Hatman1801

Scattered Shades: Arcadia Chronicles

Diver's Paradise

_{Tinon's Room}

"Are you... are you serious, Tinon?" Alvios was completely caught off-guard. Tinon was completely nonchalant about the situation. His immediate suggestion was to abandon their home and retreat, just as CMAS wanted. A miracle occurred, and their home was still standing. Even if CMAS knew about this place...

"... Diver's Paradise was founded because we believed in it. We believed in freedom from the corruption and shackles of CMAS that we banded together and built something out of it. People have been born here. Divers can call this place their home, one that stands for their own beliefs." Alvios' hands were trembling at this point, and he clenched them into fists in an attempt to escape his building anger. "And now you're standing here saying we should abandon that because the very thing we rebelled against knows we're here? No. Tinon, today was a disaster. One that was only salvaged by Luke's timely actions and my decision to hold off on your order to leave." Alvios went still, before drawing his blade.

"I will not let disaster breed despair and distrust. We aren't leaving until we find the worm who betrayed us and mount his head in the square. No Diver would follow us if we backed down like whipped dogs. We repelled their attack, now lets kill off whoever tipped them off to our convenient vulnerability so we won't have to worry about this happening again." His eyes narrowed dangerously at Tinon, an eyebrow quirking up slightly. "And I will find them. Let them burn their evidence. No-Man's Land has no maps, but that doesn't mean it has no trails. Divers thrive off of finding things that have no proof. Even traitors."

Ulimani Crags

_{En Route to Xena Rock Fields}

"Well ain't that the cutest thing?" The man dropped to his knees mid-run, metal greaves skidding across the rocky terrain as he picked up a chunk of the earth and pelted it at the grenade in midair. The collision detonated the grenade early, and the stone and dust kicked up between them shrouded him from view. For the big stupid guy, it was oddly precise, but I guess there had to be some finesse behind swatting bullets out of the air. "Hey brat, word of advice before I come break your arms..." Speaking of, the shot Par took at his head from the shortening gap between them was blocked, the bullet ricocheting off of the back of his hand like a shield. "Yer not gonna be able to shoot me. Go ahead; take another shot! You think you're the first guy to try and pick me off like a bird with some kinda long-range thing? It's why I hate guys like you, making me go out of my way to deal with getting sniped!" Two bullets now just bouncing off of his hand, and three projectiles he managed to intercept before they could touch him. So far, he looked invincible...but everyone had to have a weakness, right?

The swordsman on the other hand wasn't having nearly as much luck, or fun. He had rushed at the boulder Jenso was behind, but as he neared Jenso's location, he noted the unfortunate fact that fire made light, and jumped back before getting in range of Jenso's attacks. He took up a defensive stance, staring intently at Jenso's hiding place. "That trick might have worked on him, but I'm not the type to rush headlong into danger. I can wait." Jenso was in a different predicament than Par; his opponent wasn't overwhelming, but instead wasn't reckless enough to leave his advantageous position. He had to figure out a way to stop the crossbow from shooting him down so he could take out the swordsman.

Hyznia

Southern Exit

"Hm. You have a different air about you than most Divers I've come across. Perhaps there is a more defined line between Junkers and Divers than I thought. Or perhaps you are a unique case, seeking to carry on an ambition rather than chase a blind dream. Intriguing, really. It makes me curious as to see what would happen if I myself ventured out here for some time... my risk might be greater than the reward, considering my own circumstances though, and--" The Archmage stopped his rant before it could truly begin, turning towards the two figures approaching from the distant woods.

A pair of starkly contrasting individuals it seemed. Tall and small, and neither of them giving the appearance of CMAS officers. Divers? Has this Rem person lured me into a trap? No, he doesn't seem so foolish. Too close to Hyznia, and his respect seems genuine, if misplaced. Divers? Perhaps. Foreigners that I have no immediate reason to trust. Some of these thoughts were voiced through moving lips, but as he finished he lifted an arm weakly, leather-bound hand peeking out from his sleeve as he pointed at the two. "Unwanted company. Tell me if you know them now, so I don't react poorly."

Scattered Shades: Arcadia Chronicles

@Jensoman@Letter BeePosted for the two of you. Gonna wait for @tex to do something with his forest stalkers before I post again for @Necrophage and Z-ATV interactions.

