Flux

Garen spoke sternly into the comm upon hearing Kenshin's idea. "No. We are not breaking from this path without a good reason. While it may be true that we are in their territory, anywhere we can go out here is something's territory. Running isn't going to cut it. If we run, there is a good chance they'll follow us, and then we could attract new threats on top of that the farther we go. Besides that, it seems that most things out here are both bigger and faster than humans. Even if we can distract them, they could catch up to us in no time. Think of how fast those wolves moved. We could never have outrun them." He sighed, the weight of his leadership bearing down on him. His decisions could very well determine the lives of the entire group, and that was a big responsibility. Besides that, they had no real idea of where they were going other than "north." All he had to go on were the major's final instructions before they parted ways. "For now, we continue north. This is a time when diurnal animals are hunting, and I find that a more likely cause for the attacks than a territorial dispute. Most animals will recognize when someone or something is simply moving through, and won't attack unless we loiter. Soon things will transition into night time, when these beasts will likely be sleeping and the nocturnal ones will awake to hunt. I don't plan for us to be out and about when that time comes. If we push northward at a good pace, we can hopefully make it to camp before nightfall."

"Well Garen, what do you think I should do? Seeing as you're the head at the moment I think you should have a say in this." Garen spoke into the comm. "I'd have to agree with the others here, now that they bring it up. It's not that I don't think you can handle it, but a man can only take so much, and your shields are down on top of your injuries. Switch to a position in the middle, and Kenshin can take your place in the front since he volunteered. As Vixen mentioned, everyone should take a look up on the cliffside once in a while, though the ground is our main concern. With all of our eyes, we shouldn't miss much."

Well, it's up to you in the end. I was planning on giving him an opportunity to save them, though if you'd rather things went sour, that can be arranged. Man I sound evil. Anyway, you've got time to decide. Just let me know when you do.

Why is Hades so fun to RP...?

So Quiet was missing. Hopefully he was with the major, and he hadn't gone off on his own and gotten himself killed. But worrying about Quiet could wait. They needed to move quickly to Eden. Garen spoke through the comm, relaying his next decision. "If nobody needs a break, then we're moving forward. We'll have to simply assume that Quiet is with the major. We don't have time to go back looking for him. Resume the formation and we'll continue moving northward. I'll check the cliffside every now and then so we aren't ambushed from above like before."

Garen nodded to Zero, washing his own helmet as well. He thought back to what Vixen had said earlier -- about how the monochromes had acted differently. She had a point. Perhaps he was applying a bit too much of "normal animal" logic to these advanced creatures. He decided that he'd have to be more careful about that in the future. While there were times when such knowledge could come in handy, as it just had, there would likely be other times were those sorts of assumptions could cost the team, and he definitely did not want that. When his helmet was cleaned, Garen returned it to its place on his head and spoke to the team once more. He pointed in the direction the wolves had ran off to. "I'm a bit worried about the major..." he began. "The wolves left suddenly in his direction, as if they had found new prey. But while my gut is telling me to wait or to go back for him, the major's orders were to continue forward no matter what. We can take a short break if anyone needs it, but we need to continue north as quickly as possible. This place is already showing itself to be dangerous, and I don't want to see what it's like at night." He paused for a second before being startled by a sudden realization. He spoke urgently into the comm. "Where is Quiet? Was he here when we left the major?"

As soon as the wolves left, Garen ran over to Zero, taking off his helmet as he did so. "Are you all right?" he asked, kneeling by the man. He didn't appear to be injured too severely, though Garen still found it a good idea to ask. He glanced behind him at the others, flashing a grin. "Good work everybody. Nature is all about the survival of the fittest, and we just proved to those wolves that we are no easy meal. They couldn't have taken us without sustaining heavy losses, so they chose to retreat instead. It's a bit of logic that's natural for almost any animal -- remember that." He stood up, offering Zero a hand, glancing around for a water source at the same time. He'd like to get a chance to wash the blood off of his helmet so he could see more clearly. He had a feeling he'd be needing it's protection for a time to come...

It would be quite out of character for Garen to detonate one of his own teammates, so you have no need to worry there.

