ARSTAR ((an rpg game))

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Cowboy Magician
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Location: Nottingham, England

Postby Drathmoore » 2009.09.11 (22:01)

The Inner Shrine

"She sure does like to sleep..." Jack muttered, looking upon his wife. Sometime between their chat and now, she had drifted of to sleep. Perhaps to relax and forget the events earlier? "Come on you..." He said with a smile, putting an arm underneath her legs and another behind her back. Struggling slightly, he lifted her up, and began to carry Emmy up the stairs, slowly approaching the bed.
He lay her down on the mattress, before placing the covers over her, making sure she was comfortable.
Melissa stood at the doorway. "Is she alright?"
Jack turned his head to the direction of the voice. "Yeah..." He replied, keeping his voice down. "She seems a little depressed though. Something seems to be bothering her..."

Melissa walked in, standing beside Jack. "I know. It bothers me too."\
"Hmm..." He nodded. It surprised him; the connection between Melissa and Emmy. It seemed a lot deeper than his. It was almost as if they were twins, just separated by a large gap of time. "I don't know what it is... But, from the way Emmy puts it, she doesn't want me to know either."
He crossed his arms. "I can accept that, but... I can't really help her when she feels down because of it..."
Melissa stroked the sleeping Emmy. "If you knew, what would you do?"
"I would try to help her as much as I could... Specifically, it would depend on what it is, though." He closed his eyes. "I just want to help her... But... I feel completely powerless to do anything."
Melissa looked up at Jack. The butterflies on her dress seemed to move. "Why do you feel so powerless, then?"
"Everything I say or do doesn't seem to really affect her that much..." He looked at Emmy, who lay there peacefully. "Without understanding the cause, you can't solve the problem, really..."
Melissa rubbed her eye. "If there is no cause, then how can a problem be solved?"
"Why would there be a problem, if there is no cause?" He replied.
Melissa looked down. "...I don't know."
"I'm sorry..." He said, placing his hand on her shoulder. "It's just... There must be something to do that can help her... But... What..."
Melissa grabbed hold of Jack's arm. "I can see into the future, you know."
"You can?" Jack said, somewhat surprised. He looked at her, remembering the fact that she can control time. "Yeah..." The surprise drained out of his voice. He stood, and thought for a second. "Is it... Is it possible for you to tell me what happens to Emmy, then?" He replied, wondering how stupid he sounded. "Like... Does someone find a way to fix her depression, or something like that?"
Melissa looked up, dazed. "She's going to die. That's all I know."
"What?" Jack said, stunned. "When?!"
"Seros." Melissa shook her head. "It's still unclear. I'm not even sure how she dies, or if she really even dies at all."
"Seros...?" He thought, struggling to overcome the torment as his mind argued over what to do. Two options presented in his mind: To avoid Seros - of which she may just die another way, or to go to Seros - where it would've been possible for her to live if they didn't go there.

He was brought down to his knees, struggling in the debate of choice and choicelessness.
Melissa looked sadly at Jack. "Now you know how she feels."
"But... She..." Jack said, confused and stunned. "I can see why she's depressed..." He stood up, a tear going down his face. "I don't know how. But we've got to help her. We /have/ to."
Melissa looked back at Emmy, a tear rolling down her cheek. "Enjoy it while you can..."
"Melissa. Don't say things like that!" He snapped, annoyed by her words. He instantly recoiled, having realised what he had done, glancing over to see if he hadn't disturbed Emmy. "I'm.. I'm sorry..."
Melissa patted Jack's arm. "You... You won't die on me too, Jack, will you?"
"Heh..." He smiled. "I should be asking you about that. But, I'm not planning on doing so." He held her hand. "That's the last thing I'd do to you; make you have to go through the torment of losing both parents." He closed his eyes. "I should know... I've been there."
Melissa nodded. "There must be a way to fight fate..."
"The only way I can think of is not going to Seros... But we can't abandon the others like that..." He paused, thinking about it. "The only other solution is to go, but make sure your mother doesn't fight, or something like that..."
Melissa closed her eyes, and the air stirred. "If she doesn't fight... We'll all die."
"Dammit..." He muttered. "What happens if we don't go then?"
Melissa frowned. "...I don't know."
"We can't just..." He thought deeply. "We can't not go... Everybody else will die... But if we do go... Emmy dies..." He looked at Emmy, then up out of the window, before looking back at Melissa. "Nobody should have to make that choice..."
Melissa's eyes clouded. "I suppose I was right, back then. Everything does end in pain, and sorrow."
"Not everything... What about the rest of us... I mean we live-" He stopped, bringing his hand up to his head. "How could I say that. How can everything be pleasant after one of the greatest things to happen in my life is torn away from me?"
She continued to stroke Emmy's hair. "I suppose all we can do... is watch, and wait until the time comes. When it happens, we help Emmy to the extent of our power."
"Then I'll do so. With all the power I have, I'll do so." He replied, looking at the sleeping Emmy. "Nobody should have to know heir days are numbered..." He then looked at Melissa. "And nobody should have the power to see when their parents die... Or be able to see anything like that." He looked upwards. "Is this some sort of joke, or some sort of test?"
Melissa said nothing.
"This is cruel, and unreasonable!" He continued, looking out of the window. "What do you want me to do? Give me a sign here!"

The rain continued to fall, beating down on the trees and flowers.

He sighed. "I guess all we can do is wait, and do what we can when the time comes..." He turned back, and stepped over to Melissa. He crouched down, lowering himself to her level. "I want you to promise me that you won't let your mother know about this. She wanted to protect me from that knowledge, and it won't help her if she knew I had found out." He stood back up, and walked towards the doorway, stopping quickly.
"I need to prepare the best I can for this." He said, removing the Control Glove from his hand. "I need to see how much I can get done on this to help."
Melissa looked up. "I'll help you!"
"Okay then." He smiled, remembering how she had commented on the Glove. "Perhaps you can help me make it a little less crude."
She grinned, and walked past him. "I'll get the table cleared, and some tools out in the library."
"Melissa's no nine-year-old..." He muttered, looking at her as she walked off. "In some ways she's like Emmy when we first met..." He turned to look at Emmy one last time, and walked off to the library.

Melissa was taking books off the table, and putting them on the floor. A tool box was there, and so was what looked like a wire-frame spider, with very sharp legs.
"What's..." Jack started, walking into the room. "What's this then?" He gestured at the spider.
"It's a spider." Melissa replied.
"I can see that..." Jack sighed, picking it up. "I mean, what's it's purpose? The legs are..." He felt one, accidentally cutting his finger. "Ah... Sharp."
"It does what I want it to, once I finish it." Melissa moved some more books, and hurriedly put them in their place.
"And... What do you plan on having it do then?" He said, placing it back down on the table, and starting to help with the books.
Melissa shrugged, then saw Jack touching the books. "Stop. I have a system going here. It would be best if you didn't help..."
"Okay..." Jack said, stunned and slightly annoyed at the tone of voice he was getting from his daughter. He sighed. "Fine then..." He placed the books back down on the table.
Melissa finished up clearing the table. All that remained was the toolbox, a few orbs, some paper, and the spider. She walked over, and sat down.
"Right then..." He said, walking over and sitting beside her. He placed the Control Glove infront of them, and picked up a screwdriver.
Melissa looked at the glove, closely. "Alright, what are you planning to do?"

"Hmm... The first thing I need to address is some of the Glove's primary systems..." He said, unscrewing the back of the arm. "It's meant to be able to amplify my strength and agility, as well as my magic, but only seems to be doing the latter."
Melissa thought for a bit, remembering what she had learned from some of her magic books. "I suppose that those first systems won't be noticeable until you get more magics that are more physical."
"Hmm..." He thought for a moment, remembering what the Elder of Delacrimo had said, that magic was split between power and ether. "That's an interesting point..." He took one of the pieces of paper, marking down the various affinities that had been added to the Glove. "I see... Four for ether, One for power, and 3 classed under both..."
Melissa looked up. "Right."
She frowned at the gloves appearance. "We should make it look better...." She remembered the armour that Jack had. "How about we have it so that it fits with the Armour, instead of being under the Armour?"
"Hmm... That's a good idea." He said, quickly messing with some of the internal workings of the Glove. He re-attached the backing of it.
"Also, have you transferred all the magics into the Orb that the glove uses?"
"Most of them..." He replied, looking back at her. "I use two orbs. One that gains the magic, and then that is applied to the orb in the Glove." He held up the GLove on his left arm, and paused for a second, thinking. "The orb you placed your magic in a few days ago is the other orb, and that magic hasn't been applied yet."
"I see." She stood up, and walked out of the room.
"Where's she going to now?" He muttered, turning his eyes back to the Control Glove. "I don't get it. Why doesn't she treat me like her father..." he sighed, before starting to note down some ideas for the Glove.

After a while, Melissa returned, wearing Jack's armour. Jack looked at her, slightly confused. "How... How do you fit in there?"
The armour opened up, and Melissa fell out. "I don't fit well."
Yeah, I thought so." He said, offering her a hand up.
She took it, and stood up. "Well, it's here. We should get to measuring."
"Hmm..." He said, looking at it. "First things first..." He reached for the orb in the centre, taking it out. "Excuse me one second." He said, taking the orb and placing it in contact with the orb on the Glove. Once again, the orb began to glow, this time a mixture of deep blue and black, before the colours drained from the Glove and shot up Jack's veins again, flowing around and then fading out.

Melissa examined the left arm of the armour. "...Amazing... this armour is really complex... Jack, can you hand me some tweezers and a knife?"
"Yeah, sure." he replied, recovering from the absorption. He walked over, his head spinning a little, and grabbed the requested tools. He then walked back, cautiously holding the knife-blade.
She took them from Jack. "Thank you, daddy." she said sweetly.
"You're welcome." He smiled, looking at her as she started to work on the armour. He couldn't figure it out, but something about being called 'daddy', and his daughter doing what he himself did at the same age felt amazing.
"So... What are you currently doing to the armour then?"
She gritted her teeth. "Trying to separate the glove section of the armour from the rest of the arm. You see, the armour is separated into sections, which are connected with many wires and joints." Her stomach growled. "...aaah. I'm hungry."
"Right, hang on then." He said, smiling. "You carry on with that, I'll go and fetch something." He didn't want Melissa to stop working. Not for the benefit of the armour, just the privilege of seeing his daughter work. He got up, and walked towards the stairs.

Melissa was lost in her task. Slowly, everything seemed to fade away from her. Each wire had to be severed so that it could be re attached to the glove. The metal plating dropped to the floor, bit by bit.
Jack returned shortly, a few sandwiches with him. He entered the room, looking at the mess of metal that lay on the floor, and smiled to see that Melissa was lost in her work. He placed them on the table, and watched her.
Most of the black metal had dropped away from the wrist section, and Melissa was focusing on slicing through the leather that held it all together.
Jack watched on, unsure whether to ask if Melissa wanted a hand or not.
Melissa sliced through most of it, and looked up. "Jack, can you please hold this for me?"
"Yeah. Of course." He replied, smiling. He walked over, and held onto it, making sure not to get in her way.
Using the tweezers, she pulled at the sockets, and then cut the out. Soon, the left hand of the armour was detached.
"Okay then..." He said, letting go of the arm briefly. He took the Control Glove back off, and handed it over to her.
She spotted the sandwiches. She put the glove on the table, and grabbed one. "Thanks for the sandwiches, daddy!"
"You're welcome." He replied, picking up a sandwich himself. "However, the really good sandwiches are made by your mother. They're amazing."
"I like the sandwiches that you make. You don't have to apologise, daddy." She smiled.
"Heh..." He beamed. "Trust me. You try them, and you're hooked. Emmy's sandwiches are /that/ good." He took a couple of bites, and after realizing that it wasn't bad at all, he continued digging in.
"You know, Jack... Have you examined that suit of armour? It's a masterpiece. Whoever made it is a genius." Melissa said, half way through her second sandwich.
"Yeah, I was amazed as well. The internal drives and systems are incredible." He looked over at the armour, looking more deeply at it before turning back to Melissa. "It's creator was your grandmother. Emmy's mother."
She nodded. "I see. Emmy told me about a shrine that she had built around here. I want to see it before we leave... Can you take me there after we finish this up?"
"Yeah. Of course." He looked out of the window. "I think I remember the way." He finished off his sandwich, and got up, taking a look at the work Melissa had done on the armour.

Melissa finished her sandwich and examined the control glove. "Let's see... I wonder if I can..." She got up, and gathered the metal fragments that dropped off from the hand of the Armour. "I'll need more, though." Taking the hand, she began to take off the rest of the plating.
"Converting the Glove /into/ armour, instead of just attaching it... Very clever." He smiled, walking over to the toolbox. "How do you plan to attach them?" He said, quizzing his child on her knowledge.
"Using the left over wires, I plan to assimilate the glove into the main system of the suit, so it can power the suit- and also be powered by the suit. However, the glove can still function alone."
"You are good." Jack replied, proud. "However... I have an idea that I would like to try out. Mind if I...?" He gestured to the Glove.
Melissa was handed Jack the glove, a little reluctant.
"I'm going to take your idea with the wires..." He started, taking some of the left over wires and applying them into the glove, attaching them to the inner-workings. He then got some seperate wires, and combining these with those that remained in the arm he created several clips out of the wire, making sure they were sturdy. He took the Glove, and attached it to the arm, making sure the connection was strong, and didn't break. "There. Easily detachable, incase of an emergency."
Melissa smiled. "Good idea. I suppose it should be easily detachable for safety reasons." She took the glove from Jack again, and kept working on fitting the plating on the glove.
"Right. It also means that incase I need to give it to someone else, I don't have to hack away at the armour."
"Can you pass me that orange orb, please?"
"Yeah. Here." He said, handing her the orb.
Taking the Orb, she used it to shape some of the metal, moulding it, to fit better.
"Well... That's a new technique." He smiled, watching her work again.
When she reached the fingertips, she shaped the metal into sharp triangles, almost like claws.
Jack grinned. The Glove looked much better now, and fit well with the armour. He hoped his father didn't mind him saying this, but he went ahead anyway. "You could be better than my dad."
Melissa grinned. "They say that children are meant to out-do their ancestors."
"Yes, but normally not at your age." He replied, smiling back. "I guess that's one of the few downsides of being a parent. Your child is always better than you."
She shrugged. "Then again, you never know. Look at my grandmother!"
"Good point." He replied. "I'm not sure how much inventing your mother does, but I would /guess/ that your grandmother was better." He stopped, and then regretted that. " /Guess/ . Actually... Don't tell her I said that. In case it makes her mad."
Melissa laughed, and handed Jack the Control Glove. "I'm finished, but I'm going to give you one piece of advice; you shouldn't wear it all the time anymore."
He looked at it, and put it on. The only noticeable difference, apart from the appearance, was that it was quite a bit heavier, due to the metal plates. "Okay... Why not? Or is it due to these things?" He asked, fingers outstretched to reveal the "claws"
Melissa nodded. "No. As it increases in power, it becomes dangerous to have it on all the time. The same reason Emmy doesn't wear the black dress all the time"
"I see..." He said, taking it back off again. "Good point. I did wonder - rather foolishly - why your mother didn't wear the dress that often; only for battle. She looks beautiful in it."

The butterflies on Melissa's dress seemed to flutter a little. "So, can we go to the shrine, now?"
"Yes, sure." He smiled, holding out his hand for her. "I just want to check if your mother is awake first, so we'll go in a second."
Melissa nodded, and walked beside him.
Jack walked in, slowly walking in as not to disturb Emmy if she still was asleep. He looked at her, only to see her still peacefully asleep, having only rolled over onto her side.
Melissa slowly stepped next to her, and took Emmy's umbrella. Taking off her hat, she lay it on Emmy's desk. "Alright, lets go." she whispered.
"Okay then," he whispered back, yet again holding out his hand for her. He smiled at her, somewhat amused at the way she did not understand the gesture.
Melissa smiled back, still not understanding. She stood beside him. "Lead the way, captain!"
"Captain?" he repeated, slightly confused. He decided to go along. "Fine then. Follow me, first mate."
Melissa rolled her eyes. "You ruined it." she stuck out her tongue.
"Fine then." He replied, playfully. "I demote you to the ship's cat."
She purred. "Perfect. The ship's cat is the most powerful of them all!" She raised Emmy's umbrella in the air.
"Really... And if the cat isn't fed?" He said, as they approached the front door.
Melissa laughed. "Touché." She opened the umbrella, and stepped out the front door.
"As I said to your mother, who needs umbrellas?" Jack said, stepping into the rain while remaining perfectly dry.
Melissa shook her head. "But that ruins the whole fun of it!"
"Maybe..." He replied. "But I like it this way."

Melissa looked at all the trees around her. "Wow... it's... Beautiful."
"It is..." He repeated, looking around them. "Did your mother tell you that she planted all these trees?"
Melissa shook her head. "No, she didn't."
"I guessing she must've done it when she was your age..." He smiled.
"I bet she must have wanted to get here during spring... but even so... She must have really missed it here."
"Yeah... She seemed very excited to be back. This home means a lot to her, and I guess being back here is very nostalgic for her."
Melissa looked a little sad. "She really wanted to see this place again. How long has it been? 10 years?"
"I think so..." Jack said, recalling what Emmy had told him. "She went on the maiden voyage of Fenrir, only to have the ship crash and her knocked out... And then she met my father..."
Melissa continued "And that didn't help her much, either."
"No... They fought; my father had at this point gone insane. They were pretty even in terms of magic; she was reverted to a body not that dissimilar from your own after the attack..."
Melissa followed along, but was shocked at one thing. "What?! Did you just say that your father was as good a mage as Emmy?"
"I'm not sure... It's possible. Emmy said it herself that she had to use her strongest attacks to defeat him." He paused. "Then again, he was trained by the Elder of Seros..."
Melissa closed her eyes. "Oh. That's it. You forgot that Emmy had said she had been weakened. Silly you."
Jack laughed. "Yes... I thought I was forgetting something. It doesn't make much sense otherwise." He thought for a moment, and couldn't remember Emmy saying that before. He shrugged, and carried on walking. "But still, she was laying there for almost 7 years, I think... And then we found Fenrir."
Melissa sighed. "It's quite the story. Where were you before that?"
Jack thought for a moment, thinking about the escape from Seros. "We had just escaped from Seros; me, Takkun, David and Jess. We had taken David's boat, the Juggernaut, and left the island."
He paused. "By chance, we just so happened to be approaching Delacrimo, a small crescent shaped island, when Takkun noticed the crashed ship. Me and him went to explore it, and found Emmy asleep inside."
Melissa nodded. "I see. Oh!" she pointed up ahead. "Is that the shrine entrance?" up ahead, was some steps, and then an arch, marking the beginning of the shrine.
"Yes. That's it." He replied smiling. "It's a beautiful place. Come on."
Melissa ran ahead, gracefully hopping up the steps.
Jack followed, slowly walking behind her.
When Melissa reached the top of the stairs, she gasped. "What's... wrong with this place?!" she said, horrified.
"What?" Jack said, beginning to run.

"Look." The shrine seemed normal, but all the colour had faded from it- the cherry blossoms were a light Grey, the wood a dark Grey. The rain didn't move, and hung in the air.
"That's..." Jack caught up with her. "This?" He looked about. "This was the work of the Maker. His approval to my marriage with Emmy..." He trailed off at the end of his sentence, unsure of his words.
Melissa shook her head. "No, it isn't. Emmy described it to me in clear detail. This is not what you think it is." She breathed in. The air was stale.
"Then what..." He looked about. "It's as if Time has stopped..."
She ran to the main part of the shrine. "This... was a beautiful place. It's lovely." she looked around. "However, this is disturbing..."
"Hmm... Something is amiss..." He said, looking about. "What's happening here..." He looked at Melissa. "Could you try starting Time?"
She stood by the altar, and focused her magic. "Nothing. I can barely get any magic to work."
Jack tried, but couldn't cast any magic. His feet remained firmly on the ground. "What's going on..." He said, feeling uneasy. His hand hovered over his scabbard.
"Don't think about it. Whatever is happening, the worst option is violence." She saw something that perked her interest. "oh? Look, Jack. The rose inscribed on the Altar is glowing red..."
"I don't want violence either, but you get the feeling at a time like this that something is causing it... Something that attacks..." He moved over, looking at the rose.
Melissa was entranced. "It's... amazing..."
Jack looked at it. "I've seen that before... Somewhere..." It snapped in his mind, and he brought up his hand, looking at the ring on his finger. The rose etched onto it also glowed red.
Melissa extended her hand, slowly. "What does it mean...?"
"I... don't know..." He said, looking at the rock, then to the ring, and back to the rock. He moved his hand closer, and placed it against the rock
Nothing happened. "Well, that was anti-climactic." Melissa remarked. She touched the rose. "Still, I wonder what this is. It might be some really complex spell of sorts.."
"I guess Emmy would know..." He said, moving his hand back. "This is... bizarre, I must admit." He stepped back, and looked at her. "I don't know. I personally think we should wait until Emmy wakes up, and ask her about it. What do you think?"
Melissa shook her head. "Emmy doesn't know, either."
"Then... I'd have to ask her about this ring then... Although I'm not sure if that's the right thing to do..."
Melissa's eyes clouded. "The ring was her mothers. She had said to give it to her 'special someone', and that Emmy would eventually understand what love is."
"Wow..." Jack said, unaware that the ring had such a history. It made it more special to him, the way that Melissa had described it. "Then... It must be something to do with her mother..." He thought for a moment. "Perhaps... I'm meant to do something? Or she wanted whoever had this ring to do something, or something like that?" He scratched his head, unsure of how he sounded.
Melissa shrugged. "It's a glowing rose, and a time freeze. Who knows?"
"Hmm... I sure don't..." He replied, somewhat defeated by the riddle.
Melissa laughed. "I wonder what's in those doors?" in front of them, were two wooden doors.
"Funny... I don't remember these being here last time..." Jack said, walking towards one, and attempting to open it.
The door swung open. "Is this... the inner shrine?"
"I guess it must be..." Jack replied, cautiously moving in.

The inner room was dark. "Jack... do you smell something?" She breathed in deeply.
Jack smelt the air. Unlike the stale air surrounding the shrine, there was a distinct aroma here. He paused for a second, and thought. "Roses..." He finally replied, slightly confused.
Melissa took Jack's hand. "This... is scary..."
"Don't worry, I'm here." He reassured her, holding her hand firmly. He wasn't afraid; he was more confused and curious than afraid. Something didn't add up.
Behind them, the doors closed. "I wish we could see..."
"Hmm..." He replied, trying to look about. It was impossible to see anything.
Jack's ring glowed. Melissa was shaking.
"We'll be fine." He reassured her, somewhat unsure himself. He raised his free-hand infront of his face, looking at the glowing ring.

