RR.NET Forums

[Yaz]

As the selected students filed into the assembly hall, there was silence. Some where unaware of what they were doing there and why they had been summoned especially by the Elders. These students exchanged uneasy glances with each other. Those that had heard some of the rumors were expectant, sure that it had something to do with the outside world.

Elder Deroon came into the hall, his balding head shiny in the white light of the room. He walked up to the podium, his white robes trailing behind him on the floor. In the back of the room, Nishka had already brought down some of the light to fiddle with while they waited. The girl next to her, a telekinetic, was poking at the solid, glowing light as Nishka shaped it into random shapes. They fiddled and played with the light for a few moments when Elder Deroon spoke up.

"You are probably wondering what you are doing here," he coughed, beating his chest and then continuing with a rousing voice.

"There is no easy way to give you this answer, and so I will simply say it: We will be sending groups out into the outside world."

There was an immediate, hushed whispering that spread throughout the room and echoed off the high walls of the auditorium. Nishka closed her hand around the light, encasing it within her, her Lightbringer eye sparking with power as it focused on Elder Deroon.

"The groups will consist of you: the students. I am sure that you have all noticed that you are about to graduate from the academy. You are our best, our brightest and out strongest. There are cities out there. I would not personally call them cities, but there are people, like us, living in the outside world. We only discovered this recently. Up until a week ago, we were unaware of any outside presence.

"The unfortunate truth, however, is that it is a virtual hell outside of the Academy. Much of the earth is still submerged in water and there is a great ... great need for order. For justice. For hope.

"We will be sending you out tomorrow night. I ask you now to prepare, to say goodbye to your loved ones. This is not an optional task. This is your duty to humanity. I cannot express how much this means for your future, our future and the world's future."

Elder Deroon paused. He looked out among the many different, and so very young faces of the future. Nishka was holding her breath.

"You will receive further instructions and details once you are boarded on your ship tomorrow evening. That is all."

The students sat in stunned silence. Nishka thought she could hear someone begin to whimper. Lyssna give me strength, Nishka thought, suddenly realizing that she would have to break this news not only to her mother but to her clan. And to think, only a few days ago, she had been celebrating the fact that she would no longer have to attend any arithmetic classes or social studies.

And now, of all things, Nishka would be leaving the Academy for a world she had never been in before. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Nishka was excited to maybe finally see lightning, something that the artificial atmosphere of the Academy did not offer.

She stood, as did other students. They left the assembly hall to tell their loved ones and to most likely prepare themselves for the mission that waited ahead.




((OOC: Get ready, guys. Whatever you need to bring, whatever you want to do, better do it now because I most likely will send us out in my next post. ))

[Pyro]

Tykan walked out of the assembly hall looking rather confused as he watched the other students walk by. He brushed his hand through his thick black hair that fell messily into his face, but the three white ovals on his forehead were still visible. His brown eyes shifted around profusely as he looked down to the ground and placed his hands in his jean pockets.

Loved ones... Right... Tykan thought as he looked around to see people hurrying back their family in which they still had. Tykan had not had a family for as far back as he could remember, thus why he made sure he had friends. All of them would be too busy packing and saying goodbye to their loved ones to speak with him, but he'd half to go speak to the lower classes.

"Tykan" He heard from behind him as he ducked down to see a small girl eyeing him.

"Hey there Alexis." He smiled and crouched down, rubbing his hand in her hair. "How are you my dear?" Alexis blushed slightly and rocked back and forth on her heels as she looked up to Tykan's brown eyes.

"What was the meeting about?" She questioned him as he looked down past her.

"I'm leaving." He said in a sorrowful voice. Tykan didn't particularly WANT to leave, but it was a new experience and he never passed up such a good chance as something like this. Alexis looked very saddend by this, being one of the children they allowed him that he considered a little sister he lifted her up and rubbed her stomach as he brushed his denim jacket behind him so it would not create an akward feeling between them. "Don't worry," he smiled. "I'll be back." Alexis simply smiled as Tykan began to bob her up and down for amusement. "I have to go pack, let's get you to your mother alright?"

Tykan strolled down the hallways as he began to look for Alexis' mother, people eyeing him strangely as if the girl was his while he walked. Everybody knew that Tykan did NOT have a child of his own yet, and if he did the child would most likely end up being red. Tykan particularly did not have a sweetheart at the academy, but liked to keep his options open incase he took a liking to any certain person. Hell, the outside world will need populating right? He thought as he nodded to students almost every five seconds walking down one hallway. Everybody knew him, and that's the way he liked it. Maybe i'll find a sweetheart one day to help keep things on track.

Tykan made a turn into a room in which he knew Alexis lived in, simply placing her down and smiling widely as he kissed her on the head. Her mother's voice rang out from the shower, and she particularly had not grown a specific liking to Tykan in the least bit. Tykan winked as he backed out the door quietly, turning and bumping into a large behemoth of a man.

"Tykan," He said, looking down at the small red man in front of him. "Just heard the news, i'll miss you man." Tykan shook his hand, his name is Damien but they called him Ogre, considering that was one of his abilities. His strength was something sort of Godly in a sense and his height just made him that much more appealing. He had black hair that fell into his eyes, only messier than mine did. He relied off barbaric ways, and as Tykan made his way around him he was met by several girls who he considered good friends.

"Tykan!" The first girl said, throwing her arms around him. The other three followed as Tykan fell over and squirmed away from their dogpile to get back to his feet and brush his black shirt, his denim jacket that came halfway down his torso, and jeans off. Around his neck he fixed the necklace he wore that had a pendant of an arrow clashing with a sword, his symbol for showing retribution to Devlin, the God of Bravery and Ferocity. He looked at this every time he emerged to train, spar, or battle.

