This will be the only time you see OOC comments from me, and I hope that I don't see any from you either. All OOC belongs in the OOC thread, along with any profile information.

OOC Thread: heaven-tears-ooc-sign-ups-open-t13907.html

If you wish to join, read and then post in the OOC thread and wait for my approval. Critical information is in the OOC thread and I will know if you did not read it.

Those of you who have done that already, remember, all non-story information will be posted in the OOC thread. Check it EVERY TIME YOU POST.

My first character post will be up later. Right now, this is all story. Start your character out one month after their vision. Get them on the road, introduce them, give me a feel for your character. Don't rush off to save Saminea and Gonila. The story is mostly for you to see what is going on in the war right now. You don't necessarily need to be in the middle of it.

One small thing to keep in mind as well. Your actions determine where the story goes. Even if you aren't directly involved in the main part of the war, the actions you take will affect the story. I don't have it all written out and planned. It will be written in accordance to your characters. Just a little fun fact for you. Alright, commence introductions.



Prologue – The Journey

The War of Justice began one year ago, and it has been one month since the chosen ones were awakened. Today is the day that they were told to depart. The future holds something different for each of them, and the multitude of the tasks that they are required to complete is greater than any of them could possibly know. They are the Balanced, the elite mercenaries for the Goddess herself. They are charged with returning a divided world to its original state, and if they don’t do it, it will be the end of Gaia.


Chapter 1 – Dellea

In the Holy land of Garla, King Kendolas makes an appearance to the leaders of the war, the city rulers, and several of the soldiers.

Kendolas stepped up to the lectern to address the people. Leaders from all over the Wizard world sat, awaiting his wisdom. Many marveled at his appearance. He was a short old man with gray hair, a thick beard and long, lustrous robes. He wore a glorious crown on his head, filled with rare jewels and precious gems. Kendolas glanced around, smiling at his faithful subjects and began to speak.

“Good people of this nation, we are gathered here to unite our people, and with that unity, take what is rightfully ours. Someday, this war will lead us to the path the Gods have chosen for us. The world of Gaia will consist of only those with pure, supreme blood and we will be blessed by the heavens! As most of you know, we have unlocked the keys to magic by our research on the Sacred Isle.” His eyes came to rest on the elite. “You elite have mastered that magic. Five of your kind will stay with every force we send, and you will protect our places of importance.” He turned to the city leaders. “You, the leaders of our cities, must make good use of our soldiers. Lead them well.” Then he turned and looked at the soldiers. “And last but definitely not least, the soldiers. You are our hope, the ones who make things happen. Without you, we would be lost. Be brave, and fight with the pride of your nation and your race. Fight for truth and justice and remember that you are the supreme bloodline. You will be greatly rewarded for your deeds, whether on Gaia or in the heavens. You truly are the most important part of our race.” Kendolas smiled wholeheartedly, his eyes crinkling at the edges, and stepped away from the lectern, disappearing into the hallway and leaving the Holy land to return into hiding once again.

The morale of the troops and leaders all though out Dellea was high, and they rejoiced at the appearance and speech of their great King. It was a rare honor to look upon his face. Things were looking up for them, and they truly believed that they, the supreme race, would one day be the rulers of Gaia.


Chapter 2 – The Isle of Prosperity

In the capitol of the Techs, the four Tech rulers discuss their plans for the war and their places of interest in the Wizard world.

Jeffery, Mathew, Jonathan and Patrick, the four lords of the Techs, sat around a table and discussed the future of the Tech race.

“What this war calls for is an abundance of anti-magic barriers and strong weaponry.” Jeffery, a burly man with impressive height even for a Tech began.

“I disagree. What this nation should be focusing on is the destruction of the Wizard places of power.” Patrick, a smaller man with cold, calculating eyes retorted.

“Well, which cities should we focus on? As long as they have the Forest of Life, we cannot approach Dellea.” Jonathan, the meekest of the four despite his considerable size hunched into his seat, voiced his concerns.

“I say we launch an all out bomb strike on Saminea. Our launch pad has the power to clear the Magiceria Mountains and could cause a state of chaos there. We could easily damage a fourth of the land there.” Mathew, the cleverer of the four, pointed to the map with a devilish light in his eyes.

“That is a good idea, but what of the port town of Gonila? It is one of the main port towns on Dellea and could hinder them greatly. Of course, we would need to take out as many boats of theirs in the process.” Patrick added darkly.

“Those are all nice ideas, but what about their powerful magic and their team of elite? Surely if we just invaded with our battleships, their non-elemental magic would cause great difficulty. This is precisely why I suggest an abundance of anti-magic fields.” Jeffery replied, always one for using as much technology as could be mustered.

“Yes, but how would we put up an anti-magic field in their territory? That is helpful to our towns where we can put up the fields without having to be cautious, but who would put up the fields in their towns? It would be quite dangerous.” Jonathan added softly, as if he didn't have the right to speak at all.

“Well, sacrificing some of our soldiers is a part of war. We could just send in twenty troops and whoever gets the field up first without dying is the winner.” Mathew chuckled ominously at the thought.

“That is agreeable.” Jeffery nodded. “Shall we set our sights on Saminea and Gonila then?”

“I’m agreed.”

“As am I.”

“And me as well.”

“Well, it’s settled then. Saminea and Gonila will be our first targets. Inform the commanders and find twenty of our best espionage soldiers. They will infiltrate Gonila and put up anti-magic fields. We will then attack with our battle cruisers. As for Saminea, inform headquarters there to ready the launch pads. They are to attack when we notify them next. They won’t know what hit them.” Jeffery smiled coolly, and the four leaders stood and turned to leave. “Let’s meet again in one months’ time. The attack on Saminea will commence then.”

Waking up in a daze, Curiass found himself clutching his rifle as he lay on the tree he slept on. His skin was black to conceal himself from his dark surroundings and avoid detection. He wiped his eyes as he yawned silently and took his hunting bag and slung his rifle on his back as he stopped using his dark powers and silently climbed down the tall tree. In a few minutes, he was down the ground and he looked around him and inhaled as he reminisced about his past in the forest near Magiceria Mountains. His small house was empty for he took nearly all his belongings which were to anyone's surprise, a pair of extra clothes, some food and his daggers which he used in hunting for meat. He put his right hand on his chest and felt his dagger set on his skin. He usually concealed his daggers underneath his clothes because he believed he always had to be ready. His thick and shoulder length long frumpy hair's strands rose up and swayed as he smiled signifying cheerfulness as he looked at the horizon. It was almost morning and he had to get into the magical city of the Wizards on the eastern side of Saminea. It was only a matter of time before the sun rose up and he needed to get into the black market and find some supplies and maybe a job or a fallout shelter.

A few minutes later, he was sweating and panting from running in the darkness as he looked ahead and saw that he was nearing the black market. He jogged to the nearest stall and said "How much are bullets for these things?" as he showed an old man his rifle. The old man's eyes popped open in surprise and in fear at the same time.

"Where did you get this?" the old man asked as he rummaged through his shelf for ammunition for Cuirass' sniper rifle.

Cuirass shrugged and said "Just lying around." The old man was very much astonished that Cuirass said such a thing. He handed Cuirass three small boxes of magic armor piercing bullets and a small cartridge full of chips. Cuirass examined the cartridge intently but very quietly.

"Those are special stolen prototypes from the Techs. The red chips are for thermal scanning and the Blue ones are for EMP scanning all of those are a one time use only. There is one green chip for you though, it's for night vision and can see half a mile at top performance. The green chip is semi permanent. You have to change it once a year to prevent calibration damage to your rifle but I should warn you, that rifle is more like a toy gun compared to standard Tech infantry guns. It'll cost you about one thousand, five hundred and sixty nine bucks." the old man said.

