Beacons of Hope

Mikasa361 · February 11, 2018

Three years, so much has changed…

It’s brought destruction, damage, hell…

But where do I fit in?

What is my purpose?

Yes hi hello, welcome to an original universe roleplay!

Here is the premise:

The year is 2050. At this point in time, many different species of humanoid creatures have been found all over the world- including dryads, elves, and different forms of human/animal hybrids, mainly bipeds. With the evolution of science and medicine, cyborgs were not uncommon. Yet with this evolving world, there was still a common belief that there were gods of many elements- such elements that would protect the planet and save it when the time came.

Three years ago, an entire town was overtaken by an unknown entity, one that soon took over the planet with iron force. All hell broke loose, and many were killed brutally by the Entity and its many gangs of grublins and golems and wyverns. Others were killed further when they tried to rebel the entity’s rule. The rest now fight to survive, no longer able to gather up any courage to fight. All hope has been lost.

At the same time, reports of people going missing ran high. They were all young teenagers, and most of them were never found. Since the arrival of the Entity, these numbers had hit their peaks. However, this surprise anomaly had stopped within three months of the Entity’s appearance.

Three years later, a glimmer of hope arose. It turned out that many of the missing teenagers were found in crystal coverings, surrounded within a magical fluid. These crystals were found underground in the midst of the chaos and confusion, and with exposure to air, the crystals shattered. It was discovered that these teens had special… Abilities. Depending on the color of the crystals they were found in, these humans had the ability to wield any of the eight forms of magic below:

Fire- One who wields this ability can control fire. This means that they are able to start small fires through the palms of their hands and can deflect fire attacks. Further, they can control a fire that has already been started and utilize it to attack their opponents. No, they cannot breathe fire. Best with wind.
Electricity- Similarly, those with electricity are able to send out currents of electricity towards their opponents and- if strong enough- can channel smaller bolts of lightning through themselves and towards their opponents. No, they cannot channel entire lightning storms or summon a giant bolt of lightning.
Ice- Those who wield ice can drop the temperature of the air around them and withstand temperatures up to -55 degrees Celsius (-67 degrees Fahrenheit). They are able to freeze their opponents with contact, and if given enough liquid, are able to freeze up some projectiles. This works best with the wind element.
Earth- Those with the earth ability are able to solidify mud into rock and hurl projectiles of rock at opponents. They are also able to create a temporary armor of mud or sand, which makes a great defense.
Poison- Those who wield poison can create their own venom and are immune to venom attacks. Very useful for assassination, if they’re okay with spitting in drinks. No, they cannot turn anything into poison.
Fear- Those who wield fear can emit high-pitched sound waves that can strike fear in those who hear. Please be cautious around these Beacons, because their waves do not discriminate. Always use earplugs.
Wind- Those with the wind element can create small tornadoes and moderate wind storms. They are also able to use bursts of air to throw projectiles or carry fire forward. No, they cannot create hurricanes.
Shadow- Those who wield shadow are able to hide themselves in even the smallest of shadows. They can strike whenever they get the opportunity, and often use a strike of shadows, which will surround the enemy and disorient them for five minutes. Oftentimes the opponent will attack their own allies within this time. Proceed out caution.

All of these elements are unruly in their own rights, and they must be trained to be tamed. This is why, as soon as they were discovered, the Crystal Beacons were sent to a remote location, one of which seems uninhabitable due to the damage of scorched earth and thick ashy air. But this is only on the surface. In this location lie many caves that are connected by a network of tunnels. Beneath these caves lies a city much like the ones that prospered many millennia before the deity entered this world. It’s a wonderful city, with towers of stone and terracotta, temples everywhere, and the remnants of the gods who were once worshipped- and these are the gods whom blessed our heroes with their powers.

This is the secure base of the Beacons of Hope. Within the temples of the gods they train, within the security of the caves they thrive. The crystals lining the caves are a luxury and a great form of defense indeed- this is the material in which the Beacons keep hidden. Within this base as well are Guardians- humans with special psychic abilities who uphold the spiritual ideas of the elemental gods. They do their best to make sure that the Beacons are safe and training to the best of their abilities.

However, things are changing. As the world grows ever more bleak, the enemy draws nearer and nearer. This will cause some problems. After all, the initial aim was for the Beacons to be hidden until they were ready to fight back with full force. Alas, this cannot be the case. Thus, the beacons will fight back any of the Entity’s subordinates if they near the base, though only for the sake of training.

Now the problem? None of the Beacons truly know what they are supposed to do- after all, these Beacons are all estimated to be between the ages of thirteen and nineteen, and it is difficult to fathom that one day they may have to kill any humans who surrendered to and became minions of the Entity. Animalistic and unnatural beings were easy to fight and defeat, but fellow humans would prove to be psychologically impossible to attack. After all, before they were found in crystals, they interacted with fellow humans. They had families, friends, memories, lives. So instead, they train on the daily, in constant search of their purpose. While they mingle, they know not of each other’s powers, for they train in seclusion. But with each day they grow stronger…

...Until one day the base is swarmed. The Guardians of the city were able to fend off the troops, but at a cost. Many of the Guardians were killed during the fight, whilst the rest passed on due to the injuries sustained…

With the exception of one. One of the younger Guardians at the age of thirty was able to escape the Beacons. They fled into another labyrinth of caverns from underneath the city to flee. But where did they go? Where else was there to go?

...Up. There was one final area that the Entity had not managed to touch. The oldest temple of the planet rested on a series of floating islands, and only reachable by those who possessed the power of Wind. With their help, the Beacons made it to safety… and to where they now stay. Without the multitude of Guardians watching their every move, the Beacons were finally free to train together, since they were not allowed to work together before. Here they are, under the direction of their head guardian Aurelius, waiting for the day they can finally come out of hiding…

With that out of the way, welcome! You are now one of these Crystal Beacons, training to save the world! ...Or something like that. With this premise, we begin our little RP. Here’s the link to the Discord, which serves the purpose of an OOC thread: https://discord.gg/HqvCkDH

Please use the Discord wisely. I don’t want to have to kick anybody because they can’t get along. Cool? Cool. Now for the rules of the RP.

~General Rules~

The Discord server is the official OOC.
All Dragon Cave Forums rules apply.
No god-modding in either the Discord or the RP.
Don't powerplay or use your characters as if they're OP when they are not. Big battles are supposed to be a team effort.
Make sure you double-check with someone before you battle/make romantic advances/etc.
Try to avoid explicit scenes, and fade to black when they come. Keep gore ambiguous as well! This is a PG13 forum.
All cursing past “hell” or “damn” should be censored, and please don't curse too much unless your character is a sailor-mouth.
BE POLITE TO OTHER ROLEPLAYERS AT ALL TIMES!!!! I cannot stress this enough. People bashing each other will result in getting kicked from the RP.
Be patient with me. I have a lot on my plate outside of school, so I won't be on all the time. If I'm absent for too long, just send me a message in Discord or ping me in the server.
If you have any ideas for the RP, feel free to share in the Discord!
The rules are subject to change at my discretion. Be sure to check back often.
Have fun~!

~On Characters~

You may have up to four characters, and all of them MUST be Beacons. Please ask me if there is another role you wish to take.
The age range for Beacons is 13-19 years old.
This is an original universe, therefore I would like the Beacons to be original characters! Canon characters will not be approved. If the original character is based off a canon character, that's fine, but I decide when it’s too similar to its inspiration.
You must fill out a character sheet! The template is down below.
Please make the elements of the characters diverse! I would prefer that we have many different Beacons who wielded different elements than a big group with all of the same element. It wouldn't be fun if everyone wielded Electricity, after all.
No Mary Sues. Try to leave room to develop your characters as you go along.
Characters should be human, but humanoid is fine.
On humanoid creatures- They can be anything I mentioned above- nymphs, dryads, fairies, elves, human/animal hybrids, and cyborgs. Check with me if there’s a humanoid creature you want to use but are unsure about!

~On ROMANCE~

Keep in mind that any romance should be relatively subtle and not the focus of everything. This isn't a romance RP.
No incest, unless it's joking. Crack shipping moments are allowed, as long as they aren't too raunchy.
Please don't have characters already dating each other at first! If they have a significant other at home, cool, but otherwise no.
Relationships may be based on the sexuality of the character.
Don't argue about the pairings that people create. If the owners of both characters agree on it, it's not our problem. That being said, please make sure that any relationships that occur come naturally, alright? Thanks.

Character Sheet

Name:

Age:

Species:

Ethnicity [if human]:

Sexuality:

Gender:

Element:

Appearance:

Personality:

History before the crystal:

Keep these notes in mind:

-This world is modern like our own, or at least it was until almost everything was destroyed.

-There are elements of an ancient world and an ancient religion that still exist to this day. The islands are floating above what would have been present-day Kazakhstan.The city from which the Beacons fled was in modern-day Turkey.