"Tykan! You're leaving us!" The second girl known as Amanda stood up smiling. As he though about it Tykan's name was rather strange compared to the others, but these girls were human unlike Tykan. He didn't even know what exactly his race was called considering he didn't know his parents, and he tended to ditch classes at times. If he wanted to he could easily find out.

"Yeah, I have to go girls." Tykan murmered placing his hands in his jacket.

"Aaaw, we'll miss you Tykan." They all muttered slightly creepily in unison. He smiled widely as they each leaned in and kissed his cheek, boosting his ego slightly. Natasha was the only one who didn't kiss him on the cheek, she lip locked him and he would have been called for blushing afterwards if it showed up compared to his skin. She ran off as Tykan simply shook his head and walked off towards his room.

Once he had made his way through the giant halls of the school, he entered his room, quickly grabbing several books that he had yet to read and placing them into his bookbag. He placed all of his chemistry tubes in which he used to make potions inside a side compartment, and also hooked any he had already made onto his side pouch. They were all his own concoctions, and would come in handy considering he had spent a good deal of time studying herbology and training himself to protect and heal his friends with potions and herbs. From the side of his bed, on his bedstand, he took a picture of him with several of "his girls" as he called his friends who were girls, all of them deciding to pick a spot to kiss him. His eyes were widened in which gave away instantly he had been caught off guard.

Tykan smirked slightly and stuffed it into his pack, looking around and grabbing a change of clothes that looked almost exactly the same as his clothes now, just his shirt would be white rather than black. Socks and underwear he brought enough of to regulate every day, and a few extra pairs just incase he happened to rip a hole on one or two of them. He was ready to go, and he would spend the rest of his time saying goodbye to people. This adventure to the outside world would be amazing, he wondered what kinds of things he would find outside as he stepped back out into the hallway, bombarded by people who knew he was one of the students joining the group to go on the outside world.

((Didn't wanna bring in anybody else due to their own stories and such... So yeah, THIS IS GONNA BE AWESOME!))

[Rani Lilith]

Synn stayed in the assembly hall, sitting in her seat. Fabian, who had been sitting beside her was already standing talking with a few of his friends. Thoughts exploded through her mind. Whats it like in the outside world? What creatures live out there? What will we experience?

Her mask covered her frown. To be honest, Synn was afraid. She didnt know what to expect. Sure she was skilled in knife throwing, and she had an amazingly fast reaction time, but would that help her, in the outside world? Synn gripped the knife at her waist, one of the 5 she carried with her. Slowly she pulled it out, listening to the sound of it scratching against its sheath. The light boucned off it, making it even more shiney. Sharp and dangerous, just the way she loved her blades.

Eventually she stood up, a red book in her hand, one of her favorites, Inkheart. Synn had read it atleast 20 times. Fabian came to her side and laughed, "Reading that book again?" he smiled.

"You know how much I love it." Synn looked up at him, a smile appearing behind her mask, "Im going to go and start packing."

"You want me to join you?" Fabian asked sweetly.

"Nah, its fine. You can stay here. Besides you have to start packing as well." With that, she hugged him, and placed a small kiss on his cheek before leaving the assembly hall. The halls were crowded with families, and little kids scampering about happily, not a care in the world. Some people were crying, while others hugged their families goodbye.

Making her way up to my room, Synn was stopped by a girl with black hair and green eyes. Alexa, one of the younger students, who was good friends with Synn, frowned sadly at her.

"Why do you have to leave now? They can deal without you cant they?" She asked quietly. Her eyes began to water, but she blinked it away quickly not wanting to let the tears fall.

Synn sighed, " Frankly, I dont really care about this damn 'mission'. I dont really want to go either, but I gotta get out of this place, and start exploring right? Besides, I dont really know if they can or not either. But dont worry, Ill be back as quickly as possible. When I get back Ill tell you everything that I see. Promise." she held up her pinki, and smiled when Alexa locked her pinki with Synn's.

Quietly she opened her door, being careful as to not hit any books. Alexa stayed behind her, waiting patiently for Synn to enter her room. Soon she followed behind the girl with the mask. Swords and knives hung along the walls, while bookshelves lined he walls filled with books.

"Where did I put you?" Synn muttered, searching beneath books and knives, looking for her bag. "Ha! I found you!" She laughed victouriously. Alexa sat on her, pushing a few swords carefully out of the way.

"Now, what do I want to bring with me?" She asked herself before she started packing. Alexa watching her intently, and sadly.

[Skid]

Obye paced about his room, making sure to grab everything he would need on the trip. A couple canteens from the virtually empty kitchen, a survival knife, his bullwhip he had been practicing with, and a few changes of clothes of course. He stored most of this in a pack, and noticed he still had room inside.

Obye sighed outwardly, he had nobody at the academy to say goodbye too. Tykan would be the only one, and he was already coming along for the ride. Obye paced around his apartment-style home for the ninth time, knowing he wouldn't find anything else but doing it anyway.

Obye finally spotted something else he might need. A book about his culture, it was old and weathered and was passed down generation to generation. Obye wasn't old enough to know his parents when they died, but with the tattered book he was atleast able to find out a bit about himself.

"Maybe I'll find someone else like me?" Obye asked no one inparticular. He rubbed his rubbery fingers together, a snow white. "Not a chance." He replied to himself, slamming his fist onto a counter he had passed by. "Don't even want to go on this damn trip anyway, a waste of time."

