The Nation of Hubras Returns!

[Bromtaghon]

Mortiferous shook its head, then prepared to launch a shadowblast at-
Suddenly, the ground shook again, and Mortiferous fell back into the ocean.  Kayle blinked, then saw Mako running after them.
"We have to split up, Caitlin," he whispered.  "I'll take Reese, you circle around and try and kill him from behind."
She nodded and split off his path, still pondering Mortiferous' disappearance.

[Duskling]

Spriggat or not, Mako was an expert assassin, so he knew mostly every trick in the book. That meant that, as soon as he saw Caitlin split up from the others, he knew what to expect.

An ambush, he thought, smirking, Then I'll ambush their ambush.

So he went out of sight.

Caitlin just went out of sight, too, but couldn't spot Mako.

Blast it! she thought to herself, before being grabbed from behind, knocked out, and dragged from the area.

In the short moment before passing out, Caitlin saw Mako and said, "Please don't hurt me,"

Mako's reply was, "Don't worry, sunshine, I have other plans for you," and the battle at Lake Alto was over...

[Bromtaghon]

Kayle sat down in the cave.  He had seen Caitlin fall, but he had no idea where Mako had taken her.
He sighed and laid the body of Reese on the ground.  He placed his hand on his wrist, but he felt no pulse.
"Damn.  He's dead."  Kayle sighed and sat down. 
Why had Mortiferous disappeared?
Of course! Power.  It had been awakened, but it hadn't been strong enough to stay in existence that long.
Even together, the three of us couldn't wake him... and now there is only me... Kayle sighed.  I'll need to boost my power somehow.
Orbs.
Kayle smiled.  He had heard rumours of a Violet Orb that could increase one's capacity for Psy energy.  And he knew just who he could hire to find it.
As for himself? He had vengeance in mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hello, Osrie."
Osrie jumped up and turned around.  After his sale of golem parts to a Rebel leader, he had returned home, only to be ambushed... by who?
He turned around.  A Mechanic Captain stood facing him.
"We have a client for you," said the Captain.
"What kind of mission is it?"
"Item retrieval.  Find it and bring it back.  Our client, Kayle, wants a Violet Orb."
"How do I find it, sir?"
"There's a hermit in this woods said to know a lot about these elusive orbs.  Ask him." The Mechanic Captain turned around and walked away.
And that is how Osrie got caught up in the Mortiferous Scheme.

[Duskling]

It took a lot of time and patience to get what he wanted out of Caitlin, finally, after being bruised and cut one too many times, she told him.

"We wanted to get Mortiferous to destroy Hubras, along with all the Nationalists living there."

"Uh-huh," Mako said, proccessing what he just heard, "Well, have you thought of other people living there? Rich people, willing to give money to have someone killed?"

"It was the Nationalists, wasn't it?" Caitlin asked, "They hired you to kill us, didn't they?"

"Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't," Mako said, "I'm not allowed to give away that information, but since you won't be alive to tell the tale, not that it would matter, it was your Rebellion, they hired me."

"No," Caitlin said, shocked, "It couldn't be..." and with that, she passed out again.

...

When Caitlin opened her eyes again, she wasn't in Mako's hideout, not that she knew where that was, but she was in an alleyway at Hubras.

"How could this get any worse?" she asked herself.

"Like this," said a Nationalist spy with six Psy enforcers behind him...

[Bromtaghon]

Kayle returned to Hubras.  Why?  A lone rebel is like a juvenile cello player, like a wounded gazelle on the serengeti.  The rebels, however, had moved their base, and he hadn't managed to find them yet.  Eventually he gave up and left the city.  He couldn't awaken Mortiferous by himself, the rebels had deserted him, the Psys hated him, and the Mechanics would stab him in the back for money.  The only people he'd had were Reese and Caitlin; one was dead, the other kidnapped by Mako.
Are there any factions I can trust? he thought.
The Shadowlings? Nah, they had no interest in human conflicts.
The Spriggats? He might find one, but it would do little against the Psys and Mako.
An idea popped into his mind, and he knew if it failed, he and Caitlin were doomed, set against Cera Bella for the rest of eternity.
The Tratenites.

OOC: 10 points if you get the cello reference, 10 points if you know where Caitlin, Reese and Kayle come from.

I am now officially going to go get some sleep.

