§¤:The Key to Eternity:¤§

[Zombehs]

He turned his attention away from Ayesha as a groan rumbled through the Citadel, the sound of metal beginning to fail. Not good… Raule thought as he looked around the room. In this room everyone would get thrown around like a rag doll if the ship did go down, and go down it seemed the ship would. “Hm?” he hummed as he turned back towards at Ayesha, but she never got to finish her question. The ship jerked before it began to fall towards the ground. There was no telling how high up they were or how long until the ship would hit the ground. Dropping to a knee, he finally let go off Ayesha and let her sit on the metal as the ship plummeted. Better than crushing the life out of her by accident… he thought as he braced himself for the inevitable impact.

~

As metal met earth, the entire ship shuddered before breaking apart. The walls crushed inwardly, air blasted over Raule and the pressure sent him flying backwards, away from Ayesha. Slamming into the cold steel, Raule lost his breath, feeling at least one rib crack from the impact. As he slammed back down to the steel floor, Raule grumbled miserably and annoyed. So much for a nice trip… he thought before he picked himself to find Ayesha beside him wearing a slight look of concern. “Yeah, it’s nothing...” he coughed as he spoke and gave his chest a small feel. Ugh… definitely broke my first and third rib… He felt the broken pieces as he tapped around, hissing lightly every time he felt a break. He’d live and be able to walk, but he’d have to find some time for Meditation as soon as he could. Looking around he saw a scene of wreckage everywhere around the Citadel. Teachers and students alike were injured, while the luckier few had their hands full.

“This is Serge, all of those who are not injured follow me, and I need your help with something urgent. I am located in the Bar and Refectory Corridor”.

Telepathy….. He frowned as the voice filled his mind without as much as a hint of difficulty. I need to find some defense for this, he noted before picking himself up with a small grunt. All around him the teachers had begun to do their jobs again, gathering students together at the command of the headmaster. “You’re fine?” he asked Ayesha as he lent her a hand in getting up. His mind was elsewhere though, running through what would happen next. Evidently along their intended path of travel the aircraft had encountered a Daemon of some sort. While he couldn't be certain it was the cause of the crash, Raule didn't find it too hard to believe. Now what does it want.... he thought to himself, over the noises that filled the Citadel.

[Kestrel]

Boko was, however, not very good with plans. He had four students on his side, and pushed the second towards the hooded man. The remaining nine would be impossible to evacuate quickly... Without answering, Boko pushed three more towards the hooded man's side; assuming that the minor wounds wouldn't stop the other students from helping their comrades to safety.

There was no way to fix a broken pipe (the gas had gotten to thick to even locate it) and they had no way to carry all the remaining students. “No.” Boko grunted roughly, picking the last ones at least out of the gas' range. He looked back; but all the other students were already much closer to the citadel than they were...

“We save who we can. Then we call for help.” Boko suggested. There wasn't much they could do now...

[HellOfALife]

Serge Te'mutin

A slight pain crept up the side of Serge's arm as he witnessed the arrival of some students, admittedly not as much as expected, but it would have to make do. Most of them seemed in a good enough condition to ride out with him, he wouldn't be able to determine whether or not they'd run into any Daemons so he couldn't mention anything about an easy mission, he couldn't promise that to the weary faced students in front of him. He unsheathed his bow, only then noticing the gash on his left arm. He tried to read the energies of the students surrounding him, noticing that one was healer, and a good number of his followers were Jinmei, which might as well complicate the mission as it was. The devastated portion of the vessel, was now hung as a molten metal trap with the infrastructure of rafters hanging down from its opening. Serge took careful steps around the makeshift entrance, expanding the palm of his hand to open the crushed metal into something of an entrance, a safe entrance. He looked behind at his team, shifting his bow forward to signal the start of their movement. His hand lowered to create something of a ramp for everyone else to step off, it would be unfortunate if everyone had to jump off in order to reach safety. He walked slowly off the edge of the metal plane, scanning the horizon for dangers, but could find nothing other than a cold, nippy wind, and Ruins spread across short choppy grass. One could only stare at the immensity of the destruction, and not too far off, where the grass settled and grew wildly, there existed a huge hunk of what seemed like stone....no....a hand, jutting out of the ground, reaching into the skies as if yearning for life. The Elf had been to many places but this was certainly foreign to him, luckily the ship was right on target, if it traveled any further it would have been taken by the storm now encircling the Hand ruin, which almost seemed like it was moving with the crackling of energy encircling its fingers. Any normal adventurer would have been excited by the prospect of something so mysterious, but Serge could hardly fathom the audacity to even want to move towards it, but they had to; 200 other lives counted on it. He only walked forward, making sure to move at a slow pace in case anyone was injured and need attention while they made their way towards the construct.

