Some time after the sudden and rude expulsion from the field, Sekai, Talal, Baron and Takua had the time to recover physically, if not mentally, from their experiences. They'd been given the opportunity to visit the shops and restock, should they desire, but little else. It was then that a flashmail arrived bearing ill tidings.

Attached was a set of keywords. Delta: Forbidden Passed Over Far Thunder.

When the group would arrive, the field they would find was fairly typical for a fire field. A desert stretched out all around, a hot bright sun in a clear blue sky above. The heat made the air waver, making it impossible to see clearly more than a few dozen yards in any direction. The entire area was devoid of scenery. No ruins, no plants, no monsters or even portals.

Is it just me, or did the sky seem to flicker just now?

Something here is off. No portals in view is odd in and of itself, but there's something else, something intangible. Wait... Where is Gyl?

(ooc: For Talal, Baron, Sekai, and Takua. Welcome to Main, guys, though this isn't actually there yet and it's kind of a tiny thread. The real beginning is soon to come.

Details of the area; Gyl is nowhere to be found, there's no dungeon marked on the map, no portals, and no roaming monsters. Just sand and heat. Trying to exit the field fails, and should you arrive early and attempt to warn the others, the flashmail won't arrive until they arrive on the field. If you roam too far from the entrance area, you'll notice bits of dust in the air aren't really dust, they're floating ASCII characters, and bits and places where the ground isn't sand, it's just... a blackness, a hole.

There'll be no real posting schedule for this thread. I'll post once all of you have, and it'll last until Main is done with it's thread, or it runs it's course. Neither thread should last exceptionally long, though. You'll be in Main before you know it. Well, Back, in the case of Sekai. =D)

He wasn’t sure exactly what happened when Ondine reached into their core and woke him up, but it wasn’t a pleasant feeling in the least. Something about that wasteland, cracked and breaking, filled him with a sense of despair. Getting wrenched out of it, having it vanish in front of his eyes like a soap bubble, was even worse. Memories pounded through his brain as he settled uncomfortably back into his body, watching what Ondine had done in his place. His mind hurt like a fucking bitch, but there was nothing to be done about that. A note to himself, he thought gingerly, was to not go jumping into red lightning ever again. Or, for that matter, practically commit suicide in a place that he knew was going to be nasty and evil.

He shook his head and his eyes became distant as he sighed. This wasn’t the best of situations, and the constant mocking voice that buzzed in his ear at all times wasn’t helping any either. It wasn’t really so much of a buzz as it was a fully fledged shout at times. It was like having capslock on, all the damn time. Stupid demotivational posters were so awesome and yet could go die in a car fire at any time now. Knowledge of what this was seemed to hover on the edge of his mind. It was just a problem now of coaxing it out into the open so that he could actually put a name and a face to what he had. And he had to do that while fighting for his life through B2 of Juk and possibly beyond. He shuddered and pulled himself back together some, trying to ensure that he was really ready to move on. There wasn’t going to be another shot at this, he had to be ready for whatever was going to come at him right now.

Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity to him, they started to move towards the door that would lead to B2. They were nearly to the door itself when a electric shock went straight through his feet, and the Wavemaster twitched as he looked around. He wasn’t Comatose and he wasn’t Immersed…so why had he felt that? Was it some sort of an attack? He turned and looked around for anything, but there wasn’t a monster. It was only when Talal drew his attention to the table where the Juka Sprites had been that he saw what it was, that he saw the danger. Green lines had shot out from the table and connected with the door…and Sidhe had already walked through it!

Even though his body wasn’t strong, wasn’t physically powerful, he stil tried to shove people to the side as he yelled. It was a trap of some kind, and things were about to get so very ugly. He needed to stop the players up in front from going through the door!

“DON'T GO IN THE-!”

The rest of the sentence was swallowed up entirely by the explosion of light that came through the door. Heat swept past him as he struggled to get through the open door, lunging for it even though he couldn’t breath at all. It felt like he was moving so slowly though, as if the door was miles away, and then he-

…dropped to the ground in a very familiar alleyway in Mac Anu.

The blue robed Wavemaster scrambled to his feet, vaguely aware that something was seriously wrong. Besides the fact that they were back in Mac Anu, in a place that they had all been before. There was that small fact that it felt like several days, or even years, since he had been in this place, but that didn’t really matter anymore once Kira spoke up. His eyes widened as he considered what happened…and what might happen to them. If just four people were trapped in that dungeon on their own…Takua didn’t know what was going to happen to them. Hell, he didn’t even know how they were going to get back because they’d been kicked out. Centrus had been blocked from the field somehow after he had gotten kicked out, as had Exangelus and Shenmock. If they had been kicked out…could even Gyl find a way back in?

It was only a few minutes later, shortly after Takua had visited the Pawn Shop and the Weapons Shop, that he got an Flashmail from Gyl. He’d gone into both of them because he thought that…well, he wasn’t trying to buy her good will, but he did want to show that he did care a little. There wasn’t really a way to do that very easily off of the top of his head, so he’d gone and spent some money. He thought that she liked the elements on the weapon and scroll that he’d gotten her, but he wasn’t entirely sure. That was shuffled to the back of his head though when he read the flashmail.

There was something about it though, maybe the fact that Gyl said that he had only just learned about what happened, that struck Takua as being suspicious. Gyl had seemed so on top of things so far, always reacting instantly and without needing a few minutes in order to catch up with them. Still, maybe he meant something else or the Teenager was just reading it wrong, that was quite possible. He shrugged and made his way to the Chaos Gate quickly, keying the keywords that had arrived with the Flashmail. He could give Talal her gifts when he got inside of the field.

