Flux

Nero wandered over to his own body, lying facedown on the path. There was a gaping wound in his back. He vaguely remembered a sharp, stabbing pain before all had gone black. He must have been attacked from behind. He bent down, retrieving his sword, loosing grasped by the pale flesh of his old body. He muttered a few words, a small flame lighting in his hand. It was one of the few fire spells he knew. He had been given a broad education, but personally favored practicing Illusion magic. He cast the flame down at his old body, and it immediately spread and ignited, burning it to cinders. He then muttered the words to another illusion spell, removing the smell of burning flesh from the area. He thought back to the bright place they had all been taken to and the goddess, Lumabella. "A goddess... So they do exist..." It bothered his rational mind to think such a thought, but he couldn't deny it without denying his entire memory. He placed his sword back in its sheath, and began walking away, back to his wandering life. He didn't want to return to his manor, nor did he want to stay here. It only reminded him of his own weakness. "All those years... All the magic I learned..." He sneered and muttered, "It was all useless -- a waste of time. I need to become stronger..." He stopped walking away as he thought back to the goddess's words. "...This however, forevermore seals you 9 together. Your destinies are now intertwined..." He laughed before continuing his pace. Why should he stay? Because some goddess said so? All she had done was returned him to this accursed world.

I feel like that line was geared towards Nero...

I was kind of imagining him riding a zebra but I feel like I just might be wrong...

All right. Also, it's okay if I change my Nidoran's name in this thread, right? I was originally going to name it Pin, but now I'm thinking of changing it since I decided to make the Nidoran not like the name...

Is Oak coming back any time soon? I was kind of having Lars wait for him, but if not, he can go do something else.

Why can no one tell when I'm joking... Anyway, basing it off of the first page of the OOC, I believe everyone is dead except Sora, who I don't think was introduced, right? If so, then you're good.

How'd he get behind Nero without warping again? HAAAAAAAAAAAAX!!!!!!! But really, you couldn't even kill him honorably from the front? He was walking right at you...

Nero grimaced as he watched the illusion disappear. "How did he know?!" He was bent over in exhaustion. "That was one of my most complicated spells..." He watched as the half-orc approached the rider, telling the others to run. However, the rider erected a barricade around the entire town, trapping the inhabitants. "Just... how strong is he?" Nero panted. The rider swung a blade at the half orc, cleaving into his body but seeming to stop at his heart. The orc collapsed to the ground, blood pooling around his dead body. Some sort of golden light sprung out of it. The templar of Aelia charged next, running at the rider with his blade drawn. Nero let his muffling spell and the blurring spell fade away. They couldn't hope to beat this rider. He walked into the street in front of the rider, a dark smile on his face. As he came out into the open, in front of Sigurd as the others, he calmy drew his longsword, the ruby on the embellished hilt gleaming. He let out a slow laugh, turning to the rider and raising his sword. "It seems my time has come. Armageddon is here, just as it has been for the past many decades." He brushed his silver hair to the sides of his defined jawline. "My whole life has been lived in ruin, all joy taken from it. What more can you take from me? This life is worth nothing, nor is the life of anyone else." He walked towards the rider at a slow pace, sword dragging across the ground. "Come beast, send me from this world." He gave a grim smile. "Perhaps if there is an afterlife, it will be better than the hell I've lived."

Lars won't be happy with giving up his clothes...

