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 Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2011 10:58 am
Ryuna
Episode 01: The Half Dragon. "Ryuna"
Writer: Justin Miller (Cleric in a Box)
Editor: Jamie Parks
Thanks: To my staff, Jamie Parks and Kara Ritenour ( [[Red Death]] )
Giving credit to Wizards of The Coast, Al Sousa & Steven Clower and Palladium Books for Names, Monsters, Spells, and some other information from The Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 Edition Books.
Prologue
***
“You may wonder... how will the world end?”
A dark, mysterious, and feminine voice haunts the air with that statement. That is all of the world that is left, just that voice echoing the fate of what we knew as reality.
A sudden, brilliant flare that can brighten even a cloudless afternoon appears; all that is seen after the blinding light is a decimated New York City wreathed with the loom of a mushroom cloud...
“They will end the world with their hatred, their violence, their greed... The mortals of Earth are always at war, their drums replaced by a sonic boom as they learned in time to break even the barrier of sound; their race for technological advancement was all for finding the weapon that could out-scare their enemies.”
People had equipped themselves with firearms, explosives, and armor as their fight became grounded within the ruins of New York City. It should no longer have even been called a city, but human pride runs deep...
“It's such a shame... The fate of the world destroyed by the very ones who seemed to make it a better place... but thanks to The Fear... hatred, greed... were the sires of the instruments of death they created, breeding The Fear so they could control and do what they wish.”
“The gods believed it was time... Time to forget of the old world. The sins of man had reached an all-time high and were too much for the Material Plane, especially Earth, to maintain stability. A new idea was to be put in place. A replacement of Earth, a rebirth...”
“They call it... Galolee.”
*** Ragnorok, Capital City of Galolee
~ 2:37AM ; February 5, 1650 AP ~ Street lights lit by magical flame were shining throughout the metropolis along with stretches of light from buildings nearby reflecting onto the sidewalks. The Manarail was charging above the city streets towards the docks, trailing a blue spark of energy. The city itself was beautiful for these magical elements, especially at night when the energy glows. At the docks was something even more awe-inspiring than the city abuzz with magic: the Arcane Order. Not far from the docks was an island with the dome-like stadium built on it, towers rising around it that were conveniently made to fit the natural stone formations. It wasn't of any great height, perhaps thirty feet tall, and was certainly no palace, but it was an impressive work of architecture. At least, until now. The roof of the dome suddenly started to corrode from the inside as acid began eating its way through the beautiful stone. In the midst of the erosion, an explosion boomed its way past the remaining rock, leaving a gaping, jagged hole with smoke billowing out. In an astonishing act of acrobatics, a figure flew directly out of the crumbling hole, doing a back flip onto the roof. The smoke cleared as the wind swept a curtain of haze away to reveal a tall, young woman. She opened her eyes after the haze was carried away, revealing one to be a cool spring green and the other lava red. The gust whipped her crimson trench coat away, showing the twin revolvers on her hips. The woman sighed, showing a glimpse of what are distinctly sharp fangs slightly peeking out from behind her lips. She pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation and proceeded to assess her surroundings. BANG! The woman couldn't help but smirk at how slow it took a shot to get fired at her. From the inside of the ruined ceiling, a male voice shouted out, “GET HER!” A door leading to the roof slammed open as J.A.W.S. exploded through the opening. These were Junction Armored Weapon Specialists, soldiers equipped in heavy Manatech armor, visors protecting their eyes. There were about four of them, all with Thompson-like Manatech submachine guns pointed right at her. One of the soldiers up front shouted over the wind, “Hold it right there! If you continue to run we will release fire on you!” The woman's response was a defiantly raised silver eyebrow, then she said plainly, “I don't need to run to get away from you idiots.” She gave a slight grin, and in the blink of an eye draws one of her guns, firing in rapid succession. The first shot went between two of the soldiers and the woman fired off two more rounds blindly as she leaped backwards. All of the J.A.W.S. dropped to the ground instantly, firing their own weapons in the woman's direction. “Take her out!” As the woman dodged around the bullets racing in her direction, she spotted a figure standing in the shadows of the archway where the J.A.W.S. first came out. Her attention was quickly brought back to the soldiers as they concentrated hard on taking her down, even anticipating where she might move to next. In another amazing feat of agility, the woman executed another back flip, though to the surprise of the J.A.W.S., she went completely off the side of platform they were all standing on. The woman shot out her left arm, covered in lustrous black dragon scales, to dig thick claws into the roof of the dome, sliding until the force of her fall lessened and she stopped her descent as she safely dropped to the ground. The J.A.W.S. quickly ran over to the edge of the platform, aiming down and searching for the woman. To no real surprise, the woman could not be located, and one of the J.A.W.S. angrily switched on a built-in radio device in his helmet. “I know that woman... Her name is Ryuna Heartly!” The J.A.W.S. that was about to report in turned, and the figure in the doorway approached. A woman with straight jet hair, some gray roots streaked showing her to be middle-aged, had spoken the name of the athletic female that had escaped. She wore white robes, some blue design emblazoned in the stitching showed that she was a woman of status. She nodded to the J.A.W.S., in acknowledgment, her brown pointed hat bobbing, green eyes intently watching the space Ryuna Heartly had just occupied seconds ago. The J.A.W.S. resumed his talk of reporting the situation, though irritated that he had to admit the woman had gotten away from him. Tersely, he said, “We lost the target... Now identified: Ryuna Heartly... Armed, and extremely dangerous...” The J.A.W.S. all scowled. Ryuna Heartly smirked to herself from within a hidden crevice of the dome's side. “You bet your a** I'm extremely dangerous,” she thought to herself. Suddenly spotlights flooded the entire building of the Arcane Order, one zeroed right in on Ryuna. She narrowed hers eyes at the light; Ryuna quickly stood facing the beam of light the spot tower was directing, glaring and shooting her clawed middle finger up at the tower. “GOOD JOB a*****e! YOU FOUND ME! NOW IT'S TIME FOR ME TO KICK YOUR a**!” Ryuna rushed forward to the tower, shooting a bullet into the beam to shatter the spotlight. With a nearly incomprehensible speed, she sprinted toward the exit of the Arcane Order before a lock down could bar her off. Going across the short bridge, the city of Ragnorok now lay in Ryuna Heartly's wake. Alarms and sirens rang throughout the city, the night life lively and confused. Ryuna continued to speed down the street, a civilian with a Manatech Hover Cycle catching her eye. Ryuna smirked as she ran the guy down, elbowing him clean off the bike and hopping onto it. “Sorry! Gotta use this, I'll make sure I bring it back without a scratch! HAHAHA!” Ryuna drove off, the man shouting some ugly words in protest after her. She took many sharp turns, left, right, left... No J.A.W.S. in sight. Instead of stark relief washing over her, her brow pinched in worry. Ryuna was suddenly bathed in a spotlight again as an airship, built much like a helicopter, fixated its light on her, keeping steady with her pace. A side door to the airship opened, and a Manatech-style heavy machine gun began to fire bullets down on her in a spray of deadly rain. “Holy s**t!” Ryuna screamed, dodging in her hover cycle to avoid the shots, holes bombing their way into parts of the stolen cycle. At least she wasn't hole-punched... yet. Ryuna quickly spotted an office complex across the block, flooring the pedal as she crashed into the huge window, shattering the glass as she raced into the interior of the building and leaving a glittering path of sharp, broken glass. The airship ceased shooting as they shined the spotlight through the building, searching every corner for Ryuna. She found an elevator at the end of a hallway, abruptly stopping outside of it and hitting the button to go up. Her Peacekeeper was pointed out to the hallway, prepared to shoot as some J.A.W.S. entered the building while she waited for the elevator to open. She fired a few shots in the J.A.W.S. direction, backing the bike into the elevator when she heard it open, kicking a foot out to hit the “close doors” button as she backed all the way in. Hearing the clang of bullets trying to bite their way through the thick metal doors to get at her like angry dogs, she pressed the top floor button. Looking at the reflection in the shiny elevator doors, Ryuna now noticed she had some cuts from shattering the window to get in the building. They started to close as she began to regenerate the cuts, barely bothering with it as she started muttering to herself. “These bastards are trying to be hardcore when it comes to trying to kill me, huh?” She scowled as she began to roughly reload her revolver, still muttering, “******** mages... Before you guys act like total assholes,” click, click, “figure out the facts first, damn it.” The doors of the elevator open, the blasted spotlight still glaring at her. Ryuna glared back, flooring the pedal again as the charged the airship, Peacekeeper aimed on the one controlling the heavy machine gun. She fired at him, as he fired back at her, Ryuna zigzagged between the array, losing control of the bike. Both her and the bike slid on its side towards another window, the inertia causing her and the bike to slide right out of the window under the airship, crashing onto the roof of the building all the way across the street. “Ahh!” Ryuna stood slowly, regaining her bearings and cracking some of her bones as she stretched a little. Looking up at the airship, the spotlight once again challenged her as the J.A.W.S. aimed the machine gun at her again, not firing. Instead, he grabbed a loud speaker that was hooked onto the interior of the airship. “Ryuna Heartly, drop your weapons. Lay face first on the ground... it's over.” “******** OFF!” Ryuna began to run for the bike that had slid about ten feet away from her, the J.A.W.S. firing again at her as she managed to swiftly get back on the bike, speeding off again with more bullet holes appearing in it. Ryuna started making jumps with the hover cycle from rooftop to rooftop. The airship chased after her, the gunner incessantly trying to take her out before she was able to lose them completely. Ryuna was now parallel with the Manarail track that runs through the entire city, giving her an idea. She rushed and entered one of the entrances to that led the track underground. The tunnel would be big enough for the airship to fly in after her, but wouldn't have any room to maneuver like she could. “These bastards sure don't ******** give up!” Ryuna yelled as she saw them pursue her into the tunnel. Again, there was a light shining at her, but this time it wasn't the spotlight from the airship... Up ahead was a monster of a Manarail train, and Ryuna had one choice if she wanted to make it out of this alive. There was an off ramp coming up ahead on the right that she could use to get up onto the station. Speeding forward, she literally was about to play chicken with a Manarail train... No one else probably would have had the audacity to do such a thing, but with only twenty feet between her and the train she jerked the wheel to the right, bouncing on the ramp and up to the station platform. The airship... There was a terrible explosion as the train and airship collided, the sound of metal screaming like a wailing banshee echoed off of the station walls. Ryuna slid at a 90-degree turn to stop and see the carnage, grinning at her escape. She drove up the stairway of the empty platform, driving on through the night without another annoying spotlight on her trip. On a long road out of the capital, Ryuna Heartly began thinking to herself and how the Arcane Order came about. The Arcane Order, our government... Merlin Mizer's idea back in 1126, he knew that Galolee was a dangerous place, great evil plagues this planet. He thought the only way to counter it was by a Great Leadership... yeah... Leadership, my a**. Ryuna surveyed the state of the hover cycle, seeing that it was going to have to be renovated soon. She kind of like the bike, actually... Well, this leadership that Merlin wanted was supposed to be equal, so it's divided into three parts... Old high-and-might Emperor, Congress, and the military.
The military has power, but there's a checks and balances with them and Congress. They mainly just keep Galolee under law. They stop anything evil from happening... Ryuna frowned. Well, anything they see as a threat at least.They're J.A.W.S., most people refer to them as just Junction Armored Warriors, but they are really Junction Armored Weapon Specialists, technically speaking.
Congress... run by those stupid mages... There are 103 of them, but three of them are Sages. I guess you could call them the big cheeses; Sage Xion, Sage Serra, and Sage Orran- or should I say was Sage Orran, since he's dead now. He'll likely be replaced by a Chairman of Congress, that Chairman's apprentice then taking the spot as new Chairman. Since the Sages are the ones who judge what laws are passed made from Congress, they have the power to make whatever they say go. Ryuna took the split in the road north, her silver hair flying back in the wind along with her crimson trench coat. But the most powerful position in all of Galolee is the Emperor, or Empress should I say. Empress Sindell usually speaks out to the world of Galolee, getting whatever she wants done so long as Congress agrees.
