Outside

“Psh, you have yet to prove yourself.” Omar reminded Ben. Such snooty comments usually rubbed him the wrong way, but not this time. Omar had every intention of punching Ben repeatedly, while claiming he was trying to use motem alchemy to heal this prick. That way, no one could ever blame him for those additional bruises and potential bone fractures. “Get ready, Benny! It’s Mr. Barbarian’s time to shine.”

Throwing his fisted hand back, Omar took a deep breath and swung it forward. He grinned ever so slightly, as he anticipated the pain he’d be causing this guy every soon. However, like any other day in Innocence, even great plans get thwart at the very last second. Today, it came in the guise of a gushing woman who had swept him, the funky haired Smurf and Miss Quiet into a tight hug. Omar puffed up his cheeks as he allowed himself to loll about limply to minimize any internal injuries.

“Say, Lady Chrono, why don’t you go steal a kindy or maybe a 13-year-old? I’m sure there’s one fuss free cutie in the cafeteria right now. Not hard to miss him. Blonde, quiet kid eating pasta with ketchup.” Omar was cut short, as the grip tightened slightly. Immediately, he thought of ways to divert the unnecessary (and painful) adoration. “The kindies are here – so’s that guy!” The boy’s last few words were muffled, because he was gritting his teeth till his jaw muscles were beginning to bulge.

Omar looked round, literally contorting his body in ridiculous angles, in a futile attempt to get some help from the rest. Sadly, two of them have decided to move on and things were getting ugly fast. Heck, Mr. Shadow was right. No one should mess with that crazy, old geezer! Heck, he wasn’t even sure the rest of them will be spared. They were all gonna be dead by association or something equally ludicrous!

Adrenaline spiked through his body, and in a moment of clarity Omar remembered how he managed to avoid getting squished to death by a teacher long, looong time ago. Slowly, the boy reached behind and began wiggling his fingers as close to the woman’s armpits as possible. He left fluttery trails up and down her side, while focusing on generating even more motem energy. Even if she wasn’t ticklish, at least, he’d have enough oomph for his next trick. Which was about… NOW!

“Cannon ball!” The dark skinned lad yelled, as he threw out his arms like some weird action hero wannabe. Immediately, an invisible bubble mushroomed around him, shoving those close to him far, far away. Not wasting another second nor sparing a thought for his fellow captives, Omar dashed towards Kiarra. “Incoming!”

Why he was doing this? Why did he even care? These rational questions were shunted to one side, as the boy continued in a single-minded determination towards his groupmate. It did occur to him that perhaps they could talk it out, but the thought came a little too late. Omar rammed straight into Geko and Kiarra just as his poorly constructed barrier-ball popped. Oh shit! Within a blink of an eye, Omar found himself deeply tangled within the resulting pileup. The poor student swallowed.

“Oh hey … Sir, I – I love you!” The 16-year-old boy cried out of panicky desperation. He didn’t care that he’d probably had zilch dignity at this point, because all that matters was that he and Kiarra weren’t gonna die a horrid death. Quickly, the boy wrapped his arms round Geko’s chest and pressed his head against the guy’s shoulder.

“Can I call you Daddy and her Mommy?” He asked with the best pouty smile he could muster. Maybe, just maybe, he’d be able to score some brownie points with the Chrono and she’d get her husband to spare them. “I really, really admire you and wannabe like you.” Yup, he was laying it thick alright.

Vail barely paid attention as someone called her out. She did not care. If she had spilled some brat's juice box then that was their problem, not hers. Not only that, Alistair was giving her another one of his lectures, something she had learned to drown out with remarkable efficiency. He would say something about responsibility and how impressionable young people could be, going on and on like a human resources instruction video, and that while Vail had every right to dislike A.M.R.O. she should at least understand that for all the bad they do, they have the right idea in mind. Vail nodded, although she refused to respond in any other way. Her hatred for A.M.R.O. was passionate, and she made every chance to rebel. That was not something one talk would be able to stop.

Clearly someone disapproved of that, as something flew past her, ricocheting off of a wall and striking her hand with remarkable force. She pulled her hand back, more out of shock than pain, as Henry stilled covered and shielded her left hand. Vail opened her mouth to curse, wreching herself away from Alistair's grip and turning. She raised a gloved hand, pointing it directly ahead at where she assumed the cane had come from.

"If you try and pull that shit one more time I swear I'll-"

A whole other serious of curse words fell from her mouth when she saw who exactly had thrown the object, and what the object was. A cane. Her fist clenched so tightly that even Alistair could hear the sound of metal grinding and bending against metal, groaning as the strength of Vail's clenched fist started to deform the very alloy that made up her left gauntlet. Her eyes were wild and her cheeks had turned a bright red.

Joux was everything Vail hated. A stuck up, arrogant, patronising little man who dedicated his life towards putting people like herself down just because he was he was an authority figure. That was far from his worst crime, however. Vail had been taught by this very man through her years as an apprentice Asylum, as had Alistair, and that had taught her one crucial thing about Joux that infuriated her more than anything else in the world.

He was stronger than her.

Vail brought her hand around and slammed it into a corner of a concrete wall, tearing out a solid, fist sized chunk as she did so. She grit her teeth, her breating heavy and erratic as she felt her blood boil. Vail thought her time with the old bastard over, but no, even graduation did not offer her sanctuary.

Alistair rested a hand carefully on her shoulder, and Vail almost brought her other arm around to punch him. She managed to restrain herself this time, but only just. "Relax. He's challenging the other students, not us. Head outside and take a breather for a moment."

"Fucking fine. Just don't get your hopes up that I'll be there when you're done."

Patting her gently on the back, Alistair leaned in and whispered something briefly in his companion's ear before he let her storm off, bumping into a few other nervous students as she passed. He gave a brief smile. Vail was angry, but she was learning. A.M.R.O. had torn her from her family and those memories were still quite fresh in her mind. Joux represented everything she hated about the organisation, and while Alistair was on good terms with Joux, he understood her pain. He had just learned to cope with it better than she did.

He turned on the spot, and as a single penny flew towards him he brought up his umbrella. Joux was accurate, only made stronger by his alchemy, but if anyone was fast enough to react to one of his attacks it was Alistair. He flicked his wrist, bringing his umbrella around in a full circle up just in time to knock the penny out of the way. Alistair carried the momentum around and brought Piper back down again, the tip of the umbrella tapping the solid ground audibly. The penny flew of to the side, hitting the wall and clattering to the floor. Alistair just grinned and leant forward, supporting himself with his umbrella.

"Joux! Is that really any way to greet an old friend?" Alistair bowed, walking with swayed, erratic footsteps as he started to approach the older man, tapping his umbrella against the ground as he walked. "You still enjoy throwing your students to the wolves, I see? At least try not to go too hard on them, will you?"

The coin struck Elliot directly between the eyes.

The real kicker? Had she not been absently touching her lips, staring bewilderedly after the redheaded kiss-thief like a deer stuck in some proverbial headlights, she probably could have evaded. Done a sweet, badass roll, or even just . . . shuffled awkwardly to the side, or something.

But, since this was apparently her penance for some sin committed in a prior life, no sick kickflips were to be had. Instead, Elliot flinched and took a heavy step back, wobbling precariously on unsteady legs. Shortly after, her world exploded in pain. It pulsed through her skull in jagged waves, igniting every single nerve ending she had, and it took every last vestige of willpower she could muster to bite back a yelp. Her hands clapped against her aching forehead, fingers gripping the skin tightly in a futile attempt to relieve some of the pressure.

It didn't work, because of course it didn't, and really, she probably should've known better by this point. Wasn't there some kind of bullshit law dictating bad luck? 'If something can go wrong, it will', or however it went? In this case, something had indeed gone very wrong. Catastrophically, even, because this delusional old geezer had almost dented her fucking skull!

Still clutching her aching forehead, features contorted into a cross between a snarl and a grimace - which lessened the overall impact exponentially - Elliot's eyes darted rapidly around. All she needed was a pipe, no matter how small or brittle. One pipe, one iron rod, even the bottom of a lunch table, and her alchemy would handle the rest.

"Hey, what the hell is your damage?" she snapped, levelling Joux a steely glower. "Don't lump me in with these idiots - I'm a bystander, I didn't do a damn thing! Don't you people eat up that 'saving the innocents' shit on a spoon?" And, predictably, her mouth gathered the makings of her yet-unformed plan, and unravelled them quickly and without remorse. Of course she'd mouth off. Of course she would, like a complete and utter jackass. Yeah, great job, shit for brains! Just provoke him further, why don't you? See if he'll throw a knife next time!

Distraction. She needed a distraction, something to keep him occupied so she could scavenge for a weapon - the coins, maybe? No. They weren't iron, so they were absolutely worthless. Can't even propel them back up his ass where they belong.

That idiot redhead had done something to her head, clearly. Why couldn't she concentrate?

"Excuse me, my dear," said a voice from behind Elliot as a finger tapped her gently on the shoulder. Behind her stood Alistair who tilted his head to the side as she turned to face him, a smug smile on his face. He had spotted her amongst the crowd as she had been involved in the fiasco involving Vail and the red haired woman, and she seemed rather distraught. Alistair never missed an opportunity to stick his nose in where it was not welcome. He moved his hand slightly to rest it on her shoulder and leant against her very gently. "You seem to be having a little trouble. I thought I might be able to offer you some help. First of all, this may help you think a little more clearly."

A rush of alchemy flooded Elliot's mind, blurring her vision for the briefest moment. As her sight returned she saw the cafeteria, as various rookie alchemists charged towards Joux, hoping to steal the glory and be the one to take him down. The fighting was fierce and swift, difficult for the eye to keep track of, but as moments passed, the movements of Elliot's fellow students seemed to slow. Their steps were sluggish and their punches seemed to move in slow motion.

"Relax, sweetheart," Alistair continued, although even his voice seemed unsually slow. It was hard to follow, albeit not impossible if Elliot concentrated. "My alchemy specialisation focuses on altering the mind's perception of the world around it. In the simplest terms I can use alchemy to speed up or slow down the reaction times of others. I have tweaked the way you see the world so that you might have a little more time to think and plan your method of attack. Now we have a few moments to talk. What was it that you were searching for so fiercely? A focus for your alchemy, perhaps?"

"Oh fuck!" Maeve shouted as she saw Joux's hands flick and the pennies leave them. Immediately she threw herself on the ground, feeling the coin rip through her hair as she dove. Rolling away and towards a table, which she promptly flipped over and took cover behind, Maeve began speaking Irish. "Lanna de cnámh a throid namhaid mianach. Lanna fola agus bhfeice. Lig dom caith iad le cruinneas Cernunnos." More bone blades sprouted from her hands, five in all. Maeve, hands bleeding from the wounds, stood from behind her makeshift cover and threw four of her six knives, one after the other. They flew with unnatural accuracy towards him.

As soon as each one was close enough to Joux, about a foot away, she snapped "Pléascadh i dtreo Joux!" And the knives exploded into many shards of bone, all aimed directly towards Joux. They didn't have enough force to go deeply enough into flesh to kill him, but they would certainly hurt. It was a simple logic. If Joux was hurt, he couldn't fight back. She didn't want to kill him, though she doubted she could, but hurting him was completely and utterly fair game.

A dizzying wave of nausea crashed over Elliot, filtering her vision through a hazy blur. Maybe it was the grueling grate of the gaudy pink suit assaulting her eyes, or some latent case of vertigo, but she couldn’t figure out which was spinning faster: the world, or her head. Considering she'd just suffered what was probably severe brain damage - what the hell was wrong with the teachers at this school, seriously - she was banking on the latter.

Was she hallucinating? Was this her punishment for committing a crime in a previous life - was suffering through this encounter some twisted, sadistic form of atonement? Hopefully, this tacky creep with the ostentatious garb was just a figment of her overtaxed imagination.

There was no way it was humanly possible for someone to have such a horrible fashion sense, anyway. Elliot was no couture connoisseur, but seriously, head-to-toe pink? At his age? Disgusting.