Garen turned to Kenshin, a bewildered look upon his face, though it probably couldn't be seen through the layer of blood. "What are you saying..." he began, his naturally calm demeanor being the main reason that he wasn't furious right now. "We should abandon Zero, aggravate the wolves, and lose a piece of equipment that may be very valuable later in the mission, all while we seem to be on terms of peace?! No. If, for some reason, these wolves do decide to attack us again, our weapons are right at our feet." He almost went into a speech about how it is against the very nature of almost any animal, especially an animal with this level of intelligence, to make such a choice when they could flee and survive, but he realized that the other man would probably have almost no idea what he was talking about, as Garen likely knew more than most of the others here about the subject of nature. He continued. "We DO NOT leave anyone behind. That's what the major has been stressing ever since we arrived here. Battle is when our integrity is truly tested. Can we be a team, and do whatever it takes to make sure every single one of us makes it through alive, or will we panic and save our own skin? I don't know about you, but as long as I'm in charge, we will be the team that looks out for each other. For now, the wolves appear to want peace. If their minds change, then we come up with a different plan, but it will be one that includes keeping Zero alive." He returned his gaze to the wolves, saying one final thing into the comm for everyone to hear. "Now, if there are any of you that have yet to place your weapons on the ground, do so now. That's an order from your standing captain."

It just may be... Don't get too drunk. He'll need to be ready when the action starts...

typhlosionrulez "You, okay gramps? This isn't a place for old people, there are dangerous people out here." Lawrence White stood to his full height, more than a little surprised by the collapse of the ceiling and his sudden rescue by this stranger. "I'm fine, thanks to you. Though I do believe I possess enough power to be more useful than an 'old person.' " As the man stood, he was actually taller than most of those present in the room, and he appeared to be fairly muscular, even at his age. He had a firm jaw, and a serious expression. He glanced at the chaos. There appeared to be a fight that was resuming, so he spoke urgently. "We're here looking for a young lady, one of my grandson's friends, as well as a friend of mine. We've heard that this is where she was being held. Do you know anything about this?" -------------------------------------------------- Jory, rustytengo "You know I've heard all the rumors and conjecture about your department, but I think it's important to get information right from the source. What's your department's specialty?" The man smiled. "Well, I'd be interested in hearing what sort of things that you've been told I do. I'd imagine there's quite a bit of hearsay on that subject. But I suppose I can give you some idea of what we do." He cleared his throat. "As you may or may not know, the new department is called BOA -- That's an acronym for "Bureau on the Awakened." Now I'm sure you've seen the chaos reported in the news ever since the rise of the Pillar. It's quite the enigma, if I do say so myself. But because of these "powers" that seemingly random people are developing, the government obviously needs to project some kind of control. So as of now, we're in charge of dealing with rogue Awakened, making sure that they are not a threat to the people. Everyone is confused right now, and hopefully our department can take some steps to help quell that confusion.

K_H, Rebecca's still unconscious at this point, so I doubt she'll be doing any running. Also, remember to treat named NPCs as you would any other PC, so be careful about bunnying, even if it's relatively minor like her running somewhere. I doubt she'd wake up and just run away with somebody she's never met before.

Garen rose slowly from where he lay on the ground. He was unsure who had shot the wolf that had jumped him, but he would have to find out later and thank them. He wiped a gloved hand over his visor to try to clear the blood, though it mostly just smeared. He had heard through the audio feed that the beasts were trying to negotiate, though he couldn't have truly believed such a thing until he saw it now, with his own eyes. The wolves had lined up behind what he believed to be the Alpha Male, and the squad had lain down their weapons. He walked over to the others, slowly removing his two pistols from his side and placing them beneath him. He looked up at the wolves in awe. As much time as he had spent in nature, he had never encountered another being with this level of intelligence. "Amazing..." he began, his voice reflecting his amazement. "Simply amazing... the level of intelligence they must have... in a wolf!"

Garen's a dude...

Phew... I passed judgment. For now.