That's our lovely government of Galolee. The Arcane Order... I say ******** those mages, if they think I killed Sage Orran, then they've got another thing coming. They can lean in and kiss my a**.*** The Northern Lands, City of Talamb
~ 12:22 PM ; February 13, 1650 AP ~ In the northern mountain range of the Northern Lands, snow blankets the streets of Talamb. The buildings are even optimized for height prepared in case of a snow in. Despite the wind chill adding to the already frigid temperature, the streets were crowded with heavily dressed people, decorations festooning the streetlights and buildings; Talamb's School of Magic has decided to host the annual Carnival. Halting the hover cycle with her boot kicking up snow, Ryuna stopped in front of a repair shop with a sign proclaiming “David's Manatech Engines” above the doorway. By looking in the window, it was obvious to see that the man only dealt with fixing ground vehicles. Ryuna motioned herself off the bike as a cold blast of air quickly passed. Even with the sleeves of her trench coat rolled up to her elbows, the icy climate did not pull any reaction from Ryuna. As Ryuna opened the door and made her way towards the counter that a gruff old man, presumably David, sat behind, he looked up. His face grew wild with the hatred of prejudice as his eyes caught sight of her scaled arm first, and he reached to bring a double-barreled Manatech shotgun aimed right at her face. “Get out of my shop! I don't serve monsters like you!” David yelled, spit flying like from his words. Ryuna glared at the incensed man, then rolling her eyes. Not going to get the service I need, she thought looking down at her bare dragon arm. “Oh, look at you, think you're all big and bad 'cause you carry a shotgun, huh?” Slowly, one step at a time, she approached David. Taking it as a threat, he practically lunged the barrels right up at her nose. “Get out of my store or you will not be having a head! You hear me?!” Ryuna smiled at the old man, seeing the sheen of sweat by on his brow. “Got ammo for that gun, do ya?” The old man stared at her, as if blinking would be the death of him as he tried not to show any fear to her. Ryuna only grinned wider. “Now, before you start shooting me with shells of imagination, how about giving me some GOD DAMN SERVICE!” Ryuna howled at him. David balked, sighing as he put his empty weapon away. “Fine! We'll do it your way, now what the hell do you want?” Ryuna pointed through the window outside to the Manatech hover cycle from Ragnorok, more holes in it than a sponge. “See that bike there? a*****e like you were shooting at me. Well, unlike you... they had real bullets.” David glared at her snide remark, biting his lip. “Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you, I just want the bike fixed. I've got places to go...” Without the man even realizing it, she had taken out a black coin purse, “This would cover it, right?” Opening the coin purse up and counting the gold coins inside, he nodded in affirmation. “I can do it, but it will take some time.” Walking backwards to exit through the door, Ryuna said, “I knew you had it in you, Dave! I'll be right across the street, and I'll be expecting that bike to look as good as new,” she tossed him the keys before fully stepping out into the cold. David sighed, watching her leave; the sound of the bell chiming at the doorway had never been such a relief. “Tsk,” Ryuna said, gazing over the holey hover cycle. “Looks like the doctor will be seeing you now... Don't worry, I can tell he will treat you good.” She patted the seat as if comforting a small child scared of getting a shot. Not far from Ryuna's location, a girl's voice from across the street could be heard. “Urza! HURRY UP!” Ryuna saw a young girl, about fourteen, dressed in heavy green robes running down the street and waving her arms like a maniac, witch hat bobbing with each bounding step she took. The girl had cupped her hands around the corners of her mouth as she again shouted, “URZIEEE! Let's get some food!” Ryuna then looked in the direction that the manic girl was yelling towards, seeing a boy of about fifteen a little far back from her. The first thing that could be described about him was that he was very... blue. His mage robes were blue, and he had a blue beanie covering the top of his cerulean hair. His demeanor seemed blue, even his face, but perhaps that was from the cold... The boy huffed as he tried to catch up with her, sliding and falling on his back. A metal contraption that looked like a flashlight was digging into his side, but the boy just layed in the snow looking up at the overcast sky. “Ow!” The boy said a bit belatedly. The girl's warm brown eyes widened and she ran up to him, giving him a hand to help him up. “Are you okay, Urzie?” “Thanks, Raya...” Shrugging them off as she walked across the street past them, Ryuna entered what looked to be a quaint little coffee shop. Stepping inside, she instantly whipped off her jacket, slinging it over her arm so as not to draw anymore unwelcome attention. The coffee shop was crowded with a good number of various people. The one that seemed to be the owner was an elven male; humans, elves, gnomes, half-lings, and other such races were scattered among the tables. Ryuna watched them all, going off to find an empty table to sit down. She did get some attention, but that was all because she took off her coat in the first place. Some of the men were unguardedly staring at her full chest, but Ryuna didn't pay much mind to it. Guess they don't get to see much when everyone has to cover up so heavily 'round here, she thought. Not too long after she had settle into a spot where she could survey the room, the boy Urza and his hyped up friend Raya ran into the shop past her to where some of the back tables were. The door remained open for a moment as a man halfway stumbled in, looking disoriented. An elvish woman was making her way to Ryuna's table first to take her order. Suddenly, a scent drifted through the air that caught her attention. What the hell... that scent... Ryuna turned her head, watching Urza mostly. The scent had dissipated just as soon as it had come, and she disregarded it for the time being. Apparently the elven worker had thought she disregarded her as well, because she promptly left to go to Urza and Raya's table. Ryuna went about her business, doing a quick surveillance of the room as Raya enthusiastically ordered a hot cocoa, Urza neutrally asking for the same. Behind the counter, one of the other workers had quickly whipped up two steaming hot cocoas, sliding them down the counter to the waitress as she grabbed them up, placing them before the teenagers and leaving to go to another table. Raya took up her cup, sipping the hot liquid slowly. “Oh my god! Sooo good!” She smiled brightly at Urza, the sweet drink making her even more cheerful. Urza was a bit hunched over as he cupped his hands around the warm mug, staring at the swirling motion as he stirred the cocoa leisurely. “Urzie? Is something wrong?” Raya asked. Urza broke his self-induced trance, jerking into awareness from his deep thought. “Hm? Oh! Sorry, I... wasn't paying attention.” Urza said quietly. “Oh, is something on your mind? You can talk to me.” Urza's cobalt blue eyes looked up from his drink. “It's nothing really, just... I have a hard time sleeping, that's all.” “Oh, is that so?” Raya grinned a bit. “Well, I was told that if a boy had a hard time sleeping he should-” “Raya!” Urza interrupted, “Don't finish that sentence!” He exclaimed, knowing his friend was going to say something outlandish for a coffee shop's ears. “Oh, that's right. Public place, where are my manners?” Raya said, giggling. Urza narrowed his eyes at her, aggravated that she was so loose with her words and actions in public. “Let's just change the subject, okay?” Urza suggested. “Okay...” Raya sighed. There was silence between them for a good fifteen seconds, and Urza went back to watching the liquid swirl as he stirred... “SO WHAT'S THIS DREAM ABOUT, URZA?” Urza again jerked at his sudden state of awareness, not expecting Raya to yell out like that after so long of there being a quiet muttering of the other customers dulling his thoughts into a low buzz. Many looked in their direction, but Urza couldn't really blame them. It seemed like Raya's constant goal was to try and break the sound barrier with her own voice and embarrass Urza if he continued to shrug off his problem. When the glances had gone back to their own dealings, Urza sighed and explained. “I wouldn't say it was even a dream really, I guess... I was just thinking about the Tree of Life...” Now Raya looked surprised, finishing off her cocoa with a definite clank as the cup struck the tabletop. “What? Why are you thinking about that old thing?” Urza shrugged. “I don't know. I was just seeing visions of it while I was sleeping.” “That's it?” “I guess so.” “What a stupid dream Urza, do you dream about trees all the time?” She grinned playfully at him. Urza glared at her a little harder this time, and she stuck her tongue out at him. Clomp. Clomp. CLOMP. Loud footsteps could be heard slowly approaching Raya and Urza's table. Urza and Raya both straightened up; Urza turned in worry, thinking they were about to get booted out for Raya disturbing the atmosphere of the shop. What they saw instead was the man that had stumbled in after they had rushed into the shop, covered head to toe in snow gear. His parka made it hard to see his face, but he carried a black Domino mask, held delicately in both hands. Raya was the first to speak. “Um, can we help you?” The man had the sound of utter desperation as he said, “Please... Urza... take this mask.” Urza blinked as he heard his name from the stranger. “Huh? Do I even know you?” The man spoke again, “Take... take the mask..” He said, as though he was broken. His breathing was very labored, now apparent to Urza. “Um...” Searching for the right words to say to the mysterious man, Urza said, “No thanks sir, I don't need the mask.” Urza wondered if maybe the man was giving it to him for the carnival, and this was all some early trick that he didn't want to be caught up in. Last year was bad enough for him... “Urza Blackborn... take... the mask... now.” Urza rolled his eyes, taking the mask from the persistent man. “Thanks for the mask, sir...” He said a bit shortly. The man's breathing came even more rapidly now, a groaning could be heard coming from him. He stepped away from the table, clutching at the thick material covering his chest. “AAHHH!” A sudden painful, cry erupted from his throat as if scrambling to break out of him. Both Urza and Raya quickly stood from their chairs quickly in concern. The man's thick parka was stained red, blossoming as the flow of blood began pouring out of him. Under the hood where his face was shadowed, his eyes slowly opened, lit by their own scarlet glow. “DIE!” As soon as the shout left the man, his head violently exploded in gruesome bits of flesh. The man fell over, leaving Raya and Urza's view to fall on Ryuna, standing at her table with her Peacekeeper out, smoking and still aimed upon where the man once was hunched. After the initial shock, panic arose within the previously clean and quiet shop. Customers backed away from their tables, some fleeing and kicking up snow as they got as far as possible from the shop “I knew I smelled something wrong...” Ryuna said. Urza shook his head to shake off some of the panic bubbling inside him, looking instantly to Ryuna. “What the heck is wrong with you?!” He screamed, voice cracking a bit. “Saving your a**, that's what.” She simply stated. The mysterious man's body started to twitch, the insulated material of his clothing ripped open as something horrific began to scramble its way out of the man's flesh. Six huge insect legs pushed their way through, making the headless man stand like a gory puppet on it's new legs, a new head forming in the stump's place. “Oh no you don't!” Ryuna exclaimed, pouncing on the creature's back and firing a few rounds into the newly forming head. The body slumped, unmoving... Raya ran for the exit, shouting back, “Come on, Urza! Let's get out of here!” Looking at the bloody surroundings, he ran after Raya, panic still flooding his nerves. Ryuna stood up slowly, looking around to see the shop abandoned by everyone but her and the... thing. Exiting the building, some of Talamb's guards are stood firmly at the street in front of the shop, waiting to intercept Ryuna. The blood-drenched body behind Ryuna began to twitch...
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Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2011 10:59 am
Ryuna
Episode 02: Destiny
Writer: Justin Miller (Cleric in a Box)
Editor: Jamie Parks
Thanks: To my staff, Jamie Parks and Kara Ritenour ( [[Red Death]] )
Giving credit to Wizards of The Coast, Al Sousa & Steven Clower and Palladium Books for Names, Monsters, Spells, and some other information from The Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 Edition Books.
