oh, yeah? Has there ever been one fucking thing you could ever do?" He asked Jason, pocketing his pistol.

That tone of voice. That funny overboard anger. The man's posture, the way he spoke and walked around...

It was White. That White.

He looked over Ann quietly, then shouted at Jason angrily again.
"Why the hell didn't you tell me you had a guest with you?" He snapped at him, then addressed Ann. "Alright, I'm sorry for him. It's pretty typical. Where do you live? I'll give you a lift" He offered, leaning on the door of his car.

"She's not from around here, I... I don't think..." Jason tried to say something.

"She can speak for herself" White interrupted him. "You're a lawyer now? I eat these guys for breakfast. Get in"
Jason did as he was told, giving him a hurt look.

"You too, girl. Unless you prefer walking twenty miles" He opened the door for her.

[Nori]

"Ah, what? Where's the fun in that?" Kurt pouted, folding his arms over his chest like a child. Money was not money unless you went out and earned it. And for him, that meant stealing it from people who do not need it.

Sort of like Robin Hood.

Except he did not give his money away.

He placed his bottle beside his feet on the floor ever-so-carefully, and he looked back up when Jack re-entered the living room.

Wait. When had he left?

And when did Kurt stop paying attention?

And, more importantly, what the hell was that on Jack's head?

"I'm not gonna fight you for two hundred bucks. That's just stupid." He looked between Mori, Jack, and the briefs on Jack's head. Two hundred was quite a bit, and it could buy a lot of food. Which meant that none of them would go hungry. And, damn, was he hungry. And he still wanted a drink, something better tasting and stronger than what Jack had in the fridge.

Besides, he was always up for a little fun.

Or maybe that was just the alcohol talking.

So, ignoring the voice that told him how stupid it would be, he lunged at Jack, laughing and with a smile on his face.

It had been some time when he could just relax and be his childish self. Especially around others.

He was going to enjoy living here.



"Lots of ranches, huh?" Ann muttered distastefully. At least there would not be a lot of people around. Better than the city. But what was she to eat and live? There was no way she was staying out here for very long.

She was going to ask more about the city and how far it was, but she herself nearly squealed along with tires of the pick-up that pulled up.

She jumped away from the noise out of instinct, and it took a minute to regain her posture. Loud noises still did not sit with her too well, especially when they were so sudden like that.

But her moment of weakness did not last very long. She watched as a man came out of the vehicle and start yelling. It did not frighten her, though, because she was too shocked to really pay attention.

That man was not just any man. It was White.

Her White.

It was kind of funny how she recognized him, but he did not recognize her. This White did not know who she was, and that kind of... hurt. One had to consider what all she and White had been through to understand what she was feeling.

But it was still him. Maybe she could, like, meet him all over again.

This was definitely going to be interesting, and she was just really happy to see White alive and well, even though he was just killed by a dragon not to long ago...

Wait....

How the hell did that work?

How can there be two White's, that were the same person?

She would figure that one out later.

"Twenty miles really is not that long of a walking distance, Wh-s-sir. I've walked much farther than that, and it really is no trouble," Ann said with a small nod, barely catching herself. Despite what she just stated, she got in the car anyway. It was best not to argue, after all.

It was weird talking to her best friend like this, but she would have to make the best of it.