Fallenreaper

~Chrono Asylum: Devil's Plague

Xx---------------------------xX
Experimental Team
Xx---------------------------xX

Time: A month after the Incident at Ouroboros
Location: Innocence, the floating Airship Academy for ARMO’s Chosen

“I love you…” With those words, Elsa let go of his hand.

Her warmth left his fingers as he felt gravity pull him back over the dam’s wall, heading into the still water below. His alchemy helpless to stop gravity’s pull. The Iranian’s eyes widened in both fear and realization at her intentions. All he could do was take the scene in vivid details before it was lost to sight, the scene hyper slowed as if to mock him. Above it all a storm brewed. The dark cloud collected, heavy with rain about to become snow, to release its fury upon the place.

Elsa’s figure turned to the approaching rogues, their weapons drawn and ready. Her vision crackled with frozen ice across her skin causing her pink color to pale and her hair color to change, becoming pure white. Electrical blue eyes glared at them with an icy cold heart. Slowly her fingers spread wide then extended toward them before the silence shattered into crystal spikes.

Samad’s eyes jerked open to find himself in a murky, see-through liquid surrounded him. All the month old memories to flood back to him. Ouroboros. The explosion. A feeling of his body being ripped apart. He was in the fish tank recouping from his near death experience now.

Underneath the mask, his teeth gritted tightly and grounded a bit at the situation he had been assigned to. This shouldn’t have ever happened. His eyes closed as he sharply exhaled through his nose, feeling the tension curl back for the moment. It wouldn’t last. With any luck, they would be reassigned else and far from the Ante Mortem team for a good, long time. A loud hiss echoed through the water causing inside to drain, the bed slowly rotating into an upright position. After all the water drained, the lid popped open allowing him to step out.

Cautiously, he took an experimental step out onto the solid floor. It held barely. Samad applied weight to his outstretched leg as he followed with another, gradually standing outside of the fish tank. His figure was soaked, dressed in nothing but his boxer briefs, as he tried to collect his focus. His hand carefully pulled off the mask then let it hand behind him.

His head snapped toward the sounds of Olivia crumbling to her hands and knees. Her balance not yet recovered from the lengthy time in the tank. His was barely there if he was forced to be truthful. Samad only stood upright because of pure will and stubbornness born from his family. Wordless, he took a step toward his collection of clothing then began to dress. Ignoring the others.

Cade had a dreamless slumber in the tank.

Every few weeks, his eyes opened to a blurry vision of the world then fell right back into darkness. Nothing stirred in his head during all that time. No memories, nightmares or independent thoughts etched across his subconscious for the duration. At that moment… he was as close to brain dead as one could get without actually being it. The Innocence staff kept an eye on his vitals through there was no danger signs, his health perfectly acceptable for his state. It was as if he simply closed his mind down while he mended. Or too tired to think.

The peace was broken when the machine’s loud sounds caught his attention. His eyes flitted open and watched the water drain before the door popped open. The chill of the outside air licked his wet surface drawing up goosebumps. Gingerly, Cade stirred. He attempted to move out. His foot couldn’t support his weight as it crumbled underneath him. He collapsed onto the floor in a weaken heap, unable to fight the pull of gravity while he landed on his side.

“Shit,” he mumbled under his breath.

Painfully slowly he began to push himself upright, his legs curled underneath. Samad seemed unfazed by Cade’s abrupt fall as he continued to place on his clothes. Afterward, his arm reached out for his cane then snatched up Cade’s clothing. On his walk by, he tossed them over Cade’s slowly rising figure.

“Get up, Cade. Get dressed, she’s likely waiting for news about your condition,” Samad said coldly before he started to head out the door.

At the mention of ‘she,’ Cade smiled slightly. Mostly because she was alive as he began to hasten his pace, clutching his stuff to his waist and giving himself some modesty. It wasn’t easy since he was in nothing but boxers right now.

Samhain Intrigues

Post up and heading your way, @Belle

Samhain Intrigues

Noah Griffin

---

---

When Noah finished up lathering, he edged into the deeper water. Slowly he began to submerge himself, the anxiety filling him up as the level drifted past his waist. It crept to his torso then finally reached his head, pulling him horizontally underneath the liquid. Grim peeled off his muscles, their taint drifted upward and trapped within the colored bubbles. His closed eyes gradually opened toward the surface. A watery, shimmering window to the air above. It hypnotically kept his attention while the water weighed him down into its shallow depths.

For the moment, the pressure and sense of tranquility filled him. His heart thumped loudly in the watery environment, filling his ears then his head. Seconds passed into minutes before his instincts decided it was time to get out. Impulsively he lifted upright and began to edge to the pool’s side where he planted his hands upon the border. He lifted himself out causing the water to cascade off him. Noah’s feet moved across the smooth stone toward the local bench where both the sprite and a fresh, clean pair of clothes were situated.

Again, a frown pressed to his lips as he reached for the ‘shirt’ on top. He pulled the sleeves wide to examine it, taking in any markings or oddness to it before he considered placing it on. If anything felt off, he wasn’t intending to risk his life by wearing. He didn’t trust anything in this world. Especially when it was given freely. If he found nothing wrong, he began to get dressed then exited the room. He paused just outside the bathing room to catch the music floating through the air. Curiosity pulled him toward it instead of his earlier decision to retreat back to his room.