Talamb's guards stood with their boots planted firmly in the snowy street facing the front of the coffee shop. Their armor was adorned with thick ursine fur to ward off the cold. A myriad of spears, shield, swords, and axes were among the hands of the city's guards. Each of the five guards began to take a formation of surrounding Ryuna, their countenances as cold and stony as the sleet-covered sidewalk. A smirk pulled at Ryuna's lips as she reviewed a higher-ranking guard confront her, his eyes narrowing as he took her grin as an arrogant disregard for their authority. As the lead guard stood at a distance from her, one of the other guards to her right blurted out, “Hey! It's the woman that the Arcane Order has placed a bounty for!” The head guard leaned his head forward slightly as he acknowledged and confirmed the outburst. “Yes... It is Ryuna Heartly.” As if to blatantly ignore her own name, she broke eye contact with the guard as she sniffed the air, turning her face as she did so to view the inside of the shop with her peripherals. The body no longer occupied its bloodstained spot on the floor. This isn't good, Ryuna thought. That thing isn't dead yet... Ryuna turned her attention back over to the guards, the one in front of her now scowling as he assessed her actions as an attempt to locate an escape route. Without warning, the guard who had yelled out earlier now rushed her, spear out and ready to run her through. She had swiftly sidestepped, bringing her clawed arm to slice clean through the thick handle as soft as if it were made of the fluffy snow surrounding them. Since the guard unexpectedly met no resistance of flesh, his surprised form slid in the sleet, Ryuna lifting her knee into his stomach as the inertia of his fall provided most of the force for his pain. Winded, the guard feebly tried to withdraw, but Ryuna gave him a brutal uppercut with her normal arm, sending the guard to have a somewhat cushioned fall in a heap of snow by the shop's edge. Incensed by seeing their fellow guard beaten, two of the other soldiers rushed much in the same way the unconscious guard had, though more cautiously dividing themselves to make It more difficult for Ryuna to counter their strike. Like twins, they both brandished swords on either side of her, attempting to weaken her by distraction. As if they were doing a synchronized dance, Ryuna rapidly shifted out of both of the weapons' path, the guards' motions to slice at her a bit predictable, though skilled as a team. Their movements were smooth as clockwork. Trying a different approach, they simultaneously, though in different directions, swung to strike her from her in the front at her chest and in the back behind her knees. Her toughly scaled arm was able to effectively shield from the frontal assault, and just in time she jumped as if playing double-dutch to avoid the low blow. Grabbing the sword arm of the surprised guard in front of her she spun and tossed him into the second guard, who was still crouched from his low swing. They toppled over each other onto the curb. “Is that all you got?” Ryuna goaded. “You gotta be kidding me...” The last guard, besides the head guard, charged at her with a large axe, the increasingly familiar tactic getting old. As if seeing the first guard's failure didn't matter, this guard foolishly tried to bring down his enormous axe as if to completely split her in two like firewood. Ryuna again sidestepped to avoid the crunch of the axe being driven into the sidewalk. The dullard guard was unable to unfasten the axe, mostly because Ryuna stomped a thick, heavy boot on top of it as she gazed down at him. “You're too slow,” Ryuna chided him, “Next time you wanna pick a fight with me, make sure you got a better plan. Or at least an original one.” She jumped, kneeing the guard in the chin as she did so that his head jerked back, leaving time for her to plant a jarring kick in his face as she twisted her body to make the swing-back more forceful. Making an adept landing back on the sidewalk, she swiveled her arm in circles, as if doing a warm up exercise. Most of the other guards were up and groaning, glaring at her angrily as their pride was shattered from being beat down so quickly, and noting her little “warm up” as an insolent act of arrogance and assumed superiority. “Come on,” Ryuna challenged, “all of you... Attack me!” They did. As expected, most of them rushed her, the one wielding the spear surging forward in an attempt to skewer her again. Grabbing the spears handle as she dodged right, she whipped the blunt end into another guard's face. Quickly stabbing the spear point into the ground, Ryuna used the handle as leverage to spin herself around it in the air, kicking each of the oncoming guards back. She agilely landed on the ground and turned to the fallen guards. “You finished yet?” Ryuna taunted. She started blinking, seeing the air getting hazy as if a fog was rolling in. But when everything started to blur, she looked down at her hands, seeing that her arm appeared to be shifting in and out of focus. There really was no fog, it was her vision that started slipping. No, Ryuna thought, not this again. I... need to... She dropped to one knee, struggling to even keep her balance as she fought to stand back up. The guards slowly started walking to her, apprehensive as to whether this was a trick she was playing on them or not. She wished it was. Falling face first into the ground, the last thing Ryuna saw was the pure white snow on the sidewalk before immediately plunging into the black of unconsciousness. Raya and Urza were huffing loudly from running as far from the coffee shop as possible. They finally stopped down an alley way, nearly collapsing from their spent adrenaline rush. Raya turned back to look at Urza's heaving form. “What the heck happened back there?!” Urza was bent over his knees, trying to keep from falling back into the snow. Shaking his head, he said, “I don't know. But I know one thing.” Turning his head, his gaze fell on a large dumpster in the alley. He hastily tossed the black Domino mask into it as if it were a giant centipede that had clung to his arm. “I don't want that stupid mask!” His breathing hadn't evened out, it had actually become even more rapid and uneven, showing signs of an oncoming panic attack. Raya walked up to him and hugged him, trying to comfort her friend. “It'll be okay, Urzie... You just need to calm down.” Urza nodded. “That guy... he knew my... name,” he said between pants, “and that... mask... Why me?” Seeing that Urza wasn't going to get any better outside and in the cold, she patted him on the shoulder. “Calm down Urza. How about we take you back to the school so you can rest, okay?” Urza nodded in agreement, following close to her as they headed back to the institute. Urza's Dorm, Talamb's School of Magic
~ 1:15 PM ; February 13, 1650 ~ Having reassured Raya that Urza was calmed down and could make it to his room safely and on his own, Urza reached the door to his dorm room. Grabbing the key from his blue mage robes, he felt some relief at the familiar sight of his bedroom. It wasn't anything special or to brag about, but it was homey to him. The blinds were closed, but still let in a low and comfortable light illuminate his corner desk, which contained a few scattered papers, alchemy tools, beakers, graduated cylinders... At the other corner of his room was his bed, which looked highly inviting right about now. Urza turned on the light and closed the door, walking slowly to his bed and flopping onto his bed face first. He turned over on his back to get himself more comfortable as he looked at the ceiling. Urza placed a hand over his face like he had a headache, closing his eyes to relax his senses. But closing his eyes gave him no ocular relief as he was bombarded with weird visions of a vast desert, roots shooting out of the dunes... His eyes opened wide, though his hand still rested near his forehead. Urza thought to himself. The Tree of Life...is that all I see when I close my eyes? As if to mock his question, when Urza turned to face the wall, his eyes met a blank stare from- “WHAT THE HECK?!” Flump! Urza had jumped out of bed and gracelessly fallen to the floor, trying to put as much distance between him and the very same black Domino mask he had tossed away in the alley's dumpster. It sat propped up against the wall on his bed, the angle it rested in made the eye-holes appear cheeky, as if it was grinning at his surprise. Somehow Urza felt that this mask was going to haunt him when his eyes were open as much as the visions of the Tree did when they were closed... Getting up and walking back over to his bed, he reached for the mask but didn't touch it. “It's just a mask, get over it, Urza,” he said to himself. “I threw this away...” Urza kept looking at the mask as if it would tell him how it got here itself. “Raya's just trying to scare me. But wait... she was with me the entire time, and I saw her leave toward her dorm when we split...” Resolving himself, Urza picked up the mask, examining it and seeing there is a string attached that can be tied and fit for anyone to wear. This mask is just too creepy... how can it have gotten here? A knock at Urza's door brought him out of his reverie. “Who is it?” Urza called out. “Helloooo! IT'S ME!” The sound of Raya's voice shattered the silence of his dorm. “Come in,” Urza said as he turned to hold up the mask. Raya practically skipped into his room, a long-haired gray cat following in behind her. The cat jumped up on Urza's bed, rolling on his side. Raya's eyes widened as her gaze rested on the mask. “Oh my, Urza... I didn't know you go dumpster diving.” Urza glared at her lackadaisical comment. “Raya, this mask, it just appeared here in my room. I don't know how it got here, and it certainly wasn't on my bed when I entered my room. It only appeared after I laid down here,” he said, putting his other hand on the bed's surface. Raya was silent for a moment, “Well... you did get it from a guy who was trying to kill you.” Urza looked from her to the mask, getting creeped out. “I know, but why me? Why did he want me to have it before he tried to kill me... Why does he even want to kill me?” Raya shook her head and walked over to him, hugging and patting him on the back like she had done earlier in the alley way. “Well Urzie, I don't have all the answers. Some people are just weirdos. But the mask on the other hand... Maybe it was just, I don't know, destined to be yours. I know it sounds strange, but hey...” Urza was silent as he considered her words. Raya let go and looked at him smiling. “You could possibly use it at the Carnival today.” Urza blinked in surprise. “This mask?” She nodded. “It's not a bad looking mask,” Urza almost snorted, thinking about the way it seemed to look at him earlier. “Give it a try.” Urza again looked at the mask. “I will think about it... Can I have some time alone, Raya?” “No problem,” she turned toward his door to walk out. “Come on, Garrit!” The fluffy gray cat stretched lazily before jumping off and following Raya out the door. “Raya?” She stopped and turned back around to see Urza. “Hm?” “... I'll meet you at your dorm around four, okay?” She smiled and nodded again, “Okie-day!” She exited and Urza looked over the mask in his hand, taking off his blue beanie and throwing it on his pillow. With some trepidation, he raised the mask to eye level, looking through the eyes but not completely resting it on his face. I can't believe I'm going to try this, Urza thought. After the guy that tried giving it to me... Deciding not to think on it anymore unless he should back out, he put the mask on. His eyes widened. What the... Suddenly, huge sources of information came out of nowhere. Spells? I have new spells, but... all of these spells... They come from the Spells of Knowledge and the Domain of Divination... but why? He took off the mask, focusing solely on it. These spells come from the mask, and the information is staying. This mask, it's a magical mask. Perhaps I can use the power of these spells to figure out more about this mask... or even maybe the man who tried to kill me.Urza replaced the mask on his face, this time tying the string around his head to keep it in place rather than hold it there. He walked over to his window to completely close the blinds, looking into the wall mirror with the mask on. Thinking about how the mask seemed to manifest in his room earlier without seeing it happen, he closed his eyes, wondering if he could access information more easily this way. Let's try this spell... Identify. Urza began to chant the mantra of the Identify spell, which would allow him to know the properties of a magic item. He chose to have the mask as the target. As if seeing the information being scrolled across his brain, he had access to the information as readily as if they were notes he had taken himself.
List of Powers:Locate Object 1 per day Level 1 Spell: Identify 1 per day Level 2 Spell: Detect Thoughts 1 per day Level 3 Spell: Clairaudience/Clairvoyance 1 per day Level 4 Spell: Scrying 1 per day Level 5 Spell: Prying Eyes 1 per day Level 6 Spell: True Seeing 1 per day Level 7 Spell: Greater Arcane Sight 1 per day Level 8 Spell: Greater Prying Eyes 1 per day Level 9 Spell: Foresight 1 per day The wearer of the Mask of Divination becomes curious for knowledge so long as he or she wears the mask. The Mask of Divination is part of a key that opens a door leading to the Treasure of Legacy along with the help of the seven other masks, each representing a school of magic. Wow, I can't believe this mask has all of these spells, Urza thought. If I'm right, these spells can be easily learned from a spellbook... very interesting. Too bad I don't learn my spells from spellbooks. But there are other masks, seven of them for each school...
Urza smiled a little. Sitting at his desk, he rifled through some of the papers, mostly his notes. There's eight schools of magic... if I remember correctly, I took notes in class on the eight different Domains of Magic, or should I say... School Specialization. Finally finding the sheet he was looking for, he picked it up and reviewed his scrawled notes.  This makes perfect sense now, Urza thought. Now... what is this Treasure of Legacy? Urza stood and removed the mask, though acquiescing proved a bit difficult since he wanted to keep it on. He placed the mask inside one of the pockets inside his robes and picked up his beanie, putting it back on his mussed blue hair. I think it's time to visit the library, he thought as he walked out of his bedroom. City of Talamb's Jailhouse
~ 2:47 PM ; February 13, 1650 ~ In a lonely cell of a small jailhouse in Talamb, Ryuna lay disarmed on a cot with her eyes closed. She layed completely still. A guard is sitting at a desk not far from her, reading a newspaper. Ryuna's body started to twitch a little in her sleep. Her eyes suddenly snap open, both resembling the golden eyes of a serpent, but her vision remained dark. She screamed. Visions began speeding across her mind. A bayou set aflame, fire racing in the trees like a wild mustang from hell. She saw herself, no older than five, running with tears falling down her cheeks. Disembodied male voices rang through the surreal surroundings. “We do not hunt the humans... they are not just food.”
“Father, you are so blind. The humans want to kill us, its better that we hunt them before they hunt us. Kill, or be killed.” Ryuna's small voice echoed out to nothing, “I wanna be strong, just like you big brother.” Other mysterious masculine voices rang out. “You are no King.”
“Where is the Vault? Tell me now and I will spare your life.”
“Run... Run!”
“DIE HEARTLY!”