"Normally, I make it a point to not talk to people that can't shouldn't be allowed to dress themselves, but I'll do you a favor and make an exception." Rude, yes, but maybe he'd been living his life in genuine ignorance, drifting through his days blissfully unaware of his predicament. Maybe the poor sap'd been waiting for someone to come along and rescue him - like, stage an intervention, maybe. "You sure it worked? Everything's all slow and fuzzy and my head hurts." She paused, then, with a noncommittal shrug, amended, "Could be the concussion, I guess - d'you know how hard that bastard hits?"

"That's normal, dear. It takes a little while to get used to it," Alistair replied. "I have only applied a mild change to your perception for now so that you can get used to it. I am used to a slightly stronger dose than what you are currently experiencing, but I know how disorienting it can be first hand and I am trying to help you, not hinder you. Now, you still haven't answered my question?"

A pensive look crossed her face, brows furrowed thoughtfully, and, swivelling her gaze toward the pink nightmare before her, she said, "Yeah, guess so - can't tear that guy a new one without a weapon, and I can only conduct my alchemy through iron. Kind of dumb and inconvenient." She surveryed him almost curiously, and her gaze locked on the umbrella at his waist. Her eyes lit up, and the gears in her brain kicked into overdrive. "Hey, gimme that umbrella - I'll forgive that hideous suit if you do!"

What she counted as approval - tolerance, in just about anyone else's book - was as good a bargaining chip as any, right? Besides, maybe, if she saved his ass - since there was no way anyone that blatantly colorblind was even remotely competent - she could convince him to give up the gaudy pink. A total win-win, if she did say so herself.

Alistair raised his umbrella up, inspecting it for the briefest moment. "This old thing? What could you possibly need this for?" he asked, although he did not hesitate to toss the umbrella up into the air, letting it spin once before he caught the opposite end with his open hand. He held the umbrella out for her to grab by the handle. "It is a rather unorthodox weapon, hon, so it is difficult to handle for those inexperienced in its use. However, if you feel like you may be better able to face Joux with such a weapon at your disposal then by all means, go ah-"

"Yeah, yeah, okay, sure," Elliot said, impatience bleeding into her voice as she grasped at the proffered soon-to-be instrument of mass destruction. That was, as soon as she made some necessary modifications, namely making it about a hundred percent cooler. Seriously, what kind of massive tool carried around an umbrella indoors?

With a sharp swish of the wrist, the umbrella was extended to its full length. One hand steadied the hilt as it swayed in her grip, the metal cool against her fingertips. The other slid up the shaft, brushing against the textured canvas.

She snapped it in two with all the cheerful nonchalance of an absolute maniac, a wide, unsettling battle grin - or was it a leer? - unfurling on her face. "Aw, shit, I broke it," she deadpanned, sounding exactly the opposite. Her voice brimmed with unbridled excitement, and the urge to fight, to pound fists against flesh and watch that conniving, slimy old fuck pay.

Alistair physically cringed when he saw his weapon so carelessly ruined. "Oh, please don't- no, there's no need to- If you wouldn't mind just-" His head quickly fell into his hand as he realised his efforts were fruitless. "Even Vail would be a little more considerate..."

The hilt elongated with a series of rattling clinks, and the sharp fragments of metal clinging resolutely to the canvas were drawn to the makeshift shank as if by bullshit hero magic - or, she noted almost wryly, magnetism, which wasn't nearly as lame. It was a crude approximation of a sword, all jagged edges and brittle, uneven points and perhaps a bit too flat and slender to sustain more than a single slash, but it was a sword nonetheless.

She shot the fashion atrocity a sideways look. "The jackass with the gauntlets? You don't mean the idiot that dragged me into this mess!" The hand not occupied by the makeshift montrosity curled into a fist, clenched so tightly the knuckles turned white. Considering how pale she was normally, it was kind of a neat trick. "Whatever, doesn't matter. How do I kick this fucker's ass?" she asked, gesturing to Joux.

The man beside her ran a hand thoughtfully across his chin as if stroking an imaginary beard. "Look at the way he stands. He puts more weight on his right leg. That is because his left leg is a prosthetic." He motioned briefly to Joux's left leg, and then to his right hand. "And his right hand? Joux injured it long ago, and it is much harder for him to fight with that hand than it is for him to use his left. That should give you just enough of an opening for you to strike his leg and make him lose balance."

Alistair playfully pat the woman on the back. "Good luck, dear, and make sure you land the first hit. Joux won't give you a second."

Determination blazed in her eyes, wild and intense, and with an unsettling battle grin plastered on her face like war paint, Elliot afforded the colorblind menace a perfunctory nod. Fake leg, fucked-up arm, got it. Probably got loads of cheap tricks up those ugly sleeves. Don't get cocky, you asshole, she warned herself, legs tensing in preparation.

She brandished the patchwork sword with a dramatic flourish, and, eyes locked steadily on Joux's right hand, she launched. Her shoulder strained with the force behind the swing, every muscle and tendon was screaming in protest, and the hilt was jagged and uncomfortable in her hand, but she didn't care.

Didn't have time to care. All she could do was slash and hope it connected.

A brief yawn escaped the instructor's mouth as he twiddled his cane, observing the students craft a scheme. If this little charade was realistic the lambs wouldn't receive the generous allotment of time to brew up a counter measure. However such is how Asylums are trained, their minds are molded into being able to deduce weakness and exploit opportunity in split second moments. So far from what Joux had observed, his current students were sub par at best.

"They have yet to leave behind their past; clinging to a bygone period, to hope. I pity them for what cruelty they are destined for," Joux silently contemplated before fixating his gaze upon Maeve. Even before the child could proceed with her incantation, she made it far too obvious to evade the oncoming assault.

"Far too predictable," The instructor scoffed as he calmly appeared to adjust his footing, his fingers sliding into his pocket and reloading on coins.

"Lanna de cnámh a throid namhaid mianach. Lanna fola agus bhfeice. Lig dom caith iad le cruinneas Cernunnos."

"Too long child, your incantation is far too long based on this situation," he criticized the student midway. "I could kill you in half that time from fifteen different angles and in all this time you just finished your third sentence." Joux continued, his head shaking in disapproval as he observed the blades the child conjured from her flesh, hurling them towards him.

In the world of Alchemy there are several unique forms which are utilized, however every form of Alchemy falls under a preset class that determines its nature. There is destructive alchemy, constructive alchemy and evasive alchemy. The latter is a field where Joux is ranked only second to Geko, in terms of mastery.

Through Joux's eyes, this scenario appeared as if a lovely equation. The second the child flung her knives, he not only saw the blades but also their vectors. A straight line depicted their impact point, the velocity and estimated time till contact. However all this was excluding his peripheral vision, for what he observed outside the center of his vision were thousands of vectors. A clutter of webs each depicting different angles through which he could intercept the knives based on various probable out comes.

Despite having ample opportunity to discard the blades mere seconds after their thrust, his curiosity wouldn't allow it. With fiendish anticipation he allowed the blades to inch closer, the vectors and equations constantly readjusting in his vision.

"Ah, I have used this trick before" Joux callously retorted, hurling all the coins between his fingers in a 360 degree radius to counter the bone shards. Without even considering moving, he quietly observed his coins make contact with the shards, darting from one to another crushing them in the process.

“Do you wish to know why your attack failed? It is not because of how unbearable predictable it was but the same reason that other girl will fail,” Joux crowed, his tone confident as if not stating an opinion but declaring a predestined fact.

“It is because of your alchemic drives. I can sense your attack before you even initiate it,” as soon as he turned, as if per queue another brat appeared to charge him, wielding an excuse of a sword. Utilizing his alchemy he could easily draw a vector which depicted the girl’s gaze targeting his injured hand.

“Impressive you didn’t hesitate to exploit my weakness, however you were too fixated on it,” before the girl could even take a swing of her sword she would find herself tripping over the cane Joux had conveniently thrown in her path. Instead of slicing him, she would merely slide past him into an assortment of chairs.

“Let me explain what an Alchemic drive is ladies, you see alchemy in essence is energy that fills this world. We Alchemists have the ability to draw from this endless pool of energy and convert it instinctively into what we want. It is basic cause and effect; if we draw energy we will release it. The amount of energy absorbed and then released is known as your alchemic drive. If you are unable to properly control it you can easily give away your position as well as your intent to kill. This is the mistake both of you ladies made, as such I am placing both of you under Alistair and Vail so as to learn control over your Alchemic Drives.” With his lecture finally finished the teacher calmly limped off to his office, though not before whispering good luck, in an eerily ominous tone, to Alistair.

----------------------------Xx------------------------xX------------------------
“What in God’s holy name is th—“ before Geko could finish his sentence, the flabbergasted Asylum found himself on the floor with a child lying on top of him. “Oh fuck this is bad, oh shit if anyone sees me like this, I will be branded a god damn pedophile!” Geko thought to himself, screaming in his head.

“Hey Geko, I finished teaching those ki..” Joux found himself awkwardly staring at his mentor cuddling with a student who apparently was calling the geezer…daddy…..and mommy. “I am going to…..go now,” the instructor spoke in a deadpan tone, clearly scarred from this spectacle.

“No….wait it’s not what you think,” Geko screamed as he pushed the kid off of him.

“You want to know what I am thinking…” The woman who had been cuddling with all the children a second ago was now standing still, her tone frightening and her gaze petrifying.

“Oh shit…..oh shit….oh fuck…..of shit,” These words were all the Lost Number could mumble, erratically looking around to find shelter.

“I…..think,” as the Chrono spoke, the air around them began to thicken and the ground itself trembled viciously.

“I think you cheated on me!” And with that the woman suddenly began to wail, sobbing like a fountain while flailing about on the ground. Her screams shattering the windows of all nearby buildings and her flailing tearing the ground asunder.

“I was not cheating on you damn it, stop crying Julie always do this. Remember the last time someone woman said I looked familiar and you nearly destroyed our head quarters!” The Lost Number tried to reason with his wife while holding onto a nearby pole so as not to be swept away by the wild winds that had been brewed by the weeping chrono.

“You weren’t? Yippee I knew my hubbie would never cheat on me!” And just like that her sobbing and violent alchemic onslaught stopped and she returned to her former cheerful self. “Why are you hugging that pole dear?”

“I am going to kill that kid…….” was the only thought the Lost Number could think of before his partner yanked him off, dragging the poor fellow away.

Kiara

Kiara could only stare, in a strange mixture of surprise and relief, as Geko was abruptly tackled by Omari. Who was babbling about mommy and daddy and all sorts of craziness. The pale girl neatly sidestepped the tackle hug, and just tilted her head like a confused puppy. She had fully expected some sort of pain to result from challenging Geko, and now all she had was confusion. Not that she was complaining all that much. She turned to stare accusingly at Eric, her shadow returning to his normal place attached to her feet. "You did that." Eric shrugged, unapologetically. "You could have gotten him killed! It does matter! I'm not that important! So what if he wasn't? The fact is he could have and it would have been my fault for not keeping you in check!" Kiara paused in the midst of her scolding, hearing the Chrono speak in a dangerous tone. Her head whipped to look at the Chrono, and she took a small step back. Kiara liked to think she was many things, foolish being one of them. She was not, however, stupid.

As the Chrono continued to speak, Kiara's foot etched a sigil into the ground, finishing it just as Julie had her break down. A swell of earth rose and grabbed Kiara, stabilizing her from the shrieking winds and rocking earth. Safe in her cocoon of dirt, raised from the ground, Kiara could only watch in some awe as Julie threw her fit.

Carefully, she released herself from her earthen cocoon and gently got to her feet. Looking around at the devastation, she idly brushed her clothing free of dirt. "Uh...Remind me to not piss off a Chrono."