[Zackirus]

Zack pulled out the parchment again, looking at Lake Alto, the place where hopefully he might be able to find some sort of ship. He was about to close it again when again he noticed in scribbled letters at the top of the map Cera Bella. Why does that name sound familiar... Zack thought, oh wait..... Oh that's........ That's not good. He looked down at the sheet in utter horror, there would be little chance of him hitching a ride now, most people in Cera Bella hate Tratenites. If.... some.....someone finds out.... His thought trailed away and thought of all the tortures he  would go through, he knew that because he wasn't a local, they could do anything to him, and Zack wondered whether people in this continent even remember what happened. "NOOOO!" Zack screamed throwing the parchment as far as he could and sitting down with his head in his hands. Zack sat for around 5 minutes until he got up and brushed his pants off. The lake was just around another 2 kilometres and Zack wanted just to go home...

"NARGHHHHHH!"

Zack hastily looked towards the lake. Even though it was far away he could see a darkness of energy opening from the sky and a huge serpent ascending from the lake. "Holy......" spurted out Zack as the shock from the serpent nearly blew his mind. He gapped as the thing fired colossal amounts of negative energy from its mouth. He crouched behind a boulder and watched the thing descend back into the lake.

He stayed behind the boulder just so that if the thing appeared again he would be at least mildly safe. He glanced over the rock around 5 minutes later and saw some sort of white flying creature dragging some girl along a path. Zack stayed behind the rock and scanned both of them.

The White creature had a strong mental barrier and alerting the creature to his presence might not be a good thing...

The Girl was easy to read as she was unconscious. Zack was only able to pick up a few things from her unconscious mind. Her name was Caitlin, the white creature that was dragging her was named Mako and by his appearance Zack inferred that he must be some sort of assassin for hire, and a guy named Kayle.

Zack thought that he might as well follow the pair as he had nothing to do now as he would probably never go back to Traten

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

Zack stayed as silent as possible as he listened the white creature torture the girl in a dense spot in the woods up ahead:

"We wanted to get Mortiferous (That must be the Serpent Thing) to destroy Hubras (must be the capital), along with all the Nationalists (who?) living there."


"Uh-huh," Mako said, proccessing what he just heard, "Well, have you thought of other people living there? Rich people (I could use those people ), willing to give money to have someone killed?"


"It was the Nationalists, wasn't it?" Caitlin asked, "They hired you to kill us (wow..... ), didn't they?"


"Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't," Mako said, "I'm not allowed to give away that information, but since you won't be alive to tell the tale, not that it would matter, it was the Rebellion, they hired me(so you are an assassin)."


"No," Caitlin said, shocked, "It couldn't be..." and with that, she passed out again.

Zack made himself invisible for only a few seconds giving him the chance to get out of range of the white creature, and so Zack headed off for Hubras thinking that he could find something to help him get back home and maybe even find this Kayle.....

[Steel Ersatz Man]

Wow I'm late!

Name: Criss

Race: Scorpion (he is the creation of an experiment that tried to give people the instincs of wild animals.)

Class: Desert Scorpion

Affinity: Fire (he grew up in the desert)

Faction: Mechanics

Bio: Criss was once an ordanary human being without psy powers. Now, due to an experiment set up by the Nationalist League, his mind was transfered into the mind of a scorpion. He can still think like any human being but he can't talk due to the scorpion's thick throat. Also, his Scorpion instincs play into his life occasionialy. Such as when he is trying to keep someone away, he instinctivly rears his tail up and hisses. Also, when he sees a rat, he just can't help eating it. Anyway, after the horrible experiment, the Nationalist League threw Criss out into the desert so he'd never bother them again. After a couple of days in the desert, he found himself being captured by the mechanics as part of their new military idea 'Animal Troop.' Anyway, Criss now finds himself in a cave being burned with a red hot poker by a mechanic dressed up as a Nationalist League member. He is bound to the ground by tethers so he can't harm the Mechanics member.

Skills: Well, he can survive for quite a long time without water. He can sting people. And, well, you get it.

[Bromtaghon]

OOC: Caitlin, Reese, and Kayle came from Traten, the same place as Zack Acron. I don't think I get the cello reference, though.

I meant where their NAMES came from.  And I'm not sure where they were born yet.
The cello reference is from Pachelbel's Rant.