-The year is around 2050.

-The Beacons were crystallized at random, and should have had some sort of flash of what their element is.

-Beacons were frozen for about 3 years, since they were frozen by the time the Entity appeared.

-This RP is based on a couple of things- including the Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon. Feel free to do some research before or after signing up!

-Magic is a mysterious force that pretty much runs the planet. It was first discovered by human civilization 70 years prior, and is now being tamed

-Human hybrids were discovered in secluded areas about 50 years ago. Now, they are spreading out- or at least they were. It was because of magic centuries ago that these hybrids were to evolve.

-There are a few different forms of magic- The magic that created the hybrids, magic that humans try to use (mainly in the form of spells that can complete minor tasks), and then the Elemental Magic that the Beacons use.

-The planet isn't completely wiped, but there are many areas that are destroyed.

Bestiary:

Grublins are strange creatures who look like mutated, overgrown house flies- see this image for reference: https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/spyro/images/1/11/Grublin_Fly1.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20110714034006 Grublins typically carry some form of melee weapon and are weak by themselves. However, be careful when you have a swarm of them.

Golems are very rare, but they are huge. See this image: https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/spyro/images/d/dc/Golem.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100510191109 They are about the size of large buildings, and often live in the underground. Golems have long tails that can be used as weapons, but be mindful of their fists too!

Wyverns are a type of dragon-like Grublin, shown here: https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/spyro/images/e/e8/Wyvern.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100602183808 They are able to breathe waves of wind and shadow that can be very painful if they make contact with you.

We also have Orcs- http://smuggledpixel.free.fr/spyro/Jasp_Spyro_OrcBowman02.jpg These buggers have crossbows, and are a pain to fight from a distance.

And lastly, there are Trolls- large enemies who are able to either hit you hard or create shockwaves by jumping. https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/spyro/images/1/16/Troll_%28LoS%29.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20120814053614 Here they are.

The Entity, however, is unknown. Nobody had managed to get a real look at it and survive. For now, it must remain a mystery.

Character Roster:

Guardians:

Aurelius (Mikasa361)

Fae Minare (Pyro)

Fire:

Jehan Durand (Mikasa361)

Electricity:

Armin Keiper (Mikasa361)

Ryley "Ry" Withers (ValidEmotions)

Ice:

Evonna Durand (Mikasa361)

Reive Hake (Skwerl56767)

Earth:

James Stannis (TehUltimateMage)

Jess Nadolski (Esko)

Poison:

Skahtii (Skwerl56767)

Fear:

Monica "Mimi" Matthews (ValidEmotions)

Kyle Ossler (Esko)

Wind:

Zhibek Akhmatova (Mikasa361)

Shadow:

Claris Day (TehUltimateMage)

BONUS! Some of our arts. ❤️

(By Mage)

(NOT the full cast- By yours truly!)

Full album here! https://imgur.com/a/FOX7a

Spotify playlist ->

YouTube playlist, full of music and memes ->

Music from the game this is based on ->

Edited May 29, 2018 by Mikasa361

Mikasa361 · February 17, 2018

~Zhibek- I’m Still Smiling~

Zhibek had finally come back from a brief mission in the remains of Astana. She slipped out the chain that hung from her neck, revealing the small, glimmering ring that had been presented to her just six months before she went missing. Was it really so long ago? It felt like nothing had changed. Unfortunately, Zhibek didn’t think she was going to grow any taller. Still, she hoped that some of the younger Beacons could. She saw Aurelius standing there, ready to greet her.

“Welcome, Zhibek. I suppose all was successful?” Zhibek held up her pack, stuffed with snacks and first aid kits.

“The mission went well, Aurelius. Alas, I did sustain an injury or two.” She clutched her ring close to her chest, knowing that had she been in an area such as Beijing or London, she probably would have been close to joining… Aurelius frowned, looking at the way Zhibek’s fist clenched.

“Peace, Zhibek. You’re alive, and nobody has breached our security. All is well.” He placed his fingers to his temples and allowed the barrier to return around the islands. Zhibek looked at the ring one more time and then let it slip through her fingers, underneath her shirt and settled in its place close to her heart. She smiled and bowed at the waist. Aurelius raised his hand and dismissed her. “You may go and treat your wounds. Rest up, we will have another mission soon enough.” Zhibek nodded and started running towards her quarters. Luckily, her legs were completely fine. The ring did bounce a little, almost causing a pang of sadness in Zhibek’s heart. Still, she continued to run. She knew why she was still standing, why she was alive. It was all for….

Zhibek noticed a few other Beacons, socializing between training sessions. She smiled kindly and greeted them, continuing to jog back to her room.

~Armin- Relax, my child.~

Armin noted that his tail was twitching. He was yet in another anxious mood, not sure if today was going to just be a normal day. Would Grublins come to attack? Would Aurelius be killed, leaving the Beacons on their own? Aurelius had just allowed everyone to spar with one another… Would something go awry and kill a fellow? Would his peers make fun of him for his appearance? This last one was least likely, since many of the others were not completely human. He saw some of said peers conversing, and shyly began to sneak off.

~Evonna- I miss you.~

Evonna had just finished training by herself. She collapsed to her knees, panting and sweating. It was an intense session- Evonna had made sure the punching bag was extra heavy this time. She took off her gloves and let herself lay on the ground, gently cooling the air around her so that she could feel much more comfortable. Growing up in Canada, Evonna never knew exactly how to handle anything other than the cold. The cold was all she ever truly knew, but she loved it all the same. It was fortunate that the islands weren’t necessarily that warm- training would be hell otherwise.

She began to think about her life before the crystal- what had happened? Why did the Elementals choose her of all people? She wasn’t special. No, no, she was just a teenager who was a fan of heavy metal and other music. She never was social, and the most she could do was punch someone’s lights out. Why her? Why couldn’t she have just been with her family, no matter their fate? What had become of her mama and papa, who were probably worried sick when she vanished? What of Jehan, her only known blood relative? Her brother cared for her even when the orphanage and foster care failed them both. Was he out there, alive? Worried? Searching? Risking his life to find his baby sister?

Perhaps she would never know. Once her temperature lowered, Evonna stood up so that the next person who wanted to use this room could do so. She noticed that Zhibek was running back to her quarters. Zhibek had smiled and waved as she passed. Evonna waved back, knowing how active the girl was. Then she walked to the edge of the island and looked down below, seeing the ruins of many cities down below. It pained her heart to know that all of her family could be gone. They could be in the ground, on the ground, somewhere else… Where had they gone? Are they alright?

I miss you…

Edited April 4, 2018 by Mikasa361

ValidEmotions · February 18, 2018

Monica | Fear | Do Not Disturb

Her lips parted in a yawn, a hand sweeping up to conceal her mouth and make a half-hearted attempt at stifling it. Monica was bored. She needed another mission, something to get her moving again and out of the monotonous schedule she'd made for herself. Slouching, she draped an arm over the back of the dining chair, twirling her fork lazily through the noodles she'd cooked up. The sauce was bland at best. Grunting, she pushed back her seat and rose up, carrying the mostly-eaten meal with her. Dumping the remnants into the trash, she left the plate in the sink, not bothering to rinse it off before walking away.

Raking her fingers through her dark hair, the young woman traveled the hallways, stopping only once to prevent Zhibek from colliding with her. Monica refrained from rolling her eyes, choosing instead to stuff her hands into the back pockets of her pants and keep walking. She wondered if she should harass Aurelius to send her on a mission or two - she was itching for some more action. However, after her last one a few weeks ago ended... not so smoothly, the man had put a freeze on her field duties.

She was an adult put on time out by another adult. And she was supposed to save the world... how? Annoyance bubbled up in her chest not for the first time, prickling her skin with warmth as her lips began to tickle. Inhaling deeply, she shut her eyes and, in a fluid motion, swept the wireless headphones from her neck onto her head. There was no music connected to them but they still blocked out the sounds of the world, isolating her in a way she could control.

The sensation in her lips faded and her throat no longer felt constricted.

Ryley | Electricity | Please say 'hi'

"Ah!"

They hit the ground, their chair clattering and twisting as their body did. Whimpering, Ryley sat up, rubbing the back of their head with a bandaged hand, eyes shut tight against the new sore. A fresh jolt of electricity sparked at their fingertips and live-wired their hair, strands too short to be tied back now standing on end from their hairline. Sighing, Ryley dropped their arm, hands resting against the ground as they stared at the toppled chair.

Picking themself up, they gingerly righted the seat and turned to the stuffed doll that had dropped to the floor. Holding it, they brushed it off, as if it had collected dirt in its fall. Well, it certainly collected lint. Sighing again, Ryley frowned, worrying their lower lip in the next moment. "This sucks..." they muttered for likely the zillionth time. Setting the little deer down on the chair, the teenager opted to leave their room. It wasn't healthy to just spend their days sulking in their bed. At least, that's what they repeatedly told themself.

