MDSVeritas

Accepted! Good to have ya! I'm sad to say but yeah. Unfortunatley for balancing issues I have to draw the line somewhere, and I've already exeeded my initial estimation for Kamyn numbers several times. There's only so many super-powered villain I can have flying around opposing the climbers until they A) Are made weaker to enact a bit of fairness which would eliminate their initial concept and kinda change the whole premise for them or B) They just utterly beat the climbers at every turn as there are just too many superpowered villains. After I sent the group messages out to both spies and Kamyn last night that was pretty much the very last point I was willing to look into it, and even then the Kamyn were pretty maxed. You're free to make a climber though! ---------------------------------- Just so you all know, I'm writing up the opening RP post right now. I want to reiterate the two-post rule. Make sure to read back through it if you're unfamiliar. For tonight I actually won't advance the plot beyond the introduction just so that everyone has a chance to enter the RP and have their character started out.

Don't do it! The RP will be all the more awesome with ya in it! Plus, I think you guys will find out soon, but power level isn't going to be everything in this RP. Can do! Once I set up the initial groups feel free to have your character fell into one of their ranks! Sounds awesome, and nice FFXII reference there, accepted! Accepted! Also, I have a very cool announcement for Hazimie and Schemer. While I was hesitant about adding more Kamyn for balance purposes, looking over the current character lists, and rethinking a little bit of how I'm going to run the Kamyn, I can now say that both of your Kamyn characters are officially accepted for the RP, congrats! I'll be sending out the messages for spies and Kamyn now. I'll be sure anyone who requested a position and may not be clear on what they got is clearly informed, but just so it's clear now, considering I'm sending out the group messages now, there aren't gonna be any more possibilities for Kamyn or spies now if you haven't already contacted me.

Yeah. I probably would have asked Hazimie if he was set on having his one character then and tried to see what may have come of that. I'd like to get the best balance of the things in the RP people want the most and what's fair as well. I wouldn't just ignore if you really wanted that character. I want the RP to balanced and therefore hopefully more fair and fun, but only so far as people can be happy with what their role is.

Yup, looks fine, consider it approved!

Hey folks, dropping by to say that I'm thinking the RP is going to actually begin tomorrow. I want to take tonight to check on any last-minute joins, and then adjust the Spy/Kamyn count based on that. After that I'll send out group messages for the Kamyn and Spies, and then take requests for characters to group together if any of you have particular characters you'd want yours paired with. No guarantees but I'll do my best. I'm really happy to see everyone get into the spirit of things with a lot of this shipping, I can only imagine where this is going to lead given the inclusion of spies (I'm already imagining some excellent reveals. Also, I normally stray away from any involvement in interpersonal stuff between anyone here, but as a quick note just generally; try to be nice, or at least respectable to everyone here. Everyone has their own complex lives, emotions, and personal quirks and distinctions, and though I completely understand that there can very certainly be reasons behind personal disinterest or distaste for others I hope we can all at least be fair and respect that even with personal issues everyone is here to enjoy a roleplay and have a really cool time together, to have a couple of cool fights, ship a few people, and maybe be utterly shocked by some twists. You all are smart and awesome people so I doubt there'll be any issues, but I figured I may as well put a quick comment to that end. So with all that outta the way, get ready for the grand buildup as we're in the eve of the beginning of what I hope to be great things! If you have any questions or comments as to the status of your characters, please feel free to post here or message me. I should have the setup done tonight and the fun begins tomorrow! [On a last comment, Schemer and Hazimie, I'm thinking I can push it a bit and add in another Kamyn to get another request in, but because Hazimie's only character put in is a Kamyn, would you mind if he gets first priority for Kamyn, Schemer?]

You're accepted!

I leave for a couple hours... lol, it's nice to have you all back together along with some fresh faces, I can already tell this will be fun. Just a heads up, the RP itself should start tomorrow night or later morning on Thursday, so be generally ready. I have the two-post rule, though, which should keep anything from being too overbearing to keep up with. The Sign ups will remain open for the entirety of the RP too.

