rikunobodyxiii

{Castle Guard: The Keep} "Wait!" Lacuna called after Harry, but he was already gone from his portal. She hadn't been expecting him to go for help. That could draw a bit of unwanted attention. But if it was good help, then the attention could Ben a nonissue and she'd still get what she wanted. Ah hades, it was a gamble, but she was a gambler. {The World That Never Was: Memory Skyscraper} The Survivor jerked awake. She was still behind the potted tree in the Skyscraper's lobby. She wasn't sure how long she had been out, but she did feel rejuvenated. After a stretch, she dug in her pouch for another bit of dried meat. She managed to get one bite in when she caught movement in the corner of her eye. She whirled around to see three white garbed creatures, too thin to be anything human. While she didn't know what they were, she could recognize a danger. Dropping her food, the Survivor bolted for the hole she made. The Dusks behind her lunged for her, but she was already diving out the window. The rain was heavier now. The Survivor slipped on her landing and ended up sprawled out on she stairs to the Skyscraper. She looked up, expecting the creatures to be upon her, but saw them standing in the hole she made, apparently just staring at her. For several moments, she didn't move. Then she carefully got her feet under her as she kept her eyes on the Lessor Nobodies. When she was ready, she launched into a run in the opposite direction, but skidded to a stop when she saw a man standing in the middle of the square. He was tall and lanky , dressed in a dark colored three piece suit that looked like it had seen better days. Tangled black hair was matted to his head and face by the rain. His eye were hooded, but she could see two pinpricks of light coming from where his eyes should be. "Thought I could just dump you here, and everything would be hunky dory." The pale man said over the patter of the rain. "But the little witch just won't stay down." The Survivor started edging away from the man. Something in his voice gave her images of wild animals with froth come from their lips. "So it looks like I gotta give ya a boost to get what's mine." The man continued. He raised a hand theatrically and snapped his fingers. In a swirl of darkness, three trios of pot like monsters appeared around the Survivor, one trio cutting off her exits to the sides' one directly behind the man. Each trio was made up of three different colored pots, one red, one blue, one yellow. "These little precious bundles are called Unversed in these parts." The man said conversationally, admiring one of the monsters near him. "Stupid name, really. But they'll do for your little crash course." The pale man turned back to the Survivor and grinned. "Now, let's see if you are fit to survive." He said with a chuckle, then vanished into thin air. The Survivor barely moved in time as one of the red pots shot a bolt of fire at her. Pulling out her knife, she wondered how she would get out of this one.

{Artanis Daelaam} Artanis took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. It was bad enough with the gang violence in town, did some of his fellow officers have to be so bone headed as to exasperated the situation by abusing their power. Searches. Seizures of personal property. And Artanis had even heard some of this was for personal profit. It made him sick. But he couldn't prove anything. Yet. Still, there were more immediate things that could be done on the gangs side of the problem. They were trying to build their ranks from high schoolers in the area. While Artanis had worked heavily with the police outreach program to the schools, he felt his presence now might do more. Putting his glasses back on, he pulled his side arm from his desk drawer and stuck it in his hip holster. Taking a deep breath, Artanis went for his police cruisers to head to Southway High.