Scattered Shades: Arcadia Chronicles

Ulimani Crags

_{Path to Xena Rock Fields}

"Well, looks like we rolled ourselves some lively ones here, eh?!" The loud one who had been complaining the most jumped over his ranger companion, and straight up backhanded Par's bullet out of the air. Out from behind the rocks now, his physique was more visible; very top heavy, wearing a knit cap and worn sleeveless shirt, contrasting with plate armored leggings and greaves. "Course, just a pair of pansies. Gotta hide to fight, eh?!"

"We're hiding behind rocks too, y'know..."

"Quiet, punk! We were hiding, but they caught on and your shoddy aim blew that noise!"

"Watch your heads." One in the back, features indiscernible behind a dirty brown robe, held his hands above them, and the fireballs crashed down on an electrified barrier. Well, there was their mage. "Go in and drag them out. We can take them dead or alive. You, get ready to provide cover fire. Go for the kill if you can. Don't mind this one, he can handle an explosion or two."

"Quit givin' me orders! Come on, you're coming with me!" The massive one in the front grabbed one of his other compatriots - smaller guy with a long single-edged blade, wearing a trenchcoat - by the lapel and leaped out from behind cover, sliding down the cliff roughly before charging in the direction Par had fired his last shot from. He wasn't wasting much time in closing the distance, and threw the coat-wearing swordsman in the general direction of Jenso. The poor guy landed on the ground roughly, but didn't complain, getting back on his feet quickly and rushing towards the boulder Jenso had thrown the fireballs from.

The three on the cliff were in appropriate positions now; the mage was standing tall, hands spread and glowing faintly, while the marksman had another arrow cocked and ready to fire. The fifth member of their gang hadn't shown their face yet, hiding fully behind the rock cover now.

Seemed like the enemy gang wasn't lost on actual strategy either, and their human tank just swatted a bullet out of the air like it was nothing. He was out in the open now though; Jenso and Par just had to take him and his swordsman buddy out without getting sniped by those explosive shots themselves.

Scattered Shades: Arcadia Chronicles

Hyznia

_{Southern Exit}

Sulfrax was very patient for Rem's speech, although occasionally his lips were moving, silently repeating some of Rem's lines to himself. Monsters that could topple the Nations? No, that didn't sound like something Sydney would want. He wanted control, not destruction. Then again, the two could certainly go hand-in-hand if he found a way to threaten people with arcane-eating beasts. He would have to ask Rem if he knew anything more...or if he knew other Divers for Sulfrax to speak with. No doubt one of them would have an answer, if he found some kind of trail, something to follow... But his mouthing and thoughtful eyes halted as Rem asked about the synthetic node. Sulfrax's crowning achievement as well as his downfall. The tipping point where many went from respect to fear, and many saw him fall from brilliant to insane. Opinions subjective to many, and certainly Hyznia appreciated his ability to push the limits of nature.

Sulfrax's response began with an uncharacteristic chuckle, followed by a sigh. He had been asked this before, plenty of times. "If it failed, then they wouldn't still be using my work. No, creating an arcane node, a font of energy that could power a nation, I succeeded at that. They were behind me, though. They weren't ready for my work. It's Sydney's fault, the CMAS scientists' fault. Even if they don't see it that way. They used me as their scapegoat though, since I led the project. The full details belong to the CMAS Head Council members, Hyznia's royal family, and myself." He looked up at Rem now, narrowing his eyes a little. There was a long pause as he contemplated...something, before continuing. "What went wrong was the binding process. Arcane nodes exist in concentrated points, constantly generating, absorbing and releasing power. Creating one that could be moved elsewhere though, required an appropriate vessel for containing and transporting that much raw magical energy. The vessel provided was inadequate, and the node destabilized during the attempt to bind it. The discharge killed everyone present except for myself, and would have continued to expand and destroy far more than just the binding area if not for a last action on my part. And that is the end of that. What I did, what happened to the node, how they managed to recreate it a decade later, those answers are for another time, another person."

Sulfrax looked back towards the gates of Hyznia, then out towards the distant forest, raising an eyebrow. He had answered Rem's question to his personal liking, and voiced new thoughts. "Is being out there worth it? Risking your life in this place? Favoring exploration over research? I wonder." He didn't notice, or at least paid no mind to, whatever might have been happening in the forest.

Diver's Paradise

_{Diver HQ}

"Might have been years, friend... but now would be the time to be serious. For now, let's just keep suspicions to ourselves and see how the situation develops." Alvios took a deep breath, and entered the main building, relieved to find everything in-tact. Likely that the CMAS were told to just destroy the foundation specifically, not go ransacking every building. Which meant total destruction was their goal, not any sort of physical information gathering.

