"A-Are you... okay? Maybe we should get out of here... Before they wake up...?"

This was a voice from last night, Charlotte rememebered. When she looked up she saw a younger girl holding out her hand. Charlotte took it gatefully, and with the girl's help, stood up. What was her name? Nym? That sounded right.

"Thanks..." She looked around, seeing that Xavier had come along with Nym. Great. What would happen now? The shaking girl finally remembered their meeting at the school courtyard, discussing to take a trip to go see the mysterious Demetri.

Charlotte let out an unsteady breath, calming herself; the shaking subsided. She waited for instructions, a scolding, an explanation, anything. She just didn't want to be the first to talk. What is she couldn't? Highschoolers can take French, Spanish, and a few others, but she didn't think "Tiger" made the cut.

Xavier seemed astonished that she got the song right, but his reaction was nothing compared to Jayx’s. She jumped up with an oddly excited expression, shouting "He sung the whole thing!" repeatedly. Aemyle was confused about this, seeing as the second song’s voice was not Jayx’s, though it did not sound like a recording of a song, like Xavier’s song. More likely than not, someone had been singing it in their head. How did this correlate to Jayx? She gripped Aemyle’s hands, her eyes filled with joy.

"You're amazing! Howdja do it?!" Aemyle gave a slightly unnerved smile as Xavier doubled over laughing at Jayz’s laughing. The alien really had no chance to have her questions answered, for a report of a tiger not far from the school. Xavier bolted, and Nym followed. Aemyle looked back at Jayx, wondering about whether or not to follow.

"Hey, Xavier! Why didn't you tell me you were friends with Aemyle?!" The girl who’d told them about the tiger called after Xavier, and then shrugged. "What's his problem?"

“Do you think it is Charlotte? Should we follow them?” Aemyle asked Jayx, worried by the situation.

(sorry if i get stuff wrong, i can only seem to view the most recent page so i cant read everything thats happened)

Rio walked to his job at the arcade and decided to load into the VR machine he had fixed. It read his log ID and loaded his character, the world around him dissolved and another world appeared before him. Rio was in a forest, but because he hadn't logged in in a while he had no idea where he was. Wandering around for a while he found a strange portal that he had never seen in this VR world before, perhaps they had updated the game? He decided to try it out.

As he stepped through the portal, the world seemed all too real. He was standing in an arena surrounded by strangers, wolves were approaching fast.
Rio took another look at the people around him, did they go to Atari high?

(sorry if my post is a bit out of place....have been absent from the scene for a few days and am going of Dan's description)

With Naydelle's hand gently in his, Joel gave a firm nod and headed through the portal, noticing first off the wolf eyes. Being a lone wolf was one thing, but being stuck in front of a pack of wolves was another thing. He knew far as well he had to do something, and fast, especially since Naydelle's life was in danger.

He looked over to Naydelle and whispered "Let me raise my acquaintances to help...." as he gently removed his hand from hers, then placing his hands on what appeared to be soil, and hoping that some dead remain intact under the soil and dirt. Whispering the familiar cantations, several skeletons arose and stood along Joel, turning to face the wolves. "Not exactly smart throwing bones to wolves, but its worth a try" Joel spoke out, giving a slight smirk to Naydelle in hopes to make her laugh from the joke.

Shortly after the wolves were released the new kid popped out behind Don. The kid seemed a bit shocked but shortly recovered and even started to scan the enemy.

"Don! Wolves hunt less effectively as a pack than as pairs or individuals. We need to hold back and siege them, damage them slowly and take them out at once!"

Don smiled, as he thought so a group fight is it then. Shortly after hearing the advice, Joel and Nydelle appeared. Don heard some kind of incantation, and several skeletons rose. Shortly after Don heard Joel crack a joke to Nydelle. "Ha, leave the joking to me Joel," Don yelled at Joel with a smile. The wolves had closed a large gap of space, between everyone appearing, leaving only about 20 feet between them and Don.