Cuirass' hair that was swaying like hell now covered his face. He didn't have much money on him. In fact, he didn't have any money at all. He looked down to his feet and turned away from the old man.

"Wait! I can give it to you for free if you do me a special job." the old man said.

Cuirass looked at the old man as strands of his hair rose up and started to sway very slowly. This meant he was getting interested.

"I have a target for you. The name is Dalian, a corrupt official that loves to take women for himself. All you have to do is take care of him and his body and you can have as many supplies you want. I can also get you a food supplier if you need one." the old man explained.

Cuirass rubbed his chin and thought about it for a moment as his stomach growled. He nodded and went back to the old man who handed Cuirass a small portrait of Dalian. Cuirass examined the picture very closely and memorized his target's face and nodded in acknowledgment of his mission.

"I'm supposed to be laying low but... I really need the cash so... I'll take you up on that offer." Cuirass smiled. After all, Cuirass never liked any of the snotty Wizards that constantly discriminated his parents.

The old man smiled at him and said "Welcome aboard then, I'm Lambert." Cuirass smiled and shook Lambert's hand. "Cuirass. Pleased to meet you." he smiled.

Sen awoke with a start. He recalled.. walking, in the dark, in the rain. He must have fallen asleep again despite the conditions. But that dream... of a woman, with the likeness of a Goddess, a Eutopian world in which there was absolute harmony... and there was something more, after that. That he would be among those to bring about this new world. He had been staring at the sky during his rememberance of the dream. No, no.. that was no dream. The vision.
He was of course skeptical, to say the least. Then he noticed there were people looking at him. Lifting his head to look around him, he found that the road was busy with the early morning traffic of traders, some of which had stopped and were bending over him curiously.
With a leap, Sen was back on his feet. Or, foot, as he landed in a pose with one leg tucked in against the other, and his arms out in a gesture of welcome. His Lute had flown into the air with his jump, seemed to fly away from him, but then landed perfectly in his hands. He offered a genuine but light smile to those around him, and began to play.

-One month later-

Another performance on the outskirts of town, another silver piece, Sen thought idly as he counted his earnings. He had nearly enough silver by now to make another gold piece, if he traded them in. He dumped the silver into his coin pouch, taking another few moments to count how much gold he had. He was surprised to find a good portion, maybe twenty pieces. He smiled as his thoughts went to that of a hearty, warm meal. He tied the rope to close his pouch, then wandered into the town to get a meal.

It was getting dark out when Sen left the rather low priced restaurant, stretching and looking around contently. Wandering through the streets, he came to a place that looked like it might suit him nicely.
Slipping his rolled up sleeping bag off of his back, and resting it on the ground, Sen slipped inside of it and looked around carefully to make sure nobody would likely stumble upon him as he slept. Satisfied he leaned back, looked to his bag placed nearby, and his trusty Blunderbuss.
Curiously this held his gaze for a long while as he lay there, before scooting out of his sleeping bag and dipping a hand into his carrier. Withdrawing it, he held now a strange little device, black, with knobs and a button in random places. The object he had bought with his life savings not too long ago, which his father had told him was useless.
His Father... despite his respect for the man, he was intent to prove him wrong with the little device. He looked at the knobs again, of which there were three. He began twisting and turning them, trying a new combination this night. Satisfied, he hovered his thumb over the button on the top.
He always hesitated at this part. What if it worked? What if it hurt him, or others? What if it was explosive? He always tested it at night, as it was the time it would make sense to him to die, if die he did. Nevertheless he pressed the button, like all the other times, producing no effect. Sen sighed, lobbing the device carefully back into the bag, and soon after falling asleep.

The next day he awoke early. For what reason he could not explain, but the city was deathly silent at this hour. It was still partially dark outside even.
Feeling uneasy, he quickly folded his sleeping bag and put his gear back on, though this time with his Lute strung over his back, and the Blunderbuss in hand. Something was making him feel threatened, indeed. He made sure to load his rifle (A bit of a lengthy process to attempt in the middle of a fight) and made for the nearest exit.
This was not the first time he had felt as such. He usually had these feelings of threat within cities if he slept there. He often wondered why. But he was not one to go against his feelings, and so left yet another city in his search, for something, anything that might help him on the quest his God-given vision placed before him.

Cuirass examined Lambert silently as he took a good look on his employer/supplier/friend's face. He really needed the money so bad. He hasn't eaten a decent meal ever since he started laying low from the Techs. He examined a bookshelf behind Lambert's store counter. Lambert looked at him and smiled.

"Well then, I hope you know how to use that thing. Because if you don't you'll have to take care of Dalian up close and in the night inside his manor." Lambert said.

Cuirass shrugged and grinned. He put his rifle down on the counter and stretched his scarred but well built and muscular body.

"I haven't fired this thing. I only know normal flint lock rifles and basic marksmanship." Cuirass said.

"That would be fine. A little more sneaky and you could actually be an assassin. Anyway, this is just a mutual agreement between us. If you managed to land this one, I'll be your friend and supplier and you can have anything I've got for free- if what you want isn't that rare or expensive that is." Lambert chuckled.

"I really don't need many stuff. Only comfy clothes, a place to sleep and food. Just what I really need." Cuirass said.

Lambert smiled at the man. He took a small booklet from his bookshelf and flipped the pages very fast and skimmed for something and looked at Cuirass' rifle. He took another book from the shelf once more and looked again at his booklet before handing Cuirass the book he just took.

"Here, you have a standard issue T10911SSR. It's a standard issue for the Tech Ranger and Covert op Division. Judging by your look, I can tell you can be very dangerous. That book contains almost every possible configuration to that weapon of yours. Well, at least from what we, the black market industry have conceived." said Lambert.

Cuirass eyes lit up like fireworks. He examined the book and grinned. He read through the book like a scholar to his research. After a few hours, it was already noon and Cuirass' stomach was growling like a tiger but he was too engrossed into what he was reading that he nearly skipped lunch if it weren't for Lambert who shook him back into reality.

"Eat up for God's sake!" Lambert yelled at him with a smile.

Cuirass was taken by surprise that he fell of the chair he sat on. He stood up and found a plate of pasta and garlic bread for him. His hair stood on end and swayed very smoothly telling he was very happy.

"Wow, I haven't had this ever since my folks..." he said as he took a bite and in a matter of minutes, he was finished with his meal. Lambert laughed at his new employee's behavior and simply went back out to work. Cuirass on the other hand just finished his weapons "Instruction" manual and started to read and memorize the whole geographical and political and even the physical maps of Saminea. AFter a few more hours, Cuirass memorized the maps and started to familiarize himself to the magical city of the wizards, Kiel. He looked at his target's picture again and went to Lambert.

"Any other information for me about my guy?" Cuirass asked.

"He usually goes out to the tavern an hour from now. He'll be coming from the town hall which is just a few minutes away. If you want to catch him, you better do it now since its getting dark." said Lambert.

Cuirass smiled at Lambert and tapped his shoulder. He shouldered his rifle and wore his cloak. His hunting bag now contained a small box of bullets that Lambert gave to him. He knew his daggers were still intact so he walked out into the darkness of the night and waved at Lambert before running off. A few minutes later, Cuirass found himself by the town hall and just in time for Dalian's Tavern break. Dalian was a tall well built handsome man and had a few girls tailing him from behind. Cuirass rubbed his chin as he turned himself pitch black and blended into the darkness of the night and silently stalked Dalian and knocking out the girls tailing him one by one. In a span of approximately two minutes, Cuirass and Dalian were only a block away from the Tavern.

'If he gets inside, my chance is lost' Cuirass thought to himself.

