Surrounded by mountains and in seclusion in the southern region of Jiuam is bit of a fabled mine. Local folk tales tell of hauntings and creepy things that go bump in the night. Built up in the mountains where snow eternally covers the peaks, that very much holds true as the Haunted Mine is truly a zone of the restless. Once a mine sought for the riches and gold, it has been condemned and abandoned after the Plague. Unclear of exactly what haunts the mine or resides in or around, the remains of miners and the camp ground still yet remains as if untouched. An older smelter used for turning ore to precious metals and burn the impurities stands a bit away from the actual mine entrance itself. Old camping tents, furs, supplies and barrels remain, covered in snow and evidenced that they were not moved for quite some time. Nearby a lodge stands built of both stone and wood that once served as the housing for the miners. Pine trees are the common flora in the area along with small shrubs and bushes and the local fauna seems devoid of the area, as if discouraged from this haunted ground.
Created by Nero Inferni and Reiko Zena
Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2013 5:02 am
The earth speaks not, the fire stills and dies away, the wind is vague and the stream is tainted. The fresh elements, speaking of vile and oddball things, no coherent things, only a single thought, fear. Fire refuses to burn as fierce yet it must, water does not wish to be there; but it must, the wind fleets its way out and then the earth cries the most, stuck there. Such vile things over a cave, was there any good? Could there be something there that not even man would brave or perhaps it was all a misinterpretation altogether. Such curious things, it was rather interesting for some and discouraging to more.
A young woman, barely considering an adult if not even, stood a half mile away from where these odd tales have spoke of. As always, no elemental presence refused to give away privacy, it was vague at best. But no matter, she chased the tales of locals and those of her siblings, This area interested her, strove her to beckon what did lay slumbering within and see what frightens the wind so. She pushed a single silky black strand of hair out of her face and looked on with not fear but anticipation of what truly lied there.Maybe treasure, old bodies or burial grounds or maybe even a monster!
She smiled and gave a soft chuckle. Kenshin-sama wasn't around and she didn't feel too secure despite her anticipation. Both brother and sister were away too, wondering the scarred-land and the-rock-who-speaks-human-word. A truly fun land to live in, the wind speaks so freely and the earth is so eerie. So many tales lied within, so many opportunities and the dangers. She craved such a thing, attracted to mortal risk unlike any other girl who would rather be fat and sassy while married to the man with the biggest linings to their pockets.
Not her.
There was not a coin she cared for, not a thing she would slave over and try to alter fate. Why. Fate is as it should be, no man or woman should change that. Fate determines even a god or an element altogether. The air was chilled but the girl was fine, thanks to the softly glowing flame that clung to her like a mother to a newborn man-spawn. It maintained her warmth to a comfortable level, she rather be cold than hot after all. But she paused and thought for a moment, should she wait for Kenshin-sama or Fia-chan. Maybe Maxy-kun.
Youngest of three siblings, Michiyo was quite fond of her brother and sister, which didn't seemed to be the normal for humans. They punished the-bad-ones when they made her cry and they made her laugh and smile. She knew not of the-gibberish-tongue and they translated what others said for her, for her 'family' didn't care much. Why, she didn't know. She never knew the things of which could not be understood.
The trees. She thought in her native tongue and looked up then to the frost-covered pines, looking from for once not behind her mask and with her own eyes. Speaking softly, her voice tried to coax the chilled trees. Asking about the cave but there was only silence. Silent. she pouted.
"Steel Warrior? That is an old, long forgotten name. I am Veric Brener, the Iron Mercenary."
"The Mine is haunted!" For over one hundred years Veric had found children, and random folk to spread that rumor. So that whenever he needed to hide from Jiaum's authorities he could come here to the Haunted Mine. A desolate location where the chill of the forest helped dissuade the foolish meatbags of the veracity of the tales. The chill did nothing to Brener, he was Anima, built to last, built to simply live on.
He had been in this mines for a few weeks. Soon, he would set off again. He needed to find matrix add-ons, the wear and tear of time had done away with his old weapons and his previous matrices. All he had were some basic guns he had taken off the corpses of bandits, he neded to make money and soon. It wouldn't do to simply wither away. He had more pride than that.
He heard the crunch of footsteps out in the undergrowth of the forest, "Someone was braving the rumors? Impressive" he thought to himself. It was rare after all to have brave souls wander to this area. He wrapped his cloak around him, looks like he would have to terrify them, teach them the proper respect for the "ghosts" of the Haunted Mine.
