Welcome to Gaia! ::

THE ADVENTURE:

At long last after hours of training, drilling, and in practice the day arrived. You stand tall with your War sisters and brothers, head held high as War herself slowly walks through the ranks, stopping and pausing long enough to fix a feather here, adjust how a shoulder strap looked there. Once everyone looked to her liking she strode to the front and turned, her eyes slowly taking them in again. There was one word for the look that she bestowed upon them: pride. These were her future warriors, her future clanmembers.

War lifted her chin and spoke. "So, the day has finally come. I believe it is time for each and everyone of of you to spread your wings and take flight. You shall see for yourselves as the world burns beneath us as we fly, lifted by the might and purity of Fear." This rose a cheer, both from the trainees and from the clansmen who gathered to watch. Finally it would be time for the training to end, and the real training to begin.

One of War's hands rose, the cheers fading as she waited for silence. "However," she began again, "Your freedom will not be here yet. There is one task I set before you, one last trial that shall test your knowledge and training. Pass, and you shall be accepted as a full member of the tribe. Fail..."

Her words trailed off, a grin on her face. "Fail and I fear that you shall be ridiculed forevermore as the clansman who took training class. As Darius was."

An indignant, masculine "Hey!" rung out from the surrounding treetops, followed by laughter. There was a matching grin on War's face as she shook her head, teasing.

"But despite Darius' affinity for training, he has risen above the trial and is now one of our most skilled." Even from on the platform there was the smug radiant feeling of pride that came from the general vicinity that "Hey!" from earlier rang out. "We do not hold you back out of shame. While we of the War are unmatched in terms of combat, there may be a time where we will be outnumbered and outmatched. The time has come for being outnumbered. But we shall never be outmatched so long as I stand before you as War!"

Her fist rose upon the last word, bringing forth a cheer. She continued to hold her hand up as the Cheiftans of the clan landed on the platform and began moving about the soon-to-no-longer-be trainees, pulling them aside to quietly give them their orders.

Your own chieftain approaches you, giving you a slight nod in greeting. "The day that I shall be able to clasp your shoulder and call you Warrior is almost here," she began. "I eagerly await that day. For now, you are to recall your training and use your own judgment to complete the task that the Queen herself has hand-picked for you." Your heart begins to beat rapidly in excitement. "In addition," your chieftain continued, "She hints that you have what it takes... no," she laughed, "I speak too much of what may be, rather than what is. You are eager to begin your trial, are you not?"

Your chieftain begins to detail your task. You are to take no provisions and go into the Human World as you are, relying on your training and wits to make it through the trial. Within the Human World, you are to visit a town. Your cheiftain hinted that it would make sense as soon as you see it. An experienced War clansmen will also follow you and make note of what you do, however they will not provide any assistance. If you are to get into trouble, you are more than capable of pulling yourself back out of it.

At long last, your chieftain dismisses you. You take flight, and soon leave the Isle of War behind. With luck and strength, you will fly back not as a trainee, but a full-blooded Warrior.

THE ADVENTURE HAS NOW BEGUN! YOU MAY POST ENTRIES.

DEADLINE: APRIL 10TH, 11:59 PM PST

Celaneo found herself in a very different place. It was very unlike her own home very barren and without any places to hide. Looking around at the strange buildings on the ground she smiled inwardly a tribesman was there watching her. She weighed her options, she could walk the town and waste precious time, she could fly over head and possibly miss the task at hand or she could go the strait and easy way which would also be the quickest. She decided on speaking with her tribesman, if nothing else it would allow her more time when she knew what her task was.

Flying up to him she greeted him in the correct way, and looked over the area.

"Could I ask...what could I possibly be needing to do here? Follow these humans until I die of boredom?"

She felt as if her particular choice of words might not have been the best but after a moment he finally spoke and told her of her task. As she looked over the buildings she noticed the two dwellings. Clothing! She did love clothing, and this could be easy. As she reached the smaller of the two dwellings she noticed the wooden door in the back. Reaching out to it and finding it locked she looked around. It wasn't as if anyone would really notice her but she still felt the need to be careful. Pulling a pin from her hair she knelt down to pick the lock. But before any actual lock picking could be done the door swung open. A human stood before her, but like most the others around he didn't notice her. Grinning she decided he didn't need to die, so she slipped past him as he found himself suddenly locked out.

Celaneo fingered a few of the clothes and marvelled in how soft they were. Grinning she knew that this would be an easy task as she took in the rest of the 'shop' quickly. Smirking she left everything as it should be not a thing out of place. Quickly making her way to the second dwelling, unlike the first one this seemed more 'rich' more in tune to what she needed to do.

Upon entering the dwelling the differences were vast and piling up in a not good way for this place. First it was bright but secondly it was more likely that she would cause trouble in this place. And possibly steal some clothing while she was at it. There were people milling around, getting slightly irritated and bored with it all she started towards some clothing she liked, after lifting a few and shoving them in her pouch she grinned. As soon as some one came close enough...just a little closer...and CRASH. The clothing rack tipped over, the humans turning their attention to the over turned rack as she found her way through the small door leading to the chieftains.

"Oh goodie...this is more like it!"

She gave very little warning and yet there was alot of screams and even more blood, she needed it to look as if the other business had plotted against this one. She was going to cause a war between the chieftains if she could get her way. Looking about she decided there was enough destruction and evidence to point to the other business. Grinning wildly Celaneo decides to leave quickly, there was no need to wreck any more havoc. As she found her way back to her tribesman and then back to the isle she felt proud of her accomplishments and comfortable in her efforts.

Your Gaia Name: Wyntre IceBlade
Your Minis Name: wyntre iceblade
Choice 1: - Fly up to the horseman and speak with them.
Choice 2: - Pick the lock.
Choice 3: - Slip past him, boot him outside, lock the door behind him.
Choice 4: - Choose to do nothing. Leave the store as it is.
Choice 5: - Tip over a few clothing racks, but take some of the garments you have your eye on.
Choice 6: - Attack and kill them all, forging the attack to look like it was done in the name of the other business.
Choice 7: - Just leave. Your business is done, there is no reason to linger.