Shutting the door behind them, they started down the hallways, both hoping to and fearing that they might run into someone. Crossing paths almost always required interaction and Ryley was conflicted about that. They didn't know whether they hated conversation or isolation more. They definitely didn't like alienation. Anxious from the idea, they tugged at their shirt sleeves, ensuring that their arms were fully covered. Hiding was easy for them; nothing was revealed on their face.

They still marveled at the individuals with traits that couldn't be concealed. But they supposed the elemental powers that gave each Beacon their... well, their Beacon status, was common enough ground for everyone here. Actually, probably not for everyone. They caught sight of Monica at the opposite end of the hallway and shrunk away as the older teen passed, headphones up like a clear sign saying "don't talk to me". Watching her retreating back, Ryley sighed for a third time before moving again.

They needed to find some company that wasn't going to snarl or yell at them.

Edited February 18, 2018 by ValidEmotions

skwerl56767 · February 24, 2018

Temple Base - In the Library

Reive was never one to talk much. Sitting in the library by himself, subconsciously entertaining the thought to grab some snacks, he turned the page of his latest study: the dictionary. A Beacon who couldn't speak English well didn't surprise the Guardians, but they didn't let it slid, either. Learning words for new concepts was hard for Reive, but he had the most fun with synonyms; who knew there could be so many words that share the same meaning? His people, a tribe of Draconoids, had a very black-and-white language; the twisting of words or deliberate omission to skirt lying was absolutely foreign to them. Remembering that was hard... but covering it with "trite"s, "cliche"s, and "banal"s helped to ease the pain; or alleviate it, if you preferred.

The icy creature looked up at the sound of thundering down the halls; once plentiful with chatter and walking before, now almost dead silent since the attack. It must be Zhibek, he thought, resuming his reading. He came across a new word: hidrosis. Immediately he looked to his right, where an open thesaurus lay, and began turning the pages. Hidrosis, perspiration, sweat... Zhibek must be undergoing hidrosis, he thought to himself in amusement. Perhaps I should use that around Aurelius. He will be proud of me. No, he looked back at the dictionary, correcting himself, he MAY be proud of me. But I will that he will be proud of me. Reive suddenly sighed, rubbing his temples. No Reive, the grammar is different, remember?

Habitually, Reive looked up to search for a grammar book, just to stop himself in remembrance. It wasn't hard to look around, considering he was at one of three tables in a circular room with many of the ledges empty, but so much knowledge had perished in the attack at the old base, books, scrolls, and tomes adding fuel to the fire. This old temple had plenty of shelving, but many of them were also unstable from age, leaving what remained of the previous library to clutter up the ledges here. The entire room was in a bizarre state, suspended between too full and too empty. It saddened Reive; he had some favorites that had gone with the fire. Books were still a novelty to him.

Reive heard more echoing footsteps outside, and checked the door to the library. It was too quiet for anyone to sneak by, anymore, even though he couldn't see anyone.
"You're free to join me," he offered aloud, turning back to his studies. He wouldn't provide much company, but he liked knowing that there was someone nearby. There was something eerie about being completely alone.

Edited February 24, 2018 by skwerl56767

TehUltimateMage · February 25, 2018

James Stannis | Training island | "Now take it in but don't look down"

"It's a long way down, isn't it?"

James approached, addressing Evonna. Standing beside her, he followed her gaze and peered over the edge as well, holding the rim of his hat for fear of losing it to the clouds.

He knew if he fell, he had about half a second to save himself by clinging to the stone with his magic (that was assuming that it wasn't Evonna who had flung him off the ledge in the first place) and slowly clawing his way back up. He wasn't one of the lucky people with wind powers, or wings, and so while it was exhilarating taking in the view every day while running across the hovering bridges, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous every time he focused on the vast nothingness below.

There was really nothing much to do up here other than study, train, and punch each other in face; all three he already had enough of doing. It was exciting, at first, but Aurelius wasn't very clear how they would be spending their days. He could feel that many people were spending them moping, staring wistfully into the distance, or otherwise wasting their energy worrying that they couldn't do more.

"Man, when are they going to send us out to kick some grubblin butt?" James sighed, musing out loud. "We're wasting away out up here. Nothing like some life-threatening fisticuffs to keep us on our toes, right?" He gave a toothy grin to Evonna to make sure that she knew he was joking.

Marcus Pheonix · February 25, 2018

K'lee - Snikity sneking all over

K’lees eyes darted open, she was lying in her room, specifically, on her bed. Her lower body was wrapped tightly around a large stuffed penguin, the top half of the penguin had torn open, stuffing forming a white afro of sorts.

K’lee sat up, releasing the grip her tail had on the penguin and glancing at the clock. Her mood fell as she realised how much she’d slept in. She anxiously slammed open the windows of her room, the lack of sunlight was obviously the reason why she had slept in so long, she had also knocked off her covers in her sleep, furthering her lack of function.

Throwing on her jumper and slapping her cheeks to try and get her blood pumping K’lee quickly exited her room, making for the training area, taking her spear with her. Since coming here, she had made sure to exercise every day, determined to increase her muscle mass in her upper body. She had yet to go on any missions, so she hadn’t had time to prove whether her training had, had any meaningful results but that brought up an important point.

K’lee was unsure how she should act. Her whole life she’d been raised to hunt. Her tribe were definitely on the primitive end of the races in this planet but their strength, cunning and alluring nature had always kept them alive. Then the entity appeared, and her tribe prospered more than ever before, taking over villages and even some towns, taking the men for themselves, and using the chaos from the entity’s takeover to strengthen their numbers. K’lee had never been involved with that, due to her small size she had been written off as a useless member of the tribe, she doubted her mother ever planned on letting her breed for fear of producing equally small offspring.

K’lee had always been bitter about it, desperate to prove that she could do what her peers could. But she had always failed, her appearance wasn’t enough to lure men on sight, her length wasn’t enough to perform ambushes, and most of all her strength wasn’t anywhere near the level to successfully subdue grown human men by force.

Her last attempt had ended in disaster, trapped, alone and surrounded, the only thing that had saved her was becoming a beacon. But that brought up a whole new slew of emotions. She had been saved by the thing that opposed the entity, the thing that had allowed her tribe to prosper. And not only that but now she was interacting and supposed to cooperate with prey.

She was momentarily distracted from her thoughts as she passed one such prey, a rather stern looking girl wearing those sound transmitting devices over her ears.

Back in her tribe human women had only ever been obstacles, to be killed or possibly even eaten, yet now K’lee was supposed to ally with them? Use the powers she had been given to help them. K’lee had noticed that her eyes had lingered on the woman, her whole body slowly turning to follow her, despite her tail keeping her moving forward.

Turning back the way she was headed K’lee clenched her fist tight around her spear. Even if she was supposed to assist these people she would still strive to prove herself to her tribe. There weren’t many human males here but K’lee had set her eyes on one, one male that if she could bring back to her tribe she knew she would be praised, not one of those strange demi-humans, she had no idea what her tribe would make of them, but they probably wouldn’t be impressed. K’lee had no knowledge of whether or not any of her tribe had bred with non-humans before.

K’lee made her way out, traversing the top of the floating islands, headed towards the training room. However, her eyes lit up as she recognised the heat signature of the man she had been targeting. She licked her lips enthusiastically, but then snarled as she saw him standing next to one of the other women. The two were standing quite close to the edge, K’lee briefly wondered if she were to throw the other woman off the edge would her powers let her survive. K’lee let the thought go and decided that she would pursue her mark after she had finished training, slithering passed them and entering the training building.

Edited February 25, 2018 by Marcus Pheonix

Mikasa361 · February 25, 2018

~Evonna- Dammit, this kid.~

Evonna scowled as soon as she heard James start to talk. She had no idea why he bothered with her- Zhibek was just as willing to go out there and talk to people as James was… Even the Scary One™ was met with smiles, even if she spewed out all of the expletives in the world at Zhibek. If she did that to Evonna, though, someone would get their ass kicked. Eventually she shrugged.

“I guess Aurelius is waiting for a bit. He doesn’t want us getting killed in the first real mission, you know.” She took out the little jewel her parents had given her on her birthday- were they okay? This was going to haunt her for a long time until she could get some closure. She held the gem close to her chest, feeling some pressure build in her chest- No. Not here. Not in front of this bug. Evonna just hoped that, with this next mission, whatever it may be, that she would find out something important.

~~~

~Zhibek- Look out below!~

Zhibek had found what she needed from her room. Now she just needed to relax somewhere, but her bed wasn’t quite comfortable at the moment. Perhaps she could go to the library and nap on one of the couches. It was about time to get a bit of rest- after that recon mission, Zhibek was exhausted. She ran towards the main island and back to the library. Jogging through the main doors, Zhibek made a beeline for the nearest couch- also noting Reive was here. She grinned, waving at the draconic figure.

“Oh! Hello.”