Hitting the enter button on his computer Don yelled, "Activate powers one and two," followed shortly from his computer," beginning activation." The light spread from the top of his head and engulfed the rest of his body, as the light faded his hands had become cat paws and his legs and arms were bigger. Don charged straight into the wolfs pack closing the 10 feet left with startling speed, after all the dog's strength more than doubled his speed and power.

The first wolf Don reached was shocked, but almost glad Don had cleared the gap between them. Don could see the hunger in its eyes, looking like that was it’s only thought. Don reached striking distance of the wolf, which it had also sense quickly dodging to the left avoiding the first blow coming down from Don's right paw. Luckily Don had two paws and shortly after determining where it was to land, he turned his left paw and swung sideways, contacting the wolf in its face, with such force, cracking its skull. As it died, a menu popped into Don’s head, due to him still being in contact with it, with a list of skills that could be copied. Choosing the first one on the list as not to be distracted to long, the computer replied, “ Wolf senses copied.”

Unfortunately in that few milliseconds the menu was up he was slashed across the back. The wound was superficial but still stung. Don thought few more of those and I might be in trouble as about five wolves circled him while the rest of them continued onto the rest of the group. Glanceing at his wrist, the timer showed 00:53.

((Sorry for my absence guys, it's the last weekend before school so I been out and all))

Should we go after them? Aemyle asked Jayx, who nodded in agreement. She looked at the other in the group with a look that said 'let's go' and started for the door, it shouldn't be too hard to find the others right?

"I hope everything's okay..." Jayx whispered to herself before she exited through the doors.

* * *

Back in the streets of the residential district, Xavier was fixated not on Charlotte, but on the man who stood beside Jack. When he looked upon the old, long-nosed fellow, he felt a sensation similar to the first time he saw Moe's old form up close-- a mixture of fear and awe. It wasn't until Nym got Charlotte to her feet that Xavier snapped out of it. "You're right, we should get going..." He said walking towards them, though his head was still turned towards the old man.

"Indeed, I much rather do this in a more proper manner, but I cannot keep this many people asleep for long." The old man stepped closer to Xavier, Nym and Charlotte, his hand cuffed over his eyes to keep the sun away. "It looks like the rest of your group is on their way over as well, perfect timing! Now we can finally get going." He spoke joyously with a crooked smile.

"Whose that?" Jayx asked Xavier as her and the others regrouped with them.

"Dunno...he's a strange-looking character isn't he?" Xavier turned his body fully to the man, "Who are you? You sound like you know us..." He questioned, with a strong sense of bravado behind his voice. The stranger let out a horse laugh at the student's words, apparently Xavier was a lot funnier than he thought.

"I'm not so important, I am just a servant to Lord Maverick. He sent me to bring you to his shop," He tipped the top hat on his head respectfully, "You are Master Xavier Wallace yes? And the one who caused this fiasco is you," He wiggled a bit more of his white walking stick out from his arm, allowing just enough to point the shapeshifter's way, "Miss Charlotte Dales. I do hope you exercise more caution with your gift in the future." Despite the respectful airs, it was no secret that he was scolding the girl.

"Since you know all of us...it's only fair that we know your name right?" Xavier stepped a bit closer to the man, who was growing more and more annoying by the minute. "Mr......?"

"Alistair. As I said, I am but a servant to Lord Maverick. Please, we can save the introductions for later though, we should be going, there's work to be done!" Before Xavier could question him further, Alistair clapped his silk gloved hands together, creating a shadowy shape behind him-- the wispy cloud of darkness quickly took the shape of a door. Something inside him couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen something like this before...but Xavier had no idea where it was.

Maverick has servants? Tch... He scoffed.
Somebody's jealous! Kid teased.
He certainly is a character isn't he? Karen identified, just a tad bit hesitant to go along with Alistair.

"Just where is Dreads' shop?" Xavier asked, wary to step through this strange blue door. The question caused that same eerie smile to creep upon Alistair's face.

"Limbo." But before Xavier could even react, Alistair turned away from them, and stepped through the door, leaving it open for the others to follow.