I, Wyntre IceBlade, FULLY UNDERSTAND THAT IF I WIN AND FAIL TO POST AN ENROLLMENT FORM WITHIN 30 DAYS THAT MY PRIZE WILL BE REVOKED.

I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO CHECK IN FOR THE FINAL PROMPT AFTER April 10th.

Yetabone felt an extreme sense of pride as she stood there among her brothers and sisters. Her head held high as War paced back and forth in front of them, inspecting them and fiddling. Her hands were grasped behind her back as she stood there, waiting with great excitement. Her excitement almost swallowing her whole until War began to speak.

And as War spoke she felt her chest swell more and more with pride. Though with the poke at Darius it was hard not to laugh. While she had the utmost respect for Darius, it was quite hilarious. As the rest of her Clansmen cheered, she too cheered. Adding her voice to the revelry and pumping her fist into the air.

But soon as it had begun it too had ended. Her Cheiftan pulling her aside, she listened close to the intructions given to her. The human world hmmm? She had longed itched to go there. Test her skills against the humans and explore their world. While she loved her home, Yeta always felt the need to explore and immerse herself into other civilizations. To know their ins and outs. What better way to know someone than to get in close. Halloween Town was another place she would enjoy testing one day, hopefully.

As quick as that she was dismissed by her Cheiftan. Casting one last look upon her Clansmen, Yeta took flight to the human world. A devious grin tugging at the corners of her lips.

-----

Yeta soon found herself in the human world. It was night time, the shadows here seemed so dark. The ground to her bare feet were so cold, she gave a small shiver. Everything was so....so cold. So....barren. Did these people really live in such square buildings? Already she was beginning to miss her tree-top home. The warmth of the earth beneath her feet and the rustling of leaves as the wind blew through the trees.

She noted a few humans wandering about still, even at this late hour. Occasionally they would look over their shoulders as if someone was following them, but Yeta knew they could not see her. Not yet.

Looking up she spotted the Clansmen who had been sent with her. He made some strange hand motions but she couldn't make out what he was going on about. It was just too dark. Furrowing her eyebrows, she took flight once more, reaching the roof top where he was perched.

"Greetings brother," She nodded her head in greeting. "Where am I to go to complete my task?" He pointed towards two buildings. One relatively smaller than the other. With a nod of thanks she soon returned to the ground once more. Making her way towards the two square structures. She studied them. So square...so cold. They were made of some weird material, stone? They seemed to be a place where humans went to purchase things. Clothing? Now she was really curious. What kind of 'clothing' did humans wear? She'd only glanced the clothing those still out and about wore.

After a moment Yeta decided she would approach the smaller of the two first. The entrance had bars over it, did it mean it was closed off to others? There had to be another way to get in, she was NOT going to be barred off from completing her task. Quietly she moved around to the back of the structure and there she found a wooden door. This one didn't have bars on it thankfully. She reached for the door handle, turning it and finding it locked. The female scowled lightly and jiggled the handle some more as if jiggling it would get it to open.

Well, what do you usually do to get doors to open? You knock. It seemed like the most reasonable thing to do. If no one answered, well, she'd have to figure out another way. Yeta knocked. A hard, loud knock with the back of her fist.

The door instantly swung open. A human male. He squinted into the night to see who had knocked. Yeta had to think quick. Sometimes these things needed a careful touch. Killing him might bring on unwanted attention as would kicking him outside. She didn't want that. So she slipped inside, avoiding him completely. It would be a bit more difficult with him wandering about while she was here, but in the end she saw it as the best course of action to take.

Slipping further into the building, Yeta began to explore. The smooth, wooden floor cold against her bare feet. This world of the humans seemed so cold. So closed off from nature. Some of the buildings back on the island had floors like these, but most had woven branches for their floors. As such, Yeta's feet were tough and callused, she could walk on rocks all day if she wanted. She never understood why the other clans wore shoes. Shoes disconnected you from the earth, from nature.

But there was no time for pondering right now. She had a task at hand to complete and she didn't want to loiter in this place for too long. Soon she came upon strange contraptions that seemed to dangle strange pieces of cloth from it. Were these the things that humans wore? The colors were so bright, even in the darkness that Yeta rubbed her eyes from the visual assault. Though she did reach out to touch the cloth. Rubbing the material in between her thumb and forefinger. "So soft...." She murmured softly. "I've never felt something so soft and so smooth..." The feel of the material was so strange and alien to her that she gasped and let go of it when goosebumps began to rise on her flesh.

Furrowing her eyebrows she turned away from the strange, colorful cloth and headed towards what appeared to be a fairly important room. It had books and papers strewn about. What could she do in here?

Heading towards the strange table, she leaned over it. Eyes scanning the papers and book covers. "Hmmm..." Reaching over, she flipped open the books. Strange symbols strewn about on it's pages. Flipping to the most recently scribbled on page Yeta got an idea. This book seemed to be records of their paper slips that the humans traded for goods. She remembered learning about these paper slips and ways that the humans kept track of them, at least she had a mild understanding. Looking about the desk, she picked up an odd looking object. It seemed to be a human's writing utensil. She had seen one of these in training and remembered that the pink end removed marks and the pointy end added marks.

Very carefully, Yeta leaned over the book. Picking a few lines of symbols and erasing them with the pink, rubbery end. Flipping the writing utensil back over to it's pointy end she bit her bottom lip as she meticulously copied the strange symbols. Having a small bit of difficulty, but none the less it hopefully be successful in causing a bit of strife for these pretty cloth peddlers and their gain of paper slips.

With her job at the small shop done, Yeta quickly slipped back outside. The coolness of the air clinging to her skin.