~~~

~Aurelius and Armin- Other Plans~

Aurelius wandered the stone bridges, noting when Monica passed by him. She gave him a very rude phrase when he greeted her, then moved on her way. Typical. He soon as entered the main temple to say a few prayers when he noticed Armin, sitting in the corner, refusing to move. He looked up at Aurelius with those large eyes, moist with tears of fear. Aurelius gently knelt down and touched his forehead.

“Are you alright, Armin? You shouldn’t be so frightened. You’re safe here.”

“T-too… Many… People.” It was the only thing Armin was currently able to muster. Seeing his peers made him more anxious than before- memories of Piscataway filled him with dread. Aurelius shook his head.

“I am aware of your past, Armin. But peace. I know your fellows here will not do anything to harm you. Quite a few of them are like yourself. You will not be harmed here. The worst you may get is a few nasty words from Monica, but she is not like those who betrayed you back then. Peace.” Armin’s breathing soothed and the goosebumps eased. But his heart rate was still slightly faster than typical. Aurelius stood up after a few moments of thought. “You should prepare. I now have a mission for all of you. Armin looked up.

“Y-you do? W-what is it?”

“We will be going out and recovering any of the families of the Beacons that we can. I understand that a few of you are getting restless and anxious for some closure. Armin, before you tense again,” Aurelius began to clarify as Armin started to freeze, “I do not mean your parents. I am aware of what they have done. And they will not be forgiven for giving themselves to the Entity so easily. I am talking about those whose families are innocent and perhaps in a state of hell as they are most likely just scraping by. I am trying to give the Beacons some closure. We cannot succeed in fighting the Entity if we are distracted by other thoughts.” Aurelius patted Armin on the shoulder. “Now go and prepare. I will summon all of you to the main temple as soon as I have finished my prayers. And if you can, please warn everyone that they are going to be called soon.” With that, Aurelius walked inside the temple and knelt in the middle of the statues, arranged in a ring on the floor.

Armin began to wander to very timidly tell everyone that they would get a psychic summoning soon.

TehUltimateMage · February 26, 2018

Claris Day | Outside of the temple | "They're broken pieces of past"

She shut her eyes, sinking into the silence of the wind intermittently howling through her ears. Claris leaned with her back against the wall of the temple, right outside the entrance and concealed in a shadowed patch cast by a column, and through the seemingly ancient stone she could hear Aurelius speaking within.

She had woken up one day, years into the future. It felt like nothing more than oversleeping the morning, but many things have changed in that time. It was entirely surreal. Instead of the familiar embrace of the city's streets, Claris faced each day the crisp, wild air of high altitude, as if she had stuck her head out a window in a skyscraper. Many others, as Aurelius was confirming with his dialogue, were afraid of what might have happened to their loved ones during the time the Beacons were in their suspended animation -- but Claris could not sympathize. The retrieval mission didn't concern her. There was no one she had to find, or at least, no one worthwhile and in one piece.

The pessimist in her was convinced that most Beacons would find nothing but dead bodies anyway.

The conversation between Aurelius and the young boy, Armin, drew to a close. Claris could hear light, uncertain footsteps approach her and she snapped her eyes open, waiting for the cat-eared boy to pass without noticing her. Her element allowed her to melt into the darkness, like camouflage; it was a natural extension of her pre-beacon ability to go about ignored.

Stepping out from the shade and into the sun, Claris seemed to suddenly appear out of nowhere right in Armin's path, her hands in her pockets, eyes bored and her hair disheveled as per usual. "Hey. I know how it is. I don't think I'll gain anything from tagging along on the mission, either."

James Stannis | Training island | waiting for the end of the tutorial level

James leaned closer, trying to take a peek at what was in her hand. The item was small and glittering, but Evonna quickly held it out of sight. "Can't learn how to swim if we never hit the water, right?" he replied, continuing the conversation even though she seemed in no mood to reciprocate. "To get the EXP you gotta do the real thing." He clenched his fist and struck a determined pose.

Glancing back at the girl to gauge her reaction, he paused, an awkward silence hanging heavy in the air through the beating of his heart in his chest. "What's that you're holding?" he finally asked.

Edited February 26, 2018 by TehUltimateMage

Marcus Pheonix · February 26, 2018

K'lee - Gym memberships aren't worth the cost

Entering the training room K’lee cracked her neck, emitting a loud *crunch*. She twirled her spear in her hand and, slit pupils dilating in focus, hurled the spear across the room and into the target dummy that was set up.

Her shoulders slumped as she watched the spear impact on her target but fail to penetrate, dropping to the ground. She scratched her head and slithered over picking it up. She had always been good with accuracy but that wasn’t enough for a lamia.

“Right, onto strength training!” K’lee declared. She wrapped up her hands and began punching the punching bag.

After a no more than a minute K’lee let out an exasperated groan and slumped against it, her shoulders heaving from exhaustion. She had barely made an impact on the bag at all, and now the only result was her hands and arms being sore.

Angrily she turned around, her tail whipping up and smacking the bag as she did, sending it rocking. K’lee moved from station to station, barely managing anything significant before finally collapsing on the weights bench.

On the plus side she was considerably warmed now, despite how cool the training room had been, someone must have lowered the temperature. K’lees eyes than focused on a small rope hanging from the ceiling and she sat up and looked at it. There were several knots fitted on it’s length and it was obviously designed for humans to climb it.

Smirking slightly K’lee moved over to the rope, wrapping her tail around it and began to spiral up it. She felt a sense of pride and accomplishment, poor humans, this is what amounts to a challenge! It’s nothing for a powerful lami! K’lee thought. Her thoughts were interrupted by a straining sound from above her, she was halfway up the rope and her long body had been fully off the ground for a small amount of time.

With a loud clanging noise, the small ring that the robe was affixed to snapped off the ceiling, dropping K’lee and the rope back onto the floor. K’lee landed with a loud *thunk*, her body curling up on itself, as the rope dropped down landing painfully on her head.

She had forgotten, not only did lamia possess considerable muscle in their tails, but that muscle also made them very heavy. She angrily threw the rope off of her and righted herself, sighing in frustration. She was pent up and wanted some release, so she moved back to the target dummy to retriever her spear, before stabbing repeatedly into the target, concluding by wrapping her tail around it and snapping the support it was on.

K’lee once again let a satisfied grin mark her features and returned to the building entrance.

Kiran · March 3, 2018

Teryn [ rude bird ]

Teryn was bored.

She didn’t know where Ryo or Basil were. Well, that was a lie. Basil was probably hiding in his room again, but the bedrooms were too small for her to want to spend more time than necessary in them. Besides, he deserved his privacy. As much as Teryn wished to spend as much time as possible with her friends, she was willing to keep her distance if that’s what they wanted. They deserved some space.

Absently, she drew her hand through the air. A trail of snowflakes followed it, and she felt the air around her drop by a few degrees. It was better for training rooms to be kept cold so that people wouldn’t overheat, and a bit of practice never hurt.

Hearing a noise outside the room, she cocked her head to face the door. It was a heavy sound, so unlike the footsteps of everyone else, and Teryn knew whom it was immediately. Without missing a beat she extended her legs, launching her body into the air. There wasn’t much space to hide in the training room, but a rack of practice weapons was enough to conceal her slim form. Her wings flared and her feathers caught the air, changing the direction of her movement and letting her land behind the rack with only a click of claws.

She was rather proud of how quickly and silently she’d managed to pull off the whole maneuver.

The snake entered a second later, her heavy body dragging itself across the ground. Teryn wrinkled her nose; she couldn’t stand K’lee, and had hidden for a reason. Her entire demeanor was creepy- the way that she looked at James when she thought that no one was watching, the evasive way she refused to answer when prodded about her past, her bloodthirstiness. It wasn’t right. What even was a lamia? Teryn was hardly a stranger to non-humans, but she’d never heard of them before.

It was difficult to hold back a snicker as K’lee gave up after a single failed attempt at penetrating her target. It seemed typical of her to quit something instead of putting in the effort to actually improve. One would expect K’lee to have learned after all of this time, but instead she became angry at inanimate objects. How pathetic.

When K’lee turned to leave, Teryn finally couldn’t take it anymore. A laugh, tinged by bitterness, escaped her throat. Well, the jig was up. Nothing left to lose- she’d tried to “avoid conflict with her allies” or whatever Aurelius had said. “How’s your day, K’lee?” she said, sauntering around from behind the weapon rack and unwrapping a granola bar. She put as much venom into the English words as she could without making it too obvious what she was doing. K’lee could understand Japanese (and every other language, apparently) but Teryn refused to use it with her. She didn't deserve it. “You know, you must spend more time working and effort to be strong.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Without breaking eye contact she tore a chunk from her granola bar. She was perfectly aware that she was physically weaker than the snake, but that didn’t matter. The feeling of running your lungs ragged, of digging as deep as you can and then deeper, of blood and sweat and tears- she knew those well, and but doubted that K’lee did. They were in a war and the snake couldn’t even control her own emotions well enough to train.