“Run Ryuna! NEVER LOOK BACK!” Blinding white light interrupted the flashes of Ryuna's memories. She was standing now, outside her cell. The guard's body was on the floor and as ripped to shreds as the bars that once contained her. She was sticky and soaked in blood, most notably her hands with bits of flesh stuck under nail and claw. The amount of blood sprayed everywhere made the jail room look like a massacre, and upon further inspection there were more bodies and parts of guards littered about the area all drenched in red. s**t, she thought, not again... Ryuna looked about the room and found her Peacekeeper revolvers knocked off the bloodied desk. She equipped them back into her holsters. Problems on top of problems. This must be my lucky day.Talamb's Library
~ 2:30 PM ; February 13, 1650 ~ Urza sat within one of the library's private rooms with stacks upon stacks of books he had picked from the shelves, some open with references dog-eared. There was a Manatech Machine in the middle of the tabletop for extra research catalogs and archives. It looked like a floating sphere with a keyboard and mouse beneath it. Hologram images of articles were floating around inside the sphere. Urza searched diligently, muttering to himself. “Treasure of Legacy... Treasure of Legacy... Got it!” He said, typing down “famous masks in history” into the search engine. Images of Ragnorok popped up in a separate window within the sphere while some old photos of past Sages and members of Congress alongside it. Another window contained information about the last major war the Arcane Order was in. Glancing along the faces of the Sages, Urza saw one listed as a war hero named Sage Lisa. Reading further into the article about Sage Lisa, he skimmed until coming upon the word “mask.” It was stated that she always a full mask that covered her head almost like a helmet. It was topped with an ornate gold crown, a veil covering the eyes but with holes to peer out of. After reading the article, Urza began to ponder about the history of the war. Back in 1602, an immortal king by the name of Hith started a war against the Arcane Order, which lasted for thirty years... It all started when King Hith began invading other countries near his own, taking civilians as prisoners to use as slaves. Urza scrolled further to try and locate more information. Of course the Arcane Order took action against Hith's act. But a lot of the battles have been kept confidential, I mean, half the battles aren't even mentioned in most history texts. Urza sighed, deciding that the current article he was looking over wouldn't be of any more use to him. The only thing I remember from history class about this was something Sage Lisa as an ex member of Congress of the Order. She sacrificed herself to end the last battle of the Thirty Year War, but before she died, she made a last request to a soldier. It was something like, “I will end this war once and for all... When I die, I want to be buried somewhere I will not be found, and I want to be buried with my mask on. I want this to be done, no ifs, ands, or buts about this...” Urza had thought at the time that Sage Lisa must have been a strange woman, but hadn't sparked any sense of meaning to him at the time. And when the war was over, the Arcane Order punished King Hith. However, since they couldn't execute him on account of his immortality, they banished him to his own country and shut down all his Manatech factories. Anything that goes in and out of his country has to have special permission. Oh, and as another punishment... they cut out his eyes... Urza thought the last thing was a bit grotesque, but knowing about what Hith had done, enslaving so many innocent people, he couldn't help but think he got what he deserved. Breaking out of his thoughts on Hith, he thought more about Sage Lisa and her mask. So Sage Lisa had a mask... perhaps one of the masks of magic? He again thought of her strange last request to be buried with her mask on her where no one would find her... Suddenly, screams erupted from outside the private room of the library. Urza whipped his head around, instantly locking his eyes on the door. He immediately left the room, heading towards the library's main lobby, seeing the creature that tried to kill him earlier atop one of the main tables. The creature noticed his entrance. “URZA?!” Urza nearly bristled with panic. “Not good!” He shouted, quickly a grease spell as the creature jumped off the table to rush at him with its creepy insects legs. Out of no where, grease covered the floor of the library ten feet from Urza. The creature slipped as Urza had wanted. Urza rolled out of its path as he reached for the strange device hanging at the side of his robes that looked like a flashlight. As he stood, Urza pressed the button in the middle, making the extend into a long rod-like staff. He spun it dextrously in his hands. “I don't know what you are, or what exactly you want from me,” Urza said to the creature. It clumsily stood, cocking its head with a sick sounding crack. It stayed that way, covered in grease, staring at him. Urza looked back at it with an uncomfortable gaze. “I think I will run now.” Urza said plainly, sprinting out of the library so quickly that his soul seemed to have trouble keeping up with his body. It chased after him in gruesome movements, leaving greasy tracks out of the library. Talane Street, Carnival sight
~ 2:50 PM ; February 13, 1650 ~ Ryuna walked out of the jail house as if she owned the place even though her still blood-soaked appearance caused a passerby to stop and stare. He was caught right in the middle of lighting up his cigarette as he stared at her, stupefied. “What the ******** are you looking at, Pal?” Ryuna said brusquely. She walked up and took the cigarette as well as his lighter out of his frozen hands, lighting it up and handing him back the lighter. “Get out of my sight.” She said, the man finally panicking and fleeing at the sight of her dragon arm. She smirked, taking a drag as she walked toward David's Manatech Engine Shop. Right after Ryuna walked inside the shop, panic rose rampant as the street grew wild with Urza and many other civilians running from the bug creature that was stampeding after them. Stopping by one of the nearby floats, Urza turned to defend himself as best as he could with his metal staff. The creature rushed him, swinging its legs at him with sharp bristles trying to slice at him. Urza managed to block a few of the swings with his staff, though one landed on him, cutting into his side and knocking him to the ground. Urza pressed the button to retract his staff so he could crawl away from it. The gigantic insect started stalking him slowly, as if it was intentionally toying with him. “Urza...” It spoke in a gravelly voice, “It's time for you... to die.” Urza looked back at in terror, crawling onto the float next to crates of fireworks. It looked as though they were going to use it as a grand finale surprise later that evening. Urza turned on his back, some pain from his side making him wince as he looked up at the creature. It laughed loudly as it raised its legs full of needle sharp hairs, ready to skewer him with a majority of its legs. Urza braced himself for the ensuing blow that would surely kill him. A sense of déjà vu gripped him as he heard gunshots ring out and saw the creature's head explode and a foul smelling ichor sprayed everywhere. The creature's body landed on the crate next to him, and Urza once again saw Ryuna standing with her revolver out and standing away from the float. Her arm was still trained on the creature, her other hand spinning the keys to the hovercycle, a half-smoked cigarette between her lips. Putting the keys away in one of her pockets, she neared the bug. “I knew that damn thing was still alive... Keh,” Ryuna said. She stood up on the float looking over to Urza. “You okay, kid?” Urza nodded, and she smiled down at him, but not with her usual crazed grin or haughty smirk. “Good, now can you get the ******** out of here?” She said, breaking the geniality of her smile. He stood up slowly to stand at the sidewalk, not wanting her to direct any anger onto him as he took in her appearance. It would appear someone already pissed her off, badly, Urza thought, gulping. He looked back to see her take a huge drag off of her cigarette, then bending over to use it to light up one of the fuses sticking out of the crate beneath the creature. Urza's eyes widened. “What are you doing!” He yelled as she jumped down from the float and walked in his direction. BOOM! B-BOOM BOOM! BOOM B-B-BOOOOOM! Then crate cracked and fireworks flew everywhere along with bits of leftover bug. The grease on its body parts made it light up like a candle, and the bits of singed hair looked like giant fireflies “Making sure that damn thing dies this time, that's what I was doing.” Ryuna smirked at Urza's deadpanned glare. She sniffed the air a bit, ignoring the smells of the fireworks as she looked over to Urza. Good thing this kid's blood was so strong, she thought to herself. I wouldn't have known he was about to be butchered by that thing... She turned and gazed at the fireworks. “How in the hell did that thing get grease on its body?” Ryuna asked. “I could smell it a mile away.” “I... I cast a grease spell to slow it down, so I could get away.” Urza said. Ryuna looked back at him. “Smart move, you still almost died.” Urza narrowed his eyes at her. “Haha, anyway, adiós kid,” Ryuna started to walk over to her now solid hovercycle. Urza turned and followed her, staring down at his feet. Ryuna stopped to look at him when she heard his footsteps crunching in the snow. “Look,” Urza began, “You saved me twice. Thank you. Many people are wrong about you, you know... being a bad person, a cold-blooded murderer...” Ryuna raised an eyebrow, thinking her distinctly bloody appearance should have told him otherwise. “I guess you don't know me well enough, kid.” She hopped on the bike and started the engine. “Wait!” Ryuna looked at him again, a bit exasperated. “What?” “I am on a quest,” Urza started to say, “I feel like I need to do this, can I go-” “No.” “I didn't finish explaining!” Urza said. “No!” Ryuna fired back at him. “Bu-” “No, no, NO!” She screeched. “There's money involved! Tons of gold! And... um... treasure, gems, more things you can ask for...” Urza trailed off, grabbing for ways to persuade Ryuna to take him with her. She laughed. “Oh yeah? You're going to pay me if I take you? How's a puny little brat going to pay me, hm?” Ryuna laughed derisively. “Well, if you don't believe me, then fine. I can find someone else who will take it.” Urza said, hoping this would get her to rethink. She studied him for a moment, and he tried not to look too apprehensive about her answer, knowing he was bluffing big time. “Get your a** on the bike, we need to go north.” She said. He scrambled onto the bike quickly but carefully so his side wouldn't hurt him. He reluctantly held onto her from behind. “Ew,” he said, “you're so smelly and disgusting with all this blood.” “Do you wanna get kicked off the bike?” Ryuna threatened. This kid was starting to annoy her. “No, I'm fine ma'am.” Urza said shortly. “Then shut up, I don't wanna hear a word from you until we get to Urkurd.” “Yes, ma'am,” Urza nodded, even though she was facing forward. “Shut up, you little pipsqueak,” Ryuna drove off quickly, out of the city limits and further into the frigid north.
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Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2011 11:00 am
Ryuna
Episode 03: Galolee's Most Wanted
Writer: Justin Miller (Cleric in a Box)
Editor: Jamie Parks (Nightingale 9)
Thanks: To my staff, Jamie Parks and Kara Ritenour ( [[Red Death]] )
Giving credit to Wizards of The Coast, Al Sousa & Steven Clower and Palladium Books for Names, Monsters, Spells, and some other information from The Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 Edition Books.
Talamb Jailhouse
~ 7:25 PM ; February 13, 1650 ~The jail cell was still flooded with the blood of Ryuna's victims, their bodies flung across the floor. Entering the slaughterhouse was a Talamb guard with Arcane Order agent following closely behind. The guard looked on in disgust as he saw the mangled bodies strewn about by the monster. There was no honor in their deaths; it was obvious that they were all cut down like animals by a vicious predator. “Here it is...” the guard indicated the blatant massacre in front of him to the agents. Some of their eyes widened at the scene before them for a split second, quickly to be replaced by blank facades and almost making the guard wonder if their brief display of emotion had happened at all. The Order's agents split into groups, some investigating the smears of blood or the wounds of the fallen guards, taking pictures for evidence records. The guard sighed, turning away from the sight of it all. He heard the thick sound of boots walking down the jailhouse hallway toward the cell and was amazed as he gazed upon who walked in with deep respect and admiration. A legendary warrior with wild black hair tied back and made a signal to stop for the J.A.W. Soldiers behind him. His heavy green gaze searched the room, not so much as blinking at the sight. Just about anyone, anywhere, would recognize that iconic red scale armor and rugged visage that belonged to the Thirty Year War veteran, Ken Kaze. Many eyes were now fixed on him as he commanded the room with his presence. “Search the city,” Ken Kaze's deep voice sounded to the J.A.W. Soldiers. “Make sure to see if she is still here hiding or not.” The J.A.W.s nodded to their leader, quickly turning to scour the city. Well I'll be damned,” the guard that lead the Order's team of agents in early spoke to himself. “It's the legendary Prince Weapon...” Ken Kaze eyed the Talamb guard. “I see you've heard of me. Well, I didn't come here so you could kiss my a**, I had a call earlier. You caught Ryuna Heartly? From the way this looks, you failed in doing so.” The guard had a difficult time trying to voice himself. “She... she got away.” Ken Kaze walked right up to the stunned guard's face. “That's right, SHE GOT AWAY! I didn't come down here to be disappointed, I came here to find that monster, that abomination to the Order!” The guard didn't speak a word as Ken Kaze continued. “Stupid weakling, you should have killed her while you had her. Instead, your men here died.” Ken Kaze looked to the bodies of the torn men. One of the agents of the Order stood from examining a body and walked over to Ken Kaze, saluting in respect. “What do you have for me?” Ken Kaze asked. “Sir, the victims were killed from what seems to be a slashing weapon, claws more likely from the pattern of the rips in their skin. Also, there seem to be punctures in some of them, bites just like a vampire's or some other bloodsucking creature's handiwork.” The agent explained. Ken Kaze blinked stoically. “No bullet holes or anything of that sort?” “No, sir.” Ken Kaze paused in thought; She couldn't have used a gun, of course. She was locked up in here like a caged animal, and she acted as such with her natural weapons. The agent began speaking again, bringing Ken Kaze out of his thoughts. “This scene looks more like an animal's work than anything,” the agent said. “Does it even matter if it was a messy job or not?” Ken Kaze stated more than asked. “She is a monster. She wanted out, and she found a way.” The agent nodded in agreement. “I'm going to go back and do some more investigating on the matter, there may yet be more to this. If I find anything new, I will update you asap.” Ken Kaze nodded to the agent as he left and turned back to the guard. “Let these agents do their job, and next time,” he walked straight up to the man, “kill on sight. The Order needs these problem pests exterminated.” The guard nodded, visibly tense at the legendary warrior's proximity. Ken Kaze walked away from the guard and exited back down the jailhouse hallway, meeting up with a J.A.W. “Sir Kaze?” “What is it soldier?” “The parade has been canceled because of Ryuna Heartly. Witnesses say they saw the woman before the parade started earlier in the day, causing damage to one of the floats. There might be some interesting leads for you.” The J.A.W. finished. “Hmph, cowards, they just let her walk around here? Alright then,” Ken Kaze began walking down the hall past the soldier. “Search the area, I've got some civilians to question.” “Yes, sir!”