Formaroth Part 2: Throne of Lies

Dyril

Collab with @Sundered Echo

Location: Winter Haven Inn
Time: Morning, a week after the riots.

---

The Winter Haven Inn was a very well off Inn. Ideally located on the edge of the Garden District of Nyhem, it saw customers from both the nobility and the masses of lesser people and travelers of the great city. Thanks to its wealth, it was well guarded by both the City Guard and, often, its clientele. And because of this, it had been lucky enough to avoid any damage from the terrible riots that had rocked the city a week ago. As horrific as they had been, its proprietor, Marius Rothemor, was rather thankful for them. Many other Inns had been damaged or wiped off the map by fire or crazed lunatic, and their loss was his gain.

Not since the deposing of the Mad King had he seen such good business. And with that business had come information…

Dyril’s head was bent down. Her four fingers rubbed her temple as she read through the letter for what felt like the hundredth time. Each calligraphic letter made one thing absolutely clear: she requested more time in Formaroth. It all came with valid points, but most were elaborated with additional details about selling magic wares to the High King and the profit they might make. She purposely left out the attempt to grow mandrakes within Formaroth purely because she suspected they would try to sabotage it.

Relaxing from the weight being lifted, her back leaned against the chair. She then raised her arm to summon a waitress and order something to eat. Dyril slid the letter to the table’s side closest to her before puzzling out her next action: where would be the best place to grow the mandrakes. Being a foreign element in the continent gave her sparse knowledge about, even possibly outdated.

Marius had been watching his most unusual client ever since she arrived. It wasn’t every day he could claim to have served an Elf, much less a half-elf. She had seemed stressed and busy at first, and so he had not interrupted, but when the women finally deigned to summon one of his people, he took the chance to go and have a chat as well.

It was not uncommon, in this particular Inn, to see the proprietor at a table with his customers, talking merrily, sometimes softly, sometimes boisterous and loud, drink in hand. (Though the keen eyed observer would note that the one drink always lasted the whole night). And so it was, that he siddled out from behind the bar, and as the waitress left with the Elf’s order, he sat down across from her.

He held out his hand in greeting, politely beginning to speak as he did so. “Miss Dyril. A pleasure to meet you at last. I am Marius Rothemor, owner and proprietor of this Inn.”

Dyril’s posture stiffened abruptly when she spied movement from the corner of her vision. Her head turned to identify the owner then all her rising tension evaporated immediately. The riots had shown there was a xenophobia among a few of the city residents. This was enough to put her on high alert and expect any attempts on her life. Thankfully none had happened since the riot a week ago.

Softly exhaling, her lips curled into a natural smile. She was pleased that it was merely a curious individual rather than a thug intending on beating her to a bloody pulp.

“Hello,” She began, a little cautiously. An idea flickered into her head then as she began the digging for information.

“I’m a bit surprised you know my name. Most individuals usually ask it, but you got it right and even pronounce it correctly. That’s an interesting little trick.”

“Oh, I am just a humble Innkeeper.” Marius said in a well practiced way that would fool no-one used to courtly tones. “It was difficult not to hear the name of the Cities one and only Elf. My apologies if I acted too familiar. I only seek to show that this great City can be welcoming and pleasant, despite recent events.”

“I will admit, my first time in Formaroth was… unexpected. It is one I rather not repeat any time in the far future,” Dyril casually took a sip of her tea and cringed at the surprise bitterness dancing upon her taste buds. She struggled back a cough as she set it back down.

“It seems a lot is different here in Formaroth than Beilokias. The tea is more bitter than I expected,” Dyril chuckled to hide the roughness in her throat over the discovery. The half-elf continued on, she decided to ask him for assistance.

“Just another thing that wasn’t in the Elven library back at Norastir.”

“The cuisine of this land can be something of an acquired taste, it is true. Thankfully, I know of a little shop that sells several Beilokias native ingredients, if you’d prefer not to risk your taste buds every night.” He said with a smile, procuring a small folded map of the city from inside his waistcoat. He proceeded to point it out and give a few directions.

Dyril naturally leaned in. She knew that Kiseo would need direction to fetch them in the future, possibly even finding something suitable for the Mao’s tastes too. After memorizing the paths, she settled back into the chair then continued the conversation.

“You seem to know a lot about the city, were you born and raised here?” Dyril asked, trying to confirm her suspicions.

“Guilty as charged.” Marius mockingly bowed. “I have seen much in Nyhem, and Nyhem has seen much herself. I don't know if you have such a place across the ocean, but Nyhem is the heart of Formaroth. Everyone and everything worth knowing eventually arrives here, and if I have not spoken to them, I have spoken to their friends or family. For all its flaws, there is no place in the world quite like Nyhem.” Marius’s pride and love of his city came through in his voice strongly.

“We have many actually, but inland is where most of our more important individuals chose to gather. So in a few ways, Nyhem is as you put it is rather unique,” Dyril agreed while she considered her job had just became much easier.

“Any well known individuals able to move large quantities of goods for a negotiable price? Preferably those who take pride in their job rather than become careless over it.”

