Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]

Welcome to Pandora’s Ascension

Updates
(22 FEB '13) Hi guys! We're beginning to transition over to our new jcink location, so stay tuned! If you want to take a look and register, here...NEW SITE!

Featured Media!
PAMV, the first opening theme
After working on this for half of the summer, Jes and I are FINALLY done with the music video! It's our surprise for the members who've been here for awhile ^_^. Hope you guys enjoy it :D.
Add Reply
Beneath the Sands; ISO: Sade
Topic Started: Aug 30 2009, 06:35 PM (1,018 Views)
yellowfive ✿
Member Avatar
MIA Admin
((TIME SKIP! in the middle of the post, anyway xD))

Furthest village... Rei froze. She suddenly remembered her purpose here... but no matter. This was for Hanshina. This child needed to be protected so that Rei would not be blamed... so that Hanshina would not be blamed. Such a troublesome child. What was such a child going to do in a diseased village? Maybe he was a healer? A prodigy? the thought came to Rei again.

"Perfectly sure. I don't get sick much." True, most diseases tended to shy away from her dark auria, though she did get a cold maybe once every other year. "Oh, and I didn't catch your name?"

--

After a few hours of walking (and resting), they finally reached a village. It wasn't the village that the boy had mentioned, as it was near, but it did seem to be in ruins. There were signs of life, but they were all hiding. Rei could feel faint traces of frightened auria with the help of her dark affinity. Speaking of her dark affinity, her Dark auria was churning happily in the misery and woe of the situation; it was all she could do to suppress it. Rei narrowed her eyes as the corners of her mouth dropped to a frown.

"What in the world happened here?" Rei wondered aloud. Her voice seemed to echo in the eerily silent village. Suddenly, she felt a murderous auria coming swiftly from the side. she swung out her guandao in defense and the clang of metal against metal resonated in the still air.

It was a Luxarian man, wearing traditional Luxarian clothing to protect himself from the sun. he had short silver hair and a particularly long face. His weapon was a broadsword: a worn out one at that. Using pure force, she pushed the man away to gain some distance and spoke before he could attack again.

"Who are you?" she called out hurriedly. She could not believe this man was the one who ransacked the village, as he did not appear to be very skilled... and he was just one man after all. His auria did not feel like a psion's... it just felt angry and murderous... maybe even vengeful?

((he is free for anyone to manipulate lol.))
Edited by yellowfive, Sep 3 2009, 03:56 PM.
Offline Profile Quote Post
 
Rylond ✲
Member Avatar
splodey D:
Shun shrugged in indifference as he tried to recall the last time he fell ill. When no particular time came to mind, he assumed the frequent trainings in the snow and ice when he was young made his body resistant to most external factors. The only thing the Hanshinan man could probably fall prey to would be heatstroke, Exiona's toxic gas or external injuries.

Heatstroke might actually be a quite likely here... The thought constantly ran through Shun's mind as they traversed the desert, with the red-headed child leading the way.

---

Shun ran his hand through his hair as he surveyed the damage of the city. Rubble lay strewn across the entire premise, with parts of buildings even ground to dust. Black soot covered most of the walls of the remaining buildings, and a faint burning smell could still be detected in the stale, dusty air.

Artillery? There was definitely gunpowder involved here, I can tell that much. Most likely explosives, from the distance between the broken pieces and the buildings, he assessed as the gunslinger took slow steps around the vicinity.

Out of nowhere, a man burst from the ruins and attacked the person who was nearest to him, more specifically Rei, as she fended off the attack with her own weapon. Shun decided this was the best time to intervene.

The gunsman made his way towards the aggressor, before grabbing the hilt of his broadsword and sealing it along with his own hand with ice.

"Hold on. We're just passing travelers," the gunner started, before he was interrupted by the man with the sword.

"No... time... we have... no time left..."

That was when Shun noticed something odd about the man. His entire torso was dyed black, and the strange dark substance was slowly creeping up his neck like vines, making its way to his face.