At least she wasn’t bored anymore.

Marcus Pheonix · March 3, 2018

Snek v Birb

K’lee paused and rotated her body around to glance back into the room.

She clicked her tongue in annoyance, the bird must have used her powers to blend into the cold of the room. But K’lee's smile did not falter as she replied to Teryn.

“Why good morning Teryn, I did not see you there,” K’lee said in fluent Japanese.

“No need to use that common language, whatever's more comfortable for you is fine,” K’lee continued beaming with sinister good will.
As she registered what Teryn had said to her, K’lee's eyes examined the bird girl's body. There was no doubt that the girl was frail, she had brittle bones to allow flight and thin mechanical legs that would easily break under small pressure.

K’lee glanced down at her arms, they were quite sore from the workout, but the bird was probably right, she could have done a bit more. An idea flashed in her head and K’lee's grin grew to an unsettling size, looking almost as if her cheeks had been slashed open from ear to ear.

“Well I’m not finished, of course,” She stated, waving her arm as if to show that the less than subtle insult had not phased her.

“I was just wondering whether or not you were going to show yourself, watching me work, do you get off on that do you?” K’lee's inner lamia oozed condescending tones, emphasized.

“Because a one-on-one session is so much more fun than simply whacking at an inanimate dummy. My species is cold blooded… so a warm up is necessary when one wants to properly let loose,” K’lee added, staring unwavering up at the bird.

Big beautiful bull man.

Mal sat on one of the few floating islands topped with gardens. He loved to visit the gardens, not only was the plant life lovely but the smell was intoxicating from the various blooms. He was seated on the very edge of the island, his hooves dangling over the edge. This particular spot had an incredible updraft that resulted in the petals of the blooms scattering through the air. It was, without question, Mals favourite spot on the island.

His accordion was resting next to him, he didn’t want to ruin the atmosphere with his music. The accordion was not made to make beautiful music, but upbeat and joyous sounds. Mal was somewhat bothered by his inability to play another, more delicate instrument, like a piano or lyre. Mal ran his hand through his hair, pushing back his fringe somewhat and leaning forward to let the updraft catch it.

He sighed at the feeling, his eyes shut. He casually took a bite of a sandwich he had been holding and laid down on the grass, gazing upward, his feat continuing to dangle.

Edited March 4, 2018 by Marcus Pheonix

Eto · March 3, 2018

[ basil lucius solomon vertis ;

eine kleine gigue -- ]

It is light outside.

The weather had been wonderful that day -- a bright, scorching blue that brought out the colour of everything around. He remembered seeing the reflection of the sun on the afternoon shower days and thinking of the foundation's stone-grey blockade as a kind of gate into an oasis.

He opens his eyes. In truth, he has not been sleeping as much as he has been ... resting. Thinking. That is the thing about being idle: he has time to think. Perhaps it is not the villain he has imagined. But it is late now, and the sun's rays are beginning to filter through the loosely-drawn curtains of his room. Perhaps he has overslept again, and Basil does not doubt that -- but that is the truth of comfort: a large bed, heated blankets, and Basil does not wish to leave.

That day, however, the weather had been dreadful. He had listened to the loud noises of large raindrops splatter against the grand mosaic windows, reflected in the way the piano dipped underneath his fingertips.

His eyes focus from his sleepy mind, and a modern, almost futuristic lamp comes into view. Basil frowns. This -- this is not his room.

He gets up slowly, feeling the comfort of the large mattress dip slightly underneath his weight, and he finds an altar in the corner. There are candles arranged neatly around the dragon statue, a knife decorated with lined letters and scripted beads laid out before the strict-faced deity. Seeing the altar in itself is comforting to the dragonfly boy for two reasons: one, he knows exactly where he is, and two, as a sign of respect towards his friend.

He is quiet, because he knows -- Reive respects his privacy and his silence above anything, and there is still an unspoken code of honour, even considering crawling into the other's bed once Reive had left for the day -- really, 5AM was too early -- to take advantage of his numerous comforters had basically become a daily ritual. Basil barely remembers waking up himself early in the morning to make the switch in the first place.

However, he can't stop the quick gasp that comes from his mouth once he rids himself of the numerous blankets piled on his person and is greeted by the freezing cold of Reive's room. "I could just die right now," he says, quite plainly, and he means it entirely in jest -- but there is a clear way in which it is delivered, expressionless and without much consideration, that it almost turns the situation comical. "Why is it so cold?" he asks no one in particular. If Reive was here, he would have followed up his question with the words: because it represents your heart.

Or is that too mean? He isn't quite sure. The other is emotionless at best, and he can not quite read his mind. But, Basil supposes, from one introvert to another -- the lack of wild emotion is appreciated.

He rolls himself out of bed, halfheartedly tugging at the sheets wrapped around his body, and manages to successfully land on the floor in a heap of blankets. Sighing, long-suffering, Basil stands at last, unraveling the tangled cloth from his body and piling it on top of the pillows placed at the foot of his bed for this very purpose. Unless he falls out of bed in the morning, Basil doesn't feel fully awake. Absentmindedly, he folds the covers so the bed has the appearance of being at least somewhat neat.

He stretches then, smoothing out his sweater and jeans, and gives a wings a light flutter. What should he do today? He wants to practise, because their given freedoms are too wild and he feels utterly too complacent at the lack of a proper schedule, but at the same time Basil has no desires to run into anyone during his early-morning routine. He doesn't wake up until at least 4 hours after he's actually gotten out of bed.

So, nighttime then, when everyone was asleep. Perhaps that's entirely on him. With this thought in mind, Basil heads out the door, adjusting the collar of his sweater. When did he get dressed? When he woke up this morning to head over to Reive's?

Basil hesitates. Why would he get dressed to go to sleep?

Maybe he sleepwalked himself into someone's closet. Or his own. The jeans are his size, for sure, but the sweater is definitely a little baggy.

Internally groaning, Basil hopes no one will come after him for sweater-theft. There is only so much he can handle in one day, from waking up to a cold room to being accused of petty theft. He was borrowing -- he'd return it, maybe, or leave it lying in the corner of Ryo's room, and have the idol deal with the rest.

"So troublesome," he murmurs. "I want to sleep."

Edited March 3, 2018 by taire

ValidEmotions · March 3, 2018

Monica | Fear | Pick Fights Elsewhere

Sunlight hit her face as she left the building, the breeze teasing at her short hair. Squinting against it, Monica let her features ease, her frown fading slightly into something more neutral. Not for the first time since being awake, she wondered... A sigh escaped her lips as she shut her eyes and simply felt the sunlight warm her skin. Monica reached her hands up, pulling her headphones down to rest around her neck once more. Her lips began to tickle.

Opening her eyes, she inhaled deeply. She could feel magic building in her chest, the turmoil of growing fear as worry threatened to become paranoia. Stop it... There's nothing you could do, anyways... Shaking her head, she brought her hands up to her temples, her fingers running into her hair. Take it easy! Monica let a quiet whimper pass without hindrance, the beginning echoes of her magic manifesting as red wisps from her lips.

With a snarl, she jerked her head sideways and dropped her arms, opening her mouth just to click her teeth together and bite off the magic before it spread. Lifting a hand, she raked her fingers through her dark hair, dark eyes staring intently at the grassy terrain of the floating island. Monica needed to keep busy, needed to wall off her thoughts and block out the invasive doubts, the unwanted fear.

She had learned quickly what triggered her magic. Easy though the emotions were to call up when needed, they were also inconvenient. Anger and fear, such negative things that she felt too regularly. Rubbing a hand down her face, she started walking again, crossing the bridges and the other islands that were connected. The training area came into view, James and Evonna at the edge of her vision as they looked out over the edge of the island. "Don't fall..." Monica warned them instinctively, clenching her jaws as soon as the offending words had left her tongue.

Continuing past the pair without slowing down (but, instead, picking up her pace), Monica reached the door of the training area, easing it open. She frowned at the sight of two others. She hoped she would have been alone but, that apparently wasn't going to be the case. Steeling her thoughts and bristling her atmosphere, she quickly assessed the tension in the room from the trails of spoken words.

"Knock it off, you two," Monica grumbled. She had come to the training room to busy herself. What she didn't want to have to do was play referee. Muttering under her breath about K'lee's tail always being in the damn way, she picked her path, brushing between the standoffish duo. "K'lee. Don't you have a boy to go ogle at? Teryn, come hold the bag for me and let the snake go sunbathe," the young woman grunted. Stopping beside the punching bag, Monica glanced over her shoulder, giving Teryn and K'lee each pointed glares. If you want a fight, Teryn, pick one with me.