Accepted, good to see ya, Daniel! Accepted, sounds like an awesome character! Sounds really cool, I really loved Transistor too so it's good to see some inspiration from it, looking forward to havin' ya Natron! Really liking the backstory and magic type, you're good to go! Accepted! Looking forward to working with ya! Sounds good Ultimus, you're in! You nabbed the last of the current Kamyn slots too. Both are accepted! Good to have ya Neko! Her power sounds awesome, can't wait to see her in the RP! Morgan's all good, though for the moment Dante will have to go on the waiting list for Kamyn. If we get enough people I can add him in! Nice entries for both though! Same deal as with Schemer, your character is accepted but on the waiting list for the Kamyn until the primary sign ups are done and I have a good idea of the Kamyn/climber balance. I'm somewhat hopeful but we'll still have to see. Your updated form is accepted too, just make sure you don't over-use your skills given how much power and variety you have there. I don't plan on closing the sign ups so you'll be fine whenever you're able to sign up, I looks forward to having you!

Hey folks! I'm a little busy today but I'll be back this afternoon to fully look through all your forms and give feedback/approve them. I've glanced through everyone's and they are looking good! Luckily we're getting a good amount of people so I may be able to up the Kamyn count, though I'm not sure if absolutely everyone who applied to be on is going to get it. also, now I think there's enough people who have applied that I can make this announcement public without giving too much info out; the spy level has been currently capped. If you sent me a message about being a spy, don't worry, though. There's more niches and specific character positions you can fill besides the one's I've announced, and I'll be responding to everyone's mail later today. Keep the character applications coming and I'll see you all soon!

Still accepted, sounds good!

Accepted! Good to have ya! Hey there, you're in!

Accepted! I'm a huge fan of FMA, and you seem to be working it in really well for the world design I have in mind, so you're definitely accepted! You're accepted! Everything looks good, you're good to go! Accepted, and thanks, good to have ya back around!

Accepted. Just so everyone knows, there's still one more spot open for a Kamyn now.

New RP is now up if anyone's interested: http://kh13.com/forum/topic/75447-evraius-an-original-rp-signups-and-discussion/

Hey folks, my new RP is up for anyone interested. It'll be a return to the relative freedom I gave everyone during the Experiment, looking forward to seeing what comes of it: http://kh13.com/forum/topic/75447-evraius-an-original-rp-signups-and-discussion/

