Afina

The Sands of Blood (Dead)

The wagon moved on and it seemed their travels would move much faster now, sighing slightly Sana remained silent after telling Ellyn that she liked the new look. Resting there against Hugh, she just kept herself in thought, occasionally curling closer to him as the wagon kept moving. When they approached the city she leaned forward to take a look and rose a brow as she unslung her bow from her back and drew a regular arrow from its quiver. Hopping out of the back of the wagon as they entered town and looking around. “This is not good,” she muttered under her breath as she followed Vivian into the Tavern. Seeing Ellis gave her some slight relief. “It is good to see you alive little one,” she said as she placed her arrow back in its quiver and reslung her bow across her back.

Seeing Ceris caused her to raise a brow but she kept quiet and listened. She still felt that no matter what the woman owed the group a rather large apology for her actions and trying to sacrifice them but Ellis seemed unharmed and she gave her word, so she would hold to it whether it came or not. Following Ellis and Vivian down she stopped as she saw the Drow and it did not sit right with her. She understood that sometimes extreme measures were needed but she felt it was lowering themselves to what evils would do. She just hoped their end result would be better than what the evil lay out there had planned. Still, she would have no part in torture, no matter the cause.

Turning she sought Hugh out and stepped over to him, resting her hand to his chest. “I’ll be in the tavern,” she said as she walked back to the main area and sat down at the bar and rested her elbows on the counter. If they were losing a battle already, what different would a couple of humans, elves, a dwarf, an orc and an Halfling make she wondered to herself but she kept all her thoughts to herself and just looked at the wood grain of the bartop. She knew if she spoke or others spoke to her she wouldn’t be able to bite her tongue long and she felt it was best at this moment in time that if she couldn’t be positive she could at least be silent.

Shattering The Crystal Silence - Closed

The Safe Room

Silvia sat there in silence staring at the ceiling, trying to recuperate from earlier and the hum of the crystals. It had taken a lot out of her both mentally and physically. Glancing towards Karras as he moved towards the door she perked a brow, wondering what he was thinking. She could have read his mine, she was a high ranking telepath and he was just a Brax’Na after all, he had no training to keep people out of his mind. It wasn’t an ability that all had but once you became a Tower Lead in training you were taught in case you were attacked or for interrogation purposes. It wasn’t given to security though, it was not a skill the GTC wanted running rampant throughout the talents and it took years to master without frying someones brain.

Sighing she looked away, she could have but it wouldn’t be right, it was not her way. She had never probed the mind of anyone that did not invite her to. It just didn’t seem right to her, something in life were their own, and their thoughts were one of them.

Closing her eyes she listened for the hum, it was still there but it wasn’t horrible anymore. It would be enough to keep her from getting them out of there but there was at least one thing she could do. Rising from her place she dusted herself off and stepped over towards the door. “Excuse me please,” she asked and waited for him to step out of the way. Once he did she looked over towards the crystal in the corner and let out a soft note from her vocal cords to tap into it turning as it rung out she looked at the door and it slowly opened, and a wall of nearly solid debris was held back by a telekinetic shield. Tilting her head she looked down and spotted his sword laying beneath it, just a faint glimmer of it was seen. Suddenly a few of the rocks that covered it turned to dust and the sword moved into the room and over to her hand.

The door quickly shut and locked back into place as the song of the black crystal in the room faded; looking over the sword for a moment before glancing over to him and handing it over. “Better you walk out with this than that,” she said as she motioned over to the gun against the wall. Once she handed it to him she walked over to the supplies and dug out something to eat and a bottle of water. Leaning against the wall she took a drink of water before taking a small bite, a drop of blood falling from her nose. Rolling her eyes as it hit her hand she wiped it away, she needed a bit more time before she did anything else with her abilities and a sometime with an empath it seemed but that would have to wait.