A waste of time spent doing nothing. Obye shook his head, tired already. All that time spent studying the mind and psychology and it all amounts to a whole lot of nothing... Atleast now it did. Obye pulled the shade from the window, shedding light inside of the room for the first time in days. He looked out over the living area of the Academy, people were spending time with one another, talking of the students chosen to leave the academy.

Obye concentrated on one girl inparticular, her lips flying a mile a minute. Obye wondered what she was talking about, and stared intently. He concentrated on her, and soon her words appeared in his mind. <The students chosen weren't the highest graded but most of them seem like they were fit for the job. Nearly all of them have something to contribute. I don't know about that white-rubbery-skinned one though, he seemed like an odd choice. Wasn't his name Obye? I've only ever seen him when he attends classes, doesn't he leave his room?> Obye cut off the telekinetic connection, he wasn't insulted but was more annoyed. Even in her mind, her 'voice' was very. very. annoying.

Obye rubbed his eyes, approaching the fridge. He opened it, and it revealed nothing but water bottles full of spring water. He took one, and began to guzzle it.

"Ugh, its like taking years of work and effort and throwing it into the sewers." Obye growled bitterly, unable to keep his mind off of all the studying he had done. "I may not like it, but I'm stuck with it... I better make the best of it."

[Dragon]

((OOC: Am i the only person not gonna be talking in 3 person limited??? Hope not...))

"Seff, can you believe it? We're goin out there man!" an aquaintance said to me as we walked out towards our rooms. "Wow, this is gonna be so cool. I can't wait to see what it's like."

"I heard it's all just a lot of water for miles." another guy said joining us.

I wished they wouldn't do this. Cause when one comes, his friend coomes, then thier friends come, and then automatically i'm forced to talk to people i really don't wanna associate myself with. Too bad i have a conscience or else i'd just tell them all to eff off and leave me the hell alone.

I wiped the brown hair out of my eyes and a first year student caught them and stared oddly. This happened often in the hallways with people who didn't usually see me. My bright orange eyes attracted a lot of attention by girls who were drawn to shiney things.

I broke off from the guys that were following me so i could start packing. I searched around under my bed and grabbed a black duffel bag and put a couple of pairs of pants, shirts, boxers, and socks into the bag. Looking around my room, my eyes caught sight of my reflection in the mirror. It showed my muscular body coverd by a black wife beater and baggy white pants. Underneath my long pant legs were the black boots I always wore.

As my eyes caught thier reflection, i thought about what was about to unfold for me. For a new world. For everyone who could share it with us. And just as my mind wandered a little bit an arm reached around my neck from the back. Instantly i grabbed it and flipped it's owner over my shoulder onto the bed.

The girl let out a squeal as she landed and looked up into my eyes that had caught the intensity of receiving an attack. The intensity lessened as i realized who it was and was replaced my a smiling face.

"Jesus christ, you scared the hell outta me!" Lilly said to me. I helped her up to sit straight up on the bed. "Is it true? Are you really leaving?" Lilly looked around and saw my duffle bag packed. "So it is true." She turned her head away from me to hide a tear that was rolling down her cheek. Lilly was a year younger than me and she wouldn't be leaving on our mission.

I loved her... but this was something i felt compelled to do. "We're gonna have to end this." i said turning my back on her so i could hide the emotions that were showing on my face. I couldn't go out into the outside world with ties to this one. I had to break this off so i concentrated on my mission and my team that i was gonna be assigned with, not with what Lilly is doing here.

"I understand." Lilly said getting up and walking towards the door. I looked away from her again and heard the door close...... then lock. I turned back around and she was standing there with a big grin on her face.

"If this is going to be your last night here.... with me... i want you to remember it. Even if i never see you again." Lilly said and started advancing on me and finally pouncing on me, making me fall onto the bed.

Lilly had accomplished what she had set out to do... i would never forget this day, ever, as the last day i was at the Academy. I was packed... i was mentally prepared... i was laid... and completely ready to head out into the outside world.

(OOC: I dunno if that counted as "crush" criteria... but i figure it wouldn't matter as much seeing as how we're leaving soon and it was the last time i'd see/mention her really....)

[Yaz]

Reaching the doors to her clan's living quarters, Nishka punched in the security code and quickly went inside towards the alter centered in the courtyard. Nishka gathered fresh flowers from their gardens and lit a candle infront of the alter, bending her head and closing her eyes as she laid her offerings infront of the alter.

"Dalgarath ma tu Lysnna," Nishka said quietly, in the old tongue of her clan. She pressed her hand upon the cool marble of the altar, realizing that not only would she have to somehow be able to to attend to her religious responsibilities on a ship far, far away from home. "Dalgarath ma tu Lysnna."

There was a pitter pattering of feet as her mother came into the courtyard, her face lined with worry. "Nishka, where have you been? You missed afternoon prayer!" She tucked a stray strand of ebony hair behind Nishka's ear, looking over Nishka to see if she were alright. Nishka took a deep breath and began to tell her mother, very slowly, what was going on.

Her mother stunned, took Nishka into her arms and hugged her close. "I will miss you so, my Nish." Nishka pulled away, her mind clearing as she tried to shrug away the almost overwhelming urge to hug her mother harder. A determined look came over Nishka, her bright eye sparking suddenly as she looked behind her mother to the rest of her clan and their families.

"Will you be going, Lightbringer?" An middle-aged man stepped forward, the high priest of their temple. Nishka nodded and bowed her head, waiting for the priest to say something. There was silence for a few moments and Nishka almost thought they were going to leave her alone, but she was wrong. "Dalgarath ma tu Lysnna, Nishka," he finally said.

Lysnna preserve you.