Cuirass looked around for a diversion to catch Dalian's attention but to no avail. Fortunately for him, it was only him and Dalian nearby. He whistled out loud as if calling a horse. Dalian looked at Cuirass but saw nothing but black. Cuirass snuck up behind him and grabbed him by the neck and dragged him into a nearby dark corner and drew his dagger. Dalian saw his life flashing before his very eyes but then he caught a glimpse of Cuirass' red eyes which to his sight was only a glimmer of scarlet red just like his mother's.

"Cornelia? Is that you?" Dalian gasped.

Cuirass faltered his vigilance for a moment but Dalian remained still. Cuirass pointed his dagger on Dalian's neck.

"What are you in this world?" he asked in a very cold tone. Cuirass' heart skipped a beat when he heard someone call him his mother.

It had been roughly a full moon cycle since the wierd dream Clyde had. Clyde usually only had a dream once every 4 years or so. He was fifty-two years old, and he was ready to leave this war-torn world, but that dream had changed his outlook. Was he one to change the hatred of the Wizards and Techs into an emotion that was more peaceful. Clyde was in the top floor of his home. He had built it out of some easily bendable wood in the area around him. He lived south of Gonila which was a port town. Being so close to water, there were a few streams around the forest he rested in. This provided him with fish and a heavier supply of animals to hunt for food. The trees were also rather magnificent in the area surrounding him in his isolated world. They curved as they grew so they almost formed circles. Their leaves had glows of purple, blue, and green in the night. He would consider it magical, but magical meant something different in his mind. Magical reffered to a type of weaponry used for violence to him. Perhaps the Wizards and Techs had settled down over the past 35 years since he last entered the Black Market. However, the dream he had a month ago denied that idea. Their was still a war being fought, and Clyde wasn't anywhere close to it. He wasn't close to anyone or anything, he was isolated.

Clyde slowly moved his old legs out of his home for a morning fish. Fishing had become a hobby over the years for him, but like most things, it got old after a while. Their wasn't really any excitement as he subconsciously tossed out his line when he arrived at the stream. Clyde's mind was busy on the dream he had. Perhaps he could help save this corrupted world. Clyde knew that if his dream was true then there were other Balanced people scattered across this world. Why should he trust some dream though? He knew little of the world around him due to his isolation. Maybe if he went into town just to keep an ear open, he could find out what was really going on.

Clyde brushed the idea aside as he caught a rather large fish for the day. It had a red stripe steaking across its scales. The stripe was rainbow-like as the fish tried to splash in Clyde's hand. He noticed that it had eyelids and teeth that curved inwards heavily. Clyde had never caught a fish like this before. Was it safe to eat? Clyde began to believe that perhaps this world was chaging.

When he ate the fish for lunch that very same day he knew that the world was changing for the better as it tasted quite delicious in every aspect. Clyde began to gather some money he had put aside just in case of some emergency back when he was about 15. He was ready to venture into town after so long to investigate what was currently happening between the two races dominating this world.

Kitara Medillea woke quickly, taking in her surroundings immediately. It was a habit born with sleeping in the depths of the forest, and it wasn't until she was sure she was the only predator in the area that she moved, hopping silently from her perch in the tree. Judging by the play of light on the trees, it was a little past dawn. That gave her enough time to find breakfast before finding her target.

She ran on silent feet through the trees, heading for the spring. It was early enough that there would be something she could eat there. She picked off a rabbit, gutted it and set it to cook while she quickly bathed in and drank from the fresh water.

It wasn't long before she was on the move again, her cool skin sticking to the hide she wore. She knew the forest by feel and easily navigated though to the south exit. Her bounty would be coming soon, taking the favored path down to Sol. With hardly a thought, she twisted the light to curve around her, rendering her nearly invisible.

She waited patiently as the sun moved across the sky. Right on time, the caravan came into her line of sight and a faint twitch of the light could be seen as she readied her weapons, flicking open the snaps that held them in place. Six... Ten... Sixteen... a full twenty people were moving along with her target - possibly more under the cover of the cargo carts. It was more than her information had said there would be. She's have to increase the price.

She waited until the caravan came directly in front of her. A direct hit could mean dealing with less Wizards. That was ideal. Two black robes, a red and a blue in his immediate area. The black robed Wizards could be troublesome, but the blue and red would be simple.

Then they were upon her and the time to plan was gone.

She flashed a blinding light that was almost instantly nullified by the black robed wizards, but not fast enough to keep her from gaining some distance. She placed a hold on both the blue and the red Wizard with a simple weaving of hands and drew her small dagger for the kill.

"Not so fast, assassin." One of the black robed Wizards trapped her hand with a dark magic whip while the other fought to remove the light hold she had placed. There was the mistake she was waiting for. The two of them may have overpowered her, but with one free hand, she pulled her Sai with her left hand from its holster and cut cleanly into the religious official's throat with the bladed tip.

Objective completed, the only thing left was to escape. With four Wizards now bearing down on her, her hand immobilized and more Wizards approaching from the rear of the caravan, it was a feat easier said than done.

Dalian's skin and face were nearly pure white in fright. Cuirass maintained his grasp on his target's throat as he jerked his dagger which was pointed on Dalian's throat. He tightened his grip and revealed a bit of his eyes to Dalian. The rest of Cuirass' body remained pitch black.

"Who are you?" Cuirass asked his target. His curiosity of the man grew stronger and stronger by the second. Dalian on the other hand pissed his pants. Cuirass still kept his eyes locked onto Dalians eyes.

"I'm Dalian de Montego. I'm the minister of the Wizard's Port town. Who are you?" Dalian said as he kept struggling to breath.

"WHat do you know about this 'Cornelia'?" Cuirass demanded as he stuck fear into Dalian's eyes.

"C-Cornelia?"

"You heard me. Don't make me repeat myself." Cuirass said in a very cold tone.

"I knew this Cornelia Styx these past few years. She was married but we suspected her to be Balanced and tried to investigate her and her husband. We knew she had a child but we never got to know the kid's name." Dalian gasped as he kept struggling to breath for air.

"And?"

"I swear! I don't know anything else. All I know is that someone inside planned to slaughter the Styx family but they went missing before we got the chance." Dalian said.

"Why?!"

"I don't know. The person in charge was Tristan of Gonila." cried Dalian who now looked like a kid crying in fear.

Cuirass tightened his grasp on Dalian's throat. In a matter of seconds, Dalian's throat was crushed by Cuirass' grip. Cuirass took a good look at Dalian before slicing up his throat. He dragged the body into a nearby empty storage room in the area. He completed his mission and ran out of the alley way. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, guards were all over the place. Apparently, Cuirass didn't know his target was being expected by someone. He could slip past the guards but then again, he forgot that his eyes were red and he revealed his eyes to his target but forgot to hide it under his dark magic. The guards spotted a pair of floating red eyes in the dark and alerted the others. Cuirass was partially spotted. He began to run and make for a nearby building and hopefully scale a wall or two hoping to lose the guards who were dead on his tracks.

"Don't let it get away!" yelled the guards as Cuirass leaned straight on his back against the wall.

Cuirass watched some of the guards pass by him before making a single move. He checked if the coast was clear and hid his eyes in his darkness. He moved very silently and scaled a wall and went straight for the roof. He looked down below and avoided the guards while he jumped from roof to roof back to the black market.

She had tried explaining it to them over and over again. Her parents simply didn't understand. A wizard would've picked up on such a thing from the Gods, and a Tech born militant simply didn't understand the idea of a "vision". Frustrated, Dahlia sat up from the dinner table, ignoring her full plate of food which went virtually untouched. Bringing a hand to rub between her temples.

"I don't know who sent it, Father. I just.......I feel this is what I need to do."

Her parents exchanged glances. They may have grown to believe in the concept of balance, but they were not of the balanced people. Still skeptical, they pressed further, wanting to know just why they should allow their only daughter to go fight two warring factions possessing more power than any Balanced they had yet to encounter.