"I want you all to know that we'll be heading towards that ruin far off in the distance, it is; most likely, the reason why we were forced to crash, if we don't disassemble that energy, we'll all be stuck here rotting in these ruins, and I certainly don't plan to spend an eternity here. "

Spoiler

The ground rumbled slightly, as fog seeped into the small junkyard of ruin, the ruins were built atop victims of the previous Anathem, now nothing but charred remains, molded into one big blur of stone. Much of the battle was fought here, so it was evident that it remnants would be so obvious to anyone willing to visit. The natural semblance of energies around the area allowed a calming energy to pass through the graveyard, soothing, but eerie. Serge could sense that spirits lingered here far from the edge of death, stuck in the mortal realm to fulfill some discarded destiny. Out of the spirits who dared to show their faces, some of them bowed in respect to the team passing through, others only displaying a somber look, as if despair marked their very existence. Serge only pressed forward, concerned about the beyond.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ravielle Gullory

She had no idea what to honestly think, matters were moving so fast that she could hardly take a moment to think for herself. Not only that the sight of the junkyard of sorts chilled her as she stood near the makeshift opening, shivering slightly at the view. It was hard for her to imagine how brave the headmaster must have been to even challenge such a force, whilst she stood apprehensive. Yet, she wouldn't stand to stay inside the ship and do nothing while the others sacrificed their time and energy. After all, they did take this trip as some sort of adventure. Before moving on, she decided to utilize her abilities as much as she could.

'Does anybody need any medical assistance, I'm a trained healer..."

[Pockets]

Gareth groaned. The ground was hard and cool beneath his cheek and his body ached in ways that he really didn't appreciate but he didn't feel inclined to open his eyes at first. It took a few moments before he realized that the usual humming of the airships engines wasn't vibrating through the deck beneath him. That indicated that they had either landed the ship, or crashed.

Based on his memories of before he passed out he would imagine that they had crashed. "Oh fuck," he muttered. "What the hell happened?"

"Gareth, buddy. Would you mind getting your arm off of me. I can't really breathe."

He finally cracked his eyes open and caught sight of Toris the Dwarf ying beneath his heavy steel left arm and quickly rolled away.

"Sorry about that, my friend," he said and sat up, wincing as his head began to throb painfully. A quick check showed that he had a good sized not high on his forehead, obviously the reason he had backed out and he felt a bit woozy as he sat up. The nausea quickly passed though and he was able to look around with clear eyes. "What happened? Are you ok?" He stood and then leaned back down, one hand held out to assist the dwarf back to his feet if he needed it.

-----

Toris took the hand, getting up slightly dizzily after being trapped under a steel arm that limited his breathing and responded to the mans question. "I asked you why you reacted so to my question of your steel limbs. Then, the ship crashed, we went airborne, and came crashing down. With your heavier arm on my chest. And yes, in light of the situation, I'm fine. Well, as fine as one can be after several minutes of limited breathing."

Toris said cracking a rueful smile. "I suppose the answer to my question will have to wait. I think I heard Serge saying something about leaving and dissembling an energy source, but I'm not sure. Let's go." Toris tried to walk towards where he had heard the voice, but nearly fell over from both the dizziness and the pain in his ribs. Somethings broken. Toris thought, as he leaned against the wall he'd just stumbled against.

-----

"Oi," Gareth called as Toris stumbled into a wall. "Little man, I think you need some help... no offense," he added as he realized the 'little man' comment could be taken as an insult. "Here, I don't know about you but I need a drink. If it's important they'll find us." He reached down and grasped a hold of Toris, carefully lifting him so as not to agravate any injuries he may have.

He carefully carried the Dwarf through the ship, picking his way through over or around wreckage as needed until he arrived at the ships Bar to find a crowd already gathering there.

"Looks like I'm not the only one thinking a drink sounds good right now," he muttered as he walked in and heard Ravielle ask, 'Does anybody need any medical assistance, I'm a trained healer..."

Gareth grinned and hefted Toris up slightly to show him to her. "Aye," he called. "I haves me a Dwarf here that doesn't have enough common sense to get out from under a 600lb man when the airship he's traveling on drops outta the sky like a rock, cept the rock woulda done it with a bit more grace." He laughed quietly at his joke, wincing as he his head began throbbing again and looked around for a place to set Toris down.

[Rtron]

"Hey, You, fell on me. I could not avoid your massive frame." Toris protested as Gareth hefted him up as one would a baby to present to Ravielle. He would have felt indignant but his ribs hurt to damn much, along with the dizziness. "To stall the inevitable, 'What's wrong' I'll simply tell you. My ribs feel broken and I'm more dizzy than a simple knock on the head could explain away. Most likely from having 600lbs of unconscious form limiting my breathing for several minutes. Though I think it should pass in a few moments. Can't even cast an air ball."