This is... what?
Offline Profile Quote Post
 
Luminele ✦
Member Avatar

Either the both of them were very brave, or were very foolish to what was awaiting them as they trekked towards their destinations. He had remembered the symptoms of the disease clearly in his head, and he was able to vividly imagine how one villager could infect so many in only a few minutes if he wasn't careful. As a healer, Sade was going to always expect the worst outcome, as being too optimistic blinded the reality and contagiousness of the disease.

So they trio ventured forth, the crimson head having a feeling that their journey wasn't going to be all cookies and sugar. In the distance, the sun glared down with harsh rays, creating a sense of foreboding in the boy's heart.

---

They arrived at a village that lay in ruins that was only half way across to their actual destination. A moment of shock graced his face, his mouth partially open as he realized the extent of what the disease could do. It was as if the place was a ghost town, but something gnawed at him saying that there were still living beings in the area. With the smell of faint embers invading his nostrils, Sade grimaced at the wretched smell and frowned profoundly. The light auria within him sparked uneasily, telling him mentally that this was a dangerous area. He flinched inwardly, but put on a brave front as the trio continued to advance.

Rei's thoughts came out in her voice, and he nodded silently at her as he also questioned what happened to the place. His gaze darted to Shun, who also seemed to have a pensive look on his face. The sound of metal clanging against another alarmed him, putting him on the defensive as he stood in a battle ready stance. A Luxarian man appeared, aggresively attacking Rei before she managed to push him away to fend of his attacks.

Shun attempted to speak at first, and Sade knew at the man's voice that it was pointless to reason with them. While many thought his strength came from his gloves, his gloves were merely a protection to prevent infection. As the black substance crawled and snaked across neck and face, Sade began to act instantly. This is no normal disease anymore... its been amplified to the point of having a parasitic mind of its own now. Rushing forward with his gloves hands, he darted past the gunner and the vice admiral with alarming speed with his right fist prepared to attack. The infected Luxarian didn't notice his movement, and was met with the monstrous strength that Sade possessed. The man flew from the punch, his body slamming into nearby rubble that produced a sickening crack. Unfortunately for the Luxarian, he was dead, and Sade knew that they had to get out of here.

"...Now, we HAVE to get out of here as quick as possible. I don't know what has been amplifying the disease to such an extent, but infection can occur from skin to skin contact. If possible, try to keep your skin away from any contact with the black parts on any infected person's body!"

As he yelled out to them, four infected Luxarians leaped from their hiding places, each sporting a black torso that began to snake around their bodies. Adrenaline coursed through him, and he yelled out one more command in his childish voice.

"MOVE!"

Offline Profile Quote Post
 
yellowfive ✿
Member Avatar
MIA Admin
Just what is this child? Rei thought with utter astonishment. He's ridiculously strong for such a tiny thing!

Then again, Rei wasn't exactly the tallest woman around, and she was fairly strong also... but this child... maybe he they didn't need to follow him after all?

She turned toward the approaching foes warily; they all seemed to be infected by some black substance. The black disease seemed to emanate dark auria, and Rei flinched in response. Her insides seemed to churn with absolute happiness since entering this village, and though she felt comfortable, she knew that the emperor would frown if she used her magic now.

No, I shall refrain from using it. It shall be my last resort. Rei lunged forward and slashed with her guandao as even more Luxarians came out, taking each foe out with relative ease; even though their strength was enhanced, they still had the fighting skills of rookies.

Before, Rei had not bothered to sense what type of auria wave the child emitted, but now she realized that the child was emitting two types of auria. A psionic auria and an elemental auria... and they seem to be the extreme opposite of mine... light and resonance. What a dangerous child; how foolish of me not to sense this before.

Rei could now feel the side-effects of using her dark auria to sense the auria of others. Dark magic always had side-effects, whether aurial, physical, or psychological. Rie was an aurial-type dark elementalist. Another bad trait of this stupid affinity. Rei thought with a frown. She now found it harder to control her bloodthirsty auria; it seemed happier than ever now that Rei was actually fighting. She knew that if she let this auria do as it wished, it would be an out of control force, completely inefficient in terms of precision; in addition, the auria would diminish quickly. And what can any human do without his or her own auria to sustain him or her? The last time I let it go berserk, I was left in aurial rehabilitation for quite some time.