"All we're saying, honey, is that this sounds.....extreme. How could you possibly expect to go against both the Tech and Wizard armies?"

Her mother offered reason, her father remained silent in his strict defiance. He wouldn't even give her the dignity of a response. The idea that a "bad dream" told her to run off into the world and start slaughtering both his and his wife's people was beyond absurd. There were no visions in the world of Technology, and as such this was simply something he could not abide by. The girl, however, would not relent.

"Mother, you know the God and Goddess. I.....I saw her. She explained to me the way. I know how ridiculous this sounds, but I finally know.....I know what I have to do."

Dahlia's conviction was so complete, her eyes so full of passion, her mother could not offer a rebuttal. Simply choosing to to remain silent. Moments passed, and for the girl, it felt like an eternity. Though she'd never admit it, she knew it wasn't the simple message that allured her to heeding the Goddess' call. Leaving behind the quaint forest she grew up in....finding adventure, and even the slightest chance of seeing what the Wizard's and Tech's had created....the lust for adventure was very strong in this girl. She needed to see what was beyond the tiny port town of Gonila. It took even more painful moments before finally, of all people, her father spoke.

"I know you've already been planning to leave."

It wasn't a question, there was no doubt in his tone, and Dahlia knew not to question it. He had found her things, knew he had already discovered the survival pack she had put together and the weapons she'd planned to bring. Standing with bated breath, the girl simply waited for her father to continue.

"Your mother....She's shown me things I never believed possible. I......No, we won't keep you here. Go. You know not to ever mention us, we are dead, as far as anything you'll ever reveal to anyone is concerned."

She expected no sort of loving tone, or warm reassurance from her father. Years of training and strict discipline had taught her that one was always to keep what they were feeling hidden from all. Even family. At this point, it was reflex, and she knew it was his was strange way of giving approval. At a loss for words, the girl gazed at her parents, her only sign of emotion was a hard swallow. Turning on a heel to gather her things that she'd packed for the trip, not even certain of where she was heading. When she returned to her parents they were eating silently. Barely noticing the little girl they had spent so many years raising. Fighting back every single emotion she could, the girl stiffened herself. Strengthened her resolve and opened the door.

"I will help bring peace, I promise."

There was no reply. To her parents, they had peace. Both had seen the horrible ravages of war, and had no taste to help either side. Dahlia understood this, had it explained to her over and over again, but the vision compelled her. She knew there was greater purpose that neither her Tech father nor her Wizard mother could ever understand. With the silence being her only reply, the girl simply gritted her teeth and shut the door behind her. A sense of freedom and regret washing over her at the same time; one of the oddest sensations she had ever felt. As if she had been free from a cage she did not wish to leave. Heading off for the great unknown, she left her quaint upbringing behind her, and set off for the great Wizard town of Dellea.

It was dark. That was the first thing her senses registered. Following that was the muggy heat and the unmistakable stench of being deep underground. She was sitting on a bed of soil that was still hot with the crackle of freshly cast magic.

She tried to light the room, but the oppressing darkness was not natural and all she could make out was the presence of bars not far from her face and two black robed Wizards guarding the front.

It wasn't surprising she had fallen to them; especially not once the other Wizards had caught up. She'd put up a good fight, but one person can only do so much against ones trained by the Wizarding army. Her skin still tingled where she had been singed with spells.

She was familiar with being captured, though more often than not, she managed to escape before things came to that. The presence of this cell and the lack of memory spoke of Earth magic - probably a knock-out poison of some kind. She would have expected to be done in by the Darkness Wizards; but then, they were sure to want to question her about her motive and her employer. When she got out of this one, she'd be demanding at least twice the price. She had not been told it would be this dangerous. Not that she wouldn't have taken the job if she'd known, but at least she would have been prepared enough to set some traps.

Kitara paced the cell. Her weapons were gone - confiscated, most likely - and she would prefer not to leave without them. She would if she had to. At the moment, it wasn't an issue. She didn't sense the presence of light for quite a long ways and there was no real chance of escape yet. Her Earth magic was sub-par and she could barely move a small mound of dirt, let alone displace hundreds upon hundreds of feet of hard-packed soil. Her light magic was almost useless with more than one Darkness guard there to neutralize it, and even if she did escape from the cell, she would still be unarmed in the middle of a Wizard city. The Holy City of Garla was not somewhere one escaped from unarmed when deep in the heart of the religious military. There was nothing to do but wait it out.

As predicted, they came for her fairly quickly. Two black robed Wizards bound her arms with magic and two more led the way through the maze that was the prison block. Hundreds of cells lay through several layers of soil. They had special cells to accommodate elemental users of all kinds and even cells lined with special non-elemental magic cast by the purple robed elites to house truly dangerous criminals. She took in what she could through the darkened shroud hanging around her. She had been here on a few occasions, but always it was a different route to the top. She suspected even if she had the time to roam the area, it would take quite some time to memorize the layout.

She was led down several hallways until she finally saw the surface. Then it was across a courtyard, into an elaborate building, down more hallways and into a room that spoke of decadence. She was roughly pushed into a chair and an older man entered. With a wave of his hands, the black robed Wizards bowed and left them alone.

At his full height, he was tall for a Wizard. He stood a full five foot five and was wearing a dazzling purple robe. His graying beard hung long and perfectly cropped; a snowy color against the magnificent purple. His face was kindly, and he came to stand at the end of the large table, facing her.

He opened his arms amiably. "Welcome, Kitara Medillea."

She stood, slamming her hands down onto the ornate table. "How do you know my name?"

He smiled, something twinkling in the back of his crystal blue eyes. "I know a lot more than that about you, Kitara. A lot more."

Nobody could say that Sen was not dedicated to his art. It had begun to rain near midday, and most of the people had already returned home. It was now approximately a quarter past midday, and the rain was still coming on strong. Those who still had business despite the rain bustled about as quickly as possible, paying little heed to the figure on the side of one of the busier roads, playing a lute and attempting, albeit somewhat poorly, to sing.
Singing was something new to Sen despite his years as an improvised entertainer. His voice faltered, he forgot words, and mostly made a great mess of the whole process of attempting to be louder than the downpour. But sing, and play, he did. And from the few who were impressed with his resilience, or perhaps pitied him, he earned a fair amount of coin.
"And then, the road, goes..." He continued his song, pausing vocally only to remember the words. "Goes East, and West, and poorly trod dirt goes North!" He sang aloud, trying to overpower the torrent. "And down that road, I travel slow, I continue, going forth!" While he sang, his ever-present smile, modest and true, remained on his face. His hair was sopping wet, his clothes drenched, but he gained some amount of attention. Few would recognize it here, he knew- or hoped, rather- but the song he sang was one that his parents had taught him, telling in a way the virtues of the Balance, a song which had been passed down among his family for generations; a song which many families of Balance had known in the olden days. "Along my road, s'many creatures I find, that, eh, tread along with me," As he began to sing the next verse there was a powerful clap of thunder, causing him to pause and skip a note. However soon he was right back on track, "Snake, mule, wolf, companions, walking along, the three..." He paused again. That couldn't be the right word, 'walking.' Snakes didn't walk. He shook his head, partially to clear it, partially to dislodge some persistent dew, and started to continue. Before he could however, a cloaked figure walked abruptly past, looking no different than many others who had passed him in the day, but with quite a larger bounty for him.
A rather large coin bag had been dropped right in his basket! Sen stopped playing, thinking that perhaps this had been some sort of mistake, an accidental slip of the string that fell perfectly. Sen looked and prepared to call out, but the figure was gone. Looking down again, he knelt and picked up his basket, which was now considerably heavier. Looking around once more, he smiled happily, then made his way to someplace more dry.