“By sea or by land?” Marius asked, before answering both possibilities anyway. “There is a Merchant Lord by the name of William Flin who might provide the services of his fleet for coin, though my dear, if you have any of those mighty Elven Caravels, you need not waste time on local ships. Mind you, the seas are far safer in this time of uncertainty. The war may be over now, but the church is split in two and bandits rule the lands. I’d suggest you find some mercenaries, or perhaps persuade a King to lend you some troops, if you need to transport valuables by land.”

“Getting Elven ships to travel outside Beilokias is much harder than one might imagine,” Dyril bitterly noted.

She was pretty much the runt in the litter when it came to any of her relatives, especially when every single one was untarnished by human blood. She sighed a bit then decided on the mainland method because of the mandrake requirements to grow.

“How would I be able to get a hold of this William Flin? Is there a common place he visits or found that I could find him?”

“I’m sure.” Marius said knowingly. “But don't underestimate how much of an impact even one or two can make here, even crewed by us lowly humans. One Caravel might be nothing to you in Beilokias my dear lady, but its a King's ransom here in Formaroth. Or at least a Princes.” He laughed, then proceeded to point to some more spots on the map. “Rumor has it Mister Flin will be relocating to Nyhem from Akki very soon, and you’ll find him at these spots if he still follows his old habits.”

“But if you feel the need to buy a few local ships for yourself, I’ve heard that a Grand Tide Master from the Summer Isles has just landed at the docks not two days ago. Make nice with her and you might get a good price on some captured pirate ships.”

“What might be her name?” Dyril inquired while she wrote down the information on another slip of paper.

“Oh my. My dear you’ve caught me in a rare moment of ignorance. I know she is the daughter of Grand Tide Master Arthur Zerrikan, so your best approach will be to look for one Lady Zerrikan. Naturally though, it will be easy to find her. The most exotic ship in the harbor will belong to her, and i’m sure her crew will be willing to help a seafarer such as yourself.”

“My last experience on the sea was a fairly good one with the unfortunate case of a pirate who took down our escort ship. It was a terrible ordeal to witness as they set the ship on fire, burning it and the crew alive,” Dyril shivered at the memory then pushed it aside for a better focus.

She wrote the name beside Flin’s locations.

Marius shuddered as his guest recounted her experiences. Fire consuming a ship was a terrible and often very final thing. “My condolences. With any luck, the Blackwells will see to the securing of the Oceanic coasts now that the war is over. At least the inland seas are quite safe.”

“I hope so, or getting additional goods from Beilokias will be difficult, if not impossible.”

Dyril finished writing out her notes then decided to address one final thing, the most important tidbit. Her hands folded back on the table while she spoke again.

“Where would I be able to find information about Formaroth’s various environments? I’m intending to set up a production for a rare and sensitive crop that needs the right conditions. In order to determine where, I need records over rainfall and other conditions.”

“Oh, well, that is hardly my specialty…” Marius said, a little dejected, before perking up. “But I can tell you who might know. That kind of record keeping on paper is definitely the area of the Circle of Magic. If you’re lucky, the farming focused Noble Houses might have records of their own land, but you’d certainly have to cut them in on the profits when you sell whatever you might grow on their lands. There I go assuming again… You do plan to sell this crop don't you?”

“Some might be sold, yes. Others will be more ingredients in the manufacturing of specialized goods, something they might be interested in since it aligns with their focus,” Dyril said, feeling she hinted too much to the nature of her request.

“Ah. Well, the ones most likely to be able to fulfil all of your requests are the Kings. His Majesty Alasdair is the local one, but he has been… embattled of late. I’m sure he’ll bring the land out of this mess eventually, but swapping from advisor to High King and having a war and a religious schism in the first year of your rule… well it’ll either look really good in the history books, or it’ll be, shall we say, a very short entry for the scholars to study. Eli Blackwell on the other hand, is an ambitious upstart. A very rich one at that. I’d wager we’ll be seeing him in Nyhem soon. He isn’t going to get very far politically if he hides away in Mercy. The Blackwells are a bit different. They respect skill, not prior titles. If you’ve expertise to demonstrate in any field, he might be willing to help you out. Just remember, it's a land of opportunity out there right now. The really powerful Kings have barely been in power longer than you’ve been in the country.”

He paused there, then lowered his voice. “Oh and one other thing. Careful of the religious types. The church leaders may all be filthy rich, but they are even more petty and likely to stab you in the back, or the front, than the nobles. You didn’t hear that from me.”

“I think I’ve gotten a good glimpse of the church’s opinion over magic and things related to it. I do aim to avoid them purely for self preservation,” Dyril tried to lightly chuckle, but the sound made it obvious her heart wasn’t in the performance.

Again, her quill went to paper to write down the information and possibly list her options. She wanted to avoid being tied to one individual source of income because one thing she did learn from her Uncle was that limitations often spelt terrible consequences. Especially when the funding individuals felt they could control the production purely by withholding their support. Not eager to brave that storm, she polite thanked Rothemor.

“One last thing, for the moment. I need to ship this off to Beilokias. Is there any trustworthy ships or ways to get it there with the least risk?”

“I think I know a man.” He wrote a name on a slip of paper and handed it to Dyril. “This captain should be sailing for Beilokias in a few days with a sturdy ship. Tell him I sent you and he might take your letter at a discount.”