Upon arriving at the Archives, Sister Olivia went straight for an unmarked door that led to a computer lab. It had a glass sealed section that was sterilized for handling old, fragile documents as well as equipment for scanning the documents. This lab's purpose was to make as exact digital copies of old documents as possible. For Olivia, having that many old documents at her finger tips with out endangering them on a journey was a blessing on par with some of the gods' better choices. As she entered the lab, a young man dressed in the same kind of robes stood up from a terminal. He brought both closed fits together in front of himself and bowed. "Blessings, Sister Olivia." He said in the traditional greeting of the Revist Order. "Blessings, Brother Kai." Sister Olivia returned, preforming the same bow in return. "Finished the drive yet?" "Indeed!" Brother Kai said, turning away from her to use the computer's mouse. After a few clicks, a louder one heralded the ejection of a data stick from the computer terminal. Brother Kai pulled it all the way out, then brought it to Olivia. "It has all the old writings that have been scanned so far." He reported. "Even Father Topius' notes?" Sister Olivia asked, taking the data stick. "Scanned them in personally." "Smiling gods." She exclaimed as she pulled out a tablet from her satchel. It was a military made, which it wasn't the fastest or the most beautiful interface, but it was designed to work even under harsh conditions. She slotted in the data stick and pulled it up. She selected a file at random and opened it, reveling an image of a yellowing page, covered in ancient script. "This is exactly what I needed." Sister Olivia said, putting her tablet in standby mode and replacing it in her satchel. "Are the second floor conference rooms open?" "As far as I know." Brother Kai answered. "Excellent. Thank you, brother." Sister Olivia said, bowing again. "Straight paths." "Straight paths." The other Revist echoed, also bowing. Sister Olivia headed out of the lab and towards the door of the Archive when she caught sight of a panic outside. Moving to a window, she saw the hole in the sky and what it brought. "Diablo's breath!" She swore. She pulled out her SMG, loaded and primed it before heading for the door to the Archive.

{Castle Guard: The Keep} "Perfect." Lacuna said, grinning broadly. "Good to hear. To get to your girlfriend, you'll need to find something that Null guy was using. Called it 'The Heart of Blue.'" She used air quotes around the name. "Some sort of shriveled artifact that gave him great power. We managed to get it away from the sleaze, but not before getting lost in Limbo. Magey McMageface of the Nexus teleported the Heart out. It has to be out in these worlds somewhere. Find it, and it may hold the power to get us out of Limbo. Just be careful." The Void Witch looked around conspiratorially. "That Null guy talked about having followers. They might already be looking for the Heart."

{Nexus & Lacuna: Twilight Town} Waiting on Zion's answer, Zather turned when he caught the scent of someone new in the area. It seemed to be going away, either scared away by the crowd or off on a different errand. Either way, the Dark Twin was growing impatient. Then there was another new scent. "Oh, believe me, fate is more based on chance and chaos than anything so quaint as a clear plan." Lacuna replied to Astra dismissively, followed by a devilish smile. "More fun that way, anyway." "It would be best if we skipped beating about the bush." Zather said, sounding like his patience was being tried. "We're here investigating the disappearance of three Keyblade wielders. We received word that others with the same purpose were seen here. Is that everyone here, or just a few?"

{Castle Guard: The Keep} "Complicated." Lacuna answered with a shrug. "First of all" She walked over to Harry and passed a hand right through his chest like a ghost. "I'm not actually here. I'm just projecting an image of myself from a kind of Limbo." The Void Witch started walking around the hall, casually running her ethereal hand through various surfaces. "I think 'she's' in Limbo too, but I'm not sure. Got trapped here after taking on a greasy maniac calling himself Mr Null." She stopped walking around to turn and face Harry. "If we're gonna get out of here, we need your help."

{Nexus & Lacuna: Twilight Town} ~*Inside The Nexus*~ In a dark, empty space stood a co-joined Station of Heart. Looking like a figure eight, where they weren't joined, they depicted their respective owner, along with colors and imagery that embodied them. Where the Stations mixed, there was an abstract pattern of black, white, and grey. Stare at it too long, and you would sware there was a monsterous face staring back. Standing in the center of his side of the combined station, Zather swore under his breath. "She does remember." He said sourly. "Well, this could get awkward." Annistha commented. ~*Outside*~ Zather straightened up a little and looked Zion in the eyes. "It has." He answered simply. "I assume you know why we're here?" Lacuna grinned as others came and "trapped" the new kid with their attention and good will. She had often wondered what it would be like to just be trusted like that. Boring was her usual conclusion. "Careful, that came close to hurting my feelings." The Void Witch joked to Sarah. For a moment she eyed 7B, a look of distaste flashing through her features, but gone quick enough.