No word still came the trees. Privacy was a must, it was good and the trees respected that much. All the elements did and she pouted. It didn't hurt to try anyways. The girl blinked her amber eyes and trekked up along the path, she really needed to wait for Kenshin-Sama and Fia-chan. But her lust for treasure was something else, she liked collecting things and it had become just about a habit as any other.
I'm bored... She thought, pursing her lips and decided to push on anyways. The some crunch of some snow was nothing for her, heated by the warmth of fire and under the safety of Otokoyo. Curiosity was truly her major flaw as she cleared through a copse of pines, brushing along their evergreen needles and came upon a camp that had long since been worked in. No fresh shoe prints in the snow save for day old tracks, animals? No. Something big and something heavy made some but her tracking skills weren't as great as Fia's. She once said she could sense the very souls... a load of pegasus dung? Maybe, but who knew, she spoke with the wind.
Michiyo blinked as she stepped up along the camp and looked to and fro. So the talees spoke of this place, those that she could understand anyways. She walked a bit into the old camp and inspected a few elements, an odd set of rocks forming a ring. Oaken round objects, barrels? Then the lodge toward the rear of the place, she dismissed the lodge as something to check out later.
Everything was too dark, and the girl was growing restless as she lifted her hands. A bit of magic fumed then around her body as it began to melt snow. She let out a shout that echoed in her own tongue before twirling around in one big display. Flames shot out and recklessly swung through the air. Snow melted and the wooden barrels caught aflame with a few saplings growing in the midst of the camp. She eased her self and smiled as the hungry flames lapped at the ground and fed her light in the dark dreary area.
"Steel Warrior? That is an old, long forgotten name. I am Veric Brener, the Iron Mercenary."
Flames shot out and recklessly swung through the air. Snow melted and the wooden barrels caught aflame with a few saplings growing in the midst of the camp. Veric narrowed his gaze and saw a smiling Kakurenbo light by the hungry flames that lapped at the ground and brightened the dark dreary area. "Elementalists." grumbled Veric to himself. They were always a problem, and their magical mastery of the element an annoyance, particularly with their willingness to employ water against Anima like himself. He retreated just a little into the mine. There was a certain location in them where the acoustics combined with his metallic tinged voice gave a particularly spooky effect to those who heard him.
He tried to be quiet but knew that his footsteps would echo eerily which might just heighten the effect if he was lucky. Once he got to the prepared area he reached up an grabbed a stone, it was a crucial component that kept a pile of such stones organized. Without the stone the whole pile crumbled in a manner akin to an avalanche. They sounded similar too, and the sound reverberated off the walls up towards the surface increasing and deepening in sound before bursting out of the mine.
Veric turned his head slightly before moaning out, "Who enters my domain? Who dares to defile the mine and tomb of Old Janni? Leave trespasser! Before I bring my judgement upon thee!! Leave! You are not wanted!!!" He finished off the speech with a cackle and deep hushed howl. Many would be adventurers had been frightened off by the Anima's speech. Hopefully, this Kakurenbo Elementalist would do much the same. If not, well... Veric always had his gun.
Kenshin was down deep in the mine, where he had been for weeks searching for ore that was left behind deep in the depths. The male had some old stores of stale bread and clean water in an outpost that was made by the minor's of his childhood. He missed the shine of the moon and the warmth of the sun, but he needed the ore and coal to restart the forge up top. There was a lot of cleaning up to do when he got back, and the first thing he wanted to do was get his father's forge back up and running. By now he had gathered enough coal chunks to get the forge started and to keep it running for a while which by that time he would, hopefully, have enough wood to keep it running.
[ Above was going to be my starting post and I was gonna work with it and expand it...but nooo you had to come posting in my home! ]
Several hours later Kenshin came near the entrance of the mines. His pack was full of coal, a pick was on his shoulder, and his sword was on his back. He was humming a simple no-sense tune to himself when he heard Veric's pile of rocks come falling down. The sound from inside of the mine was different, yet similar to the effect that Veric was hoping for people outside the mine to hear. Instead of an avalanche, the rocks sounded akin to a cave in. Turning his entire body around the male looked down the mine to see nothing out of the norm. The lanterns were still lit, and no cave in was visible to him and he calmed down a tab bit only to hear, "Who enters my domain? Who dares to defile the mine and tomb of Old Janni? Leave trespasser! Before I bring my judgement upon thee!! Leave! You are not wanted!!!" Which confused Kenshin, as he had never heard that since coming here and he wouldn't heard it a while ago.