Maeve

Maeve's thoughts, as she was critiqued and mocked by Joux, went something along the lines of this. Shit. Shit. Shitshitshitshit. He knows. He knows what I'm doing and it's not going to work. Nonetheless, she continued with her attack. It was already to late, and she could merely continue on her course. She merely scowled as Joux deflected all her attacks with his small coin, and then neatly deflected the girl she had just kissed, knocking her on her ass. The Celtic woman didn't bother attacking again, listening to Joux as she scowled. She walked carefully towards Alistair, not trusting Joux, blood still dripping down her arms and hands. She had forgotten about them, truth be told, used to the pain as she was now.

Sighing she ran a hand through her hair, streaking blood on her forehead and through her hair. "Where do we begin?"

Collab between Ryver and Shylarah

Location: Cafeteria

Cameron flipped his table over and ducked beneath when he got wind of the potential fight between the three crazy girls and their equally crazy teacher. He bit down on his fisted hand. He knew he couldn't stay here long or he'd be in deep trouble. Thinking fast, the tiny boy darted behind several older students in a desperate bid for freedom.

"Excuse me," he called occasionally, making sure he kept completely shielded by the rest of his fellow trainees. Mercenary, yes, but a much warranted strategy, since he suspected that the teacher could very well kill them with those projectiles. Plus, it did very little to reassure him, when he heard people yelling "ow" or cursing loudly as they received a direct hit to the forehead. "Careful!"

The students, who were staring like deer in the headlights moments before, began wising up to the danger they were in and they started running en masse towards the door much to Cams' dismay. He hunched over to keep as small as possible, while he was buffeted around by the students passing pass him. Helplessly, the boy scrunched his eyes and began thinking of what his father would do in this situation. The first thought was rejected on the spot. As light as he was, there was no way he'd crowd surf during a stampede... maybe he ought to think what Ms. Arisa, his dad's partner, would do instead.

Slivers of half formed thoughts roiled around in his frazzled mind, as Cams searched around helplessly. He wished he could phase through the floor or walk silently through the crowd like a ghost ... oh right! Cams almost facepalmed. He could do that. Taking no chances to stop and draw the sigilium, the boy's lips began moving.

"When I pronounce the word Nothing,
I make something no non-being can hold."

Over and over again, he repeated the last stanza from Wislawa Szymborska's poem, The Three Oddest Words. It was just one of the many in the omibus his father sent him for his last birthday. At first, nothing happened. Cams tried moving his feet only to find that he had sunk ankle deep into the granite floor of the cafeteria.

Please, let this work, the teen thought desperately. Outwardly, his lips continued mouthing the words of his incantation, but his concentration began fraying. This scene reminded him of his many nightmares where he could feel himself slowly suffocating as the crowd closed in on him on all sides. A burning sensation rushed up his throat, causing Cams to gag. And just like that, the last of his resolve evaporated. All that remained was blind panic and a desperate desire to survive.

"Help!" Cams yelled suddenly from the center of the thining throng. Tears sprang from his eyes and he started choking back his sobs. "Help... I can't get out." The shock of failing his first incantation outside of class combined with his enochlophobia had reduced the stoic boy to the snivelling child many thought him to be. He was after all only 13.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Location: Outside with Team RPG

Bits immediately took cover in the lee of a nearby tree to avoid being blown by the wind. Why did the Chrono seem to have no control over her alchemy? Bits had had that problem, but thanks to two veterans she'd seen that bottling it up was not the solution. Only active control -- knowing how to use it, as well as how /not/ to use it -- would keep her from inadvertently hurting someone. And yet here was a Chrono with no control whatsoever. Ridiculous. The young woman grabbed her brother and pulled him out of the way of a clump of debris. "Thanks sis," he called over the howling wind, grabbing a branch to keep himself steady. He too was surprised at the Chrono's lack of control, but it rather fit with AMRO's whole system of negligent policies and disregard for the people that worked for them. Still, as the Chrono dragged her husband off, Sparks gave the pair a wave. "Take care Ms. Julia, Mr. Geko!" he called after them.

"Pssst," a voice came from a tree nearby. "Asylums don't grow on trees you know. Some help would be very appreciated."

The sarcasm couldn't be helped, because Omar was beyond frustrated at the moment. The strong winds had knocked him straight into this tree where he was currently wedged firmly in the trunk. The wood swaddling him tightly made him feel like a burrito or some semi folded pita sandwhich. The situation wouldn't had been so bad if his blue haired senior didn't looked so amused.

"Oi! Don't laugh," Omar wailed in a highly exaggerated manner. "How would you like being a pocket sandwich?"

Sparks smothered a laugh. It really wasn't funny, but the poor guy looked so /frustrated/. "Need a hand there?" he asked. His sister looked at him sharply at that. An axe wouldn't be a good solution. They'd be as likely to help as to harm. In fact, most mundane methods had that problem.

That left alchemy.

Her breath disturbed the curtain of hair obscuring her face as she sighed, but she supposed this situation warrented the use of it. "I got it, Bits, don't worry," Sparks told her. He could tell she was concerned, but he didn't plan on being flashy. "Let's see here...right." The youth ran his hand along the split wood closest to Omari, chanting softly, "Then leaf subsides to leaf, so Eden sank to grief, so dawn goes down to day, nothing gold can stay. Golden lads and girls all must, as chimney sweepers, come to dust." Several inches of the wood holding the other boy prisoner disintegrated at his touch, leaving just enough room to wiggle free. "There you go!"

"Thanks!" Omar grinned as he slapped Sparks on the back. "How about lunch? It would be my treat." The boy laughed at the irony of his words. Food at the cafeteria was free so any treat would basically mean him handing Sparks stuff off the lunch counter. "I can pass you a double helping of chocolate pudding or scoop you more of that mystery meat."

The boy waved to Bits as he pulled Sparks along. "Come on, I'm super starved! I can eat anything right now even that blobby mystery meat." Omar waved enthusiastically as he spotted Kiara enroute back to their school building. "Oh hey, party leader," he called jovially. "How about following us to the cafeteria? We can talk more while this barbarian stuffs himself."

"Honestly, everything there is a UFO: unidentified foodlike object. You're better off with microwave ramen at the dorms," Sparks joked. "And if you want to repay me, you need to find a better method. I know full well that you're not paying for anything they serve." Still, the teen smiled, and turned to include Kiara. "Hey yeah, you should join us -- and Eric too."

Maeve

The Asylum trainee paused, her head turning as she heard the painful sound of a child sobbing and calling out in panic. It didn't take long for her to spot the young boy, his ankles trapped in the floor. Maeve didn't think, she just moved, quickly heading towards Cam. Blood dripped from her still wounded hands and arms, a red trail left in her wake. Her two remaining bone knives were still in her belt and her hands went to grip them both tightly as she heard snickering from the remaining crowd around the boy. Her savage glare was only enhanced by the dried blood drenching the front of her mouth and her shirt (From when Vail headbutted her) and the fresh blood on her forehead and arms (from her recent attempts at beating Joux). "Would anyone care to laugh at him where I can see you? Step forward or fuck off." There was a noticeable pause and silence, before the group around Cam drifted apart. Maeve glared at them for a few moments longer, before kneeling next to Cam. "Hush, you're going to be fine." She said, softly. Despite her bloodied appearance, she sincerely wanted to reassure the boy, grasping him under his arm. "Talamh naofa, scaoileadh an leanbh. Saor in aisce air as do thuiscint."

She pulled up on Cam's arm, heaving the boy out of the now soft as dirt granite. "There. Good as new. Deep breaths. Relax." She nearly hugged him, but paused at the last moment, glancing down at her appearance. "You probably don't want me hugging you."

Kiara

Kiara flashed a cheeky grin at Omari. "Naturally! We can't have a barbarian who doesn't eat most of the party food, after all." She glanced at Eric, back as her natural shadow. "You hear that? They still want you after you getting them into a world of hurt. Lets go Eric. I'll get something to eat and you'll get to be nice and interact with other people." The girl caught up with the rest of the group, smiling cheerfully. "So, shall the two of you show me how a DnD game goes, or am I left to guess on my own?"

AJ

After being dismissed from class, AJ made his way towards the cafeteria in his most preferred manner, alone. He wasn't very keen on going downstairs to check on the kid that was thrown out the window. The idea of having to help the boy due to his own stupidity wasn't very appealing and even worse would be the potential for idle chat after everything was squared away. No, it was better to go the the cafeteria and grab a snack before sneaking away to find a quiet nook to indulge in a book or some other desirable activity than the mingling in the cafeteria as Mr. Joux advised in class.

Taking a slight detour to the restroom before heading to the cafeteria, a frown formed as a great number of students were rushing out of the cafeteria. What the hell was going on? Being extra careful in making sure not to touch anyone, AJ made his way against the crowd as he listened to the different conversations the students were having as he approached. Curiosity perked in the young teen as he pieced things together. A fight could be a valuable asset. He could gather information about the other students and learn about the strengths and weaknesses they might have from observing them. Being one of the younger and smaller students in class, he needed an extra edge to overpower the others. Who knows, if he was lucky he might be able to partake in the fight.

His frown grew into a scowl as one students bumped into him as he reached the door. Even though idle chatter was something he hated, needless touching was even worse than the former. Turning around, AJ glared at the back of the older teen's head who was completely oblivious at the offense she made as she continued down the hallway. He was about to confront the girl when he heard a familiar noise.

With a frustrated sigh AJ made his way into the cafeteria pausing long enough to survey the scene before making his way to the source of the pitifully annoying song he heard. If it was anyone else AJ would have ignored it but unfortunately he had some sort of obligations to kid. He was the closest thing he had to a childhood friend.

Seeing that someone else went off to help Cams, AJ almost decided to continue on but knowing that by now he was probably seen by Cams he knew it was probably best to check up on him or be bothered later on about why he didn't go say hi or some other nonsense.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" AJ said in a monotonous voice, pausing just long enough to get a better look at the female that helped Cams out. "You can't act like this anymore. We're not little kids. If you want to survive Innocence you toughen up Cams."

Alistair felt his spirit sink when Elliot’s strike failed completely. He should have expected it, and was surprised he had so much confidence in her. Elliot was enthusiastic and acted with the force of a hurricane, and it was not that he should have had no confidence in the young girl, but Joux had so much more experience and had fought against threats that paled in comparison to anything Alistair even knew existed, let alone anything he had fought against. Although he should have seen it coming, Alistair was always the optimist, and would have loved to see a young upstart knock a little humility back into Joux. Still, it was more than interesting to see how each of these newcomers fought, and Alistair watched intently from the side-lines, wincing every time someone suffered an injury that might take more than a night to shake off. So many bruises and broken bones.

When Joux announced that Alistair and the currently-absent Vail would be the new teachers for Elliot and Maeve, Alistair’s only response was a deep breath, followed by a long, exhausted sigh. He was entirely happy to take on new students, and he looked forward to the opportunity to impart some wisdom on these two young ladies… he was just worried about what Vail might do to the poor things.

“They’ll be in safe hands, Joux,” he said, bowing his head in a brief nod as the man turned and vanished. A familiar smile crossed his lips. “They’ll be Chrono Asylums before you know it! And luck will have nothing to do with it!”

The asylum waited patiently for his two new wards to approach, his smile still wide and his hands crossed over, resting on the handle of his umbrella which stood upright, and used it to support his body. Alistair’s vision fell down to the umbrella he held, and then trailed across the ground to Elliot’s sword, which had been made only moments ago from Alistair’s umbrella that the iron alchemist had cannibalised only moments prior. It sat there, unmoved, although the blade dented from the fall. Alistair had made no attempt to reclaim or repair his old umbrella, clearly, so what on Earth was the identical copy that he was currently holding?

Alistair chuckled.

When the two stood before him, Alistair stood up straight, head held high, and he cleared his throat to speak. He towered over the two women, especially when he stood with perfect posture. “Where do we begin? Well, first of all I believe introductions are in order! While I may have gone through this process myself a moment ago, I believe another, more formal attempt is required now that Joux has designated me as your teacher! My name is Alistair Julius Delacour, also known in some Asylum circles as Doctor Jekyll, and I am Asylum fifty five. I am one half of the Asylum team Pendulum, and I am going to be teaching you today! Isn’t this all so exciting?”