The air wavered with boiling heat when it finally came into view, reminding the Wavemaster strongly of the Ganz prison field. Only, instead of sand to block their view, it was just a wall of heat beyond which he couldn’t see anything. Oh sure, there was sand around, it was just on the ground under his feet. The sun beat down from overhead, revealing that…there was nothing around but the sand itself. No monsters, no portals for as far as Takua could see, no random spots of plants or ruins. Nothing at all…what was going on?

And why did the sky flicker just then?

His eyes narrowed immediately as he looked around, careful to make sure that there wasn’t anything sneaking up on him, player or not. He jumped a bit when Talal warped in, but a quick check revealed that, yes, this was the player that he knew and that he had a gift for. He walked in front of her and fished into his inventory for a few seconds while talking.

“I picked up a couple of things for you.”

He took out the Cosmic Truth scroll first and then reached back into his Inventory, taking out the Mikazuchi blades and holding both (well, three technically) items out to the Twin Blade in front of him. He watched as she abrupted turned bright bright red, but she reached out to take them anyway. There was confusion in her eyes and voice, and she wasn’t necessarily the only one who was confused either.

“I…I don’t understand. Why did you…?”

He smiled slightly and looked off to the side for several seconds. How was he going to explain this exactly?

“It’s fairly easy. It’s my responsibility that you’re here, and I need to help you out in any way I can. Getting you more equipment increases your chances of survival. So, how could I not do this?”

He paused awkwardly as she started to cry even though she was smiling. What the hell had he just said that would make her cry? This didn’t make any sense whatsoever anymore, but at least she had taken the items. He was only just thinking that this might be over with when she embraced him with a hug…and his eyes popped wide open. His hands froze, not knowing what to do, as she started to talk.

”Thank you. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you before and not follow you. I just wanted to help you. Upsetting you and making you feel responsible for my safety was never my intent. I hope you can forgive me and I’ll certainly do my best to not be a hindrance to you.”

She seemed to suddenly remember that she had grabbed a hold of him instead of anything else, detaching suddenly and refusing to look at him. For his part, he wanted to know what the hell was going on. In the first place, he just didn’t get hugs from anyone. That just didn’t happen at all. He couldn’t speak for several seconds before he relaxed, all of the muscles in his body releasing, and he sighed. Not how he had intended this to go.

“You’re not a hindrance and don’t think like that. Just…nevermind. Do what you want to do and do what you need to do.”

What happened back there…?

Baron stood on the Mac Anu Bridge, his usual haunt; leaning against the rails, the Twin Blade stared off into the distance, looking at the sunset as he contemplated what had recently occurred. About an hour ago, he had been in the Juk Prison, battling powerful and strange monsters within the depths of its dungeon. Twisted fusions of the AIs that resided in the field, broken, battered corpses, mutilations in the worst possible way- all had greeted the Eventides within the Swath-infected field. Yet, even after the progress they had made into the dungeon, seeking the Juk Incarnation trapped within, something had happened, and they had been ejected from the field somehow. Now, the Eventides wandered around Mac Anu, taking the time to restock their supplies while awaiting word from Gyl or Sidhe. As for Nemera… well. Baron wasn’t sure what had happened to her after the removal from the field. She had still been under the influences of the Swath sickness, and they had yet to find the cure... was she going to be alright? The Twin Blade just wasn’t sure what to think.

Sighing, leaning forward even further to gaze into the water, Baron watched his reflection, the glowing orange light of Mac Anu’s eternal sunset reflected off of his silver eyes as he gazed into the moving river below. He wasn’t sure what to do at that point- before, with the Eventide Crescendo, there had always been a leader to point the way, to tell them where to go; now, without any word from the heads of the small group, Baron wasn’t sure where to go. He didn’t just want to play the game as normal, pretending nothing was going on in the background- after seeing all that was being done involving the Highers, Dread Code, and the comatose players, he didn’t want to just block it out. He was part of something larger, and if he simply just quit now, the Twin Blade didn’t think he’d ever be able to forgive himself.

Sitting back with a sigh, Baron rested his head on his hands, trying to consider his next move, when a loud “ping” distracted him, signaling the arrival of a Flashmail. Opening it, the Twin Blade perked up immediately, noting it was from Gyl.

Scanning through the Flashmail, Baron found a small attachment with a set of keywords within, likely where Gyl expected them to go and meet up. The words were for the Delta Server, oddly enough, but whatever the Eventide’s hacker had chosen had to be safe, right? With that in mind, the Twin Blade did one more check through his inventory and equipment, making sure he had everything up-to-date in case something went wrong. Assured that he was ready to go, Baron stood from his position against the bridge and headed towards the Chaos Gate at a light stroll, keeping an eye out for the Knights of War as he went along- he didn’t desire another run-in with them, especially since they had a thing against the Eventide Crescendo after the group encountered Xazyx in the Juk Prison.

Crossing into the Chaos Gate plaza, Baron quickly accessed the floating gate in the center, putting in the keywords that had been given to him: Ä Forbidden Passed Over Far Thunder. The usual golden rings of light that transported players between areas dropped down from above, surrounding the Twin Blade and transporting him to the field. Soon, he arrived in a large desert-type fire field, standing amidst the swirling sands that threatened to engulf his feet. Baron looked around for Gyl or any of the others, but saw no sign and assumed that they would be meeting him elsewhere. The Twin Blade crossed his arms, trying to figure out where, but all he saw wherever he looked was sand. There wasn’t a single building or ruins to break the never-ending horizon. Pulling up a small mini-map, Baron realized that there wasn’t even a dungeon marked on it, meaning that the whole field was one never-ending desert. Certainly an odd place to meet, with no landmarks to direct them to a specific location, but Gyl had his ways. Still, the Twin Blade opened up a flashmail to ask about their meeting-

And froze.