Humanity is the greatest group of fools the world has ever known. You crawl in the mud and dub yourselves kings and queens of the dirt. You play at power as if you have any idea what the word means. You think your magic makes you strong? You think your kingdoms make you safe? We could sweep away your cities. We have. And yet you dare to send your emissaries to stop us, as if they have any chance of doing so. Know this, though: Evraius is our domain. This is our realm, and the moment they enter it they are ours. They cannot stop us. You cannot stop us. You shall watch them climb our mountain but as you wait in vain for them return it shall slowly become clear to you who the gods of this world truly are. Introduction Hey there folks, MDSVeritas here. I've been known for some of my previous original RPs The Experiment and Echoes and Ash. I like original ideas and RPs that push strong character involvement and development with a solid setting and plot to boot. As such I've developed a new RP concept in the way of Evraius. There's a plot intro below you can read, but for a quick explanation, Evraius is an original fantasy RP focusing on magic and godhood.For those familiar with my RPs it is my hope to return to more of the open-ended possibilities of The Experiment while still maintaining a sense of direction so that we can tell an awesome story together. You can read the plot intro and rules below and apply as soon as possible! Plot The world has always had magic since as early as any person can remember or any book will tell. Many cannot make great use of it, but some people are able to funnel their magic potential into elemental abilities, brute force, at-will-creation and much more. With these abilities as a baseline human civilization has flourished all over the world. The greatest example of this is in the largest kingdom in the world: Teragren, which has lived in relative peace for decades. Teragren takes up most of the primary continent that makes up the world, with the other two major forces being the smaller-but-tough Republic of Fenduril and the notorious and closed off Military State of Vedik. Through magic human civilization has flourished. Magic is not the only thing that has existed for as long as one can remember, however. Within the borders of Teragren, in a closed off no-entry zone is the singular mountain known as Evraius. Evraius is, from appearance, an absolutely normal mountain, with forests, rocky outcroppings, and sheer cliffs. The significance of Evraius is those who live there: the Kamyn. Meteor storms, floods, sudden destruction on the scale of an entire city; the Kamyn are capable of all of these, and they have done each at least once. Some call the Kamyn gods, but their power has only ever brought destruction. Villages, cities, and sometimes small countries can be wiped out easily by the Kamyn. Their actions come only every few years, but like clockwork they return. Some hail them, but every major country has stuck to neither acting against them nor commending them. What the Kamyn want, how they came about, and even just who they are is mostly unknown. The Kamyn have only communicated to the human countries through their supposed leader: Adriev, who has appeared as a fully robed humanoid figure who proclaims the actions of the Kamyn just before they occur. It is speculated there are only 3 or 4 Kamyn total if that. In the past year, though, one of the main cities of Teragren, was completely leveled with a meteor storm brought about by the Kamyn. Now for the first time humanity is acting out against them. Teragren's king has called out for any volunteer to step forward to try to bring an end to the Kamyn. Due to the uneasy terrain of Evraius no army can traverse it, so it must be adventurers who step forward to attempt the task. These people have assembled from various places and for various reasons, but to defeat to the Kamyn they must come to know each other, and trust each other through the trials ahead. One problem though. Among the traveling party is suspected to be one or more assassins hired by the Military State of Vedik to steal the powers of the Kamyn and kill all who get in the way, including the other adventurers. The Kamyn have their own ideas too... Summary: In a fantasy world of magic potential a group of volunteer soldiers climbs the mountain of the gods to topple the cruelest deities you've ever known. Rules --One character per person is recommended, two characters is the max. This is a story about character's interacting in a story that involves them all, so I'm trying to keep the interaction between players, not just between characters of one player. --Romance is totally fine, just nothing above a PG-13 level. --The potency of your magic power is up to your discretion but I have final say and powers needs to be balanced. --No assuming any action for another player. Leave every attack you do open to whether it hits or not. On the same vein, do not make your character super strong, fast, or powerful that they cannot be beaten. Take some hits sometimes. --You may only post three times in the RP between when I post. For example; if I make a post about what goes on, you may only post three times until I post again. This is to keep the RP at a fair pace for everyone. --Try to keep out of character discussion in this thread so the RP thread won't get too bogged down. Character Creation Sound interesting? Good, because it gets better. More than just having all players against an NPC character I control, I wanted to get more player-to-player interaction, even in the story. So along with being one of the few who is set to climb Evraius, you can also choose two other options: to be one of the Kamyn or on of the Vedik spies. Here's some simple parameters for the three possibilities. Kamyn Slots open: 0 Left (With enough signups, I will add another Kamyn slot) Role Description: You will work with me and other Kamyn players to impede the climbers through direct combat, environment challenges, or impossible choices. You will also get the top-secret info on who the Kamyn truly are and why they have their powers immediately as opposed to learning it through the RP like the others do. Spy Slots open: ??? Role Description: You will act as a climber until the time you feel it is right to make your move against the Kamyn and Climbers. If you want to be a spy, please put "Climber" as your role and message me, that way you won't be sure who to trust. I also won't reveal how many, if any, spies there are Climber Slots open: Infinite Role Description: You are one of the volunteers who will attempt to climb Evraius and topple the Kamyn who have ruled the world with fear for too long. Your reasons are your own. I've created on original fantasy world here, so feel free to get creative when designing your character's backstory, don't be afraid to think outside the box. Template Name: Magic Ability: (Get creative and I'll work to keep it balanced. Feel free to step up the power level for a Kamyn) Backstory: (Leave blank for a Kamyn) Appearance: Role: (Climber or Kamyn. Write Climber and message me to possibly be a Spy) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well there you have it. I know this is by far by longest RP OP, but I wanted to try something unique, different, and interesting, and I felt like it could use some world building to do so. I'm hoping this RP will be an awesome story that I can help to tell with a lot of input and surprises from you guys! Hope to see you all soon! -MDS