Alvios stepped in with a hand on his sword hilt though, a little on edge still, looking around. "Laura! Tinon! Are you two alright? The battle's over, Luke and I are back!" he called out. He really hoped Tinon and Laura were still here. He really wanted to be wrong about Tinon... and he certainly didn't want to be worrying about Laura as well. Forget Luke calling it suicidal, he would have charged in regardless to save his sister.

Ulimani Crags

_{En Route to Xena Rock Fields}

The Ulimani Crags were rocky, rough, and a fantastic location for Diver's Paradise. It was easy to conceal things and people, and it was just as easy to get lost. Newer Divers, or Divers that turned Junker early on, typically weren't let in on the location, and it was considered a feat to find Paradise without help. Why it was a feat, of course, had to do with a little more than just difficult terrain and location.

They were a part of No-Man's Land after all, and it held its fair share of dangers, just like anywhere else. And as if solely to spite Par's hopes for peace and Jenso's hopes for understanding, the loud twang of a crossbow being fired was heard from one of the high peaks of a stone formation, scoring a hit on a nearby cliff next to Jenso and Par, an explosion following a second or two later, causing a rock slide just above the two Divers. Thankfully, whoever had just tried to kill them got really unlucky or missed his shot, because the bulk of the crumbling debris crashed down behind them, kicking up dust and shattered rocks but nothing that could hurt either of them.

Voices could be heard echoing from above as the rocks fell, from somewhere above a different cliff along the path, shouting between one another:

"Idiot!!! You missed 'em! What kinda shot was that?!"

"This isn't exactly a perfect angle! I couldn't get a clear shot on either one!"

"Shut up, both of you, and do your job!"

"I don't take orders from you, I take a chance to strike some good money from CMAS! Screw it, just try to hit 'em proper this time punk!"

Par might have noticed it first, given he was a marksman, with the dust settling; an uneven cliff side that sloped down into the excuse for a pathway through the crags were five figures behind some jutting stones, off towards their right a short ways up and away. One of them with a hood was holding a crossbow, trying to aim the damn thing on the uneven surface and through some of the stone formations. The duo was being ambushed, just before getting to the Xena Rock Fields too.

Chimeras and the Xena Serpent may have been rare threats considered myths, but bandits and mercenaries were very real threats in No-Man's Land, and there were some vultures looking for prey scattering away from the CMAS assault it seemed.

Arcadia

_{Inside the Z-ATV}

"Why, I'd be glad to, Miss Haley! But I must say, 'refined' is all a matter of perspective, is it not? I will bow to your fragile whims though, should my spotlight be too bright for you!" The boy ended his little speech with a bow towards her, before taking his seat. A few of the members of the team smirked a bit at his antics, and the smile across his cheerful mask suited him perfectly. Nicolas cleared his throat loudly, and continued in a more casual tone. "I'm Drama Knife Nicolas. Performer and Junker, with a dash of presumed assassin written in my resume somehow. Don't take any of that the wrong way though; I'm on your side. I'll watch your backs if you watch mine, and buy you a drink if you sneak me one back, eh?" He chuckled at himself, and turned his head towards the woman he had been playing with before. "Oh, and perhaps she would like to introduce herself next? Now that I'm being more 'refined'?" he asked, endearing as he could.

The woman was just sitting quietly in her seat towards the back, arms and legs crossed, eyes closed. When he tried to get her attention and make her introduce herself, she just lifted an arm to give him the middle finger, clearly not amused with his antics, and not speaking a word towards the boy. In return, Nicolas sighed and shrugged, with a shake of his head. Whether she simply didn't want to introduce herself or simply spiting him at this point was indeterminable.

Scattered Shades: Arcadia Chronicles

My apologies for not posting yesterday; my friend called me while I was writing and said "We'll be there in an hour, get your shit together."

And then I wasn't home until today.

Scattered Shades: Arcadia Chronicles

@Hatman1801 There. A completely unbased rumor that sounds awesome. It doesn't even matter if it's true or not. =)

@Necrophage

Yes, I should've mentioned it in the OOC but you basically had free reign to make up whatever crazy ass shenanigan rumors you wanted. Arcane-eating monsters are good.

Rings of Fate

Krunk Fortress

_{His golden balls turned red? Ew.}

Ainra grit her teeth a bit as the golden Krunklet leader...officer...whatever, finally performed an attack of his own that might not be immediately halted by Jenso. She decided to take the risk of dealing with the assault head-on though, and loosed her readied shot at Krink instead of intercepting the red projectile. "Hurry up and die, you stupid golden marble... I'm missing out on beating up your minion buddies!"