Baron had seen something flicker out of the corner of his eye, barely catching it in his peripheral vision as he turned to look. When he whirled around, though, he saw nothing, just the same ordinary sky, the sand surrounding him… nothing. Raising an eyebrow in confusion, the Twin Blade shrugged and went back to his Flashmail, a simple one to ask Gyl where they group would be meeting. He sent it off, waiting for a response, but was surprised when it simply rebounded, sending him a message saying the request could not be processed. Baron frowned, sending it off again, but received the same error message. Guessing that it was simply something wrong with the field, the Twin Blade went to his menu, trying to gate out, but was greeted with a similar error message, saying that the option wasn’t available at the time.

What’s going on here…?

Giving it up as a fruitless struggle, Baron turned to look around the field again. Maybe it was a field-wide maintenance or something. He didn’t see anyone else, though the shimmering heat-wave effect programmed into the game certainly made it difficult to see very far. Shrugging, the Twin Blade set off, hoping to find the others as he went around- it was better than just staying where he was with no idea of what to do. Starting off, Baron picked a random direction and followed it, hoping that it would lead him to the others. As he took his first steps, though, he caught sight of Takua and Talal gating in nearby, running over to join them as he felt a sense of relief settling over his shoulders. It was good to see some familiar faces in the field.

Now, where was Gyl…?

Even with the smile on her face, the pain of feeling her body die was a little more than the Twin Blade wished she had had to experience. She now knew what all the others had gone through. In her ghosted form, she watched as everyone joined the rally and defeated Parvumeus. Once done, the room began to finish the change that the blasts of Juk from the creature had begun.

And the Swath was gone once more.

With the changes also came healing in the form of Kira, bringing the young girl back to life as it were. Their eyes connected if only for a brief moment, a look of could it be pride? She didn’t know, but she knew she had done something right for a change. Talal could no longer feel the world around her. It was a rather strange sensation to go back and forth the way they had and her hands in the real world found themselves reaching down and patting the futon she was sitting upon, just for good measure. A small sigh of relief was released before her eyes focused on the table in front of them all.

The sight of the pair of Juka Sprites, one with its body half charred quickly brought horror to the young Twin Blade. Instantly she felt overwhelming guilt knowing that what lay in front of her was in a large part her fault. One hand slapped up to her face and covered her mouth, holding back the expressions that were bursting through. Her eyes grew in both size and intensity. In that split second, wishing she could turn back time and find another way, a way in which a solution could have come without fighting, without death. Slowly a trembling hand reached out for the female corpse as if she could just touch her and everything would be as it should be. Reality had a way of settling in just at the right moments however and the hand was quickly retracted.

She turned away, wanting to bolt out of the room, but fear of what possibly lay in waiting kept her near the others. Both hands covered her face with a simple desire to shut out the rest of the world wishing it would all just vanish and she’d wake up knowing it was all just a bad dream. But desire wouldn’t come to fruition and wishes would never be granted in this hell hole of a place. Hearing the group on the move, she lowered her hands and tried to regain some sort of dignity to her gait, removing the weapons of her class from their sheaths and joined them. Only a few steps were taken towards the door when she felt an electric shock run through her feet. Looking down, she pointed one of her daggers at the ever increasing lines of energy that were sprawling from the table to the door they were headed too and didn’t hesitate to speak her mind.

”What the hell is [i]that]/i]?”

Takua was quick to act yelling a warning to the leaders who seemed to forget that they weren’t the only ones in the field. The Wavemaster shoved his way past her trying to get to them when a blast came through the door and blinded them all. She pressed on trying side by side with the others to get to the door to help their leaders and stay together as a group. She thought her hand had almost reached far enough to grab one of them by the arm…

And everything vanished.

As if her desire to have it all go away and be just a really bad dream had been granted, she found herself rather harshly dropped to the ground. A quick glance confirmed that she and everyone other than those that had made it through the door were back in the alley way where this whole thing had begun. Through the confusion and dazed looks on everyone’s face, it was Kira who stated the obvious aloud, but perhaps that was what needed to be heard by all to knock them all out of their disbelief of what just happened.

The Twin Blade just looked at everyone, not quite knowing what she should do. Everyone was quiet and not talking but Talal felt like they should be doing something, anything to get back and help the others. She knew she wasn’t the only one that felt that way, but it seemed obvious to her that no one was exactly sure how, or what to do. Baron and Takua left without a word so the dark haired girl turned to the other two females of the rag-tag evicted group.

”What do we do now? Shouldn’t we try to contact Gyl or something and get back in?”

Kira turned to Talal, the grim expression on her face stating her opinion of the matters as amber eyes flickered to the small Archer who hadn't moved since their arrival before returning to the other woman.

"She's been trying, her flashmails are being bounced back to her no matter how short or long they are."

The Long Arm's spear glinted in a brief shaft of sunlight as she shifted her weapon a little into a more comfortable position.

"Stock up on supplies or get the hell out of this world, turn your monitor off and go focus on something else. I don't like the feel of this situation and it's only going to get worse, I can feel it."