“I’ve solved several issues thanks to your information and for that, I’m grateful to you.” Dyril said as she began to collect her papers, stacking them up and ensuring she had it all.

“Happy to help.” Marius said, a glimmer in his eye. “There is plenty of greed and hate in the land, I like to do my bit to counter it out every now and then.” He stood then, nodding politely. “It was a pleasure to meet you in person.”

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

Location: Sherman Square

Time: Evening of the Satellite attack

---

Racheli rolled her eyes under her mask. The molded steel shifted and moved with her facial expression as if it more flesh than a mask. Her figure adjusted upright again then stepped forward into visual range. Casually she made her way across the road, unhurried, toward the growing collection. Of course the boy scout would’ve heard me Rach thought bitterly when she discovered so soon.

Her eyes caught the Alchemyst stare a bit too long at her. Rach’s head turned, her words mumbled under her breath at the rude hero, “Why don’t you stare somewhere else…”

Though she spotted Fletch’s subtle hint, Racheli wasn’t sure what to make of it. All she could do was raise an eyebrow in Fletch’s direction and paused just around the group’s outer edges. She was aiming to be the last to enter the building when her ears caught the name ‘Puck’ from a new female’s voice. It caused Rach some confusion before she realized she had forgotten to shut off her hyper hearing, the conversation happening outside of normal earshot. A small, uncomfortable shiver ran along her spine before she brushed it off. Naturally, her curiosity zoomed into the conversation. When Charlie mentioned what boiled down to metas being unable to do shit, Racheli’s expression soured. The mask’s face began to twist causing the face to appear more pissed than ever.

Grumbling, Racheli changed her mind immediately. She moved toward the building when the new hero arrived and struck up a conversation with Alchemyst. The kid was seriously over his head but so was she, giving Rach little reason to say anything to him. Her hand touched the door just when a series of words anchored her in place.

”Hahahahahaha! This is what you believe will stimy these wretches?! Pathetic! All of them, weak! One of them is wearing pink! Do you plan to effeminate them to death?”

”At least we’re here to deal with a problem we all have in common. Not spouting off bitchy comments at the slight thing that we don’t like,” Fletch shot back at the mouthy kid.

The loud sound of metal being slightly bent and warped echoed from Nemesis’ grip, her magnetic powers flaring with her temper. Fletch would find it harder to push her motorcycle with Racheli standing in the way. Like some invisible force had placed itself around her figure, stopping any metal dead in its tracks. The harder Fletch pushed the more resistance she would find.

Without warning, Racheli twisted on her heel to face Pantheon. Her eyes glowed red as her vision was drowned in the color.

“You know, asshole, if you think we’re weak then why don’t you go off and save the fucking day by yourself. No one is making you stick around,” she snapped then pushed into the building. The door slammed open then cracked on impact, leaving the glass with a spiderwebbed surface. It slowly creaked back into place, now lopsided.

“And you can take your friend too since she doesn’t trust metas to get the job done.”

Samhain Intrigues

Well Elsa is just pissing everyone off isn’t she? Lol guess she’ll just have to wing it from now on to avoid annoying people.

@Belle

She hasn't pissed off Noah. :P

Samhain Intrigues

I wonder...

@Forett

Wondering doesn't get you far, questions do! :P

Essence of the World: Flesh Reborn [Adv. Roleplay]

@ShwiggityShwahYour character sheet is on my to-do list tomorrow, after my eye appointment. I swear! I lost track of time and adjusting to a part-time job.

Coruscant Sacked: Aftermath

~| Cells to Compound to Cells - 3 days ATC, 9th-10th hour |~
^{~| Talon, Xid and Nyiss |~}

The young vixen's feet slowly scraped on the floor as Talon readjusted from on the makeshift bed on the floor. Her yellow eyes scanning a room as if looking for a single trace of a lost lover that still lingered in the air. She knew these types of people well. Security of the highest quality in every single room. Hidden within the environment so they would feel safe and sound. Only those new to this game would feel a false sense of safety. Adding the rules in place, everything was about controlling them. Making the prisoners submit to the higher powers.

The teenager jerked her figure upwards causing every joint to crack and pop. “Mmmm… Don't they ever shut up with their words? My ears are ringing from their useless threats.” She groaned with a sigh.

The female moved towards the second room, claws still within her paws, as if to sneak around the semi-silent room before noticing the one called Xid messing with something. Most likely cutting himself on a sharpened object. Good attempt for a human, but worst way to go about it. Seems like the kid is back to semi-good health. The fox shifted towards him and leaned against the wall in order to face him directly.

“A little advantage, we foxes have is paws. What's attached to them makes these tasks much easier than your small, fat fingers. Here take a look at how I'm able to grasp that object on the floor.” Talon said bending down, letting the male see her tools of choice. “Want to play the escapist, huh? First, you need to learn to be stealthy like a thief, Xid. During a heist, expect to be paired up with someone. Count on nothing going your way. Lastly, leave no evidence of a crime. For example, leaving blood on the bolt tells them where we are going. Now we must use one of the other ones.”

Xid mumbled, his mouth muffled with his thumb, before pulling it out.