The battle was over before it began. Nero hadn't even reached the end of the trees before the lizard men began to flee. However, he could feel an ominous presence approaching. The sky darkened and he could hear the patter of rainfall beginning. He had always loved storms. They showed the power of nature at its finest. As he the rain fell around him, his stomache twisted: It was blood. He stared at his open palms as the raining blood formed pools for a moment. He began to lugh, slow and quiet at first, but picking up volume and speed until it was almost maniacal. His laughter died down before he shouted: "This is proof of the darkness in our world! There is no hope -- only bloodshed! And there is enough of it to fill a raincloud..." Despite the volume of his shout, he knew he was the only one who could hear it, thanks to his muffling spell. He watched as the source of the ominous feeling approached. An giant of a man rode atop a flaming steed, the feeling of death approaching with him. Nero smiled. "So armageddon is here. Perhaps my time has come." He ran forward until he was close enough to the man to hear his voice. It seemed unecessary though, as his words seemed to fill the air around them. "Darkness, give me strength, to purge the Wicked from this land. Give me your lance for my charge into the enemy so that I may pierce their souls, and deny them entry to the heavens." The man produced a dark lance before heaving it at a group of fisherman, impaling them on its shaft. Blackness spread up their bodies from the wound, burning them to ashes. "Darkness..." Nero thought. "Darkness aids none, not even death. Yet, it also can aid all. It takes no sides in a conflict. It is foolishness to claim that darkness supports you." Another voice filled the air. It belonged to the templar of Aelia. “Nice party tricks! Setting your horse on fire and make it rain blood. You’re nothing but a showoff, are you?” The man on the horse generated another spear of darkness, throwing it towards Sigurd. However, Nero could hear a voice shout words of magic before a piece of earth rose beneath Sigurd, propelling him backwards. The words seemed to belong to the half-orc. "So he's the one who performed the magic in the tavern..." Nero laughed. "What does it matter anymore? Death itself has come." The rider's voice rang out again. "I am the harbringer of the world, all will be purged." He was interrupted by a shout from the dwarf paladin, son of the bartender. However, the rider impaled the dwarf with another lance, moving at blinding speed. The voice filled the air once more. "One thing before I let you go worm, I want to know who these people are, that you are so valorously protecting." He stuck a finger to the dwarf's head, causing him to scream in agony. When the man had finished, a dark pulse came from his lance, incinerating the dwarf on the spot. "He was able to gain information like that?! I've never heard of such magic..." The rider snapped his finger, causing the horse to disappear. Nero could now grasp the true scale of the man. He appeared over 7 feet tall, looming over another templar. He drew his sword, shaped like an angel's wing, before cleaving off the templar's arm and kicking him to the ground. The rider then spat in his face. The rider's voice rang out mockingly: "Any last words to your god, or is death good enough for you now?" The templar took a weak upward slash at the rider, more in defiance than anything. His strength had clearly left him. Nero decided it was time to act. It was strange, considering the hopelessness of the situation. There was nothing he could do to change it. Logic would dictate that he should simply leave undetected, and that is what he would normally do. But he didn't. He was overcome with a strange and unfamiliar feeling, urging him to help. He muttered quickly under his breath, despite the muffling spell. It was simply a habit. He snapped his fingers, releasing the magic. There was a blinding flash of light in front of the rider. Nero hoped to blind him for a while so the others could perhaps get away. He also hoped it would stall for a while so he could complete his next plan. Positioned under cover behind a tree, he began muttering another spell, longer and more complex than the other. He weaved some of his basic talents into it, generating an illusion that he hoped would be believable. He had pictured a giant of a man, equal in size to the rider, dressed in shining gold armor. He would position the man far enough away from the rider so as not to be recognized as an illusion, but also close enough to draw attention. He would have to place it behind the rider so he wouldn't notice it materialize. Muttering as fast as he could, he finished the spell, ending it with a voice for all to hear. Looking from behind the tree, he saw his creation materialize. A deep voice rang out over the battlefield. "Aye, creture of darkness, turn and face me! You cannot hope to best me in true combat, sword to sword!" The illusion raised his giant golden sword, armor shining. Nero was drained from the effort of the spell.

Everything's over before I even get in on it... Y u move so fast?

Alright, I edited the post. Could you maybe send me a pm giving some examples of what sort of things he might know now, and what sort of things will be reserved for later, just so I have some ideas? I've never played D&D before, which I'm assuming you're basing this off of based on some parts of the OP, so I don't really know the generally accepted order of things.

I was talking about the being a starter part, but thanks anyway. I was just joking around anyway.

Nero walked out of the tavern, having finished his spell. It was a muffling spell that focused on his whole body. He had added a few extra pieces to ensure that anything he came into contact with, such as loose leaves, would not make sound either. Merging the spells was what had taken him so long, but he enjoyed the challenge of it. The chaos seemed to have mostly ended. Bodies lay scattered all around, friend and foe alike. Looking for the others, he walked down a street, casually drawing his sword and cutting open a fleeing goblin before it even knew what hit it. Rounding a corner, he could see the group, but they were in a tight position. A phalanx of enemies was making way towards them, led by a significantly larger enemy surrounded by a black sphere. "An anti-magic field..." He recognized it from one of the books Scuro had given him to study. He was still far enough away so as not to be noticed. Realizing that he had the element of surprise, he took of into a patch of trees along the left side of the road, hoping to make a wide arc and come around behind the phalalnx. He began muttering another spell, running along his planned out arc the whole time, counting on the cover of the trees and his muffled footsteps to protect him. He snapped his fingers, signaling a release to his spell. It was a habit he had picked up when learning to master his magic. While his fingers made no noise, the spell had worked. It was meant to blur the vision of those who looked in his direction for a short time. He was hoping that if they did happen to look this way, he could blend in with the trees better.