The girl solemnly nodded having had a similar feeling that there wasn’t anything they could do and would just have to hold out hope that Sidhe, Nemera, Zan and Alana would be okay. With that, she walked out of the alley and wove her way back to the main part of the city not really sure what she was doing or where she was going. If she logged out, like Kira had suggested, she might miss a call from Gyl, something she would never forgive herself for. If she stayed logged in and in the city, she might get cornered by the Knights of War. There was no right decision to be made.

She wandered about aimlessly for quite some time finally coming upon Trade Center and walked in, mostly to just get in from outside, but also to try and get her mind off of what just happened. She walked up and down the isles of tables, just glancing at the items up for trade and listening to players haggle over prices.
Several boxes sat along the counter for those who just wanted to drop things off for players to pick up on their own time. She walked slowly down the counter, reading off all the names of so many players she knew nothing about. Imagine her surprise when she heard her own name roll off her tongue. Stepping back, she looked at the tag. It was from Sekai and she had left a small note that simply stated "Don't Lose Heart."

Talal took the box but decided not to open it there. She needed to go find a secluded place to think things through and that would be a better place to open a box when one didn't know what it held. The dark-haired Twin Blade left the Trade Center as quietly as she had arrived.

She took the last roof ladder attached to the building to her right. She needed some time to think, to regain some sort of mental stability and to find out what was in the box. Her walls had crumbled beyond any decently quick repair and things were just going to take some time. Reaching the top, she walked along until she found a spot that was somewhat secluded but still gave her a view of the square and the main bridge. Dark brown eyes watched on while all of the players scampered about down below, completely unaware of what was really going on within The World. How lucky they were to be so clueless.

Peering down at the box by her foot the Twin Blade opened it and pulled out two Hale Cross Scrolls and a pair of Fishing Gloves. What could have possibly spurred the small Archer to give such a gift was beyond her. The scrolls were something Talal had had her eye on at the shops for quite some time but never managed to save up enough gold for even one, let alone two. The armor was also nice. It would come in handy she was sure. Placing the items into her inventory, she remained on the roof for awhile, but it was only allowing her to think more in depth about everything that happened. What she really needed was to not forget, but to move past it, at least for a short while and get her mind on something else.

Reaching for the top rung of the ladder she received the flashmail she had hoped would come. Gyl had finally got wind and was ready for them to reassemble. She quickly made her way down the ladder and ran towards the Chaos Gate. She stopped along the way for a few supplies, the suggestion seeming a very sound thing to do. Who knew when she’d get another chance to stock up or how long the rest of the dungeon would take. Entering the keywords into the menu, the trio of golden rings whisked her away to the meeting place. Part of her was excited at the chance to meet Gyl, but part of her was a bit leery. He hadn’t given keywords before. Such a small detail but if she had learned anything so far, it was to pay attention to even the smallest of them.

The minute Talal got to the field she was admittedly jumpy. She had hoped they would be back where they had left so they could help Sidhe, Nemera and the others finish, but this was not the dungeon they had left. There was nothing but sand as far as the eye could see. No portals, no monsters, no sprigs of grass, nothing. It was not a good sign at all. The waves of what she figured were supposed to be digital heat, distorted the scenery behind them. Something flickered strangely in the blue sky above. Something was out of place here, something she couldn’t put her finger on yet. She was reaching for her blades when Takua approached her, saying that he had picked something up for her. A scroll and a set of blades appeared in his hands just a moment later holding them out to her.

She reached for the items, deeply confused as to why he would do such a thing, frustrated that she hadn’t thought to do the same, and was sure that she was blushing in several different shades of red.

I…I don’t understand. Why did you…?

His response was even more confusing to her, but he had said it with a smile. For the love of - First Sekai, and the box of goodies at the Trade Center and now this? Had she really shown that she was that much of a failure at helping that she herself needed…help? She had followed him, had literally tracked him down to be here. How was it that he felt it was his responsibility that she was there? She and she alone was the one who did not heed his warnings.

The poor girl was suddenly flooded with guilt that her friend would feel the way that he did. She also knew that he wouldn’t take no for an answer and the items that he was giving her would indeed be very useful. Tears formed behind the FMD she was wearing at the gesture and knowing the stupid device, they were probably noticeable by him as well. She graciously accepted the items with a smile through her tears and placed them in her inventory before reaching out instinctively and gave him a hug.

”Thank you. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you before and not follow you. I just wanted to help you. Upsetting you and making you feel responsible for my safety was never my intent. I hope you can forgive me and I’ll certainly do my best to not be a hindrance to you.”

Realizing, she had been hugging him the whole time, she suddenly let go. Nervously and looking more than a little shy at the moment, she tried to find anything other than his eyes to look at. The reassurance that she wasn’t a hindrance made her smile, but his tone wasn’t something she’d consider warm. It was more of a resigned tone, like he had finally accepted that she was going to do whatever she needed or wanted to. In a way, she was glad that he was finally willing to do that but in another, it made her feel like somehow she was wrong for wanting or doing the things she did.

What was it about him that constantly had her on edge? Why does she seem to take every word he says and have it make her react so emotionally? Back peddling just a bit, the girl tried to excuse her current state and hoped he’d understand. Clearing the tears from her face, she looked up at him and smiled.

”I’m sorry. I don’t know why I seem to be reacting so emotionally as of late. I love the gifts. They fit in well with the elements that I have become fond of using. It…feels nice to be looked after or at least thought of. It’s not something I’m used to hence the tears earlier. Please trust me when I say, they were tears of happiness. Damn this stupid headset of mine for not allowing me a private moment.

