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 Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 7:16 pm
The guards had seized the man, as a storm was raging outside. He had failed on his only task and tears were streaming down his face, only to be lost in the middle of the storm. The kingdom was under attack, the ground beneath him would shake furiously, fear and confusion strike the hearts of the inhabitants who look at him, and then, at the King himself. Enraged, the King had ordered the man to be stripped of his rank, his honor and his power, to be sent to the Dungeon, a rumored maze reserved for the highest criminals of the kingdom. As soon as the attack ceased, the King himself leads the trial, it was a mock, just something to cover the protocol, and by unanimity, the man was sentenced to death, sentence that would be carried on as soon as the war would end. His cries and words were ignored, he would be denied of the chance to redeem himself, and the man who just a few years ago had given him such power, was the one ordering him to be taken back to the Dungeon.
A place surrounded by shadows, death and silence, the man had been chained to the ground, forced to lower his head at all times, he bears strange marks on his wrists, his torso is filled with hundreds of scars, and on the ground, dry blood remain him of his failure. The ground shakes again, but he doesn't mind, another attack that his King would probably repel successfully, this time, he can even hear an explosion, on the distance, he can hear the gates to the dungeon opening, maybe the King decided to hasten the sentence, whatever it was, he was prepared for it.
But instead of the voice of the King, he heard the voice of the young Prince, the gate to the cell was open, and his binds to the ground were released, the young Prince kneels in front of the man, looking at him, and even smiling.
"Your... Majesty... You shouldn't be here"
Another explosion is heard, the young Prince looks around, then helps the man stand.
"If what you said is true, I can help you... I can give you the means to finish your mission"
"... Your Majesty...?"
The Prince gives the man a strange stone, the man looks puzzled.
"This is the Stone Key... Listen carefully, there are only two things this key opens in the kingdom, one of them lies at the end of the corridor, the gate will lead to your freedom, from there, you will see the North Palace, the gates to the North Palace are the second thing this Stone Key opens... I want you to go to the North Palace, enter and go to the end of it, ignoring all the objects you will find in your way, two items will await you there, take them, leave the kingdom and finish your mission"
"But... Your Majesty..."
The man shows the young Prince the strange marks on his wrists, burnt into his flesh.
"... The Seal Of Betrayal... It must prevent your power from..."
Another explosion is felt, every time getting closer, the young Prince snaps out of it and helps the man to get out of his cell.
"You will find a way, the secret to our people's power is not magic... You will understand it soon, now please... Go! We do not have enough time! Finish your mission, find her!"
The Prince pushes the man, as he returns to the entrance of the Dungeon, the man stumbles several times as he makes his way to the end of the corridor, finally, finding the Corridor Gate, engraved with several symbols of the kingdom, the man inserts the Stone Key in the center, as the heavy gates open slowly, the sunlight blinds the man temporarily, as he sees several attackers and guardians engaging in combat. Before him, and levitating above the ground, the North Palace. The wind blows with violence, the man tightens his grip on the Stone Key, gets impulse and leaps, for one second, he felt that he could fly away from all the sorrow, pain and humiliation he was object of, but her image appeared on his mind, he needed to finish his mission.
The impact against the wall woke him up. Blood was streaming down his face but he didn't mind, he was before the North Palace, a highly restricted place, where the items that could be potentially harmful to the kingdom were locked, the man studies the gate and inserts the Stone Key. The gates start to crack, and collapse, allowing the man entry to the mythical Palace, as more explosions invade the kingdom, the man enters the darkness.
- - -
It's the year 1,000 AD, the Heroes of Time have successfully defeated the alien parasite Lavos, the future had been saved and they have returned to their original eras. However, on South Zenan, beyond Fiona's Forest, a threat escalates. Porre has requested independence from Guardia and has become a military power unexpectedly, instated a Military Order in Porre, restricting their Ferry Lines to reach Guardia until their request for independence and the demands of certain treasures such as the mythical Masamune, the Rainbow Shell and the Sun Stone are returned to them.