Sen eventually found himself in one of the poorer Inns of the city. Grateful to be out of the rain, he had paid his fee from some of his earnings, and went to his room. Immediately he locked his door and set his belongings on the wooden floor, and changing into some drier clothing.
After he was significantly more comfortable, he sat on the meager bed and pulled the basket close, counting his earnings. He had made sufficient bounty, not counting the purse, which he saved for last. Opening it gleefully, like a child might a present on their birthday, he found quite a large number of coins indeed; and no small change, either. Gold, all of it! He picked several of the coins out, amazed at his fortune- but as he handled the coins, faint engravings became visible, as if dust were being swept away. The three he had picked out had 'a', 'e', and 'n' quite lightly chiseled into them. A bit perplexed by this, he wondered for a moment if maybe these were counterfeit coins. While he had no intent of checking the entire bag, he dumped the purses contents out onto his bed to count it, and see if perhaps there was more lettering.
As Sen dumped the contents, a small piece of crumpled and damp paper fell with the coins, followed by another, then a third. Further investigation of the bag revealed a final paper inside as well. Much of the lettering was smudged, though still discernable, but there were certainly missing letters as well.

d c t y r p th th wh l
ly y s f s c n k w
W l c d st c v
Tr v l th r d f wh ch y sp k

For the first time since he had embarked, Sen felt like he had actually stumbled upon something that may lead somewhere. He felt giddy, even! He sat, spreading out his coins to try and find more markings, and working with the letters to try and form a coherent sentence. The storm had begun in earnest now, and the thunder rolled mightily outside as he attempted to discern his puzzle.

It was around ten when he woke. He sat up and set his feet on the floor, shuddering at the cold that traveled up his legs. He wiped the sleep from his deep blue eyes and brushed his hand through his obsidian locks. A voice in his head seemed to be telling him today was the day. Though at the moment he didn’t know what that meant.

He cleaned up, got dressed in his usual fashion of a gray pullover, a black leather jacket, loose-fit leather pants and boots. He strapped on his gun belt put some fingerless gloves in his pocket then went to the kitchen. Drevin, his adoptive father was sitting at the table enjoying a hot cup of coffee. He offered a mug to Marcus but he politely refused. Coffee was never a taste he could acquire. “There are some eggs in the skillet and the bacon is on the griddle.” Drevin said as he cleaned one of his showpieces. “The authorities were here this morning. Seems you and Bertram caused quite a ruckus last night. I told them you’d be down later to pay for the damages.”

“About, that…”

“It’s alright. Just tell me who threw the first punch.”

“I did.”

“You did?” It was an unexpected answer. He wasn’t surprised that Marcus had been in a fight, the boys could be quite competitive, but Marcus rarely started them.

“Well there was this woman see…”

“A woman?”

“Yeah, we met after the game. Bertram and I invited her to the after party at Merk’s. Then these guys showed up. Seems they lost quite a bit of money betting against us and they wanted a reimbursement. One of them said we cheated…”

“Then you hit him.”

“No, I held Bertram back. He didn’t appreciate being called a cheater, but it was no reason to ruin a good evening. So anyway, after the cheater remark they made light of my height and...”

“And then you hit him.”

“Why would I hit him for that? People make light of my height all the time. I suggested we just walk away from them and enjoy the night. Then one of them called us yellow bellied cowards…”

“Ah, then you hit him.”

“No I held Bertram back again. So then Lyn starts yelling at the guys…”

“Who’s Lyn?”

“Lyn is the woman we met.”

“Ah, ok.”

“So then Lyn steps in and starts telling the guys off then one of them shoved her out of the way.”

“And then you…”

“And then I hit him.”

“So who won?”

“Hell if I know, I hit him, Bertram crashed himself into the lot of them and the whole bar turned into a free for all.”

Drevin chuckled at that. “Well, it sounds like your last night here was a fun one.”

“ It was a blast, wait...my last night, what are you talking about? Are you kicking me out?”

“Have you forgotten? A month ago you told me about a strange dream you had had. In the dream you were told you would go on journey. The day you were supposed to leave is today.”

“Drevin, it was a dream. I’m not going to leave because of some bizarre dream. Besides, where would I go? The dream didn’t exactly tell me.”

“If all of life’s answers were given to us from the start then the world would be pretty boring. Discovery is one of our greatest gifts. It’s your choice but I believe you have a greater purpose in life then spending your days in this small town.”

The morning meal continued in silence. When he had finished, Marcus excused himself from the table. “I’m going to go take care of the damages. I’ll be back later.”

“Marcus, don’t forget your gun.”

Krig was a small town where most everyone knew each other. The only armed people walking the streets were the authorities. Sometimes Drevin would send Marcus out wearing one of his products as a way of advertising but he never told him to wear his own. He was worried about him. The dream seemed to get to him more than it did Marcus.

He didn’t feel like arguing so he grabbed his gun and slid into its holster. The other two barrels slid into slots on either side of the holster. He grabbed a small palm sized rod and slid it into a pouch on the right side. He put on his gloves then grabbed a long coat and headed out the door.

<><><>
The clean up crew for the bar was still on sight when Marcus arrived. They had replaced the window and many of the tables and chairs were back in order. Merk saw him coming and crossed his arms. “You’re late.”

“I had a late night. How much is this gonna cost me?”

“30 should do it.”

“Really? Why so cheap?”

“Do you want to pay more? Bertram covered the rest since he did the most damage.”

Marcus handed him the money. “I’m sorry about last night.”

“Don’t worry about it. The place needed a remodel anyway.” Merk motioned for him to come closer. “I thought you should know, there are some men in town asking about you.”

“Me? No one knows me out side of town.”

“I didn’t like the look of them so you might want to watch your back.”

Marcus thanked Merk for the info then headed to the station. Who could be asking about him? Could it have anything to do with last night? Or did it have something to do with…no, he didn’t want to think about that right now. As he entered the station a rather large man bumped into him. The impact nearly knocked him down. The man said nothing as he left. Conrad was waiting for him at the desk.

“I’m here to give my statement.”

Conrad looked at him with a grim look on his face. “That isn’t important right now. Are you armed?”

Marcus was taken back by Conrad’s tone. “What’s wrong?”

“We’re being occupied. We knew something like this would happen someday. With the war going on it was inevitable. However everyone is this town is under investigation. The charge is treason.”

“Treason?”

“We all knew where you were from but we couldn’t deny Drevin. He lost his wife and child a year before he found you and we love him. None of us said a word when he wanted to adopt you.”

Marcus didn’t know what to say. These people were his family and now they were going suffer because of him. Conrad saw the expression of dread on his face. “It’s not your fault Marcus. We knew what we were doing, but now it’s time for you to go. Head over to Merks, he’ll help you get out.”

“What about the rest of you?”

“Don’t worry about us. All that matters right now is that you get out unseen. Good luck Marcus.”

<><><>
Merk was waiting for him when he reached the bar. “Come this way, quickly.” He led Marcus to the back room where the drinks were kept. “A few years back I had this cellar dug out to store wine barrels. During the dig we discovered a cavern that leads to the beach. This will be your route out of town." They made there way to the back of the store room then down the steps into the cellar. Merk moved three large wine barrels in the the back to the side. Beneath the barrels was a trap door.

Marcus descended the ladder into the cavern. He looked up at Merk. “I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize, and don’t worry about Drevin. We’ll take care of him. When you get further down the tunnel I want you to cave it in. This will prevent anyone from following you.”

Marcus looked down the cavern. It was dark and damp. Merk handed him a torch then wished him luck.