“First I think we should go and retrieve Vail, lest she find herself in even more trouble than usual, and then we shall see what we can do about helping you harness the power of your alchemic drives prope-”

He had not even notice that Maeve had wandered off, weaving in and out of the sparse crowds of people as she made her way to the opposite side of the cafeteria. She appeared to be following the terrified wails of some other lost soul in the cafeteria, and only when he followed the trail that she followed did he see the source. A young boy had phased through the floor and appeared to have gotten himself stuck. Alistair followed Maeve’s footsteps, weaving in and out of the crowds to his destination with more grace than a man of his lanky proportions should reasonably be able to manage. He arrived to Maeve helping a terrified young boy, no older than twelve or thirteen, and could not help but be amused by the scene. What an interesting change of pace for the Celtic warrior woman, who he had assumed might lack a gentler touch.

When he arrived beside Maeve he slipped his hand into the breast pocket of his jacket and pulled the red handkerchief from it. With remarkable finesse he brought the material up to Maeve’s forehead, dabbing tenderly around the injury on her head, wiping away the blood without ever touching the open wound. He held the square at a distance for a while before tossing the blood-soaked rag aside onto the floor, discarding it. Much better, he thought. He had noticed just how badly the woman was bleeding until she walked away, and at least now the blood was not positively everywhere. He tried his best to ignore what blood had fallen onto the floor.

Having finished tending to Maeve, who was in turn tending to the young boy, Alistair knelt down just as she did, and examined him intently. The blond haired boy seemed to have had a small problem with his alchemy and was stuck half-way in the floor, but Maeve heaved him out of the ground almost effortlessly. For an alchemist who had yet to graduate, she had remarkable control over her powers. She will go far, he thought, unless Vail has any say in that.

“Are you okay now?” Alistair asked to the young boy.

He opened his mouth to speak again, but another voice called out from behind him, berating the young boy for snivelling over his failed alchemy. It was another student, seemingly around the same age, with a disinterested expression on his face and a disinterested tone to his voice. He seems like delightful company, Alistair thought, although the tone he used to think up such a thing was so thick and fierce with sarcasm that for a moment he wondered if he had actually said that out loud.

“There’s no need to be so rude. I thought it was rather impressive! Phasing through solid objects is something most veteran alchemists struggle to manage, and he even succeeded in making a fine recovery! Or at least I think he did. I see no pieces of rock protruding from his body, nor do the cavities his body appear to have filled with concrete… That can get very nasty."

While the other live stock entertained Geko or were left awed in the wake of the Chrono's tantrum, Ben wasted no time fleeing. Strategic withdrawal he told himself with a mischievous grin as the kid dashed towards north innocence, an area very few had taken the liberty to explore but for Ben it was haven. A life such as this was never an option but a mandate enforced upon those unfortunately deemed worthy, as such there were always those that welcomed it when compared to the alternative of being victims forever hounded by A.M.R.O. Then there were those that denied this boon, for in their minds it was the theft of their destiny and as such could one blame them for running and hiding. The forsaken hills of innocence was a kindred land for Ben, here he could pretend this life away even if for but a moment. Tucked away from prying eyes, embraced by the green lush of nature this was the fleeting peace that kept the child sane through the years of brutality and in time when his heart heaved it was the only place that ever felt like home.

"Just one more year and I get to return to the real world," the armor cladded boy thought to himself with a sigh of relief. How long had it been since he had seen the neon lit nights of his city, the sound of cars buzzing past him, the agitation of standing in a cashier's line. Such simplistic experiences were the one's he longed for, something to make him feel human again. "Why did I have to be born an Alchemist!" The boy screamed in his mind, his tearful eyes staring at the cloudy sky. The world of humans shunned them; the world of monsters exploited them. "There really is no haven is there," Ben finally screamed, his desperation echoing through the desolate sea that lay before him. Deep down this reality was a fact, you can wear the skin of an ignorance but the brutal agonizing truth would always whisper the facts. There is no place for Alchemists for they are an anomaly, an abomination. The only exit from this life is death, how many times did this kid mull over these very words. How many times did he stand at the very edge of this very cliff contemplating an extra step and yet each and every time some delusional thought of a purpose would still his clamoring spirit. Would today be the same? He thought as he stared below into the abyss that called out to him, what was the alternative after all? A life of slavery, inching closer to madness with every breath? Would any true sane person wish to live knowing this, or in reality are we all just a little insane?



The stories never really did it justice; you often hear tales of how your life flashes before your eyes when you are about to die or that there is a bright light awaiting you, or a tunnel that carves a path for you. Ben couldn't help but snicker as the only thing he heard was the wailing wind as he plummeted down and then darkness. It would be a lie to say if Ben hadn't wondered what came after death much like everyone, it was a fascinating topic and as much as the thought of paradise appealed to him nothingness was what he desired. When the very thought of living brings your dread, a dread that seeps into the very fiber of your existence, to disappear is about as paradisical as it may get.

....

......

..........

"Well fuck, I guess there is an afterlife," the boy groaned in a disappointing tone. He had lived under the tyrannical rule of an absolute dictate for his entire life, the sound of doing the same for an omnipotent entity for eternity didn't sound too promising. "Why does the afterlife have a broken exhaust vent?" The boy thought to himself as his vision cleared and he found himself staring at a blank roof with a single broken ventilation tube. If there was an award for failed attempts at suicide, this would defiantly take the oscar. Not only did he survive the fall possibly due to the prototype armor he was still wearing but he managed to hit an exhaust vent and fall right through it.

"Wait", with that the realization finally crept in. "Where exactly am I, why would there be an exhaust in such a remote area. This is fucked up, I really hope this isn't some sort of body disposal morgue," Ben mused over the possibilities, he often heard rumors that A.M.R.O never really buried those that died at innocence instead they merely disposed of the refuse in an undisclosed location.

"Not exactly boy."

There is a stark difference between terror and horror. Horror is the feeling of sheer shock after experiencing revulsion, it is what all Alchemists come to experience time after time. From the moment they discover what they are to the moment they discover what awaits them, it is a feeling that is accustomed to Alchemists. Terror on the other hand is unique; it is a feeling of dread that lies in anticipation of something that has yet to pass. What Ben felt was epitome of terror, a feeling unlike any other. This wasn't just a shiver but raw fear, a fear akin to that foresight when you know there are something’s worse than death.

His blood shot eyes slowly widened as they traced the source, his fingers trembling uncontrollably, his lips spouting incoherent repetitive nonsense.

"I'm human, I'm not, I'm human, I'm not, I'm me, I'm not, I'm Ben, a lie, a lie, a lie, a lie, a lie, a lie, a lie....."

Soon enough violent spasms plagued his body and agonizing screams, weeping and laughter followed suit. Throughout however his eyes remained fixated on whatever was in front of him, a pitiful stare that begged for death. If only one could hear his thoughts, they could feel the agony of his mind being sundered. To have one's very identity warped, to have one's humanity soiled, to forget one's reason of being is the very definition of insanity.

"THAT'S RIGHT, WE ARE ALL INSANE, INSANE, INSANE, INSANE, INSANE. YOU AND ME, ME AND YOU, THEM AND US, WE ARE MAD, MAD, THERE IS NO ME, THERE IS NO YOU, THIS WORLD IS A LIE, LET ME SHATTER THE CHAINS THAT YOU CALL SANITY!!!!!" Ben's screams resonated through the hills, echoing the pain of losing his humanity, a pain like shards of glass falling on the residents of Innocence.

------------------Xx-------------------xX--------------------------

"Come now children, give the lad a break," Geko had finally entered the cafe, his fingers massaging his weary temples and the mess which Joux had made. It rarely came as a surprise though; Joux had the same eccentric tendencies as his mentor a fact which Geko was often reminded by his wife and colleagues, albeit the Lost Number always took pride in it.

"I would say, you did fairly well boy though there is room to improve regarding your confidence," The Lost Number remarked as he observed the others that had come to the boys defense as well. It was a heartwarming sight for his veteran eyes, kindness was often considered a unnecessary luxury.

"You know you kinda remind me of Joux, when he was a little kiddo himself," the Veteran spoke, pride in his tone and a smile on his face as nostalgic memories came flooding back. "Strength is not hiding your weakness, but understanding it. Joux was the weakest in his class, the boy simply couldn't face off against his peers and so he ran, he always ran. What others perceived as his weakness became his strength, the boy was uncanny when it came to evasive alchemy and soon enough developed the alchemy which you just saw. It's called oracle perception, he understands and sees everything in numbers and angles and computes probability to an almost eerie accuracy. If he hadn't lost his leg he would still...."

In mere seconds that sense of pride and joy subsided and an expression of grief branded his face, however this was no time for sorrow for the impending threat immediately snapped the Lost Number to his senses.

"Oh dear God," Geko instantly fell to his knees, almost as if weights had shackled onto his back. "This...this Alchemic drive, it makes no sense...." he thought to himself as he clenched his chest in his hands, his eyes staring at his students trying his best to hide the sheer panic that he felt.

"Everyone get to the bunkers, NOW!" A resonating voice took command, the Chrono had entered the cafeteria but every aspect about her seemed different. The warmth and clutter headed kindness that defined her was gone; this person was focused and driven by an almost terrifying resolve. The strange alchemic drive that brought her partner to his knees may as well have been a breeze to her; this was the true face of a Chrono, one of the twelve strongest Alchemists in the world.

Via a telepathic link, she managed to connect every single individual on Innocence and made a simultaneous broadcast.

"This message is not a drill; all students are to make their way to the underground bunkers immediately. All Asylums and instructors are to break into two divisions, one will be responsible for overseeing the evacuation of the students and the other must pinpoint the location of the drive and form a radius of defense. We have a code 11, I repeat we have a code 11 this situation cannot be allowed to escalate. Move out!"

As soon as her message finished, multiple alarms began to echo through out innocence and in mere minutes several Asylums had teleported inside the cafeteria ushering some of the students to safety.

"Damn it, hasn't anyone managed to located the drive!" The chrono screamed, her subordinated merely lowering their heads from fear of saying no. It was wishful thinking the woman already knew that, when an Alchemic drive gets warped it is near impossible to pinpoint it. When an alchemic drive gets corrupted there is no focus there is no channeling, instead it acts like a massive out flux of energy being expended everywhere, chaos in its truest essence.

"How did something like this happen, weren't we monitori-"

Before the Chrono could finish a gargantuan beam of energy enveloped the building, disintegrating everything and leaving only rubble. The mutilated bodies of several Asylums as well as students lay buried amidst the debris and once the dust settled but a select few had survived. While unable to save everyone, the Chrono managed to create a force field protecting only those in her immediate vicinity while sacrificing more than three fourth of the one's present.

"You bloody monster! They were my friends, they were my students!" The chrono shrieked, her composure finally lost at the gruesome sigh of having her children slaughtered in front of her. "Do you have any idea who I am? I'm my left hand I wield annihilation and in my right hand I wield reckoning, I am destruction incarnate." As the woman chanted, both her arms became enveloped in large metal gauntlets, each baring multiple complex sigils.

"LIE, LIE, LIE, LIE, LIE, LIE!" Shrieks once more began to echo, the horrific tone no longer distinguishable and with each word the ground began to cave, being sundered open burying the crippled and mutilated corpses. As soon as the visage of the perpetrator came into the Chrono's line of sight, the woman instantly punched 'annihilation' towards his direction and a trail of near incomprehensible explosions followed, converging on his location resulting in a massive bombardment. Even among Chrono's Julie's prowess with destructive alchemy was well respected, she didn't merely create explosions instead she destabilized molecules; to put it simply she had the ability to create controlled atomic explosions.

From witnessing such destruction one would think nothing could survive that, such naivety is the result when one forgets these are two monsters. One was the creation of unimaginable alchemic prowess, the other the manifestation of Alchemy's consequence.