Guardia, intending to keep Porre as a Protectorate, has started negotiations, and has even started a series of celebrations to please their Porrean Ambassadors, the celebrations are called The Falling Stars Festival, and once again, Leene Square is filled with merchants from distant lands, as music and joy fill the air. However, the tension in Guardia Castle increases day by day, as the Porrean Ambassadors seem to be bent on getting their demands and independence by whatever means necessary, the rumors of a possible assassination attempts increase, as well as the rumors of Porre's "Secret Weapons".
Porre has authorized escorts for travelers who want to attend the Falling Stars Festival, as Truce's Ferry Lines are temporarily out of service, so anyone visiting from outside the Zenan Continent must reach Porre first, head north, cross the Zenan Bridge and reach Truce.
However, the hostilities are increasing day by day...
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Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 7:19 pm
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Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 10:36 pm
Father... Mother... Watch over me...
He could feel the freezing gust all over his body as he was falling, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't see, he just could feel how he was falling in what seemed to be an endless abyss, as if he was being haunted by eternal nightmares.
The young Zeo Aeterna suddenly wakes up, he was sitting, leaning against a tree. In front of him there were several dolls made of wood, and his broad sword was next to him, he had decided to take a nap after his training, but he had fell asleep and had that solitary nightmare again, he stands up and sighs, getting his broad sword and walking home.
It was the humble hut of the most famed weapons master and forger known in the world, an elder who made profit of selling his art, they were living 2 hours away from Medina, near the Heckran Cave. He sighs as he opens the door, entering the hut and leaving his weapon next to a drawer
Zeo: "Grampa, I'm home"
The elder, a kind hearted man, was in the kitchen
Melchior: "Yes, yes, how's the sword? Lunch will be ready soon"
Zeo sits at the table, waiting for the elder
Zeo: "Much lighter than the last one, it's also more sharp too, I think it's one of our best works yet"
Melchior: "See? I told you so! With a proper alloy, you can have a lighter weapon that is also more resistant!"
Zeo smiles slightly, as Melchior, the weapons master, approaches with two plates
Melchior: "I only wish my culinary skills would be as good as my forging ones"
Zeo: "Relax, grampa, your cooking is fine"
Both eat in silence, as Zeo tries to forget about his previous nightmare, but Melchior is the one breaking the silence
Melchior: "I heard the Falling Stars Festival has already attracted people from all over the world to Truce Village, just like in the days of the Millenial Fair"
Zeo: "Yeah... An effort to distract the world from the Guardia-Porre crisis I guess..."
Melchior: "You should go, you couldn't attend the Millenial Fair, but the Falling Stars Festival... Well, it could be the last chance to see Guardia as it is"
Zeo remains in silence, finishing his plate
Zeo: "I'm not really interested into that, grampa"
Zeo stands up and takes his plate to the sink, while Melchior stands up too, approaching him
Melchior: "I also heard... That the Porre Military is currently hiring bodyguards to help tourists reach Guardia and the Falling Stars Festival... They are also paying 500 gold pieces to anyone helping out, seeing how there are rumors of a thief band in Fiona's Forest, I figured it would be a good way for you to test your sword and well... Go out for a little bit, you can do pretty much everything in the Falling Stars Festival with 500 gold pieces, you could even have an interesting adventure"
Zeo just sighs and washes the dishes, looking at Melchior
Zeo: "I get the message grampa, alright, I'll take the ferry to Porre tonight... But, will you be alright?"