She stopped sensing auria and quickly dodged to the side. "Meet at the opposite side of the village!" she added to the child's order as she ran forward.
Offline Profile Quote Post
 
Rylond ✲
Member Avatar
splodey D:
The safety lock was removed as Shun pulled Shusatsu out from its holster. It had been a while since he actually had to use the gun, but he certainly hadn't regressed over time. The bullets made their marks in various body joints of the infected just a few inches before they reached the gunner, halting their movements. It was a risky way of fighting, but Shun didn't really have much other choice since his shots lose their accuracy the further the target.

Giving a small 'tch' as he used up his sixth bullet, the gunner swung his pistol an approaching Luxarian in the forehead as he fished for a fresh cartridge while the weapon was still flying in mid-air. Limbs were flying and commands were shouted, as Shun dodged a few clumsy swings while refilling his gun.

If I didn't know better, I'd say they were zombies or Onryos, but I'm getting too old to believe in that kind of thing, he thought to himself as he tried not to stay in one spot for too long. Either way, they're dangerous. Getting out of here's first priority. Finding out about their behavior comes later. I'll settle for labeling them as 'drunkards' for now.

With a swift kick of his heel, Shun broke into a low-altitude run, causing most of the attacks aimed at him to fly overhead. A blow was parried with his arm-shield, while another lightly grazed his cheek. The Hanshinan thought of putting up an ice barrier to halt their movements, but the dry and hot desert provided very little material to work with.

For better or worse, the trio was provided with a decent distraction as a gigantic, worm-like beast sprung from the sands and thrashed about violently. The creature was one of the desert centapedas that lurked the sands and attacked whenever there was a commotion, but Shun didn't know that and just assumed that it was some sort of weird beast that either of the two summoned up.

Whatever that is, as long as it's not attacking us we should be alright, was the decision made after a quick glance behind him.

[Hurr, digging up an old creature from the archives.]
Edited by Rylond, Sep 9 2009, 05:26 AM.
Offline Profile Quote Post
 
Luminele ✦
Member Avatar

It was quite an annoyance to find a simple medical mission turning into a rather highly dangerous one within only a few hours. The description that was given to him was completely false, Sade had no idea that such a disease could reach a level of potency. The boy bit his lower lip in frustration, wondering why the Luxarian government couldn't take control of such a disease that could spread as easily as wild fire. The two with him were probably better trained at fighting then he was, as a healer he could only do so much and wasn't one to last that long in prolonged combat. The admiral added onto his order, and he agreed with her and prepared himself for a run.

Gathering some light auria into his feet, he used his resonance abilities to double his speed, his small stature making him cover less distance simply because his legs couldn't reach as far as the adults. An infected Luxarian leaped from behind some rubble, surprising the healer as he footing stopped and dug into the ground as he came to a halt. Wielding a rather large metal mace, the boy barely managed to duck in time as the Luxarian swung his mace vertically. Unfortunately his dodging abilities weren't enough, the spikes on the mace gracing his left cheek slightly creating a small gash that wept small droplets of blood.

Sade barely had time to dodge again as the Luxarian continued an agile assault against the short healer, causing the boy to having to dodge his attacks with a variety of rolls, flips, or simple side steps. This poised a problem for him, and he figured that he'd hand to end it quickly or else his blood would attract more of them. Seeing an upright piece of rubble to his side, he focused some light auria with his resonance abilities and leaped from the ground and landed on top of the rubble.

The Luxarian grunted a primal growl, attempting to climb up the rubble to get at his target. Sade sighed, for he was going to regret taking someone's life yet again. Kneeling on top of the rubble, he closed his eyes and focused all of his light auria on one leg. Feeling the right amount of energy, the boy stood up quickly before jumping off the rubble. Raising his right leg high, he brought his leg down on the Luxarian like a jack hammer, uttering an apology before the attack connected with the infected man.

As his leg contacted the Luxarian's torso, the monstrous strength that Sade was capable of erupted. The man suddenly lay flattened to the ground, a large crater forming with a loud boom that would alarm anyone around him. The mouth of the infected man was open in a large 'o', blood dripping from the corner of his lips as his torso lay completely flattened by the intensity of the blow. Having no time to feel guilt, Sade quickly returned to his running, joining the sides of his acquaintances as they dashed towards the opposite of the village. There was no safety for trio yet, and the sudden appearance of a gigantic worm made him almost freak out if he held in his fear.