City of Urkurd
~ 5:32 PM ; February 14, 1650 ~The city of Urkurd is notably one of the coldest cities in Galolee. Ice covers most of the city from the streets to icicles the size of quarterstaffs hanging from the rooftops. Most of the snow that can be seen shines and sparkles with an icy coating. Sparse amounts of people on the streets can be seen walking fast from the insides of buildings to escape the chilling air, all heavily clothed with barely any hint of skin showing even on their faces. Ryuna's hovercycle moved slowly in front of the slums of the town, stopping in front of a tavern inn with an icy wooden sign proclaiming it as “The Happy Jug.” Smirking as she saw the sign, Ryuna turned to look over her shoulder at Urza. There was a slight aura about Urza fading away. As it completely dissolved, his eyes widened and he began to fiercely shiver from the cold as he hopped off the bike. Ryuna laughed a little, seeing him chanting a spell and touching his right hand to his left arm. He started to glow again as before, and stopped shivering this time as it faded away again. Thank you, Endure Elements, Urza thought, wondering how he would have managed if he had not known the convenient spell that allowed him to exist comfortably in hot and cold environments. “Well, looks like this is where you're staying at,” Ryuna said. Urza blinked in confusion. “What?” “I can't stay around town,” Ryuna explained, “I have the Order after me, remember?” “But no one came after you last night...” Urza trailed off. “Eugh, yeah they did. Talamb guards, remember?” “Oh, I thought you meant the Order?” Urza said, trying to rationalize what she was saying. “Talamb, Urkurd, it doesn't matter where I go. The Arcane Order will somehow get on my trail. I want you to stay here for a while until I get some business done,” Ryuna looked away from Urza into the streets. “Business? What kind of business?” Urza said. Then he thought, and how long is “a while?”Ryuna quickly turned and glared at him. “It doesn't matter what my business is! Now stay here until I come back.” She faced forward on the bike, speeding off out of the slums of Urkurd. “Wait, Ryuna!” Urza called out, but she was already out of hearing distance... he thought she was, anyway... He sighed to himself, deciding to walk inside The Happy Jug. Upon entering the place, he immediately felt uncomfortable seeing a lot of the common low-life drunks that don't likely go too far out of the slums. His eyes wandered the bar, sighing once again as he shakily walked up to the bar counter while thinking to himself. I hope Ryuna didn't just want to drop me off here to get rid of me...Galolee's Capital, Ragnorok – The Arcane Order Congress Room
~ 9:11 AM ; February 14, 1650 ~ The Congress Room of the Arcane Order's headquarters in Ragnorok was filled with rows of tall, highly polished dark wood desks. The domed walls and ceiling were made of thick stone, and made the area seem somehow much bigger than it actually was. All one hundred congressman of the of the Arcane Order have taken their seats. They were quiet, and all eyes were focused on the three Sages of the Order at the head of the room. The Sage on the left was an intelligent woman named Sage Serra, a master of Divination. She was wearing white robes with intricate blue embroidery designs emblazoned on the fabric, showing that she is a woman of status. Her witch like hat was placed on the desk beside her, and she gazed at it through her glasses as she thought back to the night she saw Ryuna on the rooftop escaping the J.A.W.S. She looked to the Sage on the opposite end of her at the right. Sage Kuda was the new replacement of the late Sage Orran assassinated by Ryuna Heartly. His white hair went down to his neck and his green eyes met Sage Serra's for a moment before returning to his front. He wore similar robes to Sage Serra, though his sleeves were baggier and easier to conceal items in. He was the youngest of the Sages, at least twenty-six; but that was not too surprising since he happened to be Sage Orran's apprentice and son. In the middle sat Sage Xion, having the most experience with the congress since being a chairman before the 1600's and he became a Sage in the middle of the Thirty Year War. Though Sage Xion was one of the oldest in Congress, no one really knew much about his real appearance because of his attire. He always wore a strange metallic mask, similar to a hybrid of a helmet and gas mask. What was visible of his face were his sharp brown eyes. His robes were a rich purple and orange, and he wore purple gloves sprinkled with gold rings on the majority of his fingers. Standing up from his seat, Sage Xion raised both of his hands as if to greet the entire room. “Good morning. We have information about the assassin of Sage Orran, Ryuna Heartly. But before we fully immerse ourselves into the subject, are there matters that need to be discussed?” A congressman near the back at the opposite end of the circle of desks stood. “Yes, Sage Xion. Since we are speaking about wanted criminals, I wanted to know if we are still taking care of the problem of the Ex-Number 1 wanted, Kite Roadwind.” “The Sky Pirate Kite Roadwind is still a dangerous threat to Galolee, not to be taken lightly. We will continue to hunt for Roadwind just as vigorously as Ryuna Heartly.” Sage Xion replied. “I see,” the congressman continued, “Do we have any up-to-date information on Kite?” Sage Xion shook his head. “Kite Roadwind hasn't been spotted in a few good months.” “Do you think Roadwind still lives?” The congressman asked. “Oh, Kite still lives. I can feel it.” City of Urkurd: The Happy Jug
~ 6:19 PM ; February 14, 1650 ~Urza walked down the hallway of the shabby inn, seeing a drink machine near the corner at the end of the hall. Grabbing some copper coins from his robe pocket, he approached the machine and selected the only option available, which was a generic drink he had never heard of. Bending to reach for the drink at the open dispense area, Urza grabbed the drink and cracked it open, taking a sip while thinking to himself. It's been almost an hour, what the heck is she doing? He frowned at the aftertaste of the drink and the possibility that Ryuna really did leave him in this frigid shack. Was this a smart idea, going on with Ryuna? Could I just do this alone, or should I find a way back to school?Some scuffling and laughter interrupted his thoughts as he turned to look down the opposite hallway where his room was located. Four people dressed heavily in thick furs from head to toe and winter gear with backpacks walked up to a room directly across from Urza's. One of the tallest in the group shifted his position, opening his thick fur coat to reveal a huge revolver type weapon. Urza turned to act as though he wasn't staring in their direction. All four of them entered the room and quickly shut the door behind them. Urza made his way back towards his room. That looked like a Two-Piece, is that firearm even legal? He continued to sip his drink as he quietly neared his door. After looking down the hallway and seeing no one around, Urza put his ear close to the door across from his to try and catch some of the muffled conversation. A male voice was the first he heard. “Cap'n! What we gonna do 'bout de ship-” A distinctly gruff female voice cut him off. “Quit yer yellin', ye want these bloody people ta hear?” Urza scooted a bit closer to the door, interested in hearing more. Another male voice could be heard now. “So what be de plan?” The female voice answered again. “We're goin' in, guns blazin' o'course. Take whate'er we be wantin'.” Urza couldn't believe what he was hearing. I've got to warn someone about them! Urza was about to bolt from the door, but the door swung open from the inside and one of the men grabbed him by his robes and tossed him to the floor inside the room. His drink spilled all over the floor, staining part of his robes. He was lying on his stomach, still dazed from being thrown into the middle of the room. The tall man from before brought out the big revolver, aiming it down at Urza so he wouldn't move. Now seeing it up close, Urza could see that a mini-shotgun under-barrel was attached to it, having a second trigger for the shotgun, the first trigger for the Two-Piece's revolver. The female voice from before called out. “Oooh, whadda we have here? A nosy little brat,” Urza looked up to see a blonde woman seated in a chair next to him. She stood, tossing her heavy furs onto the bed, revealing a finer, purple-furred long coat. She wore a lot of black, and Urza saw she carried a pistol that resembled a luger in her sash band, as well as a gleaming rapier on her hip. Urza couldn't believe who he was seeing before him. “K-Kite Roadwind!” Urza stammered out. She smirked. “Oh, ye heard of me? So flattered,” she gave Urza a wicked smile as she took a cigarette with a long sleek black holder off of the table, lighting it up as she took a step towards his prone form. She kicked him over onto his back and placed one of her long-laced black boots onto his chest. “Now de question is,” she began, “What should I do ta ye...” Urza wasn't entirely sure what he should do in this predicament, but one thing came to his mind that might stall the infamous pirate. “Oh, you don't wanna hurt me, I'm working ith Ryuna Heartly.” Kite looked down at him. “Ryuna? The crazy half dragon lady?” Urza nodded. “Yeah, that's right. If you mess with me she'll get really pissed.” “That so?” Kite said. Urza again nodded, a bit more than necessary. “Now why would a dangerous woman want a little shrimp such as yerself?” She pressed her boot more firmly onto his torso. Urza started to have trouble breathing. “Ah! It's true! She wants me because I'm very skillful with magic. You know, a mage!” “A mage?” Kite set her foot onto the floor beside him. “Yes,” Urza inhaled deep breaths, trying to get rid of the feeling of her pressing him into the floor. Kite seemed to study him for a moment, as if trying to sense any hidden motives. “Ye know anythin' about Manatech or even airships?” Kite asked, blowing some smoke from her cigarette into the air. “A little,” Urza said. “Um, why?” “Because I need a bit a'help, if ye can't help me,” she took a long drag of her cigarette before she spoke, “I'll kill ye m'self.” Urza's eyes widened as he gulped, wondering how he seemed to keep walking himself onto thin ice.
***
Sage Xion pulled Kite's file from an assistant who had brought in her report swiftly upon hearing her name brought up from the congressman. “For those who don't know all the specifics,” Sage Xion began to read the pirate's information to the Congress Room. “Kite Roadwind: age twenty-one, the most wanted sky pirate across Galolee. Crimes against her include homicide, theft and robbery, vandalism, kidnapping, forgery, rape, cybercrime, and conspiracy.” An image of Kite's wanted poster peaked out from beneath the page of detailed crimes, her face set in an evil smirk. Sage Xion continued, “Kite Roadwind has been committing illegal acts since age sixteen, though she was never a captain until two years ago. She is heavily armed and extremely dangerous.” ***
~ 7:02 PM ; February 14, 1650 ~ The light of a hovercycle can be seen as Ryuna raced among great snowy mountains. She left the road's path, finally parking the bike in a snowy valley as she looked around. This must be the place, Ryuna thought to herself as she walked further into the valley. Sage Xion's voice rang out around the circular room. “Now, next to business: Ryuna Heartly...” Ryuna stood at the top of the hill on the other side of the valley looking down upon a snowy open field with a mountain chain beyond. I finally found you. Impaled on the sharp peak of the mountain far in front of Ryuna was a colossal black dragon, the tip of the mountain thrust out of the dragon's chest. “The half-dragon...” Mother, Ryuna thought to herself. She walked down the hill through the glittering white field toward the mountain range.
“The daughter of Aryte Shafaer Sthyr, an enemy of the Thirty Year War,” Sage Xion announced. “Around the end of the war in 1632, Aryte attacked the Arcane Order, accusing the Order of killing a family member. She was persistent, and therefore an army was dispatched to go after Aryte. One of the longest battles of the war, and only the one survivor out of the whole ordeal,” Sage Xion said.