Edited March 7, 2018 by ValidEmotions

Mikasa361 · March 3, 2018

~Armin- Goose Bumps~

Armin yelped and jumped at the sudden appearance of Claris. He curled back a bit in defense, his tail sticking straight up and getting fluffier by the second. He looked her up and down, but she didn’t seem particularly interested in making fun of him. Scaring him was more than enough. Armin carefully sat down and shrugged, noticing what she had said. It was almost reassuring, rather, since he knew all too well that many of the others had someone to go home to.

“Y…. You don’t have a family either…?”

...

~Evonna- How many more sleepless nights~

Evonna faintly nodded at James’ obnoxious remark. He was right- one had to see if they would sink or swim. His pose was a little extra, but that was just his style, after all. But then he asked what she held so close to her. Was she willing to confide in him with her anxieties? Was she okay with telling him something so close to her heart? ...Well, he would know sometime, for sure. She lowered her arms and opened her palms, revealing the small jewel enclosed within. It was a very odd one, shimmering between the colors of deep blue to a very rich amethyst. So many colors lie between, shades in between these colors that Evonna had never even known before it became hers.

“It… It was a gift. My parents gave it to me… I just…. I just hope they’re alive down there.” Evonna looked at the land below the islands- plenty of burnt earth and ruined cities lay below. But she was able to see quite a few buildings that were intact. There were still people out there… Who among them were people she still knew? She heard something from Monica, “Don’t fall”, and Evonna sobered up a little. She clutched the jewel again, tensing up and creeping away from the edge. God dammit, I was too vulnerable. I need to recover now.

Edited March 3, 2018 by Mikasa361

TehUltimateMage · March 3, 2018

Claris Day | Outside the Temple | Trust, I feel you fall right through the floor

Claris let off a huff, a quick snort of air that was her version of laughter. "Scaredy-cat." she stated, curt and stoic. It wasn't an inaccurate label. Armin arched his back and raised his tail, his cry sounding suspiciously like a meow.

She let the cat-boy's question -- although it almost sounded like an accusation -- hang in the silence of the wind and the sun. She had never really had a sincere conversation with anyone until the day she was cracked out of the crystal, and even then it was weeks before she began to reciprocate the kindness of others. For a long while she had listened, eavesdropped, and gathered information on all the inhabitants of the floating islands, taking and stealing words without ever giving back.

The first time she felt guilt over her intel-collecting was when steel-eyed Monica, of all people, opened up to her on a relaxed day. She could easily tell others, for free or for a price. But, now that she no longer needed to lie to survive, were money or other perks really worth breaking an unspoken contract between two people?

Maybe this was why she chose to appear before Armin. His parents were traitors. In a way, Claris could sympathize with the idea of siding with the strong -- though it was hard to look at the resulting sadness that came with it without running away like she usually did. He would be one of the last people to betray her trust, even though she honestly couldn't say the same for herself.

"...No." She finally answered. It was hard to convince herself that it wasn't too probable that anyone would use her personal story for their personal gain. She had hardly opened up to anyone for so many years, and even if Armin wasn't the first person she spoke to about herself it didn't make any of the retelling any easier. "It had nothing to do with the Entity. My family was just in the wrong place and the wrong time, when I was little."

It felt like she was rehearsing someone else's life. She had no attachment to anything she was recounting, other than a vague feeling of nostalgia. "I don't think I miss them as much as I should. I've forgot what they look like."

HomeForFlowers · March 5, 2018

Ryo | Living Quarters

The laundry room was a godsend.

Sighing aloud, Ryo dropped the pile of sweaters onto his bed with a soft thump. He placed his hands on his hips, silently nodding to himself. It was embarrassingly how much he shed and considering that he favored fuzzy sweaters that stuck to anything that brushed against it, he needed to wash off the obvious strands of gold and white fur often. Ryo had made it a habit of washing his clothing every few days as well as “accidentally” collecting Teryn’s and Basil’s dirty clothing and throwing them into the wash on the days he wasn’t taking care of his own dirty clothes. Considering how often he was physical contact with the both of them, Ryo thought it was only fair that he clean their clothing when he was the one soiling their clothing with his mangy hair and bushy tails. After all, he was the one who was so insistent on keeping tabs on his friends least they run into one of the more volatile beacons.

Pushing his thoughts to the back of his head, Ryo ran his fingers through his hair. He had other chores to deal with before the day was over. He’d probably have to fold his sweaters and put them back into the drawers they belonged in but that was fine; Ryo enjoyed doing something as mindless as folding clothes before going to sleep anyhow. Exiting his room, Ryo gently shut the door behind him, not caring enough to place a lock of any sort on it, before heading down the hallway.

He silently strolled through the halls, mentally listing all the chores he needed to complete before the end of the day. Now that his singing career was on an indefinite hiatus, Ryo needed a new schedule to adhere to, least he rot away in his room. He glanced down at his raised right hand, squinting his eyes as he opened his palms to reveal small orange flames dancing on the top of his skin. Despite all the time he had to deal with his new powers, Ryo still wasn’t comfortable with conjuring fire from his fingertips. He closed his hand into a fist, watching the flames dissipate in his hands. He knew he needed to work on training, but he wasn’t comfortable with doing that at the moment. It would be so much easier if he—oh, was that Basil?

Now looking forward, Ryo caught sight of his good friend aimlessly ambling through the hall. On a smile crept onto Ryo’s face. It was the afternoon but it seemed as though Basil had just woken up. No doubt he had crawled into someone’s room and forgot where he was.

“Basil!” Ryo called as he hurried to his friend’s side, grinning. “What are you doing wandering around the halls? You didn’t get lost again, did you?”

skwerl56767 · March 6, 2018

Library

   Reive looked up in surprise. He didn't expect Zhibek to be the one skirting the doorway; or maybe she was just using her Wind powers to move faster?
   "Hello Zhibek," he said simply. When the girl leaped onto an unsuspecting couch he looked back at the doorway, uncertain if she was the only one passing by, but there was no immediate arrival. Ah, well, his studies were more important. Chances are Zhibek's high energy would wear her down into unconsciousness and he could continue reading without interruption.
   At the thought of wound-up Beacons, the Draconoid had a passing curiosity if the other Beacons were up and about. A lot of the more "bouncy" individuals, as a way to describe them, would fall asleep around noon and stay that way until two. With as early as Aurelius woke the Beacons up, naps had become a common thing; Reive himself had a hard time doing it though. The dangers of sleep were too real to him...
   He shook his head and flipped a page on the dictionary. It wasn't important to think about that.

------------------------

Snacks

Bright. That's what it was in his room, was bright. Aurelius had forbidden him to use shades, so every morning the tiny room was blaringly-bright. The Scorp grumpily threw off his covers after the seventh turn to try and get comfortable and shut out the light, and swung himself out of bed. He tried to habitually rub his face, only to bump his right eye, then finish rubbing it much more cautiously. A much more recent habit then came: the thought of metal. When he didn't feel any cravings for it, he felt a bit better after waking up; today would be a normal snackfood day!

   He threw on his usual garb, then paused to check it in his mirror. It was nothing spectacular - brown shirt, brown pants, brass plate, grey cloak - but he liked its utalitarian design with a bit of flare. It was different from the other Beacons'. You'd have people like Reive, slugging around a heavy cloak in the dead of summer, then people like K'lee who wear practically nothing when the winter is its harshest, but Skahtii's clothing was a light happy medium. Never too cold, never too hot, right?
   He fussed with the clasp of his short, ragged cloak - which was more like a banner - before tossing it over his shoulder, then laughing at his reflection. That looked ridiculous!
   Skahtii cleared his throat, posing dramatically in roleplay. "Citizens of the midwest! I am YOUR PRINCE!" he said in a pompous voice. "Bring me your...! Cotton candy! And... vegetable juice...!" the bad voice acting terminated into hysterical laughter. "Dude, I sound ridiculous!" The Scorp dismissed himself with a sigh and a wave, still snickering over his own silliness. Aurelius wouldn't approve of him not taking anything seriously, but it's the silliness that took Skahtii's mind off the real dangers of the world and the brooding of some of his comrades. He had already forgotten how grumpy he was that he couldn't sleep for longer!