The soft blue light and gentle fog on the inside made for a rather uneasy looking place. A place Xavier felt that he rather not enter. However, it wasn't as if he had a choice-- he wanted answers, and this Alistair character was the only lead they had. Besides, Limbo didn't seem like a place that was within driving distance. So, with a deep sigh, he turned to face the rest of the group a frown on his face.

"Well guys? I don't know about you, but I always learned not to follow creepy old men anywhere-- especially through doors that look like they shouldn't lead anywhere." He rubbed his neck, "But...if Dreads' place is through here then..." Jayx shook her head, stepping forward, past Xavier and in front of the open door, letting the soft blue light wash against her face.

"I'm going!" She proclaimed, without a hint of doubt in her voice or being, "We said we were going to see Demi right? So...what's one little scary door?" The freckled girl turned to the all with a wide grin on her face. Inside of her though, He was less than enthused.

Jayx...you're too naive. He grumbled, disappointed in her decision.

"Aha...well then. You took the words right out of my mouth Jayx." Xavier laughed as he slammed his fists into each other. The collision between the two caused brief flashes of blue and red to emit from either fist, however, Xavier didn't notice this occurrence. "After all that big talk at lunch, I can't just turned around now, it'd be unbecoming for a man of my character, wouldn't you agree?" The glasses wearing young man looked towards Aemyle as he spoke the last bit, smiling wide.

"If Limbo's anything like I've read...I won't blame you guys if you want to stay behind. There could be even worse sons of bitches in there than Moe's old self..." His gaze shifted away from them for a brief moment, before returning with its former fire. "But me and Jayx are going...and we'd be glad to have our team with us!" Xavier slammed his fists together, yet again causing them to spark up with colored flashes.

Aha....I sounded pretty cool... He rubbed his neck, a bit embarrassed from the showy speech.

Charlotte, now on her feet and steady, was listening as the odd man introduced himself as Alistair, Lord Maverick's servant. Jayx seemed excited and Xavier was standing tall and ready, punching his fists together. The result of his random punches were little flames- blue & red- like she'd seen him do in the courtyard.

Her cheeks were still a little red- from running and from Alistair scolding her. Learn from your mistakes, right?

"If Limbo's anything like I've read...I won't blame you guys if you want to stay behind. There could be even worse sons of bitches in there than Moe's old self...But me and Jayx are going...and we'd be glad to have our team with us!" They were ready, facing the newly opened portal to Limbo. Alistair was standing, waiting for the decision to be made, beside the entry-way.

Charlotte blinked and stepped forward, switching her blue gaze from Xavier & Jayx to Alistair. "I'll go too. I've got some unanswered questions. I wanna see how far this goes."

Nym was glad to see Charlotte get back onto her feet quickly, gently letting go of her hand when she was steady on her feet. Her gaze then wandered to the old man, her eyes wide with curiousity. He didn't look like much of a servant, but no doubt he wasn't one to mess with, by the look of all the sleeping people. Alistair seemed to know some of their names, though he didn't name all, so it was questionnable whether this Demitri knew of all the people that were coming to his 'shop'.

She couldn't help but be a little unnerved as Alistair said that this shop was in Limbo. That was supposed to be the place between life and death, and the thought of being in that place scared her. It wasn't somewheree to be messing around in. Some of Xavier's speech didn't exactly help, seeing as he mentioned people worse than how Morris had been the night before. Morris had been scary enough to make her freeze up and be useless to the group, what would she possibly do if there was anything worse in Limbo?

"I don't know..." Nym said, her voice a little shakey as she fumbled with her hands infront of her. She glanced at the soft blue light in the doorway, gaze turning to Xavier and the others who had already decided to go.
"I couldn't do anything to help with Morris, and it looks like most of you have found your powers. I don't know what good I'm going to be, even if I do go with you." She explained, feeling rather stupid now. Once again her own fear and nervousness managed to find an excuse to get out of something that might bring some sort of life out of her.