[Xemadus Echina]

Rainen looked off into the distance and saw a gigantic serpent emerge from the lake. That must be the disturbance Mystic told me about... He concentrated his energy and teleported to a nearby island.  Crap not enough range to go the whole way...  Rainen sat down and watched the battle.  He noticed the assassin and the three teenagers hey they look as old as me... sort of  and after awhile he noticed the assassin attack the three teenagers i should probably help them  Rainen concentrated and threw up a life shield around the one that appeared to be dead so that he would revive in a day damn this dimension. i barely have any power left Rainwn sat down in a meditative position and tried to tap into the energies that give him power this world is almost barren... I guess I better just stay hidden then.  I'll never be able to hold up the god routine long enough to get what I need... at least it seems like people can manipulate energy and matter though. that'll help me to hide

[Bromtaghon]

Mechanics don't carry around teddy bears!
And yet that's exactly what Osrie was doing.
Why are all hermits insane?
The Psy Hermit had told Osrie his teddy bear would lead him to the Violet Orb.
And is it doing that? No.
You can stop complaining now, said a voice in Osrie's head.
Oh look, thought Osrie, knowing the bear would hear him, the stuffie talks.  He wasn't really surprised at the concept of a talking teddy bear- after all, Psys had the ability to do so many other things.
I think.  Therefore, I am.  If you stop complaining you would know that the pathway up ahead on the right leads to a small mound where the orb was buried.
Why was it buried? asked Osrie.
I'm a teddy bear, not WikiAnswers.
...What?
Never mind.  Osrie reached the path and turned left, soon arriving at a small bump in the ground.

~~~~~~~

Reese woke up in a cave.
My head hurts... and my stomach. He looked down and saw the icicle had melted, but he was still bleeding, although not as badly as he likely had been before.  How am I still alive? he wondered.  Even Kayle couldn't have healed something like that...  He looked around.  Where are they, anyways? And where's that assassin? Did Mortiferous kill him?  He crawled to the edge of the cave and looked out.  No Mortiferous, no nothing.  In fact, the beaches of the Sea of Dragith were completely empty.

OOC: Dusk, is Caitlin in the capital?

[Steelfist]

His team had made good progress toward the tavern, until the rebels had rallied and taken positions in the buildings around the tavern. Apparently, since no-one could find the leader, the the second-in-command had taken charge and was now in control. His team was in cover a little more than 50 metres away, unable to push forward. Something had to be done. Seth made sure that the rebel leader was deeply 'asleep', and headed for the building that contained the most troops, mostly psys and bowmen, as the melee fighters were little use at that range. Most of the melee fighters were dead, anyway, as they were the ones sent out to try and kill his team when they started to push forward. Inside, he headed for the second, and top, floor, as it contained more men than the downstairs did. Summoning vast reserves of his power, he created a massively powerful dark vortex, with himself at the epicentre, but protected from it. This more or less wiped out the top floor, and he finished of stragglers with mind-blasts to save energy. He went downstairs, and started firing off shadow-blasts. The spectacle on the upper floor, combined with the commotion he was causing now was enough to distract most of the soldiers, and it gave his team time to sprint to the battle.  He joined another fight, revelling in the bloodshed.

They picked up the leader on their way out, and simply made their own gate out of the village.

[Xemadus Echina]

OOC: So if we're gonna have the orbs then we should list special equipment we have each time we post or at least once a page.  currently the only special equipment that i have is a sword that can channel fire and amplify the fires strength.  aka flameguard.  



Rainen stood up and thought back to the encounter he had just witnessed So that serpent was a summon that dissipated when it ran out of energy...  Something tells me I need to continue my search...  He walked to the shore of the small island he was on and teleported to another nearby island i guess the slingshot will have to do... wait whats that?  Rainen felt a presence unlike any he had ever felt before.  That power... What is it coming from?  Rainen Gathered all of his power and began teleporting through islands towards the presence that he felt.  This is unreal... I wonder if this is the disturbance that Mystic was talking about?  Rainen made another jump and then saw a glimmer of yellow coming from under a small shrub in the sand.  He walked over to it and picked up a small yellow orb.  He immediately felt in tune with the energies swirling around the planet.  It was as if everything was laid out on a table and presented to him.  