Setting the pick on the ground Kenshin pulled his sword from his back and proceeded the rest of the way ready and alert. He saw the flames that Michiyo had created, and from the ambient light he saw Veric. Kenshin cleared his throat before saying, "Who are you, and what are you doing here?" His voice was somewhat low pitched, but not deep and boasting. It had a slight Italian accent to it.
[@ Hazaan: YE SHALNT CLAIM MY HOMESTEAD!!!! No seriously...I had this made for my house o.o you no claiming it]
Rolling rocks and the blaze of fire was an odd mix of the elements speaking. Michiyo paused then in the midst of her flickering flames that scorched her area clean and melted snow to catch what was happening. A ghastly sounding voice echoed nearby and she blinked once. Kenshin-sama came out nearby and this confused the girl as she tilted her head at such a predicament. Were all theses tales a lie? A faux word spread about?
In a way, she been disappointed more so than fear when the spooky voice spoke. I been lost. She realized and frowned at that, sliding her mask down to hide her face. Michiyo felt like she been deceived, while in the end she had only been chasing false rumors for the past few days and only to learn of this landscape to be Kenshin-sama's territory. But yet what caused the earth to still in its quiet whispers, or how the wind was?
Bad person. She thought and raised her arms in response. There the magical fires flared up as if pulled on like a puppet to a master's strings. Literally this body of flame picked itself up and levitated in the air itself as it became suspended by magic. Michiyo used a singlee hand and moved it in a swirling motion, the flame responded as such and moved in a shapeless mass like water.
From there she would not warn anyone as it wasn't her way when she was pissed. Unsure of exactly what laid where the voice came from or what caused rocks to fall, she assumed a magical presence. There a wall of a flaming body rolled over the snowy land and illuminated the area as it covered a good ten feet to rush forth to whatever laid there.
"Fire of the earth, burn in peace." She recited to her self as she casted her magic.
Element's Speech Passive Allows you to communicate with the elements in some form. They can't give you vital information, like where enemies are lurking or if you're being attacked but most other things are allowed.
Major Manipulation Rank E Similar to Minor Manipulation except this allows you to directly attack someone with the element in an unshaped (elemental skill) form. (Minor Manipulation is part of the Primary/Secondary list not released in this patch.)
"Steel Warrior? That is an old, long forgotten name. I am Veric Brener, the Iron Mercenary."
Though he was nowhere near the entrance of the mine, Veric could hear the cry of male shouting "Who are you?" as well as the roar of fire. He stared to prepare the immediate area. If he was to fight, he needed to prepare. It just wouldn't do to let what seemed to be two people, maybe more, ambush him. Grabbing a few empty bottles he shattered them in his large metallic hands, then threw them into the tunnel joining the surface to the cavern. Though they likely wore shoes, they would still break the pieces; it would alert Veric when they were close. The good thing is that the dim light would help Veric, who had a much better eyesight than most meatbags.
He unholstered his rifle and ducked behind some cover. Which for his size (almost 15 feet) was impressive; thankfully he could crouch behind a boulder to the side of the cavern about 9 feet in height. Prepared, Veric now just needed to attract his possible enemies or get them to leave. "Go away! My fight is not with you, if you leave now I won't hurt you." If they heeded his advice it would serve to defuse the situation and if not... well they would then approach this area. Which would serve as a killzone, though Veric Brener would aim to wound. He would only kill, if forced. Deaths at the haunted mine that looked like combat would be bad. Hiding bodies was never... easy, but Veric might just have too.
(OoC: Not actually near the entrance of the mine, Kenshin shouldn't have seen him. That said, knowing that the mine isn't haunted would likely lead you to act the same way.)
A Mechanical Soldier rolled 1 20-sided dice:
5Total: 5 (1-20)
Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 8:06 pm
☽ⓂaximⓃakamura☾
===========================
☯
Age: 19 | Height: 5'6'' | Weight: 148lbs
O.O.C.: ( ) Thoughts:"I best be getting back..."
"One of Chaos and creator of Man, heed my plea and assist mine action."
The flare of flame from the distance wasn't a good sign and the man had immediately taken to sprinting across the forest. His skill of parkour cleared the fallen logs and rocks easily. He waved his hand to try his attempt at an illusionary sound of an explosion near the iron man. But the energy flickered and only faltered and refused to comply. Damn it.
His sister was in the midst of casting her magic and he didn't want that, not near Kenshin's mine. If she attacks... it'll get out of hand. Max thought as he shouted out to the three.
"Sister! Quell your flames! Lest you create another wild fire!" He stopped himself in front of her, cutting her path to where the flames were aiming at. He clapped his hands together and focused on his energy to see the chi around. The faint glow of an enormous flickered in his sight as the monk called out then.