Now for the larger shop.

She made her way towards it, a human passing by her and walking through strange windows that opened upon approach then slid back closed. "Curious..." Eyeing the sliding glass windows, she waited until another human came up to them before she slipped through.

The light inside was blinding. Catching Yeta off her guard momentarily as her eyes tried to quickly adjust. Flattening her back against a nearby wall, she wiggled her toes as she looked down at the floor. More stone floors and strange moss looking stuff. The female was not impressed by the innovations of the human world. Except maybe that window that slid back and forth.

Trying to find a dark corner, Yeta soon realized that the light went everywhere. There were no shadowy places to conceal one's self. While it left her slightly on edge the humans inside this shop didn't seem interested in her or her presence. Of course, they couldn't see her either.

Spotting a small door, she pondered if perhaps this was where she might find the human cheiftans. Quietly she slipped towards the door, eyeing the sign upon it that she couldn't make out. Weird human symbols...

Pushing the door open she stood there briefly. Three cheiftans sat near another strange table with papers and books strewn around it. All three were looking towards the doorway that she was standing in. But after an awkward silence had passed they began speaking once more, well at least the one anyhow. The other two seemed to be merely listening with scowls on their faces. Yeta let out a small breath as their attention was taken from the door way. She listened closely, trying to make out what exactly they were saying. A name was mentioned. Her eyes narrowed just slightly.

Enough was enough. Yeta had her fill of the cheiftan's rants and raves. Slowly she pulled a knife from her leg guard. Creeping ever so quietly to the one who was still talking.

From behind she grabbed his hair, snapped his neck back and slit his throat. The rush of blood down the man's neck and the sounds he made caused the other two to jump up from their chairs in shock. She let his body slide to the floor before she kicked the one next to him into the wall behind him. His breath going out of him but before he could inhale once more she slashed at his throat as well. The metallic smell began to fill her nostrils. As she whipped around to face the last man he seemed to have gone into some kind of shock, standing there with his jaw dropped. As she approached him he began to scream but his screams were cut short as she stabbed this one and slit his own throat as well.

Slipping the dagger back into her leg guard Yeta made her way out of the small room back into the main area of the store. The lights were now off, good. They were blinding her in the first place. Now that her task was completed Yeta could return. But first she walked up and down the rows of vibrant colored cloth. The things that gave her goosebumps whenever she felt their soft smooth texture. She shrieked and started ripping apart the cloth, scattering scraps all around her. Only then did she happen upon a few cloth items that caught her fancy. The female wouldn't shred these, they called to her in some strange and unnatural way.

She managed to find a way out of the larger store and out into the night air again. In the distance it looked as if the sun was rising. She had spent too much time in there! Quickly she took flight again, heading back to her home. To where she belonged and left these cold, open spaces behind.

As she arrived back on the island, the warrior who had been sent with her meeting her right as she landed. Yeta felt proud, accomplished, yet somewhat shameful that she had taken given into temptation and brought back the cloth items with her. She had them stored in one of her pouches so that she wouldn't have to explain herself for anything. Then she could hide the cloth things away and enjoy at her leisure without prying eyes.

He beckoned her to follow and so she did. It was now time to give War her report and hear just exactly what her lady would think. Yeta knew that if she had failed her task she would be devastated.

Eager to speak with War, she stood outside waiting to be called inside. Her heart beating hard in her chest and ears. She shouldn't be so nervous but this one encounter, this one review would determine her immediate future. While she expected nothing but praise there was always a minor chance that she had slipped up somewhere.

And that's what really scared her.

Your Gaia Name: Yayoi
Your Minis Name: Yayoi
Choice 1: Fly up to the horseman and speak with them.
Choice 2: Knock on it.
Choice 3: Avoid him.
Choice 4: Alter the documents you found in the office. While the concept of money is still odd, it is important to the humans. As this is a place that sells, it depends on money to survive.
Choice 5: Do nothing; go straight to where you the cheiftains would be.
Choice 6: Attack and kill them all, forging the attack to look like it was done in the name of the other business.
Choice 7: Grab clothing and tear them up, stealing what you like and leaving a majority of it in ruins

I, Yayoi, FULLY UNDERSTAND THAT IF I WIN AND FAIL TO POST AN ENROLLMENT FORM WITHIN 30 DAYS THAT MY PRIZE WILL BE REVOKED.

I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO CHECK IN FOR THE FINAL PROMPT AFTER APRIL 10TH.

A grimace twisted Kallisto's lips as her eyes scanned the man-made structures, her disdain with the cold, dirty, lifeless stone apparent as she lifted one foot from the ground in distaste. Everything around her felt cold, lifeless, and reeked of chemicals and poison, the filth clinging to the inhabitants and their square buildings. Natural, growing things were few and far between, encased in the gray stone-like material that everything else seemed to be made of; No wonder they had so little respect for the humans if this is what they did to themselves and their world.

She tipped her head back, peering upwards, noticing that the sky also seemed to be veiled in whatever the humans had released into the air. During her examination of the sky, however, she noticed the tribesman that had been sent to watch her movements, giving a small nod when he waved at her. He made another strange gesture that caused her green eyes to narrow a little, squinting to make out what it had been, before shaking her head; they were not there to help her, so it most likely had not been something for her to dwell on, especially not when there was a task that she needed to locate and complete.

Kallisto spread her wings and kicked off the ground, distancing herself from the filthy ground as well as providing her with a vantage point to observe the various areas of the city. They were a people of the sky, thus searching in the obvious places first would be the most logical choice. There were also many things that would be obvious from the sky that would be invisible on the ground, thus the air was an obvious first choice.

It took only a few minutes of observation before she located her task, wings tucking against her back and sides as she dove. Her wings snapped open to soften the landing, leaving her landing in a crouch as she stared between the two buildings, each seeming to produce the same items only slightly differently. Such a thing seemed a tad repetitive to her; was it really necessary to have more than one person make so much clothing? Never mind that they were each across from each other, both competing apparently.