The beast had not only survived that onslaught but appeared to have devolved even more; his mind was no longer his. All that was left of Ben was a burnt and bleeding body that merely served as a husk to a carnal and base rage that sought the destruction of life itself.

"This is bad, the process has completed. That stupid student has become a 'Vile', I have to end this before Innocence falls but how.....my alchemy is not suited to be used with bystanders. Even if they seek shelter in bunkers, I may have to go all out......if I am not careful I maybe the one to bring down innocence." Julie thought to herself as her eyes remained fixated on the shrieking abomination that stood in front of her, though amusingly this sight didn't terrify her but the thought that she may have to follow protocol and doing so would most likely destroy half the Island.

"You students need to run damn it!" Geko ordered, the old man finally regaining his composure and standing beside his wife. "There is no haven here......"



"You need to listen to me, we are just puppets!" The front door was suddenly sprung open, the force startling some of the officers who were calmly enjoying their coffee. Almost every officer's attention was now solely focused on some short, wildly dressed individual who had suddenly barged in.

"Excuse me sir, you can't just wa.-"

"Shut up boy!" The short man snapped at the officer, his tone clearly agitated at being interrupted by someone the man considered to be intellectually daft. "You bunch of stupid shits need to broaden your view. Are all of you content in being fucking pawns in a game that you can't even comprehend!" The man shouted once more, his tone already begging to put some of the armed soldiers at unease, several of them getting their tasers ready.

However even this short fellow couldn't blame them, it was human nature to shun a claim that sought to destroy the stagnant believes of the masses. Humans are fragile and their minds can't bear to accept a truth that bears a consequence that is too great to handle. We may all clamor for freedom but chains is what we are accustomed to and chains is what keeps us safe, what we truly desire is the illusion of freedom. Knowing all this, this short man sought to shed light and eradicate false illusions.

"Listen to me please! There are things that have been set in motion before all of us; there are things we can't even comprehend. Thousands of unexplained events happen every day and the media covers it up. We are fed retarded lies and yet we believe them because we are too scared to face the truth. There is a shadow organization that is literally playing chess with the world; we aren't even the damn pawns. We humans are the fucking board!" The man continued to shout, his hand holding a file brimming with unexplained events and conspiracy theories.

"Alright I think we have heard enough of this nut, I think a night in a cell should help calm you down sir." One of the officers scoffed at the fool, slowly stepping forward and arming himself with his taser.

"Look I have reason to believe that these people abduct young children and train them to be soldiers, I have worked on this my entire life and I may have a loca- oh god!" Before the man could disclose the location he found a curved 'frisbee' like metal object being hurled towards him by two finely dressed gentlemen, before any action could be taken a bright flash erupted out of the object knocking every single police officer as well as the target.

Without a word the two gentleman calmly appeared to kneel beside the target, spreading a sheet of foil and precisely slitting the target's jugular after which wrapping the body in multiple layers of foil. The entire process had a certain finesse to it, almost as if these people had done it multiple times.

"Well our job is done, to think this person actually had some valid intell. We sure cut it close huh?"

"Yes we did, the other teams have silenced his family and close friends, the threat has been neutralized. To the media it will appear as if the family and close friend's died at a dinner party in a fire. I do love how easy our job is."

"I have to agree with you on that, I do feel sorry for those Asylums. Them poor slobs are always in a tussle with some psychotic alchemist freak. Just yesterday I heard there is an alchemist serial killer prowling the streets of this very city. A.M.R.O even deduced the next victim will most likely be abducted from this block. This Alchemist loves a thrill I hear, that's why he usually kills victims near police departments. It is a messed up world my friend."

With that the two gentleman casually placed the wrapped body in a "bio-hazard" contained and dragged it out the front door as if it was just another day.

Maeve

The Celtic woman barely noticed Alistair dabbing at the blood on her face, clearing it away. She focused on Cam, making sure that the young student was okay. She, much like Alistair, had heard horror stories of trying to teleport through the ground. Seen a few of them herself too. Suppressing a shudder, she did a quick scan of Cam once more. Assured that the young student was indeed okay, she breathed a sigh of relief. Maeve's reaction to the monotonous boy was immediate and hostile. She glared at the student, fists clenching again. She had been denied one fight and thrown into another that was completely one sided and not in her favor. She was looking for a fight that would be relatively equal, and this new student was offering her the perfect opportunity. It helped she automatically disliked him for insulting the kid she had just pulled out of the ground. "Fuck off. If you want to survive the next five seconds you'll leave." She snapped, letting Alistair speak and continuing to glare at the newcomer. It was clear by her gaze that she hoped he said or tried something that would give her an excuse to attack him in front of Alistair.

Of course, all plans like that were immediately forgotten when Maeve heard the alarms and the Chrono. Rage fled into wariness and the knowledge that she was certainly a puppy about to be stuck in the middle of a vicious dog fight. If the Chrono was worried by whatever was coming, she certainly didn't want to be in the vicinity when it arrived. Maeve grabbed the student she had saved and began to pull him along. She had just saved him, damn it, and she wasn't going to let him be killed by whatever was happening. As they passed by the Chrono, Maeve spoke to him. "Come on. We're getting to a-"

The world was suddenly turned into blinding light and rubble. Maeve snatched the boy and attempted to cover him with her body, certain she was about to find out what death was like. When she heard the shrieking and the Chrono speak, Maeve looked cautiously up. And immediately regretted it. Some...horrifying monstrosity was being attacked by the Chrono, and was completely unaffected. As Geko ordered them to flee, Maeve didn't need encouragement. "Lets get out of here." She whispered to Cam, carefully pulling him back. She didn't want to attract the attention of that...thing.

Kiara

Kiara was thrown back by the cafeteria suddenly being engulfed in a laser beam. She had exactly one moment to cry out, and then she was tumbling on the ground, coming to a violent stop against a tree and listening dazedly too the shrieking and yelling. Eric was shouting in her ear and Kiara really didn't need his input to tell her that she was in a very dangerous situation and that not moving right now would soon result in her death. Groaning, her clothing torn, skin bleeding, she picked herself up and surveyed the area. Her eyes immediately spotted what remained of Ben. "A Vile." She muttered to herself, spitting blood to the side. I think I knocked a tooth loose. Idly, she probed the tooth in question with her tongue before heading towards the nearest of her companions, Sparks, one eye on the fight going on. She tossed away her cloak. It was ruined anyways, and would only serve as an attractant too the Vile. "We need to get moving, or we could be drawn into a fight with the Vile. And none of us would survive that."

Location: Cafeteria
Allies: Maeve, Alistair, AJ, Vali

Taunt after taunt washed over the distraught boy, but Cams didn’t absorb anything. He was adrift in the tide of fear which was choking the air out his lungs by the mouthfuls. White dots began swimming about in his vision and pretty soon the child was in danger of suffocating himself. His desperation manifested in the clawing fingers that left a trail of angry red running down his cheeks, some were even deep enough to have dots of blood bubbling from the center.

"Hush, you're going to be fine."

The frightened child’s eyes cracked open and he stared into Maeve’s face. Usually he’d be freaked out at the sight of so much blood, but there was a soothing aura radiating from her kind face. Numbly, Cams nodded slowly then pursed his lips. He choked a sniffle while Maeve freed his feet from the self-made prison and, without thinking, the grateful child threw his arms round her waist. He buried, as he murmured “Dzięki” repeated before realizing what he said. Pulling away, he looked into her eyes with loads of admiration. “Thank you.”

Cams paused, suddenly feeling a little more self-conscious. People, Asylums and students, were crowding round him and Maeve. All of them watching. An icy finger radiated from the center of his chest and Cameron’s eyes were pulled down to the floor. His cheeks grew warmer by the minute and his lips several shades paler. This unwanted attention sickened the quiet boy, who enjoyed nothing more than hiding away in the quiet library or the sanctity of his bedroom. Every single muscle in his body tightened in anticipation as Cams entertained the thought of running away until he could reach of his bedroom. He pursed his lips again.

“I – I – I…” he stopped in mid-sentence, unsure whether he could stop stuttering. Somehow, with his whole body trembling so badly and his heart going at double (or even triple) its normal pace, he doubted he would. “I b-b-be fine…”

The blue eyes that stared determinedly into Maeve’s eyes pulled away again. “Thank you.” He pulled his arms behind his back and wiggled his left foot, wishing he could find enough courage to run away right now. And he almost did, till a familiar monotonous voice spoke up. “AJ?” He whispered without even looking up. Cams’ arms dropped to his sides again and nodded briefly more to acknowledge AJ’s presence but it also served as an answer to Alistair’s question.

AJ was nice and familiar and his childhood friend since they were very little, so having AJ around always helped a lot. Sadly, Cams realized not everyone realized that. Based on the rumors he overheard occasionally among the students, many of them seemed to think his friend was a little cold and maybe too harsh. Cameron, however, believed otherwise. Maybe AJ wasn’t nice the way people thought a nice person should behave, but AJ was okay, really, if people gave him the chance.

“There’s no need to be so rude. I thought it was rather impressive! Phasing through solid objects is something most veteran alchemists struggle to manage, and he even succeeded in making a fine recovery! Or at least I think he did. I see no pieces of rock protruding from his body, nor do the cavities his body appear to have filled with concrete… That can get very nasty."

“… oh, I panicked and could do better,” Cams reminded the man dressed in pink who had joined the conversation too. He nodded again then pulled his head up such that his worried eyes met the man’s. “I – thank you.” He smiled a bit, rapidly thinking of a way to diffuse any animosity that continue towards his friend. “Can I actually get rocks and concrete mixed into my body?” The innocent question barely masked the curiosity that was beginning to replace the embarrassment the boy felt at being thrust into the spotlight soon after his panic attack. “We haven’t seen that many casts fail in class.”

The disappointment at being interrupted at what promised to be a very satisfying discussion translated into the crestfallen expression on Cams’ face, but luckily, he managed to push his true feelings under yet another mask, the one that he often wore whenever he came into contact with the esteemed instructors that were supposed to guide them towards being better soldiers. It wasn’t like he didn’t respect these old-timers, but he wasn’t entirely sure he’d ever be friends with them. They seemed too – how should he put it? Too dead inside, although still human deep down. Their volatile personalities reminded him of soldiers suffering from PTSD after returning from the battlefield and that was more than enough to deter him from hanging around them too much.

“Sir?” was the only thing Cameron ever said from the moment Geko began his sermon about understanding and mastering one’s fears. Cams remained silent, but his eyes shone brightly, while his overactive mind began absorbing and analyzing the words of wisdom spoken by the Lost Number. A part of him though remained aware of his surroundings, thus he snapped out of his current passive mode the moment he heard the change in Geko’s voice. “I – guys!”

The boy felt himself pulled along by his protectoress and he followed meekly, though he twisted his body a little, reaching out stubbornly for AJ. His eyes met Alistair’s again. “Please,” he mouthed, feeling the panic returning, but this time he was concerned about his friend getting lost in the crowd and possibly hurt –

– light blinded them and a shrieks from the Chrono stirred something deep inside Cams, awakening the primal self-preservation instincts that had been honed in each student from Day 1 at Innocence and with it came a new found understanding. Yes, their group – him, AJ and their new friends – could run like frightened rats towards the safety of the burrows but get lost and hurt in the process, a stern voice reminded him, or they could figure out a safer route. He screwed his eyes shut and took a deep breath to clear his head. Gently, Cams reached for Maeve’s sleeve.

“We shouldn’t go into the halls,” he whispered. “There’s another route,” he continued, as he pointed towards the broken walls on the far side of the wreck. “Not many people go there but I went there once… me and MB.” He didn’t have the words to explain stuff now in this do or die situation, but his gut feeling told him that they’d be safer if they used this alternate route towards the underground bunkers.