In her room, Nishka realized that there wasn't much to pack. Her mother had provided her with a small alter, possessing a small marble likeness of Lyssna. Her mother had also brought her some candles but that was really it. She looked at her simple clothes that had often made her envy the girls who wore bright, colourful clothes, and sighed. There was no doubt in her mind that she would be wearing her clan's temple wear throughout the trip. She packed them into a leather rucksack quickly along with an ornate hairbrush her mother had given her.

Tired from the excitement of the day, Nishka collapsed onto her bed, fully clothed. As sleep began to claim her, her one bright eyes began to dim until it was only a dull yellow and her eyes closed, sending Nishka into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.



((OOC: *pokes everyone* ))

[Tent]

Mak paced around his room in circles, triple checking to make sure he'd gathered what he needed to pack. He always had the trouble of either packing too much or not nearly enough. He slid open his closet and snagged out several shirts; he snarled.

"Man, I hate wearing these things," he muttered.

Not that Mak was a streaker or anything, but one of his passions was gliding through miles of water with no cloth to weigh him down. His skin was also very sensative- so the threads only caused unwanted itching throughout the day.

"And uhm....what the-" upon reaching down to pick up a sock, Mak spotted something sticking out from his dresser. He dragged out what appeared to be a very old and tattered doll.

"Aw geez," he suddenly remembered that this was the first gift he had ever receieved at the Academy. The first girl he had ever charmed had made it herself and given it to him on their 4 month anniversary. But after several fights the relationship went somewhat downhill.

Mak didn't necessarily miss her but it made him realize how long he'd been here. Safe and sound in this place. Now they were going to open the doors to an entirely different atmosphere.

He smirked and set the doll on his pillow. After five more minutes of mindless packing of clothes, shades, potions, his cell phone, his camera, and a photo of him and his parents, Mak took a breath and headed back out into the hall. He embraced anyone who looked as if thye needed some comfort. He was wondering where his sister might be. After the death (by which no one knows) of his parents, he had always been trying to keep at least one eye on his sis. Whether she liked it or not.

[Flare]

Mika had, shockingly enough, managed to escape Mak's wary eye, at least for a little while. It was rare that she was ever able to evade her brother. He was constantly watching her, making sure she was all right. Though it could be sweet and endearing, the constant overprotectiveness from her elder brother could irk her a bit from time to time, when it simply became overwhelming.

Mak didn't seem to realize that, for the most part, Mika handled herself just fine. She always obeyed the rules, never stepped out of line. She simply wasn't the type to fall into any sort of trouble; it wasn't really in her nature. Mika was quiet and shy and calm, and girls like that didn't find themselves in danger all too often.

Of course, it was merely because of having lost their parents that he'd become so protective. Mika realized that she was all he had left, and that she was the only thing that connected him to their past. She could understand--for the most part--why he wanted so desperately to keep her safe from all harm.

Still...it was SO obnoxious.

Even if it was just to pack...at least it was a little time away from her older brother's watchful gaze.

Mika rubbed her slender, smooth forearms out of habbit as she walked slowly down the corridor. She could see a few of those she was supposed to accompany on the mission here and there, saying goodbye to loved ones. Mika bit her lip as she glanced up at them--and she had to look UP at all of them, being only 5'4" herself--and felt a tiny sting of longing in her heart that she didn't quite understand. She blinked her big, entrancing black eyes, her bottom lip protruding slightly in a small pout of concentration as she tried to decipher what the emotion was.

After a moment, when she'd turned into her room, she realized it must be lonliness. Yes, she'd felt it before, but it had been so long since she'd allowed herself to feel it that it seemed unfamiliar. Mika didn't like it at all, she decided with a slight frown.

Generally, Mika didn't like emotions. She tried to avoid them as much as possible, or at least keep them on the mild side of the spectrum. At one time, she had wished to be passionate, but found that sort of thing brought despair with it. Despair was something far too strong for her fragile mind to handle.

Mika had always been as she appeared: relatively weak. She was small and elegant, and her mannerisms were nothing extreme. In fact, if she allowed herself to retain any sort of passion, she could very easily run out of control of her thoughts and actions, though no one save Mak knew of her instability.

Her slender green fingers began to pick up various things around her room to pack. A few things to wear--latex, mostly, as she hated the feel of cottom against her smooth, sensitive skin--her hydrater, and...ah, yes. The locket of her mother's. Mika smiled softly, taking the golden pendant and clasping it around her elegant throat.

Glancing at the mirror to see how it looked around her neck, Mika frowned again. Why did she have to look so...different? At least the rest of them bore some similarities. She was not beautiful, at least not to them. If her home still existed, she certainly would have been considered beautiful, but not here. She bit her lower lip softly, tearing her gaze away from the mirror and to the sack she'd packed. With one slender hand she lifted it up and bade farewell to a room the didn't think she'd miss all too much.

[Cel]

((Christ Almighty, Dragon, you waste no time...))

"So, Master, I guess you heard?" I asked Kalitan, my mentor in the art of necromancy.

"Yes, yes. I knew long before you did," he said in his grizzly voice. He scratched the short silver beard on his chin, "but, if I know anything about the real world, there should be a hell of a lot of souls for one to manipulate, eh, Fabian?"

"...I..."Katilan knew I hated thinking about that, "...I suppose, yes."

My master stood up and chuckled, "Fabian, you're the most perplexing student I've ever had. You treat the dead as untouchable--as things to be feared. Yet, you have touched--controlled them. You must have faith that our Gatekeeper will understand your path is not yet completed."

"I know, Master, but..." not this, not here, not again, "You treat the dead as tools! As things only to be manipulated! They were--are people!"