Her gaze shifted to the smaller establishment first, one brow lifting before she nodded to herself and strode towards the building, noting the bars on the front door, circling the perimeter to find another entrance. Upon finding a secondary entrance she frowned, head tilting a little as she reached forward and tried the handle. When the door didn't open Kallisto's eyes narrows and she took a step backwards, her leg lifting to prepare to kick in the wooden barrier; there was no way that she would allow something as trivial as a door to get in her way.

She paused when the door swung open, seemingly on its own, revealing a human who peered past her into the darkness. Eyes narrowing Kallisto stepped forward, hands shooting out to cup the man's face, using her grip to twist his neck quickly one way, then the other, snapping it. With a look of distaste she released the human and stepped aside, allowing his body to fall to the ground before she stepped over him and into the store, her green eyes analyzing all the details of the shop.

Her hand reached out, fingers caressing the fabric hanging from the nearby racks and snorting a little. Soft and beautiful, but useless for anyone of their clan as it was made for luxury and beauty, neither of which interested her in the slightest. She moved on, circling the interior of the building, noting various financial documents laying about which she quickly dismissed. Attempting to understand the human currency system would take time, time that she refused to waste. Thus after a few moments of still, silent contemplation she gave a small nod, drawing flint from a small pouch at her hip and moving towards the clothing racks.

Starting a fire and gently fanning it into life by gently blowing on the infantile flames was second nature to her, thus the flames grew and spread within a few minutes. Satisfied she put her flint away and strode back out the way she came, the act of destroying something, of killing, causing a faint smile of pleasure to tug at her lips. Once again she stepped over the body of the man that had been within the store, her eyes moving to the larger store; she had attempted to waste as little time as possible in the first store, giving her more time in the second, since it was significantly larger.

Kallisto's head tilted a little when she observed the glass wall in the front of the structure opening whenever a human approached, causing her to frown thoughtfully. Perhaps there was a secret, human code needed to gain access to this large building? With a small shrug of her shoulders she strode towards a human that was entering, following them closely, allowing them to feel her breath on the back of their neck even as she slipped inside; it didn't hurt to cause a little... Fear here and there. After all, what else were these humans good for other than shambling about mindlessly?

Upon entering she immediately flinched from the brightness of the lights inside, darting around the people milling about in attempts to find a place not illuminated by these artificial suns that had been placed in the ceiling. Unfortunately said lights seemed to be distributed in such a way that it made finding darkness in the store virtually impossible. For a moment Kallisto was rather tempted to break a few of them just out of sheer annoyance. However she had a task to accomplish and taking time to break the lights in the ceiling would do nothing but waste time.

Green eyes moved around the building, examining the racks of clothing, just like the other, smaller structure, as well as the people and the strange items they were using to count currency, it seemed. It was that or it was some strange device belonging to some human cult. Her attention quickly moved on to locating the Chieftains of the structure, eyes narrow as she quickly dismissed several options before her gaze landed upon a small room towards the back. Lips quirking a little in the beginnings of a smile, Kallisto moved towards that room, ignoring everything else for the moment; causing problems with the leadership of such a location promised chaos, fear, strife, pain... All things which she embraced as a proud member of the War Clan.

She considered the door for a long moment once she reached it, staring at the handle in contemplation; she didn't want to alert her targets of her presence until it was too late. Reaching out she slowly pulled the door open just wide enough for her to slip inside, something that would be easily dismissible by the average, stupid human. As she anticipated they glanced at her, their conversation momentarily interrupted, but went back to conversing after a few moments.

Kallisto didn't pay much mind to what they said, her eyes roaming over the room in attempt to find a weapon that she could kill them with and leave behind. Her eyes fell on a tiny blade that was on the surface of the table-like object that was between the two men, her lips curving in a slow smile. She couldn't tell what the blade was for; What use did such simple-minded creatures have for a blade, especially since they were not known for being warriors? Despite that, however, it would work perfectly for what she had in mind and, with a slow step forward, placed her hands on the smooth wood of the piece of furniture between them, and allowed unease to rise in them; she liked to make her prey sweat.

When she knew she would have to move quickly, knew that each strike would have to count, her blood sang in her veins. Her body became a paint brush, directed by the muse of war, and the blood of others became the paint spread across the canvas of the battlefield. Perhaps this was not a true, traditional battlefield, one in which all parties were equal, but their deaths would start something bigger, something even more chaotic that resulted in more suffering. To her, that made this small slaughter seem like a precursor, the first arrow that was fired, the first blow landed, and that was equally as satisfying.

Kallisto moved quickly, grabbing the handle of the small, slender blade and quickly slashing the man closest to her's throat. She knocked him out of the way quickly, lunging forward to drive the blade through the second man's throat before quickly jerking her arm in an arc, slicing through the rest of his throat and trachea before turning to the last man. He was attempting to scramble to his feet and get to the door, the smell of sweat, of fear heavy in the area and causing her to smile, lips parting a little to flash teeth. Unfortunately for the third man she got there first and quickly yanked it closed with a very sharp and final click. She paused for a few moments, savoring the look of terror on his face, the way his eyes rolled, the way he babbled nonsense in his last moments, before quickly slitting his throat as well with a quick, fluid motion.

"Poor, stupid creatures..." she crooned, her tone mocking and full of derision.

Her eyes fell to the blood that was pooling across the floor, at the droplets of it splattered across her hands and arms, and suddenly had an idea, the borrowed blade slipping from her fingers to clatter to the floor. Reaching down she covered her hands in the fluid and, turning towards one of the oddly pristine, white walls, begin to mimic the sign of the store that she had set aflame before. It would be like a gauntlet thrown, a message of war, and a clear one at that, one she hoped would leave things in a rather... interesting state once she left.