She went to wrap her arms around herself to give herself an encouraging hug, though her hand was taken by two much smaller, claws? maybe paws, Nym wasn't too sure. She looked down to see Morris holding her hand again, giving it a reassuring squeeze with his own, guessing that he was being careful not to scratch her.
His beady eyes were large and shiny, his feathers puffed out to make himself look bigger, much like a proud bird would.
"You will find your power, Nym. I know it. And you will do great. I believe in you," He said slowly, the glittering light around him appearing again though this time it was white.

Nym was unsure how to respond. It was nice to hear that someone had some sort of faith in her, though she was unsure that she could handle any kind of big responsibility.

Sweet, some backup. With added manpower, thought Valor, this ragtag group might stand a bit more of a chance. Now if only they could work according to plan... Obviously, since Valor had less combat experience but more knowledge, he'd have to be hanging out away from the actual action, mostly useful for covering up an exposed flank. Knowing this, he was immediately disappointed when Don simply leaped into the fray, basically dismantling his plan from the get-go--as shown by the immediate wound given to him by a hungry wolf.

"Hey, that's not what I meant! Get back here now, we should fight them from a distance instead of charging at them. They're going to try to divide and conquer us, and you're helping them!"

Joel, on the other hand, had the right idea. Calling in some sort of backup that could be abused without worry, that could fight on its own, and could help contain the mass of wolves was an excellent idea. Hopefully they would at least move according to plan...

As Valor was looking over the battlefield, searching for a strategic advantage, one of the wolves that had broken away from the pack was sneaking up on him, and he had just enough time to turn around before it pounced. And then it happened again... Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Valor instinctively began to duck, but as he tried, he felt his movement slow to a crawl. Just like the wolf seemed to stop in mid-pounce. Scanning over the situation, Valor was able to notice that, in his flailed half-defensive position, his arm was in just the right place to deliver a nasty uppercut to the wolf's stomach. Thinking it over some more, and watching the would-be assailant inch closer by a nearly imperceptive distance, Valor decided that an extra attack would need to be delivered simultaneously to effectively dislodge the charging canine. The uppercut would launch the dog upwards, and so a downward-focused attack would be of most use...

Suddenly, time's flow returned to normal. As the wolf flew forward, no longer suspended in midair, Valor thrust his fist up into the wolf, and initiated a backflip before the attack would even hit. As the fist rammed into the canine's underbelly, Valor's legs came down to deliver a crushing blow to the top of its head and forcing it down, snapping at least one of its legs with the sudden impact.

With a nod from Jayx, the two departed from the school to follow. Down the street, the location of Xavier and the others became apparent. A whole crowd of people was asleep on the ground, while the small group of people they knew stood looking at a strange man she did not recognize. Curious as to what she might learn from the man, she sought out his song, and though she felt as if she might grasp it at first, it melted away in her mental fingers. His mind was beyond her reach, it seemed.

"It looks like the rest of your group is on their way over as well, perfect timing! Now we can finally get going." The elderly man gave an odd grin as she and the rest of the group came within earshot.

"Who’s that?" Jayx asked what everyone was probably wondering.

"Dunno...he's a strange-looking character isn't he?" Xavier turned from Jayx to the man, "Who are you? You sound like you know us..." This received a rather animated chuckle from the recipient of the inquiry.

"I'm not so important, I am just a servant to Lord Maverick. He sent me to bring you to his shop," He tipped his top hat before continuing. Aemyle wondered if that was some sort of greeting on this planet, "You are Master Xavier Wallace yes? And the one who caused this fiasco is you, Miss Charlotte Dales. I do hope you exercise more caution with your gift in the future." While making it clear that he knew the group, he also took the opportunity to scold Charlotte. It was a rather big mess to sort out; it made Aemyle speculate as to if these people would even remember the tiger running down the street. This character seemed like he could erase memories just as well as this Maverick person.

"Since you know all of us...it's only fair that we know your name right?" Xavier asked "Mr......?"

"Alistair. As I said, I am but a servant to Lord Maverick. Please, we can save the introductions for later though, we should be going, there's work to be done!" He clapped his gloved hands together, causing a cloudy shape to form behind him. The shadowy cloud gave way to wisps around the shape of a door. She remembered seeing this blue door in a different setting…only she remembered it being open then…

"Just where is Dreads' shop?" Another question from Xavier.