He immediately took out his sword and used his power to modify it so that he could implant the yellow orb directly into the hilt.  If I'm gonna be trapped here i might as well boost my own power... Maybe I'll regain enough so that I can actually get out on my own for once...  Rainen thought to himself for a moment and then sat down and concentrated I wonder how those three kids are doing  Rainen held onto his sword and felt the same sensation as before as he reached out with his mind to track down the three kids who summoned the serpent Oh good he survived... Hmmm he seems to be bent on destruction... I better intervene soon...  Oh dear that one needs help now...  OK time to act. Rainen stood up and used the power of the yellow orb to help him teleport to where the girl was.  He began to loose concentration on the other two kids and soon he realized that he was beginning to loose concentration on the third.  So this Orb isn't unlimited in power... It just helps me to gather power faster... So this can't be the item Mystic talked about.  Rainen stopped teleporting and sat down in a meditative state again.  He held the sword in his hands and drew power into himself.  He began noticing the three kids again in his mind so he resumed his search.  I'm getting closer... What's this?  Somebody is probing her mind... Rainen followed the connection of the girls mind into the mind of another well shielded human.  He backed out and then threw up a life shield and a mental block on the girl.  Whoever that man was he was there to find information about something and he couldn't risk the information of the serpent becoming more well known then it might be already.  Rainen Started to loose focus again so he stopped to take another break.  He felt the emminations of the girl getting stronger so he knew he was close.  After a few minutes he got back up and teleported a few more times until he reached the outskirts of a city. It's time to save her now.  Rainen looked around where he was and began to make a pile of rocks that were of the same weight as the girl.  He sat next to the pile of rocks and then he began to murmur a few words then the pile of rocks suddenly dissipated before being replaced with the girl.
Rainen: Hello my name is Rainen and both of your friends are alive and well although the one that was not injured is bent on getting revenge for your capture and what he thinks is the death of your friend.
Girl:  Wha- who- why- (the girl begins to panic so Rainen feels through her mind and calms her down telepathically while placing feelings of trust in their place)  Thanks i needed that.  Ok so your saying Reese is alive and Kayle is pissed that Reese "died" and I'm "captured"?
Rainen: exactly.  What is your name by the way.  I choose to not probe the memories of others unless I have to.
Girl: My name is Caitlin with a C.
Rainen: Well lets go and find your friend Reese then Caitlin.  He is showing sings of panic, disbelieve and wonder.
Caitlin: Ok sounds good to me. Oh and how old are you?
Rainen: 17
(Brom are all three of them your main characters or is it just Kayle?)

[Bromtaghon]

OOC: Osrie and Kayle are my two main characters, Reese is half-dead and will probably be out of action for a while, and I suppose you could control Caitlin for a while.  Also, the Psy Hermit and his Teddy Bear are NPCs, anyone can control them.  I updated a list of character profiles on the first page.

IC:
"I don't have a shovel."
Your problem, not mine.  I'm a teddy bear, not a shovel dispenser.
Osrie rolled his eyes, grabbed a piece of bark, and started digging around the mound, while the Teddy Bear sat by on a log and did nothing.
"I could use some help here, you know."
The teddy bear sighed.  Fine... Suddenly, purple, no, violet light seeped out from a crack in the ground.  Now you can find it.  Happy?
Osrie blinked.  "What did you do?"
I located the orb with my mind and funneled power into it until it glowed brighter.  Get to digging before it wears off.
Osrie quickly started digging towards the light and eventually reached it.  The orb dimmed and the teddy bear sat back. 
Alright, you've got your orb.  Now let's get back to the Hermit.

OOC:
Osrie is now in possession of the Violet Orb.

[Steelfist]

Interesting. Seth may hear of these orbs, and make it his mission to track them down. He's power hungry, and it will likely mean more interaction. Cool.

[Bromtaghon]

Osrie looked down at the piece of parchment.  Apparently his client, Kayle, was waiting south of the capital.  Great.  He had a lot of walking in front of him.

Eventually, Osrie reached the capital.  He used some trees as cover and snuck around to the southern gate.  A man holding a bow crouched behind a rock.  Osrie approached him and the man looked up.
"Greetings," he said.
"Hello," said Osrie.  He could feel the man Scanning his mind, then the man stood up.
"Do you have the orb?"
Osrie nodded, pulled it out of his bag, and handed it to Kayle.  Kayle tossed him a bag of gold, then fled towards the western edge of the city.
Osrie caught the bag of gold and headed for his hideout in Sibelius' Grove.
From behind a tree, a Nationalist smiled.