The Mor

Marx glanced over and nodded slightly to what Ailen said. “They probably will but if the transfer is something you really want, my second in command is up for promotion as it is to head of security. I can appoint you to second in command on Earth and stay here with Silvia,” he said as he stepped over. “But make no mistake, whatever happens here is just the beginning. It will spread, like a virus to each planet. The GTC will do whatever it takes to keep control. I only hope that there are others willing to fight,” he said before sitting down at the security desk and propping his feet up.

“You know there are others Marx,” Gwen said as she looked up from some papers she had been going over before looking at Ailen. “Crisin runs Earth as I am sure you are aware, she raised Silvia for the most part, at least on paper. But the whole tower helped to raise her. I think that is one reason she is like she is,” Gwen said before leaning back in her seat. “Anywho, once Craig gets back in contact with me, we will start moving Tristan off world, whether or not Silvia is out of the mine. Then at least there would be one less thing to worry about around here.”

Mark nodded and rose from his place. “I’m going to go start working on repairing the cameras for security so we are better covered, keep Gwen safe Ailen until I return or Craig relieves you please,” he said before heading to the elevator and making his way down to supply to get what he needed to start taking care of the holes in the Towers Security footage.

The Forests of Death (Dead)

Regalia

Regalia smiled softly as she listened to Inyata sing, it was something that all pirates seemed to have in common to help pass the time on long voyages; whether they be on land or at sea. Straightening her back somewhat she thought back to her days as a young corsair on the Maelstrom, her father teaching her and the sounds of the crew singing as they worked. She missed those day, so long in the past that even the memories of them seemed to clouded by the morning fog rolling in over the tides. Looking over at Inyata as she finished cleaning her blade and sheathed it she motioned for the young one to come take a seat be her next to the fire.

“Beautiful, perhaps you would like to learn one my father taught me so many years ago,” she said as she reached over and pushed a few strands of hair out of Inyatas face gently. “Seems appropriate to teach you one that has been handed down in my family since I took you under my wing. Now mind you it isn’t as joyous as the one you just sang for us. It is a touch more somber, but then again, so am I,” she said with a smile before looking over towards the fire as she began to sing. Regalias singing voice was rich but not over stated, it seemed to carry much like she carried herself in everything she did or said.

An old man by a sea shore at the end of day
Gazes the horizon with sea winds in his face.
Tempest-tossed island, seasons all the same.
Anchorage unpainted and a ship without a name.

Sea without a shore for the vanished one unheard
He lightens the beacon, light at the end of world.
Showing the way, lighting hope in their hearts,
The ones and their travels homeward from afar.

This is for long-forgotten light at the end of the world.
Horizon's crying the tears he left behind long ago.

The albatross is flying, making him daydream
The time before he became - one of the world`s unseen
Princess in the tower, children in the fields -
Life gave him it all: an island of the universe.

Now his love`s a memory, a ghost in the fog.
He sets the sails one last time saying farewell to the world.
Anchor to the water, seabed far below,
Grass still in his feet and a smile beneath his brow

This is for long-forgotten light at the end of the world.
Horizon's crying the tears he left behind long ago.
This is for long-forgotten light at the end of the world.
Horizon's crying the tears he left behind long ago.

Ramara

Ramara looked down as the group below, listening to Inyata sing, she found it a tad much for right then but the kid had been behaving herself as of late, so she opted to let it slide. The young one did need to release nervous energy it seemed. As Regalia began she perked a brow, hopping down from her place in the tree and wandering over to her horse, unlacing her Vielle case from its place and taking it out. Placing it to her chin as she drew the bow across the string she began to play in time with Regalias singing as she leaned back against the tree and closed her eyes, letting herself feel where to go with the music.

Regalias Song

Shattering The Crystal Silence - Closed

The Safe Room

Silvia continued to stare at the ceiling, a blank expression one her features as her hands draped over her knees; her breath steady as she sat there thinking to herself. She felt horrid for insulting him, she should have known better than to prejudge him like his people did to all women but she could not help but be angry as well. He had compared her to Tristan and showed no gratitude towards her. He expected submission in her mind, whether she was right or wrong, that is how she felt. Sighing deeply she shrugged her shoulders. They were getting nowhere. He wouldn’t listen to her. All she wanted to do right then was get out of there but the storm had not faded enough to make it safe yet. Soon though, she felt the hum of the crystals lessening, she knew it wouldn’t be much longer and then she could go back to the Tower and deal with things there and he could go back to his village.