Kallisto's eyes hooded and she let out a breathy laugh, one filled from pleasure that only came from the thrill of fighting, of killing, of destruction. She risked letting out a second, louder bout of laughter before turning to open the door, blood smearing over the handle, and striding back out into the store, leaving bloody footprints in her wake. Adrenaline was still pumping through her veins, causing her to smirk and take out her flint again, setting fire to several flammable looking displays and clothing on her way out. Oddly the store seemed incredibly deserted, not a single human in sight, something that caused her to frown and speed up her pace; had she been gone too long? Had she underestimated the amount of time she had spent in the store?

Shaking her head she moved to the closest door she could find, tilting her head a little at the red words printed on it before snorting and shoving it open. Her wings bristled and flapped a little in surprise at the sudden shrieking sound that came from the building which only made her exit from the building even faster. As soon as she was outside she launched into the air, feeling exhilarated as the cool night air brushed over her cheeks, satisfaction coiling in her as she flew up to meet her fellow tribesman.

"It is done." she breathed, mostly to herself, as the tribesman lead her back home, away from the disgusting pit that the humans called home.

Now all she had to do was wait to see if her Queen would be pleased with all that she had done on her short trip. It filled her almost to overflowing with nervous anticipation, leaving her as eager as she would be on the eve of a great battle. What would happen now was uncertain, but she hoped only for success and a place amongst their Clan's ranks.

Your Gaia Name: Corsair Vitari
Your Minis Name: corsairvitari
Choice 1: Fly overhead and look around, looking for the task.
Choice 2: Kick the door in.
Choice 3: Kill him.
Choice 4: Set fire to it. Some of those clothing pieces looked rather flammable, and in a wooden shop...
Choice 5: Do nothing; go straight to where the cheiftains would be.
Choice 6: Attack and kill them all, forging the attack to look like it was done in the name of the other business.
Choice 7: Set multiple fires to the place.

I, CORSAIR VITARI, FULLY UNDERSTAND THAT IF I WIN AND FAIL TO POST AN ENROLLMENT FORM WITHIN 30 DAYS THAT MY PRIZE WILL BE REVOKED.

I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO CHECK IN FOR THE FINAL PROMPT AFTER 4/10/2012.

(some of the images/titles link to more/bigger art ok good night it's 4am bye)



Eramus stood, feet spread and balanced, facing her foe.

And such a foe it was.

Its empty eyes wantonly assaulted her behind the protective device it wore. Its hands were cut off, doubtlessly for some past crime, and yet it stood there bold as day, staring at all who came near it. Its body was white and featureless besides the clothes it wore, and its expression held a blank menace. She carefully avoided looking into his eyes, assuming they were the source of its power. What foul beast was this, she wondered, that it need not even breathe?

No, this...Tommy Hilfiger was truly an abomination, set to guard the treasures the humans stored on these endless racks. She braced herself to attack.



Hours earlier, Eramus bounced from foot to foot, unable to arrest her quaking excitement. The day had finally arrived. As War strode through their ranks, she and her brethren beamed and glanced at each other in disbelief. Long had they awaited this, their time of proving. As their leader spoke, their eyes trailed her every movement. As she laughed, so they too were mirthful. The intensity in the air had become a palpable thing. Each and every horseman and woman on the platform had yearned for this moment, and as their Chieftains came to lead them away, they moved swiftly and with purpose.

Eramus flushed with pride as her own approached her. Her words were praise not oft given, and she had spent long hours of blood and sweat and tears earning them. She stood a little straighter, spreading her wings and squaring her shoulders, and then -

That hint, that delectable tibit. She did not press her Chieftain for more, but nodded eagerly in response. Yes, she was ready for her trial. She was prepared to prove her worth. She listened carefully to her instructions, but her mind was abuzz with speculation.

The Queen’s Soldiers!




In the Human realm, it was now long past nightfall. Eramus's wings beat a silent rhythm as she surveyed the small tribe she'd been sent to. The called them towns, as she understood it, and this one was barely a speck on one of their maps. This was an alien concept to her- a few of these small 'towns' could easily encompass the entirety of the War clan's island. She shook her head, braids and feathers rustling against each other quietly. No, she needed to focus. She was sent here as a Warrior, not a cartographer. She searched the landscape, looking for a familiar figure...

There.

In the distance, she could just make out the clansman sent to oversee her trial. He waved and gestured, but it was rendered inarticulate, cloaked by the darkness. Did he mean for her to land...? Eramus drifted downward, toward one of the dark rivers that snaked across the landscape. She'd seen lights flying down them at terrifying speeds, but the blackness of the terrain suggested water. As she hovered over it, however, there were no ripples-

Suddenly she was caught in a horrifying beam of light. She threw up her hands and cried out as something dark and terrible rushed toward her and passed just beneath her prone figure, vanishing into the night. Eramus landed, still shaking with shock. Foolish, she thought. It had been foolish to let her guard down like that. She discovered as her bare feet touched the ground that what she stood on was not water, but hard, smooth rock. She trotted quickly along it and into the grass, wary of more of the strange metallic beasts. Were those guardians? Did they watch the human dwellings when night eclipsed them?

Eramus intended to find out. She strode purposefully into a nearby aclove coated in a lighter variety of the smooth rock where one of the beasts appeared to rest. She circled it warily, noting the label along it's backside. She couldn't read the letters but assumed it must be some sort of brand of their clan. It appeared to be an oval containing six stars. Did they represent their Chieftains? Again, she did not know, but she somehow doubted the beasts were the whole of her task.

This one appeared to have humans inside it. Did it eat them? They looked awfully tangled up in one another, and oddly pleased, judging by the moans they issued. Perhaps they were in pain? The female's top also appeared to be in disarray. Was the male EATING her? Eramus watched for a few moments, fascinated. Perhaps they used them as some sort of mode of transportation. Iron horses in whose stomach you rode.