   Skahtii made his way out of the living quarters, waving at Ryo and Basil with a "Hey dudes" as he passed them by, and walked down the stone bridge, held up by nothing by some magic and... cloud farts or something, he didn't know. Upon nearing the main island he saw James and Evonna standing close enough to the edge to fall off.
   Freaky, his mind commented. He then saw a lithe black shape moving behind them, out of the training grounds.
   Oh, crap. He had hoped the shape was tall, but it was long, and his replaced eye zoomed in on it like it wanted to mock him with clarity. He frowned, continuing along with a pretend nonchalance. Maybe he could avoid K'lee... the girl was pretty but she unnerved him. That was just too much tail on an upper human body. Aurelius didn't care and made everyone train together, but that didn't make Skahtii feel like he wasn't going to wake up one day as a black mamba's slurpee. Eating Beacons wasn't allowed, right? Right??
   He decided to err on the side of caution, even though K'lee went back in as if forgetting something, going the opposite way around the island so he wouldn't be seen, and as a result he missed any conversations he could have tackled his way into. Tackling was fun; he had tackled James once in an overly-enthusiastic attempt to befriend the human. Instead he was thrown back so far it shamed the bullies of his past, and when he sat up James was gone. He hadn't seen the guy up close since then... Well, they could talk later. Breakfast was more important!

It took crossing several bridges and strolling through the islands' gardens to reach the isolated dining hall; it was as if Aurelius was actively safeguarding against kitchen raid attempts by making it inconvenient to get to. By the time Skahtii arrived he felt famished, yet he trotted through the dining hall to the back with trained ease, keeping his senses open for anyone else. Luckily for him - or unluckily for everyone else, depending on how you look at it - the kitchen was vacant, giving him the chance to scarf down a bowl of potato soup then grab an armful of dinner rolls, stuffing them with butter or preserves, then waltz back out while munching them. Maybe he could offer James one, and Monica and K'lee for "immunity", and throw one at Teryn before she takes it from him... yeah, that's a good idea!

Marcus Pheonix · March 8, 2018

K'lee's rock hard abs

K’lee’s excited smile dropped as Monica walked into the training room. Her eyes dully followed her, the light from earlier dulled. What was she talking about ogling a boy? K’lee wondered. She hadn’t noticed doing anything unusual. She had found herself staring at a fair few of the people up on this island since arriving.

K’lee sighed and shrugged.

“Well if neither of you want to spar with me, I’ll just finish alone,” K’lee stated. Now that both the women she disliked had appeared, K’lee had a strong urge to show off and to make the bird eat her own words. She slithered over to the pullups bar. Unlike the rope, it was solid metal with weights on the sides and be would be able to hold her up.

Lowering her upper back to the ground, K’lee’s tail rose up and wrapped around the bar and like a pully began to draw her up. Once K’lee’s whole body was off the ground she positioned her hands behind her head and began to do hanging sit-ups.

K’lee’s smile returned. The very act of moving with her body resulted in her abdominal muscles being incredibly strong. It had reached a point where she usually forgoed any abdominal exercise as it just wasn’t necessary. But right now she wanted to display her strength to the annoying bird, and this one technique not only fulfilled her desire but was also relatively easy to do.

Whenever she lowered herself straight she would glance over at the other two. Monica had moved to the punching bag with the intent for the bird to brace it for her.

Hmm, while I’m here I should probably do some actual exercise, K’lee thought, glancing around the immediate vicinity and currently resembling a piñata as she hung upside-down. The thought of Monica using her as the punching bag suddenly arose and K’lee double checked to confirm her spear was within easy reach.

She then swung her body to the side of the stand and grabbed some dumbbells. With her shoulders square and the dumbbells held above (below) her head, K’lee continued her sit-ups, maintaining the pose to the best of her ability.

Mal eats a sandwhich

Mal took another bite of his sandwich, slowly chewing it. He swallowed and began humming.

Esko · March 10, 2018

Jessica - Earth - Pessisism personified

She hated it here.

Jess wanted to be home. Sure, home was currently in a comically dystopian wasteland ruled by some god-like thing that refused to show its face. But her family was there, her dog was there, and all her stuff was there. At least, she hoped. These cryptic *******s told her almost nothing during the time she spent being utilized as some kind of weapon. Kyle tried to convince her it wasn't so bad. We're saving the world, Jess! We can save everyone and return the world to what it was before! Really, he couldn't be more wrong. The world wouldn't ever be the same, even if they WERE somehow successful. Besides, she would rather work for The Entity if it meant she would be safe. Kyle could be excited, but in reality, this was a deathwish. They were going to die.

She was curled up on her bed, these dark thoughts swirling through her head. What god thought emotionally-unstable teenagers were perfect to give raw elemental power to? Why were kids being used as weapons? Homesickness rattled her, and eventually, Jess couldn't take it. She'd go the library to sulk instead. Most prisons didn't have many books, so that was an upside. The girl snorted as she forced herself off her bed. Yeah, that's what this place was. A prison. That stupid Guardian could sugarcoat it as much as he damn pleased, the truth was none of them were free. They were trapped, by every definition of the word. Saving the world my ass.

Jess turned her doorknob and pushed the door open, then quickly closed it behind her. Kyle's pod left his trombone intact, but it broke her glasses. So, she was stuck wandering around with her distance sight being blurry. It would cause a problem is she kept going without for sure; the strain would eventually leave her with lazy eye. What use would she be fighting once that happened? Her hands were shoved furiously in her pockets as she made her way to the library. She wished she had her phone, so she could listen to music. She wished she had a lot of things she lost, really. At least she could keep her cognitive skills sharp with books. And at least the library was close. Jess walked in and spotted a couple of the others; more kids they unwillingly forced into service. She could name at least a few other beefy guys back at home who were way more suited to something like this. Jess ignored those people, electing to begin searching through the books to find something interesting.

--

Kyle - Fear - Instigation Mode

For whatever reason, Kyle was feeling particularly energized today. He woke up feeling pumped and ready to go, in a swell mood. He whistled as he cleaned himself up a bit, deciding that he needed to exert this energy somewhere. So why not head to the training room for a workout? He transitioned from whistling to humming as he slipped a shirt over his head, a tune from at least half a century before. He liked most songs he heard, even things his grandparents listened to in their youths. He stretched out on his back and hopped on his feet, taking a second to find his balance. Once he was sure he wouldn't fall, Kyle enthusiastically exited his room. Maybe he should check on Jess first? Nah, she was probably brooding somewhere quiet. She wasn't fun in a bad mood.

Then again, he found her more and more often in a funk. He didn't really understand it at all. Why wasn't she pumped about saving the world? Sure, safety wasn't guaranteed, but nobody else was going to do it. Why not them? Kyle didn't understand why he'd been selected at first; his feet were a huge problem when it came to escaping danger. Now that he'd accepted his destiny, he was willing to dive headfirst into missions. Speaking of missions, he hoped there would be another one soon. He was bored while he was idle. Kyle transitioned back to whistling as he walked to the training room, making his entrance through the door. Immediately, he regretted his decision. There was that snake girl who was always walking around with a spear. He didn't like going off of first impressions, but that spear freaked him out. The idea that she could easily skewer him wasn't easily stomached. Still, he tried to be friendly to her, and he hoped his suspicions wouldn't be confirmed.

At least the snake girl wasn't the only one there. The other Fear girl was there too, along with a bird girl. Kyle grinned; hopefully they'd be decent company. He darted up one of the ropes, his feet claws being useful for clinging on. "Not gonna lie, it's lookin' like a fight's boutta happen." He commented, his tail lazily hanging. Then he pulled himself up onto the bar where the rope hung from, delicately propping himself up to sit on it. It wasn't comfortable, but it was still a perch. "Hopefully I'm wrong, but I can't really stop anything, can I?"

TehUltimateMage · March 11, 2018

James Stannis | Training island | My father told me...

"O-oh..." he stammered. A memento, that's what Evonna was holding.

He held the brim of his cap tighter in his hand.

"I guess it's a lot less valuable than your gem, but my hat's kind of the same..." Trying to sympathize, James paused for a few heartbeats. Hearing no response from the usually (and literally, he added to himself) cold girl, he continued, "I got it from my dad, two years ago... though I guess it's more like five, now? I dunno, this crystal thing totally messes me up. And maybe you're right, we don't really know what's up with our families. But, I like to think that even without fancy Beacon magic they'd be able to hold off against the monsters, or at least find somewhere safe. We don't get much news but there have to be places still alright, right?"

He shut his eyes and gave a gentle grin. "Everyone here's just sittin' around worrying about it all. I've been told to live each day to the fullest. They're... not here, on this island, and there's nothing we can do about that until Aurelius sends a search party."

"Don't fall..."

He turned his head to tell Monica that he knew what he was doing and that he wouldn't fall no matter what -- but she was already gone. He furrowed his brow. Was she... worried for them? Was that even possible?

In response to Evonna shrinking back from the edge at the warning, James inched forward and craned his neck to look at the ruins below. It almost felt like he was flying when he stared straight down. That wasn't his city, he knew. The floating islands weren't even on the same continent, if what the Guardian had said matched his knowledge of geography. "I still think doing some kickass things would stop people from going crazy with worry."