Toris said the last part with a grin at Gareth, and tried to conjure an air ball it simply dispelled blowing air into the surrounding peoples faces. "I leave my self in your competent hands." With that Toris suddenly realized something. "Oh no. Oh no. Oh no... My armor and weapons maintenance kit. And all the little creations I had...they're probably landing right about now.." Toris moaned, thinking of all the little trinkets he'd created to past the time.

[Empath]

As Ayesha and Raule made their way through the now crumbled interior of the once grand airship, the once great corridors was now twisted into unrecognizable shapes. It was clear to Ayesha that Raule was somewhat forcing himself, she wasn't sure where he had been hurt, but it was obvious that something had happened to him as the ship crashed into the crust of the earth itself. It would mean no trouble for her to quickly glans at Raule's internal flow and thus figure out what was wrong, but for some reason she felt as this was an intrusion of privacy she felt was beyond what was acceptable - even in this sort of situation.
As the passed the last obstacle and entered what used to be the Bar and Refectory Corridor, she noted that Raule and her wasn't the only ones that had gotten out of the crash in one piece, or at least they seemed to have survived with only a few minor injuries - which in Ayesha's eyes was a big plus. As she scanned the room with her eyes she noted that she knew more than a few of the survivors, though she couldn't remember their names at this specific moment.
At the center of everyone's attention stood a man - or rather a giant. Even from this distance Ayesha could see that he was by no means an average sized man, in fact he wasn't a man at all. As her eyes studied him closer she realized that he was of the elven race, yet he didn't appear like most elves that had a slender figure. Instead it was clear to Ayesha that he had experienced many fights, and through that and the honing of his physical strength in training sessions, he appeared much more muscular than the image of an elf in her mind.
He does seem familiar though... she thought, still eating him up with her gaze as Raule and her made slow progress towards the group, she intentionally slowed her pace so that she wouldn't cause further harm to Raule whom was clearly hurt, yet didn't mention is, so neither did Ayesha, instead she tried to spot the path that would cause the smallest amount of strain - even going as far as taking the lead, a notion she hadn't done in the short amount they had known each other.

She gazed up at Raule, as they progressed closer to the group, noticing the distant troubled expression on his face, was this from the pain? Perhaps something else entirely? She frowned before opening her mouth, speaking with a surprisingly calm and stable voice.
"Looks like we weren't the only lucky ones, eh?" she spoke with a small smile before they got into the closer radius of the others. Before he could reply she turned her head around, her attention once again on the elf at the center of attention.
Who is he...? she wondered once more for herself, she could almost taste the answer and suddenly it hit her; the headmaster.
Memories of the many 'conversations' they had had in his office over the past four years blossomed in her mind, most of them ended in some form of punishment for reasons as petty as she having skipped a specific class or didn't bother listening to a teacher...
Ugh great... she grumbled in her head, but before she could sweat over this topic for any longer, the person of her troubled mind spoke, explaining what their 'mission' was.
So basically we are a scouting team, huh? she noted, well anything is better than rotting in this god forsaken ship I suppose... she added, and with that thought and a sigh she rolled her head, cracking her neck to release some of the tension that had been building up since this whole scenario began. She looked back at Raule, noticing that he too had been listening to what the high and mighty headmaster had been saying.
"So..." she spoke, this time with a more prominent smile, "are you up for this mission coming straight from our 'beloved' headmaster?" she grinned, adding in an almost teasing tone:
"... or are you too hurt for any of this?"
Before waiting for his' reply she walked made her way towards the improvised exit, or hole as it basically was, in the hull. Before her a landscape appeared that was so fascinating that it couldn't even have appeared in the dreams of a child in the darkest hours of the night. It was simply stunningly beautiful, yet at the same time emitting a sense of hostility that made it clear that it wouldn't hold back to swallow you whole. Yet this wasn't the only thing Ayesha sensed, as she stepped out of the protective shell of the now crashed ship, a wave of pure energy hit her. This place was definitely not a place she wanted to be, the various energies contained in this almost mythical place was so thick that she could almost taste.
She shuddered as a wave of discomfort hit her, she had to concentrate not to give in to the surrounding energies that swirled around her, pressing against her like high-pressure seeking towards a low-pressure zone. She shuddered once again, her jaws tightly closed as she followed the rest of the 'team'.
She really hated this 'curse' of hers...

[Whoami]

Marianne sat on a bench against the wall of the bar. Her eyes shifted between all of the individuals there, looking for her sister or even her brothers. She groaned in pain as her broken leg jerked a bit. As a response, Maria gripped her katana tight and clenched her teeth. When the woman spoke up to announce herself as a healer, she didn't hesitate to raise her hand immediately, "Right here. Broken leg." she took in a sharp breath.