"Kenshin-san, calm my sister. She'll only listen to you or Fia-chan." Maxim would then take a few steps and hear the call from inside the mone, so he called back as well. "Metal Man, I see your chi very slightly. Whatever the situation may be, please let us settle this with no violence."
Mood: Traveling
Mantra: Active
Mantra of Emotion: Based of the Maker, Grix, this Mantra boosts Fire skills and summon attacks by a rank, as well as granting the user a Speed boost (+2), and the ability to tune into the enemies and cause their emotions to run rampant, amplifying what they feel.
Skills:
Used skills will be bold and given a description E - Sensing Chi - Fool Scent - Warmth D - Iron Form - Alone in the world - Chi Assault - Ralph Strike - Chi Strike - Off - Minor Illusion - Distracting Sound - Sudden Wound - Fire Bolt
- Deal C Rank Damage with their Standard Attacks - easy to break rope and wire bindings, taking only one post. - Cannot break through any surfaces without using skills designed to do so - does 130 damage per standard attack - Two standard attacks per post (three if you use two blades) - 6 dodges - 70 feet of running - Jumping 20 feet as long as you only make two attacks in a post - May reduce the charge time of a spell by 2 posts by sacrificing 2 dodges
Kenshin watched as a wall of fire was sent towards the entrance of the mine, the sudden change in the levels of light that his eyes picked up, blinding him from the darkness of the cave, leaving him with no idea where Veric was. Not like he particularly cared, as long as the man didn't mess with him, all Kenshin wanted to know was why he was there. He sheathed his sword and was about to backtrack to where he left had left the mining pick that he found inside of the mine when Maxim appeared and told him to go calm his sister, and called him Kenshin-san. "Another person, and here I figured this place was hard to get to," he thought to himself. "Wait wait wait, who are you and what do you mean your sister will only listen to me. I don't know your sister," said Kenshin to Maxim.
[ Never said near the entrance just that he saw you using the ambient light. Also, he was behind you technically the entire time ]
Posted: Fri Apr 19, 2013 6:06 am
☽ⓂaximⓃakamura☾
===========================
☯
Age: 19 | Height: 5'6'' | Weight: 148lbs
O.O.C.: ( ) Thoughts:"Awkward..."
Maxim bit his lip as he heard the male had no recollection of his sister. This would be an awkward conversation later. 'So he doesn't know his little stalker. Wonderful.' The monk let out an uneasy sigh, this is why he traveled and did not meddle in his sisters' affairs. He knew the girl was a little too interested in this man and there had been no changing her mind on that matter.
"I do not know you either, but she has... taken an interest in you so to speak." He said and referenced to Michiyo. "I don't know how else to explain it, but she's...attracted?" Maxim tried to word it right and failed.
(( Think we should like do a skip ahead in time. I am oh so confused now. lol Improvising on the spot. ))
Mood:Calming things down.
Mantra: Active
Mantra of Emotion: Based of the Maker, Grix, this Mantra boosts Fire skills and summon attacks by a rank, as well as granting the user a Speed boost (+2), and the ability to tune into the enemies and cause their emotions to run rampant, amplifying what they feel.
Skills:
Used skills will be bold and given a description E - Sensing Chi - Fool Scent - Warmth D - Iron Form - Alone in the world - Chi Assault - Ralph Strike - Chi Strike - Off - Minor Illusion - Distracting Sound - Sudden Wound - Fire Bolt
- Deal C Rank Damage with their Standard Attacks - easy to break rope and wire bindings, taking only one post. - Cannot break through any surfaces without using skills designed to do so - does 130 damage per standard attack - Two standard attacks per post (three if you use two blades) - 6 dodges - 70 feet of running - Jumping 20 feet as long as you only make two attacks in a post - May reduce the charge time of a spell by 2 posts by sacrificing 2 dodges
Fia looked up into the sky as a light breeze blew through the area. She was walking down a trail that, hopefully, would lead her to her siblings. However, a curious scent stopped Fia in her tracks. From under her hood and behind her mask, Fia’s blue and yellow eyes narrowed. ‘Smoke?’ she sighed heavily after a moment. ‘What is going on now?’ While she was curious about the smell of burning wood mingled with the scent of her siblings, Fia could also smell at least one other person with them.
She had some how lost sight of them not to long ago, but it hadn’t taken her long before finding their scent. Although, walking calmly down the trail, it didn’t appear that she had much concern for the smell of smoke shifting on the winds.