"Limbo." Alistair said matter-of-factly before stepping through the door. Limbo? According to the lore of this planet it was an in-between, vacant dimension. According to Peregrinan lore, this dimension was called ‘Denr’ilma, the ‘Place Without Destiny’. This worried Aemyle more than just a bit, and the eerie fog coming from the other side did not ease her mind in the very least.

Xavier and Jayx seemed eager to go, despite what the lore of this world told them about the place. If they knew Peregrinan lore, they might be a bit more cautious.


"If Limbo's anything like I've read...I won't blame you guys if you want to stay behind. There could be even worse sons of bitches in there than Moe's old self..." Xavier turned to the rest of the group, punching his fists together with small emissions of flame,"But me and Jayx are going...and we'd be glad to have our team with us!"

"I'll go too. I've got some unanswered questions. I wanna see how far this goes." Charlotte spoke up.

Nym seemed unsure, but it was clear that she did not want to be left behind. And it was quite clear that Moe wanted her to go forward. The mini-chimera really did have a soft spot for her.

Aemyle didn’t want to go through that door if it led to Limbo. That place was called ‘Place Without Destiny’ for a reason, and she had no desire to have her destiny end there. However, taking a look at Jayx and Xavier, she felt she could not decline. She owed it to herself to follow this lead, to see if this Maverick knew why she was taken from her home, and she owed it to the others to follow this adventure through.

The alien heaved a great sigh and shook her head. “I am probably half insane for entering that realm of my own accord,” She looked to Xavier with a smile that said ‘What the hell am I doing’, “But, I dare not part from such a lovely group of new companions, especially when there are questions to be answered.”

She pulled her gun from her holster, and recited a translated loyalty oath common among the warriors of her people. “You have my firearm, and my Allegiance,” Tew kry wa dozekun, ohn wa haav’net

Rio jumped at the sudden transformation of one of the kids in front of him, but was even more impressed at the insane reflexes of another as not only dodged a surprise attack from a wolf, but counter attacked in a split second. It took him a second to regain focus and remember that he was in the heat of a battle that seemed all to real. A skeleton was ripped apart by a wolf and a femur flew across landing in the dust at his feet. Rio picked up the femur and wielded it like a club.

Well, i usually use a staff but i guess this will have to do.

One of the wolves jumped straight at him with teeth snapping. From being caught completely off guard, Rio only had time to shove his makeshift weapon in the way of the snapping jaws. The Beast clamped down hard refusing to let go. Placing his free hand on top of the wolves head, Rio unleashed all the voltage he could muster, knocking the wolf out. With his bone club now free, he bashed at the wolf's face till it was no longer recognizable. As a finishing, he opened the now smashed jaw and ripped out one of the beasts fangs. Electrifying one finger, Rio burned a hole in the top of the bone he was holding and lodged the fang inside giving him a spike. Now satisfied with his weapon, Rio prepared for the next assault.

Xavier crossed his arms and smiled as Charlotte stepped forward first, she had a fire in her eyes, she was resolved.

"I'll go too. I wanna see how far this goes." She spoke, nodding at him and Jayx.

"Heh, good answer." Next, Xavier shifted his gaze towards Nym, who wasn't taking things as well as they were. Nym didn't want to go; and he couldn't blame her. They had to be insane to fight Berserk Moe last night, and this might as well have been suicide-- but he couldn't just drop everything and turn back.

For once though, Moe wasn't acting like an ass. Instead, he was comforting Nym, trying to give her confidence. He smiled just a bit at the display, impressed by the mini-chimera's behavior. "Aha, well Nym? It looks like you've got yourself a knight by your side." Xavier pointed out with a teasing tone, much to the distaste of the galant Morris Von Zan. Normally, the creature would have leapt out the bag and mauled the student--but he was more concerned for Nym at this point.