K_H, Snap Crackle Pop "Rebecca was taken by the government and put in this place for some unknown reason. Since you're not with the Government, i presume that you came here to rescue her as well. if so, then that means that we've got similar goals, and should team up temporarily." Beetle looked at the man, trying to tell if he could trust him. He seemed to be truthful, and he definitely seemed more likely to negotiate than the muscular guy. He gave Alice a brief glance before answering. "...Ok. We'll team up for now, but you have some explaining to do when this is done." --------------------------------------------- Supernovae The muscular man began to move as Jude approached, though he was unaware of the man behind him. He ran towards Kenny as Jude stabbed, piercing him in the shoulder as his body shifted position. The sword did not penetrate as far as Jude would have expected, being stopped by the massive density of the man's muscles. He cried out, turning and quickly lashing out with his other arm. It narrowly missed Jude, instead crashing into the wall. As he pulled his fist away, there was a gaping hole left in the wall. The man was now hunched over, clutching his wounded shoulder. "A sword, eh?" He was breathing more heavily now, though there was still a trace of a cocky smile on his face. "Can't say I expected that." His next move caught them all by surprise. He raised a fist, punching it into the ground. There was a massive shockwave as the entire floor cracked and split into pieces. They all fell to the lower level, where the ceiling had just rained down upon those beneath. The man landed on his feet as the others fell, being the only one who would have suspected such a thing. He ran over to where Jude lay, raising a fist and swinging down towards the man. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Typhlosionrulez Beetle's grandfather had just come through the portal as the others had ran up the stairs, leaving him alone with Ace. He spoke tentatively, unsure if this man was friend or foe. "...Who are y--" ...was all he was able to get out before the ceiling shattered. Wooden supports rained down on the two, and he barely had time to cover his head before he was knocked to the ground. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Jory, rustytengo Do any of you perchance know where I might find the host of this little soiree? I'd like to thank him for his invitation and for this lovely event." The man turned to face Lux. He was a tall man and rather muscular, appearing to be in his early 30s. He had short brown hair, and was wearing a simple black tux. He gave a smile, and extended a hand. "Well, I believe you've just found him. Welcome to the party." He raised an eyebrow. It wasn't an accusing look, simply curious. He'd likely given the same look to many other guests tonight. "I don't believe we've met, have we? I'm John Taylor, vice-president of the new department." ------------------------------------------------------ Arkhidon "This part requires about two minutes of waiting," he said in a hushed voice to Hades. "In the meantime, can you explain what we're doing here?" Hades smiled. "You mean you haven't figured it out yet?" He sighed. "And you claim to be sooo smart... Well, as I said earlier, this is a gang that's been causing quite a ruckus lately. Theft, killings -- they're serious. And they're led by one of the Awakened. It seems that they're targeting government members as well... Nobody in a serious position yet; mostly public workers, like the policemen. My theory is that it has to do with the "rounding up" of the Awakened that the government's been doing lately. It wouldn't be the first time that it's caused a little rebellion like this. It likely angers their leader, and it can cause unrest with regular citizens as well. Not that they're wrong." He tapped his head with a finger. "But you also have to see the government's point of view on this. They as clueless as everyone else, despite having sole access to the Pillar. People mysteriously gaining superpowers -- They can't just let that happen without trying to control it in some way. The chaos would be unimaginably delightful." He paused, shrugging and giving an innocent look. "So, I figured I'd do a good deed and come mop up this mess before things get out of hand. And you're here for initiation. I want to see how you handle pressure and combat situations, despite being a thinker-type." His expression became serious. "There will be an important time coming in the near future... and I want to get a glimpse of where you'll stand when that time comes."

Garen gave a crisp nod to the major, before turning away and running to catch up to the others. He could hear Kenshin's voice through the audio feed of his helmet. Apparently, he had seen Garen lingering behind. Garen spoke into his helmet, feeding his voice through to everyone else. "You heard the major! We head north until we reach Eden! Do not look back, no matter what happens." He placed a fist over his chest as he ran, a silent salute to the major. "We have to trust in the major, and arrive safely to Eden. I am in temporary command until he returns, and if we're to get through this, you'll need to listen to me and work as a team. Katsumi, take a scouting position ahead of the group! Do not stray too far ahead. You should always be able to return to the group in a matter of minutes. The rest of us will be grouped together. Big, I want you at the front of our formation. You're the first line of defense. Zero, you will be positioned near Big. Vixen, I want you to stay near the back. The rest of you will be positioned in the middle. Make sure you spread out enough that we are not an easy target for whatever else may attack us. I'll be bringing up the very rear, making sure nothing surprises us from behind. Does everyone understand me?"

Just posting this so you all know that this isn't dead... I've been busy this week, and I've been hard pressed to even keep up with the other RPs I'm in. I keep those in a higher priority, as I don't want to slow down everyone else's RPs for the sake of my own. If I'm lucky, I'll get this updated tonight, and it should still be coming soon if not. Sorry for the constant delays on this... I honestly feel really bad about how often this happens.

Garen began to speak, "B-but sir, we can't just... leave you..." He knew he shouldn't argue, and he knew that he should follow orders, but he simply couldn't forgive himself if they left the major behind and something happened to him. "It's no man left behind, right?"

Blaze stepped tentatively onto the ice path. The heat didn't bother him, but he was worried about Nivia. She seemed fine for the moment though, cruising down her icy path. As he took a final step onto the ice, his legs shot out from underneath him as he landed on his stomach. The momentum from his fall started him moving, and before he knew it, he was spinning down the ice path on his belly, making for quite a comical sight. He could vaguely tell through his increasing dizziness that he was catching up to the others, but he didn't really have much control over himself. He just closed his eyes and put his front legs over his head, trying his best not to get motion sick.

^I know the feel. I missed the same day. 0.0

Hmm... I think it would be kind of interesting (And potentially comical) if you were to write about a villain who constantly ends up saving the day on accident. Like, they try to be bad, but things end up completely opposite somehow. It would make for a good, lighthearted story. Just a thought.

So, about what level do you think Lars' Nidorino should get to before it's ok to find a Moonstone and evolve it? Also, where would he even find a moonstone?