Eramus wasn't much for thinking, but she was all for scientific exploration. In this case, the question she sought to answer was, if I hit it, will it break? She punched at one of the creature's many transparent openings. Something crunched, and it gave, filling the night with the sound of tinkling glass. The humans were startled from their revelry.

"HEY MAN! That's my Subaru!"

Pleased with this reaction, she felt along the outside of the creature - the Subaru - for any weaknesses. Hmmm...the round wheels on the bottom had a softer, fleshier texture. Grabbing one of the glass shards, she punctured each in turn. The protests for the humans inside grew louder, and suddenly the beast roared to life, lumbering away and clearly wounded.

Eramus dropped the glass with a pleased grin. That would show them!



The lone horsewoman spent what felt like an eternity meandering about the township, searching for her task. In her wanderings she discovered that there was very little to do at night here. In fact, it seemed that the vast and lonely highway that cut through the town was its lifeblood, and second to that, the two retail stores that bordered it. She had learned these and other facts by listening to the conversations between humans outside the rather bland looking edifices. Eramus had felt drawn to them, having taken to the air after her defiant act of vandalism, by the bright glow they emitted. They were two of only a few structures whose rock-platforms remained well lit.

She landed in the clearing next to the smaller of the two. A single tall torch lit its exterior, insects swarming it. It had no fire and oddly did not emit heat, as the creatures remained unharmed even when they landed on its surface. By its light she could see that the front of this building was secured with many iron bars. She smirked, wondering why they did not employ this same device on their Subarus instead of using flimsy glass.

Whatever the case, it quickly became evident that she would have to find some other method to win entry. A path of more of the smooth stone wrapped around the dwelling's exterior, and she followed it. It happily led to a fenced off area that backed a wood. Her shoulders relaxed, releasing tension she had not even been aware of. Eramus could not comprehend why so many of these humans chose to build their structures in such an exposed fashion, with fields of empty and cleared land on all sides. It was unnerving as well as it was unsound, and she regarded the practice with no small amount of condescension.

The path led quickly around to the back of the structure, fashioned this time in wood instead of cold metal. This was more like it, she thought. It had a smaller entrance here, with steps leading up to it. She ascended them quickly and jiggled the handle.

Locked.

She smiled, sincerely this time. Finally, a challenge! Eramus knew of many ways to gain entry to such a dwelling, but only one of them offered true satisfaction.

She raised her knee to her chest and kicked out, yelling her Chieftain's name. "For Spartus!"



The next few seconds passed in the blink of an eye, but nonetheless would prove vital later in her quest.

Almost as soon as she had begun her mighty kick, the door swung open, as if by magic. So, instead of crying her tribe's name proudly whilst dealing a mighty blow to the home of her enemy, she stumbled forward, catching herself on her hands and knees.

"For Spart- AH!"

Eramus gasped, looking up, expecting some kind of foul sorcery. But no, it was merely another human, wearing a cloth hood that covered his upper torso and part of his head. The sleeves were pushed up to the elbows and the front read "FBI: Female Body Inspector". She wondered what the symbols meant. Were they words? Was this a tribesman? The human took a long draw on the rolled up strip of paper he held in one ********' Kyle, no tellin' what he put in this doobie. ********' hearing s**t, man," he muttered to himself, scanning the woods behind the structure.

The horsewoman, finally having gathered her wits, took this moment to act. Without thinking, she lunged out and bit him on the ankle, just above his footwear.

"OUCH! Hey!" The male moved onto the first step, wincing and glancing around on the ground. He'd subconsciously avoided the body of the ghoul beside him. Eramus quickly wriggled the rest of the way into the door, and, bracing against its frame, slammed her palm into the back of the human's knee. He dropped the smoking thing in his hand, tumbling down onto the pavement below with an alarmed cry. Eramus grabbed this trophy and quickly shut the door behind him, breathing heavily.

Ha. It wasn't a complete victory- she hadn't slain her opponent - but she HAD managed to outwit him, and even earned a token from their exchange. She studied the strange paper with it's smoldering tip curiously, and decided to hang onto it. Fire always came in handy, after all.




Having won that small victory, Eramus decided to peruse the interior of the building, brandishing the doobie as some kind of torch. It emitted a foul odor- that the human managed to breathe it in without choking was truly unbelievable. After a few minutes she felt as if she had a suitable grasp of the lay of the interior. The store, as the humans had called it, sold what appeared to be articles of clothing. Compared to the feathers and straps she wore, they seemed perhaps more comfortable but horribly inefficient. They had racks upon racks of things called...Jeans. How was one to even FIGHT in those?

They all seemed to bear the same brand, in the letters "T O M M Y H I L F I G E R." The pattern behind the letters looked like some kind of flag- perhaps it was a nation they were subservient to. One hand on her hip, Eramus began to calculate the most efficient method of destruction when she noticed she was decidedly not alone.

She hissed in surprise, and regarded her opponent...

He was clad in a tan-colored bifurcated codpiece that draped to his knees. The fabric was baggy, and contained many pockets. His torso was broken up, camouflaged in the cacophony of contrasting colors of the store by a particularly tacky floral patten. He wore no shoes, as his feet were cut off at the ankles. So, strangely, were his hands. Perhaps he was a trophy from this T O M M Y H I L F I G E R clan, to keep the locals in line? But he gazed at her almost knowingly through strange, dark lenses adorning its face, and she knew it could not be so. The hair on her arms stood on end. He could see her. What manner of beast was this? His skin was too pale to be human, a perfect white...

Without another thought, she attacked, kicking at his midsection. To her surprise her foot went straight through him - he was hollow, and out the other side, sending her toppling forward onto the creature.

The doobie flew from her hands as she tried to arrest her momentum and gain freedom from the horrifying apparition. It was just a statute, and yet it had been so lifelike, so convincing. She stared at its ruins for moments longer before she realized she could smell smoke. She glanced to the clothing racks to the side of the thing - and gasped.