“Ken Kaze.” Ryuna continued trekking to her mother's impaled body, her eyes firmly focused on the dragon pierced by the mountain. “Aryte Shafaer Sthyr,” Sage Xion repeated, “means 'War On Man' in draconic. Aryte lived up to her name, her hatred of humans was well known as she killed many J.A.W.S. and mercenaries that fought for the cause of the Arcane Order. And Ken Kaze... was the one to slay her.” Ryuna reached the bottom of the mountain. Her eyes never left her mother, as sadness began to slowly grip her. Sage Xion continued to dictate details about the history behind Ryuna, “She never met her mother as she was unhatched at the time of Aryte's death,” some of the congressman seemed confused, some disgusted at the thought of what a monster Ryuna Heartly could be. “Yes, she was born in the same manner as a dragon, but she was raised by her father in Heartly's Bayou.” Ryuna looked down into the snow, then at her draconic left arm, and then finally back up at the site of her mother slowly. “Well,” Ryuna's voiced cracked out, “At least I get to finally see you. Father told me so much about you,” she said softly to herself. Ryuna heard an echoing, turning to find nothing in the cold field of snow. Then she realized it was some sort of voice, but it was indistinct at first. She focused solely on listening, and was able to make out a mysterious female voice speaking to her in her mind. “She is waiting for you.” The voice said. Ryuna eyes widened in alarm as she stepped back slowly. “She is waiting for you,” the voice echoed, “Waiting for all this time.” Looking into her mother's long dead eyes, Ryuna saw a glow behind them. The ground began to shake around Ryuna, causing the snow to break apart and fly around. The sky darkened as the clouds thickened and became heavy. Fingers of lightning crossed the dark clouds and lighting up the area or the mountain chain. Ryuna began to cautiously look around. What's going on, Ryuna thought. Before her eyes, the draconic body of Aryte started to rip apart from the point at her impaled chest. Scales, bones, fangs, and claws all started to shrink as the remains began to create a tornado. The sound was unbelievable as lightning struck the ground around the twister and the pieces began molding together, bits of bone clattering together to form a katana. Slowly, bits of scales wrapped their way around to morph into a sheath to hold the sword in place. Spare pieces or Aryte's remains began to fade away as the sword levitated to Ryuna. “Take it,” the voice from earlier urged Ryuna, “you will need it on your journey.” Ryuna reached and took the free-floating sword in front of her. She cradled it in her arms like a precious child, shocked at the sudden and unexpected event. What journey? “The boy needs you,” the voice was quieter this time. Ryuna thought to herself, unsheathing a bit of the katana. She could see her reflection in the blade before sheathing it back. “Urza?” Ryuna asked aloud. “Now go...” the voice trailed and tapered off in Ryuna's mind. She nodded and strapped the sword over her shoulder, running off to her hover bike. “Last night we had information about Ryuna Heartly from Ken Kaze. She was last seen in Talamb and was captured by the city's guard. She escaped after murdering them with what looks to be vicious slashes of claws.” Sage Xion finished.Galolee's Capital, Ragnorok – The Arcane Order Congress Room
~ 9:45 AM ; February 14, 1650 ~ One of the congressman stood in anger. “She killed more innocent people? She needs to be hunted down and killed, immediately!” Before Sage Xion could say anything, Sage Serra stood. “Let me explain, Sage Xion.” Sage Xion turned and nodded, “Go on, Serra,” he said, taking a seat once again. Serra looked around at the room of angry and disgusted congressman, wondering if what she said would make any difference in their opinions. “Ryuna Heartly's actions in Talamb weren't from her own conscious, free will from what I have heard of the evidence from the scene investigators.” The room was completely silent and all eyes were focused on Sage Serra now, though some seemed skeptical. “Ryuna's genes from her father were likely the cause of the murders.” As if someone had let loose a swarm of bees, angry muttering rose among the congressman. “Excuse me, Serra,” Sage Kuda stood from his seat behind the Sages' desk, “What kind of genes are you saying makes a creature such as Ryuna Heartly kill innocents like that?” “Vampire.” Sage Serra said. The congress room then turned into chuckles and amused laughter with the exception of Serra and Xion. Sage Kuda continued to laugh but held up his hand. “Wait, wait. So you are saying Ryuna is a half vampire. Amusing, Serra, amusing. You should know that vampires are a part of necromancy, and we all know that the dead cannot reproduce...” Sage Serra continued without hesitation. “You are correct, Kuda. However, Ryuna's vampire genes are not part of the undead. Her father was Gangrel Heartly, the Heartly clan leader and King of Vampires in Heartly's Bayou. They are completely different from necromancy's vampires. Sage Xion voiced his agreement. “Yes, the Heartly's share the same traits as a normal vampire, except they are capable of reproducing to create half-breeds.” “Wait,” Kuda seemed to hesitate in believing this new information. “They can produce... Would it not be extremely hard to have a pure-bred Heartly in the first place?” Kuda seemed a bit irritated that he was the only Sage who did not know of special case of vampires. “Being bitten from a pure-bred Heartly does not turn one into a Heartly, only a normal vampire spawn, a slave to the creature. But there is another way to become a Heartly without sexually reproducing.” Sage Xion explained. Sage Kuda, Serra, and the entire congress waited silently and unblinkingly to hear his words. “Gangrel Heartly or any Heartly family members must offer their blood to you as an offering. Usually the ritual takes place by the Heartly cutting himself or herself with their own claw and let the one that becomes a Heartly drink the blood straight from the wound.” “Ah, I see, well,” Kuda said, “I suppose that makes... sense... But about the murders in Talamb-” “I was getting to that,” Serra cut Kuda off. “Half-breed Heartlys like Ryuna can only go so many days without blood, if not... Then we see that she went berserk, to quench her thirst until it is fulfilled, as seen with some of the bodies.” In the center of the room where a standing platform was raised from the floor, a holographic image appeared with the persona of Ken Kaze. Sage Xion raised his hand to silence the congressman, “We will speak of this later,” Xion said. The other two Sages took a seat as Sage Xion still stood. “Sir Ken Kaze,” Xion greeted the warrior. “It's nice to see you again. Updates from Talamb?” Ken Kaze nodded. “Yes, Sage Xion. I found a witness and she would like to speak to the congress.” Ken Kaze said. Ken Kaze stepped out of the image and was replaced by a slight figure. “Um, hello?” Raya Highland stood in the hologram before the Arcane Order.
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Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2011 11:01 am
Ryuna
Episode 04: Ryuna vs Kite
Writer: Justin Miller (Cleric in a Box)
Editor: Jamie Parks (Nightingale 9)
Thanks: To my staff, Jamie Parks and Kara Ritenour ( [[Red Death]] )
Giving credit to Wizards of The Coast, Al Sousa & Steven Clower and Palladium Books for Names, Monsters, Spells, and some other information from The Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 Edition Books.
Streets of Urkurd
~ 8:16 PM ; February 14, 1650 ~ A heavily armored personnel carrier was making its way down the snowy streets with a black pirate flag hung on the side of the vehicle. Mounted on top of the APC was a Warlord manatech light machine gun similar to an MG34. The back of the vehicle had a sliding door that could only be opened from the inside or by remote control. The guards of Urkurd watched The Transport move in, completely shocked to see such an armored vehicle entering the city. The top hatch of the APC opened to reveal a tall pirate in heavy furs grab onto the Warlord and open fire at the guards, laughing as they dropped in the snow. The Transport moved through the city and stopped in front of the Happy Jug. Kite and her fellow pirates dragged Urza along with them as the back sliding door opened. Kite gestured to the inside of the vehicle. “Throw 'im in!” The pirates tossed him in without regard and they all stepped in after him. Urza glimpsed something mechanical in the APC as he landed, but Kite stepped in his line of vision. She smirked a bit when she noticed him looking her way. “To the manatech shop!” Kite yelled to her crew. Drifts of snow shot up as Ryuna drove through the snowy fields near Urkurd at top speed on the hoverbike. Ryuna became somewhat lost in her thoughts driving through the bleak terrain. I don't know what the hell happened back there, but I think mother was waiting for me. Or something... Why would her body form into a sword? But that doesn't matter right now, Urza's in trouble. I can feel it. Ryuna began ascending towards a nearby mountaintop that overlooked the city of Urkurd. When she stopped high up on the mountain, some snow pushed off the edge. Taking in the site of Urkurd, Ryuna thought to herself. Hold on, kid. Urza was forced into one of the seats in The Transport seats. He tried to avoid eye contact with the pirates, especially Kite. Upon further inspection inside the APC, Urza could see that the mechanical objects he had seen when he was tossed into the vehicle were three hovercycles. Turning his gaze back, he noticed Kite staring at him. “What exactly do you want me to help you with?” Urza asked, turning his face away from her. To anyone who may have cared, his expression appeared forlorn. “Yer gonna fix ar ship,” Kite said plainly. Urza blinked and looked back at her. “How am I going to fix your airship with no parts or tools?” Kite smirked. “Well, I did say we're goin' to a manatech shop, didn' I?” “You're going to rob, huh?” Urza asked. “Ye betcha, o'course!” Kite grinned even more. All the while that they were talking, the APC neared the manatech shop. The vehicle didn't bother stopping before the shop, but rather crashed right through its display window with the back end first. The sliding door of The Transport opened and three sky pirates exited the vehicle, scrambling to take what looked valuable and important for repairing the airship. One sky pirate stayed behind in the vehicle and controlled the Warlord to make sure the guards didn't come close to the shop. Kite pulled out the luger, known as a Meeran's Edge, from her sash band and fixed it on Urza. “Don't move dear, or I might a hole in your purty little head...” Kite threatened. She slowly stepped out of the APC with the gun still aimed on Urza. “Hurry up! We ain't got all day!” Kite yelled to her crew. Some guards started to approach the shop but didn't get too close as the Warlord began firing at them, killing some of them instantly. Kite looked up at the pirate on the Warlord. “Give 'em hell!” She yelled to him. Urza watched Kite closely and placed his hands together, starting to softly chant while she was not looking at him. As if she had sensed it, Kite quickly looked back to Urza as she got back inside The Transport, whacking him across the face with her gun. Urza fell to the ground with blood starting to come out o his nose as he looked up at Kite. “Blood... it's Urza's!” Ryuna said as she sniffed the air. She revved up her engine, driving down the mountain again from the cliff side. Ryuna zoomed through the city, going through the tightest curves and alleys to get to Urza as quick as possible and follow his scent. Ryuna just turned the corner of the street in which the manatech shop was and saw that The Transport was already on the move and leaving the scene with broken glass littered on the snowy street. Ryuna glared at the vehicle, seeing the pirate perched on top with the Warlord. She sped to catch up with the APC down the street. The tall sky pirate on the Warlord turned, hearing the sound of Ryuna's hovercycle racing behind. He aimed the gun on her. “Who de hell's this?!” The pirate yelled out. Kite looked up at the gunner as she tugged on his coat. “Let me 'ave a look,” she said. The gunner kneeled down to let Kite take his place, letting Kite see that Ryuna was tailing the APC. Kite smirked as she said, “Well I'll be damned, if it ain't Ryuna.” While Ryuna drove the hovercycle, she drew out a Peacekeeper and aimed it on Kite. Kite's smirk dropped to a blank face and her eyes widened. “s**t!” Kite ducked back below the Warlord as Ryuna fired at her but missed. Kite smacked the gunner in the chest. “Get up there an' waste 'er!” The gunner nodded and returned to his position and started to spray bullets on Ryuna. Ryuna zigzagged to try and dodge the array of bullets. Looking back at Urza, Kite said, “Well, looks like ye weren't lyin'. She's here, an' I'm gonna take care a'her.” Urza smirked. “Oh yeah, she's dangerous. You shouldn't mess with me, Kite,” Urza said. Wow, thought Urza, I can't believe Ryuna came for me.Ryuna dodged into an alley to avoid the shots, noticing that once again the hovercycle looked as holey as before she took it to David's Manatech Engines. The gunner stopped, laughing as he said, “I think she gave up. Machine Gun: 1; Ryuna: 0. HAR HAR HAR!” Ryuna began to take a short cut through the alleys, driving full speed to get ahead of the APC but still hidden in the alley. Once she reached the point where she was just far enough ahead of The Transport, she took the turn into the next alley to drive right in front of the APC. Jumping off the hovercycle, she landed in front of the gunner and aimed her Peacekeeper right to his head. She fired the trigger at the same time the hovercycle crashed into the APC, exploding as if on queue of the trigger. “Make that Ryuna: 1; Pirate Scum: 0.” Ryuna smirked after the gunner pirate fell dead in the vehicle. Kite pulled the dead pirate's body the rest of the way down and tried to close the hatch. Ryuna looked down at