He walked down the tunnel almost in shock. After he’d walked for about fifteen minutes he remembered Merk’s words. He pulled his gun from its holster and fired a Tempest Shot at the ceiling a few yards in front of him. The entire earth seemed to shake as the ceiling came crashing down in a cloud of dust and debris. Marcus ran for dear life as the cave-in continued. To his relief it stopped after he'd run a few more yards. Breathing heavy, he fell to his knees. His world had just been turned upside down. His friends, his family…would he ever see them again? Answers, he needed answers but right now all he could do, was sit in the dark in bewildered silence.

Clyde gulped in fear as he cautiously entered the port town of Gonila. Clyde was wearing a robe so it was less obvious to see his fear under the clothing and hood the casted a shadow over his face. Upon walking along the side of town where the boats docked, he overheard many conversations. After Clyde had lived in isolation all of his life, only making contact with other people from Gaia maybe six different times in his lifetime, he was baffled by some of the words and slang that had developed over the years. He slowly caught on to a few things that people meant with their wordings and language. This was still quite baffling to Clyde's ears and dialect for nearly 15 minutes before he caught on.

He heard many aggressive comments towards the Techs. There were a few discussions on how Gonila would probably get attacked with the above average amount of trade they had been doing lately here. Clyde wouldn't want such an event to happen as it would only lead to more and more violence. If this port town was damaged then the Wizards would counter attack on one of the Tech's heavy trade zones.

He saw a man who owned one of the trade ships discussing a deal with another Wizard. He was trading away some of the fruit that grew around the area for an undecided price. The man selling the fruit tried saying that if he bought a bit more he could get a discount. The buyer was negotiating the numbers and pointing out a flaw on one of the fruit values with and without the discount. That kind of buisness seemed like it'd be commong to Clyde, but what did he know? Clyde wondered what made simple buisness men like that become so corrupt and evil. Where did all of this hatred begin at?

Clyde then saw a small child, perhaps only the age of five. After the trader finished his buisness convincing the other man to buy more with the discount, the child came and talked to the trader who, apparently, was his father. The child asked for some coins to buy a candy. It seemed like an innocent scene right there until the father responded.

"No, that's nasty Tech candy. It'll make your tummy hurt real bad because your a nice Wizard unlike the mean old Techs across the seas," the father spoke to his son.

"Oh, okay then. What about the candy that they sell up near the central market?" the boy asked.

"Yeah that's fine, it's cheaper and good Wizard candy," the father said handing his child a few coins.

Clyde stared as he know knew the source of hatred. It entered the minds of young people frorm those already filled with hatred. Children were innocent until they were told that the enemy was cruel and only wanted to harm them. Such hateful acts had eventually built up leading to this war between races who weren't too far apart as they thought. Clyde wanted to help these kids realize that the Techs weren't mean people at all. That was how he could begin leading this world into peace.

Mr. Bickerson sit at his desk in a plush office, several dozen stories up, the night sky showing clearly through the large picture window at his back, the stars sparkling away merrily. He reaches for his coffee cup and finds it empty, and then goes to fill it, finding the coffee pot also empty.

He goes back to his desk and hits the intercom, “Miss Hicks, I’m out of coffee, could you make some more please?”

“I’m sorry Sir, but your secretary isn’t available.”

“Who is this?” The voice was flat, and honestly, rather cold.

“Well, I’ll give you three guesses as to who I am, but I think it will only take you one guess to figure out what I am.”

The blood vacated Mr. Bickerson’s face.

He hit a different button, “Security!”

“They’re not available either sir. Good guess though.”

He reaches into the desk drawer and pulled out a large caliber handgun that he points at the large double doors with shaking hands. He moves closer to the door, leaving as little chance as possible that he would miss, even with the smart-link, when the door opened. And so focused on the door was he that he didn’t notice the figure descend, spider like, from the ceiling on a length of cable, nor his death, though he did hear the voice say, “Guessed wrong that time.”

Sen woke up the next day with his face pressed against some of the coins from last night. He had fallen asleep attempting to unravel the mystery, it seemed. He sat up yawning and stretching, and looking down at the array of coins and the pieces of paper. By now, he had managed to reveal the letters on all of the coins; many appeared to be vowels, with a few extras. He had taken some parchment and had written down each of the letters he had access to, and spent much of the night before playing an endless game of Hangman.
He had only deciphered one of the lines last night. 'Travel the road of which you speak' was by far the easiest of the four messages he had received, which was a bit confusing by itself. He hoped to find out what the rest of the message meant today.
But first, he was hungry. Leaving his room, he payed the man who owned the building for the rest of the day, which he intended he may need if he was to have solace. Outside, while it was still overclouded, it was not raining. The dirt roads were muddy in many places, however crews were wandering the streets using earth magic to easily raise or lower imperfections in the road caused by the rain, while behind them those using magical flames would heat them back to solidification.
Sen did not spend too much time being interested in the crews however, instead continuing to a nearby open stall, selling some sort of animal meat on a stick. Buying two servings for a portion of silver, he headed back to the Inn leisurely, munching as he went. It was a soft, juicy meet, but never seems to drip. It likely was owed in large part to magical cooking or preserving, Sen reflected. Regardless it was quite delicious, and he had finished one of the chunks before he had even arrived back to his room. Peering inside, however, his jaw dropped.
He had been ransacked! The sheets were ruffled, torn in places, his bags had been dumped on the floor, and the coins which he had left were all gone. His lute and rifle, oddly, had been left on the far wall. Running back to the Innkeeper, he said with shock, "I've been robbed!"
Admittedly, it was not a very high priced Inn, and he should not have left such a large amount of money, particularly vital money, in his room. The Innkeeper said that he hadn't seen anyone, however Sen suspected he may have been in on it. Returning dejected back to his room, he searched the torn sheets for the slips of paper he had received; they were not there either. All he had to go on now was the single clue he recalled, unfortunately.
Gathering his items and refilling his bag, which had oddly enough been scarcely ransacked at all, he went back outside. Requesting he be reimbursed, of course, came to no avail. He had been allowed the payment he had offered for another day, which meant he might have enough money left to get a room in another place; not that his chances of being robbed again were any less.
Instead, he went out of the city as he often would after a hardship, to continue on his road to another place.

Cuirass turned into his normal self again. He hid his bloody dagger beneath his shirt and walked into Lambert's stall. He knocked on the door to Lambert's small room and went inside.

"It's done. Anything else?" he asked as he took a seat.

"Really? Thank God. That guy is kind of on to this branch of the market these days. Say, I know we just met but can I ask you a favor? As a friend of course." said Lambert.

Cuirass nodded. That meant a yes for him since he didn't really like talking too much.

"Well you see, I've got a friend who has a family. He has a wife and a young daughter. He was wondering if you could give any help." Lambert said uneasily.

"What kind of help?"

"He wants you to break into a small town called Sabrevo a few miles from here. He has a Balanced daughter there and he wants to take her and her mother under his care. Unfortunately, the town have been caught by some crooked officers and arrested them and now holds them captive in an Earth prison in Garla. All he wants is his wife and daughter back safe and sound. Can you do it?"

"Cool. I'll do it. I've got some investigating to do as well. It concerns the government. Can I ask you a favor too?"

"What? I'll do my best to help you."

"I wanna know more about Dalian de Montego and the Wizard's Port Town. I need inside information. It's kinda..."

"Personal? Sure, I'll do my best."

Cuirass smiled at Lambert and patted his friend's shoulder. He took a small piece of bread and ate it on his way out. He looked back at Lambert.

"Any pictures or identifying details?" Cuirass asked.

Lambert chuckled. "I thought you'd never ask." he said as he handed Cuirass two pictures. Cuirass studied the faces and ran out.