The ring dimly illuminated the room. Melissa gasped. In the center of the room, was a stone coffin. "Who... is this?"
"I... don't know." He replied, curiously took a step forwards, attempting to take a closer look at the coffin. Engraved on the top, covering the entire case, was a rose - designed exactly like the one on the rock in the shrine and on the ring. "I think I could hazard a guess, though..."
Melissa traced the engraved rose. "So can I. I wonder why this place was sealed off...?"
"I don't know... I'd assume because this is probably sacred ground." He replied, looking closely at the coffin.
Melissa leaned closer, inspecting the coffin. "It doesn't have a lid. It's... solid."
"That... That doesn't make sense. It's useless if it's solid, unless it was sealed... But why would that happen?" He looked over at the far wall, where hung up were pictures. Beneath them lay incense and candles.
Melissa rapped hard on the coffin. The sound was dull. "It's hollow, though. I suppose it's sealed." She looked up, and saw the pictures. "Are these...?"
"Yes, they are." He said, looking on.
Melissa sighed. "So this was Emmy's mother..." One of the photo's showed a smiling, brown haired woman, holding hands, and running with a laughing girl- presumably Emmy.
Jack looked about, looking at the various pictures of Emmy's mother. He still couldn't understand why, but judging on what had already occurred, someone wanted him here.
Melissa pointed to the several candles resting on the floor. "Do you have anything to make fire, Jack?"
"Not with me..." He replied, slightly disappointed. He raised his hand, and looked at it a second, but dismissed the thought.
Melissa looked around, looking for something... "I found it!" she held up a small box. "matches!" She struck one, and lit the candles, one by one. "I suppose they use these to light the incense, over there" she pointed to a small pot.
"Hmm..." He said, watching her, starting to worry less about their current situation and more about the risk of Melissa burning herself.
Melissa cried out, and quickly blew out the match. "Owww..." She stood up, and took a good look around the room. "Amazing..."
Jack sighed, wishing he had stopped her. He took Melissa's finger between his index finger and thumb, running water around it. Doing so, he looked around with her. "Wow..."

Each wall was painted, giving a view of the steps leading to the shrine in each season- spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Lying in the corner, between spring and winter, was an ornate spear.
"I guess that must've belonged to your grandmother." Jack commented, gesturing over to the spear.

The shaft of the spear was made of a dark wood, and had several lines circling it. The spear head was a light silver, and was ornately decorated. Two white tassles were attached right below it. "Most likely. However, none of this explains what's happening, at all."
"No, they don't..." He replied, looking at it. He kept close to Melissa, still running the water. "The only link I'm seeing is the rose symbol..." He thought for a moment. "Why have we been brought here?"
Melissa shrugged. "I don't think there is a reason. Whatever happened, is the result of some spell cast a long time ago."
"I guess." Jack agreed, looking at the walls again. He admired them briefly; the artwork was stunning. "Then... I don't know. Perhaps we should leave soon; Emmy might be awake."
Melissa laughed. "And how do you propose we get out? The doors aren't here."
"What?" Jack said, looking over. As she had said, the doors had disappeared. "Then... How do we get out?"
Melissa sat down. "I... don't know."
Jack sat beside her, making sure not to lose contact with her finger. He was about to comment on the situation, but didn't want to worry Melissa, and so held off.

From out of nowhere, the room began to glow, until it reached blinding levels. "Melissa!" Jack called, raising his free arm over his eyes. "Don't move!"
Melissa closed her eyes. She felt warm. "It's peaceful, here."
Jack sat still, and after a few seconds realised what Melissa meant; the room seemed warmer. He held onto her finger, making sure they wouldn't be separated.
The light died down. Melisssa stood up. "...and there's the door." The doors had reappeared, open. outside, the rain pounded the stone path.
"Well... That was... Odd." Jack sighed, standing back up. He let go of Melissa's finger; it should've stopped burning by now. "Was... There a point to all of this? There probably is but... I've no idea what it was, except for informing us of this place..."
Melissa pointed to the altar stone. "There's a letter there."
"Hmm..." He walked over, and picked it up.

The letter crinkled slightly- it was old. It read:

To the betrothed of my dearest Emmy- I hope you like my gift! Take good care of her. -Vanessa

"Take good care of her?" Jack repeated, re-examining the letter. He smiled. "Of course I will. For as long as I can do so..." His words sent a chill down his spine. He paused for a moment, wondering by what "gift" meant. Could something had happened? Or was it a metaphor for Emmy?

"So? Anything interesting?"
"It's... A little odd, I must admit. But us coming here; it was planned." He replied, looking at her. His voice sounded off, and the pupils of his eyes had gone yellow, but quickly faded to their regular blue. He handed Melissa the letter, allowing her to read it as well. "I'm not sure exactly what she means, but I believe that the mentioning of a "gift" is referring to Emmy." His voice had returned to normal.
Melissa laughed. "You know what this is called? A pointless encounter with the supernatural."
"Hmm..." He smiled, looking at the coffin. "I wouldn't say pointless..." He looked back at her, grinning. "Just that we can't understand what the point is."
Melissa opened Emmy's umbrella, and stepped out into the rain. "Whatever happened, Vanessa must have been a wonderful person."
"Yeah." He looked back, catching one last glimpse at the pictures. The candles were slowly burning away. He turned around, and stepped forwards. "Best go find Emmy then."
Melissa nodded, and began to walk down the stairs. "Whatever comes, we'll be ready."

Summery

Jack and Melissa perform some work on the Control Glove, intergrating it into the Aegis Armour. They then go to the shrine where Emmy and Jack got married, only to discover something odd...

They find the grave of Emmy's mother, Vanessa, of which left there is a cryptic letter for Jack. The two leave, determined to stop Emmy's projected fate...

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Postby Communist » 2009.09.13 (02:10)

The invasion force sets off!

David stood by the entrance to the docks, leaning against a rail. In the early morning sun, the sight that greeted him was fantastic.
Large flotillas of boats were arrayed before him, each one covered in swarming men, busily preparing for takeoff.
David had woken up this morning early, and come down to Telormar to supervise his fleet. He looked over again at his fleet, and pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. "That's just beautiful" he said.

Emmy appeared by David's side. "Yes, it is..."
"I dunno." Jack shrugged, looking upon the fleet, standing beside Emmy. "A marvel of engineering, maybe, but... How exactly are you going to pay for this again?"
Emmy shook her head. "Boats are cheap."

David looked pained. "You think? I'm paying for most of this. The men, the boats... I'm almost broke. And I was rich..."
"I hope then for your sake we win this thing then." He crossed his arms, speaking in a slightly mocking tone of voice. "Otherwise... That's a lot of money that's gone down the drain."

David ignored Jack. "By my reckoning we have... hmm...." he paused for a moment.”Roughly two hundred thousand men. And about a thousand boats and airships, all up..." he sighed. "I've hired /every/ mercenary this side of Seros. But I know for a fact the Seros army has about a million people. Not to mention probably twice that in reserves. Conscription, it appears, works well for them..."
"Yeah, but you and I both know that conscription makes numbers, not soldiers." Jack replied, looking on.
David nodded. "True. But with the numbers they're talking, it hardly makes a difference. And the ones who can fight are very well trained..."

At this point, Saphia appeared from one of the boats, strode over, and slapped David hard on the cheek with her armoured glove. David collapsed in a heap, caught unawares. "You bastard!" Saphia screamed.

'Here we go...' Jack thought, looking on at the two. 'I knew this wouldn't go well'.
Emmy laughed quietly, and vanished, along with Melissa.

Jack looked about, noticing Emmy had disappeared from his side. "Where's she got to now...?” He said, searching about. However, he decided to stay, in case things started to get worse. If Fenrir left, he could always catch up.

Jessika wandered up the stairs, moving carefully. She looked out across the deck at the calm seas. "Not a bad day" she thought simply. She walked around a corner and saw Jack. "Hey, Jack, you seen David anywhere?" she asked.
She looked past him and saw a young woman standing next to him.
"Who are you?" Jessika asked her.

Saphia turned and looked at Jess. "My name is Saphia Windstrike. Who are you?" she demanded.

"Oh crap..." Jack muttered under his breath.

Jessika scowled at this; already she didn't like this woman. "I'm Jessika Steel, of Seros" she said.
Saphia scowled right back. "Well, if you're helping with an invasion shut up and get on a boat. I'm somewhat busy here." she declared.

Emmy watched with much interest. If it got too bad, she'd intervene.
"Brilliant..." Jack muttered, shaking his head. "...Does she get into a fight with every woman she sees?"

Saphia wheeled around to face Jack. "Jack, take care of this... Jessika, will you? I must exchange words with dear David here."
"Actually" said Jessika, "I'd just come up to do that same"

David struggled to his feet, and saw Jess and Saphia standing next to him. "Oh... this isn't good at all." he said.
He grimaced. Best to get this over quickly. "Ah, Jess, this is Saphia Windstrike, ex seros Captain, and my ex-lover, and Saphia, this is Jessika Steel, my wife."
He instinctively stepped out of hand-range of both women.

Jessika glared a hard glare that fully justified her last name. She was happy when she saw David flinch. "And you never told me?" she asked. She didn't raise her voice, but the way she said it made it feel worse than if she had yelled.

From where she was watching, Emmy frowned. This could get nasty.

Saphia glared first at Jessika, then at David. "Ex?" she said, in the same tone as voice as Jessika. "Since when was I just an 'ex'? She asked, flatly.

David stood back, overwhelmed. "Jess, you never asked. And Saf, I thought you were dead." he said, almost pleading with the two women.

Jack sighed, looking at the three. He hoped Jess wasn't going to go down the same route Emmy and Saphia went.

Jessika simply stared at the two of them, and icy look on her face.
David squirmed. "Ah. This is awkward" he stated.
Saphia looked at Jess, sideways. "Oh, and she's pregnant too. Why didn't you tell me this the other day, hey David?" David looked down.

Emmy relaxed. It seemed fine, so far. Melissa watched silently.

Saphia stood motionless for a moment, and then walked over to Jessika. She bottled her emotions inside her.
"Jessika..." she began. Saphia swallowed. "...If David loves you that much..." She smiled nervously. "I still love David. But...but..." Her eyes began to tear up, from the suppressed emotions. "You can have him..." she said, voice almost breaking.

Emmy smiled warmly, and slowly reappeared in the background.

Jessika's facade melted at that, and she spluttered out some sort of thank you and looked away embarrassed.
Saphia swallowed, stepped forward, and hugged Jessika.
Jessika's arms went outwards, and she slowly took Saphia into the hug. Not being a very huggy person, Jessika stepped back first and tried to regain her professionalism.

"Right" she stated. "We shouldn't keep blathering on for the rest of the day; we've got work to do!"

David leapt on this opportunity like a drowning man. "Yes!" he said loudly. "Work! Right." he turned to Emmy. "Is Zeffie coming with us?" he asked her.
"No." Emmy stated firmly. David nodded. "Fine. Alright. Yes."
"Alright. We've more boats then airships. You're all coming on the flagship with me. It's morale inspiring, see?"

Emmy dashed over to Jack. "Ah, I'm sorry, but Fenrir has to come with me, too."
"Hmm. That is the plan." Jack smiled, wondering where the hell Emmy had been. He dismissed the question, and then paused for a second. "Unless, of course... You make Fenrir the flagship." He joked.

David glared at Jack. "No. The Juggernaught will be the flagship. It has our colours on it, you see?"
He pointed, and lo and behold, an enormous flag, bearing the purple dragon on the white background, was flying proudly from the main sail of the Juggernaught.

Emmy frowned. "I mean, that's nice and all... but I can't leave Fenrir behind."

David opened his mouth, and paused. His eyes lit up. He pulled Saphia to the side and swapped a few words with her. He stood back and looked at Emmy and Jack.
"Right... I've had an idea. It's a good one."
Emmy tilted her head. "Oh?"

David smiled. "You can stay in your Fenrir. Come down and visit us... but that's not the point. The point is, we have two forces. We all land together on the west side of Seros, make a beachhead. From there... this is where it gets good, alright?"
He looked at them. "What do you think?" he asked proudly.

Emmy nodded. "Sounds good."
"Yeah, okay." Jack agreed, hollowly smiling.
"Well, I guess I'll head off on the Juggernaut and help with the main fighting..." Jessika began.

David subjected Jessika to an angry glare. "No. You can't." he said flatly. "You can't put our child at risk."
Emmy stood beside David. "I agree."

David high-fived Emmy.

Emmy smiled, but then turned to Jessika. "You can't fight."
"I'm going to have to agree..." Jack said, crossing his arms. 'Although it's slightly hypocritical, considering Melissa...' His mind argued.
Emmy shook her head. "That’s different."

Jessika glared at them. "I know what needs to be done. I'm doing this, whether you like it or not" she said defiantly.
David glared right back. "No! I'll tie you up and leave you with Zeffie, if you'll be like this!" he threatened.

Emmy grinned. "I'll help, too."

Jessika scowled. "What about Saphia? She's going to fight"
Emmy crossed her arms. "Is she pregnant? I think not!"
"What? So my life's more important than hers all of a sudden then, David?" said Jessika sharply.

David bit his lip, and looked at Saphia, who was suddenly preoccupied with the clouds.
"Err." he said.

Emmy stepped in between them, and put her arms out. "Enough arguing! Jessika, if I have to, I will knock you out, and tie you up, but you are not fighting!"

David stepped in. "Alright." he said, wearily. "She can fight." David looked at Emmy. "She's my wife. I think I make the decisions here. Or... she does."

Emmy shrugged. "Whatever. Jack! Melissa! Let's go! We need to set out, soon." Melissa nodded and followed her out.
Jack sighed, shaking his head. "Just be careful, then." He said, before turning around to follow Emmy. "We'll see you there."
David nodded to both of them. "Fair enough." he said.

He gestured to Saphia. Saphia focused, and shot a red fireball into the sky. Go.
At once, the scurrying fleet began to sluggishly move out of bay.

David stood by the wheel of the Juggernaught. Around him, the Juggernaught crew, and some of the Desert roses scurried about.
David laughed, and looked at Jessika. "Ha-ha! I love having an army again." he chuckled.

He smiled, and looked off into the horizon, the airships making wonderful steam trails behind them. "Let's go free Seros!" he screamed.
The army began to cheer, and it carried on. Saphia came over to David. "Many will die." she said.
David nodded. "I know. I know."

Emmy silently piloted Fenrir out of the docking bay. She was silent, reflecting upon the future.

Summary: David, the most important character, meets the woman of his future and the woman of his past. Awkwardness ensues! Jack, Emmy and Jessika play minor roles. Then whole army, of 200,000 men then leaves- to Seros!


Melissa fights people...again

David stood on the main deck of the Juggernaught, watching the orange glow of the sun rising, and the inspiring sight of the fleet behind him. He looked upwards, at the mighty airships, and then sighed. "Such a waste." he muttered.
Behind him, there was a thump. Melissa lay there, catching her breath.

David turned quickly, and stared at her. "Melissa? What on earth?" he demanded.
She waved. "Hi, David."
"Hello Melissa. May I help you?" asked David, curious.
"I'm bored, actually. Can you relieve me of my boredom?"

David raised an eyebrow. "I don't think you and I have the same understanding of that question." he stated.
Grinning, David offered: "I can give you some wonderful books that will explain, if you want."
She laughed a little. "I think I'll pass on that."

"Oh? Aren't you curious about, well, things? You said you were bored. After you read these books, it's unlikely you'll ever be bored again." said David, smiling.
She smiled. "Then, what sort of things would these be, to make me so interested?"
David paused for a moment. "Well, have you ever wondered about the difference between boys and girls?" he asked her.
She was a little puzzled. "The difference between the male and female of a species is just different bodily functions, hormones, and growing, and psychological patterns."

David laughed. "Oh my. You're going to be a hit with the boys later in your life, I can see. Well... how about the fact that only woman can give birth?"
She blinked. "Those functions are exclusive to the female body. ...I really don't see where you're going with this..."

David sighed. The indirect approach wouldn't work here. "Sex, Melissa. What do you know about sex?"
She blinked again. "I've never really researched it; because I find that knowledge unnecessary to me."

David pounced with the preciseness that only years of law could bring. "If you haven't researched it, how do you know it's unnecessary?" he asked. "I don't even think you know what it is."
She grinned. "Well, if it was something I needed to know, I'm sure Jack, or my mother would have provided me with a book on the subject."
"Don't avoid the question. Do you know what it is?" he pressed.
"No, see... the true question is: why are you so intent on making me learn about the subject?" She countered.

David smiled. "You answer first. And don't try to change the topic, or ask me another question. I just want a straight answer."
She frowned. "And if I don't wish to answer said question?"
David shrugged. “Then don't. I won't answer your questions, then. And you'll be bored still."
She grinned. "Alright, then."

She ran off the boat, and fell into the water, with a splash.
David sighed. "Attention seekers, the whole family." he said. He casually walked over to where she had fallen in, to see what she was doing.

Below, the water was normal, and Melissa was nowhere to be seen.
David shrugged. "I'm not impressed, actually, Melissa." he called out.
David looked around. "Melissa?" he asked again. "Come out?"

"Is that you down there David?" Jessika said, coming down the stairs.
David turned around. "Ah, hello Jess! Yes, it's me." he said. "Did you see Melissa up there?" he asked.

Melissa stepped from behind her. "Hi." she waved. "Jess, David is scaring me."

Jessika turned, surprised by Melissa's sudden appearance. "Oh, and why's that?" she inquired.
"He's acting like a paedophile."

David leapt in to save himself. "What? On what basis do you make that conclusion, Melissa?" he said, very quickly.
"Well, you were looking at me funny!" She hid behind Jess.

Jessika inwardly rolled her eyes, and then turned to address David. "David, I need some different armour for when we get to Seros. I need something... lighter" she said.

David openly rolled his eyes, and looked at Jess. "Lighter? This will be a full scale war. I'd think you'd want something heavier..." he said. David paused, and looked at her- and her rotund form. "And since when did I say you could fight?" he asked her.
"You didn't" said Jessika, sweeping past him to head to the armoury.
David stormed after her. "I don't want you to fight Jess." he said, flatly.
Melissa quietly slipped into a corner, and watched.

Jessika strolled quickly into the Armoury and headed off to the opposite corner where she'd found her sword.
There was plenty of light on this side of room, so she started to sort through piles of armour.
David walked over to her. "Are you even listening to me?!" he demanded.
"No" said Jessika, still rummaging.

Melissa stifled a laugh.

David frowned at her. "Well, can I at least help you find some better armour? What do you want?"
"Something light" she said. "And preferably not around the arms either. I can protect that myself"
David sighed. "What did you have before, again? Was it chainmail?" he asked her.

Melissa popped in. "what about leather armour?"
David rolled his eyes. "Melissa, please. Leave it to me, OK?"
"How about this?" she said, holding up the chest piece of some armour.

David looked at it. "That's fur. I don't think you want that. It's more for the warmth than protection. Maybe you'd be better off with some leather." he said. He winked at Melissa as he said this.

Jessika raised an eyebrow. "Okay... How about this?" she asked, holding up a leather jacket-like piece of armour.
David ran an eye over it. "Hmm." he said. He looked around, and picked up another one. It was almost the same, but had lots of little iron studs on it. "Try that one on instead, Jess." he said, throwing it to her.

Melissa butted in. "I can also enchant your armour, if you want."
David rolled his eyes again. "Thank you Melissa... I can do that as well. I'm not totally incompetent, you know?"
She shrugged. "Whatever."

Jessika slipped the armour on, and turned from side to side to look at it. "It's not bad" she said, "But what are the studs for?"
Melissa frowned. "Protection." She tugged at David. "I needed to talk to you."
David looked at Jess. "It makes it harder to make slashing moves by disrupting the surface, making a glancing blow more likely." he said.

"Ah, excuse me a moment." he said, and went over to Melissa. "What?" he hissed.
"You're going to kill my Mother. I'm here to stop you." She plunged a dagger into his stomach.
David looked down at his stomach. "Ow?" he hazarded.
He reached forward and seized Melissa's wrists, holding them with an iron grip. "Luckily, I wear a brigandine shirt..." he said.”Now, why did you do that, little girl?" he hissed.

Jessika stared at them in utter shock.

Melissa looked up into David's eyes. "You're going to kill my mother. Therefore, I have to stop you. I decided to kill you, because you don't seem worth the trouble of keeping around."
David looked at her. "Are you completely mad?" he demanded. "Why would I kill Emmy?" he said. A dangerous look came into his eyes. "And you aren't in a position to make threats, either."
She smiled. "Am I?"

She wrenched both her arms to the side, and kicked David firmly with one leg, while blasting him with a wave of dark magic.
Melissa was suddenly blasted back by a huge wave of icy air. She roared across the armoury and landed over the other side on a pile of over-armour jackets.
"No-one hurts David" said Jessika, breathing heavily.

David himself had quickly snapped his void-blade into position, absorbing the dark waves. He snarled, and jumped over at the fallen Melissa.
She giggled, and created a portal below his feet, and one above him. David fell through.

David closed his eyes as he fell, and summoned his light arrows, a full dozen. Then, as he fell through, he threw them at Melissa.
She brought up a shield-seal. "I won't let you kill my mother!" She hurled a sphere at Jessika. It opened up like a net.

Jessika saw the net coming and dived across the room, narrowly avoiding it. She brought her arm up and shot an icicle fast across the room at her.
The shield resonated, and the ice crumbled. Drops of sweat were forming on Melissa's brow.

David was whizzing through the portals now, picking up speed rapidly. He looked at the portal, and did a few calculations. He fell through again.
As he began to fall from the top, he called "Oliver!" The weapon appeared in his hands- and he held it above his head. As he fell, he jammed the weapon across the floor- so that now he hung from the bottom portal, legs dangling from the top one.
He smiled, and used Oliver to swing himself across the room, landing in front of Melissa. He smiled evilly at her.

She grinned. "I suppose we should part ways, then. If you want Jess to live, you let me go. If not..."
"Are you threatening Jess?" David asked quietly, menace underlying in his tone.
Her voice grew alien- it wasn't hers. "Yes. Let me go, or the woman, and the children die."
David shrugged. "If they die, so do you. And your family." he said.
She nodded. "Ok then. If you kill Emmy, it's the end of us, anyway."

David looked at her, struggling to control his anger. "Well?" he demanded.

Melissa vanished. "Over here!" she called. She was holding Jessika, now kneeling, with a curved dagger at her throat- the one that David gave to Melissa.
David stood still. "Don't." he said.

Jessika started to laugh. Hard. She was laughing in hysterics.
"You don't know what you've gotten yourself into, do you?" Jessika asked Melissa.

Suddenly there was a blinding flash. Melissa stumbled back, blind. After a few seconds, she was able to look around. Everything was covered in ice. Icicles hung from the ceiling and small bits of ice and snow drifted around the room.
Jessika was nowhere to be seen.

Melissa smiled. "I know exactly what I've gotten myself into." She glared at David. "More importantly, I'm here to stop my mother from dying." She sat down. "And more importantly, why is David going to kill my mother?"
David sprang forward now, daggers outstretched.

Melissa stayed unmoving, and David put one of his daggers to her throat, and the other to the back of her neck.
"A good question." he said. "I would only kill your mother for her bad parenting, thus far."

Melissa closed her eyes. "I can see the future. At Seros, you are going to impale my mother through the chest, with that big sword of yours."

David looked down. "And why would I be doing a thing like that?" he asked her.
"That's what I want to know." She frowned. "My magic doesn't lie."
David sighed. "What am I supposed to do, then? I wouldn't do something like that."
She looked at him coldly. "I don't believe you."

David said nothing.

"You! You wouldn't even care if she died! You don't even care if Jessika dies!" She spat.

David said nothing, but brought the daggers slightly closer to her neck- creating a very thin red line.

She laughed. "Go ahead! Kill me!"
David looked around. "Jess!" he said, hoarsely. "What should I do?"

She blasted David with all her might, knocking him back. She drew out a long, silver dagger. "I'm going to give you two options. One, you promise not to harm my Mother, and when the world falls, I promise you that you will be brought with us." She smiled. "However. If you don't comply," she stepped closer. "I'll cut you up into little pieces, and feed you to the fish."
David smiled. "I know you shouldn't hear this, little girl, but fuck you, alright?"