Yooooooooooo Name: MDSVeritasTitle: The Man Behind the CurtainDeuteragonist Level: Chaotic Neutral

Hey folks, how's everyone doing? I'm making the rounds through some old RP threads of mine to see how everyone's been, hopefully the past few months have been good for all of you! Nobody's accidentally helped any murderous rogue AIs lately, right? Also, not to repeat myself for those who were also in The Experiment, but I've got a new RP idea coming up soon, should be ready by next week, so...

Happy to see everyone's getting excited! I forgot how many competant villains we have here... should be fun. The idea I'm finalizing now actually has what I think to be a pretty cool setup for everyone here looking to play a villain, something that should certainly make things more interesting... That's not a bad idea, Sikota. As Yuffie has pointed out though, that might prove to be a little tough if we go fully sequentially, and I've been thinking over what workable hybrids I could do between that, the GM system Yuffie suggested, and a more open posting system that I've implemented in the past. I'm well aware that in my previous RPs sometimes posting got way to quick, and the last thing I want is for anyone to be left in the dust by some of the more frequent posters. BTW, if any of you are looking forward to when the RP might go up, I'll be back from vacation after this weekend and have more free time to make sure everything's good to go so you can expect the reveal and signups by sometime next week.

The concept I had been toying with for a while was actually more fantasy, but in recent months I started to juggle it with a more sci-fi concept so for the moment I'm not entirely sure what will end up being the specifics in setting of the RP. As for your character, is it more near-future sci-fi or like space-age far future sci fi, or something that could work with either?

It'll be a little bit before anything starts going full speed, for now I hope things can get better between you two, and for what it's worth both of you are excellent RPers and awesome people, hope you both end up happy regardless of what happens.

I'll definitely check out the RP section in a bit as see what's looking good. In any case, it's good to hear most of you are doing well. Hopefully Neko and Schemer are alright as well even with their absence, and good luck with your time off Sikota, I hope it works out well! As far as RPs in the future I'll keep any new posted here in case any of you want to join whenever they come around.

Hey everyone, how's life been going for you all? I'm sorry I haven't been around much, the end of the college semester took more of a toll on me than I'd have thought. In any case summer's here and I'm finishing up an idea for an RP that I've been throwing around for while. In the mean time, how's everyone been, and are there any good RPs to join while I finish thinking over my current RP concept?