She laughed hoping he would do the same.

Nothing she tried worked.

All lines of communication seemed to be completely severed as they'd been when she'd been taken by that... whatever it was that had kidnapped her and dragged her into the clouds back on the field. She had no memory of the events past the odd sensation in the air, the sickening feel of that odd energy wrapped around her waist, disconcerted vision as she was snapped into the air and the sound of Kira's voice echoing sharply in her ears before the cold clouds stole away the rest. Flashmails were bounced back to her, unanswered and untouched by the intended recipients as the young high schooler found herself closer and closer to tears of panic, frustration and fear.

Were they okay? Had they been caught in the backlash of that blast of energy?

Kira had gone to fetch supplies, something she'd been grateful for being as she didn't want to leave, didn't want them to come back to an empty alleyway. Didn't want them to think they were abandoned and return without at least herself. White hair fluttered in the wind as her legs gave out beneath her, dropping her to cold, unyielding stone as she stared blankly at the shadowed ground before her. There should have been a sign of some sort, she should have seen something, should have been able to hold herself together so that they wouldn't have gotten separated.

Another flashmail was sent, this one to the first person she'd ever called 'family' and truly meant it in every definition of the word. A message returned, stating that the account had grown inactive and would need to be reactivated. Something hit the back of her hand, briefly warm and then growing colder and colder, like the air around her as realization slowly, steadily began settling in. Two people she'd entrusted herself to, that she'd made herself think were okay to rely on and to depend on when she needed to be protected and safe for a little while; both gone.

“Little one?”

Kira was all she had left in both worlds; she'd alienated Mika-chan by deciding to stay within 'The World' and refusing her help in getting out of this coma. All this time she'd been slowly building herself up to a sense of purpose, preparing herself to give a solid reason for her desire to stay within this game- the world of AI- for however long she was able to... forever if such a thing possibly existed. A rustling of blue and yellow cloth slithered against the cobblestones as the tall woman knelt in front of her, strong and calloused hand reaching out to touch her cheek, tilting her chin up so that her face could be seen in that less than dim lighting.

All she had left.

Amber eyes, so alien looking compared to what she- a mere helpless, useless human- was accustomed to looked at her in concern and worry, fingertips playing across her face and gently wiping the tears from her cheeks in a gesture so tender and loving that it broke her wounded heart. Sekai bowed her head, white strands hiding her face from view as her fingers curled, balling into fists as her shoulder silently shook and more of her tears stained the backs of her hands and the stones below.

How could she have let this happen?

Kira skimmed her emotions as thoroughly as possible, honestly confused by the reaction her return had caused and found nothing more than anxiety, fear and an unusually strong sense of grief and despair flooding through their link. Why was she grieving? Had she received a message of some kind that had upset her or was it the lack of response from Zan or the others that had her bothered?

“I don't understand.”

She murmured softly, reaching for the small girl and gathering her resistant form into her arms, holding her as she'd done in the twice they'd spent their time in a more... intimate atmosphere. Her palms drew long, easy circles around her beloved's back, doing her best to comfort and calm the silently crying girl down. What kind of pain was this? Surely it wasn't an after effect of that meltdown she'd had back in the prison... right?

Verbal communication wasn't going anywhere, that was for damn sure, the AI thought to herself wearily as she continued to soothe the girl as best as effort could manage. She'd try through their link in a few minutes if she didn't calm down by then. Kira began to sing softly, a tuneless melody low in her throat as she cuddled the girl close and let her cry for a little while longer, listening to the sound of her sniffling and her broken breathing until things started to even out and slow themselves back to normal.

“I'm sorry.”

Sekai whispered quietly, wiping at her eyes with her hands. She shouldn't have scared Kira like that, shouldn't make herself into a bigger burden than she was already proving to be... and would continue to be in the future. When would the day come that she was no longer a burden to the people she loved?

And... when that day came, would they come back... and stay there instead of leaving?

Something that may have been frustration rose within the older woman's expression, quickly and ruthlessly stamped down by her need to keep the girl from bursting into tears again as she gently, but firmly, tried her best to make the younger one feel a little better.

“They'll be back. They're all too experienced to get in over their heads for too long without making it out alive. Have a little faith in them, alright?”

There was something disturbingly wrong with the smile that crept across the lips of the little Archer with her unfocused gaze, Kira thought. Her stomach clenched tightly in protest at the sight of it and something felt wrong deep within her heart as Sekai replied softly, as if she'd forgotten that Kira was there and was merely talking to herself.

“Alright.”

Watching her get up and methodically brush herself off, the former Ruem High Priestess stood and shook out her overskirt before settling in her place slightly behind Sekai to guard her from any would-be attackers as they walked out into the bustling city. No, this wasn't right at all and she could feel the struggle within her little one with the slightest brush of her presence against the link. Unable to think of anything else to do, Kira reached out and caught the small hand as it swung lightly back as she walked, entwining her fingers with those of her little one's own and walked side by side with her.

If nothing else, the icy Long Arm thought to herself, she could at least constantly remind Sekai that the girl wasn't alone... and that she wasn't going anywhere any time soon.

The flashmail from Gyl didn't do much to pick up the much subdued girl's spirits, despite what her guardian had hoped. Instead, she seemed to nod listlessly and head quietly for the Chaos Gate like some sort of brain washed prisoner. Definitely not at all like herself and it bothered the hell out of Kira more than she was willing to let on. She squeezed the girl's hand and muttered something uncomplimentary about the fact that it just had to be a goddamn Vak affiliated field and that Gyl had some kind of grudge against her and hadn't even met her yet.