She smiled sweetly. "I gave you your chance." she advanced closer, and dropped the knife. She stood there, smiling.
David's hands flicked forward, his hand-bows held firmly in each hand. "Well?" he demanded fingers firmly on triggers.
She grinned.

There was a long silence. No-one moved. David stood up slowly, and walked to Melissa. "Are you going to fight back?" he asked her.

She dropped her grin. "The real question is... are you going to attack?"
David nodded grimly. "Maybe. Are you?" he posed.
She grinned, and said nothing.

David rolled his eyes, and raised the crossbows. "Well, Melissa?" he asked.
She made a motion, as to step forward.

David spread his arms, and opened fire. But he was specific- he put all of the shots around her feet, where they wouldn't be fatal at any rate.
Melissa never moved. Some of the bolts penetrated her flesh, spraying blood on the snow. One went through her foot. She fell down to her knees. She was silent, and she was still grinning.

David looked at her, seeing the tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry." he said. He threw down his weapons, and stepped over to Melissa.
She quickly slashed upwards, cutting David's face. She looked up, with fierce eyes. Her grin never faltered.
David stifled a scream, and took another step forward.

She slowly stood up. "I'm sorry, David... but, ha-ha, this is what you chose." Her legs were stained with blood. She arced her knife, and slashed at David again, now slashing his lower neck- not hitting any vital spots.

Suddenly, the slashing stopped. David stood, his vision faded. He tried to focus in on Melissa, but couldn't quite make her out. He fell over and started to faint into unconsciousness. With his last lot of strength, he looked up to see Melissa. She stood dead where she was, hundreds of icicles piercing her body entirely. She hung there, the poles of ice supporting her. Then David was out.

Blood coloured the icicles crimson. Melissa's grin was still present. She even seemed to be looking at Jessika, in a sad way.

A gentle breeze ruffled through the room.

David was woken by this breeze across his face. He quickly healed his wounds, and stood up. He saw Melissa, and winced. It wasn't a pretty scene. "Jess..." he began. He went over to Melissa, and began to pull icicles from the girl's body.

The blood stained David's hands. It was everywhere. The blood of an innocent.
Well, David reflected. Probably not that innocent. She had threatened Jessika, after all. And himself.

He pulled the last icicle out, and threw it aside. His eyes were tearing, though he couldn't explain why.
David gently removed what was left of her clothing, and began to run his golden hands over her, causing the wounds to recede back and disappear. "Jess, go get her a plain white dress, would you?" he asked, distractedly, sweat and tears mixing in his eyes, as he continued to restore her body.

The breeze turned into a wind. Melissa's body started to disintegrate.
As she disappeared, David noticed Jessika standing a few metres behind her holding a dress.
A few tears were rolling down her cheeks, but her expression remained stony.
Melissa's body finally disappeared, and in its place- a doll, made in the likeness of a bloodstained Melissa. A terrible grin was painted on it.

David smiled, and picked up the doll. "I find that comforting, actually." he confided to Jess.

A small laugh echoed through the room.

Jessika gave an edgy look round the room, but it ended quickly. "What should I do with the dress?"

"Let's take this to her parents, hey Jess? I'm sure they'll bring her back." said David. "We'll give the dress to them too."

Summary: Melissa appears on the deck of the Juggernaught, the fleet having departed. David tempts her with knowledge, which she refuses. Jess shows up, they go to the armoury. Melissa attacks David, claiming he will kill her mother. David and Jess defend themselves, and at then end, possibly kill Melissa. A small doll appears where her body was. Mystery!
Programs? Alright

A low hum resonated through the air. Beside the Juggernaut, hovered the pod-ship from Fenrir. Emmy stepped out, looking worried.

David stood on the front deck of the Juggernaught, holding the doll in his hands, turning it over, looking for a clue. He looked up to the Fenrir, and waved.
Emmy smiled, and then spoke. "You know, David, we can't really see you from that far away."

David looked around, and saw Emmy. "Ah... Emmy..." he said. Without a further word, he handed her the evil little doll, and Melissa's black dress.
Emmy frowned. "What... are these?" She looked at the shredded dress. "I've seen the dress before, but I didn't make it."

David lowered his head, and spoke one word. "Melissa."

Emmy was puzzled. "This macabre doll is a representation of Melissa. Why would you do this to me? I can't find her, and you give me this..."
She looked on the verge of tears.
David sighed. "That is Melissa..." he said.”She... well, she tried to kill me. Jess... killed her, or didn't. She turned into this doll."

She flopped the doll around. "If what you say is true, then you've just murdered my daughter. This doll..." she flopped it for emphasis. "Is just a doll." She was crying now.
"Then how did she turn into a doll?" asked David. "Most dead people don't turn into dolls, you know."
Emmy frowned. "I suppose, it's what we call a 'Last Laugh'... It's when someone casts a spell beforehand, that is performed when they die..." She hiccupped.
David also frowned. "How does that work?" he asked her. "What does it mean, in this case? Can we bring her back?"
She sobbed harder. "No. We can't bring her back. Ever."

David reached forward and hugged her tight. "No. That's wrong. I know it is." he said, sternly. "She knew she'd probably die... and she prepared something. I don't know what. But we can bring her back."
She wasn't comforted. "If Melissa knew she was going to die..."
Her eyes widened. "Why did she attack you, anyway?"

David shuffled his feet. "She had a vision of me..." he swallowed.”She saw me killing you on Seros."
She stepped back, shocked. "B-but..." she stammered.
David bowed his head, and looked at the deck. "You know I wouldn't do that." he said.
Emmy nodded. "However... Melissa's visions can't lie."
David thumped his foot against the wooden deck in anger. "No! I know! And that's what so wrong! Why would I do this? WHY?" he demanded.

She looked up. She had stopped crying. "And why did you two kill Melissa?" she said quietly.
David looked Emmy in the eye. "Firstly, I didn't kill her. Secondly, she tried to kill me. I... I tried to just subdue her.... but she kept trying..."
He put his hand to his face. "I'm sorry."

She put a hand on his shoulder. "It's ok. I understand. She wouldn't have given up. I would have done the same, if I had foreseen the death of my own mother."

David looked at her, and spoke, his voice hoarse. "Emmy, there must be some way to bring her back. There must be."
She shook her head. "There isn't. The dead stay dead."
David frowned. "What about Takkun, then?" he challenged.

"That was different. There was more he had to do." She looked at the sky. "Do you believe in a deity, David?"
David looked around. "I don't believe... but I know that several exist, yes."

She laughed slightly. "Several. I see." She looked back at David. "Takkun survived, because the Maker had one last thing in store for him."
David almost smiled. "The Maker is only one of the gods... Laron, to be precise. I find it funny how wrong you people can be."
She grinned. "I find it funny how wrong you are. The council of Chaly was actually a text, written by a hermit, trying to define the Maker, by making up a story. It was such a long time ago, though... that it's believed that the Maker is only Laron. That's wrong, though. The Maker is every single one of them."
David now laughed. "The Council of Chaly has writing going back an eon at the least. The maker doesn't go back that far. The whole concept of the maker is flawed, anyway. Sehad, the unmaker, is also vital. No mention of an unmaker. Monotheism is clearly wrong."
Emmy's eyes flickered. "Unmaker? The Maker wills the destruction, as well as the creation." She said in an odd voice. "You are wrong again, as well. The Maker has been around longer than the council- maybe not under the title of 'The Maker', but still, the same god."

David laughed. "It's alright, Emmy. You can keep your heresies to yourself. Can we focus on the problem, here?" he asked.
Her eyes narrowed, and turned blue. "There is no solution. All that is left to do is to tear down this world, and await the rebirth."
David slapped Emmy across the face. "Don't be like that!" he shouted. "Snap out of it! We will bring her back."

She smiled serenely. "I have to say, David. You're strangely ignorant of the truth. Heresies, indeed. You see, I'm not absorbing the guardians to protect the essence of magic..." The alien tone in her voice grew stronger, until there was barely any resemblance to her original voice. “I’m tearing down barriers, which are holding the world up."
David frowned. "We'll do that later, alright? Melissa, alright? We need to get her back!"

Emmy's eyes started to fade back into purple. Her smile broke. "Didn't I tell you once? There isn't any chance of bringing her back."
David smiled. "Actually, I might have a way. But hey, you know. It would be heresy. So, don't worry about it."
Emmy crossed her arms. She was back to normal. "What method is that, then?"

David shrugged. "Oh, well. I wouldn't want to go against your religion. Don't worry."

Emmy frowned, "I don't think you can go against my religion, David."
David smiled. "Oh well then. I can't help you." he said. "But you know, I do have a method."
Emmy laughed. "I think you misinterpreted what I said. I meant that whatever you do, it won't go against my religion."
David smiled. "Oh, alright then. That's alright." He paused, and looked around.

"Ah, we should have one on 'The Dark Adam'." he paused. "Stupid name for a boat, if you ask me."
He pulled out some coloured flags, and waved them at one of the other boats. "Alright." he said. "Now we just wait."

Emmy nodded. "Dark Adam? Sounds interesting."
David rolled his eyes. "How anyone could name a boat that in good conscience is beyond me."
She laughed. Up ahead, a boat could be seen...
David took her hand. "Shall we go?" he asked.
She took his hand. "Yes, let's go."

************
David smiled. "Ah, the Dark Adam" he said. The boat pulled alongside the Juggernaught, and the crew members hastily threw some ropes between the two. David stepped over across to the other boat. "Coming, Emmy?" he asked.
Emmy nodded, and followed David.

On the main deck stood a short man dressed in a black robe, with gold trim. David gave a half-bow, and explained. "This is Groat, a priest of the death-goddess Inielle." Groat nodded. "Your majesty." he said in a gravelly tone.
Emmy's eyes flickered red. "And a pleasure to meet you, oh holy one." She bowed slightly.

David stepped forward. "We need to bring someone back from the dead, father. Can you intercept with Inielle for us?" he asked of the short man.
The old man nodded. "I'll do what I can." he said, and, closing his eyes, began to chant

Emmy touched her head. Her eyes kept reverting to a crimson colour.

There was a flash of darkness, and the old man disappeared, to be replaced by a tall proud woman, clad in black, with deathly-white skin. She looked a bit like an older Emmy. David looked between the two, confused.
"You have called for me, Inielle, the goddess of death. Ask." said the woman, her voice like a chill wind.

Emmy stood there, still. Her eyes were glowing crimson. The light passed from Emmy, to Inielle.
Inielle frowned. "Hello Emmy." she said. "I'd prefer if you didn't do that, actually."

Emmy crossed her arms. "I blame it on the priest!" smiling slightly, she asked "My daughter just died. Is she salvageable?"
Inielle lowered her head for a moment, eyes flashing white. She looked up. "The one named Melissa is not dead." she stated.

Emmy nodded. "Alright. Also, I had some other business with you."
Emmy's eyes turned blue. "We need to initiate the cycle as soon as possible. Melissa has foreseen the host's death. You are authorized to use full power, if her life is in danger." With that, Emmy's eyes returned to normal.
The goddess pouted. "Authorized? You aren't in charge here, you know. But I understand. I'll pass it on. Anything else?"
Emmy's eyes flashed blue again. "Don't get cocky. I made you, after all."
Inielle paused, and suddenly doubled in height. "Perhaps, perhaps. But who made you? Don't forget your place here." she warned.


Emmy laughed. "You know who I am. Acting like you're more powerful than you are won't get you anywhere."
Inielle smiled. "Indeed. Those who give advice often don't know how to take it."
She shook, and disappeared- the old man reappeared.

David shook his head- coming out of a trance. "What happened?" he asked her.
Emmy returned to normal. "Well, Melissa isn't dead."

David grinned. "That's good news."
Emmy nodded. "And Inielle gave me some trouble." she sighed.
"She is a goddess. Don't mess with her."

Emmy laughed.

David ignored her. "Shall we go find Melissa then?" he asked.

Emmy nodded. "I wonder what you fought, then?"
David thought this over for a moment. "Don't know!" he said cheerfully.

He nodded to the priest, and lead Emmy back to the Juggernaught.
She smiled. "You know, Inielle is a pretty powerful program. However, she shouldn't be so cocky..." She sighed.

David rolled his eyes. "Having delusions of grandeur again, Emmy?"
Emmy looked sad. "...grandeur? I wish."

David's eyes flashed. "If you have power, use it. The weak are ruled by the strong. The strong rule by force. That is the only way forward."
He paused, and slapped the side of his head. "Sorry? I think I said something."

Emmy smiled. "Oh? Are you assigned a program? I'm surprised."

David was confused "I'm not sure what you're talking about. What did I just say?"
Emmy mocked David's tone of voice. "If you have power, use it. The weak are ruled by the strong. The strong rule by force. That is the only way forward."
She laughed.

David sighed. "There's something inside me that's not me... it's not Vade either. But at the same time, it's an integral part of both of us. If that makes sense." explained David
Emmy nodded. "Well, can I meet him?"
David was still confused. "I haven't the faintest idea how." he said apologetically

Emmy smiled. "Leave that to me. Now, stand still."

David stood still.

Emmy stared directly into David's eyes. Her eyes turned into a light blue colour. "Program, authorize yourself." she commanded.

David's neck arched back to an impossible angle, and he screamed. It snapped back- and there stood someone else- like David and Vade- but with grey hair and eyes.

Emmy grinned. "Now there, that wasn't too hard."

"What do you want from me?" boomed the voice.
"I want you to tell me exactly /what/ you are doing, inhabiting someone without permission? The only program I authorized for such a thing was Inielle." Emmy said sternly.
The being smiled. "I was called, and I chose him. He made a contract, though he knows it not. He is mine."

She crossed her arms. "You're supposed to clear it with me. Those are the rules." She shrugged. "Well, since you are here, you can help us find the guardians."
The being crossed its arms. "I have always had my own rules. My... unique role dictates that it must be so. Who changed the rules?"

Emmy shook her head. "You have always been the rule-breaker... The rules have always been the same."

"Then I shall continue to break the rules. It is my nature." he said.
Emmy laughed a little at this. "Well, I don't want you to be destroyed. This world is going to be torn down, soon."
The being was puzzled. "And whom does this benefit?" it asked.

Emmy frowned. This program had some bugs in it. "Have you forgotten? The ten thousand year cycle?"
"I care not for such things. Only my chosen craft matters to me." he stated.
Emmy made a note to fix him, after her work was done here.

"Eight years of war. Eight years of suffering, death and agony. Remind me, why did we allow that demi-god to live after the first attempt?"
Emmy frowned. "Without pain, there isn't pleasure." She said, cryptically.

The being frowned. "This is broadly true, yes. But I like too mix the two, you know?"

Emmy frowned. "I think you shouldn't question your superiors. You, of all people would understand."
"Perhaps... though normally I'm the one giving orders."

Emmy crossed her arms. "Then you should remember your place in the world."
"I know my place!" the man retorted. "It happens to be on top."
She shook her head. "I doubt that."

The being shrugged. "Maybe you should remember your own place as well..."
She laughed a little. "To quote someone I happen to know, 'It happens to be on top'"
"And for how long?" he asked. "We can sense change... and I fear you're not going to enjoy what will soon happen..."

Emmy grinned. "I know exactly what's going to happen."
"And you are ready for it?"
Emmy nodded.
Smiling, the grey haired man said "Excellent! To look death in the eye, to know no fear... you will do well, I think."

Emmy smiled. "I'll fight until I go down. Even if I have to take half the planet with me."
"I don’t think you should. What of Melissa? And Jack?" he asked.
She frowned. "They'll make do."

"Is David an alright person?" asked the man, suddenly concerned.
Emmy nodded. "I suppose so. He makes a good host for you."

"Sometimes he just wants a normal life... and I do wonder..."

Emmy sighed. "He'll get his normal life, once the next world is born."
The man stood still for a moment. "I do hope so..." he paused.”I must go. Bring David back, please."
Emmy smiled sadly. "I feel sorry for Emmy." she closed her eyes, and released the spell on David.

There was a shout, and David reappeared, screaming in agony.

Emmy caught David. "Are you ok?" She, likewise, was back to normal.
David nodded, unable to speak. Emmy smiled. "I'll go check the Fenrir for Melissa again."
There was a flash, and Emmy disappeared.

Summary: Emmy comes looking for her daughter. David summons a priest, who reveals Melissa is not dead. Huzzah. Then the god people come out and talk.
Bacon and Eggs!

David stood, for the umpteenth time in as many days, hands clasped behind his back, staring out at the horizon from the Juggernaught's deck.
He shook his head. So much had happened in so little time, and they were still a week out of Seros at least...

"There you are..." Jack said, hovering down. His arms were crossed. "Do you have any idea where Melissa is? I've been looking for her everywhere..."

David turned. "Oh, hello Jack. Erm, Emmy's up looking for her on the Fenrir, I believe." he said.
"I doubt she'll find her up there." Jack shrugged. "I've looked all over Fenrir." He looked over, noticing the doll David had. "And what would that be?"

David inwardly winced. "Ah... a doll I found. Pretty creepy-looking, hey?" he said, feigning an honest face.
"Hmm... Especially when it looks like my daughter." Jack said his smile dropping. "Why do you have a doll of my daughter, David?"
"Ah-ha-ha-ha." began David. "Funny story, actually."
"Really? Go ahead then." Jack said, picking up on his laugh.

David began to grasp at straws. "It's a gift?" he asked, somehow not persuading even himself.
"And why would you be given a gift of a doll that looks like my daughter?" Jack said, his voice slightly raised. "Tell me why you have it, David."
"Voodoo?" hazarded David.
"David, not only is that extremely unnerving, it's bloody obvious that you're lying." He commented.
David smiled nervously. "Let's just say I really like your daughter." he said, wondering what replacing the truth with something worse would do.
"Really?" Jack asked. "So much that you'd kill her, then?" He looked straight at David.

David straightened. "I did not kill your daughter." he said, with precision only found in law-courts.
"Still with the lying David?" Jack shrugged. Then he paused. "No... You're right. It was Jess who killed her, not you."

David winced. "We found out she isn't dead." he stated.
"Hmm. But that wasn't until after you killed her."

David rolled his eyes. "What would you have done, then? She tried to kill me, you know? It's not my fault."
"Hmm... Although I don't condone her course of action... She was merely trying to protect her mother. Were you able to foresee Jessika's death, you'd probably have done the same thing."

"So what then, is the problem?" asked David. "She's not dead."
"David, you and Jessika still killed my daughter. Or tried too, anyway." Jack crossed his arms. "As a 'to-be' father, I'm sure you can see what the problem is."
"What, that your daughter tried to kill me, and my wife and soon to be children? I'm seeing the problem, alright." he said, voice rising.
"Humph. You really thought she was going to kill you?" Jack raised his voice. "She was merely preventing you from going to battle David. Telling you that she was going to kill you was an attempt to psychologically shut your body down after the stab wound." He paused. "And, if I recall correctly, she only wanted to deal with you. Jessika got herself involved."

David thought this through, and smiled. "Psychologically shut your body down after the stab wound?" he quoted. "What nonsense is this? Anyway, what's done is done. She tried to attack me, and knew the risks. She suffered for it. Maybe you could teach your children some common sense, too?"
"Common sense, eh?" Jack shouted back. "Do you have any idea how much foreseeing your own mother's death affect you?!" He calmed himself. "You know too little David. She didn't suffer at all."
David looked down at his feet. "I never knew my mother." he muttered.
"Neither did I, really." Jack said, recoiling in his own words. He looked back at him. "Heh. But Melissa knew the risks, yes. And she planned appropriately." He held up the doll in front of David. "For starters, where's the hat?"

David was in a world of his own. "I don't know. I don't care. Would I do it? I don't know. This isn't fair..."
"David?!" Jack called, attempting to snap him out of it. "I'm sorry for my words. I knew all along that she was fine." He paused. "I was with her the entire time."

David looked up at him and frowned. "Emmy did something to me... I realised some things... hidden deep within me... I'm... fake. A facade. I've never been real. What does this mean?" he asked.
"What do you mean?" Jack asked, completely confused.
David groaned. "I don't know!" he shouted.
"David, I have no idea what you're talking about..." Jack sighed. "An explanation would be helpful..."
David threw his hands out. "I don't know what I'm talking about. Some...thing is within me! War, war, war is coming. Many will die. Eight years of war! This is what I hear! I don't know why!" he screamed

Jack thought for a moment, before turning to Seros. "Every day I get a worse and worse feeling about what is coming. Emmy will die, 8 years of war..." He looked up. "But why? What is the purpose of this war?"
David looked straight into Jack's eyes, his own glinting. "The First seeks the world. He almost triumphed last time. This time he might just get it."
"And who is "The First"?"
"Death." replied David, simply.
"So we're fighting Death..." Jack thought for a moment. "Tell me. Does the First have the power to possess people?"

David shuddered for a moment, and collapsed onto the deck, twitching.

Jack sighed, crouching down beside him. He hadn't a clue of what to do. "Jessika? You there?" He called out, hoping that his voice might travel down below the decks of the Juggernaut.
His calls came up fruitless. "Brilliant... Just brilliant..." He sighed. "What the hell am I meant to do?"
David slowly staggered to his feet. "Jess is asleep." he explained. "After last night, she was pretty tired." He thought about what he just said. "Oh, yes! What was I saying before that?" he asked.

"What the..." Jack commented, standing back up. "You just collapsed in a fit, after talking about the First and an 8-year-long war."

David looked around, then back at Jack. "Why would I do that?" he asked, puzzled.
"You receded into your own mind after you said that you never knew your mother, and started to go insane." He sighed. "You said you were fake. A facade. A facade for what?"
David's eyes began to zone out again. "I don't think you want or need to know." he said ambiguously.
"Why does nobody around here ever give me a straight answer...?” Jack grumbled. "And why is that, David. If that's still you I'm talking too."

David's eyes flashed white, and settled to a grey. His hair also changed grey. "Alright Jack Egwelln, you may have the truth. Three questions only. I will answer what I know. No more games here."

Jack crossed his arms. "Who are you?" He asked sternly.

"David LeBlanc, or Vade Demor. Something in the middle, really. I don't have a name... yet..." stated the grey-haired man.

"Hmm..." Jack thought for a moment. "Fine, Dave. /What/ are you? David seems to say he is a facade."

The being was still for a moment. "You could say I'm an avatar. In fact, that would be the most precise term you could use. Champion would be acceptable too, though."
"And what is a "Champion"?"
"David has within him the fragment of one of the gods. It guides him, inspires him, and allows him to do great things. And one day it will kill him." he stated simply.
"Humph." Jack closed his eyes. "A fragment of the gods, eh?" He thought of asking another question, but decided not to.
"If that was intended to be a question, I shall nonetheless answer it... Yes." he said.
"I see..." He paused. "How many of you are there?"
The being smiled. "Three questions. I answered four. You get no more from me."
"You answered three, technically. The fourth wasn't meant as a question." Jack corrected him. "So there could be more of you 'Champions' then..."

There was a flash, and David reappeared as himself. "Were you satisfied with the response?" he asked Jack.

"I'm afraid I've been left with more questions than answers..." Jack sighed. "Champions... Do you have a book about them?" He asked David.
David nodded, and ran below deck. He emerged a minute later, holding a large red leather book titled 'Heroes and champion of antiquity'. "Something like this?" asked David, handing Jack the book.