"Fair plan." Sister Olivia agreed. "I'll meet you both at the archive." Going her own way, the Revist Specialist bee lined for her lodgings where she already had her limited belongings packed. She hefted the Seeker issued SMG she had, looking at it thoughtfully. During her time at the monastery, she had never touched such a weapon, the masters there preferring the kind of defense that couldn't be taken away. Yet, after a short training period, Sister Olivia had gained reasonable proficiency with it. Still, it felt a little alien in her hands, even the synthetic one. "If the gods smile on us, I won't have to use it." She thought, fully aware that the gods hadn't been doing much smiling of late. Strapping the SMG to her back and packing some extra mags in her satchel and backpack, she left her lodges for the Archive.

{The World That Never Was: Memory's Skyscraper} Following the source of light, the Survivor hobbled to the entryway of the Memory's Skyscraper. She attempted to open the doors, but found them locked. She banged on the glass a few times, cracking the glass in her last strike. She looked at the crack for a long moment, then started patting her pouches for something she could use to break the glass safely. Her fingers closed on the hilt of a dagger by her side. She drew it and studied for a few seconds, then used the pommel to break the glass. Carefully twisting some of the fram out of the way, she squeezed in. Inside the skyscraper was a brightly lit lobby area, though it was dusty from neglect and felt as empty as the world outside. But it was out of the rain and felt warmer. After a quick look around the lobby, the Survivor slumped behind a dead tree in a large, decorative urn. Slowly she slipped down til she was sitting on the floor. So tired. Also hungry. Again, she began patting her pouches, this time looking for food. She came up with a package of dried meat and a bag of nuts. She selected a piece of the dried meat and tried to bite into it. After several tries to tear of a piece with her teeth, she finally found the "grain" of the meat, allowing it to tear more easily. She chewed thoughtfully as she watched the way she had come in. Just as she had known she needed shelter, she knew she had to be careful or end up dead. {Castle Guard; The Keep} The empty Keep echoed with the whistle of the wind as Harry searched it. While some of the chambers and hallways merely looked unkept, the main hall of the Keep which the Nexus had turned into a lab/monitoring station was another matter. Most of the equipment was damaged beyond repair and the walls and columns were scorched and scared from blade and spell. A few scars looked too clean, like what was missing simple hadn't existed. On of the columns looked like that, with a whole section of it just gone. There was still lingering traces of immense power expended here. But there was no sign of casualties or of a victor. Who ever had fought in the battle that had happened were simple gone. No way to tell if they had teleported away, or had simply ceased to exist like some of the damage to the room seemed like. If there was a clue to where Nexus and Lacuna went, it was buried deep. "Man, worse than I remembered." Came Lacuna's voice from behind Harry. She stood in the main door for the hall, wearing a somber full length robe instead of her gothic short dress she usually wore. "Not that the decor was that pleasing to begin with." She continued dryly, looking around at the wrecked hall.

{Nexus & Lacuna: Twilight Town} Lacuna caught Luna's reaction to her. "Great." She thought. "I probably killed her parents or pet gerbil or something." She opened her mouth to straight up ask Luna if she had killed any close family when Annistha elbowed her in the arm. Apparently, the twins caught on to the look and what Lacuna was thinking. That was freaky, when the Void Witch thought about it. Annistha was almost glad that Zion "dropped" in when she did to cover up that exchange. She was a little nervous that it was Zion, though. She was technically the Twin's aunt, though they had never actually met. Annistha wondered if her parents had even mentioned her and Zather to the heroes of Light. "Not the time for that kind of wondering." She decided mentally. "Anyway, this is Lacuna." Annistha began the introductions, indicating her companion. "I'm Annistha. And this..." [Nexus Shift] With out the ceremony of a glimmer of light or twisting of features, Annistha was suddenly replaced by a boy of darker skin and dark red hair. "Is Zather." The Dark Twin completed. "Though you might be better off just calling us Nexus. Easier on the memory. We're here about a series of disappearances." It was then that Zather realized Lacuna had vanished from his side. "Great." Zather and Annistha thought together. As Ammit walked away, Lacuna appeared around a tree in front of him, eating a candy bar. "Didn't mean to scare you off, kiddo." She said casually before taking a bite of her candy bar. "Got a name, or should I call you Bill?"