Kalitan chuckled again, "Well, somewhere between our two axioms lies truth, Fabian. We’re both fools!" and he looked upon me with a father's eyes, "Fabian, there is no more I can teach you. You're reserved, you won't fight, and you're scared of your own shadow. But, that will all become mended only with experience. Now, if I may ask, do you fear this?"

“…Yes. Yes, I suppose I do." I said as I looked down at the floor.

“Now, answer me this: Why?” He raised one eyebrow.

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

“Don’t know? Then why fear it? The Gatekeeper –and the Gatekeeper only, knows when it is your time to walk the path Beyond. Do not fear death, Fabian—use it! You’re a necromancer!”

“I have no problem being a necromancer!” I stood tall and puffed my chest out, “I simply do not want to join their ranks.”

“You are ready for this, Fabian. Now, I already had one of the apprentices pack your things, and you already have your staff--”

I always have my staff.

“—all that is left is for you to receive your orders. You know,” my master continued, “this is probably the last time we’ll see each other. I want us to depart as equals; I am no longer your master, Fabian. You no longer need one. You’re eighteen, you’ve come of age.”

“Very well, mas—Kalitan,” I turned to grab my bag.

“May the Gatekeeper enlighten your path,” Kalitan said the formal good-bye of our religion.

As I said the counter-good-bye, one last time, “Always and forever. Kalitan.”

[James Sunderland]

In the very corner of the living room, Uncle Sam sat there, on his very own spot of sofa.He puffed deeply at the hubble-bubble pipe, released a long smoke of sadness and painful, and it covered the room with it's very own sad, dark colour.His face appeared to be a face of life-melancholying man, very sad , very dark, like it always appeared to be, just a little different that the furrows on his face, it just tighten itself, moved near to the eyes, just like it was trying to hold his tears not to let them drop, eventually the tears will go back to the very dark corner of his heart, where he stored his deepness, undropped tears for years...His very own ways, things, hobbies...it was like that and it will be liked that as long as he still alive.But...not for me, his very own "unofficial newphew"!Now I'm going to go to the outside world, beyond the protect of the Academy's barrier.And I will have to risk my life, searching for some bunches of unknown, forgotten people.Every moment out there could be my last, easily devides me and Uncle Sam...forever!

I sat there, next to him.A long silent between Uncle and "unofficial newphew" appeared.I know in that very moment, each of us got many things to say, enough to fulfill this large, cold living room.But...none of us could come out with something.

I released a long, very long sigh, in a very ridiculous and humor way, hardly opened my mouth - "Uncle Sam, I..."

"Life is way so cruel,isn't it Tint?" - he asked, like he was waiting for me to say the first word.

"You...could say that again, Uncle..." - I replied, again with my very own ridiculous humor.I know this isn't time for jokes, but that the only thing I can come up with right now.

"Years ago..." - he said, as his voice was very sweetish like he was crying - "...I lost my very own best friends, your parent.And for years, I only got you as my best friend, my relative, my...son.I tried so hard to keep the old tragedy not happen again.But now...I feel like...have been left behind...like...<sobbing>...I am going to lose you too...<sob>...Man, why life is so cruel?It gives us the preciousness long enough then suddenly takes it away without warning..."

"Oh...don't cry...You were a veteran soldier before, and soldiers don't cry.I really don't want to go out there and risk my life.I just want to stay back at the Academy with you, Uncle.But the Academy needs me.I have been brought into this event, and my responsibility is to finish this once and for all.Who know, maybe there is people out there, waiting for us...You can't go against the stream of life, you know...Besides, I will come back!Don't worry!" - As I finished, I could feel tears rolling down from my sadness eyes.But I quickly wiped it away, I don't want Uncle to see me cry...

A long silent appeared once again...The large living room was cold before and now it's even colder and colder....Uncle Sam wiped his tears puffed at the pipe the last time, tried to regain the ordinary sanity inside him...

"You right..." - took out all of his sanities, he said - "...It is your responsibility...You have to fulfill your destiny.I mean, you grown up now, you have became the man.Now it's the time for you to dedicate your own strengh for justice, for...hopes...if you could find the motherland...I have occupied your personalities for too long...Now it's time to...release you!"

"Uncle, don't say that..." - I said, feeling pathetic for me and for my Uncle...

"No!Really!You have to go out there!Maybe there is just waters but water is source of life, so there must be lifes out there!And they are waiting for you!Your life is to dedicate to help people!And this is your big red chance to do it!Just promise me that you keep yourself carefully, and use your special powers for good!It's maybe the key to keep you alive, who know...!"

I rushed into him, gave him a big hug, and he replied it back with a bigger hug, of course cause his hands bigger than me :P! - "Thank you for paying your compassion to my situation, Uncle!And I promise I will try my best to help those who need help out there and come back to you sound and clear!"

"So...what are we waiting for?Let's pack your inventory,soldier!" - said Uncle.

"Aye aye sir!" - I happily replied, hope this journey will be going through smoothly.I came back to my room and stick the checklist:M9A3, ammunitions, backpacks, some dirty clothes,combat boots...and yet the kit to make up my "as water like" liquids.And there, at the end of the list, I saw 2 new things: Rations and Uncle Sam's secret box."Strange?I don't need rations?And what is that sercet box of him?" - I thought.Uncle Sam came by, dropped down some bar of silicon covered rations.

"You know I don't need rations!" - "Oh!But these rations contain what you alway have every day!Just check out!These things can be used for 5 years, hehe!"