Kiran · March 12, 2018

Teryn [ let's fight ]

Teryn narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to reply, but she was cut off by Monica’s interruption. How rude; she wasn’t finished with the snake. Blood rushed through her ears, pounding down to her fingertips and spreading adrenalin throughout her body. A battle of words was still a battle, and Teryn’s veins sang with the prospect of a fight. If Monica wanted to get between them, then Teryn was happy to switch targets.

“Why should I?” she said, matching Monica’s glare. It was not a refusal, but a question. Her voice maintained a hint of stubbornness and anger, but it was dominated by curiosity. She wouldn’t mind helping if Monica was able to give her an acceptable reason to - they were both fighting the Entity, after all - but she wasn’t interested in following commands. “I have activities to do also.” It was mostly a lie, given how she hadn’t been doing anything before, but that wasn’t the point.

She tried to keep her gaze trained on Monica, but her eyes betrayed her and flicked around the room. It was a useful habit for keeping aware of one's surroundings, but it was less useful in situations such as this. The snake was doing some kind of inverted sit-ups, which hardly made any sense. From the ease at which she moved her heavily-muscled body, Teryn doubted that she needed to work on her abdomen any more. Was she trying to show off? It wouldn’t be that surprising - K’lee’s mind was strange - but if anything, Teryn was amused. The natural abilities of one’s species were hardly impressive.

Mikasa361 · March 13, 2018

~Evonna- Get it together~

She looked over to James, slowly relaxing a bit. Get it together, Evonna! Would your brother be okay with you acting like this??? You know he’d laugh at you! “I just… Yeah, I do kind of want to go on a mission. It would be nice to get these powers to good use.” Suddenly Evonna felt a slight pressure inside her mind.

Good afternoon, Beacons. It is time to proceed to the main temple. There is a mission for which I must give you the details. Come quickly.

Evonna blinked several times and looked at James.

“You picked the strangest time to start griping about wanting to get out.

~~~

~Armin- eep.~

Armin winced when he heard Aurelius’ message in his head. He may have been aware that it was coming, but having a voice in his head was never going to stop scaring the crap out of him. He looked at Claris, wondering if she was going to be anywhere near interested in going into the temple. Taking a lead, he started to walk towards the entrance of the temple.

~~~

~Zhibek- Gotta blast!~

Zhibek immediately perked up when she heard the announcement in her head. She smiled, more than ready to finally be on a mission! This was such good news for her! If she were a good dancer, she would’ve done a jig! Except…. She was probably the worst dancer she knew. So instead, Zhibek just chuckled in triumph. “Hell yes! Time to go and see what the mission is!”

She immediately started running out of the library and towards the main temple, eager to find out what they were going to do.

Edited March 15, 2018 by Mikasa361

Eto · March 17, 2018

[ basil lucius solomon vertis ;

symphony no. 7 -- ]

Basil turns at the sound of his name being called, a familiar voice to his ears. Turning, the pink-haired boy blinks slowly, once, twice, before a slow, careful smile spreads across his features, gone in an instant.

"Ryo," he says, stiffing a yawn with the back of his hand. He rolls his shoulders back, feeling the stiffness of having just woken up slowly fade away with the movement of his joints.

"I was in Reive's room," he says absentmindedly, murmuring a report to the other as he distracts himself with Ryo's hand. Picking up the other's fingers, Basil hums to himself as he turns Ryo's palm over in his hand, tracing the lines in his roughened fingers and the curve of his carefully manicured nails. As always, the pop star is as immaculate as ever, an icon of the dazzling lights and bright stars of a Hollywood future.

"He has a nice bed," Basil continues, as if this is not something Ryo has heard countless times, as if Ryo has not heard Basil murmur tales about his own bed during the night. It is comforting, this kind of schedule -- entirely childish, a little selfish, but it makes the choking feeling in the centre of his chest dissipate and the feel of Ryo's skin underneath his own calms Basil. He intertwines his fingers with Ryo's and drops their conjoined hands in favour of meeting the other's eyes, finally.

"He has a comforter. I think ... I want to replace yours," he says, thinking to himself, "with his."

Of course, Basil is not going to drag Reive's bed into Ryo's room -- as much as he may want to. He has his limits, after all, but he does want the best of both worlds. "Or maybe --"

What he is about to say is cut off by the shiver of words that passes through everyone's minds -- a secret summoning, a call to justice. Basil digs his nails into Ryo's hand, shaking slightly -- he does not like this, this invasion of his privacy, this call to arms no matter where he is. The only signal of his displeasure, however, is the slight exhale of breath the dragonfly-winged boy lets out.

He stands there -- childishly not wanting to comply with the summons, but wanting to obey and follow orders. Basil blinks at Ryo, waiting for his next actions -- he will follow. That way, he is both not in control of his own fate, and yet not breaking any rules, either. It is a compromise -- one that does not satisfy him entirely, but will sate his thoughts for another day. Blinking up at the fox-hybrid before him, Basil tilts his head slightly.

"Are we .., going?"

skwerl56767 · March 23, 2018

Interrupted from a Task

   Meed. Reward. Merited portion of praise, etc. Not to be confused with mead, which is an alcoholic beverage of... Reive flipped back a few pages. Honey and water. He drew a simply picture in his sketchbook of what a meed could be, then looked at the next word. Meek. Humble and submissive. Suffering injury, etc. Tamely. Piously gentle in nature. He looked back over at the sketchbook, thought for a moment, then drew two hunched figures: one with the features of a cat and the other with shaded hair, meant to be pink. Satisfied, he looked at the next word. Meerka-
   Reive jumped out of his seat and dropped his pencil when he suddenly heard loud talking right next to him. He looked around instinctively at first, expecting someone behind him, before he even processed that it was Aurelius's voice.
   Right. The albino had a telepathy of sorts. Reive bristled about being interrupted so impersonally, and slammed the dictionary shut; just to open it back up and this time shut it with a bookmark in place. Zhibek ran out with a gleeful cry; at least she was happy about it. Once Reive's annoyance had died down he only felt nervous about what Aurelius had in store for the Beacons, shifting the collar of his cloak up higher and exiting the library. Well, he might as well answer it. It's not like he could hide when he was being trained for this.

---------------------

Given a Task

Timed nicely to Reive jumping was Skahtii also jumping, although less like a spooked cat and more like he had seen something shoot past him. Good thing he he just swallowed!
"Dude!" he laughed, even though Aurelius couldn't hear him, "Sixth time you've done that." He stuffed another dinner roll in his mouth, listening to Aurelius's message, before letting his once-meandering path take a straight route through the gardens and back to the main island where the temple was. Even though he was chewing he still attempted to talk aloud to himself, musing about what the mission was. Something lightweight that a couple of people could handle? Maybe something action-packed? Maybe they would remain in Kazakhstan, or finally travel beyond it! Skahtii hadn't seen the desert that he came from in a while... he wasn't even sure which desert it was...
He frowned a bit in thought, swallowing and eating another dinner roll, his metabolism making short work of the dough. Maybe Aurelius would have an idea where he came from. Or, maybe not, who knew? As long as they went to a desert he was fine. It would be fun to pick up some old technology along the way!

TehUltimateMage · March 24, 2018

James Stannis | Training Island > Temple | Ready to rumble

"Please," James snorted at Evonna's comment on his devil's luck. "I 'gripe' all the time. It was only a matter of time before the A-man called us up, so I'd hardly call it a coincidence."

He took a stride backwards and pivoted on his heels with more grace than his gangly frame would imply, then headed towards the temple with a light jog -- enough to get him there faster, but not so fast as to exhaust himself prematurely. It was on the same island.

He was the first to arrive, as far as he could see. But it wouldn't be long until all the kids of the island gathered, with their carnival of fur, scale, and feather. He always found it a bit odd that while nonhumans were relatively rare in the past he recalled, nonhumans seemed to make up the majority of those on this island training to be Beacons.

James shoved his hands into his pockets and lifted his chin, relaxed his shoulders... His eyes drifted to the upper corners of the temple's architecture, then settled on the older gentleman.

He acknowledged Aurelius with a nod, flashing him a sliver of his teeth. "What's up, 'reilus?"

~~

Claris Day | Temple | Hm...

Armin looked at Claris. But Claris was already gone, having silently slipped into the shade of a column and used it to hide her presence.

The cat-boy's intention was to go, though perhaps he had no say and no choice about whether or not to participate. As for herself, Claris wanted to at least hear what the old man had to say and to see who would volunteer themselves to go, and especially since she was already two hops away from the temple anyway it would be a shame to miss it.

Her steps light as a cat's, Claris positioned herself right inside of the entrance, back to the wall, so that she could see those who would pass through without getting noticed herself. Hat-boy, at least, waltzed right past her without a glance backwards in her direction, totally oblivious. Totally open to any ambushes. She wondered with a hint of amusement how he had managed to stay alive for so long since he seemed to lack any kind of preservation instinct.

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