"Maria?" a familiar voice spoke up from the crowd of people in the bar. It was Lilith! Marianne smiled in a relief as she watched her big sister move up to her. "Broken leg?! What the hell happened to you? Where did you go?"

Maria sighed, "I was trying to get to the citadel, and well... I got lost..."

Lilith pulled Maria into a hug, "Corvus went out to find you. Did you see him?"

Maria shook her head, "Nope. Good thing too..." she mumbled that last part.

"Excuse me?" Corvus asked with his arms crossed, he had been standing behind Lilith without either of them noticing; making Lilith jump a little in surprise.

The sisters both looked at him. Maria nodded, "You can sense the Aquila's Edge, brother. You knew exactly where I was..." her eyes narrowed.

Corvus only shrugged, "True. True. But whatever, you're alive so my end of the bargain is upheld. Now let's get you fixed up so we don't two burdens from a single person."

[Zombehs]

Raule couldn’t help but wonder how many students would make it out of the situation alive. The ship was utterly demolished, a wreck that would become part of the many ruins that dotted the Anathem in a matter of months. Pressing on despite the pain that flashed with each of his steps soon enough, even despite being mangled by the crash, he could make out the corridors that lead to the Bar. Evidently, from the noise, there was quite the number of survivors. As Ayesha took the lead, Raule was more focused on the headmaster whom seemed to be gathering the survivors. While Raule had seen the man several times before, he’d never gotten a chance to speak or interact with the powerful elf. Perhaps this little detour would provide more insight into the man who stood at the Academy’s top. Before that though, he’d have to do something about his damned ribs.

“Lucky? I suppose,” Raule muttered absentmindedly in response to Ayesha’s comment. He figured dying instantly amidst the crash would be a better way to go than being torn to shreds by the Daemons that lived amongst the Anathem. Listening to the headmaster speak and explain their “mission” Raule only became more certain that this was going to be a bloody day. There would be plenty of foes to be found in their destination, a ruin that swirled with malefic energies, so much that a storm brewed above it.

Shaking his head as Ayesha walked away after some comments; he supposed it was a good thing. He needed to Meditate by himself anyways, though it seemed that a few students hadn’t escaped with only minor injuries. They sat around the wreckage of the bar, a single healer to tend to the lot of them. Sucks for them, he thought before he took a seat amidst the cold metal and closed his eyes. A light hum filled the air around him as his body’s natural energies began to work, used up to speed his natural healing rate. A few seconds was all it took for Raule to feel the ribs beginning to mend, the bone shifting as the cracks began to heal and join again. It’d be a few more minutes before he’d be able to move, but time was hardly his greatest concern at the moment. He’d need to find some way to escape from the others without being noticed later. A fellow Daemon should be able to tell him more about this area.

[Kestrel]

How exactly they had done it, Boko still did not understand. However, dragging a small kart with the unconscious students piled up in it, he finally made it to the citadel. Where his hooded friend had gone, Boko did not know. They had been forced to seperate with the impending gas problems. What was important was that most of the victims had gotten out safely. Surely the mysterious student would do his part. It was too depressing to think otherwise.

“I'm sure they'll have proper burials. Now hush. Hurry up, dump those things and head out for glory!”

The spirit's comment was cold and careless, even by her standards. “You are too cheerful, Meliae.” Boko judged the spirit. “Would you not mourn the dead?”

“I am the dead, you ignorant oaf.” Meliae retorted, slightly frustrated. “Nymphs are not immortal.”

Boko sighed. He did not know much about his spirit's past. Or general being. Meliae would ignore him or insult his lack of knowledge, whereas Oread would abruptly change the subject, every time he asked. For some reason, even the mokay's elders did not give him insight into that information. It was as if his extensive library of ancient and otherworldly knowledge had a forbidden section. Perhaps multiple. This bothered Boko; he wanted to learn more.

As it's cries announced the mokay, his squeaky wheelbarrow filled with unconscious bodies was pushed into the improvised med bay (or rather; bar.) Because of this unpleasantry; the present facilities were quick to be put to use. “There are more coming. Three.” Boko briefed the staff consisting mostly out of volunteering students and only one of them knew healing magic... “A pipe has burst within the ship. Gas wiped out these students. They have inhaled excessive amounts.”

Having handed over his burdens, Boko moved on to the next task at hand. He knew this was not the end of their little study trip. It had been hard not to notice the ship land. However, his little detour had delayed Boko from arriving in time to hear Serge's speech and plan. In fact, he wasn't sure if the students had already been mobilised. Boko wouldn't have much of a choice, but to ask around. There was a small group of people and the healer tended to the leg of the girl in the middle of all the attention. Boko approached them.

“Where have other students gone to?” The mokay inquired, without much of an introduction on his part. “Have they gone outside?”