Outside with Team RPG

Sparks laughed at Kiara's words. ”I've actually never played DnD – that's a tabletop game, not a console or computer one. But if you're interested I'm sure we could try it sometime! As for party classes, well, there's a few standard ones. There's usually your fragile spellcaster, the dumb tank, the ranged fighter, and your sneaky thief. Depending on the system, there may be others – DPS – erm, damage per second is one for MMOs, and of course there's the healer class too, which is between tank and spellcaster in hit points, and how hard they can hit, both with casts and physically. A good party is balanced, of course, and each member has a role.” The boy chatted happily, answering any questions Kiara might have as he tried to simplify a great deal of knowledge into a basic lesson.

Bits felt it before her brother, and she paused, turning her head as she tried to pinpoint the source. The feeling of someone casting, but it was so strong! This can't be right, nobody uses this kind of Alchemy here, she thought, frowning and moving forward again to tap her brother on the shoulder. He nodded back – he felt it too, now, and was equally confused. Then Ms. Julie's voice sounded in their heads, telling them that they should get to the underground bunkers. Cams! Sparks thought. He would be in the cafeteria – and with the press, will he be okay? I hope he remembers the other route... Fortunately that other route started near the cafeteria, so he'd be able to hook up with Cams if they were lucky.
“C'mon, guys, I know a better way. Follow me!"

The group was just outside the door when the world exploded. Bits drew on her physical training and rolled as she hit the ground, gaining a couple bruises from debris but returning to her feet in short order. Sparks did similarly, though he wasn't nearly as good as his sister and couldn't roll to his feet smoothly as she could – especially with someone on him.. And now the young woman moved into her combat mode, putting her feelings aside and focusing on the task at hand. They had to get to the bunker, as Kiara said, and with the panic no doubt ensuing from the explosion of the cafeteria – They blew up the cafeteria?! – the alternate route Sparks had shown her would indeed be best. She looked at the little group around her. Kiara was getting up, and Omari was sitting on Sparks, who was trying to shove him off.
“Come,” she told them, waiting to make sure she had their attention before heading off at an angle, away from the.../thing/ that Ben had become, her sibling keeping pace at her side. Around the demolished cafeteria, and to the far side, where Sparks caught sight of a familiar head of pale hair.

“Cams!” Sparks waved at the younger boy to get his attention, his eyes immediately taking in the blood on his front, and worried expression. “Hey, are you hurt? Let's get to safety and then patch you up.” His friend wasn't the only one with blood on him. A redheaded girl was /covered/ in it, and she seemed banged up. And there was AJ too.

Bits' eyes lit on Cams when her brother called his name, but there wasn't time to worry about how badly injured he or those around him were. If they were mobile, they needed to move. “Hurry,” she told the group, both those that had followed her and the ones with Cam. “Come.”

Maeve

Maeve's eyes flicked over to the group approaching them, wincing slightly and looking over to the monstrosity and the Chrono as the newcomer shouted for Cam. "He's fine, it's my blood. I'm fine, the wounds are closed. We need to...." Maeve trailed off, looking over at Julie and the horror as they fought. The bunkers wouldn't be able to hold off against that kind of destructive power, and Maeve knew it. She also knew that the Chrono would have no problem eradicating most of the island to kill the nightmare. They needed someone to keep the creature occupied while the Island was evacuated, or Julie could get a good enough hit on the...thing to destroy it. She looked to the girl dressed in all black, and a flicker of understanding flashed between them.

"Cams." Maeve spoke quietly, getting the child's attention. "I need you to take as many people as you can as far away from this battle as you can. Off the island entirely if you can. The Chrono isn't going to rein in her destructive powers for long and if we want any of the students to survive we need to get them off this island and delay her going all out as long as possible. The goth chick," "Kiara." Maeve nodded, before continuing. "Kiara, and I are going to go to the weapons bunker and grab all the shiny toys it has in the hopes that they'll give us enough of an edge to avoid horrible death for as long as necessary for Julie to either kill the...thing," "Vile." Maeve glanced at Kiara, an eyebrow raised as if to ask if she wanted to interrupt again. Kiara blinked innocently in response. Maeve smirked despite herself. "For as long as necessary for Julie to either kill the Vile or Innocence to be evacuated. If you can't find boats or something, use alchemy. Anyone who wants to fight, follow us. Everyone else, try to save as many as you can."

Maeve stood, before smiling down at Cams. "Try not to die. I didn't just save you for nothing, after all." She turned and stuck her hand out towards Kiara. "Maeve. Pleasure to take this suicide mission with you." Kiara chuckled. "I don't plan on dying anytime soon. Regardless, we have to hurry. The Vile shouldn't have remained hidden this long and I don't want any other surprises, do you?"

For nearly a straight fifteen minutes, curses that would make even the saltiest sailor blush with embarrassment echoed down seemingly every hall and into every classroom within the AMRO compound. Each swear was more colourful than the last, and she was loud. Loud enough to make heads rear from around corners to inspect just what was disturbing the peace and quiet so violently. Those curses were followed by heavy, thudding footprints that, in some cases, left visible cracks in the concrete floor. The figure led an obvious trail as she stomped through the halls, determined to make as much of a ruckus as she could. Those that stood in the way of the figure were shot a look that might have caused lesser souls to drop down dead, and they knew immediately that they had best step out of her way if they valued their lives. If only looks could kill, Vail thought, as she clenched both of her fists. Without her gauntlets there was no groan of metal this time; only the unusual, sickening sound of her own bones stressing against her alchemical strength. She felt no pain, and so there was nothing to stop her own bones from shattering when she pushed herself too far. Vail’s alchemy had broken her own body more times than she could count, and it was always when she was in a fit of rage. She was not there yet, but oh boy, she was close.

Thoughts of Joux only made her more frustrated. Vail disliked many people, but there were only a few select individuals that she felt raw, unconditional hatred for. He was one of them, and Alistair’s goody two-shoes act around the old man did not help. Alistair was far from Joux’s lap-dog, even if he acted like it sometimes, but the fact he even attempted to appease the man, let alone try to [i]excuse[i] his worst actions sickened her to her very stomach. Joux was the worst kind of person, and if Vail had anything to say about it she would lock him up and throw away the key.

“You know what?” Vail said to herself. “Fuck him. Fuck both of them. Fuck this whole shitty institution, fuck alchemy.” She heard a book drop just to her right, and a worried student who had bent over to pick it back up looked at her, his legs already shaking in fear. “And fuck you.”

Vail could feel alchemical power well up inside of her as she descended further into her rage. Her alchemy was unconscious, reactionary, and did nothing to help the situation. It made her feel powerful, but never powerful enough to get what she wanted, which only enraged her further. Alchemy seemed to buzz in the air, making it visibly shake in anticipation, radiating from the young woman as she continued to storm down the halls. Every tiny sound she heard away from her made her flinch; she needed somewhere quiet and alone to recompose herself. She found a tiny, relatively empty room some ways away from the other, busier parts of the compound that for a brief moment might grant her some solace and an opportunity to vent. She looked about the small room and knew what she was going to do. She was going to tear it to pieces.

She threw herself at the largest cabinet she could, something almost twice her height, and hurled it across the room with only one arm. She brought both fists down on a desk, shattering it in an instant, and still carrying enough force to crack the stone floor, then grabbed both halves of the desk and threw them across the room as well. The sounds of destruction from the room were almost deafening as the woman tore it apart, reducing everything inside it almost to dust as she tore through it with a flurry of kicks, punches, and alchemical energy that would have frightened even Alistair if he had seen it. Glass shattered, stone cracked, and wood splintered, and such sweet destruction felt all too satisfying.

It was then that her vision went white as light blinded her eyes. Her body was thrown to the ground as an immense force was brought down upon her, and she felt a thousand tons of concrete and metal crash onto her relatively frail mortal form. Her alchemical power exploded, fighting back against the force that tried to push her down. Vail was too consumed by her rage; nothing would stop her now. Nothing would. Even as the very weight of the world pushed down on her, she pushed back, and slammed both fists into the ground to support herself as she forced her form back up, and in her rage she screamed. She screamed to curse Joux, she screamed to curse alchemy, and most importantly she screamed at whatever this was that tried to restrain her. She had no idea what it was; if she had done so much damage that the ceiling had collapsed, if one of the Asylums had finally grown tired of the chaos she caused, or if Alistair was trying to restrain her… but she told it that no matter what it did to her or what it was, it was going to pay.


“I need to find Vail,” called out Alistair.

The Vile had torn the entire building they resided in asunder, leaving nothing but rubble and terrified alchemists. Most of those at Innocence had been slain in an instant, consumed by the blast. The only ones who survived were those lucky enough to find shelter under the barriers of more powerful alchemists like Julie, and that number was far, far too small. It made Alistair sick, himself having only just managed to find shelter under the barrier, and he tried his best to assist the Chrono by manifesting his own alchemical barrier to support hers. His assistance was minimal at best, as Alistair knew he could hardly compete with a Chrono, but he hoped that his assistance might have helped save at least one person. Too many had been killed in those few, scant moments.

Alistair thought that he heard someone call out to him, telling him that it was not safe to go out alone, but he hardly had the option. His mind was linked to Vail’s and he felt her rage, her anger, and then he felt it suddenly silence. He had not gone mad, twisted by the severing of the bond between two paired Asylums, which meant that she was still alive, but he could feel that her signal was weak and faultering. She was injured, badly, and would not last for long on her own. The pink figure darted gracefully across the rubble and debris of what was once a building, now reduced to broken fragments, and did his best not to look at the remains of the young alchemists that he passed by. There was nothing he could do to help, and so he pulled himself away, his usual smile completely absent. Who would do such a thing to children?

The link between the Pendulum alchemists was strong, and Alistair could use it as a beacon to pinpoint his companion. She was ahead but out of sight, potentially buried amongst the wreckage, and when he sensed that she was below him he called out telepathically, hoping for some kind of response. “Vail? Vail?! Are you okay?” For a moment his composure faltered, and the tiny glimmer of Vail’s consciousness blipped out of existence.

Then he felt it. The spark; a tiny, glistening spark in the corner of his mind that told him that he was not alone and that his mind was still something he shared with another. It shimmered, vanished for a moment, and then roared back into life with new fury and passion. And rage. So much rage. He heard movement, as stone crashed against stone, and something fierce tore its way closer to him. The very ground below him rumbled.

And then she appeared. In an eruption of alchemical energy Vail burst forth from the ground, sending fragments of rock in all directions. Alistair was thrown backwards, crashing into the ground with about as much grace as one might expect as a hefty rock slammed into his chest, and as he pushed it off of himself he watched the burned figure claw its way up from the ground. Alistair saw burned flesh, torn clothes, and broken limbs, all attached to a feminine form that barely acknowledged its injuries. She yelled and pulled herself out of her stony tomb, steam and smoke pouring off of her body… it was Vail, but her body was twisted and torn.

“Vail, please! Calm down. We need to get to safety! This thing is too dangerous,” Alistair called out.

Vail took a single step forward and then collapsed under her own weight.

Keith
“Oh shit!”

Bolting out of his bed and stumbling slightly as he rushed towards the windowsill for a better look at his alarm clock, Keith was hoping that in the hazy state that he was in that he misread the time. It wasn’t so.

“Oh hell no, not today. I can’t be fucking late again. ”

With a frustrated sigh, the young man rushed towards the bathroom and worked on getting ready for the day and although his time was short after the adventure he had last night skimping on a shower wasn’t plausible.

“You are quite the early bird.” A woman’s voice said as Keith walked back into his room in only a towel and besides getting into his uniform was ready to head out. Sitting up in his bed as he walked in, Keith was a bit surprised to see a nearly naked woman there. “You should have woken me up if you were going to take a shower. I could have joined you before you had to leave.”

“As much as I would like that -and trust me I would very much- I am late and in my line of work it isn’t something that is appreciated, especially with who my partner is.” Keith said as he internally started to beat himself up for letting an opportunity such as this pass however after the fiasco a few weeks ago Dan would be on top of him for being irresponsible. “However, are you free tonight K…Ka…?Ke…?”