“It would much easier if I had the right tools and both arms. However, Navi is likely still back at Coruscant or worse…” A slight regretful tone sliced into his words, followed by a wistful desire to see the little droid once more. Giving his thumb side one last lick, he turned to Talon and frowned.

“This is one of the few entrances not heavily watched by the hidden cameras. I’ve checked twice. If we aim to get out of here undetected, this is the best door we can use. Unless you want me to sabotage one. The only bad thing is the Sith might interrupt me,” Xid stated, his figure stepped back to allow Talon through to the panel.

“Really now? Mind telling me where the other ones are my lovely kit.” She said with twitching whiskers and a flickering tail.

Xid’s figure leaned back at Talon’s reaction, her words sounded like oil in water to him. Seeing little harm in his actions, his eyes looked up and his hand gestured for her to remain put. Xid placed a casual palm against the prison’s wall then focused on the interior structure of the prison. Several minutes passed before he located the first then about three more cameras causing him to pull back his hand. It took him such a short time because he started early in the morning, he had examined it for nearly three hours. The second attempt was only a refresher over the cameras’ locations.

As he walked left back toward his cell then jerked his head upward to where each camera lurked in the wall. If Talon looked close enough, she could easily see each of its lenses rotate and zoom back out while their eye followed him.

Talon slowly slid down towards the wall’s edge. Her eyes following every single moment the male's finger did. “Interesting. I'm going to enjoy training this child's skills. Perhaps he'll make a wonderful thief like me. Even if he refuses I could always-,” The vixen thought before shaking her head clear of such disgusting thoughts. The fox’s claw scrapped across the ground in a number sequence. 12, 11, 10, 9, and 8. Each number represented a section near a cell. From rough estimate on her assumption, there were twelve cells meaning each one had a camera. All in unique positions over the area. “Damn kid. I have a feeling this is a start to a great business trade.”

There was a total of four hidden cameras outside of the individual cells, proving the main area of the prison was lightly watched. A perfect meeting area away from prying Sith eyes in just the right spots. When Xid finished nodding to each one, he walked back to Talon with a confident smirk on his lips.

“See, this is the best one. It’s one of the few doors in a decent blind spot.”

Talon nodded. “Shall we play a game of nexu and nerf?”

“What?” Xid asked, confused.

“A game of nexu and nerf. Never mind. We should get started with the escape correct?” She asked as her figure worked its way back towards the bolt. The vixen smirked as she found where the gaps were for her claws and unscrewed the object. Each one fell to the ground, silently catching each one when they fell to the ground.

Xid idly watched, easily impressed, as he patiently waited for her to finish up. It was the worse spell of silence for him.

Talon grasped the object within her hand and placed it inside her pocket. Her paws started working with the wiring inside. A small movement to the left. Another towards the right making it look a bit too easy. At least until a small hissing sound formed with a smell of burnt fur, Talon jerked back and cursed. “Well fuck me.”

Xid stepped forward, his eyes narrowed in concern, “You alright? What happened?”

“I can break inside a house through vents, crawl through the tightest spaces, and play my other tricks any day. But when it comes to things like this my head goes way over it. To answer your question I've had much worse. Trust me Xid. Can you do this?"

“Yeah, I can. It’s simple splicing, let me show you how. I need your help in cutting them.”

With that, Xid stepped forward and hunched down to the panel’s level. His hands move with purpose, less with thought and more with an instinctive knowledge. He pointed to the red wire for her to cut it, her claw sliced easily through it. He then moved it to another where he indicated she slice another one. He twisted the severed ends together causing it to hiss, resisting the command, before finally giving in. The red indicator turned green for open.

“There. Thanks,” Xid praised Talon.

“Well, I have you to thank for the lesson. If you need something sliced I'm your girl.” She said with a smirk before inhaling a different scent. The fur on the back of the vixen's neck stood upright. “We should move now. Troops are coming this way.”

Carefully and quickly, both Jedi rushed across the ramparts toward the only available direction to them: the compound. They vanished quickly into the opening then turned right just before the troopers spotted them. Xid’s breath was held in his chest, his back settled against the wall and listened for their approaching boots. Their steps came then left. He exhaled in relief.

They decided to continue along their given path deeper into the compound. Knowing they had little time, Xid stepped toward the nearest door and pressed the panel. Again, it came open without a hitch.

He turned to Talon then said, “Want to lead the way?”

---

From far above, Nyiss was looking out over the compound and the forest beyond. Something wasn’t quite right, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Normally this planet brimmed with Dark Side energies, but it was out of balance, and not quite in the manner she expected it to be thanks to the presence of the prisoners. It was annoying, but for now there was little to be done about it. She was just about to turn and back into the depths of the facility when an unexpected movement caught her eye below.

There was always movement in the facility, but it was usually with a purpose. Troopers marching, Sith striding towards their goals… But never scurrying in fear. Looking down, she saw two figures in decidedly non-standard garb running across one of the causeways towards the facility. An escape then.

Rather than raise the alarm though, she calmly turned and descended into the facility to investigate in person. Now that she knew they were there, it would be easy to track them through the Force - tiny motes of light amidst the overwhelming darkness.

This would be an interesting experience to be sure.