Melchior: "I've been alright on my own since I got here, besides, with the crisis as it is, sadly, the weapons business is picking up, I'll be alright Zeo, take a couple of days, know Zenan, then come back and tell me your adventures"
Zeo finishes washing the dishes and heads to the entrance, getting his sword, Melchior yawns
Melchior: "I think I'll take a nap"
Zeo doesn't say a thing, as Melchior heads to his bedroom, Zeo just lowers his head, he has felt something strange with Melchior, a weird feeling, he goes out to the south, on the cliff, he stares at the ocean, thinking about what he needs to do, a strange feeling invades him again, as if something was changing but he couldn't be sure what was that. He had spent all of his time since he got there, training with all kinds of swords forged by Melchior, even the armor he was wearing was Melchior's only work for protective gear. Zeo still feels uneasy, he returns to the hut and awaits until dusk.
Finally, Melchior and Zeo make it to Medina, to the Ferry Office
Melchior: "You'll be alright, just don't forget to offer your services in the barracks"
Zeo: "Will do, wish me luck, grampa"
Melchior: "Good luck Zeo"
Zeo: "And grampa?"
Melchior: "Yes?"
Zeo: "Please take care"
Zeo pays for the ticket and gets in the ferry, a few minutes later, he was on his way to Porre
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 11:18 pm
Darkness, a blackness darker than a moonless night under the unending snowstorm. And a cold to rival even the worst winter days under that same snow. That was all she could see or feel. Just moments ago, she had heard the alarms. The Ocean Palace, something was very wrong. Lavos had awakened, just as the Queen said it would, but something was amiss. Then the floor just disapeared underneath her. She fell for a time, until time itself seemed to forget her cries as she fell.
Then light, and the smell of ocean air. Sunlight, the kind she had not seen in her lifetime. She landed on something, something warm, soft and alive.
(You can decide if it's you she lands on Zeo, I think it'd be funny, but you can pick another passanger if you like. Or if someone beats you to it XD)
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Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 12:19 am
Less than ten minutes had passed since the ferry left for Porre, Zeo was sitting on his own, with his broad sword next to him, there were several things he needed to think about, but he was uncertain how to confront those. He was meditating, when out of the blue, he just heard a scream
Voice: "WATCH OUT!!"
Zeo looks up and sees something falling from the sky, he couldn't see what was it, until it was too late. The impact was too loud, as Zeo was under the woman who had magically appeared from the sky, some passengers immediately approach to help them
Man: "Hey, hey! Are you alright? Kid! Are you alright?"
The passengers help the mysterious woman stand, as Zeo stands on his own, shaking his head
Zeo: "I'm not a kid..."
He then looks at the woman and approaches her
Zeo: "Hey... Are you ok?"
But suddenly, he felt a familiar presence, something within her was raging, something he had not felt before, he was about to ask her where she was from, when he realized that, with several passengers looking, it was probably not the best idea
Zeo: "Can anyone get her some water, please? I think she hit her head"
As soon as the passengers saw they were alright, they returned to their seats, Zeo helps the woman sit next to him, someone gives him a glass of water
Zeo: "Thanks... Here, take this, drink"
As soon as he saw no one looking at them, he whispers
Zeo: "Who are you?"
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Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 11:48 am
She looks at the young man she had landed on as she slowly drinks the water he gives her. She nods her thanks, thinking carefully before answering. This place was nothing like home, and if what she learned about interactions with Lavos, she was nowhere near her home.
"Sara," she finally says, "my name is Sara. Where are we? More importantly, what year is it?"
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Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 6:30 pm
Zeo grits his teeth at the thought of it, "Grampa told me about this" he thought, she looked just like someone from her age should look, instantly, several memories he didn't want to revive were coming back to him, but then he realized... She just got here, so, it wasn't even 5 minutes since she was in Zeal and now...
Zeo: "Right now, we are on our way to Porre, we're headed to the Falling Stars Festival in Truce Village"
Zeo then looks around, making sure no one was looking at them, he whispers again
Zeo: "This is the year 1,000 AD... It's been.. 13,000 years since the era of the Enlighted Ones and the Kingdom of Zeal ended"
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Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 6:52 pm
 Sharp, fresh sea air stirred up from the waves of the ferry, rustling up motion in the bright, wild-rose colored hair of the girl at the banisters. Long tendrils of the oddly colored hair took flight in the salty breeze, the mist of the wake of the large boat leaving a pleasantly refreshing sheen on her lavender tinted skin.