“Actually I do think the GTC is behind this. This mine is technically under your control. An explosion and a cave in would give them the right in their minds to take it over even more. Me being down here would be an extra bonus. I die down here, the Brax’Na are responsible for the death of a Tower Lead, would give them everything they needed to annihilate your people,” she said in a flat voice as she continued to stare at the ceiling. “As far as weapons go, the Tower can supply your people under the table through Srath if need be. If they need training I am sure I can locate male non talents to send to help,” she added as she reached up and ran her fingers along the scar on the back of her head. “A mine that is collapsed doesn’t kill the mine, they can always blast a new entrance.”

“No, that’s not what we eat. It’s just rations for emergencies. Actually Talents eat a lot. More than I have seen most non-talents eat. The higher the rank, the higher the metabolism. You would probably be shocked to see how much I eat when I actually get a chance to,” she remarked as she glanced over to him for a moment before looking away again and closing her eyes. “If you want to kill something, I’m right here. Might as well since I am not different than Tristan in your eyes. Hell your people might even throw you a parade,” she quipped under her breath. “But at least wait until I get you out of here,” she added quietly.

The Mor

Marx eyed Ailen and then the dry before looking away again and looking back out the window. “You have no idea what that woman has survived to get here, that nightmare of hers was just the beginning” he said under his breath. Gwen looked over towards Marx and shook her head slightly. “What?” Marx asked as he felt a mental tug from Gwen.

“Not here, not now. That is for her to say to someone she trusts when she wants to. It is not our place,” Gwen commented quickly. Marx sighed and nodded before looking back out the window. “Yes Ailen, she is a survivor. I have no doubt she will make it out of the mines,” Gwen said before looking over towards Ailen and getting back to the topic at hand.

“Yes, the Brax’Na own the rights. I don’t think Tristan is in on anything though. He is just an over bearing jack ass who enjoy causing people pain. The GTC wouldn’t entrust that dumbass with anything that was crucial to them. This goes beyond Tristan or even the Twins I think. Hopefully once the storm passes we can start getting answers,” she said as she leaned back in her seat. There was a lot more going on but it wasn’t something she could discuss with Ailen. Marx had barely been brought into the fold, Ailen had not. She wasn’t about to go speaking of the knowledge she had gathered while in the Resistance to someone she didn’t know if she could trust. Right now everyone was suspect in her eyes.

The Plague (Dead)

Danica looked over towards Armend and smiled slightly at the Wako kid reference and nodded slightly. “Why thank you,” she said before looking over at Sean and rolling her eyes as she rose from her place. “You’re going to be the death of us all,” she groaned as she looked at him. Taking a breath as Zomura and Otis seemed to be going at each other she just shook her head as she looked at them.

“Seriously you two, shut up,” she said in an emotionless voice. “Are we really going to stand here yelling at each other in some stupid pissing contest over which country is better. Both have good points and both suck on a major level. So get over it. I seriously doubt those Zombies out there give a rats ass who they bite down on. I mean seriously. Are they going to stop and go; ooo it’s an American with a gun, better not bite him or ooo it’s a Yakuza they can do my math homework. Fucking stupid,” she said before walking over and undoing her hoodie from her waist and shoving it into Seans mouth as she sat on his chest and pinned him down.

“Now shut up and hold still,” she said before looking back over towards Armend. “Okay Lonestar, do your thing,” she said motioning towards Seans foot as Seans eyes got wide for a moment and then slammed them shut tight as he braced himself.