Sister Olivia gave Leto a "no problem" look and hand wave. At least now she knew where she had seen him from. She stood in a lose attention stance as the President spoke. For an instant, she made a face when the president said Leto and Neku were going to protect her, but it was quickly replaced with her normal look of keen attention. While she felt capible of taking care of herself, she understood that for a mission like this, it was better to play it safe. "There are a couple of old drawings in the Order's records about the layout of the ruins." Sister Olivia volunteered as she followed after Neku. "Depending on the decay that has happened in the centuries since they were made, we may be able to beeline for central locations to conduct our investigation."

{The World That Never Was} Soft rain sprinkled the Dark City that had once housed Organization XIII's home base. Neon lights and a few flashes of lightning illuminated a body lying on the steps to Memory's Skyscraper. She lay deathly still as the rain continued to fall. Above the sound of rain hitting the ground, a susurration could barely be heard, a dark murmuring building up. It suddenly ended, replaced by a gasp as the woman drew in a breath. Her eyes snapped open, wide with panic. She clutched at her chest as she struggled to continue breathing. She rolled over onto her side and half curled into a fetal position. Slowly, her breathing became less labored and the pain eased in her chest. Questions flooded her mind, from what was happening to her to who she even was. But there were no accompanying answers. Slowly, this lone survivor pushed herself into a sitting position to look at the world around her. It looked harsh and empty to her dark eyes. One more thing she didn't know. What she did know was that she needed shelter. She felt so tired. Struggling to her feet, the Survivor took a few wobbly steps, then stopped as she considered where she could possibly go in this alien world.

Gotcha. I was planning to refer to the character as "The Survivor" until she was given a name or her old name is uncovered.

ah, thank you.

Name: Unknown "The Survivor" Age: appears to be mid twenties History/Background: An amnesiatic young woman about to awaken to an alien world and a dogged foe. Personality: TBD Appearance: Home-World: The World That Never Was Weapon: Bow Sub-Weapon: Dagger Equipment: Arrows, survival gear. Japanese Voice Actor: Mie Sonozaki English Voice Actor: Christine Larkin Theme Song: Elysium by Zero "Three Years Have Passed..."

If we're going with a time skip, I'll wait until my first post till after that.

Nexus & Lacuna: After a showdown with Xemnas, the Nexus (a combined being of three Keyblade Wielders) and their chaotic companion Lacuna began planning for the next threat to the Balance. They set up shop at the Keep at Castle Guard, the Nexus's homeworld. Though vigilant, part of their attention was else where with Annistha's (the Light third of the Nexus) romantic attachment with Harry. Two years ago, Annistha missed a date with Harry. Investigations found their Keep in shambles with signs of a fight starting there. What happened to Nexus and Lacuna is still a mystery....

Sister Olivia turned and smiled at Neku before trying to introduce herself, but Leto beat her to it. She gave Leto a quizzical look. She wondered if he had been to one of her lectures...er, briefings, on mythology she had been giving over the last few days. Oh well, new faces, new chances to learn. "Named after a saint." Sister Olivia told Neku. "Common practice in the Order." Straightening her robe, she nodded to Neku. "Let's." She said cheerfully as she followed him into the presidential office. She paused slightly as she passed a window. Was it getting darker outside?

Thanks. I changed it to Mariel cause I liked the sound better. I'll keep the limitations of healing in mind. I did misinterpret what the feyslayers were, but it'll still work with what I have in mind. This does mean she will not harbor the special resentment towards Henry as I had originally conceived. Anyway, cool. I'll acquaint myself with the current scene and introduce myself.

Hmm, Artanis will probably be investigating Akira's vigilante activities. He won't be too much of a fan. Dante is always a fun element to throw in, though having another Protoss around could be fun too.