Karis was enjoying this ferry ride. This was the largest step she had taken away from her old life, so in a sense this break over waters symbolized her freedom in her own mind. Not that she had been an oppressed child of slavery of course, but that heavy burden of stature had been so... shackling in its own right. There was nothing she took more pleasure in than letting those fishwives of her father down whenever they thought she might become another upstanding citizen of Medina.
There were areas she had excelled in however, they were not the areas of a lady of course, but Karis never had cared for whatever others deemed as of proper.
Not that she held disdain for her people. To the contrary, she was proud of her mystic heritage. With her illusion magic she could appear as nearly any shape of human, but she wanted the opportunity to flaunt her roots. Lavender skin, impossibly long cotton-candy colored hair, and sparkling blue eyes that refused to cast a reflection. Near-Mystic was they called her, those that had the brains to put it together, but they were wrong. She was a full blooded mystic, heir to generations of other full bloods, and in her full glory there was none that could question it.
When she chose to reveal herself, her height grew greater than the tallest of men, a strong ruby colored tail carrying her above mortal men and women. Lavender skin took on a deeper shade of violet, and her blue eyes became nearly black as the iris was devoured by all-seeing pupils.
Of course legs made travelling ever so much simpler, and so she stuck to the persona she had constructed for play-dates in the streets with her criminal companions and went by Kallisto. She was still an impressive sight, but many these days did not have the eyes to notice her. She had developed a talent that, despite her outlandish coloring and choice of revealing attire, she could still go relatively unnoticed in large crowds such as this.
And so it was when she heard the scream and scramble of human feet over the boards of the ferry. Karis turned and leaned on her elbows on the railing, catching sight of the scene from her safe distance, and watching through the waves of people making their way to be as far from the strange (strange even for Medina's standards) phenomena. A girl with oddly colored hair was being treated by a young man, dressed as a warrior, as the crowd still made efforts to give them their space. Karis' deep blue eyes settled and remained on them some time, studying them and measuring the level of interest they could provide (and entertainment along the way).
She considered moving closer to hear what it was that they were speaking about but changed her mind, as it was she could see their lips moving and even if she could not make out all the words she should be able to make out enough to make out the context of their conversation on her own. One would expect a girl who came from heaven to have one or two interesting things to say.
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Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 10:53 pm
"What are you going to do about the girl who fell from the sky, Captain?"
The Captain was looking at Zeo and Sara and simply shrugs.
"As long as she doesn't cause us any trouble, I'll take her to Porre, then, the kid will have to deal with her"
The man nods as he just returns to work, the Captain remains in silence, meditating.
[Thinking] "Just where the hell did this girl come from? Oh well, as long as she stays out of trouble..."
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Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 12:24 am
Fiona's Shrine-- One week previous.
"There's blood on your hands again."
The girl woke with a start, her clothes clinging to her body's thick layer of cold sweat. She'd been dreaming again, the same dream she had been dreaming since that night.. the night in the forest.
Where was she now? It was difficult to remember now, difficult to remember a lot of things.
For a moment she worried about the state of her clothes, even what her hair must look like in this arrangement, but it was dismissed easily enough. There was no light in this room, its darkness so thick she couldn't even catch glimpses of the shadows of the furniture if she had tried. No eyes could adjust to this darkness, and for that she was grateful.
It had been a long time since she was afraid of anything so childish, but as of late Rassandre had become deathly afraid of her shadow.
The nuns insisted at first that she was delusional, that she was spouting nonsense in tongues when she spoke of the man in her shadow, the man that was whispering to her night and day, evil words that chilled her, threats that nearly killed her. But they soon came to realize that this was no infliction of insanity that could be cured with their kindness.
One of the sisters had been severely injured in a fit of Rassandre's, a fit that she could not remember just as she could not remembers any of the others. At times there were large parts of her days and nights that she had no memory of and she was grateful once more, though it shamed her to admit it, that she could not think of what she had been doing with that time.