"Something like this... If it details your third persona." Jack replied, taking the book.
David blinked. "He's not really one of us. He's both of us, but not either of us, if that makes sense."
"Sort... Sort of." Jack said, confused. "Apparently he's going to be the cause of your death, at some point..."
"Wouldn't surprise me." he said, unconcerned.
"And why is that?" Jack asked, looking at him.
"I don't know how well you know the proper gods... there should be a basic list of them on page...17, I believe. Turn to that, and tell me who you think I might have within me." said David.

Jack opened the book, flicking through the pages. He placed his finger in the book, scrolling down the list. "I bet Emmy won't be happy about this..." He said with a smile. "Hmm... If you ask me... I'd have to say Kron." He replied, looking up from the book.
David smiled. "I don't know the actual answer, but I suspect that to be true. And what do you think that means, Jack?" he posed.
"I... Don't know." Jack shrugged. "Apart from the fact that you probably won't die in battle." He commented, noting the description about Kron.

David shook his head. "I wish that were true. My death will have to be in battle. That's the only way I can die."

"Hmm..." He paused, looking over the book again. "So I presume each of these gods has a Champion, correct?"
"Probably. Each has several, so far as I know. How many are active... how much power each has... I know not. But I know one thing."
"Go on..." Jack said, looking at him curiously.

David looked Jack in the eye. "I think I can sense them. If that makes sense."
"Hmm... Yes. I can understand how that would work."
"Because you see, I have to find them. and fight them. Or persuade them to fight with me. Kill them, even. I must champion my cause, as it were."
"Like Emmy has to absorb the guardians..." He said, recalling her words. "Hmm... Can you sense any nearby?"

David smiled. "We're in the middle of an army. I can sense close to a hundred, of varying power."
"Heh. I didn't think there'd be that many..." Jack sighed. "I hope our army doesn't start fighting itself... It's looking bad enough already."

David shrugged. "Only about a dozen have any real talent. You know most them." He grinned here. "You are one of them."
"I am?" Jack asked, confused. "Then why... Why do I not have another persona then..." He questioned, comparing himself to David. "I hope you don't start trying to kill me now..." He sighed.

Chuckling, David explained. "I guess I have the other personas because they're all markedly different. You might be born to yours."
He paused. "And seeing as you fight with me, I don't try to kill you."

"Phew..." Jack said, relieved. "We both know which way that would've gone." He smiled. "But... What do you mean 'born to yours'?"

David looked out at the never-ending ocean. "I resisted my call. I didn't want to be a warrior. I ran from it. It got me in the end... but for you, maybe you embraced it. Whatever you have."
"I... I'm afraid I still don't get what you mean..." He sighed. "I don't remember embracing anything... And what do you mean 'you ran from it'?" His mind couldn't comprehend David /not/ fighting.

David kept peering at the blue vastness. "I was a child once. Opportunities kept throwing themselves at me... it seemed fate wanted me to join the army. But as I child, I didn't want that.... I still don't want it, in some ways. I ran, tried to settle into safer jobs. But the army kept calling me. And even once I left... I kept practising. I kept fighting. Even now..." he trailed off.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have questioned you about it." Jack replied, closing his eyes. His thoughts turned to Emmy. If fate was that persistent about David fighting... Then... He snapped out of his trail of thought; Melissa and himself /were/ going to stop it.
"But..." His mind scoured his past. "I... Don't think I can relate to that..."

David shrugged. "Lucky you."
"Lucky? I doubt it." He said in a cold tone of voice. "You're lucky you don't have to face the impending doom of your wife..."

David's voice also turned cold. "I'm destined to die in battle, yes... but that won't be for many years. I have a prolonged lifespan. I must watch Jess grow old... and then my children. I don't know how long I have. But I do know it's going to be a long time still. And I'll have to bury them."
"I stand corrected..." Jack commented, looking down. "Will I have to do the same thing?" He questioned, looking at his own hands.
David looked at Jack's hands. "With those hands, you might be better of hiring someone to do it for you." he said, seriously, and smiled. "My, aren't we quite morbid today?" he asked.
"Heh. I always thought being a 'Champion' was a good thing. Now... It brings a whole meaning to the word..." He paused. "Although, by then things may have completely changed..."


Takkun did a little jig somewhere in the world of Arstar. No one quite knows where.

David looked back out to the ocean. "Oh, being a champion has its good points, I'll give you that. But who knows what will happen in the future..." he sighed. "Besides eight years of war. Doubtless I will be a prominent player in those years."
"Why 8 years though... It sounds more like a struggle than a war..."

David nodded. "It will be slaughter. Tell me, Jack? You want to know why I ran? How many people have you killed?" he asked.
"Me?" He repeated, slightly stunned. He looked down at his feet. "While I don't approve... Somewhere in the region of twenty..."
Shaking his head, David said slowly: "I've killed thousands. I've seen all manner of deaths. Afterwards, I meet their family. That's the worst part. Looking a widower in the eye, when you've killed their only source of income, their love... and knowing that while you were right, it's all so wrong."
David shook his head. "But I don't want to see you die, Jack. Here, how good are you with that sword you carry around?"

"I'm getting better, I must admit, but I'm not sure how well I'll fare against others in battle." He replied.
"Would you like some training?" asked David.

"Hmm..." Jack thought for a moment. "Heh. Okay then. Perhaps you'd like to show me how you trained my sister?"
"Do you have a few years?" asked David, dryly.
Jack looked over at Seros, and back again. " /Well/ , considering how slowly this boat is moving..." He joked.

David smiled. "Good one. But really. Training. Err... I suppose you want the sword, yes? Shall we have a quick bout now?"

Jack drew his sword. "Fine by me."
David thought for a moment. "What would you like me to fight with?" he asked.
"Hmm... You were in the army. What weapons are they most likely to be using?" Jack asked, inspecting the sword's edge.
"Swords, spears... zweihanders...a few axes, maybe. Double knives for the marines..." listed David. "Cyra uses a sword."
"Your sword." Jack commented, nodding. "I don't mind. Probably whatever weapon you'd prefer to use out of that list.

David thought for a moment. "Double-knives then!" he said, and drew both his sword-breaker and stiletto out from their hidden places. "Begin when you're ready." he declared.
Jack brought up his blade, holding it across his body. "Oh, no. I insist that you start." He smiled.
David smiled back. "No magick, I must insist, though." he said.

Jack lowered his blade, bringing it back to his side. 'Damn... I'm screwed.' "Err... Yes. Of course." He said, nodding.

David smiled. "We can begin then!" he said, bounding forward with a leap, bringing both his blades down on Jack's head.

Jack waited for David to come close, before dodging to the left. Using his momentum, he spun, bringing his sword back around towards David's back. (Horizontal Slash, left to right)

David flicked his left hand back, catching the blade in the sword-breaker's notch- whilst the stiletto in his right hand flicked around at Jack (Horizontal, right to left)

Jack smiled, letting go of his sword and dodging underneath the stiletto. He rolled, taking back the sword as it dropped, and he stood up behind David. Realising that head on attacks would be useless, he decided to try something different, slashing across, but then quickly bringing the sword up across David's arm before making contact. (Vertical slash, bottom to top)

David stepped forward, crossing both daggers, and using them to deflect the sword away to his left. With a sudden movement, he brought his knee up hard and fast.
Jack recoiled as David's knee hit him square on. Collapsing over, he found himself unable to speak. He fell to his side. "Argh... Low... Blow."

David smiled. "Not common in duels... very common in battle, though. Might want to... ah, wear some protection there. It'll keep Emmy happy at the very least."

"I'll... Take your word on that..." He said, trying to lift himself up with his arms.
David went over and picked Jack up. "Sorry about that. But battle isn't like what you're used to. You kill one, another three appear... or fourteen, in our case. You have to learn fast, or not at all."
"You forget that myself, Emmy and Melissa won't be fighting the battle, remember? We'll be going to the palace..." His knees stayed together. "But... I think I've learnt something for future reference... Oww..."
"Well, that's always good. A day in which you learn something is never a wasted day." quoted David.

"Alright, shall we continue?" asked David.
"Give me a second..." Jack moaned. He stood up fully, waiting for the pain to go away. "Okay then. Let's continue."

David smiled. "That's the spirit. Now, thrust at me." he commanded.
Jack frowned. "As long as you don't... You know."
David smiled. "I won't knee you again."
"Not good enough." Jack commented. "That still means you could punch, or even worse you could stab..." He paused. "On second thought, I'm going to shut up and stop giving you ideas." He smiled, and thrust forwards with his sword.
David laughed, stepped to the side, and grasped Jack's wrist. He jerked back, and pulled Jack over.

"Ow..." Jack said, landing on the floor. His sword landed beside him, luckily not causing him extra harm.
David laughed. "Sorry Jack. Maybe a swipe, this time?"

Jack stood back up, brushing himself off. "I don't like where this is going..." He sighed, but obeyed the command and attacked with a horizontal slice.
[2David dropped down, supporting himself on his hands, and with his legs scythed Jack's feet out from under him.

David laughed again. "Sorry... really."

Jack refused to get up, and remained lying on the floor. "Oww..." He moaned again.

David shrugged. "Alright. maybe we can keep going later. Want something to eat?" he offered.
"Maybe..." He tried moving, but his arm seared in pain. Rolling off of it, and onto his back, he lifted in front of his eyes.
His lower arm was swollen in places, and a few of his fingers had snapped back. "Oww..."

David reached over with his golden hands and fixed up the cuts and bruises.
"Alright. Breakfast first. Then we can begin this programme! By the time we reach Seros, you should be able to last a few minutes against your little sister! Isn't that good news?"
"Er..." Jack didn't answer.
Smiling, David pulled Jack up. "If I can't teach you to fight, than you're a lost cause! Don't say a word more. Let's go. Busy times ahead. I hope your wife won't mind you going to bed already exhausted."
"I'm sure she won't..." Jack said in a slightly worried tone of voice. 'Great. /Great/ .' His mind thought.

David smiled. "That the spirit. Bacon and eggs for you?"

Summary: So apparently the family can't work together, so Jack comes down to ask David where Melissa is. Talk talk talk, fight.
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Thanks to UniverseZero for the awesome sig!
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Postby ChaoStar » 2009.09.14 (11:23)

(( You should take that ************ out of the Programs RP. ))
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Postby Aphex » 2009.09.15 (15:07)

(( I love you guys. ))
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Postby ChaoStar » 2009.09.15 (20:50)

Aphex wrote:(( I love you guys. ))
(( and we, you. ))
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Postby Yoshimo » 2009.09.15 (21:11)

((
ChaoStar wrote:
Aphex wrote:(( I love you guys. ))
(( and we, you. ))
I ove aphex way more then you, CS. ))
spoiler

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Postby Drathmoore » 2009.09.15 (22:44)

BionicCryonic wrote:((
ChaoStar wrote:
Aphex wrote:(( I love you guys. ))
(( and we, you. ))
I ove aphex way more then you, CS. ))
((Reverse Bio's post.))

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Postby Aphex » 2009.09.20 (00:25)

((Gee thatnks drath, then again I guess I did abandon you guys... Sorry again... It was inevitable though ;-;
Hopefully this will win your ice cold heart drath: I edited the first post to help you guys out :P))
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Postby Drathmoore » 2009.09.20 (12:20)

Aphex wrote:((Gee thatnks drath, then again I guess I did abandon you guys... Sorry again... It was inevitable though ;-;
Hopefully this will win your ice cold heart drath: I edited the first post to help you guys out :P))
((I didn't mean it like that...))
The Doll

Jack stood on the deck of Fenrir, looking about. Beneath the airship lay an enormous fleet of boats - David's fleet - all sailing in the direction of Seros. Beside and behind Fenrir were airships; all part of the fleet. 'All sailing to their death' His mind thought, turning around.

Emmy had both hands on the control orb, and was busy setting the flight path. Melissa sat beside her, silent.
"No matter what happens, this won't end well..." Jack sighed. "We remain outnumbered, out-gunned..." He stopped, realising how dark his speech was coming across as, and smiled a confident grin. "I guess we'll just have to fight harder."
Emmy smiled. "Numbers mean nothing to me."
"Heh". Jack crossed his arms. "Just remember that everybody else isn't as super-powerful as you are. Don't show off too much."
Melissa frowned. "Emmy isn't super-powerful, Jack. She's pretty normal. Don't overestimate her."
"You're just saying that because you're almost just as powerful." He replied, sarcastically. "Either that, or I'm just seeing it as that because I'm incredibly weak. And which do you think is more likely?" He paused. "Don't answer that."
Melissa shook her head. "I won't."
Jack paused again, looking at Melissa. He then turned back to the window, and looked out of it again.
Emmy stood up. "Alright, I'm done! The trip should take a while, so we have plenty of time to ourselves. Plus, I restocked the kitchen, while we were at Aegis!"
"Finally, some peace." He replied, turning his head. "We can spend some time just as a family, no interruptions. If only it wasn't the calm before the storm, though..."
Emmy looked at Jack, and raised an eyebrow. "Calm before the storm? You sound like something horrible is going to happen at Seros."
"We're going to war." He crossed his arms again. "Do you not class that as something horrible?"
Emmy shook her head. "Nope."
Jack shrugged his shoulders. "Calm before the light breeze then." He forced a smile, avoiding the truth.
Emmy shrugged, and walked out of the room.

Jack sighed, turning back to the window again. The conversation made his thoughts turn to Emmy, and her upcoming fate. Something seemed odd about her though, as he poked at his thoughts, remembering their conversation after Saphia had visited. "We love you"... Something that didn't make sense.
Melissa nodded at Jack, and vanished through a portal.
He continued on his thoughts. What did she mean by "we"? Did she mean that Dark Emmy loves him as well? But... After the way he had treated her... He treated her as an infection; something that was hurting and corrupting Emmy. Never once did he think of her thoughts, and motives. He gained a sickening feeling in his stomach.
Emmy walked back into the room, carrying two bowls. "Ice cream?"
Jack turned around, and walked over to her. "Thank you," he said, smiling, and took one of the bowls. He thought, while eating some of it, and spoke. "Emmy... This might sound odd, but... I need to speak with your darker self, if you don;t mind."
Emmy nodded. "Sure, one minute." She sat down, and put her ice cream aside. A dark haze formed around her, and then cleared. "I am she." Emmy said, eyes now red.
"Hey." Jack replied, looking at her. His voice seemed slightly softer; a mixture of fear, confusion and guilt.
"Hi." She waved.
He paused. "I... I think I owe you an apology."
Emmy tilted her head. "Apologize? For what?"
"I've been a complete and total git towards you... I'm sorry. I always thought that you were hurting Emmy psychologically, and that getting rid of you would help Emmy..." He sighed, realising how stupid he had been. "I'm sorry. I never once thought of you, how you and Emmy are linked, and how you felt about everything."
Emmy leaned forward, and hugged Jack. "That's really sweet, Jack!"
Jack hugged her back, feeling awkward. "I'm sorry. Can you forgive me for my stupidity?"
Emmy pulled back. "It's not my place to forgive, but yes, I forgive you.” She looked away. "However, most of your suspicions are correct. I, by nature, was made to destroy. That's my path."
Jack sat down beside her. "Hmm... What do you think of that though?"
Emmy laughed. "I enjoy it. It feels... right."
"I... to an extent, I think I know what you mean." Jack said, his thoughts turning to the registry. "I don't agree but... It felt... Good. Exhilarating, you could say."
Emmy looked up. "So, you understand why I do what I do?"
"It feels good, in a sort-of 'forbidden' way..." He looked at her. "If that's the case, then I think I'm beginning to, yes."
Emmy smiled. "Even more so, for me. Because it isn't forbidden, for me."
"Hmm..." Jack thought for a moment. "Well... By society's standards, you are. Which is the same reason as why I class it as forbidden/"
Emmy shrugged. "I destroy society. I have no cares for such things."

"Heh... Good point." He leant back a little. "So your fate is to destroy, while the other Emmy's is to... defend? Prevent the corruption of Magic?"
Emmy shook her head. "Her fate is to impose the will of the maker. She corrects things that are wrong."
"Huh..." He thought again. "Do you two get along then? Surely destruction of everything isn't the will of the Maker..."
Emmy smiled, but remained silent.
"Heh..." He smiled. "I've never thought about fates that much. Too constricting. They don't give you much freedom."
Emmy shook her head. "A Fate is not something you must do, rather something you should do. By following our Fates, we can gain happiness."
"I've always seen them as rules, rather than guidelines." He paused. "I guess you could look at it that way. Unless the Maker wills for everything to be destroyed, I'd personally see it as impossible for you two to co-exist."
She leaned forward. "But we do."
"Which means the Maker wills for everything to be destroyed. /Brilliant./ " He joked.
She wagged her finger. "Wrong. The Maker wills that I /attempt/ to destroy the planet."
"Odd..." He said, looking at her. "But... if you attempt... Then something has to stop you, right?" He paused. "Or, at least something or someone is fated to do so?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. In my opinion, I think after this world is destroyed, a new one will be born. That is the way of the universe." She laughed.
Jack laughed as well. "But I like this one..." He joked. He stopped laughing. "But... Wouldn't something like that kill you as well?"
She leaned back, and looked at the ceiling. "Who knows? If it were up to me, I'd find a way for you, Melissa and I to make it through- to whatever lies ahead."
"That's very thoughtful." Jack smiled. He was confused. It would make her happy, but... billions of people would be killed... Was it worth it?

Emmy's eyes faded back to normal. "So, I hope she didn't cause you any trouble, Jack." She picked up her ice cream, now somewhat melted.
"No, none at all." He smiled. It seemed that, from what Emmy had just said, she was either unaware of their conversation, or just feigning ignorance.
"What did you two talk about?" she asked, interested.
"Fate, mainly. Discussing her fate, your fate... etc, etc." He picked back up his ice cream, and began to finish it off. "I also needed to make amends."
Emmy raised an eyebrow. "Amends?"
"I've been a complete and total git towards her." He sighed. "And when you said 'We love you', it made me feel guilty for my behaviour."
Emmy nodded. "I see. I suppose the phrase... "You can't judge a book by its cover" really applies here."
"Yeah." He said, putting the bowl down. "She was quite well-mannered and calm... Something else I didn't expect."
Emmy nodded. "We all are. After all... we're the same person."
A smidge of ice cream got on her cheek.
"I guess." He smiled, confused slightly. "Do you want me to get that for you?"
Emmy was puzzled. "Get what?"
He leant forward, and kissed her on the cheek. "Ice cream." He smiled. "A little bit on your cheek."
She touched his arm. "Thanks." She looked out of the window. "The ocean is endless... I hate it."
"Heh... I quite like it." He commented, putting his arm around her. "Endless... It means there's endless islands. Endless possibilities..."
Emmy shook her head. "It's too endless. Endless pain. Happiness can only be found in unity, and knowledge."
"And in some cases, destruction..." Jack replied, referring to his conversation with Dark Emmy. "But... Everything is balanced. Where there's endless pain, there's endless happiness."
Emmy frowned. "If things were balanced, I wouldn't exist."
"And what makes you think that?" He asked, rubbing her side.
Emmy looked at the passing clouds. "My Fate is to restore balance."
"...Which balances those that are disrupting balance..." He commented.
She looked at Jack. "I wonder... what happens when I die?"
"For starters, me and Melissa would be very upset..." he sighed, looking away. "Then... I don't know. I don't think anyone can absorb the guardians like you can."
Emmy laughed. "I meant, what happens to me?!"
"That..." He thought for a moment. "I guess that/is up to the Maker to decide."
She leaned on Jack. "Hey Jack. What would you do if you knew the time of your death?"
"I'd... I'd live the rest of my life to it's fullest. Make everyday count, and do things that I'd put off otherwise." He found it hard to speak, knowing what she meant. "I'd also try and comfort those I loved the best I could, to try and ease my passing. Have fun with them, and go out with a bang."
Emmy smiled. "I suppose you're right. Let's pray that none of us have to endure that."
"...Yeah" He replied, before smiling. "I'm sure we won't have to for a long time." He lied.

She smiled at Jack. "You don't have to lie, you know."

"You are good..." He crossed his arms. "Okay, I'll come clean. Melissa told me about it." He paused, and looked at her. "I'm sorry."
She tilted her head. "Don't be sorry. I let Melissa tell you. It was nice of you to try and not hurt my feelings, though. Thank you."
"I guess I could say the same as well. Thank you." He said, looking at her. He then lurched forwards, hugging her tightly. "I don't want you to die..."
She hugged him back. "Even if I die, I'll always be with you."
He held her still, a tear rolling down his cheek. "Why must this happen?" He muttered. "Why?"
Emmy was silent.
Jack slowly moved back, kissing Emmy as he went. "I promise you I will do everything I can to stop this. We will do everything we can to stop this."
She smiled. Even though futile, it was comforting. "Just don't get yourself killed, alright?"
"Okay." Jack smiled, and kissed her again. "I... Don't know how... But I'm sure we'll get through this. Somehow..."
She looked up at the ceiling. "What do you think? Should I unseal my power for the battle?"
"It is a big battle... We may need it." He replied, looking forwards. "I guess the extra boost would help..." His mind yet again fought, conflicting on whether the lack of strength or the extra strength is what would get Emmy killed.
She shrugged. "All of us agree, and once we work out who comes out when, I won't have to worry about headaches during the battle."
"Okay." He replied, looking back at her.
"I'm..." She yawned. "tired..."
"Come on then. You should rest." He looked out of the window, and back again. "I don't know how long it will be to get there, but this battle... Everybody is going to have to commit with their full strength." He stood up.
Emmy's eyes were closed.
Jack smiled. "Fine then. I'll carry you again." He put one arm behind her back, and another underneath her knees, and lifted. He then started walking for the doorway.

On the horizon, a large cloud loomed; a storm was coming.

Jack approached the bedroom, and lay Emmy in the bed, placing the covers over her. "I promise you I will do everything I can to stop this." He repeated, before kissing her on the forehead. He stepped towards the doorway, and drew his sword, looking at the edge. Silently, he stepped out of the room. He needed to train.

Walking down the corridors, he looked more closely at the blade. It's edge was still very sharp, having not been used much. Until recently, he never had a use for it apart from self-defence, and with David watching over him, it never saw use. Jack approached the room he was looking for, and opened the large double doors. He entered the room, round and familiar. It was here where he first unleashed a blast from the Control Glove, with Emmy. He stood still, eyes closed, focusing his energy into the blade. It was more difficult now, without the Control Glove on, but he carried on.

Melissa quietly stepped in, and sat down, watching.

He opened his eyes, almost immediately bringing his blade up and making a horizontal slice. Spinning around, he kicked out, before slashing downwards and back up again. He jumped backwards, using the wind to flip himself (as a way of countering a forward slash), and jumped high, flipping forwards in mid-air, his sword held over his head.

Melissa clapped.