Coming to the of the trail, Fia crouched down behind a tree to see if there was any kind of trouble that her siblings had gotten into. From what she could see there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. Michiyo seemed to have started a fire which wasn’t anything entirely new. Maixm didn’t seem to know what to do or wasn’t doing a very good job of calming anything down. Fia sighed a little bit and stared at the two people she didn’t recognize. One was a giant metal man and the other was a human about the same age as her little sister. Fia made sure her hood was covering her head and face up before walking out from behind her tree.
“Michiyo, Maxim.” Fia walked over to her siblings and more or less ignored the two strangers for now. “Why are you two here?” looking around she couldn’t see any other reason than her sister’s abnormal obsession with the human boy. “What‘s going on here anyways?” Fia asked. So far she hadn’t bothered to speak to the metal man or the human boy, but as she waited an answer from Michiyo or Maxim she did stare at the two in silence.
Some time had passed and the girl donning the mask had quelled her hungry flames the moment another woman arrived on scene. In fact her attitude changed drastically as she churned the fire with her hands and shot it upwards toward the sky. From once a sea of flame, burning away and melting the snow, was pulled to the epicenter into a ball before shooting up toward the sky, leaving smoke and embers as apart of its trail. With another motion of her hand, this blazing ball of flame erupted and made several louding popping and burning noises in the air.
The little display was a bit random to say the least, but Michiyo held her left hand upon her mask and held no concern of it all. Her sister was there and that's all it mattered. "Oh nothing, Elder Sister. Thought it be nice to give a nice firework display." The oh so innocent voice said, concealing a grin from behind the mask as she pulled off the mask she wore. Underneath the mask she was younger than she appeared, such magical power she had had quite literally stunted her very growth as she was much shorter than even Fia.
"I chased rumors of a haunting... I was excited till it was proven to be false by-the-metal-one." Michiyo gave a glance then to the towering iron-giant loaded with various 'boom booms' or guns. It wasn't natural, even though he wasn't a ghost... it still wasn't natural. In fact she was curious of the metal man, sentient living pile of metal and rusted components thrown together. She pulled her mask down and hid her face once again before slowly approaching the metal man.
Stopping a few feet away, she looked over at the human first from behind her mask. She grinned at him, even though he would not see it and glanced back at the machine. So many questions, so many things to clear that this monstrosity of nature was something entirely different. It denied the law of nature and became something else entirely, such as the foul undead were or dispicable vampires. Yet there was not a trace of flesh or life to it, only the knowledge that it was not normal.
She said something in her native tongue of being cold, flicking her left shoulder to dust off a few flakes of snow. Like thicker, moist powdery dust. "The air dislikes you, metal-one. The earth trembles at your feet. Water seeks harm to you and fire refuses to feed off you." She said, reciting the four main elements that she could hear and listen to currently. The elements did not speak in words, it spoke with natural urges and a type of emotion.
"I want you... " Blunt and straight to the point, Michiyo rose her hand then as land and air almost seemed to shift from her exerting her control of the elements. "Your metal body interests me, as well as your presence. Rumors of a haunting led me to you and I been expecting something to take...back with me." She paused at that and turned her back to the metal man, confident that she'll be safe rather her elder sister and brother would strike if he did anything. But she had a feeling that he wouldn't for instead her gaze settled on the human.
Pulling off her mask, she took it completely off and shook her hair to loosen it from being bound together. She flashed yet another grin, but this he would be able to see. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Kenshin-sama. I'm Michiyo... someone who's been interested in you as a person."
((Since it's meant to be a skip in time here to prevent confusion, gonna assume the metal man came out finally.))
Element's Speech Passive Allows you to communicate with the elements in some form. They can't give you vital information, like where enemies are lurking or if you're being attacked but most other things are allowed.
"Steel Warrior? That is an old, long forgotten name. I am Veric Brener, the Iron Mercenary."
It was an odd sight, these people so full of life and laughter. Brener had forgotten what that was like... so long he had been running from Jiaum authorities. The youngest seemed the most unhinged, and reminded Brener of an old friend, a Warlord of old that bended the elements much like this one did. He did not believe in the concept of reincarnation but there might be something to the old argument. He had avoided any damage as they tried to flush him out, and now he stood out in the open. Fearing little.
The strange little one approached him. "The air dislikes you, metal-one. The earth trembles at your feet. Water seeks harm to you and fire refuses to feed off you."I am of metal and move much amongst the elements as beyond them, their displeasure means little. Then she stated her desire to... possess him, for a lack of better term. This would not do, even if he intrigued the strange little one. Brener would not return to being a possession, a thing. "I will not... be your thing little one. I may be of metal but I am a person."