I opened one of the ration bar.Oh!It was tofus, kinds of vegetables, peanut butters, toilet papers(?)!With less-eating type like me, these rations could keep me up for 5 years!Suddenly, Uncle Sam handed me a small box, which must be his secret box...!

"What is this boxxy for, Uncle?"

"In the journey, when you in great danger, open it and you will see the solution inside!I hope you will use this box properly, as a charm...And here something you may want when you miss me...I hope it might useful somehow..." - he handed me a very thick book, must be thousands of pages.It was the Encylopedia of War, contains all knowledge about wars and how to stay alive in battles...This book will be useful enough for me.

"Thank you uncle...You really care for me...."

"An uncle is gonna do what an uncle is gonna do, Tint!Just... <sob> take care of yourself...." - His tears once again dropped down.He really didn't want me to go all along... - "Good luck and godspeed!" - He quickly got out of the room, hid away his emotion...And that just made me want to end this journey ASAP...

((OCC: Sorry, quite a long conversation eh?Hope your old chaps don't mind! :P))

[Yaz]

The next day, the Academy was abuzz with excitement. It was said that there would be a few viewing booths from which the public could watch the opening of the doors into the outside world. As the artificial sky of the academy began to darken, Nishka began to feel a sense of duty infusing itself within her.

A silent, on-the-verge-of-tears goodbye with her mother and Nishka was stepping through the doors of the boarding platform with renewed vigor. The thick, metal doors slid shut behind her with a final hsss.

The sight before her stunned Nishka briefly for a moment. Nishka had never seen the boarding platform before, as had all the students who were looking around now, amazed. Because the Academy had been closed off, the boarding platform was not used, but it seemed that it had been put back into use recently ... mainly to build the massive aircraft ships that were now lined up next to each other.

A clerk was calling out names, checking that everyone had arrived. Once he had checked everyone's names, he began organizing the students into three groups. They're only sending out three groups ...? Nishka looked at the group she had been organized into. There were ten of them and each of them were as different from each other as possible.

A foreboding-looking boy with tattoos on his face stood nearby with a slim girl wearing a mask. A petite, pretty fish-like girl with shimmering green skin stood with, Nishka could only assume, her brother who was similar in appearance. Three boys stood further on, one with green-brown hair, another with startingly orange eyes and one wearing red-lensed goggles. The last was a boy with white, slightly rubbery-looking, and great watery-blue eyes.

Elder Deroon appeared from a side-door, walking swiftly into the boarding platform, followed by the entire council of Elders. There was a sudden silence because it was a rare thing to see the council of Elders all together at the same time. A clerk ran up to Elder Deroon, carrying three holographs which Elder Deroon in turned handed out to one member of each group. Nishka was given the holograph pad for her group.

"These holograph pads possess the information that you will need to know before embarking on the trip. I ask now that you take your bags onto the aircrafts and then adjourn to the conference room that each of the aircrafts possess to read and discuss the information. You will be leaving within the hour."

--

Nishka dumped her bags into the small room she had been provided. All the bedrooms on the aircraft where the same, each possessing a bed, a desk, a cupboard for personal belongings (such as clothes) and a small computer moniter with which the occupant could do simple things, such as contact the main deck of the ship were the pilot and the pilot's crew would be working. After a little bit of exploring, Nishka discovered the small bathroom.

The room was a little small but not so small that it made Nishka feel claustrophobic. The only thing that worried Nishka a little bit was the large window looking out. If the aircraft was going to be in the high up in the air all the time it was most definitely going to have a frightening view as Nishka was terribly afraid of heights. She pushed these thoughts from her mind as she walked out of her room, locking the door behind her with a security code.

--

When everyone had arrived in the conference room and sat down at the round table, each glancing at each other in turn, Nishka took out the holographic pad. Before she spoke, however, she introduced herself with a confidence she did not feel. Her bright, gleaming eye sparked as she spoke.

"Hi, I'm Nishka."

She looked to the next person seated in the next chair, the girl with great orb-like eyes.

"I'm Mika."

"Name's Mak."

"F to the E to the ... It's Fenrar."

"Hey. I'm Tykan."

"I'm called Seff."

"Obye."

"My name is Tint."

"Synn."

"Fabian."

Nishka smiled, glad that they had gotten that out of the way, even though some of them truely did not look like they wanted to be there. She looked down into the holographic pad she held in her hands and began to read it quickly.

"Alright, it says here that ... Fenrar Nyke?" Nishka looked up at the boy with red-lensed goggles, Fenrar Nyke. "It says you'll be the aircraft pilot and that you should be using the main deck sleeping rooms ... it also says you're supposed to have a bunch of droids?" Fenrar nodded, almost smugly, as he folded his arms and leaned back in his chair. It was obvious Fenrar had been chosen for his ability with droids. Nishka continued.

"It says we have to co-op-- ... I'll just read it out, sorry: The students will have to work together as a team and strategically map out every action which must be taken to successfully. Each member must be aware of what the other member is doing and should be in full-contact with each other at all times. This means that there should be radio-contact between team members on the field. Fenrar Nyke will be co-ordinating this communication from the main deck of the ship.

"The process of allowing for a city to cleanse itself of all crime, disease and hunger will be complicated. The methods used will not be and cannot be loud or forceful. The Academy's students should and will approach influencial people, those who are deemed able to govern, and ask them for their aid. All crime must be obliterated. Once the first step, a government, has been taken, the next step is to rebuild. Rebuild the city.

"Nishka Lemarr .... uh, that's me, I ... I have to contact the Academy on a regular weekly basis so as to ... give them a oral report of our progress and recieve further instructions."