Jack looked over to the noise, discovering he now had an audience. Turning his head forwards again, he focused, and slashed across, back, and used the momentum to spin himself around for another slice. He then charged his energy into the blade, before slashing vertically, creating a blast of wind that carried on from the sword.
Melissa frowned. "Jack! Shouldn't you have a target to practice with?" she shouted.
"Thats what I was thinking." He replied, lowering his blade. He looked over at her. "So, what do you propose I use as a target then?"
Melissa thought for a bit. "How about me?"
"I'd prefer not to be fighting my daughter..." He sighed, looking down. He looked up again. "How long do you think you could slow down time, if you used it to stop my attacks?"
She shook her head. "I don't need to slow down time. I've been training, too. But if necessary, I can do it once or twice."
"Fine then." Jack replied, raising his sword again. "Come at me. And don't hold back."
She stood up, and stood in front of Jack. "Shouldn't I be saying that to you?" she sighed, and brought out a dagger. She flicked her wrist, and sent it flying, waist level, at Jack.
Jack twisted his arm - bringing the sword across his body - and blocked the dagger. "It's useless to learn to fight if I can't defend myself."
She shrugged. "If you can kill something fast enough, you won't need to defend yourself." She dropped through the floor.
"Really?" Jack said, closing his eyes. He focused on the air around him, before spinning around and holding his sword outstretched.
It struck Melissa. She was thrown to the floor. She lay still.
Jack looked on, stunned. He looked at the edge of his sword, of which was covered in blood. "No..." He said, stepping over. He held his sword ready, however. Melissa was smart; she wouldn't go down /that/ easily. He walked up to her on the floor, and knelt down, sword by his side.
She leaped up, and struck Jack directly in the chest with a blast of magic.
Jack flew backwards, winded by the strike. He hit the ground, and using a combination of his own momentum and the wind, landed on his feet. "Somehow I expected that." Jack said, looking at her. He examined her, and then the sword, before looking back at her. "The blood?"
Melissa grinned. "Synthetic."
She rushed forward, dagger in hand. with her other, she threw another.
Jack stood still, smiling. He could easily knock the dagger of course using the wind, and even use it against her, but instead slashed his blade across. He then leapt up, bringing his sword down to meet her.
Melissa kept on running, going under Jack.
Jack spun around, and threw his blade. It spun wildly in the air, and controlling the wind, he circled it infront of Melissa, and sent it back, catching it.
Melissa kept on running, and ran right into-through the wall. A portal opened up below Jack, and Melissa flew up at him, and slashed at him.
Jack flipped backwards, narrowly dodging the attack. He held his sword back, charging it.
Melissa spun, and threw a couple of daggers in his direction. She then vanished.
Jack smiled, and stopped the blades with the wind. Holding them in mid-air, he sensed about, waiting for Melissa's next strike.

A portal opened under him. He fell through.

Jack held his hands out, ready to stop himself were he to be sent into any walls. He held his sword ready, incase Melissa attacked.
The portal opened up on the ceiling. Melissa stood under him.
Jack looked about, working out where he was, and stopped. He hovered mid-air, thinking. He held his sword in front of him, blocking his body, and started charging.
Melissa stood, waiting.
Jack waited until he felt the sword resonate. With that, he flung his arms back, and fired himself straight at Melissa.
Melissa twirled her finger, and a magic circle appeared above her- shielding her.
Jack came at her, colliding with her at full force.
A loud bass sound resonated across the room- the shield was torn open, and Jack continue on his course. Jack barrelled at Melissa full force. He came close to her, before firing himself upwards, and landing down behind her, sword to her head.
Melissa closed her eyes. "I'm not going to give up now!" The space around her darkened, and warped.
Jack flipped back. "I wouldn't want you too." He smiled, observing.
Small orbs of darkness formed around Melissa, and began to orbit around her. As they grew in size, they began to fly out- hurtling at Jack.
"Heh." He dodged to the left, before flipping to dodge another, and then leapt to the right. He flew over her, and, deciding that it would be dangerous to go close to her, flew towards the ceiling, and charged his sword again.
The orbs flew back into Melissa. She blasted a beam at Jack.
He dropped to the floor, dodging the beam, and slashed horizontally through the air, causing a blast of wind across the room. As soon as he sliced, he fell to his knees, exhausted.

Melissa stepped over to Jack. She was a little out of breath. She put a knife to his head and said "Dead."
"So would you be had I not stopped my attack earlier." He panted, on his arms. He slowly straightened himself, and stayed on his knees. "Well... That was good."
Melissa nodded, and sat down in front of him. "You're pretty good." She breathed in, then out, trying to regulate her breathing.
"I just want to be able to help." He replied, his breaths becoming slower.
"I think you can easily do that." Melissa thought for a second, and started creating a small seal on the floor.
"How?" He asked, looking down at the seal.
"If you can fight that well, you should be able to take out the average non-magic user pretty easily." More lines formed on the seal.
"I guess..." He replied, still somewhat disagreeing with the concept of fighting. "What's with the seal?"
Slowly, a chocolate cake rose out of it. "Food."
"The power to summon food, eh?" Jack smiled. "Nice talent."
She shook her head. "I didn't summon it. It's the same cake we made for Emmy. I just... copied it."
"Copied it?" Jack asked, confused. "You can copy things?"
She nodded. "Manipulating Time, you can take an instance of something, and bring it to another time, therefore, copying something, or bringing it back. It gets harder exponentially, as the complexity and size of the object increases."
"I see... So you wouldn't be able to copy Emmy then, I guess..."
She laughed. "Even if that were so, you can't copy something that isn't material. So, even if I could, I could only copy her body."
"Hmm..." He looked at the cake, and turned to Melissa. "Could I borrow a knife?"
She frowned. "You should be more specific. What kind of knife?"
Jack laughed. "There's a cake infront of us. What kind of a knife would you think I'd be asking for?"
She rolled her eyes, and handed him a cutting knife.
He cut her a bit. "I still doubt I can help her." He said, his voice darker.
Melissa made some plates, using the same spell she used for a shield. Passing one to Jack, she said "If you believe you can't do it, then you've lost the battle. However, I have to agree with you here. None of us can help her."
He closed his eyes. "I would if I could, but... It doesn't add up. As Zeffie said earlier, when we got to Aegis, Emmy could take out armies easily. And she's going to be at full power. The only way I can think that she would be defeated is if she went against someone, or something, stronger than herself..."
Melissa fished out a spoon, and took a small bite of her cake. "See, that might not be it. It might be for some other reason. Emmy isn't invincible, you know."
"Hmm... But I doubt a melee weapon could get to her; she can block them. And ranged weapons, I can stop those... And even if she got hurt, either herself or David could heal her." He took a bite from the cake. "Something doesn't add up here..."
She raised a finger. "You're missing something. Who is the enemy?"
"The Seros Army... My mother and sister... And the Elder." A chill ran down his spine. "The Elder?"
Melissa nodded. "We know absolutely nothing about him."
"Hmm..." He took another bite. "We'll have to watch out for Emmy then. Especially if those two fight..."
She looked at the cake. "Maybe, just maybe, we can change Fate."
"Well..." He took another bite, finishing off his slice. "If Dark Emmy is to believed, Fate is just a guideline. It doesn't have to be followed." He smiled. "Maybe, just maybe... It might be possible."

Melissa changed the topic. "Jack, how did you find Emmy in this ship?"
"How did I find her?" He repeated, looking upwards. "Well, truth be told, I wasn't actually the one who found her; Takkun was. We got to the Bridge, and I began looking at the controls. Takkun explored one of the nearby rooms, and came across her."
Melissa was still puzzled. "I assume there was something affecting the ship? I was reading a while ago, and I read the last thing they found was a 'Corruption' spell of sorts..."
"Yeah..." Jack paused for a moment, recalling the events. "When we arrived, the ship had crashed. The Corruption had spread all over the ship, and to the nearby island... Myself and Takkun got in, only to be instantly affected. We would have died... Had it not been for this cat..."
Melissa's eye's lit up. "A cat?"
"Yes... An orange cat." He paused. "It was quite odd... It flickered. As if it wasn't real."
"I know what you're talking about. I wonder where it's gotten to?"
"I've no idea... I haven't seen it since." Jack replied.
She looked sad. "Wait... do you remember the name of the cat?"
"I'm not sure..." Jack said, thinking. "Sol... I think that was the name"
Melissa nodded. "Sol. Alright." she closed her eyes, and a bigger seal appeared on the floor.
“Trying to find it?" Jack asked, looking at Melissa. "Or trying to bring it here?"
Melissa smiled faintly. "both."
"Hmm... I still don't understand the flickering..." He replied in thought.
"Flickering? Well, those cats aren't real cats."
"That's what I thought..." He brought his legs around, sitting down. "Might make it a little difficult to find them..."
The heads of two cats appeared through the seal. "Not really. It makes it easier."
"As I always say, I don't know how these things work..." He shrugged. He looked on at the cats. "There's two?"
She nodded. "The Orange one, Sol, and the Silver one, Luna."
"Luna..." He repeated. "Sol and Luna. Sun and Moon. Light and Darkness..."
Melissa patted Luna on the head. "I wonder what their purpose is...?" She looked at Jack. "These cats are constructs, formed of very powerful, and old, magic."
"Old magic, eh?" Jack crossed his arms. "Do you think you can date how old they are?"
Melissa nodded. "I think I can..."
He closed his eyes. "I guess these two might've been passed down the family." He stroked Sol. "I doubt they're ordinary pets."
Melissa nodded. "They're ancient. I can't pinpoint the exact amount of time, but they're a few thousand years old."
"A few... thousand?" Jack asked, looking at them. "Why would... Hmm... Can you find out why?"
She shook her head. "I can't even find out what affinity of magic they're composed of...."
"It doesn't seem to be any we know of..." Jack said, looking at them.
"Whatever their purpose is, they have an amazing amount of magic stored inside of them- enough to create an entire planet, actually." She frowned. "However, it's impossible to tap into it. It blocks me, whenever I try."
"That would make sense... Whoever made them wouldn't just let a large amount of magic go around without safety precautions..." he closed his eyes. "Why though... Why that much energy..."
She stroked Luna under the chin. "Well, they're beautiful, whoever designed them had some amazing magic skills..."
"It still baffles me... But cats? Very clever. Nobody would suspect a cat..." He smiled.
"Cats are the supreme animal. The perfect symbolic choice." Melissa commented.
"I've always been a dog person myself..." Jack muttered. "Hmm... Symbolic, and full of magic..."
She picked up Luna. Luna meowed in protest. "This being... full of celestial energy, powerful enough to create a planet. This isn't a coincidence, you know. Someone planned this, and these cats have a purpose."
"Planned?" The words snapped in Jack's mind. It made sense now... Why the cats lead himself and Takkun to Emmy, why the cats were on Fenrir on the first place... "Emmy..." He muttered.
Melissa nodded, and set Luna down. "Right. Emmy. She's one part of the plan. The destroyer." She thought for a moment. "However... there's another side to Emmy, right?"
"Yes... The Weaver. Fixing the corruption of magic..." He paused. "But I'm yet to see a link between that and this..." He gestured towards Sol.
She smiled. "Fixing the corruption of magic. That's not her true purpose. Here's my theory: The dark side to Emmy is made to destroy the world. The other side, 'the Weaver' is made to make another world, after this one is destroyed. By absorbing the guardians... she must either be gaining enough power... or removing something that's getting in her way."
Jack paused again, thinking. "Perhaps the guardians are there to prevent the destruction of the world... Thus the name "guardians"."
Melissa nodded. "Not guardians of magic, but guardians of this world."
Jack closed his eyes, before opening them rapidly. "Wait... Can you foresee anything past Emmy's death?"
She laughed. "I don't know. I can try."
"Can you give it a shot?"
Melissa closed her eyes, and focused, trying to see as far as she could. "Let's see..."
Jack stayed quiet, crossing his arms.
She opened her eyes. They were cloudy. "I see... David... stabbing Emmy. It's a mortal wound..." Her eyes cleared. "David! That's who kills Emmy!"
"David?" Jack repeated, stunned. "David?"
She nodded. "That's who I saw."
"Why..." He paused. "What are the chances that what you saw was wrong?"
Melissa shook her head. "It never lies. David is the one."
"But... Why? Why would David..." He went silent in thought.
Melissa closed her eyes. "With a strong will, we can change the future. There is one way to stop David..."
"I think I know what you mean, and no." Jack replied, sternly. "I'll speak to him myself later about it, and make sure he doesn't try to do anything." He stood up.
She also stood up. "I'll go ask him myself. However, I'm not going to go in person."
"And what's that meant to mean?" Jack questioned, crossing his arms.
She smiled. "On my spare time, I've been working on a project- I think you'll find it nice."
"An invention?" Jack asked, interested. "May I see it?"
She nodded. "It's stored in the Core room of Fenrir." She walked over the door, and waited for Jack.
"This should be interesting..." Jack replied, walking over. He considered holding out his hand again, to see if Melissa would understand, but decided not too. "Lead the way then, Melissa." He smiled.

She nodded, and walked down the hallway, and then turned down some stairs.
Jack followed closely, curious of what Melissa had made. His mind wondered about various different things... And he smiled. If she hadn't made them, he had some good ideas for inventions to make.
Melissa walked into the Core room. Propped up on the control panel, was a cloth doll, neatly painted.
"That's... Interesting..." Jack said, walking in. He tilted his head, looking at it. "Er... It looks..."
Melissa picked it up. "Like a doll?"
"I was going to say slightly creepy, but I guess that works as well." His tone of voice changed rapidly. "I only mean creepy as I haven't seen anything like it before" He quickly stuttered, as an attempt to try and not discourage her.
She stroked the doll's long, grey hair. "It's a complete copy of me."
"That's why it's creepy..." Jack replied, tilting his head the other way. "I'm guessing it's more than just a simple doll, knowing you."
She nodded. "Of course. I'm going to activate it. However... before I do, You need to promise me something."
"Yes?" He replied, looking at her inquisitively.
"What happens here, stays here. You will tell nothing of this to Emmy, without my permission." She said seriously.
"Even Emmy?" Jack repeated, stunned. Melissa seemed to consult Emmy about everything. It made him feel oddly happy. "Okay." He nodded. "On one condition."
She raised her eyebrows, looking a lot like Emmy. "What?"
"You said you were going to activate it. So what are you going to make it do?" He asked.
She smiled. "That's for me to know, and you to find out."
"Melissa..." Jack started. "If you can't tell me... I can't promise I won't tell Emmy." He wanted to grin, but decided not to, and kept a serious face.
Melissa put on a sad face. "Well, I can't tell you, because I don't know, myself."
He stepped forwards, and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Okay then, I'll change my condition." He smiled warmly. "Tell me how it works then."
She nodded. "Using energy from Fenrir's power source, I can power the doll, turning it into a complete copy of myself. From there, I connect to it, via a small strand of magic." She placed the doll on the floor, and then touched the large Orb, behind her.
"I see now..." Jack said, crossing his arms. "Okay. I promise you I won't tell Emmy." He nodded.
She smiled. "Thank you, Daddy!" she said very sweetly, and sounding more her age. She closed her eyes, and a haze of grey magic appeared around her, and the doll.
Jack smiled; those words always made him happy. A thought struck his mind. His grin grew, watching closely to see how it all worked.
The doll seemed to grow, and in a few minutes, another Melissa appeared in front of him. "Seems to work properly." She commented, looking at her original self.
Jack smiled. He felt proud, yet at the same time jealous. He was being outclassed by his daughter. His earlier thought remained in his mind, beckoning him to speak to Melissa. "Melissa? How powerful is the doll compared to yourself?"
She grinned. "Just as powerful, and more enduring."
Jack smiled. "And... Just for curiosity's sake... Why don't you want Emmy to know about this?"
She frowned. "I don't know what might happen, so it's a precaution."
"I see..." His smile grew bigger. "What if... That vision you saw earlier. What if that was Emmy, but wasn't Emmy. What if that was the doll?"
Melissa frowned, then shook her head. "This doll took me ages to prepare. And with Emmy being infinitely more powerful than me... The doll couldn't function."
"I see..." His grin dropped, but his smile remained. "It's a thought, I guess." His voice came across as disappointed, but quickly brightened. He started walking around the second Melissa, looking carefully at her. "You amaze me..."
She frowned. "Why are you so amazed...?"
"As I said earlier, I've never seen something like this before." Jack said, reaching for her arm. He felt it quickly, noticing a pulse and heat. "I know this is done by magic, but still, to someone like me this is incredible."
She smiled. "You're pretty easy to impress. In my opinion, this is just a toy..."
"Heh." Jack smiled. He looked over at the original Melissa. "So you're using the core of Fenrir to do this, correct?"
The doll nodded. "Yes. I'm not using too much, because I've already charged up the doll, for the most part."
"Interesting... And so you're going to speak to David with the doll..." He paused, thinking about it. "...Which makes you impervious..."
The doll frowned. "Impervious?"
"If the doll is harmed, you physically won't." He frowned. "Or at least I'm assuming that... I don't know if any damage is carried over by your connection with the doll."
She nodded. "No, none of the things that it feels is carried over."
"So... You can't feel pain yourself, were this doll to get hurt, correct?"
She nodded. "However, the doll gets hurt. Therefore, if I lose a limb, I won't be able to move it, and the doll will lose large amounts of blood."
"Hmm..." Jack paused for a moment. "Fine. You talk to David. But you don't go overboard, okay." He looked at the original Melissa, and then into the eyes of the doll. "I don't want you to try anything funny, okay?"
She nodded. "Now, if this doll dies, the resulting whiplash of magic will knock me out. Please stay here, and take care of me, Jack." She had a worried look on her face.
"And why would the doll die, exactly." Jack said, his tone of voice questioning her. "Melissa, I don't want you to do anything funny..." He repeated, aware that she'd probably ignore him again. "But... Of course I'll look after you. That's my job, after all. I am your father." He smiled.
Melissa smiled, happy. "I promise, I wont do anything humorous. Also, the doll would die, when it ceases to function."
"I don't mean... Nevermind." He paused. "Is there anyway for me to see what you're doing?"
Next to her, Luna appeared, and gazed solemnly at Jack.
"Hello... Er... Luna, that's it." Jack said, looking down at the cat.
The cat blinked.
Jack looked back at Melissa's doppelgänger. "Any sort of way for me to see what you'll be doing?" He asked again.
She nodded, and bent down. She stroked the cat, and a transparent silver sphere formed in front of Jack. "It should give you a visual, at least."
Jack looked at the sphere, seeing himself look back. The picture was a little fuzzy, but clear enough to make out himself, at least. He looked up at the Melissas. "How... How did you do that, then?" Jack asked. There was no surprise in his voice; Emmy and Melissa had done things to surprise him so much it had almost become a regular occurrence.
"I didn't." She said, flatly.
"Heh..." Jack crossed his arms. "So it was the cat then?" He smiled. "I must admit I didn't expect that."
Melissa smiled. "Actually, it was both of us, in a way. I just petted the cat, and had been thinking of the spell. Luna just did it for me." She bowed slightly. "And with that, I shall depart."
"Of course." Jack nodded. He looked down upon the cat, and smiled, before looking at the sphere.
The doll walked out, leaving Jack alone, with the entranced Melissa, and Luna.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this..." Jack sighed, looking down towards Luna again.
Luna meowed.
"Glad to know we're on the same wavelength." Jack said, looking back. 'I'm talking to a cat...' His mind thought.
Luna jumped onto Jack's shoulder, and sat there, perched there with much grace.
"Be careful with the claws." Jack muttered as the feline clambered onto him. He shook his head; now he was the stand for a cat. He focused upon the sphere, watching Melissa.
The sphere showed what Melissa saw. At the moment, she was walking up the stairs.
"What's she going to do..." Jack sighed. "I hope she doesn't do what I think she's going to do..."
Melissa stood in the hallway. A portal formed on the ground.
"Heheh... I need to learn how to do that." Jack smiled.
Melissa looked through the portal. Below her, was a dizzying sight of sky.
Jack watched on, silently.
She jumped through, and landed on the deck of the Juggernaut.

Summery:

Emmy and Jack speak, Jack apologises to Dark Emmy, and then Melissa and Jack have a training match, and then she talks to Jack about the doll. (Please note that this is set before "Bacon and Eggs")

Consequences of the Doll

Emmy stormed into the Core room. "There you are, Jack! I've been looking all over for you!"
"Shh..." Jack said, lifting up his head and looking at her. Melissa lay in his arms, still unconscious from the doll incident. Jack looked back at her, and stroked her hair. "You might wake her."
Emmy rushed over to Melissa. "There you are..." she sighed in relief. "Why did you hide this from me?!" she asked Jack, accusingly.
"Hide? I didn't have a clue where you went to..." He sighed, still stroking Melissa's hair. He looked up at her. "And even if I did find you... I wouldn't be able to tell you. I promised her."
Emmy sighed. "Yeah. I'm sorry for freaking out on you."
"No... It's okay." Jack said, smiling. "I can see why you would." He looked back at Melissa again. "I must admit, I was a little worried with her actions, though."
She frowned. "Did you see what happened to her? I only saw the doll."
"I saw everything that happened through her eyes." He said. "She, or rather the doll, stabbed David in an attempt to stop your fate." He frowned, and stroked through her hair once more. "I'm sure that's why she wanted me to keep it a secret; she didn't know how you'd react."
Emmy frowned. "What she did was dangerous."
"I know..." He nodded, focusing on Melissa. "She only wanted to help, though. And, with Seros growing close, and foreseeing something as shocking as that..."
Emmy shook her head. "I don't want her to die for real. Creating and using Dolls is dangerous."
"...I'm sorry." Jack replied, a tear dropping down. "Had I known the risks, I would've stopped her... I shouldn't of let her do such a thing... And still my curiosity took over... I'm a terrible father..."
Emmy stroked Jack's shoulder. "We shouldn't cry over the past. Instead, we should enjoy what we have, and make the best of things!"
"Heh." Jack smiled. "It's times like these that show why I love you so much." He adjusted Melissa's hat a little.

She smiled, and stood up. "Jack, what are you going to do, once I..."
"I..." He paused in thought, before looking at Melissa. "Of course I'll be looking after our daughter but... Apart from that, I really don't know." He paused again.
Emmy frowned. "Would you try to murder the person who killed me?"
"I... It... It would depend, really. Who, why... And, would you want me to?"
Emmy shrugged. "I don't know. It depends, I suppose. Do you really want to continue down that path?"
"Emmy. I would do anything for you. Even if it would be taking that path."
"Jack, it isn't about me anymore. This is /your/ future. What are you going to do with it? Are you going to live peacefully, or are you going to go on, with David and company?"
Jack remained silent. "I would... I... I don't know. I really don't..." He sighed.
Emmy leaned over, and offered her hand to Jack.
He took off his coat, bundling it together. Jack then took Melissa, and gently lay her down, using the coat as a pillow. Taking Emmy's hand, he stood up.
She leaned a little on Jack. "It's just you and me, again..."
Jack leaned forwards, and kissed her, passionately. "Together." He finished.

Behind them, Melissa coughed, violently.

"The second I leave her..." Jack said, turning around quickly and kneeling beside Melissa.
Melissa was pale, almost a chalky colour. Emmy knelt down, across of Jack. "Oh no..."
"What's going on?" Jack said, his voice and facing showing his worry. "Emmy?"
Emmy frowned. "Exactly what I feared. The whiplash is taking its toll on Melissa."
"Whiplash?' Jack looked at his daughter, picking up her hand and holding it tightly in his. "Why didn't she tell me... What's going to happen? What can we do?"
Emmy touched Melissa's cheek. "We need fix her as soon as possible, or she'll become permanently damaged."
"And how do we do that?" He asked frantically.
Emmy frowned. "I'll have to access some of her internal systems."
"Internal systems?" Jack repeated, looking at her confused. "You speak like she's a machine..."
Emmy nodded. "She is, in a way."
"... I see..." Jack replied, confused. He didn't really know, but knew that they needed to hurry. Any time wasted could spell disaster for Melissa. "How do we do that then?"
Emmy closed her eyes. "First, grab hold of my shoulder. I need your help, here."
Jack kept ahold of Melissa's hand, and with his other hand held on to Emmy's shoulder, silent.
Emmy swept her arm forward, and their surroundings faded away. A sheer black expanse formed around them.
Jack remained silent, focused on his daughter. He felt even worse for putting her into this situation.
"It's not your fault, Jack." Emmy's voice echoed through Jack's head.
"I could've stopped this... I should've stopped this..." His thoughts echoed back.
Emmy smiled. She made a complicated gesture, and Melissa rose up, into the air. Her midsection grew transparent, and a ball of energy could be seen, glowing intensely.
Jack remained silent, although his mind was filled with questions.
In the background, a web of glowing lines appeared. "Alright, Jack. Here's where you come in."
"What do you need me to do." He asked, turning to her.
"Just let me use your magic. Relax."
Jack closed his eyes, and loosened up. "All yours." He replied.
Emmy nodded. "You're going to feel really tired." A light began to pulse from Melissa's center.
"Heh. That doesn't matter right now." He replied. "Melissa is what matters, not how I feel. Use as much magic as you need."
Emmy said nothing. She was too focused in her work.