Not even a brief smile. Dammit.

Whatever had plagued the girl and had been tearing her up from the inside out was forgotten... or at the very least, cast far to the side, as they entered the field and managed to get their bearings from the disconnected feeling one always got when traveling through a Chaos Gate.

Sekai's back straightened the moment their feet hit the soft sand, suddenly on alert as she released Kira's hand for a moment, bow drawn and loaded as her tawny eyes scanned the surroundings. Surprise filled Kira's expression as the white haired girl took a step forward and whirled around to look behind her, eyes temporarily blanking as she appeared to try and send a flashmail. The expression on her face was less than comforting as the stubborn chin raised a bit in defiance, eyes flashing in a mix of nervous agitation and anger as she turned to Kira.

“Something's wrong here; it says the sender doesn't exist and even in the worst of it, Gyl-san still answered.”

There was something defensive in her tone of voice, as if she expected Kira not to believe what she was saying- and whirled again as if seeing something that was too fast for human eyes to be seen. Kira quietly called in her spear in a flash of sapphire light, the blade flashing in the sunlight as she inhaled, trying to find anything that smelled or tasted funny in the field. Nothing, but there was an oddness that she was beginning to catch on to in the air itself.

“Takua's over there with the others, let's head over.”

Sekai nodded, grip on her bow tightening as she began to head for the group a little ways away with a steady, ground eating pace that kicked up sand and bits of... not-sand into the air that bothered both of them. Weapons flashing this way and that as they moved, Sekai called out ahead to the trio of those in her clan, those who hadn't gone comatose.

And if she had anything to say about it; never would.

“Takua-san, Talal-san, Baron-san!”

Kira was right behind her as she stopped, the tall AI looking sharply out and already in a defensive stance with her weapon's long shaft tucked against her side, right above her hip and the wicked blade ready to bite deep into an enemy and taste their blood. The young Archer paused for breath, looking to make sure that her companion was already on the look out before turning to the other three.

“This... I don't have a good feeling about this place. Something's wrong and I'm not receiving an answer from Gyl-san. No matter how bad things were before, he always answered without fail.”

Her large eyes searched the field and each of them, as if checking to make sure everything was okay... or something else entirely, before she continued, obviously anxious beyond belief and not wanting to get caught off her guard again.

“Back to back, that way we're facing all sides and no one can sneak up on us and attack us from behind. Make a circle, that way we can cover all directions at once; keep your weapons out and your guards up.”

Her place was taken at Kira's side, two arrows notched into her bow and ready to be fired as she stared out into the endless expanse of desert... and tried to ignore the flickering she could see at the edge of her vision. These were her clan members, they were her responsibility and now that everyone else was gone... it was her job, hers to keep them all safe. Especially since she was now the highest level out of all of them and had the most- even if it wasn't much- experience with these whole comatose matters and experiences.

Oddly enough, she wondered how Angel-san was... and how the meeting with Marionette-san had gone.

Would she be seeing them soon?

A flash of green faded into view over the wavering horizon. Something was approaching. The four stood and waited for the arrival of this something, and soon the green resolved into a shape. It was an ankle-length green dress, worn by a pale a beautiful woman with long brown hair, kept tied back at the back of her head. Her stomach and arms were bare. Strands of green fabric hung between her shoulders and wrists, loose and moving in the wind. Her exposed skin was patterned with designs, bands in green and brown, red and yellow. They didn’t match any of the common wave or elemental symbols, and looked to be decorative. On her brow rested a small golden tiara with a single jewel in the center, cloudy white like an opal. On her hand she held what appeared to be a long branch, the top culminating in an array of upward-pointing thorns, the bottom round and smooth as she buried it in the sand with each step. A spear or a walking stick, it served the purpose of both.

Sekai's voice rang out, filled with a harsh suspicion not at all like the usually gentle Archer as she drew her bowstring further back and prepared to fire. "Don't come any closer; where is Gyl and who are you?" Takua pulled out the Stormlord's Rod at the same time that the light of an Ap Do washed over all four of them. Paranoid about the woman and showing that suspicion, he slipped into a defensive posture in case he had to run.

Talal glanced over her shoulder at the green clad woman approaching. With blades drawn and hearing Sekai taking things under control, she went back to playing lookout on her side of the circle. The woman could be a distraction and the Twin Blade didn't want the group to be caught off guard from behind. Rather than immediately jump to alert like the others, Baron drew his blades, but held them at his sides calmly, carefully observing. As the new arrival came closer, his stance tensed slightly, but otherwise, he kept a calm front, waiting to see what would happen.

The woman stops, looking completely nonplussed. "Gyl is safe, for now." She looked annoyed, now. "He's good at hiding. You four aren't, however."

Kira's voice was low enough for the group to hear, her eyes focusing on the new arrival with an intensity that decieved her outwardly calm appearance. "If we tell you three to run; do it." Sekai's expression turned equal parts annoyed and nervous as she didn't release the hold on her weapon. "Who are you?" A simple question spoken in an almost expectant tone.

Baron shrugged at Kira's comment, his silver eyes taking measure of the woman who approached them, her menacing words sending a brief shiver of worry down his spine. Even so, his reply was calm, almost casual. "I don't see what good running will do, Kira. I already tried to Gate Out and it seems we're locked in the field."

"Then when we tell you to, rip off your headsets and get away from the computer." Sekai replied sharply.