Kite as she aimed the Peacekeeper at her. Kite knocked Ryuna's arm out of the way and headbutted Ryuna, then closed the hatch behind her. Ryuna shook her head and started punching the hatch with her dragon arm. “Fight me, you b***h!” She screamed. Kite snickered a little inside the vehicle. “She's got a hard head,” Kite said, holding onto her Meeran's Edge as she reached for the hatch's handle. “But I've got something harder,” Kite smirked as she shoved the hatch open and whacked Ryuna in the face with the opening. Ryuna stumbled back as she tried to maintain her balance. Kite stood out of the opening to get a good view of Ryuna and aimed the Meeran's Edge on her. She fired a few shots into Ryuna, blood spattering from Ryuna as she feel to the side of the vehicle, still holding onto the edge. Kite rolled her eyes as she yelled down to the driver. “CRUSH 'ER!” The APC went onto the sidewalk and rammed up against the side of the buildings. Ryuna screamed in pain as she dug her claws deep into the metal of The Transport, trying not to fall off. Soon the APC was off of the roads and out of city. “Hand over the boy!” Ryuna yelled out, closing her eyes in pain. Kite rolled her eyes again as if Ryuna was a major pest. Checking the magazine of her pistol, she reloaded it quickly. “Well, I think he belongs ta us now... Now shove off!” Behind Kite, Urza tried to stand completely still and not make any noise. Looking over to Urza, Kite said, “She's annoyin'. I know just the thing.” Ryuna held onto the APC still, hearing something moving inside. She blinked a bit as she tried her best to pull herself up. As she finally made it back up, the back door slid open and multiple engines could be heard. The three pirates from the inn drove out of the APC on hovercycles, whipping around and firing their pistols at Ryuna. Ryuna dropped, trying to use part of the APC as cover. She smirked as she looked up and saw the Warlord. The sky pirates tried their best to hit Ryuna, emptying their weapons at her. They slowed a bit, falling behind as they began reloading their weapons. Ryuna got back up and jerked the Warlord clean off the APC, aiming at the pirates and firing fully automatic. Some of the spray hit one of the pirates, making him tumble off of the hovercycle, but the rest just made marks in the snow. The two remaining pirates were dodging out of the way, and Ryuna ran out of ammo trying to take them down. Throwing the Warlord down, she looked at the closest hovercycle, and did a running jump to land on the front. “Gimme... Your... Ride!” Ryuna said as she punched the sky pirate until he was unconscious. The third pirate took out his Two-Piece revolver with the shotgun attachment and began firing at Ryuna again. Using the knocked out pirate as a meatshield, Ryuna blocked the shots and then threw the pirate off the hovercycle, getting into a better position to ride. The last pirate slid to a stop, staring at Ryuna as she mirrored his actions. They both revved their engines. Ryuna smirked, putting her Peacekeeper back in its holster. “Let's go,” she said. The sky pirate drove madly towards Ryuna at a great speed, Ryuna heading in his direction with as much velocity. When they almost collided, Ryuna moved slightly to the right, using her dragon claws to slit his throat. The sky pirate crashed and stained the snow red. Ryuna turned back and began speeding off to catch up with The Transport again. Suddenly the APC stopped at an airship that was crashed into the snow, but the airship didn't look to be in too bad of shape. The Transport's door slid open and Kite strutted out. Ryuna stopped the hovercycle, deciding to kick the bike off to the side. Kite ceased walking, keeping her luger in her hand. “Ye think yer a bad arse, huh?” Ryuna grinned. “I don't think I'm a badass...” She drew her Peacekeeper and began to slowly reload, watching Kite. “I know I am.” Kite glared at Ryuna, becoming very serious. “Ye killed a majority of m'crew. I cannot forgive ye o'that.” Ryuna spun the revolver in her hand. “Oh yeah, whatcha going to do about it?” “I guess we gotta settle this right here, right now. Shall we?” Kite said. Ryuna smirked. “A gun fight with the infamous, most wanted sky pirate in all of Galolee, huh?” She said. “Well ain't it my lucky day.” “Sorry, Ryuna, but...” Kite grinned, “you're luck 'as ran out.” Kite raised her luger, quick to fire at Ryuna. Ryuna dodged out of the way of two rapid fires. When she missed, Kite dropped to the snow quickly, putting both hands on her Meeran's Edge and rapidly shot at Ryuna. She was hit by one of the shots and began running at Kite in full, now firing her own weapon. Kite rolled the heel of her boot in the snow, kicking up drifts to try and blind Ryuna as she drew her rapier. Running into the snowy mist, Kite attempted to thrust her weapon in to Ryuna. Ryuna jumped backwards, out of the way of Kite's thrust. Seeing that her Peacekeeper was out of ammo, Ryuna quickly drew the sword from her mother for the first time. Stepping back, Kite took a defensive stance. The driver of the APC stepped out with Urza in his grip to see Ryuna and Kite fighting. Seeing him in the pirate's grip, Ryuna called out, “Urza!” Urza continued to watch silently as the women fought. Kite grinned a bit. “So it is true, the boy is workin' with ye.” Ryuna blinked in confusion. “Working with me? No the hell he isn't.” “Hey! You are helping me, remember?!” Urza yelled out. Ryuna pointed her sword in his direction. “I'm not helping you with s**t! You said you were going to pay me!” Kite stood and watched the two bickering. “Is that it?! You just want the money?!” Urza screamed. Kite's interest was peaked. “Wait... He 'as money?” Ryuna scowled in Kite's direction. “It's none of your business!” She yelled at Kite. “If there be money involved, I 'ave the right to make it my business.” Kite countered. Ryuna spun the sword in her hand. “A dead woman has no business with money!” Ryuna rushed Kite, slinging her sword rapidly. Kite was very swiftly dodging Ryuna's slashes and stabbed Ryuna's side with the rapier. She jumped back and spun in the snow, making another snowy mist. Ryuna stepped back, waiting for the obstruction to go away. Kite rolled into the mist, stabbing Ryuna right in her gut with the rapier. Ryuna stood, looking down at Kite in pain, but grinned as she placed her own sword at Kite's neck. “Why won't ye die!” Kite yelled in frustration. “Freeze!” Came a loud voice with the sound of guns being cocked off to the side. Still in the same postitions, both Ryuna and Kite looked over to see three J.A.W.S. by the airship. Urza's eyes widened as he saw their Thompson-like guns, known as Givizers, aimed on the two. From behind the airship stepped the figure of Ken Kaze. “Well, well, well. Look what I found here, two of the most wanted pests in Galolee. Ryuna Heartly and Kite Roadwind.” Ken Kaze said. Kite looked up at Ryuna and then back to Ken Kaze, shocked to see him at her airship. Ryuna pulled herself away from Kite's rapier, her eyes focused on Ken Kaze. “You,” Ryuna said, firmly gripping her sword. The J.A.W.S. aimed their Givizers mostly on Ryuna, making sure she stayed put. Ken Kaze stepped in front of the soldiers, raising his arm in a motion for them to stop. “Don't focus all of your fire on Ryuna, make sure that Roadwind doesn't leave,” he turned his attention to Ryuna. “You know me from somewhere. Is there something you would like to say?” Ryuna tightened the grip on her sword. “I've never met you in my life, but I know of you. You killed my mother. Father told me about you in the Thirty Year War.” “Oh, that dragon? I remember her, she died not too far from here. She was an enemy of the Order and had to be taken care out.” Ryuna just continued to glare at the man. “What's wrong, Ryuna? Want to strike me down?” “You are going to pay for this. If you hadn't killed my mother, my-” “Pay for it? Huh!” Ken Kaze interrupted her. “How about you get your revenge right now. Come at me. Kill me.” Ryuna screamed, letting out all of her anger while charging at him with her sword. “Aaahhh!” Ken Kaze watched her run at him as he stepped to the side, quickly drawing the sword from his sheath and slashing her down. Ryuna just stopped moving. “You have a lot to work on before facing me, Ryuna. If your mother couldn't kill me, neither can you.” Ken Kaze said. Ryuna dropped to her knees and fell on her back. “Ryuna! Ryuna, get up!” Urza screamed. Ken Kaze looked down at Ryuna, then over to Kite, then at the last pirate holding Urza. “Let go of the boy.” Ken Kaze demanded. The pirate shook his head. “You're not gettin' 'im!” “Let go a'him! NOW!” Kite yelled at the sky pirate. He seemed to deliberate, and then pushed Urza off of him. “There!” The pirate yelled in defeat. “Fire.” Ken Kaze stated to the J.A.W.S. “NO!” Kite screamed. The soldiers all opened fire onto the pirate with their Givizers, killing him before he hit the snow. “Ye b*****d!” Kite yelled, rushing at Ken Kaze with her rapier in rage. Ken Kaze sidestepped, kicking her in the legs to make her fall to her knees, then used the side of his hand to chop down on her neck, knocking her out. Urza's eyes widened as he took in the scene. “Take them away.” Ken Kaze ordered.
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Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 9:52 am
Ryuna
Episode 05: Father
Writer: Justin Miller (Cleric in a Box)
Editor: Jamie Parks (Nightingale 9)
Thanks: To my staff, Jamie Parks and Kara Ritenour ( [[Red Death]] )
Giving credit to Wizards of The Coast, Al Sousa & Steven Clower and Palladium Books for Names, Monsters, Spells, and some other information from The Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 Edition Books.
“If someone you love is gone, the only way they can continue to live is in your memories.” Heartly's Bayou
~ 1637 ~ Light rain plodded the earth as it fell past the trees in the Forest of Eternal Night. Splashing through the soggy ground with muddy feet was a young Ryuna wearing a black tunic and a smile on her face as she got closer to the village. The village surrounded a castle on a hill, which was encircled by a moat of murky water. A false crescent moon hung in the sky behind the castle from the enchantment of the Forest of Eternal Night. Deep within the heart of the forest was Heartly's Bayou. Ryuna ran past the commoners of the village, but they looked more like armed and trained dark elves than anything. Her smile broadened as she came upon the castle. Beyond the drawbridge and into the castle walls, Ryuna spotted her half-brother leaning against the side wall. Though his pointed ears belied his true nature as a drow, he was in fact a full-fledged Heartly clan member. His red eyes focused on her running form as she entered the gate. “Bakuryuu!” Ryuna called out to him. He rolled his eyes as he made his way over to her, the gold designs in his breastplate shimmering in the faux moonlight. “Where the hell have you been?” Bakuryuu asked her lightly. “Father has been wondering about you.” Ryuna gave him a cute grin. “I was hunting!” Laughing, Bakuryuu said, “Hunting? Listen here, you are too young to wander off on your own. If something bad were to happen to you, Father would have me killed for it!” “Nothing bad would ever happen to me, Bakuryuu,” Ryuna giggled. Bakuryuu turned and started walking toward the entrance of the castle. Running over to catch up to him, Ryuna clamped herself around his leg before he could get any further. He paused and looked down at her smiling up at him. “Brother...” Ryuna began to say, “Can you teach me how to fight?” Bakuryuu chuckled at her silly question. “And why would you want to fight, hm?” “I want to be strong, just like you big brother,” Ryuna said. Bakuryuu again rolled his eyes at her and picked her up by her tunic's collar as if she was kitten. They entered the castle, the darkness only broken by a few it candles and torches. A pale vampire servant walked up to them with a rag and began wiping the mud from Ryuna's little feet. Once she was finished, Bakuryuu dropped Ryuna to land on her feet, walking off. Ryuna nodded to the maid. “Thank you!” She said and turned to see Bakuryuu walking away. “Hey, wait for me!” *** In the throne room of the castle, the dark figure of Gangrel Heartly sat with glowing red eyes watching the doors open to reveal Bakuryuu and Ryuna. “Bakuryuu... You found Ryuna,” Gangrel said. “More like I found Brother!” Ryuna yelled out. Bakuryuu turned quickly to look at Ryuna, and then to Gangrel. “Father, I think you and I should talk,” Bakuryuu said. “What about, my son?” “I would rather speak about it with just the two of us,” Bakuryuu said, not sparing a glance back to Ryuna. But Gangrel did. “Ryuna... Step out, please.” Gangrel said to Ryuna. Ryuna nodded. “Yes, Father,” She left the room, shutting the doors behind her. Leaving one door slightly cracked, she stood behind the door to peek in and listen. Bakuryuu's face twisted immediately in anger as soon as Ryuna left. “I don't see why you keep that half-breed here.” Bakuryuu hissed out. Gangrel stood, walking away from his throne. His dark clothes hissed about him, long black hair falling into his apparel. “Bakuryuu, we have talked about this before. She is my daughter.” Gangrel said. “She is an eyesore, Father. She is useless, always running around and thinking she can do whatever she wants,” Bakuryuu said angrily. Gangrel had gone from his throne to Bakuryuu's face in a matter of milliseconds with a glare gracing his ancient eyes. “She is all I have left of Aryte,” Gangrel voiced, “and I love my daughter more than anything else. Is that clear,” Gangrel stated rather than asked. Bakuryuu didn't seem too intimidated by Gangrel as he began walking around the room nonchalantly as he spoke. “Is it me, or have you gone soft?” Bakuryuu turned quickly and opened his arms as if gesturing the room itself. “Look around you, Father. We are vampires! We need to get out there and hunt the humans, for our clan...” “We do not hunt the humans,” Gangrel said. “They are not just food.” “Father, you are so blind. The humans wants to kill us, it's better that we hunt them