Jack kept looking on, holding Melissa's hand tightly. He was confused. Was the sphere Melissa?
Emmy's voice echoed through Jack's head. "Yes, that's Melissa's... center."
"Heh. She's beautiful" Jack replied back.
"Do you want to know some interesting things about her?" Emmy asked.
"Okay," Jack replied, feeling his magic slowly start to drain.
Emmy started. "Melissa is a program, Angel class. She's a lot like the one you met inside David, and the one I have inside me, Inielle, or Dark Emmy, as you know her."
"Hmm... Yes." He paused. "He spoke to me about that, telling me I had one as well." His voice portrayed his confusion.
Emmy was shocked. "What?! You too...?"
"I... Don't know. That's basically what I thought." He paused. "I didn't, and still don't, know what he was on about..."
A wave of sadness came from Emmy. "That would mean... I made some of you..."
Jack was confused. "Is that a problem?"
Emmy was silent for a while, carefully choosing her words. "I just want you to be you."
Jack went quiet. "Perhaps... This is me..." He paused. "Perhaps I am this.... I don't know.
Emmy sighed. "I guess the real question, is why didn't I recognize your program? And why don't I recognize it, even now?"
"I'm just as confused as you are..." Jack sighed. "And... It now leads me to question. What am I? Am I even real?" He closed his eyes, and opened them again. "That doesn't matter right now. How is Melissa doing?"
Emmy smiled sadly. "She's doing fine."
"Good." He smiled, before going into thought. "Perhaps David's wrong, or just made a mistake." He replied. "I mean... I don't have any recollection of you before we found the crashed Fenrir..."
Emmy smiled, a little relieved. "So that's a good sign. Although, I find it hard to remember all that's happened over the course of my life..."
"Is it to do with that fight?" Jack said, remembering about his father. The thought of them two fighting brang guilt, and anger.
She shook her head. "I'm older than you think. It's hard to remember, when so much has happened around you."
"So you lied when you said 27?" He smiled.
She smiled. "I suppose I did."
"Heh. I'm not sure." He looked at her. "Are you sure it's not the fact that your body is 27, and /your/ mind is, but the other two are older?"
Emmy smiled. "I remember everything, even I am older than this body."
Jack chuckled. "I thought you said a second ago that 'it's hard to remember, when so much has happened around you.' Now you can 'remember everything'..."
Emmy laughed. "I mean, arrrgh." She gave up. Melissa's core was a pure grey.
"1 point to me." He commented, grinning. "So that makes it Jack 1, Emmy... Er... I've lost count." He smiled.

Emmy smiled. Melissa slowly floated down, and the room reappeared around them. "It's over. She should be fine."
He clambered forwards, placing the palm of his hand on Melissa's cheek. "I'm sorry..." He whispered, looking at her for a moment.
Emmy smiled. "I think... I'm going to go to bed now. I need to rest. We'll be arriving tomorrow."
"Hmm..." Jack said, his smile dropping. He shook his head, trying to cheer himself up. He paused for a moment, before coming to a conclusion. "Go ahead, I'll come back later." He looked at Melissa. "I think I need to have a chat with David."
Emmy nodded. "Alright." She walked out of the room.

Summery:

Emmy finds Jack with an unconscious Melissa; due to her fight with the Doll. They talk, and Jack finally leaves to chat with David (leading into "Bacon and Eggs").
The Final Night

Jack hovered up, and collapsed on the deck of Fenrir, exhausted. David had taken practically all of his energy earlier in the training. Struggling to his feet, Jack walked across the top of the ship, and fought the hatch open. After several minutes, he finally managed to open it, and fell through. The hatch slammed behind him. He lay on the floor, tired, hoping that the hatch hadn't woken Emmy.

The ship was dark. Someone had turned off all the lights.

Lifting his head up, and rubbing his face, Jack reached out for the side wall, using it to support himself. "Emmy?" He called, quieting down halfway through his shout.

There wasn't a response. Emmy was still asleep.

"Great..." He muttered to himself. By now, Melissa may have regained consciousness, although he was unsure. He started walking forwards, unable to see where he was or where he was going.

In the distance, a light shone. Sol silently padded toward Jack.

"Sol?" Jack asked, looking forwards. In his confusion, he let go of the side; a foolish mistake. Jack hit the floor hard, and lay there for a second. "Ow..."
The cat nosed Jack's hair, and meowed.
"He... Hello." Jack said, struggling to get up. It hurt to smile; David had taken literally /everything/ out of him.
Sol blinked, and slowly walked away.
"Wait..." Jack moaned, shuffling forwards. He managed to get to his legs once more, and making sure he had the support of the wall, followed after the cat.

Soon enough, after a painful walk, Sol stopped in front of Emmy's door.
"Hmm... I... Think I see." Jack said, looking at the door. He moved for the handle, and stopped, noticing his left arm had been cut just above the elbow, and again across the forearm. Too tired to recall the events, he went for the doorknob, and slowly entered the room.
The curtains were closed, blocking out the dying sunlight. Emmy, was asleep on the bed, with Luna, also asleep.
Jack struggled forwards, stopping briefly to try and keep himself from toppling over. He moved over to the bed, and sat down on it, moving his arm over Luna to try and incite her to move.
Luna shifted, and moved a little.
"Thank you." Jack whispered, collapsing beside Emmy. He rolled onto his back. "Hello..." He whispered.
Emmy opened an eye. "mmmm. Hello..."
Jack breathed out, closing his eyes. "Hello..." He repeated, moving his arms downwards. He detached his scabbard, and threw it on the floor.
Emmy touched Jack's arm. "Where were you...?"
David wanted to do some training... Without magic..." He replied. His sleeve was ripped in places, each rip surrounded in a stream on red.
Emmy sighed. "Well, that was a stupid idea... Did you get anything done?"
"You make it sound like I had a choice..." He sighed. "Apart from getting hurt, and my arms badly cut... Some basic sword fighting, I guess..." He grabbed her hand.
Emmy smiled. "I trained with David, too... That was fun." She laughed, softly.
"Heh..." He smiled as well. "Were you allowed to use magic?"
Emmy smiled. "Nope."
Jack stayed silent for a moment. "You don't have any 'weak-spots'" he finally replied.
She rolled over, resting halfway on him. "mmmmmm."
"Glad I'm back..." He whispered, feeling her warmth.

"Tomorrow... Everything is going to change." She whispered.
"Yeah..." Jack said, opening his eyes. "Not that I want it too..."
Emmy sighed. "One last night, together."
"If it is... Then, at least we should make it last." As soon as he spoke, he bit his tongue. That could sound bad. "I mean... It should be memorable... If I'm forced to have to look back on us, I want this night to be special."
She squeezed him, gently. "Where will you two go?"
"If only I knew..." he started, sighing.
Emmy rolled off the bed, and opened the curtains. "You can carve your own path, Jack. You do know."
"Yes..." he shut his eyes again. "But... I can't control the direction of the carving. Only it's shape...”
Emmy smiled. "Then, where would you like to take your life, Jack?"
"I just... I don't know. Where ever the wind takes me, I guess..."
Emmy looked at the endless ocean. "You have years to live, Jack. A few of them, peaceful, most of them, not."
Jack struggled to lift his head. "It sounds like you know my future better than I do..."
Emmy shook her head. "I don't. I only know what's going to happen, if we don't tear down, and rebirth this world."
"Fighting..." Jack repeated. "I don't want to have to fight the rest of my life... I don't want to fight at all.."
Emmy laughed. "It's funny, really. If you have never fought, you think it's appealing. However, when you have fought... You despise it."
"I never thought it was appealing to begin with..." Jack said, trying to look down at his arms. He found himself unable to move.

Emmy sighed. "Are you hurt, Jack?"
"More tired than anything..." Jack replied. "But... I can't feel my arms... Or my legs, for that matter. I can't move." He paused. "Don't get any funny ideas." He chuckled.
Emmy walked over to Jack, and rubbed his arm. "You'll feel fine."
Jack sighed. "I guess. I just wish I could be a little bit more active though."
She bent over, and kissed him gently on the cheek.
"Last night together... And I'm reduced to lying on the bed..." He closed his eyes. "Any sort of potions? "
Emmy laughed. "Potions? Nope. We just use magic." She walked over to a cabinet, and started searching for something.
"Heh. Even better, I guess" He smiled.
She walked over to Jack, holding a box. Opening it, Jack saw several pinkish Orbs, and bandages. Emmy took one of the pink orbs, and placed it on Jack's forehead.
"Interesting..." Jack commented, closing his eyes again.
"You should start to feel better" she said, closing the box.
"Thanks..." he smiled. He attempted to lift his arm again. This time it proved more successful, lifting up partially, before falling down beside him. "Give me a minute." He chuckled.
Emmy laughed softly. "This is wonderful, Jack. "
Jack moved his arm across. He managed to make it over to Emmy, where it fell on the bed again. "Yeah." He replied, unsure of what to say.
She sighed. "Melissa... I feel sorry for the girl..."
"Hmm..." Jack nodded. He moved his arms to his sides, and slid himself backwards, moving his back up against the wall. "I... Really don't know how she'll be affected by all this. She doesn't deserve to have to go through all this..."
Emmy smiled. "I'm sure you can take care of her, Jack." She stretched, and yawned. "I'm... tired."
"You're tired?" Jack moaned. "You haven't had a full day fighting David..." He paused for a moment. "In fact... You just woke up..."
Emmy grinned. "I'm still tired. Preparations."
"Excuses..." Jack joked. He slid himself back onto the bed.
Emmy quickly undressed, and changed into her night-clothes. She slipped into bed.
"I can't be... bothered to... un-zzzz"
Emmy smiled, sadly, and put an arm around Jack. She fell asleep, quickly.

Summery:

Jack returns to Fenrir after training with David, and chats with Emmy.
Last edited by Drathmoore on 2009.10.03 (11:53), edited 4 times in total.

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Postby Communist » 2009.09.23 (08:03)

The Invasion

Somewhere in Arstar, Takkun did a strange dance.

The thick mist twirled uneasily on the deck of the boats, the midnight moon barely visible. A hushed whisper- Seros was close.
David gave a hand-signal, and across the various ships, men assembled on deck, ready for battle. They stood silently.
David nodded to them, and looked upwards, waiting for the signal.

Jack stood on the deck of Fenrir, watching as the ships started to enter the thick cloud that surrounded the island. The reflection of the moonlight shone on his armour. "It's time..." He muttered an uneasy feeling in his stomach.
Emmy stood next to him, sword in hand. "Yes. You should get ready to land. And get Melissa, too."
"Hmm..." He nodded, turning around. He walked towards the door, before stopping. "What about you?" He asked, without turning.
She strapped her sword to her back."I'm fine. Go."
Jack walked off without further hesitation, the metal of his armour clanging with every step. His unease worsened by the second, and he gulped. Shaking his head, he forced himself to remain positive; something difficult to do on the verge of a hostile landing.

David looked up at the Fenrir again. When was that damn signal coming?

Emmy walked to the edge of the deck, and held up an orb, sending a flash of light toward the Juggernaut. "Let the invasion begin..." she said, to herself.

David nodded to Mercelli, and all the boats surged forward. He checked his full plate was on correctly, and that his weapons were all in place. He stood on the front deck, supremely calm.

Jack returned on deck, Melissa following close behind him. She brushed past, and stood next to her mother, with Jack standing beside them. "I guess it's beginning then..."

The ships slowly ran aground a few feet short of the beach, unable to go any further. David grinned, and lifting a horn to his lips, blew it loud and clear. At once, men disembarked, running onto the shore. David leapt clear of the boat, and jumped onto the beach.
He smiled, and waited for the ranks to arrange.

Fenrir took a steep dive toward land, and gently touched down on the beach. Emmy opened a hatch, and jumped out, nimbly landing on her feet.
Jack shot up from the hatch, flipped in the air, and landed crouching beside Emmy. He stood up, and looked about. "It's quiet." He noticed, as the waves gently lapped at the shore.
She nodded. "Melissa, cover our backs, please." she whispered. She beckoned the other two to come, and started to walk toward David.

David beckoned to them, to hurry to him. Behind him, men began to form in ranks.
There was a sudden whistling, and an arrow flew past David's ear, narrowly missing him.
David spun quickly. In front of him, countless men stood up, throwing aside their camouflaged capes. A good portion of them had crossbows raised and aimed at him.

Melissa raised a shield in front of them. "Nice plan, David."
David rolled his eyes. "This was part of the plan." he said. He pulled out a white-ish flag. "Jess's panties..." he said.”It was the only white thing I could find."
He slowly waved them around. "They'll have to come talk first. Bloody arrogant bastards they are." he explained.

A confident laugh flowed across the air; a woman's laugh. "Relying on the strength of a child, LeBlanc? How pitiful." Out of the cloaked figures stepped forwards a woman, sword in hand. Her long hair stretched behind her head, down to her back. "I would like to know what you think you're doing bringing this /rabble/ to Seros."
David smiled. "Cyra, of course. I'd hoped it would be you. How are you, child?" he said, putting as much disdain into child as he could.

Emmy touched Melissa's shoulder. The shield went down.

"Heh. I'm fine, old man." She said, hissing. "But..." She looked at the army and back again. "Heh. Clever." She grinned. "Although I highly doubt you'd surrender. It'd be stupid to believe you would."

Saphia appeared next to David, who nodded. "Of course. Saphia. You remember her? My, you've got a few enemies here who used to be in your army. Tell me, Cyra, how is your arm?"

Her eyes fixed upon him in anger, having him comment on her one failure. Calming herself, she frowned. "Better than how you'll end up. Let me put it that way."
David laughed. "Of course. Now, I've got this white...flag... to give you one chance to surrender. Do you want to take it?"
"Humph. Do you take me as an idiot, LeBlanc?" she growled. "Why would you come to an island with a pitiful army, and immediately surrender?" He crossed her arms.

Emmy nudged David. "Tell us when to attack. We're ready."

Cyra smiled, her eyes still fixed upon him. "How... Useless. Your army can't even keep their strategy a secret to the opposing forces."
David laughed. "I've waited quite a while for this."

"Charge!" he screamed. He drew his massive zweihander, and charged-as around him, other ran as well. The battle for Seros had begun.


"Stupid..." She replied, looking as the forces in front of her surged forwards. "ARCHERS!" She called, holding her sword up. The cliffs behind her seemed to move; they started waving about at the edges. Arrows started to hit the ground, one after one, as if like rain.
Emmy tugged at Jack and Melissa. "We need to go, now!" She whispered. "And Jack, do your wind thing."
"Gladly." He replied, raising his arm to stop the oncoming arrows.

"Sis, you'll have to wait." He said to himself, as he closed his eyes, and started to charge his power. "Jess, David, Saphia. Good luck." He said, before throwing his arms downwards, shooting himself, Emmy and Melissa into the air.
"Keep low, or we'll be destroyed." She frowned.
"As you wish." He replied, sending them towards the ground, and lifting up before they touched it. He smiled; the winds around them would block any arrow, so he had no idea why she was afraid.

"So, Jack... how does it feel to be back?" She asked, to fill in the silence.
"I guess a little nostalgic..." He replied, looking over the fields. He smiled, looking forwards. "You know I promised you I'd take you to that lake..."
Emmy smiled. "Sadly, that's going to have to wait, until later."
"Really?" He commented, as they passed over a hill. Beyond them was a clear lake, reflecting the moon and the stars like a mirror. He smiled at his luck, the fact that it was on their path.
Emmy smiled. "It's... very nice..."

Lowering them to just above the lake, the water splashed aside in their wake. It was only a short lake, and before they were again looking straight at the main city. "Think we could get away with sneaking in?" Jack said, easing up a little.

Emmy nodded. "I suppose we could just walk in. You should camouflage your armour, first, though."
"Right." He replied, pushing his arms forwards. They landed on a path, of which a little behind them was strewn with dried blood. Jack placed his left hand on his right, appearing to push some buttons. After a few seconds, he frustrated his the chest of the armour, causing it to disappear. Shaking his head, he held out his hand for Emmy. "Shall we?"
Emmy nodded, and took his hand. "Let's see the city."

"Okay." He replied, walking forwards. "It's... Not pretty. Bit dull actually, I must admit." He looked over at Melissa; no doubt she would still be confused about the 'holding hands' concept.
Emmy shook her head. "We're here for a purpose. Also, I don't mind if it's ugly."
"Right then." They walked through the gates, into the brown, dark city. The moonlight made the streets clearly visible, but the alley-ways still remained pitch-black. "This way." He pointed, turning to the right.

Emmy followed. "Our prime target is the Elder. All other targets are second. Once their leader is dead, it'll shake their morals."
"Yeah." They started walking uphill, following the main street. "The palace is just up here. Although, from my recollection it's heavily guarded. Even at night."
Emmy yawned. "They probably can't even use high levels of magic."
"The guards, probably not. But who knows about the others..." He said, before going silent. "My mother's in there." He muttered after a while.

Melissa tugged Jack's arm. "Don't be weak."
"Humph" Jack replied, looking at her from the corner of his eye. "I used the term 'Mother' loosely there. Don't expect me to be weak."
Emmy nodded. "Then, let's go. It's right in front of us."

A guard appeared in front of them. "What do you want?" he demanded. "Go back to your homes!"
Emmy stepped forward, flying toward the guard, and swung her sword, neatly cutting the man's head off.

There was a shout from the man's partner, who had been lurking in the shadows. "Attack! We're under attack!" he screamed.

"You excite them too quickly..." Jack smiled, holding his blade over his shoulder.
Emmy shrugged. "That's a problem." She shot down the other guard with a bolt of light.
"Heh." Jack swung his sword, sending a group of guards that had just arrived flying. "Come on. Before they start locking down the palace." He tugged at her shoulder.

Emmy ran toward the door, and entered. The palace was grandiose in the least sense. Marble pillars stood out, and the entrance looked wide enough for ten men to walk through at once. The roof gleamed- the whole thing had been carefully gold-plated.
Two black armoured guards stood by the entrance. They looked out-of place amongst the velvet and silk wonders just visible inside.

Emmy thought for a moment, then called out.
"Elder! Wherever you are, we command you to come out!"

"Emmy? Fancy a spot of redecorating?" Jack smiled, darkly. "I think this place would look lovely in dark red." He held his sword forwards.
Emmy smiled. "I agree."

She called again. "Whoever is the master here, I command you to come out!"
"I'm afraid, young girl..." A woman's voice spoke. "...That he can't see you right now. Now, be a good girl, and run along... If you want to live..." A figure appeared on the stairs.
Emmy beamed. "Well, then I'll start with you!" She giggled.
"Hehe..." She moved her arms forwards, and disappeared. She reappeared before them. "Really?"
She leaned forward a little bit. "Oh yes. See, I know I'm not going to lose to a weakling like you."
"Hmph. Right now? But there are so many questions to be answered!" She said with an insane tone of voice.
Emmy frowned. "Like, who are you? I'll let you answer that."
"I am the ruler of this island. Or... At least, the vice-ruler." Again, she disappeared, and reappeared behind them. "I am the wife of the 'Elder'. The High Priestess Corona." Her voice came off as overly dramatic.

Jack stepped back slightly in shock, and shook his head.

Emmy clapped her hands. "Oh, so you're Jack's mother? Please, allow me to thank you!" She swung her sword at Corona.
The sword went through Corona, doing nothing. "And you said I was weak..." She laughed, before rushing at her.

Jack held his sword, but stood confused, debating in his mind whether to fight or not.

Emmy smiled. "Oh, I'm impressed. Another Dark user. Our kind is pretty rare, recently." Emmy flashed a pulse of light at Corona, temporarily whiting out the room.

"Aren't we just..." Corona replied, her voice echoing through the room. "So rare, I can sense two of you. I'm guessing that's the young girl standing next to my pathetic excuse for a son."
Emmy was smiling. "Pathetic? I bet he could take you on, without our help!"

Corona gave her a thin-lipped smile. "Of course."
She snapped her fingers, and guards poured into the room. "Enjoy my welcoming gift!" she laughed at them.

Emmy smiled. "Little humans, all mine, to crush" she said in a sing-song voice.
Jack coughed. "Excuse me." He said, turning to her. "There's three of us here. They're not all for you."

Emmy shrugged. "First come, first serve!" She ran right into the centre of the group of guards.

"Fine then." Jack replied, before charging forwards. He was unsure about why, but he felt it necessary to kill. And it felt good to be able to.

Emmy slashed her sword back and forth, dodging attacks, and parrying any blows that she missed. Blood spurted in different directions, painting the floor, and walls.

Jack swung his blade forwards, slashing across a multitude of bodies. He jumped up, and flipped through the air, cutting people apart like a buzzsaw.

Melissa stood from afar, focusing on protecting them, from any stray guards. In no time, all the guards were dead, and the palace stained red.

"Hmm... You're better than I thought!" She grinned. "I should've thought so much considering how far away I sensed you from..."

Corona reappeared in front of them. "I think you'll find myself a much more difficult challenge. Ha!" Another Corona appeared behind them, and two more to their left and right.
Emmy yawned. "Do you really think I'm so powerful? I mean, I sealed away the majority of my power." She swung her sword, and a whip of light swung toward all of them.
Three disappeared, but the one on the left caught the whip. "Although it isn't present... I can still sense remnants of that power..." He smiled again, dispelling the whip with a dark aura. "This'll be easier than I thought."

Emmy smiled. "or... will it?" She stepped forward, slowly.
"My dear..." She grinned, and raised her hand, shooting a cloud of darkness at Melissa.

Melissa deflected it. "You're going to regret everything you do." Melissa said darkly.

Emmy smiled, and stepped up to Corona, only in arms reach.
"Heheh... Seems like someone beat me too it." She laughed.

Emmy touched Corona's shoulder. "See, I'm not here for you. You can live, or you can die. Choose one."
"Hmph." She said, before disappearing. She reappeared before Melissa. "I'm going to regret everything, eh? Care to explain why?" She had a dark aura around her.

Melissa smiled. "You underestimate us, greatly."
"If I had done that, I would've attacked you by now. But... I can sense that even though you appear to be a child... You are a lot more than that. And at the same time, a lot less." She disappeared. "Not what I'd call a perfect granddaughter."
Melissa frowned. "You aren't exactly the perfect Grandmother. You're so... weak."
"Weak? You think I'm... Weak?" Her voice echoed across the room. She appeared at the top of the stairs, holding both hands together. "You don't know the extent of my power." She disappeared yet again.

Melissa was silent.