Shattering The Crystal Silence - Closed

Safe Room

Silvias eyed widened slightly as he yelled, part of what he said was true but he was missing her point but that wasn’t what shocked her. Slowly she lowered herself herself and started pacing back and forth around the room. She seemed to calm down instantly, her paces slow and thoughtful; glancing over to him from time to time before she started laughing and looked over to him. “It seems both of us are so used to fighting alone neither of us can see that we’re fighting together without even knowing it,” she said as she continued to move around the room. “Or that there are more enemies out there than just the GTC.”

Stopping she took a deep breath and looked over to him. “I did read the file Karras. All of it. The thing is the file is lacking. I have no doubt that complaints were made but the thing is, they never even made it to the Tower, to Tristan for him to erase. Everything goes through security first, then him,” she said and she was right. The Tower had never once received anything against the GTC from the Brax’Na. All the complaints, all the problems to be reported, everything had been stopped inside the Brax’Na Village itself. Karras may have written up report after report but it never left his own village. Stopped and hidden long before they were even set to leave the Village. The only complaints that had reached the tower were ones Gwen filed for the workers of the mine. None of those were from Karras or the village itself. “Someone in your village must be blocking the communications,” she said as she stopped in her tracks.

“That and we had a bounty brought in last night, someone selling technology to your people,” she said as she remembered the report she got before she left the tower from Craig about the bounty that Srath had brought in. Sighing she took a breath and walked back over to him. “I’m sorry. I should have known better than to say that and insult you. It was wrong. And no, my loss doesn’t make my voice better heard, in fact with the GTC is makes it less heard,” she said as she turned around and started creating a part in her hair to reveal a large scar that ran from the top of her head and down to the base of her skull.

“They don’t even listen to a teen screaming as they cut into her skull so they can see what makes her tick,” she says in a low voice as she lowered her head. The scar was thick and mangled. “They wanted to see how strong I was, how much pain I could take and if I could heal on my own, along with god only knows what else. For all I know they did it for grins and giggles,” she said as she dropped her hand and her hair fell back into place to cover it. “Three years I was locked in a room, all because I was a talent, because I was different. Strapped to a table as they would carved into me, cut through the bone of my skull all the way. They wouldn’t even bother to set up a pain block, no. They had to see if I could survive it. If I could heal myself without the aid of a crystal. For a long time I became numb to it, thinking all talents went through that. That it was this that broke the Singers,” she said, her voice trembling as she thought back to it.

“Then when they were finally done, I returned to my class mates. None of them had gone through it, thank god. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. God, not even Tristan,” she added before turning back around and lifting her head to face him. “No, my pain hasn’t been greater than anyone elses, nor my loss. But I have felt their cruelty first hand. I just don’t want anyone else to hurt like that. I want to do this alone, so if I fail it is on me. Not my staff, not my brother, not your people,” she said as she paused for a moment. “Not you. Everyone has suffered enough. I know I can’t, I do listen even though it may seem like I don’t. I do see what people do to help. It is part of what pushes me to keep going to try to stop all this.”

“Like Srath and Craig risking everything to get your people supplies. Like Ailen stopping the collapse to save workers in the docks. Like Gwen where she could be safely in a Tower down in the mines risking her sanity to make sure your people stay as safe as she can make them,” she said before taking a pause as her back was to him; turning around to face him. “And I see your heroism, I do. Why do you think the first words out of my mouth when you saved me where Thank you?” she said before going quiet and leaning back against the wall, sliding down it to sit on the ground as she pulled her knees to her chest as she tilted her head back and looked up at the ceiling. Not bothering to mention that he had only laughed at her when he did and never once returned the thanks for her risking her life for him.

The Mor

Gwen looked over towards Ailen and sighed. “I wish I knew what they had been up to. Something in me tells me that they aren’t working with Tristan though. Like you said, they could have done something to help release him. But they had to be up to something. What that is, your guess is as good as mine,” she said as she ran her fingers through her hair to push it out of her face. “And for some reason I don’t think they were involved with the mine either. That it happening just gave them a moment to do something else but what that something else is eludes me. I wish I knew Ailen, I wish I knew.”