---

“Leading isn't my strength. With this being said I'll gladly lead us into danger.” Talon said in a smartass tone. Her right paw from its original position from the prison area and into the corridor. Quick flickers of her eyes, different scents filling the vixen's nose, spoke a story inside her mind. There were actually fewer guards than first thought on the move. A skeleton crew of about perhaps 10. Granted that this was just a rough estimate on a time crunch.

At the moment the corridor seemed clear except for the footsteps coming towards them. This made everything much easier to sneak around yet something seemed to gnaw at the animal's brain. As if something was watching them closely. Studying them as if they were some sort of experiment. The fox allowed her other paw to move to the front, ears flickering in each direction as if to tell her comrade something was amiss. “We should go down the left corridor since the sounds of the heavy boot are coming from the right. On a side note, we also need to scatter when this other creature comes into view.”

“Or we can move through the door fast and hid there. I can seal it if needed.” Xid quickly suggested when his feet began to move into the direction the vixen indicated. He couldn’t fight in his condition and he didn’t like the idea of being trapped by troopers with blasters.

The human padawan flipped about, waiting for Talon to follow before he quickly hit the panel to seal the doors. With a hyper focus on his Force into its inner workings, he was ready to cause it to malfunction should the footsteps come to this direction.

“It’s nice to see the Republic and Empire has some similarities in their security systems. They still fall short of mine though.” Xid commented off-handedly, feeling a bit guilty.

“I’ve heard you were really good with technology. Honestly, I thought that was a bit of a stretch.”

“It’s something I had since I was young. Tolun Fi, a Jedi Knight, in the temple found it useful. My master… I think she tolerated it. Especially after I had already created Navi and he helped bail us out of a few situations,” Xid admitted, finding his talent more of a normal for him than amazing.

He inhaled, then twisted on his right heel to see if there was another door. They seemed to be in a sealed room, much to his dislike.

“This should be fun.” She said looking around for a vent. “Mind going on the other side for a bit?”

“Ummm, sure… but what are you going to be able to do?”

The vixen just smirked as he asked. Her eyes flickering towards the vent with a glint of mischief. “Ohhh. Nothing much.” She stated with a calm tone. The female's figure shifted a few steps forward, placing a scratched x on the floor, before continuing towards her hiding hole. The mark was simply for the person in the back. A marker to allow his leg to step on for the perfect position. After all one couldn't completely be aware of their surroundings during a quick event.

“Don't open the door until I speak your name.”

Xid frowned. He wasn’t liking where this was leading, feeling like bait on a hook, “I’m guessing you’re wanting me to lure them in here?”

There was a hint of wariness which was overwhelmed by annoyance at being possibly right.

“Why do people always assume I'm using them?” She asked in a monotone voice.

“Cause moment I open this, they will see me. There’s nowhere to hide in here for too long.”

“It's an old strategy I used to use a thief. X means where you want your target to step. Those footsteps don't sound light in weight. Meaning some of the men will be getting winded really quick. Those are the ones you want to steal from. No one can truly focus on their surroundings during a quick timed event. Stealing objects off of a single person is this sort of event. The opportunist needs to have quick reflexes along with a light touch.” The vixen explained as she shifted her tail around herself.

Xid’s eyes just narrowed, not fully seeing the logic in that. He sighed then decided to go along with as he then asked, “So… what do I do exactly? Aside from opening the door?”

The girl sighed and glanced around the room. “Don't get hit.”

“Easier said than done,” Xid mumbled, recalling the last time he tangled with troopers with blasters. His shoulder was still hurting because of it.

“FINE. Once the door is opened stay in a corner. I'll take care of everything because I don't need this to go wrong.” The vixen stated with a growl. “Open the door and I'll force blast them.”

“Fine,” Xid was done arguing. Escaping alone, he might’ve actually gotten farther rather than trapped in a room with a fox that obviously didn’t see the whole picture, “Ready?”

“Might want to take a few steps back from the door after opening it. One, two, three, four, and punch it.” She said with her teeth exposed.

“Alright,” Xid commented then stepped back, still focused on it, as he then opened it with a force push.

The doors hissed open causing both troopers to snap their heads toward the Jedi’s direction. Thankfully, Xid had been smart enough to step out of the line of sight and the door appeared to have opened by itself.

The vixen closed her yellow eyes, listening while stepping with the padawan's footsteps. Team player was beyond her ways since the betrayal. Hell, it was always easier to play by her own rules anyway. Granted this was one of the many things the Jedi seemed to have a problem with. What did they think would happen? Would the teenager suddenly change her ways of life for their moronic ideals? Taking a deep breath she allowed the frustrations to leave her mind. Worries weren't going to help at this moment. Honestly, they were just going to become a huge bother, making the set skills duller than normal.

The footsteps seemed to echo off the wall as the two guards investigated the distraction. One seeming to land directly where they were supposed to hit. Talon smirked as her eyes opened, not allowing a single motion to take place, causing the guard on the mark to smack into the wall with a force push. Since the second one was more aware of something inside the room things would become rather tricky. The fox’s figure moves swiftly without a sound revealing where the attacker was. A small step forward and a grasp of the weapon made all attention shift towards the gun. ”Well fuck me. Guess I'm more out of practice than I thought.” She thought smacking the person’s helmet hard with the blaster stock.