She stayed here now, in this darkened room. She had barricaded herself within it with enough supplies to last.. well, to last. She wasn't sure how long, but she was certain enough that if this ailment could not be cure by the care and efforts of the sisters after all this time then it was better for her to be trapped in here alone with it. Perhaps whatever it was would go away and if not, well, then it would die in here with her.
Rassandre wasn't a pessimist. Nor was she so doubtful in her own abilities to give up so easily. But as it was she was scared, terrified even, of what was happening to her and all the while, through the whispers and shouts of the man in her shadow, to the glimpses of faces just beyond her sight, to the painful and bloody images in her dreams, Rassandre knew she could feel her body dying. Whatever was happening wasn't just tearing her apart psychologically, it was taking its tole physically as well.
She curled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms about them tighly in a position that provided neither warmth nor comfort as it should have and began to slowly rock back and forth, the whispers in the darkness growing once more to a roar within her mind. Louder and louder and louder, visions came once more to her sight and when she opened her eyes the man in her shadow was back.
Rassandre screamed.
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Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 1:12 pm
"So everyone is dead then," she says slowly, "I remember hearing the alarms, Lavos was waking up, then I fell into time type of time-warp. I'm sure I certainly look out of place."
She pauses, then looks at the young man, "Wait a moment, how do you know about my Kingdom if it fell 13,000 years ago?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 2:36 pm
The wind was blowing gently as he made his way to Fiona's Shrine, no one had seen him arrive, he had a mission and planned on accomplishing it. He could hear noises in the nearby bushes, he could practically see the band of thieves who had been causing such distress over the last few days, but they knew, they felt it, and they did not dare to attack.
He was now in front of the doors to the Shrine and knocked heavily, he waited for a response, a few minutes later, he got one. An elderly looking nun opened the door, looked surprised at the appearence of the man.
Sister Luz: "Goodness gracious! Welcome to Fiona's Shrine, do you need to get some rest?"
The man looked at her, as he replied coldly.
???: "I'm here to see certain person who is staying with you at the moment, I believe this person has certain... Peculiar behavior"
Sister Luz hesitates, especially because the man was concealing his face and he looked a bit more sinister than she would of liked, however, it was strange that he knew Rassandre was there, they never told anyone.
Sister Luz: "Certainly... Can I please ask your name?"
The man remains in silence for a few seconds, he then just replies.
Bael: "My name is Bael"
Sister Luz archs her eyebrows, looking at the man again.
Sister Luz: "Bael? Like one of the three Heroes of Guardia in the middle ages?"
"So it has already begun" he thought, just nodding at Sister Luz.
Bael: "My family honors Guardia in any way they can... As a matter of fact, I'm a loyal servant to His Majesty, he has given me authorization to enter this Shrine and see this guest of yours"
Sister Luz gets suspicious, she was absolutely certain they never revealed anyone about Rassandre.
Sister Luz: "And... May I enquire how does His Majesty know about our guest?"
Bael: "He received the visit from the relatives, begging him to help them find their missing daughter, His Majesty has ordered me to carry the search"
He was unsure if the guest was a male or female, he had felt a presence from Zeal, which was the reason why his interest was picked, but Sister Luz wasn't very clear about the guest's gender, so there was a 50% chance he got it wrong, little by little, Sister Luz was growing more relieved, Bael then extracts Guardia's seal.
Bael: "His Majesty also provided me with the Guardia Family's Seal, in case you have doubts"
Sister Luz finally smiles and opens the door.
Sister Luz: "Thank goodness! In these times, there are about just a handful of people you can trust, there have been several assaults from a band of thieves lately, and Light knows what kind of tricks would they pull to get what they want!"
Bael: "Not to worry, it is only natural you want to preserve the integrity of such beautiful place"
Sister Luz: "Come with me, Sir Bael, I'll show you where Rassandre's quarters are"
Bael: "Thank you Sister... What can you tell me about Rassandre?"