Cuirass found himself running silently through the streets in the middle of the night and scaling walls and jumping across roofs with only his dagger set, his hunting bag and his sniper rifle with him. No food, no water, just his weapons and his bag. He turned his dark magic on and turned into pure darkness in a flash. as he neared the west gate of the city of Garla. The prison was just a few kilometers away and he could make it through if his visibility isn't compromised.

'Garla Prison? This is near suicide but I can get information here and get that daughter and wife out of here. It's basically a win-win situation.' He thought to himself as he stood by the trees near the fortress-like prison.

'So much for win-win situation.' he thought as he silently crept up a high hill and used his rifle. His skin was still black as night and so was his rifle. He inserted the green chip into a slot in his rifle and enabled his night vision scope by pressing a small button on his mounted scope. He didn't have any money for good customization but he did have prowess in shooting. He loaded his rifle with the piercing rounds and aimed for the head of a guard on top of a tower and shot his head. The bullet hit the mark and fell down like a rag doll.

'Nice.' he thought as he stood up and ran silently into the prison. He saw a lone wizard by the the entrance and sneaked up behind him and grabbed him without making a sound. Cuirass drew his dagger and pointed it on the wizard's throat.

"I'm going to ask a few questions. If I think you're lying, I'll slit your throat and end your pitiful life so easily, you'll never wish you were born." he said very quietly.

"Okay okay! Don't hurt me. Please." the guard whimpered.

"A young girl about the age of eighteen and her mother were captured and are now captive here not long ago. Where are they?"

"They're cursed people. They're Balanced. Their so despicable and-"

"Where are they?"

"They're in the first level of the Earth Department. Both of them are inside one cell."

"How do I get there?"

"Two blocks to the left of this tower. Please, that's all I know." the guard cried.

"Are there any security measures I need to be aware of?"

The guard fell silent. Cuirass tightened the grip on his victim's throat.

"I'm getting cranky." Cuirass said.

"Okay okay, I have the key to their cell. It's the green one inside my pocket." the guard whimpered.

Cuirass hit the guard's head and knocked him out. He hid the body in a nearby dark corner. Suddenly from the corner of his eye, he saw a group of wizards with some person with them. Apparently it was another prisoner. He continued moving on silently into the prison and found himself inside the Earth Department. He looked at the key he took from the guard. The inside of the prison was so grim and dark that it always looked like dusk if it weren't for the occasional torches near the warden's outpost. He sneaked quietly as he peeked into the out post and saw a sleeping warden. He grabbed the warden and sliced his throat. He hid the body nearby and wiped the blood with the warden's own handkerchief before he proceeded deep into the prison. In no time, Cuirass found the two women. He still looked like a shadow as he unlocked the door. The two women shivered and cried quietly in fear.

"P-Please don't kill us." the daughter cried. Cuirass revealed himself by deactivating his magic. It's just me. I'm a...Well, I'm someone but not like these aristocratic egoist Wizards here. I'm here to get you out. Just stay close to me and we'll be fine. He hugged the two women and maximized his darkness and all three of them were like shadows moving quietly out of the prison. After their escape, Cuirass was surprised that Lambert had a small cart for them to hide in while he transported all three of them back into the black market.Cuirass looked at Lambert and grinned.

"So what are we here?" he asked.

"We're traders from Gonila. Now shut up and lay low. We'll be back in an hour or so." Lambert whispered.

General Cromwell looked out at the testing field that had been lit up like high noon. A soldier was testing a prototype battle mech. The first of it’s kind, it was more an extensive power suit, but it still towered over other soldiers. Equipped with a personal null-magic field, all but the most powerful spells would fizzle out without even touching it and it would be able to operate in even within a null-tech field. At least in theory. It’s armament of machine guns and small rockets would decimate any soldiers fielded and even medium fortifications. It’s armor was so strong that even without the null-magic field, it would be able to withstand a meteor strike and the retractable arm blades ensured that it would never run out of “ammo”. Truly this new weapon would allow them to complete dominating those backwards magicians, and after a successful test tonight, they would go into mass production. If he had his way, every soldier would be manning one of these before the war was over.

His train of thought was suddenly broken by a burst of gunfire.

“What’s going on!?” but as soon as the words left his mouth he saw it.

A black figure was streaking low across the ground- straight towards the mech.

“Shoot him!”

The figures straight path suddenly became erratic, like a striking viper. His form blurred as bullets whizzed by, blowing clouds of dust into the air behind it. In only a second the figure had closed the distance between the guards on the ground and killed them. It was only then that he realized that none of the guards had fired. He picked up his binoculars and confirmed his fear; the tower guards were already dead. He yelled into the microphone at the tester, “What are you waiting for! Kill him!”

The mech, General Cromwell’s pride and joy suddenly seemed slow and lumbering compared to the near invisible speed of Hunter. The mech’s guns swung to bear on their target but it simply couldn’t turn fast enough, and faster than the General could swear Hunter had already circled around behind the prototype and incredibly leapt on to it’s back.

Standing astride it’s shoulder like the king of the world, his spear sparked to life, crackling with an electrical charge so strong he could see and hear the sparks. Hunter then struck, jamming the blade into, if he remembered the schematics correctly, a maintenance hatch. The back of the mech exploded in sparks and it collapsed to the ground, Hunter still standing proudly on it’s back.

It didn’t matter though. Hunter would never escape from he- a small hover drone flitted in and Hunter grabbed on to it and as it zipped away with it’s passenger, there was a sudden thunderous detonation as the mech blew apart.

He sighed as the most wanted man in Puria made his escape and engineers ran forward to see if anything could be salvaged.

A few minutes later he was walking down the corridor to the research and development facility as he was briefed; Hunters attack had killed every guard assigned to watch o the test and turned the mech into three tons of scrap metal. The General huffed, “Maybe we should be funding you to find out what that shadowy bastard is made of and bottle it.”

“We will be able to get another prototype up an running in less than a week, we’ll be sure to add some extra-“

The main research facility looked like a slaughterhouse. Blood covered the floor, the walls, and even the ceiling. Most disturbing of all was what had been done to bodies. They lay across the floor, bare from the waist up, men and women both. In to the chest of each and every one a letter was carved, and all together it read, “The war must end.”

“Good lord.”

“Sir! It’s all gone!”

“What!?”

“The data, the research, it’s all gone! Eveything! Gone!”

This…this was a disaster… that **** **** ******* *** had set them back by no less than a year and cost them several hundred million.

The darkness began to envelope him as his torch grew dim. How long had he been there? Time seemed to be irrelevant. He was alone, truly alone for the first time in his life. He had no one he could turn to. None of this was right. He didn’t leave like the dream said, he was forced out. Why did he have to anyway? Destiny? Fate? Was his life governed by these invisible forces? What was he thinking? This was all ludicrous. Fate? Destiny? This was just another block in the road called life. No force determined it. It was the result of many different things. Fate had nothing to do with it.

Now what? Was the question on his mind, the cave-in kept him from going back so he went forward. The torch was almost out giving him very limited range in vision. He could see maybe a foot in front of him. He continued on and eventually the light left him completely. Getting around in the dark was a tedious task requiring him to rely heavily on the sense of touch. The walls were cold and damp like the rest of the caverns. The texture was surprisingly smooth as if polished. Things were so much different in the dark. It was amazing how much he missed when he had the luxury of light.

Sound, somehow when moving through the cave he had not picked up on it. Perhaps it was because his focus was trained on the way out instead of what was going on around him. Now that he was feeling his way through the dark he began to notice the many sounds that accompanied him. The sound of dripping water could be heard in the distance, perhaps there was a great chamber within these caverns as the sound seem to echo in some places. His footfalls were more prominent and he could hear the gentle rush of wind in the distance. Or was it water?