"Out first city is a place called Kulomth and it says ... oh, right, here Fenrar," Nishka passed the holograph pad to Fenrar, "here're the co-ordinates. It looks like the city is half-sunken in water. The people must be living in the ruins."

Fenrar tapped a button on the holograph pad and a 3D hologram of the city's state came up. The city itself was half-sunken as one large mass in sea water, but it was visible where people had built large wooden docks and houses to live in.



(( OOC: Just moving things along here, people. Also, Flare, your character is totally the cutest. ))

[Rani Lilith]

Synn quietly stared at the 3d map of the city, her chin resting on her hands. The images of little people scurrying in and out of their broken homes never stopped. She watched, as little kids scurried over the remains of houses, past floating objects. Poor kids. was the only thing that came to her mind.

The girl named Nishka continued talking, Synn only tuned her out. She was reading a book which she didnt feel the need to hide under a table. If Nishka cared about people listening to her, then Synn might of already gotten a new enemy. Although, she didnt really want any enemies on this mission, she couldnt stop reading. It was always like this, she would read the first chapter of a book, and wouldnt be able to stop. Sometimes, she had to force herself to stop reading.

Right now though, she didnt feel like reading. Synn felt the need to look around, and see who else was in her group. Quietly she closed her book, gently putting in a bookmark, not wanting to fold the corner of the pages, she hated dogears. Finally, she looked up. There were only three girls, and seven guys. That will blow over easily. Synn rolled her eyes. Then she smiled to herself, she didnt have to worry about that kind of thing, considering the person she was in a relationship with was in the same group with her, and he was a strong necromancer.

Synn was pulled away from her thoughts, when Fabian nudged her on the arm, indicating that the meeting was over. With a smile she stood.

"Well. Im going to go unpack." Synn said yawning. She smiled and gave Fabian a small hug before walking off to claim one of the tiny rooms on this ship. With a sigh, she finally found an empty room. It was cramped. Synn was hoping she would be able to fit everything in the small space that she called her own.

She pulled out a book, and smiled. Synn relized that was a mistake on her part, knowing that she would get way to into the book, and never start unpacking.

The girl laughed, and took off her mask. She plopped down on her bed, and started to read on of her favorite books ever, Premonitions.

[Dragon]

I listened to every word that Nishka said even though it appeared that i wasn't paying attention. When she had finished speaking and i had absorbed all the information into my mind i walked back to a room that i had decided to claim as my own. I pulled out my duffel bag that had my stuff in it and realized a heaviness that i hadn't had the attention span to notice before.

I opened it up and found a sword in it's sheath. It had a note attached to it "In case you might need more than those sharp claws of yours ~Lilly~" I pulled out the sword from my bag and removed it from its sheath, placing the sheath itself on the bed. I stared at the gleaming untouched blade. My eyes caught sight of a piece of paper that came out of the sheath when i threw ito onto the bed. I picked it up and read "Mesamune - 60 inch blade"

"I will cleanse this world of all the evil it possesses with this", i held up the sword, "and these.", i withdrew my claws from each one of my fingers. "I shall name you Lachlan. It means fighter." i said talking to the beautiful blade. "Together we will destroy any who tries to impede our progress from completing our mission." i ran my finger across the blade and cut it open. "Drink up now, get your fill for more shall come." i said watching as my finger healed itself.

After placing the sword back in it's sheath, I thought for a moment about the others in my group. I didn't much think of them. I've learned not to judge anyone, especially if they're potentially enemies, off of first impressions although, the one with the glowing eye did intrigue me. As for the others, the one that called herself Synn, she had the scent of the one called Fabian all over her. And vice versa. They were obviously in a relationship. But that is all i could actually tell from the group.

I decided to stay on the outskirts of the group to observe them rather than talk to them but knowing my luck with socializing, they'd probably just talk to me anyway.

"Here's hoping." i said to myself walking out of my room to explore the ship.

[Yaz]

Having watched Fenrar walk down the hallway to the main deck where he would prepare the aircraft for take-off, Nishka watched as the others walked off as well, most likely to take a look around the ship. Thinking that this was probably a good idea, Nishka turned around a random corner, hoping to find something interesting.

She stumbled upon a kitchen where droids were already cleaning and waiting to begin for the next meal. She wondered where the dining room would be but couldn't find it as she walked on. Another door came up which she opened. It slid to the side with a mechanical hss and revealed a large swimming pool. Upon further investigation, Nishka realized there were training courses under the water, complete with targets. The pool was decidedly quite deep. She glanced thoughtfully at the racks along the side of the swimming pool, displaying weapons that could be used.

Obviously for the swimmers in our group ...

Exiting the swimming pool room, Nishka went back to the kitchen, wondering if she could perhaps grab a bite to eat. The droids seemed happy enough to retrieve Nishka an apple when she asked for one anyway.



((OOC: Sorry it's so short. Feeling a bit under the weather. ))

[Pyro]

((OOC: Right now I am appologizing for my lack of posting. It's been hellacious and I can only post when I feel like reading because otherwise I skip posts and we all know I have a bad history and habit of that so if i'm not in a good mood please don't bug me to post (that means you Rani). I intended to post last night but I didn't have time cause I had to get ready for prom, but now i'm here and i'm ready to make with the lovin! Er... Postin! -^_^-))

Tykan had already ran over all of the members of his group, observing them closely and making an attempt to predict their actions. He already knew Obye and what he could do, and expected great things from the manipulator. Tykan understood that emotions were very complex things, and just the fact of seeing a rain cloud could put you in a very sour mood, but Obye could change those emotions. Frankly, Tykan knew that should anybody oppose Obye they were asking for the beating they would recieve mentally, and maybe even physically. That bull whip was a dangerous weapon and he already knew that it could be used very leathally with enough training. All in all, Obye would be his best friend on this mission, and he knew that it would come in handy. Luckily Obye stuck to his morales and refused to manipulate emotions unless he was positive it would not hurt them. If he chose to abandon those morales Tykan was sure they would all be in a load of trouble.