Sister Luz: "Well... She was wandering in Fiona's Forest a few days ago, alone, and her clothes were just rags, we feared she might have been attacked by the band of thieves, fortunately, that was not the case. When she felt better, she started to speak about something that haunted her, she speaks of a man in the shadows that shouts at her, that whispers words of fear and terror and is driving her insane, eventhough we pray for her day and night and take care of her in every possible way, she doesn't seem to get better"
He immediately identified the problem, seemed like... Some sort of posession, as if someone was trying to take over the body, maybe the man in the shadows the Sister reffers was the presence he felt.
Sister Luz: "She spends her days locked in her quarters, she doesn't want to go out, she just stays there with water and food, we have been terribly worried about her"
Bael: "I understand sister, I will see what I can do"
Finally, they get before Rassandre's quarters, Sister Luz knocks on the door.
Sister Luz: "Rassandre? Dear child, it's me, Sister Luz, there is someone here who wishes to see you"
There was no response, before Sister Luz could insist, Bael speaks.
Bael: "Do you have the key?"
Sister Luz: "Yes, I was about to open the door myself"
Bael: "Sister, this could get messy, if this is what I suspect it is, I'm going to need your help"
Sister Luz: "Oh? Please, tell me, how can I help you?"
Bael: "I need you to give me the key, then go upstairs with the rest of the nuns and start praying, there is a reason why Rassandre hasn't been feeling any better since she got here, I will be needing the power of your prayers to help her calm down, could you do that for me, Sister?"
Sister Luz feels touched by the man's determination and agrees, she gives him the key, after all, what is there to suspect? He is a man working for His Majesty, she then approaches the stairway.
Sister Luz: "Please, be careful"
The Sister leaves as Baal opens the door to Rassandre's quarters. The room was darkened completely, but he could guess a silhouette of a scared woman surrounded by darkness, and at the same time, he could feel a strong presence from a distant past, with decision, the man enters the quarters and closes the door behind him.
Bael: "So, we finally meet, Zealian"
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Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 2:46 pm
Dani Hyrosha "So everyone is dead then," she says slowly, "I remember hearing the alarms, Lavos was waking up, then I fell into time type of time-warp. I'm sure I certainly look out of place." She pauses, then looks at the young man, "Wait a moment, how do you know about my Kingdom if it fell 13,000 years ago?" Zeo: "Well... I..." He was studying Sara's words, but there was a couple of things that made no sense... Lavos waking up was one of those thingsZeo: "I arrived to this era a couple of yeas ago myself, I come from the same place you come from, it would be logical to think that after 13,000 years, a kingdom dies in oblivion... My name is Zeo, by the way, and in spite we come from the same place, somehow, it feels different, I don't recall His Majesty, the King clearing any researching on Lavos, especially when we have always been powered by the Sun Stone"
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Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 10:07 pm
"Coincidences. Coincidences..."
Rassandre speaks quickly, her words half a whisper as her hands snake through the dishelveled mess that is her long, gold-colored hair. Her eyes are panicked and there is the tell-tale ring about her eyes from troubled sleep as the pale grey orbs look about panicked.
The opening of the door had led in a flood of light and with the light came strong and dark shadows, each of them threatening to overwhelm her senses. The girl showed no sign of acknowledging Bael's entrance, instead only continued to speak in her swift, half-spoken whispers as she lowered a hand to her collar and another up to her brow, scratching at what appeared to be self-inflicted cuts.
"I know his name. I know your name-- eagh!"
Her eyes closed tightly against a sudden onslaught of pain that wracked her whole body, burying her face in her fists and hair Rassandre's body began shaking violently. Energy began gathering about her as she shook, crying and sobbing as the fit grew stronger, and nearby objects began to slowly rise from the floor.
"Nonono.. there's blood there! It's everywhere! She was just a girl..."
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