One of the shirts on the rack was slowly burning. As she watched, its fellows joined suit. The reason became apparent as the first melted its hook and fell to the ground, revealing the doobie that had landed in its pocket.

Oh well, Eramus considered. Fire was just as good a way to destroy the place as any other. Besides, that strange paper device had left her head feeling funny. Perhaps it was a kind of incense? She didn't know, but she certainly didn't remember anything from Conquest's isle smelling so foul. Whatever the case, judging by the rather disturbingly swift way the flames were spreading, it was well past time to make her exit.



Eramus eventually escaped the fire mostly unscathed. She'd had to use a window, sure, but as the entire place was basically aflame, she had a feeling they wouldn't notice one broken portal over the burnt out husks of the others.

She made her way to the larger of the two edifices. Unlike the first, this one was apparently open for business, judging by the much brighter lights shining out its interior. She watched as people passed in and out of it's clear doors- doors that slid open and closed of their own accord. She followed one shopper in, tailing closely lest she be trapped in its hideous and metallic maw. She risked a glance behind herself, to watch them swish shut with a disturbing click.

Squaring her shoulders, Eramus strode purposefully through the store, her eyes roving the aisles desperately for reprieve from the blinding lights. Unfortunately, there was none to be found - even the small side rooms labeled with strange symbolic representations of men and women had lights dangling above each stall. The store proper appeared to sell more clothing, but this time they bore many different brands and labels. She supposed this store was some sort of trade conglomerate. She didn't have time to investigate such niceties, however, and continued with her search.

Eventually, she made her way to what she assumed was the back of the impressive structure. A small door labelled "P E R S O N E L L O N L Y" barred the portal that would lead onward.

She hesitated glancing around, but her shenanigans in the last establishment had cost her precious time, and she did not want to shame her Chieftain by dallying any longer.




It appeared she had stumbled into some sort of council tribunal. The three humans seated around the room glanced up nervously, but soon resumed what seemed like a heated discussion as she let the door gently close behind her. One of the three sat at an ornate desk covered in some sort of strange equipment. She assumed they must be the leader, but all three often interrupted him or spoke out of turn. The lack of respect and barely contained anger seethed on the surface of all their words. She shook her head, marvelling. Clearly despite their technological advances, the horsemen clans were at least socially superior.

But now was not the time for contemplation. She had come here to act. She gazed at them levelly, deciding a fitting end for each. Her ultimate desire would be to bag their heads and turn them into War, for the glory of herself and her clan, but alas, lacking the proper instruments to salvage and prepare their skulls rendered this goal impossible.

Eramus eventually settled for their wholesale slaughter instead. She summoned her weapon and issued them a challenge.

"Unworthy humans, I have come here to take your lives as trophies for my mistress! Your ways do not impress me! I have defeated your mighty Subaru, and sent it limping into the night. I smote your F B I with a single blow, and destroyed his dwelling with his own fire!"

She rushed them, crying, "and I have come here to take your souls as my bounty!"



Defeating the humans had been disappointingly easy. None of them were armed, and they quickly fell before the mighty blows of her blade. As an afterthought, she painted the symbols F B I onto the wall. Perhaps they would think that the rival clan had come to usurp them. A war with Tommy Hilfiger would doubtlessly be long and grueling, judging by their disturbing statuary.

As Eramus exited the room, bloody but exultant, she noticed the devilish lights had finally been shut off, and the store was relatively empty. Strange - had so much time really passed? She hadn't noticed. Perhaps she probably shouldn't have stopped to paint obscene symbols across the faces of the chieftains with their own blood, or scrawl the words "Eramus Wuz Here". Whatever. She had left her mark and emerged victorious. All that was left was to decide the final fate of this last edifice to human vanity. As she approached the doors, she noticed that the neighboring store was still ablaze, and bits of smoldering paper and clothing drifted toward her...

Grinning maliciously, she strode toward one such piece, grabbing it and blowing on it gently to maintain it's fire. She pried open the sliding doors with one hand and tucked the ember into one of the shelves, where it started a merry little flame. She did this several times, until the interior was hazy with smog. She strolled out lazily, flapping her wings and taking to the air to find her overseer. Eramus's heart burned with pride and apprehension; she only hoped she had done well.

For War, and for glory!




Your Gaia Name: Ravvlet
Your Minis Name: Ravvlet
Choice 1: Explore the town on foot, looking for the task.
Choice 2: Kick the door in.
Choice 3: Slip past him, boot him outside, lock the door behind him.
Choice 4: Set fire to it. Some of those clothing pieces looked rather flammable, and in a wooden shop...
Choice 5: Do nothing; go straight to where you the cheiftains would be
Choice 6: Attack and kill them all, forging the attack to look like it was done in the name of the other business.
Choice 7: Set multiple fires to the place.

I, RAVVLET, FULLY UNDERSTAND THAT IF I WIN AND FAIL TO POST AN ENROLLMENT FORM WITHIN 30 DAYS THAT MY PRIZE WILL BE REVOKED.

I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO CHECK IN FOR THE FINAL PROMPT AFTER APRIL 10th.

'Eager to begin her trial' was probably the understatment of the year as far as Arden was concerned but she kept such thoughts to herself for the time being - now was not the time for bragging or witty comments of her own impatience. No now wasa time to listen, to pay attention to the task at hand she so she focused on the words her chieftain spoke before sending her off. If the Queen hand picked this task for her - and by her chieftains words felt that she might have what it takes to be something special well..Arden would do whatever it took to prove her right, it wouldn't do to make the Queen second guess her thoughts now would it? NOt if she wanted to achieve a high position in her clan and Arden if nothing else had her eye on such a goal.