He felt around the walls feeling every bump and crevasse. Occasionally he’d feel a slimy section causing him to pull away. Cold and slimy is not something you want to just run into. Other times he could feel life in the form of small bugs and plants. Some the bugs he noted, like to bite. He could feel the dips in the floor, a few which caused him to stumble. He also learned that while feeling the wall helped him through the darkness, it wasn’t fool proof. The wall had no way of telling him that there was a rock or stalagmite in his way. If they could talk he was certain he would’ve heard the phrase “Look Out!” quite a few times. He remedied this by placing one hand out in front of him while the other used the wall as a guide. This took some getting used to as it created a sense of vertigo.

Though it was dark he still saw…something. As he stared into the darkness he saw an assortment of colors and shapes. He began to wonder if the mind could comprehend true darkness. When you close your eyes you are effectively in the dark, but if you close them long enough you will see many things. These are things we can only see in the absence of light. He had to blink a few times to maintain his focus. However, each time he did he beheld a different pattern and different colors. He became convinced that if you put someone in a dark hallway and told them to stare into the dark for long duration of time, the person would be come hopelessly lost even if all they had do was walk forward or back.

The smell of the sea wafted across his nose and the taste of salt was in the air. He was close to the exit. He felt the wall bend around. He rounded the wall and was struck with a brilliant light, like that of a supernova. He eyelids slammed shut leaving him with those patterns he’d become accustomed to only now they had a faint red background. He slowly opened his eyes allowing them to adjust to the illumination. He had to squint for few minutes before they fully adjusted. Seeing the exit to cave brought a sense of relief as well as disappointment. For while was happy that he was leaving the darkness, he was also saddened by what he had lost.

The wall that guided him was now just a wall. He could see the path ahead so the ground no longer held any mysteries. He now knew his way so his pace was no longer cautious; eliminating the subtle sounds he’d heard only moments before. His joy at being free, however outweighed his disappointment. He quickened his pace and exited the cave. Before him were the white sands of the beach. The roar of crashing waves drowned out all other sounds. It was a foreboding sound. Anytime he heard it, it brought to him a sense of danger. There was none of course but he couldn’t help but feel it.

He moved away from the water to a stand of trees. His feet hurt and his muscles ached. He sat down and leaned against one of the trees to rest. Clouds were rolling in over the deep blue. It would rain soon which was good because he seriously needed a drink. For now though he needed rest. He leaned his head back against the thin trunk and closed his eyes.

A Tear Falls from Heaven – Chapter 3

Some would say that anything is possible with the right mindset. While perhaps this may be a bit of a stretch, it is true that some things are only possible with a certain mindset. But how does one achieve such a thing? Some would say it comes from experience. Others, an epiphany of the mind. More still would say meditation and training. Perhaps it is some combination of the three, or even none of these things at all.

The crucial point of the matter lies not in how it is achieved; only that it is.

The very nature of a vision, whether from a deity or a darker source, is a disorienting experience. Messages are often misconstrued and the recipient, having not prepared for such an event, is seldom ready to take on the task laid before them. As such, something must occur to prepare them to follow the instructions given to them in what amounts to a half-remembered fever dream.

Each individual who receives such a vision is unique. The methods that would work to prepare one would leave another more confused. Thus, each recipient must come to terms with the occasion in a different way. The concept is the same, but the methods used are different.

But, as has been stated before, what really matters is the outcome.

These are the stories of those who, through their own unique means, have come to the same conclusion.


Felicus Spera

The power of Gaia’s soil is a very steady thing. It is both a giver and a taker of life. From the moment one is born, they live on the land. They walk on the soil, they build their homes there, they eat the fruit it bears and they breathe the air created by the plants the soil grows. When their bodies grow old, the force of the earth pulls harder upon them. Skin droops as it longs for that which has nurtured them through their journey of life. As they age further, they grow shorter. In the end, when they finally die, they are buried within the very same soil that gave them life.

When earth is angered, however, it can be a dreadful thing indeed. It will shake with rage, leveling all who dare to trifle with it. It will produce poisons that affect the body in many terrible ways. It will crack open to reveal its very depths, separating whatever lies on the surface. This is the very reason there are separate continents.

Devotion deepens the connection with Gaia, filling the devout with an understanding that few have the pleasure to experience. It provides a fulfillment that cannot be gained in any other way. However, to sustain such a devotion, one must maintain a level of faith that some would say is impossible.

Any who have faith will attest to a point in their life when their faith has wavered. Those who have lost faith, for whatever the period of time might have been, find themselves worse off than they would have been if they had never had faith at all. One can only understand the absence of the connection to Gaia if one had the connection in the first place.

For some, losing faith is an easy thing. The more dedicated have a much higher resistance. But regardless of their level of faith, there is always a breaking point. What comes after that is up to the individual, and the individual alone.

The trial of Felicus Spera begins on a little known path in an area that is dominated by the Techs. Upon finding the abandoned temple in which she seeks, she will find that it will not allow her access. A much more foreboding Goddess than the one she is used to will stare disapprovingly down upon her. One may think that the Techs had created such a thing to keep out those of other races, but it is clear that this temple has been standing since even before the separation of the races, and has remained untouched since the first war began. To fulfill the prophecy laid out for her by the Goddess herself, she must find the secret to gaining access to the temple beyond.

How discouraging it must be to finally gain access only to be locked inside. She cannot muscle her way out, nor can she simply use her magic to aid her escape. She will have little choice but to go deeper into the temple, but what awaits her is something she never would have expected – something that could either be the thing that crushes the faith she has, or the very thing that is her salvation.

There is an ultimatum awaiting her arrival. She can willingly give up her faith and safely return home, or she can endure the trial awaiting her; a trial that may possibly take her sanity or even her life.


Marcus Anders

Gaia’s sky is something that holds many of the world’s wonders. It is, in fact, worshipped by many throughout the land and even has an entire faith dedicated to its power. It contains both the bright light of day and the deepest darkness of the night. It holds the moon within it during its many phases, and it rotates the stars within its blue-black depths, both allowing for the tracking of time and enabling accurate navigation to those who live beneath it.

The sky is a temperamental thing. One could never hope to control the entirety of it. It rains only when it sees fit. It can deliver much needed water to the land and the people upon it. Or it can deny them, causing droughts that lead to famine and eventually, death. On the other hand, it can rain with fury, flooding the world and drowning all living things in its path. It also has magnificent thunder and lightning, shaking the earth and striking down those who have not taken refuge from it. The powers of the sky are many, and its wonders seem to be limitless.

To truly grasp the concept of the sky, one must be fully aware of the turbulent emotions that it possesses. This requires the stark contrast of a firm stability and complete flexibility. Of the millions who have tried, few have ever achieved this, and few still have maintained it.

The trial of Marcus Anders finds him at a disorienting time in his life. Having lost everything that represented his stability, stripped of the familiarity of the world he has always known, he finds himself alone and lost. His place in the world is no longer known to him, and he has questions that he had never even thought to ask.

The search for the answers he seeks brings him to the Sky Temple. He will stumble upon it completely on accident, hidden high upon a mountain, almost within the clouds in the sky it represents. It is worn and weathered by that which it takes its name from, and he will find himself treading upon what was once the roof that protected the contents within.

Cold, wet and overgrown, the path will lead him to a chamber which is little more than round walls and open air. It is severely neglected, the ground sunken in and uneven, having been left open to the elements since the beginning of its very existence. Upon further inspection, he will find that the only object in the room occupies the center. It is a telescope of sorts, but upon looking within, it is not the night sky that he sees.

What he sees holds answers, but not the answers to the questions he is asking. The answers come in many forms – one might call them a series of illusions. He must find the questions that match these answers to discover the truth he has thus far failed to grasp. Without them, he is destined to be forever lost.

It is a process that requires an understanding deeper than he’s ever known before, and lost deep within his mind, there is a very real fear that he will never escape.