My gosh you guys post fast. 0_0 Sucks that I can't post during school...

I did too... "sniff" But... you didn't call me smart... "sniff" :'(

Nero allowed the darkness to fade away, walking towards the crowd. He turned towards the dwarf, Odin. "I believe I can be of use. I have certain.. talents." He paused, looking out the doorway. "Give me some time to prepare, and I'll be out to help."

Ah, I missed that in the last line of your post. l'll go edit, sorry.

Nero watched the sand and dirt trickle across the floor. He tensed, but did not move from his position against the wall. "Magic..." he thought. "Seems I'm not the only one with the ability here... I didn't expect to encounter anyone else with the gift in a small village like this... I'd best keep my guard up." The trail of earth stopped at an elven girl's chair, pulling it from underneath her. Surprisingly, she manged to catch herself with a graceful flip. "She's no ordinary villager... Just what kind of trouble is fate concocting here?" He looked around for the source of the magic, but could find no discernable clues. He doubted there was much threat behind the spell -- it seemed more like an innocent prank. Still, he was curious as to who he should be looking out for. There were a few hooded people who seemed likely candidates; mages often wore robes, and a hood would help disguise their identity. Still, that wasn't exactly a defining factor -- after all, he was a sorcerer with neither robes nor a hood. He also carried a longsword at his side, which was carefully concealed under his long coat. He decided to watch and see what would happen next from this encounter. Not wanting to be blamed for the incident he muttered a few words under his breath, ending the spell with a hand gesture. A web of magic gathered around his corner, darkening the air around him so as not to be noticed. He folded his arms and waited to see what the elven girl would do next.

Lars grasped his head in agony, unaware of anything but the pain searing through his head. He could grasp faint emotions, for a brief second as the entered his conciousness, but they flitted away before he could come to understand them. "What's.. going on...?!" It was difficult for him to process a single thought with the overload of brainwaves passing through him. "I'm... gonna... die..." Suddenly, much of the pain lightened. He could feel it being drawn away as another conciousness entered his mind. It seemed familiar... He could feel a willingness to help in the other conciousness, but it seemed to be underdeveloped to the point of simple urges. A thought passed his mind. "Sleepy...? Are you... helping me...?" "A...bra..." was the faint reply. Suddenly the world shifted back into focus. He was on his knees, still in the forest. He lowered his hands from his head, taking a look around. Oak and Ray, along with Clemont, had disappeared, and he was surrounded by medics. "What... happened...?" he muttered, still a bit weary from the encounter. He had a throbbing headache. He tried to stand up, only to quickly fall back to his knees, grabbing his head in pain. The medics rushed to help, but he waved them away. He looked around for Sleepy, only to find him sleeping in the grass nearby, probably drained from the encounter. "Thanks, buddy..." Lars whispered, returning the creature to its sphere. Since he didn't feel up to trying to stand again, he sat down in the grass, waiting for Oak to return so he could figure out exactly what had happened. "I tried not to disrupt Clemont... As soon as Abra reached out, I pulled him back. But then..." he paused in his thoughts and grimaced as a wave of pain rushed through his head. "So it's a psychic..."

Lars approached Clemont slowly, not wanting to startle it or interrupt. When he was fairly close, Abra started to reach out again. Lars quickly pulled his arms back before it made contact with Clemont. "Sorry, but we can't disturb him," he whispered to the Abra. "Oak's orders." The Abra gazed up at him with its closed eyes. Suddenly, its usual calm face took on an expression of concentration. Lars stepped back in shock; he could feel something probing at his mind, though it didn't seem to be looking for him particularly. It was hard to explain, almost like he was just catching the extra bits of whatever was being sent out. It filled his mind with an urge, an urge to communicate with Clemont. "Aagh, what is this?!" he cried out, holding his head. Sleepy still had the same look of concentration, directing it at Clemont now. "A-are you... trying to communicate with him?!" "It has telepathy...!" he thought. "At least... to some extent. I can't make out any words... just... urges..."