Emmy crossed her arms. "If you're so powerful, then why don't you just attack us, and get this over with?!"
"Gladly..." Jack replied, his sword raised. His skin was paler, and his eyes had no pupils. "Family... Much easier to possess."
Emmy sighed. "Dirty tricks, whatever. I'm going to take this palace down." She strode over to one of the columns, and swung her sword. It cut clean through.
"You don't understand how serious this is... Do you?" Jack replied, his voice dull. "Any more, and he dies."

Emmy whipped around, and blasted a sphere of light at Jack. It went inside of him. "I don't think you understand, either." She broke another column.

Jack's body collapsed down on the floor. He rolled onto his back, his eyes closed. "You were warned!" Corona's words echoed.

Emmy yawned. "Melissa, get ready for anything odd."

She smashed the last of the columns on the left side of the room, and walked to the other side. The roof was buckling a bit.

"Go..." Jack whispered. "Go ahead... She can't do anything but toy with you..." He smiled. His voice was faint, but slowly strengthening.
Emmy smiled. "My thoughts exactly." She smashed another column. The roof had a visible indentation- it could collapse any second.
"Don't... I can't..." Jack struggled to raise his hand. "Melissa..." Jack gestured her over. Otherwise, the roof would just fall on him.
Melissa nodded. "I have you covered."

Emmy smashed the second to last column.
"Thanks... And sorry..."

Melissa shook her head. "It's not your fault." Emmy slashed the final column, and the roof around them collapsed.
"If you could use your portals..." Jack replied.

Melissa nodded, and several portals appeared below them.

"Follow Emmy..." Jack said, looking at her from the corners of his eyes. "Please."
Melissa sighed. "Alright, then."

*********

David ducked under another sword blade, and sheared a man in half with his great blade. He looked around, and just managed to get his blade in place to avoid being decapitated. "There are too many of them!" he screamed.

Cyra just laughed. She had moved back up the beach, giving herself a better view of the battle. "I can see now why I was picked over him."

From the corner of his eye, David saw Cyra move backwards. "Coward!" he screamed at her.
He leapt forward, cutting and slicing, men falling like wheat to a scythe. A large man with a battle axe-swung at him, and David rolled to avoid it.
As he made to stand up, three men jumped at him.

All the men had swords, and they had David completely surrounded. He tried to fend them off, but they easily outmanoeuvred him together. One of them dealt a harsh blow, and David's block caused him to get knocked to the ground. As one of them brought up a sword to stab him, the three men suddenly went flying in the other direction.
David got up and turned to the men, who were in a pile about a hundred metres away with a large icicle sticking out of each of them.
He turned the other direction, and Jessika was standing in front of him.

David laughed. "Jess! Glad you could join me!" he said, swaying to avoid a pike, and taking that man's head off.
He looked around, and saw Cyra again. "Cyra!" he shouted. "Fight me, you coward!"
He shouldered his zweihander in one quick move, and drew his two daggers. With grim determination, he began to advance towards her, cutting down everyone that stood in his way.

Cyra had turned to face him, enraged. "Move aside, soldiers." She remarked, stepping forwards.
A small clearing opened up, surrounded by fighting warriors. On one side, David. The other, Cyra.

David laughed. "You won't win this time." he promised. His zweihander appeared back in his hands. "Got any last words?"
"Only a note to myself to personally etch that onto your grave." She replied, lifting up her sword. "Oh, and be careful. You wouldn't want to break such a /lovely/ sword with a strike from that zweihander, would you?"
David frowned at her. "That's my sword. Be a nice girl and give it back." he said.
"Delusional like you always were..." She replied. "This is /my/ sword. You should've been more careful with it."
David laughed, and turned to face the men around her. "I used to change your general's diapers, you know."
"Yes... He was called in as a servant to my family." She smiled confidently, turning his insult around. "...An overzealous servant, who thought he could lead an army, and now look where he stands."

David laughed. "Very good, girl. I hope you've been practising. There won't be any cheating like last time."
"Still deluded by your inability to accept defeat..." She grinned again. "And so what? Are you going to blame it on cheating when your army is completely wiped out?"
"To be honest, I'm already winning this battle." said David smugly. "How are you going back there Jessika?" he called out behind him.

The question was replied by a huge of explosion of ice which skewered a few men and sent heaps of other flying.

David giggled, and leapt at Cyra, bringing his massive weapon down upon her head.
Cyra sidestepped to the right, using her sword to block the blow, and push his weapon away from her.

David raised an eyebrow. "Still got much to learn I see." he said.
He squared his shoulders, and unleashed a devastating series of blows.

Cyra blocked each one, stepping backwards to absorb the shock as David's zweihander bounced off of the metal.
David swore. "If you were using a normal sword, you wouldn't be able to block that... but of course, you're using mine, you little rat."
He pulled his arms back and unleashed a mighty swipe at her head, the blade whistling through the air.

Cyra ducked down, holding the sword up to send David's attack off at an odd angle. "You leave yourself open like that again and you'll be dead." she replied.
David laughed. "I've died lots of times." he said. "Now, you know I didn't teach you everything I know? Of course you do. Show me what you learnt by yourself."
"And why would I do that?" Cyra replied, looking at him. She gestured him to come at her. "So you can use my attacks to your advantage? I think not."
David stood exactly where he was. "It's that attitude that gave you that scarred arm, you know. And this time, your mother isn't around to help you. Come get me!" he demanded.

Cyra laughed, and swung her sword at David, almost lazily.
David stepped backwards, easily avoiding it. "Effort, girl. Try!" he screamed.

Cyra spun round, her blade covered in fire. It flew across in a streak of bright orange.
David's null-dagger flicked forward and absorbed the shot. "Weakling!" he screamed.

Cyra's sword carried on going, swinging back around for another slice. "You're the weakling!"
David took another step back. "Tell me girl, do you know what a thunder-stroke is?" he asked, conversationally.

Cyra stepped back, sword held defensively. "Trying to get me off-guard by speaking to me, LeBlanc?"

David laughed, and stepped forward, bringing his hands down.
At the last moment he reached forward with one hand, and swung instead with the end, using the heavy hilt as a massive blunt weapon.
Cyra stood still, smiling.

The blow impacted against her head. David raised an eyebrow. She hadn't moved.
Cyra laughed. "Thanks for the lesson." She said, copying the manoeuvre with extreme precision.

David staggered back, swearing. The helmet had warded off the worst of the blow. "Damn you Cyra." he swore.
He put the zweihander away, and brought out his swordbreaker, and the null-dagger. He stepped forward menacingly. "
"You're going to fight with that?!" Cyra laughed. "Has this sword depreciated so much in my hands that you're willing to break it, then?"

David laughed again. "It won't break my sword. I made it well enough." he said. He stepped forward, and simultaneously unleashed a high thrust and a low swipe with both the daggers.

Cyra ducked and slashed the sword downwards, dodging both attacks. She rolled backwards, sending fire through the sword. "Ah, ah aaah."

He swore, and saw the way out of it. He leapt forward, careful to avoid the sword, and tackled her to the sandy beach.

Cyra, somewhat stunned, was taken to the ground. The sword landed beside her, turning the sand around it into glass. She struggled underneath him.
David hissed at her, and began to grapple with her, trying to get his fists into a position to punch her. "Why... don't you give up?" he yelled.

She struggled enough to get her knee free, and sent it straight upwards. Using her body magick, her knee practically flew.
David grunted, but he had the thankful foresight to protect himself very well. He still swore, but drove his elbow into her chest, intending to wind her.
Cyra's anger only fuelled her magick. She started lifting David off of herself, straining under his size.

David flashed her a grin, and brought his other hand up, a hidden knife suddenly revealed. He held it at her throat. "Stop" he warned her.
Cyra looked down, noticing the small blade at her throat. She paused, and looked up at him, filed with anger. Using this to her advantage, she threw him off of her.

She brushed herself off, turned around, and started walking away. "Kill him." She said.

David landed on his feet, and dived forward, grabbing his sword. "YES!" he screamed.

He held it aloft, the blade burning like a bar of magnesium. "Cyra?" he called to her.
Cyra stopped. "Hold it." She called out to the soldiers. "If it's to gloat, do it while you can. You're dead."

David looked at the blade in his hand, then to Cyra. The battle raged around them. "Did you know you have a brother?" he asked.
"Don't be so stupid." She scorned, looking at him. "I am an only child."
David laughed. "Of course, you wouldn't know. Why don't you order your forces to step back for a moment, and I can explain."
"Hmph." She crossed her arms. "Men, give him some room. Consider it a last request".

David gestured to his own men, who stepped back. In the middle of the two armies, amongst the dead and wounded, David stood alone. "Come on girl. I promise I won't kill you." he said.

Cyra stepped forward. "I'll give you a minute to explain your stupid babbling."
"As you know, I was your mentor... changing you, bathing you, training you..." began David. "But before that, I was your real father's best friend. He had a son. His name's Jack."
"Really. I doubt that." Cyra replied. "I've asked mother various times about this. I'm an only child. I don't need you to repeat rumours."
David shrugged. "Of course. Why would I lie?" he asked. "More importantly, why would your mother?"
"She wouldn't. And have you not heard of psychological warfare; confusing me and then striking when I least expect it." She closed her eyes. "Note that it's not working."

David looked about the battlefield, then turned back to Cyra. "Of course, I'd like to bring him forward to prove my point, but he's off killing the Eldar as we speak. But you know... if you don't want to believe me, we can go back to killing each other."
"I assume he was the one who ran off with the woman and child then." Cyra glared at him.
"That sounds like him" admitted David. "He's a bit of a softie, though. I suppose it runs in the family."
"So you're saying he's not my brother then?" She asked. "Because if 'it runs in the family', then he's not part of my family."

David laughed. "Of course. Keep thinking that." he said. "But he's your brother, alright."
He paused, and shook his head. He hadn't noticed it before, but Cyra had the aura of a champion. He wondered who she belonged to.

Cyra paused, looking down. For the first time, her eyes seemed to show something different from anger or spite. She turned around, and walked in the direction of the city. "Re-engage." She called out to her forces.

David called out "If you walk away now, I win, you know ? I have my sword back. You're psychologically broken. If you turn now, you'll be running away."Cyra didn't reply, and carried on walking. Her mind raced with questions.

David shrugged, and gestured to his men. "Attack." he said.

***************

They popped up in a very ornate room, of which had a throne, and several platters of food. The room was empty. "Well, this seems to be the throne room!" Emmy exclaimed.

Jack struggled to his knees; the healing spell slowly taking affect. "I prefer the red downstairs." He commented.
Emmy sat herself down on the throne. "I agree. Melissa, does this place look familiar to you?" Emmy asked. Melissa looked down. "Yes."
"I... Think I know what you mean... But David is nowhere near us..." Jack replied.

Emmy stood up, on the throne. "Oh, Corona!" She called.
"You'd be surprised..." Corona said, her voice much darker than before. "As a mass murderer... You're not much different from the ruler of this island." She chuckled.

Emmy grinned. "Well, now. You've made me kill these poor people." She laughed "So you're to blame, too."
"I'm not on about that..." She smiled. "I know everything my son knows, thanks to my little intrusion. You've been quite a naughty girl, haven't you? Or, should I say Esmeralda."

Emmy smiled. "Then, you know you're going to die, correct?" Emmy's sword glowed. "Melissa, break the seal."
Melissa nodded, and an implosion of energy engulfed Emmy.

"Au contrere." She replied. "I know that if you were to kill me, it would have serious psychological implications on your husband. It's your choice."
Jack coughed. "She's... Bluffing..."

Emmy shrugged. "If that's how you want it, I'm alright with it. There's things that are worse than death." She rushed forward, eye's glinting.

"Oh, dear!" Corona said, disappearing. "I have the Queen of Aegis here. She wants to speak to you!"
Emmy frowned. "Why don't you just die?"

A deep booming laugh sounded from the back of the hall. A short skinny old man dressed in a majestic robe hobbled forward, cane tapping on the polished marble.
"What do you want?" asked the Eldar- his voice was deep, smooth. It didn't belong in his body.

Emmy lanced a long spear of light at him "To kill you!" she giggled.

The old man tried to move, but was taken in the chest by the long spear. "ARGH!" he screamed, and collapsed.

Emmy nodded. "Melissa, help me seal it again."
Melissa closed her eyes, and a vortex surrounded Emmy, quickly sapping most of her magic. Her sword glowed again.

Jack forced himself to his feet. "Was... Was that it?"

Emmy walked over to the body of the old man. "Hmmm. Maybe."
The body was still. It smoked a little bit.
Emmy kicked the body. "Well, that was... disappointing."

Jack stood still, using the table to support himself. His feeling of unease made him feel sick. Something wasn't right.

The body began to smoulder, and burst into flame. Out of the ashes, a man appeared- it was David.

Melissa's eyes widened.
Jack's eyes widened.

"Surprise!" yelled the man. A long sword appeared in his hand. "I'm the First, the quasi-demonic, demi-godly being! Pleased to meet you!"
Fast as lightning, he stepped forward, and thrust his long blade at Emmy, taking her in ribs.

Emmy looked down at the blade. Blood dripped out of her mouth. "I always have my last laugh."

With that, she fell limp, and slid off the sword.

Jack looked on, and could only watch as Emmy slowly fell down, blood everywhere. She landed on the ground; a thump that echoed in his mind. "Emmy... EMMY!" He cried out in rage. "No... No. NO!"

A haze drifted out of Emmy's mouth, and vanished, when it contacted the First.

Jack growled, struggling to keep himself upright. The Control Glove glowed a deep red, and his eyes had gone a golden yellow. He brought his sword up, and charged it, ready to charge at him with deadly force.
"You... You won't die on me too, Jack, will you?"
Melissa's words echoed in his mind, causing his common sense to take over. 'Charge, and you die. Don't do that to her!' His mind argued back. Slowly, he lowered the sword again.

Melissa dropped to her knees. "Mother..." She laughed bitterly. "I suppose that's how it is. I'm going to kill... you, you know? It doesn't matter what you are, you are going to die!" She screamed.

The First laughed. "I've died before. Though it looks like she hasn't." he said, casually kicking her body. A few snaps, as her ribs broke.
He strode over to the wall, and regarded a lever. "Jack, my dear boy? Do you know what this lever does?" he asked.

Jack looked on, silently. His rage clear in his eyes. "I don't care what it does." His voice sounded odd, as if two people were talking.
Melissa stood up. "You see, the joke's on you. She's not really dead." Melissa smiled. "She said it herself. There are things that are worse than death."

The First ignored them. "The lever is linked to some large tanks stored in the basement..." continued the First. "When I pull it, it will first send my stored magick and some electricity to the cemeteries, where I've hotwired all the graves... all the dead will arise, under my control. Secondly, more importantly, it does the same thing to the crypts underneath this very building. And I have...a few vampire friends stashed away under there..." he stopped, laughed, and added "Oh, and the sacrificial circles all have the final wards activated. Many demons will appear... So you see, once I pull this lever, I will suddenly have the greatest army on this planet."
The First, laughing manically, slowly, deliberately began to reach for the lever.

The First twitched, and backed away. He laughed. "Oh my. We can..."

Jack looked straight at him, not even blinking. "Melissa. We need to go. Now." His voice was devoid of emotion.

The First recovered, and went over and pulled the lever, giggling. Nothing happened.
"Of course, because my old body knew what would happen, I took a few precautions... And pulled the lever an hour ago. Wahahahahahaaha!"

The door to the throne room burst open, and fifty black clad vampires appeared in front of The First. "Good lads." he said.
His eye twitched. "Actually, I think I'm going to deal with them myself. Leave." He scratched his neck.

The First walked over, picked Jack up, ignoring his resistance, and threw him through the opened doors behind him. "No, please, leave! Go, spread the word! I have returned. In exactly one day, I shall begin my world conquest. You have until then to surrender, kill yourselves, or go hide under a damp rock."

He burst into a laughing fit, and sat down on the throne.

Melissa leaned against a wall. "Do you really think that you can take over this world?"
The First was scratching his face, fiercely.

The First nodded. "Of course!" he said, scratching madly. "Argh, that Esmerelda. Trying to do something to me... but she can't do it alone..."
Melissa grinned. "Really, why would you want to conquer this world, anyway? Anyone with half a brain would know what's happening."
The First raised an eyebrow. "Of course, you mean the renewal of this world? I fear you're not in the loop. I know how to stop it. If I rule this world, I make all the rules. And at this stage, I hold all the cards. You can't stop me."
Melissa laughed. "Oh my. You're so funny... Also, I'll be back. I'm going to save you for last."
The First's hand crawled up to his eye.

"I promise you. As the protector. I will stop you." Jack said, his voice now distinctly deeper.

The First twitched, and looked down. "Oh well." he said, and exploded, David's body becoming a fine red mist. Where the body was, an ethereal human-shaped being stood, coloured an angry red. "This is my true form!" boomed the First.
He raised an arm, and the roof simply vanished. "Fear me. I am your god."
"You are not a God." Jack called out, across the room.

Melissa nodded. "Well, Have fun!" She grabbed Jack, and vanished.

he First swore. "You have one day!" he boomed, his voice echoing across the whole island. "Then the fun begins!"

**************

Jack and Melissa appeared on the beach. Emmy's corpse also appeared, in front of them. Melissa was shaking.

Jack crashed down onto his knees, beside Emmy's corpse. He turned towards Melissa; she didn't look good. Silently, he shuffled over to her. "Melissa?"
Melissa closed her eyes. "...She's dead..." she sobbed.

The two armies had stopped fighting after the First's voice had rang across the island. From the beach-side, David now ran forward, covered in gore.
He saw Emmy.

"No..." he breathed.
Melissa opened her eyes. "Yes."

Jack swung his arms around her, and rubbed her back. Tears were rolling down his eyes. "Why..."

David knelt down. "What happened?" he asked, carefully.
Melissa squeezed Jack tightly. "Know of this guy named the First?"
David's face darkened. "That's bad, if he was the one who spoke to us all... what did he mean, one day?

"He's... Got an army. Of undead, demons, and vampires." Jack said, holding Melissa tightly. "One day... One day and he starts a world conquest."
Melissa shuddered. "First, he started with Emmy."

David lowered his head. "We appear to be in a lot of trouble." he stated. "What can we do?"
"We leave." Jack replied. His eyes had gone yellow again, and his voice had changed again. "We leave this place, and find out how to kill him. He has a weakness, and I /will/ find it."
"And what of Seros?" demanded David. "Do we let it burn? What of the people?"

Melissa's eyes were dull. "Seros is going to become a graveyard. Most of the world will become a graveyard."
Jack's voice darkened. "If we trifle around with civilians, we all die." He stood up, making sure he had Melissa's hand. "We leave. Now."

David shook his head. "Damn you Jack, I won't leave them here! There are ten million people on this damn island!" he yelled.
"Would you like them on your soul? Another ten million people... they were each loved by someone too..."

Melissa answered for Jack. "The victims are not the important ones. It's the survivors. Seros, being isolated, doesn't have any ties with the outside world. If all of Seros dies, no one will be sad."
"I'm going to save them. They deserve a chance, dammit!" he shouted.
Melissa laughed. "If we couldn't even save Emmy, how do you expect to save everyone else?!"
"Do as you wish." Jack said, standing up. "But I don't plan on helping."

David looked at Jack, and saw his sorrow. "Will you at least talk to your sister?" he asked.
"I do not have time for this, David." Jack gestured for Melissa to follow him, as he began to walk off.

David swore. "Jack, I need your help!" he shouted.

Jack stopped. "You had enough room shipping your army here. I suggest if you do anything, you use those boats to ferry civilians and hold them off." He paused for a second. "Melissa, I need you to teleport Emmy's body to Fenrir."

Melissa nodded. "Can do." Emmy's body fell through a portal. She turned to Jack. "I want to meet your sister, however."

Jack stood still, thinking. "Fine. We'll see her."

David was over talking to Cyra. He saw Jack, and gestured him over. Cyra, Jack. Egwellns, both of you. Enjoy."
Melissa waved. "You forgot to introduce me..." She said, darkly.

"A child? So you're in love. Having to rely on another person to back yourself up..." Cyra started.
Jack stared back at her, blankly.

Melissa frowned. "She died."

Cyra looked at Jack's eyes, seeing nothing but pain. She paused. "How?" She finally asked.
Melissa shuddered. "Stabbed. Through the heart. A few minutes ago."
"You shouldn't have brought her to a battlefield then. That's stupid." Cyra replied, angered.
"Heh. You think it was in this petty fight?" Jack finally spoke.

David glanced at them both. "Stop arguing. Cyra, we need every boat, everything. We need to leave this island. If you want most of us to live, I need you to work with us."

Melissa mock-bowed to Cyra. "Nice meeting you." she took Jack's hand and started to vanish.

Cyra looked on, as the child and man disappeared before her. She zoned out for a second, before turning to David. "LeBlanc, you were saying?"
"I need your help to evacuate Seros. We'll combine armies... fight for as long as we can, then retreat ourselves. Because Seros is lost." Explained David.

A voice boomed around them. It was the First "My dear citizens of Seros- Evacuate, and clear th- argh. So annoying. Please relax."

Cyra looked back at the city. "What the..." She turned back around. "Why is Seros lost? What is going on LeBlanc?!"
David shrugged. "You've got a vengeful demi-god as your leader now. He doesn't like humans. He will kill us all, given the chance. Which is why we need to evacuate."
"Father?" Cyra questioned. "What the hell do you mean Demi-God?!"
"Just that. He's got almost godly powers. He's the son of a god, and a mortal woman... that helps, I understand. Oh, and we don't know how to kill him." said David.

Cyra paused for a second, before gesturing to a couple of soldiers from her army. "You two, spread the word throughout the army. You will know be taking orders also from General LeBlanc."
"But, ma'am..."
"That's an order!" She barked, sending the soldiers scurrying.
David laughed. "Still got a way with your men, I see. They called you the 'ice maiden', you know? Always so cold to others..."
"You show any sign of weakness, and your opponent will pick up on it, always." Cyra replied. "And don't think this means we're even, LeBlanc."

Laughter echoed across Seros.

David shuddered. "Creepy" he noted. "Well, let's not waste time. Women and children first.

Summary Seros is invaded, Emmy dies, the Eldar is really the First. How's that for a twist?

NOTE The eight year gap will occur shortly. Anything that happens before the time gap must be posted as soon as possible.
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Postby Communist » 2009.09.27 (07:19)

The twin's birth

Jessika sat on the comfortable fabric chair, looking out across the clouds and the sea. It was so beautiful; she was more then glad to be there. It was a high contrast to the war and destruction that they'd had to endure back in Seros. We were lucky to escape, thought Jessika. But if I ever see the First again, I'm going to take him down without a second though.
She smiled as two warm hands appeared on her shoulders.

David looked down at her. Unlike Jessika, he wasn't happy. The war had been harsh, and even now he had to organise resistance to invasions. He hadn't slept in a week. "Hello Jess." said David, wearily.

"Hi David" she said back, and smiled warmly at him. He responded with a dreary smile back, which soon disappeared. She motioned for him to sit next to her, which he did.
"They're getting to be full size now" she said, indicating her belly.
David smiled briefly. "I think you are my only joy in life at the moment Jess." he said, and sighed. "Our child will be born into a bloody war... with no end in sight."

Jessika said nothing, but stared out into the horizon again, watching the sun rise, casting a beautiful orange glow.
"So, how shall we spend this beautiful day?" Jessika asked eventually.

David considered it, and sighed. "I've got a stack of things to do... people to see... I'll probably spent this beautiful day inside in meetings..." he said.
She kissed David tenderly, stroking his masculine cheek.