Takua's murmer wouldn't reach past the small group. "Then just disconnect yourself from the internet manually or shut down your computer." He spoke much more loudly now, addressing the woman approaching them. "At a guess then, you're not exactly a friend. Mind telling us who actually sent that flashmail then? Since he's neither here and you don't have your hands on him."

For the moment, Talal wanted to stay silent and let the others do the talking but found herself a bit opinionated and not liking getting cornered so easily. Speaking softly yet firmly, she stated her thought on the matter. "No offense intended, but we already lost half of our group, we should stick together."

Kira's eyes narrowed as Sekai flinched under Talal and this new woman's words, though she was rather proud the girl's expression turned angry and defiant rather than crumple into shards of glass. "Let me guess; we're being captured as prisoners of war." The little Archer snapped out, looking furious. "These three have nothing to do with this war; leave them out of it and let them go."

"I suppose that I should take it as a compliment that you would come out here then. Mind telling us your name? You know, before we start to fight. It'd be courteous." There was something off about the Wavemaster's voice, as if he were being sarcastic...but he wasn't.

"My name? Xenobia. And no, you're not precisely prisoners of war. More like... interesting little experiments." She started walking forward once more, drawing near to the group. "You can run now, if you like."

Takua smiled and triggered a command. Ruem Wings burst from his back as he took flight, moving into the air and out of spear range. "Somehow, I doubt that running will do anything at all. Instead, I think we'll fight if you don't mind."

Baron held his blades at ready as well, the Fishskin shining in the desert light, even as the magical energy for the Merrows spell began gathering at his fingertips. His own wings, a shimmering radiant white, burst into being and were left spread open as he prepared for combat as well. "Yeah, besides. Running's not my style."

A sideways smirk that turned into a smile while her voice filled itself with sarcasm directed at the flying Wavemaster above. "Haven't we already discussed this issue with you and those damn wings of yours?" Why suddenly she was in such a, could it be playful? mood she didn't know, but it certainly felt better than before aside from the pure lack of good timing she seemed to not have for such a thing. Switching out for her shiny new gifted blades, the Twin Blade took a defense stance with a smile. "Shall we dance?"

Kira would be willing to bet her birthright that this 'Xenobia' character was probably one of the Elites and slipped into a stance of her own. "Decision's been made apparently, it'll hurt like a bitch but, oh well. Attack!" Sekai fired automatically at the command, her eyes overbright with emotion as she clenched her teeth and fired a third. "Quaking Arrow of Fissure!" , second level Earth based attack, not that this was going to do much good against one of the Elite but, it was worth the effort.

One by one, their efforts were countered. Without warning or explantion, Takua's wings folded and he dove headfirst into the ground. Baron and Talal lowered their weapons, adopting a stance both casual and identical to one another. As for Sekai's arrows, they simply... missed. Her aim adjusted at the last moment, and the arrows whizzed by the long arm. Xenobia continued to walk forward. Sekai fell into line with Talal and Baron, while a sand-covered Takua dragged himself to his feet and joined them. To an outsider, it would have been perfectly casual. To each other, their eyes were frantic as they attempted to move bodies that refused to obey their command. "Good... Now that we've come to an understanding."

Baron grimaced in surprise at the sudden loss of control, unable to stop himself from moving. Looking up at the Long Arm approaching them, the Twin Blade realized what was going on with a start. "So, I assume this is all a game to you, huh?

Alright, nobody said anything about there being a domination skill in The World. Continuing her attempts to fight back to no avail she settled into her role as it were. "It's too bad really. She obviously can't take us down unless we're immobile. I was truly hoping she had more spunk than such a cheap cop out. Tsk tsk."

Takua's eyes flickered over the Long Arm that had seized control over his body. This wasn't good in any way, especially since she could just do what she wanted now. Or make them fight each other. "I don't suppose that there's any chance you could let us control our bodies again? Maybe give us a cookie if we try really hard to kill you?"

Perfect timing, she was about ten feet or so away and... now! The white haired Archer's head suddenly lifted, a smirk on her face as she activated one of her spells, the glyph forming as she snapped the name of the spell. "GiGan Zot!" . Not wasting any time to watch the spell, an arrow formed in her hands as she lunged, hoping to stab the bitch and draw some kind of blood or injury on her to let her know she shouldn't be so damn confident.

Two concentric rings of rock spires shot from the ground, Striking the hacker and leaving her open for the archer's charge, arrow gripped tight to use like an expendable dagger. She lunged, she swung, she stabbed...

And just as the tip penetrated the skin of her cheek, the archer stopped cold. A tiny droplet of crimson wound its way down Xenobia's cheek, and she smiled.

"Two minds... Twice as hard to control. No matter though, it's not something new to me." She brushed Sekai's arm aside, and wiped the blood from her cheek. "So, you others choose to taunt me, but only this one is able to make good on your threats. So, I'll give you all a choice. Which one of you wants to be freed?"

Baron grinned lightly in spite of himself. He knew this game, and he had heard it all before. "Well, that depends. You're offering one of us to betray the others, a simple setup I'm sure we've all heard before. However, you know none of us will abandon the others, and will probably plead to have one of those others freed instead. In reality, you're going to have your way with us nonetheless, so why don't you stop posturing? You're not fooling anyone, hag."

Xenobia smiled. "No, you misunderstand me. I'll give one of you the freedom to challenge me, for the lives of the others. Merely choose your champion."

A tiny smile flickered across Takua's face as he saw the tiny spot of blood. His eyes narrowed at her words though...what did she mean by that strange offer? "I'd prefer a shot, although Sekai might be better."