(Another short story I wrote alongside The Climb. This one is more down-to earth, and more focused on one scene as opposed to a world and story at large. Might be a little sad too.) Pathos “After the string of new infections and the rapid growth of this unidentified epidemic that has harrowingly gripped the nation and even the world, the Centers for Disease Control has issued a statement saying that all known victims are in quarantine and they do not believe the outbreak has spread further. People can rest easy now that such diligent researchers have curtailed what many have called the modern bubonic plague. Several weeks ago-” The newscaster spoke with clarity, her turquoise eyes focused on the camera, and her gleaming dark gold hair tumbled carelessly down in a manicured attempt to look natural. Behind her was a shimmering marble-colored building, surrounded by lush vegetation brimming with vitality. As her excessively red lips moved the motion was crisp and detailed- as if one might actually be there. They always gave the good TVs the ones who weren't going to make it. The man in the bed sighed and peered around the room; immaculate glass adorned one of the walls, the rest were simply blankly white. The room was barren besides a rolling medical table, some monitors and IVs and a chair in the corner. The room had the strong odor of chemicals and sterility. When the door on the glass wall side slid open -smooth and mechanical as it always was- the man in the bed turned away from it. “Hey.” As the man's eyes widened the wrinkles on his forehead grew more pronounced and he turned toward the door to see the familiar young man in the protective suit they always wore- a glass visor over most of his face. “Sorry, I thought you were...” the older man started. “No, just me.” The younger man smiled a genuine, but strained smile. Only part of his face was visible due to the glare from the overhead lights on his visor. “I... It's good to see you.” The older man's voice was raspy and straining, and a few seconds after he finished speaking he erupted into a fit of violent coughs and sputters. “Are you okay-” the younger man rushed to the older one in the bed, but the coughing man just waved him off as it subsided. “And so, by the end of today, CDC officials have confirmed that all current victims will be given a mixture of anesthesia, and several lethal chemicals to stop the disease from progressing and to not allow any of the later symptoms previously noted to affect the current victims.” “Three-thirty.” the older man spoke dryly. As the younger man's face turned puzzled he elaborated; “That's the time they said to prepare for.” the older man glanced worriedly at the scratched and scuffed metal watch that had once been an expensive commodity. “It's close.” “Close-” the younger had the tone of a caring parent, “but not here yet.” He smirked as he admired the scratches on the older man's watch. “They let you bring that old thing in here?” The older man turned his head slightly and with effort toward the younger man, wearing the rebellious smile he so loved. “Ha, they wouldn't be able to take it if they tried.” he spoke as he peered at the flawed glass of the watch as it were a window to some other scene. “You were eighteen- no, seventeen when you gave this to me. It was your 'I'm sorry' gift, right?” “Hmp” the younger man smiled, a little amused and embarrassed by the recollection, “you remember? I was hoping you'd forget that.” The older man laughed softly and painfully- the most he had been able to muster in the past few days. “Like I'd forget the day you told me you weren't going to be a wood carver. You had that squirrelly look on your face when you told me you wanted to be an epidemolig-” “Epidemiologist.” the younger man offered gently. “Yeah, yeah- that one. You looked so scared,” his cheeks tightened as he smiled and his wrinkles gathered on the corners of his eyes, “but you weren't wrong- you said you knew what you wanted to do in the world, and you could make it. The watch was nice though.” The younger man paused for a moment.“Listen... I'm sorry you had to sell the shop...” “Don't you give me that.” even with commands the older man was gentle. “The man I sold to will do it proud, and you get to do what you love. I still remember how great it was to see you walk across that stage the day your graduated. I mean, you were late of course-” “I was finishing some research for the grant and-” “I know, I know. Doesn't mean you're not always late to things.” The older man had another soft laugh at that one, but it transitioned quickly to coughing. The younger man waited for it to subside. “Well... I know who I get that from, then.” The both smiled, and for a moment the gleam of the overhead lights shifted and the older man got a good look at the younger one's smile. “The dedication, of these researchers cannot be overemphasized, with one lead researcher reportedly stopping an outbreak by recognizing early symptoms in a family member and-” The visage of the blonde newswoman dissipated to blackness, and the younger man put down the remote. “Listen, I'm sorry that-” the younger man could barely start speaking. “Hold it. You've got nothing to be sorry for. I was already... but you stopped any more people from catching it. I...” The older man struggled to move his arm towards where the younger man was sitting. He smiled softly as the younger man grabbed his hand. “I'm proud of you. I don't say it often- I know, but I'm so proud of you. You've been a better man than I could ever have hoped.” The younger man said nothing, but his eyes reddened. The older man brought his other arm up to check his watch. “Ha...looks like the guy they sent is running late.” He smiled slightly, and then rested his eyes a bit. The younger man held tightly onto the older one's hand, looking at the peaceful wrinkled face through the glass visor, listening as the quiet breaths grew softer and softer, until the room was quiet. He glanced at the empty syringe on the floor that the older man never saw him bring in. Then he took one final look at the resting man though crimson-stained and tear-brimmed eyes. “No, dad. This time he made it early.”