Marx listened as he stared out of the window, watching the storm. It was beginning to break thankfully. Hopefully soon he could head back out to the mine with the others and get Silvia and Jun’Krama out. The waiting was the hardest part. He had dealt with cave-ins before, they were never easy but he had never seen one to this scale. Even the smaller ones took hours to get through to rescue anyone that may have been left inside. This one was a complete loss. How they were going to get to them in time he had no idea. All he could hope was that some miracle would get them out.

Shattering The Crystal Silence - Closed

Craigs Personal Quarters

Hearing the door slide open to his quarters Craig groaned deeply and rolled out of bed, rubbing his eyes slightly as he stumbled out of his bedroom and looked around to see who it was. Seeing Srath he waved slightly as he dragged his feet, walking over to the kitchen area and pulling out something to drink from the refrigerator. “You want something to eat or drink?” he asked as he turned around. “Sorry, almost no sleep in the last couple of days, it has been a mad house,” he added before taking a long drink from a caffeinated beverage he had had chilling. “Feel free to grab something while I explain,” he continued as he sat down in his chair and groaned slightly, stretching his arms over his head.

“Okay, well Tristan is out. Thanks to files Ailen got to Silvia plus the attack on Silvia from Tristan in his private quarters. Sadly though Silvia couldn’t deliver the files to the GTC herself. Gwen, head of the Singers had to. Reason being is several hours ago, as you may have heard, there was an explosion at the Crystal Mines. Silvia was there, she managed to save Marx, who is head of security for Earth, and Gwens life but in doing so she got trapped in the mines. That Jun’Krama fellow went in after her since the Crystals were resonating and it would have driven any of the talents that went in mad. We just hope now, that Silvia is still mentally with us. There was another cave in thanks to the storms over the mine right now, so they are both trapped until the storm passes and we can send personnel back in,” he said before yawning deeply and taking a deep breath.

“So right now we have Gwen running things, Ailen looks to be transferred out to Earth, Silvia is trapped in the mines and I want Tristan off this fucking rock as soon as possible. With everything going down though, I cannot spare a single person to do the transfer. Two of my securities are missing and we think they had something to do with the explosion. You’re the only one I trust to get that piece of shit of a Tower lead to X-52 prison planet until I can revet the entire crew of the Tower,” he said as he looked over towards Srath.

“You’d be paid well of course and you would be transporting not only Tristan but also the bounty you caught last night,” he said as he stood up and walked over to his desk, opening a drawer and tossing an envelope. “It’s triple your normal pay, plus the bounty fee from yesterday. That’s half. The other half when you get back and confirm that bastard is secure on X-52.”

Sitting back down he rubbed his face a few times before looking back over to him. “Only thing I ask on top of that is that you let Ailen be the one to toss his ass into the cage for transport, and I don’t care what condition he arrives, as long as Tristan arrives alive,” he said as a smirk crossed his features. “So, we got a deal?”

The Mor

Gwen smiled and shook her head as Ailen asked if there was anything she wanted. “No, I am good,” she answered before he left. Sitting back in her seat she began to wonder what all was going on and why the explosion in the mine. Turning the chair she looked out the window towards the Mines, the storm was still raging on but at least it was beginning to weaken. They would be able to send out the rescue crew once again and hopefully this time get Silvia out of the mines, as well as Jun’Krama. She had to wonder what was going on in there right then and if Jun’Krama and Silvia had beaten the hell out of each other yet.

It was no secret the Brax’Na hate for women or for talents, she had run into it herself working with them in the mines but some had been coming around. Gwen had saved several from small cave ins and even a select few had let her heal them but it was never put on record. She hoped that maybe Silvia could get through to their leader that they weren’t all bad. If Silvia couldn’t, she doubted that anyone could. Then there were the rumors that the GTC was tired of paying non-talents for their work in the mines and wanted the Brax’Na mining rights for themselves. She had dealt with the GTC on other worlds and seen the destruction they had caused. Entire races wiped out for a crystal mine claim, sometimes not even for that and the Brax’Na had the rights to the most powerful crystal mines in the galaxy.