"How about the little two in one deal comes quietly and will tell you what you want to know if you let the three idiots here log out?" Kira's voice came out of the Archer's mouth, sounding rather amused rather than concerned. "It's not like they'll get away permanently or anything, they're not smart enough to know better after all."

Baron frowned at Kira's comment about a two-in-one deal, another idea running through his mind as well. He remembered in the Juk Prison, where Takua had been a whole different person for a while, and how Sekai had just been able to shake free with Kira's assistance. If the same thing worked with the Wavemaster... there might be a plan. "I'd be willing to say Sekai as well, but would you mind if we talked it over before you destroy us? After all, I'm certain our little plans won't do much against you, would they?"

"Feel free. None of us are going anywhere." She smiled.

"Would you consider unfreezing us so that we may huddle and plan our doom?"

She shrugs, and moves the four of them into a huddle, and walks circles around them, slowly pacing. They're still frozen, though.

Baron rolled his eyes at the woman, a small undertone of sarcasm audible beneath his voice. "Oh, aren't you one with a sense of humor. Mind if we have a few minutes of privacy? Surely you don't think four ordinary players would be much use against a hacker of your clearly superior quality, do you?"

"You can stop appealing to my arrogance any time now. It won't get you anywhere."

Xenobia was tracing designs in the sand when their deliberation came to a head. "Xenobia, I'm the one who'll be facing you by group decision."

"Finally." And with that, Sekai was free. The other three were moved back, taking seats like children on a nearby dune. Meanwhile, the circle Xenobia had traced in the sand sprouted grass. "This will be our arena. Step outside it and you'll step back in." She stepped inside and held her spear at the ready.

Kira rolled her shoulders, eyes narrowing as she drew one of the bows and readied an arrow. "I'm guessing my offer from earlier's not good enough for you?" Mild amusement in her voice as she stepped within the circle of grass. "Sekai and I'll come quietly, answer your questions honestly and fully; in return, you let those three idiot children log out to sulk and bitch about their inability to do anything."

""I don't have questions for you. Though using you as bit for your once-cohorts could be useful... Royce and Klive are dealing with that for now, though.”

"Figured as much, any way I can sway you to let 'em go anyways? If not, I'll shut up and we can get the party started." Kira asked, raising an eyebrow and grounding herself, finding her center of gravity so she wouldn't be as easily knocked over or unbalanced.

"They're going nowhere. But that's okay. The party is already started." A spiked vine erupts from the ground and skewers the archer through the side.

"That was unpleasant." She replied, sweat breaking out as she placed a hand above the vine itself. "BiVak Rom." Burn away that which held you and one could attack. Speaking of attacking... Kira did just that. "MeRai Rom, GiGan Zot." Dual spells flew forth, one earth based attack, one lightning tornado.

With a speed that caused the sand around them to blast into the sky, Xenobia dashed around to the side opposite where the vine had impaled the archer, and drove her spear into Kira. She drove the archer backwards, past the edge of the grass, and stopped, with a smile. "One step out... and one step in." Unable to control herself, she stepped forward, driving the spear deeper. Xenobia then extended the spear, again forcing the step and the painful sensation of the branch ripping through her torso.

Baron watched as Sekai/Kira was pinned, pushed against a barrier that served to impale her further on the spear that Xenobia held. He knew then was his moment to strike, where he'd have to take hold of the precious few seconds he had, even if they did nothing more but buy some time.

Instead of the same sitting position that everyone else had, Baron's body relaxed, calming as he permitted Libra to take hold of the data that made up his character. Standing hurriedly, a more confident stance than before making up his posture, he loosed three quick spells, a deeper tone to his voice than before. "GiRai Don! GiRue Kruz! Merrows!"

Kira's pain tolerance had been legendary, her expression pained and pissed, a rather lethal combination as she pushed herself closer- damn the rules of the barrier- into the spear. Point blank the bitch she would, she vowed angrily. Spells swirled and, despite her fondness for her own element, the interference pissed her off. "Stay the fuck out of this or I'll come over there and gut you myself, understand me?! You don't interfere in a duel!"

Libra flashed her a cold look, the emotionless voice very much unlike Baron's usual. "Be quiet, woman. This isn't a duel, it's a slaughter, and you know it. You don't stand a chance alone, so just shut your mouth before I do it for you. Take my advice and use whatever you have available. I don't care if you want it or not."

"Tell me to shut my mouth again and I'll double cross the whole sorry lot of you and help Xenobia send your host into a coma myself. If any of you interfere again, you'll face me as your enemy as well as Xenobia. It's slaughter either way, there was an agreement that I'd face her, not any of you. Sit your ass down and shut the fuck up." The AI snapped out angrily, eyes glowing a brillant amber in fury.

”CEASE!” and with her command, the four DID cease. They ceased moving, they ceased speaking, and for a brief moment, they ceased even breathing. Xenobia yanked her spear from the chest cavity of the archer and swung it around, all the grass she had planted receding into the ground. ”You no longer amuse me. It’s time for you to go.” Kira knelt in the sand before her, blood dripping into the head and drying quickly. The long arm drove her spear into the back of her neck, slamming her into the ground, dead. She gestured, and a trio of roots similar to the one that had first speared the archer burst forth from the ground, and the three seated figures each took one in the eye. None of the four ghosted; instead they seemed trapped in their bodies, their vision fading to black, unconsciousness taking hold.

(OOC: GG Guys.)