Surely it WOULDN'T attack them... right? Sade had little time to think however, before the sight of a large worm with its mouth open came at him like he was its prey. It was here that the child side of him came through instead, the boy cowering into a ball as he let out a scream of terror. His eyes were closed, his body quivering in fear as he waited his impending doom.

I don't want to die... help! he attempted to voice out, but his fear reduced it to a single thought as he lay immobile in front of the giant worm's rushing mouth.
Offline Profile Quote Post
 
yellowfive ✿
Member Avatar
MIA Admin
After more running and more exchanges of blows, a gigantic centapeda appeared before them. Rei had been warned of these before she came: They were natural inhabitants of the Luxarian desert and savanna. Jumping back, she gained some distance and knocked one particularly pugnacious diseased villager out of the way of the centapeda's mouth.

The gigantic worm came crashing down into the ground and burst out once more, this time aiming for Sade. Rei spun her head around to see how this surprisingly strong boy would fight off this monster, but was again surprised.... he was simply crouching in fear!

If he is to grow up to be a fighter, then he should learn to face his fears. Children are no exception. Rei assumed a grim expression. She was too far away to protect him with her guandao, and she doubted she could get there in time; the large centapeda was much to close to the child. No choice; she had to use her dark magic. The repercussions would be severe, but if she only used a little to stall the monster, then it would be fine...

Aiming her guandao at the centapeda, she released her dark auria. Curse the worm; freeze him in his tracks! Almost at once she felt the control of her auria slipping. Her eyebrows knitted together in a concentrated expression and she gritted her teeth. The centapeda stopped in its tracks, at once frozen. Then, dashing forward with all her strength, Rei released the curse the second that she arrived so as to relieve her auria, and stabbed into its gaping mouth with her guandao, impaling the centapeda at the roof of the mouth. She had been aiming for the brain, but then, she at once realized, this thing must have a very miniscule brain. She wasn't at all sure where the thing's heart was, or even if it had a heart; she hadn't been really informed on centapeda-anatomy.

Edited by yellowfive, Sep 18 2009, 11:35 PM.
Offline Profile Quote Post
 
Rylond ✲
Member Avatar
splodey D:
Shun stopped dead in his tracks as he heard a shrill cry coming from behind him. Eyes darted across the landscape as Shun tried to pinpoint where the source was coming from. Did somebody get hit? Was someone being attacked from behind? What was going on?

His questions were answered when his gaze focused itself on the large sand-worm, along with the red-haired child crouching in fear before it. So it wasn't a summoned beast after all? The creature froze in its tracks for some reason before being engaged by Rei immediately after, as she proceeded to stab the creature in the face.

With a hint of wistfulness, Shun pulled out the last remaining explosive bullet that was given to him by Zalryas, and swapped one of the bullets in a barrel with it. He was already a great distance away from the centapeda, but Shun had one method of hitting large, slow targets from a distance.

Focusing a large quantity of Auria into his arm, Shun encased the entire limb in ice, locking his wrist, elbow and shoulder in position after he had taken aim at the creature so as to minimize the recoil of his weapon as much as possible. Now all he needed was for Rei to move out of his line of fire.

The chance came with the centapeda 'stood on its hind legs' or so to speak in preparation for an attack. Leaning slightly on his supporting foot to raise the angle of his shot, the trigger was pulled and the lone silver-colored bullet soared through the air before coming into contact with the creature.

The bullet detonated with a loud bang, spilling copious amounts of the centapeda's blood as a crater-shaped wound appeared in its body. Shun surveyed the damage before unfreezing his joints and reloading his now-empty gun barrel.