“That could’ve gone better…” Xid began then looked out the door, noticing the coast was clear.

“Sorry for being out of practice unlike you. I just have to remember how he taught me how to use this.” The vixen said nearly hitting the trigger.

Xid bolted forward. His hand reached for the muzzle then pulled it clear of her foot, the blast narrowly missed hitting it. “Not that way! Don’t pull the trigger unless you’re aiming it at something you want to blast.”

Talon nodded with a grumble. She picked up the second one and handed it to Xid. Her finger shifted away from the trigger button. “These things should have a safety lock or something. In order to prevent someone going blaster happy on people.” The fox said as they walked out of the room. They cautiously checked the area again, as if they were nothing more than small animals on the run, before taking the other path. Moments of silence passed between them making a rather uncomfortable atmosphere as they moved deeper into the complex.

“They don’t so be careful,” Xid said noting the other being handed to him, though he wasn’t keen on using it. Personally, he preferred a lightsaber, but he doubted they would ever find theirs or be able to rebuild new ones. He followed Talon deeper into the Sith’s lair.
[hr

Nyiss could feel the desperation in the Force as she drew near. These young Jedi had no plan, they merely wandered the halls of her fortress. It was a delight to hunt such prey again, even if it would prove only a short distraction.

She rounded a corner and finally spotted them down the hallway from her. The handsome young blonde one and the Amarran.

“And what do you think you’re doing outside your cells?” She said, projecting her voice without shouting. She began to walk towards them, fully expecting them to run at the sight of her.

Xid had settled himself down in front of their latest obstacle. While his hands examined the panel, he could hear the sounds of snarls, growls and more related to wild beasts. He had just gotten past the panel when the sith’s voice caused his head to whip about, spotting her casually making her way to them.

Panic shot through his veins as his fingers spliced into the wiring, forcing the door open. He could tell she was strong with the force purely from the darkness radiating off her at this distance. Talon and he wouldn’t last very long in a fight. If he didn’t do something, their mission to find a way out was going to get cut short.

“Time to leave,” Xid stated to Talon as the doors hissed open, revealing the multiple beasts trapped within their cages inside.

He didn’t wait for Amarran to go first, his figure already stepped inside and ready to seal it shut.

"Well, you know. We thought your mother was lonely and decided to drop in." Talon said with a taunting tail wiggle as her figure dived through the door.

Nyiss continued to pursue at a brisk pace, ignoring the childish insult. Far worse things had been said about her in her early days, and she had said far worse about her mother as well.

She held up a hand, gripping the doors to the room with the Force to ensure they would remain open. Now that she knew of the technopathic abilities this human had, she would not be fooled again.

“Oh no,” Xid tried not to whimper.

He noticed the doors hadn’t closed, their gears grounded endlessly and got nowhere causing his heart to sink deeper into his chest. They failed to resist the force applied to it by the Darth. He had to improvise. His figure leaned down, the boy’s hand gripped Talon's shoulder then jerked her to follow him. Xid’s blue eyes scanned the specs of the room before noting the local ventilation entrance.

“Get those bolts off and get in there. Now. Don’t argue with me, I’m going to buy you some time.”

Without wasting more time than he already had, Xid’s head darted from specimen to specimen. His knowledge didn’t extend to the animals in the same fashion as it did with technology. He narrowed his attention on a vicious, reddish colored Nexu. Its four eyes glared at him when its claws flexed, eager to rip him into pieces. Xid felt a shiver rush along his spine at seeing the intelligence behind the primal eyes. Already his hand began to undo the panel, using the knowledge that Talon shared, then began to rip out key wires.

The young woman nodded and went to work on the bolts off as quick as possible. Her tail flickered back and forth due to the hidden pressure which Xid placed on her. ”Take your time with this job. One bolt gone. Now focus. The left top right is gone as for the other three focus on the right.” She thought to herself while in screwing the top right now. A few more seconds of releasing the vent top, allowing entrance into the cuppy area below, as her figure disappeared inside.

The Nexu hissed, smashing itself against the cage as Nyiss stepped into the room. She smiled as she realised that it was about to break free. The console sparked as the wires controlling all but the last of the locks on the Nexu’s cage were torn free. The creature howled and slammed itself against the cage again, this time breaking loose.

It rushed straight for Nyiss, but before it could leap at her, she raised a hand and pointed at it. A single arc of lightning extended from her finger, striking its head dead center. It whimpered and slowed its approach, bowing its head and stopping just in front of her.

She looked up at Xid and spoke then. “A valiant effort. But for all your machine knowledge, you know nothing of my pets.” She smiled then, a vicious smile that spoke of the depths of her sadism.

“Well, organics were always difficult to understand. Torture eventually breaks down even the most vicious creature’s programming and makes them submit to the whims of the programmer,” Xid commented and hoped Talon was gone by now, “I was hoping for better results truthfully.”

While he disliked the aftermath, he shouldn’t have been surprised. These beasts had been likely tortured, trained and brutalized in horrible fashions since they were first captured. He didn’t know exactly what the extent of their programming was.

“Now the next question is… what now?” His attention was already shifting toward a way out, but his options were heavily limited.