Personally, I don't like to use it. I find that it can be difficult to get the look I want. (I also don't really like the way the people look in general, but that's just my opinion.) For that reason, I prefer to draw my own, however limited my talent may be. Still, for those who don't want to draw, or don't think they can draw well, I definitely wouldn't mind if they used this. It can be helpful to have at least some image of what people look like. Just for the heck of it, I tried making Lars anyway. As you can see, it was somewhat hard to match up to the look I had planned for him, seen in my drawing.

Lars watched Oak release his two creatures. They looked nearly identical to the ones that false Oak had used. "They must be the same species," he thought. "The imposters were very thorough in their research." He was startled as Sleepy wiggled in his arms. It stretched its arms, but its eyes still didn't appear to be open. It reached an arm out in the direction of Oak's creature, the one he called Clemont. "W-what are you doing...?" Lars asked it, a little startled by its sudden movements. "They must be more similar than I thought... I'm getting confused again..." "You want to go over there?" he asked it. It almost seemed to nod. "Can it understand me?! No, I must just be imagining things. Still it does appear to want to go over there." Lars set the creature on the ground. It just sat there and looked up at him with its closed eyes, before looking over towards Clemont and making the grasping motion again. "What, you can't walk either?" He put a hand over his face. "Gah... you're proving more useless by the second..." He picked up Sleepy and decided it would be best to ask Oak before approaching the GAO. "U-um, is it all right if I take him by Clemont?" Abra reached out in the GAO's direction again. "I mean, I wouldn't want to interrupt whatever you had him do, but as you can see, this little guy seems to want to go over there... I don't really know why, though." He paused before adding, "Honestly, this is the only reaction I've managed to get from him at all..."

"Yes, I named her Virtue. That was before I found out that she was once human. Now TALK!" ------------------------------------------------ That was all Lars caught before Oak and Ray led Erick away into the forest. "Based on the professor's reactions, it seems like Erick hit the nail on the head... So there are humans who have survived the virus..." He looked down at the Abra nestled in his arm, still sleeping. "Luckily neither of you two seem to be that way," he muttered to the sleeping Abra. "You both seem to have come from animals." The Abra gave no response as usual, the only movement being from the breath in its lungs. "You're sure a heavy sleeper, huh?" he said to the creature. He began to think I why they had chosen to give him these two particular creatures. Neither looked to be terribly useful in combat, and one wouldn't even wake up. Is it because they thought him among the worst in the group. He remembered Clint's giant rock snake. "It seems that they've decided who they have the most trust in..." he thought. "They also seem to be open to telling Erick things that the rest of us don't get to know. I wonder why that is?" He turned back to Sleepy. "Well, even if they don't expect much of us, we'll just have to show them what we can do!" he said, the usual grin taking hold on his face. The Abra made no movement. "Well, if you ever wake up..."

Nero grimaced as the dwarf approached him. He hadn't planned to make contact with anyone, but he couldn't leave now without causing a minor scene. The dwarf took a seat at the table in the corner where Nero had been standing. He produced a mug of ale, pushing towards Nero while extending a hand. "Greetings friend, I am Odin Thunderbrew, what brings ya to The Drunken Clam tonight?" Nero looked at the outstretched hand, making no movement to shake it. He didn't have the kind of trust in people that others could seem to draw on at a whim. Not after everything that had happened to him. He took a small sip of the ale before answering the dwarf, more to be respectful of the man's offer than because he actually wanted it. As he swallowed, a slight frown appeared at the corner of his mouth. He was reminded why he didn't drink hard ales; wine was much more preferrable. He pushed the mug to the side and responded to the dwarf's question. "I was hoping to... meet someone here," he began, scanning the room once more. "Unfortunately, they don't seem to be here." He wasn't sure why he'd thought they'd actually be here, or why he himself had come in the first place. How cruel fate could be... the son of a noble familiy finding himself in a dank, sweaty tavern. The idea itself was laughable. He turned back to the dwarf, a melancholy smile visible on the corner of his mouth. "Perhaps I'm here due to more than a few unkind twists of fate. The only kind available these days." He waved a hand. "Go on, see to your other guests. You'll only find despair in this one."