I hope that's enough. I don't have any more of those shots left, and I doubt normal bullets would phase it.
Edited by Rylond, Sep 14 2009, 04:01 PM.
Offline Profile Quote Post
 
Luminele ✦
Member Avatar

He had a phobia of being eaten by large mouths, and the size of the worm's mouth was no exception for him. Sade wasn't the bravest person in the world, but neither was he the epitome of a coward. All in all, he was a normal boy with typical fears for his young age. His body trembled and waited for the impending sound of darkness to swallow him, but there was no moisture or stomach acids burning his skin, there was no pressure of internal muscles crushing his body and digesting him into nutrients. It was strangely silent, before the strangled groan of the worm before him caught his attention. Peeking with one eye, he was shocked to find a dark wave of auria paralyzing and holding the worm in place, and instantly his own light auria recognized the opposing element of darkness.

Quite alarmed by the sudden element, his mouth parted slightly in surprise at the vice admiral's weapon piercing into the worms mouth, as if it were trying to drill its way into the brain of the creature. Sade was still a bit paralyzed by all the fighting, Rei's sudden stab creating a small backlash of green blood that splattered over his white clothing and stained it, leaving a less then desired smell on his clothes. The smell was enough to jaunt him out of his immobility, and wobbily the child stood up and smacked himself harshly across the face. Finally regaining his composture, the boy gripped his hands tightly in a fist, determination taking control over his once cowardly self.

A gust of wind almost knocked him off his feet, before a speeding silver bullet soared through the air and penetrated into the centipede's flesh. Although he didn't know the anatomy of a centipede, especially those of a large size, Sade had figured that such a would would at LEAST cripple it. Luckily for the trio, the beast hissed in pain, before collapsing in the ground in a pool of sticky green blood. Holding a hand to his chest, he let out a heavy sigh of relief before facing the duo. With an apologetic face, the boy nervously gave a traditional Hanshina bow of apology while speaking in a clearly nervous tone.

"U-uh... I'm sorry about that, I caused trouble--", he began to speak, before his pointed ears twitched at the sound of voices rushing from the sides. The ride wasn't over yet, and more infected Luxarian men, AND women appeared from the shadows, each carrying the peculiar black infection that seemed to wrap around their bodies then eventually their necks. One big problem however, was that a large majority of them had guns with them! Sade didn't speak at all, and instead pointed behind Rei and Shun with a trembling hand. If they turned around, they would see a large mob of infected Luxarians, heading their way with a plethora of weapons, ranging from guns to typical swords.
Offline Profile Quote Post
 
yellowfive ✿
Member Avatar
MIA Admin
When the bullet hit, Rei gripped her guandao tighter and planted her foot on the centapeda's face, kicking hard to eject the blade from the worm's head. She landed lightly at a safe distance before the centapeda keeled over and collapsed.

The vice-admiral grimaced as she checked the state of her clothes. Her black hakama pants hid the green bloodstains well, but on her top half, the white kimono was stained and smeared with green blood. Rei wrinkled her nose at the smell.

"Nice work, Shun," Rei complimented as she surveyed the damage to the centapeda. A large hole was made in it. Just exactly what kind of bullet could have done that? Just then, Sade pointed out even more infected Luxarians. What we need, Rei thought without much hope, is an evoke-rifter.

Rei had not actually killed any Luxarians yet; just wounded them enough to incapacitate them. However, if this kept up, there was no way she could avoid killing a Luxarian citizen. If the vice-admiral kills a citizen of Luxaria during a diplomatic visit... I'm sure Luxaria will break off the agreement!

"I... don't sense any psions among them, so I doubt they can catch up with us if we get a head start in running away." Rei began slowly. She considered the amount of auria she had left; plenty, but the aurial side-effects would dwindle her auria very quickly.

"I'm going to cast a curse of darkness on them. It'll only last ten seconds, but run as fast as you can, in the same direction if you please, so we can all find each other quickly. The only thing we can do now is retreat and find a cure for this monstrous illness." I'm not even sure if I'll even have the strength to run away after this feat. Let's hope I do.

Bracing herself for the aurial recoil, she cast the curse.
Darkness, cover them!
Edited by yellowfive, Sep 18 2009, 11:56 PM.
Offline Profile Quote Post
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
ZetaBoards - Free Forum Hosting
Create a free forum in seconds.
Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · Luxarian Savanna · Next Topic »
Add Reply