“Now, little Jedi, I walk you back to your prison,” Nyiss stated. “Or, I incapacitate you and have you dragged back. Your choice.” She stepped past the Nexu and began to raise her hand, expecting him to be difficult.

“How polite of you,” Xid couldn’t help his words being laced with sarcasm.

His figure relaxed a bit and appeared like all the fight within him was lost. He took a deep breath then lowered his eyes, noting that Talon had abruptly vanished into the vents. Hopefully beyond Nyiss’ reach for now.

“I think I’ll take the advice of a Kaminoan Knight, and cooperate. I’m not in the condition to fight as you can see,” Xid replied than gestured to his still mending arm hung close to his side.

“Good. A smart choice. We will catch your little friend later.” She said, now beckoning with her raised hand instead. “I trust you must know the way back by now?” She said with some degree of sarcasm.

“If you count wandering around for what seemed like ages as ‘knowing the way’, then yes. I do,” Xid replied, his figure stepped cautiously toward the Darth’s direction and right past her.

He wasn’t about to reveal how much he knew about the compound’s mapping to Sith. It would just complicate future escape plans and make things much harder.

“Come along then.” She said, slightly impatiently. This had been fun for a little while, and she had learned a great deal about this particular Jedi’s capabilities and mentality. She would exploit that information to the fullest later.

“And don't even think about using Mechu Deru to escape me.” As she spoke, she tapped a few buttons on one of the intact control panels in the beast pens and called a team in to put the Nexu back in its cage and make repairs.

“Just because a Jedi has a high knowledge about machines doesn’t automatically give them that ability,” Xid commented but didn’t deny he was able to do it.

Since she was aware of it, he assumed it was a bad idea to prove her suspicions correct and use it. His pace only slightly picked up at her words while he approached the door then stepped through it.

“You’ll not fool me child. I have seen the Force wielded in ways you cannot even imagine. Now move. I have more important things to do than shephard escaped Jedi.” She was properly impatient now, and considering putting an ignited lightsaber behind his neck to quicken his pace as they moved through the halls of her fortress.

“My words aren't meant to fool you, it’s a fact,” Xid pointed out.

His feet finally picked up the pace properly, sensing the irritation his words caused and decided not to test his limits too far.

“It seems you didn’t because you didn’t simply raise the alarm. It’s too much of a coincidence that you simply showed up and chased us down so I can only assume you’ve been watching us.”

“Chance, that I happened to be admiring the view when you ran across the catwalks in such a clearly desperate and fugitive manner. Act like a Sith if you don't want to be noticed.” She said with a smirk.

“I’m going to avoid going down that path at all costs. Nothing good will come from it,” Xid stated bluntly, fighting a shiver down his spine.

His eyes glanced down at his attire then added, “I will make a note that you’re able to see the prison and make efforts to try a bit harder not to be seen.”

He didn’t like her smirk as he turned his head, avoiding her face and continued walking.

“So confident.” Nyiss said, mockingly. “We shall see whether you still believe that soon enough. I think you know much that you aren’t telling me. But we can discuss this later, at a time more convenient to me.” She said as they approached the catwalks that would lead them to the prison. The wind was howling and the dark sky looked as if it would rain at any moment.

“If your fellow Sith hasn’t killed me by then,” Xid countered, ignoring her mocking words.

Though he didn’t like the fact she would be talking with him later as he reached the catwalk. His eyes snapped up to spy the wild weather collecting down upon them, seemed to reflect some wild creature looming over them all. Something crossed his mind before he shook it away. He let their conversation slip into silence for the moment.

It did not take long for them to arrive at the Cellblock, where Nyiss handed Xid over to the guards to be put back where he belonged.

⊰Manifest Anima: Planes Divided⊱

Plans Come Crashing Down Pt 2

Location: One Night in Hell→ Exiting
Time: Evening- Opening

---

Killan

Killian’s eyebrow raised at Damian’s reaction. His right hand fell to his side and pulsed Vis, reading a spell. The air charged with prepared electricity nearest his palm. He didn’t like that Damian acting out his frustration out on a patron and prepared to act should the Licenti’s aggression increased. It was out of character compared to Damian’s usual, quiet demeanor. Killian to wonder what was up. Instinctively his lips pressed tightly together. Preventing him from inquiring about Damian’s unusual behavior until they were alone and out of eavesdrop range.

He carefully sized up Damian when the Licenti dropped to the kid’s eye level. His stuttering returned as he talked with her, trying to calm her down. Killian nodded when Damian looked at him for agreement. Silently, he continued to observe the exchange between the pair but didn’t draw closer. He couldn’t tell if the girl would bolt or not again.

Mercy’s expression soured suddenly when Damian mentioned their boss. Killian’s gut stirred with anxiety about the familiar expression. It was one of anger and utter hatred, something he had seen multiples when he was a gang member. A powerful motivator.

Mercy stepped back from Damian as her voice twisted into something angry, “Your boss? Protect me? She is the reason I did it. That bitch killed my brother!”

“Damian, let’s take this elsewhere. Did you see where she came from?” Killian suggested as he pointed to an emergency exit leading outside.

He didn’t want to go out in the cold, but having a scene among the crowd wasn’t going to help anyone. Damian also looked like he could use the fresh air.