With her retaliation finished, she bolted off to the side, acknowledging the glowing red ball as probably something quite dangerous and that she should board the Nope train right off to Fucksville.

Scattered Shades: Arcadia Chronicles

Diver's Paradise

_{En Route to HQ}

Alvios frowned at Luke, but nodded in agreement, only sparing a passing glance backwards at the abandoned Jenso and Par. "We won't be able to keep it in the dark forever, Luke. The older ones are going to realize quickly that this place doesn't just get 'discovered'. We have to keep trust and stability among the other Divers, too. We don't need any sort of discord. If anything, we need the others to band together and get ready for Sydney's next move... or get ready to hit at CMAS before they hit at us again. I'm nice to the kids because they're gonna be the ones willing to fight for us." He sighed, and looked up towards Tinon's room as they made their way towards Diver's HQ.

Alvios' eyes narrowed a bit once they had gotten some distance from the other Divers, and he began to speak with an uncharacteristic low growl in his voice. "That fucking wizard Sydney attacked our home. Our refuge. Our Paradise. Luke..." Alvios paused in his tracks for a moment, drawing his sword in a flash and striking the ground to his side, accidentally leaving a small crater a few feet wide on impact. "When we fix this place up and smoke out that traitor, do me a favor and stand back. I want to sharpen my sword on their bones."

Alvios wasn't impulsive or overemotional. Even as he was more carefree around Luke, he was always the calm to his storm, and the reason behind his passion. Sydney and everyone with him had crossed the line of his infinite patience though, and there would be hell to pay.

Hyznia

_{Southern Hyznia Exit}

Sulfrax followed Rem at a rather leisurely pace. For a man of his standing in his own city, he didn't seem too intent on making consistent impressions, and walked with sagging shoulders and dragged feet, as though he was always tired. He glanced around occasionally, and mumbled incoherently to himself, but said nothing directly to the other mage as they arrived at the southern gate. None hesitated in opening it for the two of them as they crossed the threshold from Hyznia to No-man's Land.

The Archmage's gaze wandered immediately as they stepped outside, and without missing a beat as they crossed the barrier that kept foreign beings from entering the nation, he began speaking to Rem again. "A wasteland indeed. Why anyone would bother exploring out here, let alone surviving, is a mystery to me. One that I have many answers for. Regardless, I have need of you, or maybe just desire." Sulfrax turned his focus to Rem now, facing him fully, gesturing at the expanse beyond. "There are many people in CMAS who want to know what's out here. I, personally, have never cared. My focus is the Arcane, the energy we have within ourselves and the energy drawn from the natural nodes beneath the Four Nations. One doesn't need to chase whatever dreams are out here when one can be creative with what they have."

Sulfrax's silvery eyes closed, and his gaze dropped towards his feet, thinking. "Two things are born from the unknown: theories and myths. Theories can be answered with time, but myths can only be answered with experiences. The latter can be born from the wildest, most depraved parts of the imagination, without rhyme nor reason, often just lies to feed some inner need. Oh, I'm trailing off." Sulfrax cleared his throat, and looked up at Rem fully again.

"I have suspicions that someone is out here chasing a myth. A myth that I know nothing about, cannot give a name, and have no evidence to support. Obviously, I do not care, but I have an irking notion that it could be a theory to them. A theory that, if proven, could affect all of Arcadia or more, and not in a positive manner. I am pushed to find something that might not exist before they do." Sulfrax paused, and looked at Rem curiously, tilting his head slightly, like a bird. "So I ask of you, what out here could shift the balance of power within the Four Nations? Regardless of whether or not it actually exists."

So, the renowned Archmage had dragged Rem out of Hyznia to ask him about every single possible rumor regarding No-Man's Land, only narrowed down to the most fantastic ones. Which didn't exactly narrow it down at all. There was perhaps a slim chance that Sulfrax didn't understand that No-Man's Land was fucking gigantic and had too many rumors to list. Which wouldn't make sense, but then again, neither did he sometimes.

Rings of Fate

Krunk Fortress

_{How do you headshot a ball?}

Ainra had lost concern for how many people were fighting the Krunklets now; what she saw was an opportunity for revenge. They messed up her vacation! All she wanted was a festival, and instead they bludgeoned her in the back of the head and threw her in a bag... Which got stolen by mole people, but that's life.

What she was concerned about now was the fact that they were, uh... a cannon. And the one she wanted to punish the most, Krink, was operating the Krunklet cannon. How that operated was best not thought about. Instead, she began strafing to the left of where Jenso and Zerraf were, breathing another arrow into her bow. As long as Krink kept on shooting at them, maybe she could find herself a chance to potshot the shiniest metal turd.