Leaving her home behind Arden hasitly made her way through the portals to the human world, when she came through the portals again she was determined to do so as a warrior. It was an ugly place this human town she was directed to, barren, and harsh and tactically annoying with it's open landscape..but then it was likely asking to much of humans to consider such things when building thier dwellings - humas after all were little more then animals and one couldn't expect mere animals to have the wisdom her own clan did. Still it made her nose wrinkle slightly to look upon the groundbound landscape with it's few wandering occupants. A few of those occupants seemed to have an inkling that somewhat was nearby - or perhaps like many prey animals they merely had a wariness of the dark, in any caset hey could look all they wanted, Arden knew that they wouldn't see her. Not yet anyways.

Her attention was pulled from the skittish humans by a movement on the top of another building - ah, her escort by the look of it. Arden returned the wave of awknowledgement though she couldn't quite make out her fellow tribesmen second gesture. No matter it was time to begin and putting it off any longer only meant having to spend more time in this dismal place. It seemed ot Arden that the best way to spot her task would be to take to the air once more - as the entire human encampment was groundbound and rather open it should be easy to spot whatever it was she was supposed to do from a birds eye view.

The town was small and it did not take long for Arden to figure out what it was she was supposed to do, it seemed to be the perfect opportunity to cause strife in the human world, to start what she hoped would be a long lasting and fear fueled war between two competators. Two places offering hte exact same service was unnatural to begin with and a good war between the two of them seemed inevitable. Well she'd just hurry things along a little bit. The smaller building seemed like a good place to start and a quick recon of the building perimeter allowed her to see a probably point of entry - when she found the door wouldn't open when she tried the handle Arden was preparing to kick the door in when it suddenly opened on it's own from the inside, it seemed that one of hte human within had heard her try the handle.

No matter, rather then kick the door Arden directed her kick to the human that had opened it instead. Putting her entire weight behind the blow she was rewarded with a satisfying cracking and crunching sound from the mans ribs as he flew back and hit the far wall. Lovely. Stepping through the open door Arden took the time to ensure the gasping man now hunched over on the floor was taken care of with a quick wretch of his neck before she proceeded further into the building. Surely she could work the mans death into her little plot to start a war somehow.

The inside of the building seemed to be as ugly as the outside as far as Arden was concerned, sleek and smooth floors that did nothing coddle those that walked upon it - nothing like the useful flooring of her own dorms. No wonder humans were so pathetically weak, it was a wonder really that they had managed to evolve as far as they had. Shaking her head slightly Arden fingered a few of the garments but the harsh patterns and soft texture turned her off almost as much as the smooth useless floor and she she dropped them carelessly to the ground in disgust. After looking around a bit longer she found what she thought might be a good way to harm the building - money was a strange and pointless thing as far as Arden was concerned but it seemed that the humans held it in high esteem and so messing with it was sure to harm them, she altered a good bit of the documents inside the office with the plan to somehow implicate the larger building in the alteration's once she got there. Finished with the first building she grabbed a few small items and then left it the same way she had entered and made her way to the second and larger building.

If anything this second building seemed to be worse then the first, even the way one went about entering and exiting the place was designed to cause as little effort as possible. It was absurd and loathsome as far as Arden and spoke the laziness of the humans as a whole. It disgusted her. Inside the same smooth texture greeted her bare feet though this time it seemed to be made of rocks and absurdly something that was even soft. Arden simply couldn't believe the way this species coddled themselves, they weren't doing themselves any favors but then as she had pointed out to herself earlier - you just couldn't expect animals to really consider anything beyond thier own comfort.

The garments in this store seemed to be more varied but none of htem impressed her - though she was certain they cwould some of the other clans. She wasn't here to admire or waste time considering the thoughts of other clans however and quickly turned her attention away from the clothing. A small room off to the side seems to be the head meeting room - or at least she had noticed several important acting people coming and going from inside. The chieftains of this establishment were far more worthy targets then the lowly cattle humans wandering about here with her in the open and so she ignored the shoppers and the tired looking human on the pedastal to make her way directly to the side room. Take out the leaders she knew and one was secure in the knowledge that they had delt a worthy blow to thier enemies.

Entering the small door, Arden saw that her guess was correct, a small cluster of the stores leaders seemed to be be gathered around and one of them did not look very happy - not that Arden particuarly cared about the tempers or moods of the humans before her. A quick look to make sure that no more of the human cheftains lingered near or seemed to be approaching the door and Arden was on the move. The two men standing before the desk died first, one with a quickly broken neck the other with a stab from the sharp looking instrument - a letter opener - that Arden had snatched up from the desk itself. The two bodies had barely hit the floor before she was vaulting the desk and jabbing the now bloody letter opener into the throat of the angry man behind the desk causing the scream building in his throat to end in a sad gurgle as he fell to the ground to bleed out his life. Satisfied with her work Arden scattered about the objects she had grabbed from the first building with the hopes of making this attack look like a retaliation or attack from the first. Finished with her task Arden left the building just as the bodies were being discovered, thier screams made a satisfying musical backdrop as she flew towards home.

Your Gaia Name: JetAlmeara
Your Minis Name: JetAlmeara
Choice 1: - Fly overhead and look around, looking for the task.
Choice 2: - Kick the door in.
Choice 3: - Kill him.
Choice 4: - Alter the documents you found in the office. While the concept of money is still odd, it is important to the humans. As this is a place that sells, it depends on money to survive.
Choice 5:- Do nothing; go straight to where you the cheiftains would be.
Choice 6:- Attack and kill them all, forging the attack to look like it was done in the name of the other business.
Choice 7: - Just leave. Your business is done, there is no reason to linger.
I, [MY GAIA NAME GOES HERE], FULLY UNDERSTAND THAT IF I WIN AND FAIL TO POST AN ENROLLMENT FORM WITHIN [NUMBER] DAYS THAT MY PRIZE WILL BE REVOKED.

I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO CHECK IN FOR THE FINAL PROMPT AFTER [END DATE HERE].