“You do have no idea what my name is?” Offended, the woman got herself out of her bed and started to dress. “Did you really forget my name?”

“To be honest, your name isn’t the only thing I can’t remember from last night.” Keith said in an apologetic tone in hopes of resolving the situation but from the woman’s determination of getting changed as fast as she cold, he already knew where things were leading. “However last night wasn’t a complete blackout. You’re a college student right? You are a junior. Your major is…is psychology and I know for a fact that your name starts with a K.”

“Wrong, wrong and what a fucking surprise, you are wrong yet again.” Grabbing her purse, the woman headed towards the door with Keith in tow. “I’m a senior and unlike you I’m 21 and actually able to buy alcohol. I’m majoring in business and my name is Amy.” The woman said before slamming the door.



“Late again Hanson?”

“Technically,” Pausing just enough to glance at his watch, Keith gave a small smirk to the lady that worked at the front desk. “I have thirty-eight seconds before I’m late. Dan has no reason to be upset with me today.” Rushing the last bit of the way to his assigned location, Keith gave a slight sigh of relief. His head was still killing him but he hoped that the medicine he took before he left home would kick in soon or it was going to be a rough morning for him.

"Technically, you are still late." Dan said as he approached the two. "On time means being here and already ready to roll not rushing through the door with a night filled with regrets and stupid mistakes from last night written all over your face. If you..."

"You need to listen to me, we are just puppets!"

Out of reflex, the young man reached for his gun a he turned towards the man that just entered the building. If he was careful enough maybe he could talk to the man and try to deescalate the situation before things got out of hand. It would be a shame to see the man bring trouble to himself due to a lapse of judgement and if Keith could avoid that, maybe the man could get the help he needed. But before he could make his way towards the man, a firm grip was felt on his shoulder and knew immediately it was his partner holding him back.

"Just because you've been having some beginner's luck Rookie doesn't mean you should rush into every situation you are faced with. Let someone with more expertise handle this."

The idea of sitting on the sidelines wasn't something he was in favor of but the man gave a slight nod in agreement as he watched the situation unfold, ready to respond if things got out of hand. Even so, it came as a surprise when a foreign object was thrown followed by a flash of light and being knocked to the ground.

What just happened?

From the weight that was on top of him, he knew he was pinned on the ground by both is partner and partially by someone that must have been nearby when the flash went off. Looking around he quickly noticed that they were not the only ones what were knocked out but rather he was the only one who wasn't. He was about to push them off of him when he saw movement in the corner of his vision and kept still as the two men approached the intruder. Who were they and why was he the only one awake?

If he had easier access to his sidearm, Keith would have tried to worm his way out from beneath the pile but with how close he was to the men he knew he would be caught and attacked before he could free himself. Taking a breath to calm himself down and to think of how he would handle the situation, Keith listened to the conversation the two were having. Alchemist? AMRO? What the hell were they talking about? Keith didn't know what they were talking about but knew for a fact that something was going on. Normally he would have brushed off what someone who had a psychotic edge to him such as the intruder but seeing that people were willing to kill him, even in a police station, maybe there was nugget of truth to what he was babbling on about.


AJ

There wasn't a trace of guilt on the boy's face as people called him out, nor was there anger or or any ill feeling towards the others but rather confusion. People were upset with him but he couldn't pinpoint at what point he stepped out of line. Mother said that strength is what would help you survive Innocence and what what he has seen so far, the unlinked asylum was accurate. He was asked to keep an eye out for Cams by both his mother and Mr. Skala and by telling him to stay strong, wasn't he doing just that? If he was doing what he was asked of, where did he go wrong? Listening to the threat that one lady gave him, AJ didn't retaliate nor did he leave but rather his look of confusion grew as he started to blink, startled by the way she reacted. Did he really do something bad enough to warrant a reaction such as this?

But before he could get a chance to try and clarify the situation, chaos broke out.

With many urging for people to escape and find safety, AJ was about to follow suit although the idea of seeing a Vile perked his curiosity. However that all changed when Maeve said for those to follow her if they wanted to help. Would Maeve and the others disregard AJ's attempt to help due to his age? That seemed like a stupid reason seeing that he was a student just as any student that might join Maeve and age shouldn't be a factor in things. It was illogical. But seeing the way she treated Cams, would she treat him the same way too and force him to leave? With others here now that would be able to help Cams to safety he didn't have to worry about his friend. There were no obligations that forced him to go.

"I'm coming with you." AJ said to Maeve with a stern gaze, hoping that would be enough to agree.

Innocence, by the destroyed cafeteria

Bits looked at Maeve's face, then AJ's, and mentally sighed. The plan was a good one, but they were overestimating their chances against that.../thing/, whatever it was. Even a full fledged Asylum wouldn't do much against it. But had Kiara given it a name? That meant she knew what it was. Bits placed a hand on the dark girl's shoulder to get her attention, as she changed course for one of the weapons repositories. “Weapons are this way. That thing. What is it, and how do we beat it?” she asked simply, not willing to waste words. She and her brother exchanged a look. They needed weapons, a plan, and coordination. They had to take care of the survivors here, and hopefully rescue anyone in the wreckage, and they needed to let those across the island know what the plan was. The Chrono's orders weren't enough to keep people safe, judging by Kiara's expression.

Sparks nodded in reply, sticking close to Cams, and already pulling out his phone. His sister didn't need to say anything for him to understand what she was thinking. He'd had to learn to understand her expressions as if she was speaking after they'd come to Innocence, and she'd all but stopped talking for a couple years. There were cameras all over the island, he knew. “Dancer, time to go to work,” he said, after turning on remote access to his computer. “See if you can find images of where that thing come from, and project where it's going. I want a searche through the database on Viles, too, see if anything turns up. Post on the network that we're getting an evac group together. I dunno who's looking at it right now, but it won't hurt. This fight's going to get too hot to stick around for very long. Sis wants all the students still mobile to help with rescue and getting everyone off the island, and out to a safe distance. Looks like some folks are going to make themselves a nuisance and a distraction, but we need defense for the evac op as well. Let them know to bring weapons if they have them – this thing is a monster. Got that?

“Roger, chirped a feminine voice from his phone. “I'll coordinate other groups with your position, if anyone replies.”

”Excellent. Keep me posted.” Sparks gave the group a tense smile. “Alright, Dancer will take care of that for us. Let's focus on getting to the armaments, yeah?”

Location: Destroyed Cafeteria
Cameron

Cams nodded solemnly when Maeve addressed him. He didn’t want her to fight the thing, especially not after it killed so many people. He bit his lip. Should he ask her not to do it? He considered following her, but he knew that would only make her worry more. “I’ll help find the rest.” He reassured in his quietest voice. “Find as many of them and take them to safety. Maybe find the teachers too?”

By now, having been in Innocence 7 years, which was more than half his life, he learned that not many people adore their instructors and lecturers, but not recruiting these more seasoned Asylums to their cause would be – suicidal? Silly? He turned to watch Maeve and Kiara interact. Yeah, he’d definitely try to get any surviving full-fledged Asylums to help them. “I – they’ll be in touch.”

His eyes flit towards AJ. How was he going to persuade his friend to come along? He knew Ms. Bennett wouldn’t be happy if he let AJ get hurt. Well, even if AJ was stubborn. Omar’s eyes met his and the older teen shook his head, mouthing “go on”. Cams blinked then nodded. Well, if anything, MB was there and so was Bits. So were a few other students. That meant AJ was in good hands. “I’ll go now.” Cams announced to no one in general and he slipped away.

-------------------------------------

Location: Destroyed Cafeteria
Omari

“Count me in,” the group barbarian voiced, as he gamely stepped at AJ’s side. “Where Party Leader goes, I’ll follow. That’s what a Party Leader is for,” he said with a laugh, though out of the corner of his eye, he gave AJ a sideways glance. Kid’s got balls. I’d have thought someone his age would be a whimpering mess by now given after seeing so many people killed. A second glance brought AJ’s indifferent expression to his attention and he felt a little more intrigued. Confidence or something else? He wondered to himself. Whatever it is, he was certainly to keep a closer watch on this one. The kid felt different compared to the other little kids he’s met. Heck, the boy’s demeanor kinda reminded him of himself minus his usual happy-go-lucky façade.

“Dancer? Who’s she and what makes you so sure we’d get hold of weapons anyway? Anti-alchemic weapons aren’t stuff you’d like to mess with. One wrong grenade and boom! We’re doomed.” Omar fell silent after noticing some movement, this time from a different direction. He turned his head slightly and he saw Alistair exiting the canteen. An excited look flashed across his face. “Hey, guys, forget about figuring it out, let’s follow the man in pink. He seems to know what he’s doing…”

He jogged on the spot, waved for the others to follow him then made a beeline for the exit Alistair took. “Come on! He might be getting armed to help the Chrono… it’s our best chance at getting our hands on those.” And hopefully, they won’t have to be explain themselves after that. He doubted their teachers would have minded them borrowing a few weapons given the circumstances, but he’d rather not risk it. After all, these men and women were more fickle than a five-year-old demanding for candy. “Hey, where’d – there. Follow me!” He yelled as he continued dashing after the strangely dressed man. The bright pink was making it so much easier to track him amidst the drab greys and whites of their hallway. “I think he’s headed to the classrooms.”

Omar sounded triumphant, as he rounded the last turn and bounded up the last flight of stairs. He glanced to the right, trying to figure out whether that was the direction the man took, when he felt it – a huge surge of Alchemy. His jaw drop at the sheer magnitude of it. He debated retreating, but given how they were all squeezed along a very narrow stairway, he had no choice but to move forward and hope for the best. “D-did you guys feel that?” He asked.

“Vail, please! Calm down. We need to get to safety! This thing is too dangerous.”

“Eh, sounds like we found more survivors,” Omar exclaimed. He kinda dreaded knowing who they were going to find in the classrooms, but turning around a fleeing was stupid. The man was probably a full-fledged Asylum and thus aware he was being followed. Maybe. Omari pointed in the direction he heard the voice coming from. “This way.”

He braced himself then peered into the room. There! The pink man was there along with a woman who appeared to have collapsed. Fainted? He couldn’t tell from this distance. The teen cleared his throat to announce his presence before joining Alistair’s side. “Hey, mister,” he asked, trying his best to sound as calm and concerned as possible. “Your friend – do you want us to go with you to the nurse’s office?” He stopped to listen. The battle between the Chrono and the thing was in full swing below them, so he doubted that staying on the upper floors was a wise decision. “That or the bunkers. Either way we shouldn’t remain on the higher floors.” He paused as he felt the floor shake beneath him. “I think that’s the signal for us to go.”

Omar reached out to help Alistair support Vali, but he pulled back at the last minute. He gazed a little skeptically at the heavy-looking gauntlets. He doubted he could lift it up even if he tried and there was no way in hell he’d expand boost his strength using Alchemy. Not in a situation like this. He turned to the rest. “Guys? A little help here…? We could each take an arm or something.”

-------------------------------------

Location: Hallway
Cameron

A small blond boy darted down the hallway towards the entrance to the underground tunnels. Occasionally, he’d pause to throw open a closed door to see if there were other students hiding inside. Each time he came up empty-handed. It seemed that most had gathered at the canteen for lunch. The thought left him with a sickened feeling in the stomach. Just how many of them had really survived?

Cams gripped the door and considered shutting it, when he felt a chill run down his spine. He squared his shoulders in anticipation, because he was positive there was someone else here. Without thinking, the child darted into the room and hid behind the door. He heard the door across the hall from his opening. Who? He held his breath, muttering a few words under his breath, while focusing on masking as much of his Alchemic presence as he could muster. That should be enough to make anyone who sensed him do a double take.

He began counting under his breath. After listening to several steps, he managed to figure out the timing between each step and thus the speed at which this unknown person was walking. He waited patiently, as he continued counting. Realizing that it was probably safe to peer outside, Cams stuck his head from behind door and almost fell over. Mr. Joux? What was the man doing here?