David smiled, and pecked her on the cheek. "I'll come back as soon as I can, alright?" he said to her, and walked out the door.

**** (time warp!)

As the creaking started issuing from the staris, Jessika looked up just as she'd sat down on the bed. David's large figure appear in the doorway and they exchanged smiles. He ripped off his boots and jacket and landed heavily on the bed.
"So, how was everything?" Jessika asked him.
David shook his head. "Badly. It's been, what? A few months now since we fled Seros? I still don't know how many died there. Most of the refugees have lost family members... and we have to send more out to fight... it's all so awful."
Jessika put her arms around him. "Well, let's not worry about that now" she said silkily, kissing his neck.

David turned around and pulled her in close, hugging her tight. "I don't want to worry..." he whispered. "But there are so many of them... and I have to help them all. And I can't..."

Jessika hugged his back, just as tight. "You can't worry about all this stuff on your own! It's not healthy!" she said. "Look, just try and get some rest and I'll help you sort it out tomorrow, okay?"

David ran his hand through his hair. "Alright... but I think I need the actual sleep part of sleeping tonight, alright?" he said, grinning at Jessika.
Jessika smiled back, then rolled over to get some sleep.

*** (Mini time warp!)

Jessika woke up later that night, feeling overheated. She got up to get some water, but staggered on her way to the bathroom.

"David!" she cried, cringing and holding her belly.

David awoke with a start, and leapt to his feet, a dagger appearing as if by magick from his hand. "What?" he yelled out.
"I think I'm giving birth!" she yelled at him from on her knees.

David looked at her, eyes boggling. "Er... alright...what do I do?" he asked, bewildered.
"Get some help! Call a hospital, something!" she screamed.

David looked around some more. "Er, yeah, I'll go get a doctor..." he stuttered, and quickly ran out, still holding his dagger.

A few minutes later he came running back in, followed closely by a gaunt thin man in doctor's apparel. David still hadn't put his dagger away.

The doctor went over to Jess. "How are you?" he asked her.
"In pain..." she said slowly. "My stomach..."

The doctor nodded. "You're starting to go into labour." he noted, clinically. "I think that perhaps you should lie down in your bed."

David helped Jessika into their bed carefully, while the doctor continued. "Ah, your husband... I'm not sure how to put this. Husbands are generally a hinderance during the birthing process..."
"You're the doctor" said Jessika, barely even listening anymore.
The doctor turned to David. "Perhaps it would be best if you, er... went out for a moment. I'll send someone to come get you when it's over."

David half-nodded, and turned to leave. "Be strong, Jess." he said.

Half an hour later, the doctor came down into the living room where David was sitting nervously. "It's okay now" he said, smiling.

David had a bottle of some drink in his hand. He had tried unsucessfully to open it. Perhaps the dagger still firmly clasped in his other hand might have done this.
Slowly, David ascended the stairs, and smiled at the sight he saw.

Jessika lay smiling on the bed, with two beautiful baby girls in her arms.

David smiled, and at the sight, his brain-cells began working again. He put down the bottle, and put his dagger away. He leapt forward. "Oh Jess!" he cried.

Jessika kissed him passionatly, then stared down at the two beautiful children. "What do you want to call them?" Jessika asked him.

David looked at both of the young girls. His young girls. "Twins..." he muttered. "How about... Rose and Daisy?" he suggested.
Jessika looked at him. "Rose is nice, but not Daisy" she said. "How about Scarlet?"
David looked at them again. "Scarlet... I like it..." he said, and smiled. "Rose and Scarlet."

He reached forward and gently pulled his new family into a giant hug. "...So this is what family is like..." he whispered, almost to himself.

Jessika sat there is silence, hugging the three people in the world that she loved and adored. She just wanted to lie there for hours, just soaking in the love and the happiness that emanated from all of them.

David smiled, tears of happiness streaming down his cheek. "There is one problem..." he said. "Which one's which?"

Jessika looked down at the two gorgeous babies, and looked them right into their cute faces. "The smaller one should be called Rose" Jessika said, looking at the smaller of the pair. "She looks more delicate, like a rose"

David smiled, and gently picked up the larger baby. "This would make you Scarlet." he said, gently running his hand over her head. "Aren't they wonderful Jess?" he beamed.
"Yes" said Jessika, a single tear rolling down her cheek. "Yes, they are"

A few hours later, Jessika was lay with the two babies in her arms still, and David sat on a chair a few metres away. A doctor had come in a few minutes earlier and had assessed the children, and after a few basic examinations stated that they were perfectly healthy. But then, not long after the doctor had left, the babies chose the moment to start screaming their heads off.
David rolled his eyes. "I guess we'll have to get used to that..." he noted. "Not that I get much sleep at this rate anyway."

Jessika, on the other hand, was not so complacent. She yelled out, for no specific reason, and started rocking them to try and calm the two of them down. "What's wrong with them?" she asked no-one in particular.
David thought for a moment. "Perhaps they're hungry?" he suggested.

Jessika looked at the kids, and almost felt their hunger there and then. "I think you're right" she said. She pulled down one side of her shirt, then realised that it would be a bit unfair just to feed them one at a time. She slipped off her shirt and pulled the babies into bosom. As she did, they almost immediatly latched on and started suckling.
Jessika smiled. "Well, that's stopped them crying, hasn't it?"

David grinned. "I know it would stop me crying." he said.
Jessika gave a face halfway between a smile and that look of shock that quite obviously said "David!"

David laughed, and stood up from his chair. "Maybe I can try later?" he asked, cheekily.
Jessika laughed with him, and gave him a dirty look. "Maybe" she agreed. "But these two take priority from now on"

David stopped pacing the room, and looked out the window. In the far, far distance, on the very edge of the horizon, he could see great smoke clouds. He sighed. "Seros still burns..." he muttered. He span to face Jessika. "Where will they grow up? Shall we teach them? Shall we train them for war?" he asked. "What shall we do with them..."

Jessika got up with the two children, now well fed, and went and rested her head on his shoulder. "What ever happens, we'll do this together" she said.

David smiled, took her hands. "That would be nice." he noted, and looked at his young wife. David sighed. "It will be a long time before this war ends..." he noted. "Maybe we should enjoy the peace while we can."
"Yes!" said Jessika, her eyes lighting up. "Let's go somewhere far away, somewhere where we can raise these children properly without this war in their lives!"

David shook his head sadly. "I can't do that..." he said. "I can't shirk my responsibility. And if we don't help... other mothers will be in danger. Other children. I have to..."

"David" said Jessika, staring at him intensly. "This isn't about anyone else anymore. Other people can look after themselves. But I need to know that my children are safe"
David looked pained. "I'll put you first. I promise that our children will be safe." he assured her.

Jessika smiled. "Thank you" she said, nuzzling her head up against his chest. "Let's just hope they're wrong about this war" Jessika said after a pause. "Let's just hope it'll end soon..."

Summary: Children are born. Woop

The time skip has now happened.
Please begin posting all the stuff after, starting with Ravelle.
There's no way I have all of it, and I'm not editting any of it.
In real time, the world is about to end. Please purchase new sunglasses, and life insurance.
I think I'm showing off now.
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Postby ChaoStar » 2009.10.01 (10:54)

(( hooray for timeskip! =D ))
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Postby Aphex » 2009.10.05 (17:55)

(( Congratulations guys on completing the Seros arc. I hope you have enjoyed this arc, and I hope you continue to enjoy the RPG!

To commemorate this event, here is a banner
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This is the official point at which the plot which I created ends, and you take the driving seat in arstar. Go forth, and do shit! :3 ))
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Postby Drathmoore » 2009.10.08 (15:22)

((PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

With the Seros Arc done, we're just wallowing at the moment. So, I'm happy to announce that the next chapter in the Arstar world is about to begin.

Hopefully it should go well. I'm hoping this one will be a bit more of a mystery...

Enjoy

In any case, here's a short Jack only RP. It takes place almost straight after the Invasion.))
The Truth of Laron

Jack stood on top of Fenrir, out in the fresh air. He could feel the wind brush past as the ship carried-on flying it's course, set for Aegis. It was dark; a few clouds remained in the sky, but what remained was filled with stars, each twinkling in the background. He looked up. Somewhere up there, Emmy would be looking down on him, and he was unsure how she would feel about him at the moment. Perhaps she was just happy she was finally reunited with her mother?

His vision dropped, and he frowned. “How... How could I let this happen? We knew it would happen! I could've stopped this!” He hit the metal of the ship relatively hard. “I've gone and got you killed... My precious wife...”
“You are wrong.”
“What?” Jack said, looking up. He looked about. “Who said that? Who's there?”
“Your answer is in front of you.” The voice replied. It was deeper, but in some ways very similar to Jack's own voice.
He stopped looking about. “Laron, I presume...” He said, crossing his arms. He recalled Emmy's book. “Program, Identify. State your name, purpose, and age.”

There was a pause. Jack looked on, his eyes yellow, and spoke, with a sigh. “Name: Already identified. God class program, Laron. Purpose: Original purpose is to protect the Weaver. Program is fated to do so.” There was another pause. “Age...”
Jack's eyes went blue again. “That... That makes no sense.” He said. “Your age... It's.... That's impossible.”.
“And yet here I am.”
“But... That contradicts the 10,000 year cycle! Massively...”
There was another pause. Jack looked on, his eyes yellow once more. “A few people are selected from each previous cycle. It is their job to populate the new world. This program survived through that process.”
“But... One and a half million years?! Surely the program would have been destroyed, or at least servilely damaged over this period of time?!”
“You don't realise how these things work, do you? Your naïveté caused by your understanding of mortal engineering will continue to mislead you like this if you carry on believing in what mortals think they know.”

Jack sighed, and looked back at the sky again. “Program, de-activate. Your functions are not required.”
“Unfortunately, I have work that needs doing.”
“Emmy is dead. The vessel of the Weaver is dead. There is no reason to protect the dead!” He shouted out.
“The naïveté of the mortal mind...” Laron sighed.
“What?!” Jack said, his eyes opening.
“I can only show you what you have experienced. And now, let me show you what you have already bared witness to.”

Jack's eyes were forced closed. Confused, he looked on, to see Emmy's death, once again. “Why are you... NO!” Jack could only watch as Emmy was once more stabbed horribly by the First. Unable to escape it, he could see himself, paralysed in fear and disbelief. His vision then zoomed in on the First, and watched as a golden vapour rose up, and made contact with the First.
“Do you see this vapour? I'm sure you can work out why I'm showing you this.”

The vision melted away. Once again, Jack was stood on top of Fenrir, in the path of the wind. “I... Don't...” His mind went dark. “Hmph. How do I know that her mind wasn't destroyed? Or that the spell even worked?!” He called out.
“Tsk... Don't you ever listen to what people tell you, mortal?”

Jack looked about. Melissa's words echoed through his mind. “If Dark Emmy is killed, then the world is destroyed.”
“And?” He called out.
“The planet is still undamaged. Logically, Innielle has not been killed.”
“So... She's still alive? Emmy... Emmy's alive?!” He said to himself.
“Well... Not exactly.”
“What do you mean?!” Jack's words rang out in anger. “If she's not dead, she must be alive!”
“Let's just say that while she's not dead... She's not exactly alive, either. “Limbo” would be the term to use here.”
“Grr...” Jack's anger made itself apparent, but he relaxed. As he did so, Laron's reasoning came to light. He opened his eyes. They were yellow.

“Do you now see what you have to do?” Laron spoke, seemingly to himself. “Kill the First, and you will free her. And you must do so, without falter.” There was a pause. “This will take time, mortal, but will eventually end bright, if you stay focused upon your task. You have my blessing.”

His eyes faded, and were restored to their regular blue. He shook his head, and looked down. “Emmy... I promise you, that no matter how long it takes, or where it takes me, I will do this for you.” He looked at his hand, and at the ring on his finger. “As long as I draw breath, this ring will remain on this finger. And as long as that happens, I will never stray from my promise.”

Still confused as to why Laron seemed so keen to help him, he turned around, and headed for the hatch. “I promise to defeat the First, and restore you. I promise you... Revenge.”

Last edited by Drathmoore on 2009.12.20 (16:36), edited 2 times in total.

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Postby ChaoStar » 2009.10.08 (17:03)

(( Also, we'll have the Ravelle convo's in, soon. ))
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Postby Communist » 2009.10.20 (07:40)

(( We've been stagnating on this front... I don't think many of the Ravelle convo's were kept. To that end, in two days, we move on. If you find something, we edit an older post to put it in. But the backlog's growing very thick, and we can't keep it up from here. Two days, then a summary of what happens will be put up, and we move to pre-re-invasion stuff.))
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Postby Universezero » 2009.10.20 (08:06)

Communist wrote:(( We've been stagnating on this front... I don't think many of the Ravelle convo's were kept. To that end, in two days, we move on. If you find something, we edit an older post to put it in. But the backlog's growing very thick, and we can't keep it up from here. Two days, then a summary of what happens will be put up, and we move to pre-re-invasion stuff.))
(( I fully support this. ))
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Postby Communist » 2009.11.01 (04:16)

(( Uh, ok... In case I forgot to post, which I may have done, PLEASE EDIT/POST AFTER RAVELLE STUFF.

We are veeeeerrrrryyyyy far behind. Let's not forget we have to keep saying stuff too.))
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Postby Universezero » 2009.12.03 (03:59)

(( OH EMM GEE.

I leave for a week and this is how you repay me? With no forum posts? This is a disgrace. ))
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Postby ChaoStar » 2009.12.04 (03:00)

Universezero wrote:(( OH EMM GEE.

I leave for a week and this is how you repay me? With no forum posts? This is a disgrace. ))
(( I leave for a MONTH, and I get no forum posts? What a disgrace.))
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Postby Universezero » 2009.12.11 (06:29)

(( FINALLY! I have managed to organise and finish an RP with Commy. Huzzah! Hopefully we'll get some more RPs coming in from other people now too. ))
Homecoming

It was the late afternoon, and it was softly raining outside. There was a knocking at the door, and without waiting further, the door opened. In stepped David, dirty from his travels, but grinning like a fool. He was home.

"David!" said Jessika, rushing forward to hug him. She kissed him all over, regardless of all the mud and dirt. "I've missed you so much! I'm so glad you're alright..."

David laughed, and hugged her in tight. "I missed you too, Jessika. How are the children?" he asked. "Oh, and I got a present for you." he said. He took out a large ornate sea-shell, and handed it to Jessika.

Jessika looked up at David, a face of complete and utter loving adorning it. She took the seashell, stroking the elegant patterns. "It's beautiful" She took it and placed it on a shelf, setting it standing up in the middle so that everyone could see it.
She turned around and looked at David. "I love you, so much" she said.

"And I you, Jess, and I you." he replied.

David smiled, and thought back eight years. Admittedly, he hadn't changed much- probably his vampire genes. But he'd been training and fighting- he was a lot leaner than his old self.

He smiled as he thought of Jessika. She had noticeably changed, for the better, he thought.

Her hair had grown much longer, and was beautifully adorned with flowers freely placed in it. Her breasts had grown a great deal, and were now a lot more noticeable. Her hips had also become much more curvaceous, as well as her face becoming more angular and adult looking.

David laughed, and hung up his dirty coat by the wall. "Jess, you're adorable. Adorable." he said.

Jessika smiled at him, staring into his gorgeous eyes. "Come on in, I'll make you something to eat" she said. "You must be starving"

David rolled his eyes, but so that Jessika couldn't see. Maybe she'd learnt how to cook while he was away. "Where are the kids?" he asked.

"They're out the back playing" she said affectionately. "They're as beautiful as when you left"

There was a thumping at the back door, and suddenly two small girls burst in. "Daddy!" they shouted. David beamed. "Scarlet, Rose! How are you, my little puppies?" he said, drawing them in to hug them.

Jessika joined into the hug, rejoicing in the fact that her family was together again at last.

David stood back and looked at their children. Recently turned eight, and his pride and joy. Scarlet, the open, happy and bubbly one, with the odd blue-ish white hair.
Rose, the more thoughtful one, with long, brown, flowing hair and mysterious green eyes.

David looked at both of them, then to Jess. "Jack's close to finding the weapon to kill The First with. We need to be ready to go back soon." he stated.

Jessika face suddenly became serious, and she nodded at him. "What's this supposed weapon?" she enquired.

David shrugged. "I don't know. It's hidden deep in a temple... lots of traps, angry priests, dark rituals..." He stopped, saw her expression, and laughed. "I actually know nothing about it. Painful, I know, but there you are."

Jessika nodded slowly. "What are we going to do with these two?" She said it in a joking way, as if speaking to the kids, but she did it purely for their sakes, and David knew that underneath she was asking a serious question.

Scarlet nudged Rose, and whispered to her. "Hey, hey!" said David. "Stay out of my head!" he demanded.

"Off you go, children. We need to talk for a moment." he said. As they left, he turned back to Jess "I wish there was some way to stop Scarlet mind-reading me... what do you think we should do with them?" he asked.

"In what way?" asked Jessika.

"I mean when we go help Jack fight the First." he explained. "We could leave them with Zeffie, maybe? The children seem to like her."

Jessika shrugged uneasily. "I guess we could..." she said. She didn't sound keen.

"We could take them with us..." he said, carefully.

Jessika wasn't sure what she wanted. She wanted to be around the kids. She wanted to be there for them. But she didn't want to put them in any danger.

David looked at her, trying to judge her. "Of course, we'd keep them safely around the back line... there would be no danger to them at all. And I'm sure they'd enjoy the boat-ride."

Jessika stood in thought, her hands cupped over her mouth. After a short moment of silence, she cleared her throat. "Yes... I... I think we should take them." She paused. "Yeah, because that way we could keep an eye on them, right?" It was obvious that she's said this mainly to convince herself.

David nodded. "Yes, we'd keep them in sight. It'll be fun! Like an adventure!" he said cheerfully, knowing she needed persuasion.

Jessika nodded, then forced a smile onto her face. "Well, at least we've got that sorted now."
She paused. "Um... Would you like something to eat now?" she asked. "You must be starving."

David laughed, and hugged her. "Why of course I would." he told her, beaming. "But tell me what else is wrong, first."

Jessika sighed. "Nothing's really wrong, it's just..." she stopped and looked out of the window, across the beautiful landscape. "I miss the others, I guess. I haven't seen Jack since before the war, and Takkun left some time ago; and God knows where he is now..." She trailed off, a small tear forming in her eye.

David hugged Jessika again, wiping the tears from her eyes, not saying a word but comforting her quietly. Jessika hugged back, enjoying the moment.

"We'll see them again. I promise." David said at last, still holding on to her.

"Thank you" Jessika whispered back.

After a time, she moved back and straightened out her clothing. "I have some fresh cookies if you'd like one" she said, smiling.

David straightened too. "Yes please!" he beamed. "Shall we?" he asked, extending his arm.

Summary:

David comes home after an extended leave. (Hopefully it wasn't for the full 8 year gap, otherwise the children probably wouldn't know their father very well.) Jessika and David talk about the war. They decide to take the children with them when they go to fight the First with Jack. David has a cookie.

(( By the way, how's the book going CS? ))
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Postby Drathmoore » 2009.12.20 (16:41)

"Right. I'm going to be daring and not do the double brackets. I mean, come on. It's quite obvious I'm not RPing." Jack said, with a shrug. He looked about a bit, rubbed his chin, and looked forwards. "It's nice to finally be posting the RPs again. We're too far behind... Way too far."

He shook his head. "Can't keep Emmy too long. I've updated one of the previous posts with an RP, one explaining my motives to fight. Now, I've got to run."

He turned, and started to run off into the distance, fading into the horizion.

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Postby Universezero » 2010.01.13 (03:28)

<Universezero> I have an idea for Arstar.
<Universezero> It's a bit drastic.
<Universezero> But if we want Arstar to move forwards, I suggest we do it.
<aperture> Lay it on me
<Universezero> We scrap every RP we've done that hasn't been posted on the forums.
<Universezero> Then we keep going from there.
<aperture> That's actually a really good idea.
<aperture> You should post that
<Universezero> I shall.
<aperture> Feel free to say I support you
<Universezero> And from then on we only RP after the previous RP has been edited and posted.
<Universezero> So we don't get in the mess we're in now.

Does anyone else support this idea?
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Postby DoctorAperture » 2010.01.13 (03:29)

As that convo states: I support this idea, we're a bit(understatement) cluttered at the moment. This would help orient us in the right direction.

Also I propose that we each only play one character from now on.
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obligatory ad for my comic(s)

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LittleViking wrote:Oh, sure. I just hope this doesn't open the door to new jokes instead, you know? I'd hate for this to shed some light on more name-related puns. Maybe now they can focus their efforts elsewhere.
Awww, so cute!

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Postby Universezero » 2010.01.13 (07:52)

A short convo between me and Communist stating some of the things I think we need done.

[20:18:38] <@Universezero> So, should we initialize this idea of mine?
[20:21:37] <~Communist> I'd say so.
[20:22:11] <~Communist> We can summarize what happened and wasn't posted, or just wipe the slate clean.
[20:22:20] <@Universezero> Slate clean, methinks.
[20:22:26] <@Universezero> New story.
[20:22:39] <@Universezero> Something with a pinacle, y'know?
[20:22:47] <~Communist> New characters, so on?
[20:22:54] <@Universezero> Not exactly...
[20:23:32] <@Universezero> For instance, the first part of Arstar, which we spent most of 2009 on, was all based around the First and the leaders of Seros.
[20:23:48] <@Universezero> Think back to the last couple of months of RPing.
[20:23:50] <~Communist> Right.
[20:23:54] <@Universezero> What was the point?
[20:24:07] <@Universezero> The first part we had a purpose.
[20:24:10] <~Communist> none =p
[20:24:19] <@Universezero> At the moment, we're just sort of wandering around.
[20:24:26] <~Communist> Yep, good. We lost it.
[20:24:33] <@Universezero> I think we need -a- new character.
[20:24:41] <@Universezero> An enemy.
[20:24:43] <@Universezero> A goal.
[20:24:53] <@Universezero> Something that all the RPs will revolve around.
[20:25:29] <~Communist> I've er, got plenty of characters. I'm making no more.
[20:25:44] <@Universezero> Not a played character.
[20:25:49] <@Universezero> Sort of an NPC.
[20:25:54] <~Communist> Unless you want a Demor badguy, which I have one.
[20:26:01] <~Communist> Or lots >_>
[20:26:08] <@Universezero> We need a figurehead.
[20:26:12] <@Universezero> Something like the First.
[20:26:23] <@Universezero> Something to direct our plot towards.
[20:26:36] <@Universezero> Think about the world that is Arstar at the moment.
[20:26:39] <@Universezero> Wait...
[20:26:47] <@Universezero> I just realised something...
[20:26:56] <~Communist> Yeees?
[20:27:00] <@Universezero> According to the forums, we haven't killed the first yet...
[20:27:05] <@Universezero> >:D
[20:27:09] <@Universezero> Brainblast!
[20:27:17] <~Communist> We post up to there?
[20:27:22] <@Universezero> Nope.
[20:27:23] <@Universezero> We re-do the ending.
[20:27:27] <@Universezero> Except...
[20:27:30] <@Universezero> The First...
[20:27:34] <@Universezero> Doesn't die!
[20:27:47] <@Universezero> That way, we still have someone to chase after.
[20:27:54] <~Communist> Interesting.
[20:27:59] <@Universezero> And we can make him go and make an army or something.
[20:28:53] <@Universezero> Anyway, the point being that the first escapes.
[20:29:08] <@Universezero> And then the plot follows him from there.

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