before they hunt us. Kill, or be killed.” Bakuryuu said. “I didn't offer you my blood so that you could question my actions,” Gangrel rumbled. “I don't care about that,” Bakuryuu said menacingly, “I care about the survival of our species.” “We feed on other creatures, we can survive on them Bakuryuu.” “Listen here!” Bakuryuu shouted. “Those... humans... The Arcane Order, all of them, will hunt us to extinction. I'm not talking about blood, you idiot!” Gangrel's eyes widened. “I am surprised at you... I think it is best for you to leave.” “I was thinking the same thing,” Bakuryuu turned. “You are no king. I think the Heartly's should leave and go to Metamorphosis.” Gangrel stayed silent. “That's the kind of response I was expecting.” He began to walk out of the room, Gangrel watching him leave. Ryuna's eyes were blurred from the tears running down her cheeks. She hid up against the wall as Bakuryuu stormed out, and once he was out of sight, Ryuna walked into the throne room. Gangrel turned to see her approaching him. “D-does... does brother hate me?” Ryuna squeaked out. Gangrel strode over to her and knelt down to hug her tightly. Ryuna started wailing loudly. “Please, Ryuna,” her father begged her, “no more crying. I need you to be strong for me.” Gangrel picked her up in his arms, walking over to the balcony overlooking the village. Bakuryuu was marching with a large group of vampires and drow. Gangrel sighed. “So, he's taking the dark elves with him as well...” Ryuna hugged her father tightly, not sure what to say. Perhaps Gangrel may have sensed that Ryuna thought it was her fault that everyone was leaving, so he reassured her. “Don't worry, Ryuna. I will take care of you.” *** Ryuna was walking from the treeline of the Forest of Eternal Night up to the drawbridge. After trekking up the stair into the castle, she heard the sounds of combat coming from the throne room. Just the same as the day Bakuryuu left, she cracked the door open to peek inside. Ryuna saw a figure in what appeared to be an outfit made mostly out of a direbat holding a longsword in hand. She couldn't hear exactly what the figure said, but it sounded mysterious, like the voice was coming through some sort of filter or sound speaker. His blade was locked with Gangrel's black, crystalline claymore. “Now tell me,” the filtered voice said. “Where is it?” “You will know nothing about the vault,” Gangrel said coolly. “I tire of hearing the same thing out of you, Gangrel. Once more,” the figure shrouded in the direbat demanded, “Where is the vault? Tell me now and I will spare your life.” Gangrel snarled at the figure, grinding his claymore across the blade of the longsword. “Fool,” the voice rasped as it jumped backward, dropping the longsword. Something shot out from its sleeve, looking to be just a hilt. Pressing a button on the hilt, a blade made of energy sprang into existence. Gangrel rushed at the figure quickly, trying to cut it down. Ryuna could see the direbat dodge the swipe, but then made an upward swing with the energy blade and sliced off Gangrel's hands. Gangrel's eyes widened and Ryuna gasped in horror as the figure kicked him into the wall. Ryuna quickly opened the door slide to the floor. Gangrel noticed this. “Run Ryuna! NEVER LOOK BACK!” Gangrel screamed. “DIE HEARTLY!” The figured yelled, shoving the manatech energy blade into the heart of Gangrel. His body soon fell to ashes and Ryuna's eyes widened in shock. “Father!” Ryuna's red eyes seemed to dilate. Strange images flooded her eye until it stopped at the end of a Peacekeeper. The hammer cocked. BANG! Ryuna's eye was no longer crimson it took on a serpent's amber gaze. Her voice was no longer that of a child, but her adult, screaming toward the sky as she lay in the blood covered snow outside of Urkurd. Ken Kaze and the J.A.W.S. whipped around to see Ryuna's howling body. Urza stood still in shock at Ryuna. The screams stopped, and Ryuna's body lifted from the ground, levitating her off her back and onto her feet with her arms limp at her side. Her claws seemed somehow even longer and sharper than ever. Stepping back, Ken Kaze slowly placed a hand on the handle of his katana. “So the beast finally awakens.” It was true. Her vampiric nature was overwhelming her. Her fangs pierced the bottom of her lip making two trickles of blood run down her chin. Her heavy breathing was the sound of a true monster. “Keep your guns pointed on her, men!” Ken Kaze yelled to the soldiers, their Givizers all trained on her body. Ryuna didn't bother looking at them since her eyes became transfixed on Urza like a cat eying a fish in a tank. “Eldilon!” Ryuna growled at him. Urza blinked in confusion. Eldilon? Suddenly a brief vision of the Tree of Life flashed before him as he wondered what an Eldilon was. His eyes widened at the unexpected resurgence of the Tree. “Stay still, Eldilon,” Ryuna said while hunching over as if she were ready to spring. “This won't hurt one bit.” Her fangs became a lot more noticeable suddenly. “Fire!” Ken Kaze ordered abruptly, the submachine gun bullets flying past him to Ryuna. Cracking her neck into place, Ryuna looked over to the J.A.W.S., letting the bullets hit her as if she were taking a shower in the spray. She began sprinting toward the soldiers. The first J.A.W. she reached met a gruesome end as she thrust her clawed arm clean through his armor and rib cage, knocking his heart right out of his back. Quickly grabbing onto it before it hit the snow, she ripped her arm back out of the dead soldier and leaped in the air onto the crashed airship deck out of sight. The J.A.W.S. ceased shooting as they began to reload and Ken Kaze pursued Ryuna to the airship. “Cover the boy!” Ken Kaze called out to them. “That's what she wants!” The soldiers obeyed and headed over to where Urza was standing by the APC. One of the soldiers paused to drag Kite's unconscious body to the vehicle and place her inside. Ken Kaze began to walk the deck of the airship, walking cautiously with his hand still gripped on his sword. “How dare you,” Ryuna's voice sounded out, “disturb me from my meal.” “You are not going to feed on anyone, Heartly. The Eldilon will not be harmed.” Ken Kaze said. “I just want his blood. Just hand him over!” Ryuna growled. Urza's eyes were fixed on the airship. He heard Ken Kaze calling him an Eldilon. An Eldilon,Urza thought to himself. Why do I know what that is? He closed his eyes to try and concentrate. Again, images of the Tree of Life began to flood his mind. And suddenly, they seemed like far distant memories. The Tree of Life stretched out for miles, its uppermost branches festooned with fruit. A desert surrounded the gargantuan tree.
A humongous piece of fruit fell from the Tree, hitting one of the enormous roots sticking out of the sands. Its juice splashed and began to bubble, forming into human-looking creatures, slowly forming into adults.
Shadows of dragons loomed as they roosted on the strong branches and roots of the Tree, observing the creatures born from the Tree. Urza opened his eyes only to see the world around him completely frozen in place, all in shades of gray. What's going on? Seeing the J.A.W.S. frozen as well, he reached out to touch one but never made contact because he phased right through him. Am... am I a ghost? Urza thought to himself. Walking out of the APC, he turned to look backwards. He shuddered a bit as he saw his own body still standing frozen in place like the soldiers. “This is so freaky,” Urza said out loud. Turning back again toward the APC, he began to step toward his still body. He halted when a mysterious voice echoed out to him. “Your visions,” she said, “they are are important... For your future.” Urza stepped through the guards like a spirit. “Who's there?” He asked. “You are important for the future. There are people who want to get rid of you... for good.” The woman said. Urza looked around, trying to locate her. “Who?” A woman appeared before him out of nowhere, staring at Urza with red eyes. Though she seemed colorless like the rest of the world around them, her eyes and some parts of her clothing retained some color. After several seconds of her silently watching him, Urza spoke. “W-who are you?” Urza questioned, still surprised at her appearance. “Dusara,” she answered. “I created this world.” “You created this world?” Urza asked, wondering about this black and white realm. “Each plane has a planeshifter who creates the world around them. The people. The history. Everything.” Dusara said, referring to the actual world, not the frozen stillness around them. “Planeshifter?” Urza was starting to feel incompetent for asking so many questions. “Like I said, Urza,” he had a bit of a jolt hearing her say his name. “Planeshifters create it all.” “Wait, I thought gods created everything...” “Gods create us... We create everything else.” Dusara said plainly. Looking confused, Urza began stepping away from her. “I... I...” Urza didn't know what to say. Dusara offered her hand to him. “Take my hand and the world will be more clear to you.” Urza hesitantly gave his hand to hers, and the world of black and white washed away. He was back to his own physical self, and he collapsed, causing the J.A.W.S. to look back at him. One checked his body to make sure he was alright. “He's alive, just out cold. Must be too much stress.” The soldier informed the others, who turned back to make sure nothing approached the vehicle. Ken Kaze was searching the deck of the airship for Ryuna. Ryuna had been watching him closely but keeping out of sight. She jumped on top of the crow's nest, looking down on Ken Kaze so she could calculate her pounce. As Ryuna jumped down, Ken Kaze only had enough time to see that she was going to land directly on top of him. They crashed through the deck into the hallway in the ship's interior. Ryuna dug her claws into Ken Kaze's arm and scraped so powerfully and sharp that sparks flew from his armor. Kicking Ryuna off of him, Ken Kaze rolled away from her and attempted to draw his katana; he failed as the hilt met the wall of the ship, not allowing him to fully withdraw it from the sheath. In those few seconds, Ryuna recovered and rushed at him, tackling him through the wall, shards of broken wood flying with them out into the snow. Using the momentum of their roll, Ken Kaze again kicked Ryuna off of him. This time she landed on her feet in the snow, sliding and glaring back at him. Now free of any closed in surroundings, Ken Kaze drew his katana and ran straight for Ryuna. Ryuna laughed, running at him at the same time. Her claws met each sling of the katana, giving a counter attack as if they were her own sword. Jumping toward him quickly, Ryuna thrust her claws in a swift uppercut. Two gashes opened on Ken Kaze's cheek, his eyes widening. He gripped her by the throat then and shoved his sword violently into her stomach, slamming her to the ground. Though the sword was stuck through her and pinned her to the ground, Ryuna laughed and forced her body upwards, impaling her further as she got closer and closer to the katana's hilt. “You can't kill me,” she said, staring deep into his eyes. Letting go of her throat, Ken Kaze gave Ryuna a hard punch, resulting in a sickening crack in her face. Turning her face back from the hit, Ryuna sent Ken Kaze flying back twenty feet from her own heavy blow. He slid toward the airship but managed to upright himself and stay on one knee, his hand crunching into the snow as if holding onto something. Ryuna torn the sword from her stomach, tossing it to the ground. She laughed again, licking the stained blood from her lips. Ken Kaze just stared at her in pain and spat blood from his own mouth onto the snow. Ryuna rushed at him one last time, going in for the final hit. When she got near, Ken Kaze stood up quicker than Ryuna had expected he could, gripping her throat once again and slamming her into the side of the airship. The hand that was holding something in the snow lurched forward. He shoved a piece of the broken wood from the airship right in Ryuna's heart. Eyes widening, Ryuna closed her eyes, her claws retracting back to normal. Ken Kaze dropped her body to the ground, making sure that the wood stayed wedged in her chest. He moved to retrieve his sword and sheath it when a soldier began to congratulate him. “Another successful mission for the Prince Wea-” The J.A.W. never finished his statement as a blade suddenly pierced through his chest from behind and his eyes widened as he died. The other J.A.W.S. began trying to locate the culprit, but saw no one standing within the immediate area. “What the hell?!” The soldiers exited the APC, taking aim around the vehicle. His hand once again met the hilt of his katana as Ken Kaze warned the men. “Remain calm. Don't fire.” He ordered the soldiers. Following Ken Kaze's gaze, the J.A.W.S. saw a young girl around the age of sixteen suddenly standing atop the Transport as if she were momentarily invisible holding a bloody short sword. Her face was serious yet somewhat passive looking, her eyes fierce. Her dark hair was tied back, a few strands loosely hanging around her face. She slung the blood before the soldiers onto the snow in front of them. “Ken Kaze,” she spat, “I can never forgive you.” The man in question only continued to study the girl, wondering what she was on about. “And you don't know who I am.” “Why should I care who you are?' Ken Kaze asked. The girl fully glared at him in complete anger, hatred radiating from her eyes. “You left my mother. You left her to die!” Ken Kaze only blinked and raised an eyebrow. She shifted into an offensive stance. “I am Regina Kaze. My mother will be avenged!” She yelled out. Urza had not stirred from his position in the APC under Regina Kaze. But out of his robes peeked an eyehole of the black domino mask. The Mask of Divination. Far from the current situation, a dark cloaked figure was surrounded by lit candles, overlooking a crystal orb. Her long silver hair fell in tresses and she gripped a scythe as she continued to gaze upon the scene, smirking. “Now this is getting interesting.”
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