The boy pulled back into the classroom and rested against the door. Should he follow the guy? Should he not? He had seen what the guy can do when upset, but he had also promised the rest to gather more experienced Asylums to aid them. He frowned. Slowly, his mind offered him a happy compromise – he could tail their teacher for a bit, and when it was safe, he’d break cover and tell the Asylum everything (and prayed to be spared).

Well, on the bright side, he’d get to try out the techniques he learned regarding stealth and infiltration. Satisfied with that minor reassurance, Cams began chanting. “Softly, I thread. Invisible – I am unseen, unheard.” It wasn’t the most elegant verse or incantation, but he felt it was alright. The words, at least, gave him a clearer picture of what he wanted to achieve. He took a deep breath then repeated the words two more times.

A tingly sensation swept over him and then nothing. He guessed it should be fine, since this was exactly how he felt when he tried to do mimic Erase. An ability he heard mentioned in class before, though honestly, he doubted he could even come close to it. Taking a deep breath to calm down, the boy threaded softly across the threshold and looked. He could see Joux turning to the left at the end of the passage. Cams nodded briefly. Right, he’d probably have to move at two times his teacher’s speed, if he wished to catch up at this point. And off he went, running as fast as he could without making himself pant. The last thing he needed was for Joux to hear him.

Kiara

Kiara couldn't help but smile at Omari as he volunteered, and at Maeve's abrupt change in demeanor when Cams spoke to her, before her smile faded and she turned to Bits. "Vile. You know Insanity addiction? It's the second stage of that. Strong enough to go toe to toe with a Chrono and immune to anti-alchemy in all forms. We don't beat it. We annoy it long enough with our useless weapons that Julie kills it or the entire island is evacuated. You, Cams and your brother start working on that. Have this 'Dancer' start directing the survivors to the docks so we can start getting people the hell off this island. You won't find more than I already told you about Vile's in AMRO's public databases. I'd suggest you don't try to crack the firewall. One, it won't work and two Julie would find out and then kill you for it."

"Maeve, stop seizing up the kid and lets go with Omari. We have to gear up if we even have a chance of fighting the Vile." The Celtic woman shrugged. "His choice." With that, the group destined to fight against the Vile followed Omari towards the sounds of screaming and rumbling. Maeve winced at the sight of Vail and went to help, only to be stopped short by Kiara's voice. It was calm, logical. "No. Kid," She gestured towards AJ. "help Omari and Alistair. Follow us as fast as you can. There should be a chamber to heal Vail back to health quickly. We'll need her.Once you've all dropped her off arm yourselves. We need everyone to keep the Vile occupied. Maeve, come with me. We have to start getting the attention of that Vile or the island will be destroyed and we'll all be dead." Kiara turned on her heel and hurried on towards the weapon's locker, Maeve following behind, one chilling question echoing in her head.

Am I leading them to their deaths?

Maeve

"Be safe." Maeve replied to Cams, worry clear as she watched the young boy leave. Her eyes hardened as she looked at AJ, wondering if she should even let him join. He may have been an asshole, but he wasn't any older than Cams. But could she really decide his fate for him? Maeve shrugged almost gratefully when Kiara spoke up. "His choice." She followed Omari and Kiara, shuddering at the sight of Vail. How is she even still alive? Maeve wondered, going to go help Omari. After all they couldn't just leave her there, in the state she was with a Vile running around and duking it out with a Chrono. Kiara's voice stopped her. It was logical, and as much as Maeve disliked it Vail would be getting help. "Fine." She muttered, following after the goth woman. Any guilt or trepidation she felt was washed away when they entered the weapons bunker and Kiara turned on the light. Maeve's eyes practically glowed as she beheld all the gleaming weapons. "Can we keep them after this fight is done?" She asked, largely to herself. Kiara smiled lightly, before grabbing a sniper rifle. "Load up. We have to get to the Vile as soon as possible."

Maeve nodded, going over to a pair of shotguns. Placing her hands on the weapons she murmured, "Inis dom do rúin , airm cogaidh." Immediately her mind was filled with the knowledge of how to best operate and wield the guns, plasma firing weapons, and she grinned as she picked one up. "I like this. I love this. I'm keeping it."

Soon the Celtic woman had two shotguns across her shoulder blades, a plasma SMG across the middle of her back and several grenades attached to her belt. In her hands she held a plasma LMG, and she was grinning like a kid in a candy shop. "Shall we start...." Maeve trailed off, eyes focusing on a locked cage, rows and rows of suits awaiting them. "Are those what I think they are?" She whispered giddily. A few short steps and one concentrated blast from her LMG and the door was shoved open.

"Prototype suits. The really expensive and really dangerous things that turn our bodies into weapons. I'm in love."

Even with a prosthetic leg Joux's speed was astounding, the instructor was utilizing acceleration alchemy to traverse the rocky terrain as fast as possible. By the frantic nature of his movement it was quite easy to deduce that either this man was running from the impending catastrophe or he had uncovered something, perhaps a clue to how a Vile suddenly appeared on one of A.M.R.O's most secured facilities. Coincidentally the location which the instructor was approaching was the very cliff that existed as Ben's haven and undoing.

"Finally here, this will all end," the retired Asylum consoled himself, clenching his wounded hand so as to prevent it from shaking.

"Open gate 4, Authorization Joux Vulair, head instructor and prison overseer," heeding his command the ground began to cave in and a cylindrical elevator surfaced. Not wasting any time he immediately departed for the underground section, an area which technically didn't exist on Innocence. Even Julie was unaware of the underground facility that served an ulterior purpose at Innocence.

"It has been a while, hasn't it Vulair. Welcome back to Tartrus my friend."

A familiar voice greeted the instructor as soon as he stepped into the facility. "We are not friends," Joux scoffed, his callous attitude showing his disdain for the person that stood in front of him.

The facility itself was a sight to behold. It spanned the length and width of the entire Island and yet all that it comprised of were four massive metallic containers. Each spread to extreme ends; the north end, south end, east end and west end while having a distance of several miles in between and the only point of connection, a frail pathway below which lay a molting lava pit. This was tartars.

"What in god's name did you do?" Joux screamed, punching the metallic door which unlike the others was unlocked and didn’t have a sigil engraved into it. "This is your doing isn't it? Did you think I wouldn't notice the mayhem? A Vile appeared out of now where, it completely bypassed the first stage, how is that possible?" The instructor continued to scream, directing his rhetorical questions at the person in front.

"I grew tired of waiting boy; we are going ahead of schedule. I am sure you can understand seeing as you already have the means to unlock the other 3 doors. You were waiting for such a distraction weren't you? My...my....and I am the monster?" The person smirked, his fingers brushing against the metallic container causing the massive structure to disintegrate.

"This world has no idea what is about to be unleashed upon it. The time of Asylums.....of A.M.R.O is over."

---------------------Xx-----------------xX---------------------



"Damn abomination," the Chrono scoffed, blood trickling down her brow coloring her vision crimson. Unlike most Chronos, Julie had a weakness that often led her to the path of self harm. A kind heart is often battered and bruised; she was a testament to this and gladly bore its burden as atonement for the sin which was her birth.

Very few Alchemists were born with the luxury of knowing who they were and when their "ability" would surface. While alchemy can be genetically transferred it also randomly manifests itself, even A.M.R.O has been unable to devise a pattern to an Alchemists 'surge'. All that is known is there is little to no difference between a human and an alchemist till the point the first surge occurs. A surge is that surreal occasion where a human makes contact with the force that is alchemy. He finds himself drawing from that pool of malformed energy for the very first time and the aftermath is near identical in most situations, an out flux of unstable power. It is at this event A.M.R.O is alerted to an Alchemist's presence and based on the strength of the surge they decide whether or not said Alchemist will be an asset or not.

Julie's surge was a unique occurrence, not only had she caused the annihilation of a town of more than a thousand but this event occurred the moment she was born. There had been perhaps a dozen documented cases of a surge detected at birth, however nothing of such magnitude. Once could say this laid down the foundation for what she would become, a woman fearing the very nature of her ability, a woman unable to hold back.

“To face me, is to face the end of days,” the Chrono whispered softly as she approached the shrieking monstrosity. “The trumpet beckons me to end it all,” with these words the entire Island shook, a violent tremor embodying the wrath of a Chrono Asylum.

“Now bathe in a river of flame.”

As these words echoed towards the Vile they generated tremendous shock waves hurling the monstrosity into the ocean, several miles off and then in an instant the ocean ignited. It was a spectacle of raw unimaginable power, one befitting a practitioner of annihilation alchemy. This was no mere parlor trick, she hadn't summoned flames over the ocean, she caused it to explode. The very molecular structure of water had been compromised and reconstituted to cause a nuclear reaction. To put it simply there was no water surrounding the Island, only explosions that kept on going till a nuclear ash cloud formed atop "Innocence".

"It's over," tears strolled down the Chrono's face as she felt her knees finally give out. "I didn't have to resort to destroying everything, my students are safe," she thought while heaving a sigh of relief and wiping away her gentle tears. The chaos and madness had finally subsided and a soothing serenity now returned to the Island of innocence. Ash gently fell from the blackened sky like snow while in the background sirens continued to sirens continued to blare, ensuring the evacuation continues on schedule.



The sirens could no longer be heard, only overwhelming deafening shrieks. Throughout the Island survivors had begun dropping to their knees, their ears bleeding.

"How could it survive, why won't you just die?" The Chrono screamed; her eyes gaping as the silhouette of the Vile appeared, crawling out of the ocean. Its entire body was a tangled mess, flesh barely covered it and its face was no longer recognizable, its limbs being connected through torn muscle and bone. Even so it continued to approach Julie with the most carnal of desires ushering it forth, namely survival and destruction.

"Oh God....there is only one explanation.....its approaching stage 3...."

Not allowing herself to be overwhelmed by fear, Julie instantly began analyzing her priorities as the Vile slowly regenerated itself. Luckily she had already assigned her husband to oversee the evacuation of Rank A students as well as the Chrono candidates. With the main task completed, there was but one decision left.

"This is Julie, contacting all students. The evacuation of all other sectors has been successful and only B sector remains. I am giving you all an option, either leave this Island within twenty minutes and live.........or chose to fight with me........and die beside me!" With that the telepathic line disconnected, possibly due to the interference being caused by the Vile.

Maeve

"Tú mac soith!" Maeve screamed as she clawed her way out of the rubble that had once been the armory. Luckily for everyone inside, they had all been in the prototype suits by the time everything exploded. Still, it didn't make the Celtic woman any less angry. She threw the rubble out of the way, glaring in the direction of the vile and Julie. "Beidh mé cuimilt tú géag ó limb agus cead bliain do chroí síos do scornach! Beidh tú bás!" She raged, pulling out one of her knives. Her shotgun had been lost in the explosion and the only reason she had her plasma knives was because they had been strapped to her armor. She was sure Kiara and the others were alive as she had seen them all following behind her. It was a secondary concern if anyone was uninjured, as all she had left to do now was completely annihilate the Vile. She pulled her third knife from her armor and slung it at the Vile as soon as she was within range, quickly grabbing her other knife that she had. Brandishing two knives, she waited for the Vile or someone else to attack first. She was furious, but she wasn't stupid. There was no way she could take a Vile head on, and she didn't plan on it.

Kiara

Kiara followed the screaming Celtic woman, dragging her sniper rifle behind her. She didn't know what Maeve was shouting, but it didn't take a linguist to figure out that she was very, very, angry. "Don't do anything stupid." She muttered under her breath, getting a short distance away from the ruins of the bunker. She could only hope that the others had evacuated the Island like she ordered. Otherwise there were a lot more deaths than she would like to have on her hands. She turned around, bracing her sniper with shadow magic and aimed down at the Vile. "Die." She fired her rifle, sending the explosive round at the vile. Shadows leapt from the ground, guiding and throwing the bullet along.