(This is a short story piece I have been formulating for a while, under a prompt of a scene two characters having a conversation. I ended up developing a pretty complex world and cast for it, but in the meantime, here's the original piece I just finished.) The Climb “Gah!” The armored young man jerked his head to the side in a spasm of pain as he yelled, a cloud of crisp, frigid breath bursting forth with the words. “Would you hold still? We’re almost finished the primary nerves, stop being such a child about this.” The boy beside him wore several layers of thick pelt cloaks, but shivered as he tinkered with the metallic object fastened to the armored man’s shoulder. “You know something? Your bedside manner is truly appalling.” The man spoke with an edge of humor, but he gritted his teeth a moment later as the next major nerve connected. “Not used to this treatment back the palace, o’ lordly prince?” There was no humor in the boy’s voice; no joke hidden away behind his words. He didn’t even glance up from his work. “This isn’t a bedside anyway.” The boy spoke again after a pause; his teeth lightly chattering as he struggled to keep them still. The little fire nearby seemed forgetful of its duties, and little warmth seemed to the reach the two; the armored prince sitting with his eyes fixed on the stars, and the boy crouched to his side, with metallic pieces strewn about on the large cut of cloth that sat between them and the snow on the ground. The summit taunted both of of them some distance away; in sight, out of reach. The prince had reconciled himself with going through this ordeal every few weeks, but even still the boy’s maintenance caused him far more pain than he was used to during repairs. She, on the other hand, would wait to connect the nerves until she had whittled down to strings smaller than a single strand of her hair. It would take time as she condensed the energy, but she and the prince were never without something to talk or laugh about, and she was quick about connecting the nerves when it came time. “Agh! Sheesh, kid, c’mon! Warn me before you set them!” At least that was always consistent between the two; connecting his shoulder to his contraption still hurt like hell every time. “Move it.” The kid commanded in the quiet way he always did. “W-what was that?” The prince was still dazed by the pain. “Move your fingers! I wanna be sure it works before I put everything back together.” The prince did as he was ordered, watching as the hauntingly skeletal-looking metallic fingers shifted and bent as he willed them as if they were part of his own hand. “Good.” The kid didn’t seem happy about it, but he nonetheless started placing the armored pieces over the metallic limb fastened to the prince’s arm. “So, explain again why we’re climbing this mountain in the middle of winter without any of your lackeys.” The kid once again didn’t shift his gaze an inch from his work. The prince was beginning the think the kid just didn’t like to look him in the eye. He couldn’t blame the boy either. “Climbing Gedran Peaks is the trial to prove ones worth to Eidolen Council.” The prince stared at the ground's thick white mask as he spoke- it looked jagged and hateful- it was more ice up here than snow. “They dictate the prophecies the Westerlands hinge on. If I can prove myself and convince them that our cause for re-unification is just then we will gain a powerful ally in bringing the Westerlands back into the fold. Unfortunately it is tradition that those who entreat them make the climb alone to light the signal fire atop the summit.” He scratched at his forming beard with the hand he had left. Three days of climbing was beginning to show. “Ah of course.” The boy's voice showed no hint of the interest his words did. “Alone; unless of course you're crippled, and then the rules must dictate you get to bring the designated repair lackey.” “Daven...” The prince tried to speak as a man might to his younger brother, but the hesitance of unfamiliarity stilted his attempt and his try at sympathy came out awkward and forced. In court the prince may have looked every bit the young girl's fantasy- short cropped hair the color of sanded wood with light hazel eyes. Here, where his hair was outgrown and jaggedly iced down to his scruffy beard and his eyes reflected nothing but merciless white; here he looked like no hero of prophecy or even royalty. He was so unlike what Daven had imagined the first time she told him about the prince. “I'm gonna go save royalty!” She had proclaimed proudly with her knowingly devious smirk she wore so often. Daven had just looked up at her from his book with confusion etched across his face. Then she'd sighed that smiling sigh she did so well and explained everything she'd just read about the Great Exile Prince Ryladus Ividum. “So yeah, Mister Great Exile Prince Ryladus apparently got his whole arm cut off when fighting the for reformation of our great country from the mavolave-” She checked the scrap of paper in her hand. “-malevolent- forces of evil