Then the man Tykan already saw as a warrior caught my eye, Seff. He would be the one Tykan was sure that would be the one to break the rule that had been established to know what you were doing. Something about him seemed rather wreckless, and his skills seemed more barbaric than anybody in their group. Tykan decided that he would need to keep an eye on, simply because of his battle style. When given a weapon, people are more wreckless. Tykan thought as he moved through the group in his head. The next person... The next person had Tykan very intrigued.

The next man was Fabian. The marking on his face were very strange to Tykan, and the fact that he had already been a talk of the school with his bizzare powers didn't help his suspicions. He knew that Fabian wouldn't be a great threat, because even when one can summon spirits Tykan believe that Devlin would always look down on him and assure his safety. Summoning was not a noble way of fighting to Tykan, because you never fought yourself. All you did was use some energy to bring something back, but of course Tykan was not skilled in this area, so there may have been more to it. Something about Fabian just rubbed Tykan the wrong way, and he already knew that he would not be spending much time with him. He wouldn't voice this opinion though, mainly for the fact that Tykan had to continuously look out for the best of the mission. He wanted to help everybody there, and find out what exactly was out there.

There were only two others that caught Tykan's eye in the meeting where we recieved our assignments. One being Fenrar. He was exceptional when it came to technology, and he was the one that was piloting the plane. His technological know-how would come very much in handy, and Tykan also was curious as to how one came about knowing all this information. Fenrar was somebody Tykan knew he'd have to spend very much time with, mainly to see exactly how he created these machines and why he had decided to major in gadgets. It was a glorious world that fascinated Tykan, but he chose to stay away from them simply due to the fact that Tykan was the healer, the protector, and a fist fighter. It was not his place to make gadgets, but knowing how they worked was a diffrent thing entirely.

The final one that caught his eye, no pun intended, was Nishka. The moment they had sat down her voice had caught Tykan's mind, and her one glowing eye sparked his mind quickly. He wanted to know what exactly her power were, because Nishka was somebody that Tykan had not known before the mission. True, that Obye was the only one he did know before they all met here, but Tykan had not even thought to take a second glance at Nishka when he'd seen her in the accademy. This mission would be an interesting one, and Tykan looked fowards to it very much.

Currently Tykan remained in the room he had claimed, tossing his bag onto the ground as he decided to make some alterations. The first thing he did was flip the matress over, removing the sheets and taking the spare ones that he had in the room and destroying the frame of his bed. The commotion could be heard from outside and Tykan had already knew that nobody would enter the room to check on him... He was wrong.

"What are you doing?" A voice sounded from behind him. Tykan spun around quickly, a board dropping on his foot as he jumped into the air and grabbed it in pain. He hopped backwards and leaned against the wall, looking up to see the boy who introduced himself as Mak. He was rooming next to his sister, and Tykan was sure he did that mainly because she was familiar to him, and he wanted to look after her. He was the same way with Alexis, and she wasn't a blood relative.

"I have a suspicion." Tykan told him as he placed my foot back on the ground and put the spare wood from the bed frame in the hallway. "I believe that if I arrange a hammock, then I'll have more room for my potion experiments." he said with a smile.

"Obviously." He retorted as Tykan smiled.

"You're Mak right?" He said, extending a hand.

"Yeah, that's me." He replied, shaking Tykan's hand. "You'd be Tykan yes?"

"The one and only." Tykan smiled, attempting a laugh. Mak only smirked and then looked in the door way.

"Well if you need anything, or decide to break something, i'm roomed right across the hall all right?" He smiled and departed for his room, the door slamming shut behind him. This is going to be an interesting mission. Tykan thought. We've got a lot of variations.

As the completion of Tykan's hammock was done, he decided that he deserved a snack for his efforts. Plus he needed to get rid of the wood he had ripped apart from his bed, but decided he would use his matress for sitting on when he conducted his experiemnts... That or a sheild incase they exploded. Some chemicals were volitile, and you had to watch out when mixing them.

Tykan made his way to the kitchen, carrying a stock pile of wood and dropped it at the sight of Nishka. He frantically picked it back up, and piled it ontop of the kitchen table, smiling as he turned around.

"You're Nishka right?"

"Yes I am, and you'd be Tykan."

Tykan smiled widely and looked at the apple she was chewing on, then looking around the room. With a slight laugh she pointed to one of the robots who threw an apple directly into his hands.

"That's awesome." Tykan smiled.

"Yeah, Fenrar's got the ship mostly taken care of."

"No," he said. "I LOVE green apples!" and began to crunch into the apple with a smile while chewing it. It tasted delicious to his taste buds in which hadn't tasted granny smith apples for a long long time. As he sat down and eyed the wood, he wondered if he could scavenger it for anything.

"Was that your bed?" Nishka laughed looking at the wood pile.

"Yeah," He smiled after he had swallowed the apple piece he had bitten off. "I made a hammock, saves room."

"What do you need the extra room for?" She questioned.

"Potion experiments, I need a place to put down my equipment. I want to get started working on a reviving potion for ones who've been knocked out. I could just use the hyperilum plant, but it's too scarce and hard to find." She didn't seem to be interested in what Tykan was talking about very much at all, but at times Tykan had misconceptions of people. "But, I have a question if you don't mind... What powers do you posess?"