Marx paced the Mor, worried about Silvia, he couldn’t stay still and he was set to ship back to Earth in a couple of days. He couldn’t let them transfer him out until he at least knew she was safe but how quickly could the create a new mine entrance and dig Silvia and Jun’Krama out? And what about air? The sensors couldn’t read anything due to the storm, so for all he knew they were slowly suffocating to death. He looked over towards Gwen and then out the window. For once he wished he wasn’t a talent, then at least he could have been the one to go in after her but it seemed fate had other plans. Pushing the thought out of his mind he decided to start reviewing a file that Craig he sent up on the missing personnel.

The Safe Room

Silvia stood her ground as she listened to Karras, folding her arms across her chest as she tilted her head back to look up at him as he spoke; her eyes narrowing somewhat as she began to grow more and more angry. Fists balling up as he spoke she felt a rage building up in her that she had not felt before, her eyes beginning to swirl and her hair flickering slightly as if there was a soft breeze blowing through the room, though the air around them remained still.

“So, that’s what you came down here for? To save some fucking woman that is only good bent over while you do your thing? Well let me tell you something shit doesn’t change overnight, I know this. I have been working for the last seven years just to get transferred to this hell hole of a planet,” she said as a single finger started poking him in the chest.

“You want to know something else? Shit won’t change unless their leader mans up and has the balls to do what is right. To show his fucking people that the hatred and fear needs to stop. It’s up to your ass to show them the way, not hope and wait and pray that in time they will see and change. You have to lead them Karras! You! Their Jun’Krama has to let them know if some pathetic little talent of a woman has the guts to be willing to die to save them they need to stand up with her. If you can't stand openly beside me in this fight how can you expect them to! Shit happens, people die, I know this! I lost my fucking parents when I was child at a mining camp on Earth! A camp run by the GTC that was not properly set up and would flood every damn year. You have some fucking legend that keeps your people hating, I have personal loss. I want them gone more than any of you,” she hissed as she continued to poke him in the chest. Each word cold as ice and yet at the same time burning with rage.

Every word she spoke slowly caused her to rise in the air until she was eye to eye with him. “And as far as saving your people alone. If that is what it fucking takes, then yes. I will do it alone! With or without you” she spat. “Just like I did with the cave in to save your ass! My life means no more to the world than a single life of any man OR woman in your village as far as I am concerned. If I die saving this planet or I die saving a single child of your village, it will be worth it to me! You got that Karras!” she said, finally finishing her rant. She was livid, her breath ragged as she floated there eye to eye with him, her finger stilling but still pushing against his chest.

Cold

Shattering The Crystal Silence - Closed

@Fatal Error 1337 The added detail, like food, headache and such. I love posts like that whether they are short or ten pages long. It gives me a better glimpse into the character, their mood, their outlook and more I can possibly reply to or ideas. Those little details mean a lot to me when I read them.

The Plague (Dead)

The Plague (Dead)

Danica looked over to Armend and laughed lightly. "Funny, I don't look druish," she said in a gentle voice as she began to comb through what was available in the armory; raising a hand and catching the holster that he tossed her. Placing it around her waist and letting it ride above her hip before sliding the gun securely on place she smirked. "Just like Blazing Saddles?" she asked as she pretended to draw, making a gun out of her hand, pointing two fingers towards Sean. "Reach for the sky!"

Sean became startled and jumped pulling the trigger of a a gun he was holding and shooting himself in the foot. Danicas hands came to her mouth swiftly as she gasped. Sean dropped the gun on the table and started jumping around on one foot before falling to the ground. "Mother of Mary, Jesus Christ, hail Mary, fucking Christ on a cracker!" He screamed.

Danica stood there frozen in shock for a moment before she began to chuckle, keeping her hands to her mouth; the chuckle slowly turned into outright laughing mirth as she fell to her knees, one hand on a table and the other holding her side as she continued to laugh uncontrollably, tears streaming down her cheeks as she gasped for air and her face turned blood red.