Name: AHE-09 "Niner" Age: 60 Gender: Male Appearance: Personality: Cranky, sarcastic, genius, stubborn, curious, loyal, and thoughtful. Homeworld: Tesleth City (what would become the World That Never Was) Class: Scientific Consultant Role: Combat Tech Weapons(s): Notable Commands and Abilities: >Scan; can scan targets to identify weaknesses, strengths, and health levels. >Elemental Sampling; Elemental Cannon can draw in samples of new elements to add that element to it's settings. (Starts off with Lightning, Fire, and Ice) >Elemental Switch; Elemental Cannon switches which element it is firing. >Coordinated Flurry; maps out enemy weak spots and pummels them at blurring speed. >Hack; can take control of any technology. >Sarcastic Comment; verbal attack meant to lower the enemy's self esteem. >Heavy Metal Smash; High jump combined with devastating ground pound. >Trickshot; can "bounce" bullets off hard surfaces. >Explosive ammo; for his revolver >Targeting Software; Can increase accuracy to nearly 100%. Limited time (blasted update error) Bio/Service Record: The Automated Heart Experiment was conceived as a way to create hearts in synthetic beings. After several false starts and a wrecked lab, the 9th experiment yielded a robotic being capable of emotion and human connection. The scientists and dreamed of a being of childlike wonder or sage like wisdom. What they got was an ornery droid who would make sarcastic comments when he fixed their math. Taking the name "Niner", the Synthetic Being nonetheless became a valued member of the scientific community. Due to his love of adventure stories, he often traveled amount the worlds to study unusual phenomena and pummel any monsters that came out of them. That didn't really change as Worlds began to fall to Darkness, though Niner did join forces with the Light Army. While coming up with a few technological countermeasures to the rising darkness (light bombs, shields, etc) none proved sufficient to holding back the Darkness entirely. Though the chances of the Light's demise is, as he put it, "really high", he continues to search for solutions to the current problems and fight for those who are not made of metal. Quote: "Hmm, let's see. Ominous metallic sounds? Check. Some sort of unnecessary spike design on the casing? Check. Confusing readings about its inner workings? Check. Last person who used it has gone insane? Check. Based on the evidence, I conclude that this device is evil. Blow it up."

oh, speaking of which, I had a couple of questions concerning Raiden I'll probably be PMing you about in a bit.

{Nexus & Lacuna: Twilight Town} The silence and solitude of tunnels below Twilight town were broken by a pulse of darkness. The Darkness began to grow and swirl til it formed a vortex. Out of it stepped a hooded figure. His eyes scanned the area for waiting enemies. He stalked forward, but froze in place as a sound of a crinkling bag came from behind him. *Crunch! Munch munch munch. Crinkle. Crunch! Munch munch munch.* The hooded figure half turned to glower at the pale woman who had come through the portal behind him. The woman ate another chip before noticing. "What?" Lacuna asked with her mouth full. "Really?" Zather hissed. "Now?" "Why not?" The Void Witch answered before swallowing. "I was hungry." Zather rolled his eyes and turned away from his companion, who was finally taking the hint. "Oh, this was suppose to be a dramatic entrance!" Lacuna declared, snapping her fingers. "Where we come in all serective and alert. Cool! I'm down with that." She tossed her half full bag of chips away, sending the contents flying everywhere. "Let's do it again!" [Nexus Shift] "Too late." A feminine voice came from the hooded figure. Annistha pushed back her hood and gave Lacuna a bemused look. "Moment ruined. Come on, let's see if we can find the outsiders we heard about." The strange duo made a sweep of the train station and market place before Annistha said Zather smelled something odd near the Old Mansion. She and Lacuna headed that way until they nearly walked straight into Ximon and Luna. "Well well well." Annistha said in in lieu of an actual greeting. "Not from around here, eh?" She gave Ximon and Luna a disarming smile. "Sight seeing?" "Better than peeping." Lacuna added, her multi colored eyes locked on Ammit. "Join the party kid! We only bite if provoked or bored."

I've been impressed with what I've seen so far. Hopefully, I can add something to it. Thank you! I've been back for a little bit, but not making many waves.

I PMed Mystic earlier this week to see if there was still room and he said he had closed the sign ups, but was willing to let in an extra character. He's been helping me out with some of the lore and recaps.