Scattered Shades: Arcadia Chronicles

Diver's Paradise

_{The remnants of battle.}

"Hm? Oh, it's you! Luke, this Diver helped organize some of the Divers during the battle to help get a tactical advantage. You know, Luke. Strategy. You should give it a shot sometime, eh?" Humor helped. Amidst the aftermath of the chaos, jabbing at his friend a bit would help ease the tension, even just a little. The utter devotion and respect was a little disconcerting, as was his excitement to follow them after fighting such a battle. Hopefully the kid wouldn't collapse once all of that adrenaline wore off.

He turned towards the young Diver after giving Luke a pat on the shoulder."Easy there, Paradise. Alvios is fine, especially after that showing of yours back there. You did a good job of giving organization into some of the Divers. Give it a few years, some hard work, and maybe a bit of luck, people might start thinking this place was named after you instead of the other way around!" Alvios chuckled a bit at that, and looked over at the arriving Jenso. "Luke and I aren't going anywhere at the moment. We've got enough to talk about right here. Besides, Tinon hasn't come out of his quarters yet, and I don't want to miss a chance to have him kissing my boots instead of complaining about me ignoring him." Alvios didn't immediately acknowledge Jenso outside of a quick nod. The guy was familiar, but he didn't have any actual idea who he was.

At least, Tinon should be kissing my boots. If he isn't happy about me ignoring him... Alvios wasn't about to kill spirits by suggesting any reason to doubt the third or fourth most famous Diver around. Who knows what kind of discord that would spread? Heck, it was already killing Alvios' spirit just thinking about it. Tinon was a respected comrade, and Laura's husband. Through Luke, Laura was like a sister to him. If he had to suspect Tinon, it would break her heart.

Alvios' face had gone from being reassuring to worrisome as he thought about all of this. He didn't voice a word of this to Par or Jenso, but the two Divers could both tell that it wasn't time to celebrate yet.

Hyznia

_{"Southern Ramparts}

"Outside. Yes. Plenty to be done in that wasteland." Sulfrax paused for a moment, going over something in his head. He hardly looked his part of an Arch Mage who had worked directly with the heads of CMAS. Thin and weak, no real posture to speak of, and much younger looking than he should have been. He was staring at Rem with curiosity, bright eyes analyzing him as though he had words on his face and could be read like a book.

He waited to a point just before the silence got too awkward before continuing. "Yes, I'm Sulfrax Lauchlin. You, Rem, have shown up at a curious time. I have some questions about that wasteland, since it likely isn't as barren as I think it is." Sulfrax's eyes narrowed, his deadpan expression slightly more serious now. "We can speak outside of Hyznia, if you'd rather be on your own land. Not far, but outside the barrier at least. If you don't want to answer, that's perfectly fine. Not very safe, but not an immediately lethal decision." Possibly the most dangerous man in Hyznia was making a rather modest request, all things considered. Something he surely had other ways to manage that didn't involve strangers on walls.

Arcadia

_{Southern Gate}

"Woe and despair! A woman of such power and grace, bewitched with a heart of stone! No smile graces her lips this day, and yet no fury crosses her lips! I plea again, fair maiden... can ya just tell us your name if we're gonna be workin' together?"

Most of Survey Team 1 had gathered around the southern gate of Arcadia by now, and a handful of them had gathered to one side of the gate, lounging about as preparations were being finished, checks and double-checks being completed. They talked a bit, introducing themselves and discussing what their actual opinions about the mission were, now that Head Arch Mage Sydney wasn't around to lay down the law. A handful had gathered around in a bit of a semicircle, watching the exchange between two of the members of the team.

One was down on one knee, dressed in some mismatch between an assassin and a jester, looking up at the woman across from him with a simple wooden theater mask on, the curved mouth and slanted eyes meant to portray the epitome of sorrow. Maybe some of them would have backed him up or said some jokes, but the woman he was talking to didn't look like the type to be joking at.

Illon didn't have a great reputation. Questionable practices, aggression, overpopulation, and a disdain for everything regulated; hell, even normal magi were scowled at, if not worse. The true slums of Arcadia... with a history of war and violence to back it up. She fit the bill of one of their old warriors perfectly, in dark leathers and tattoos, abnormal height and build, and just the right amount of intimidating. The poor kid didn't even reach her chin, and some of the others were wondering if she was about to get off of the crate she was sitting on to crack his skull. The Illon woman just watched him silently, legs and arms crossed, impatience on her face.