and now seeks any aid that can be supplied to him so his quest for the great reunification of our land may continue.” “Kae....” Daven had spoken with the cautious hesitancy that defined much of his side of their relationship. “No no no, don't you 'Kae' me.” She had interrupted before darting around his room, opening cabinets and doors. “Yep, don't see anybody else who can use essence streams to make working prostheses, do you? Mom developed it, right? And it's not like there's anyone she taught it to, besides us.” She had moved over toward him and pulled over a chair. “Daven, we can use it. Why have it if we aren't helping people with it?” Her voice was softened at that point; gentle. She had brought up their mother and that always sobered her speech.“Daven, we can change the world.” “And this prince.” Daven was looking at the words on the pages before him, but he was no longer reading. “How do you know he's going to help people? Huh? Do you know he's gonna change the world the way you want? You can't possibly know that from a stupid poster.” Kaelyn stood up and took a step away from him, facing a dusty picture on the wall of two smiling children- a boy and a girl- and their proud-looking parents. “I can't know either way unless I try, Daven.” After a pause she whirled back to face him. “And hey, worst comes to worst, I don't like him and I come right back, it'll be fine!” A sharp gust swept through their encampment and Daven paused to tighten his coat before moving back to his work. The silence was devoured by the howling winds. “Daven... we can talk about Kaelyn if you-” “Stop.” Even the wind was still for a few moments. “Just... stop. Don't... don't talk about her. I don't want to talk about her.” Ryladus fought for words as his beard slowly continued to freeze. Daven had been like this since the moment he made it to their host. Reclusive. Angry. Scared. “Daven, you can't just try to push her out of your mind like this,” Ry spoke softly as he began, trying not to anger his engineer. “I know it must hurt but-” “You...” Daven's arms dropped from finishing the work on Ryladus's arm, and he turned his face toward the prince, eyes brimmed with tears and focused hate. “You don't get to say a damn thing about how much it hurts, okay? Not you! Not the son of a bitch who killed her!” Ryladus fumbled with the words for his reply, but tried to be confident in his refuation.“She decided to come with me. I know you're angry, and I know you blame me, but she chose to come with me, alright? For god's sake, Daven, I cared about her too, she was my best friend-” “She was my sister, damn it!” Daven's tears refused to hold any longer. “My family. My only family, and you took her away to die for some god-forsaken cause!” As they fell softly from his face, the tears seemed the only thing hot enough to melt the snow. The silence was pervasive then; all encompassing. “Why did you come?” Ryladus spoke softly, but his voice sustained a critical edge to it. Daven said nothing. “Honestly; why? I sent that request because my advisers suggested it was worth a try. Better than losing control of my arm. I didn't expect a single thing from it. Yet here you are, hating me every step of the way. Why did you come Daven, honestly?” “I...” Daven moved his hands back to finishing the work on the hand as his brow furrowed in thought. His eyes still looked torn and red. “There was nothing left in that home; that town. We had mom, then I had her. I... now there's nothing there I have. I don't know what I'm supposed to find here either.” His voice was little more than a frightened whisper; scared not of the mountain, or Ryladus, but perhaps even scared of just how weak it was itself. Ryladus grinned one of his cheery smirks, but most of his facial muscles felt frozen. “You sure you didn't come due to my excellent charm and great inspirational hopefulness?” Daven gave him a sharp-edged glance that clearly meant a “No.” The remnants of the smile Ryladus had managed fell away. “I don't blame you. I don't even believe in those things. I don't know why I'm the only one with the name and the family history to do all this.” He sighed. Daven had never heard him sigh. “I wish I wasn't. I don't even think I quite believe in myself.” Without a word Daven closed the last panel on Ryladus's mechanical arm and finished fastening the last piece. He tugged his furs closer and grabbed his bag, kicking snowy oblivion on the ashy remains of the fire. He breathed deeply, and he felt the wet trails down his cheeks began to freeze. Finally he turned to Ryladus. “I don't know what you can do. I don't know if you're even worth helping. But you know what, you've got two working arms, don't you? You can still fight for what you want. So stop being so depressed and worthless. Be the pompous optimistic idiot Kae told me you were. Either way, you better believe in yourself, because Kae did, and no matter what I think of you, I'm not going to believe she was wrong.” Ryladus nodded and slowly pushed himself up. And they started climbing.