“I am probably half insane for entering that realm of my own accord,” Aemyle spoke next. Xavier noticed her air had been strange ever since Alistair mentioned their destination, but she seemed ready now, and he couldn't be more excited. The singer sent a smile his way, one that screamed 'What the Hell...?', and one that made him die laughing on the inside. “But, I dare not part from such a lovely group of new companions, especially when there are questions to be answered." She was hesitant, but on board none the less.

"Ah, well, if it makes you feel any better we can put both of our halves of insanity together and be complete." Xavier chuckled at the line, "Well, they all can't be knee slappers." He shrugged.

“You have my firearm, and my Allegiance,” It sure did sound reasuring enough.

"Alright then, I'll take it." He put his hand on his heart, nodding firmly at the words, and then, shifted his attention to Preston and Lilli. "You guys on board?" Preston gulped, feeling a bit uneasy about it all. He wanted to go, but he still wasn't sure what all he could do...sure, he could take a shot or two...but what could would he be in a real fight? Besides...he was already injured.

"I...don't know..." The blonde haired boy looked at Lilli, who seemed to still be wary about it all as well. But still. It didn't matter, he wanted to know what was going on, he didn't like being in the dark like this. And so, there was only one thing to do. "Yeah...yeah! I'll go too." Preston stepped forward, and as he did, Xavier held out his fist initiating a manly bump of fists between comrades. A confident look appeared on the boy's face as he connected knuckles with the much taller student.

"Well then, have you all reached a consensus (sp I'm sure, no spellcheck on phone xP) yet?" Alistair spoke with his back turned inside the door, a rather impatient tone in his voice.

"Time is not a leisure of the elderly you know."

Nym looked around to the others as they all eventually decided that they were going to go along with it. It looked like she was the only one seriously having doubts about going. She looked back down to the little chimera that held onto her hand still, having glared at Xavier for a moment before returning his gaze to her. She swallowed hard, still unsure. But she really didn't want to be left here on her own either. And she had kinda said that she'd help Morris get strong again, this was probably the best way to go.

"C'mon," Morris said, tugging at her hand a little. "We'll all be there with you, so you don't have to be scared."

Nym looked from Morris to the others. These people had soon become the closest thing to friends she had, she had already abandoned them once in the middle of something scary and dangerous. She didn't want to run away again now, she wanted to be stronger, so that she could actually help next time. She didn't want to lose her only chance of true friends either. With a little shakey sigh, she nodded a little.

"I'll come," She said simply, still a little unnerved by the whole idea. But you had to face your fears to get over them, well that was what everyone else said.

Morris seemed to be grinning, beaming with happiness as she agreed to go with them, proud that she had been brave enough to take on that which scared her. He still held onto her hand, still trying to give her the courage to keep moving forwards.

((Sorry for the delay on my part...had to get over the first day of school hangover -_-. Still trying))

Alistair looked at all of them, a flicker in his golden gaze. Hearing each of them agree to follow him, brought a crooked smile to his face. And then, he turned around, facing back to the fog inside the door.

"Perfect, now it all begins." He stepped inside, waving for them all to follow them in. Xavier sighed, he talked big about heading in before, but a big part of him was still hesistant to enter.

"Phew..." The student clapped his hands against both of his cheeks, and proceeded to break into his ritual squats. Preston, seeing this, and remembering the behavior from last night, ran up beside the senior and did a few stretches of his own; he had to admit, they helped shake out the fear. "Alright, time to go." Xavier pounded his fists together, creating yet another involuntary spark of blue and red flame.

He didn't have to look behind him to make sure everyone was with him, something told me none of them would back out on him now. Jayx watched him pass by as the first to go in, she had to admit she was jealous that Xavier got in first, but she was going to be second. Frantically, she charged through the door, almost knocking Preston over in the process.

The freshman took a deep breath before stepping through himself, watching fearfully as the others dissapeared upon the thick blue fog. He gulped, feeling his legs grow heavy. "No...I have to go." Preston assured himself, and without looking back, he charged into the unknown, not giving any time for fear to take over.

The sensation of going through the door was as strange as one would expect. Somewhere between the instant he stepped through the door, and the instant his foot touched down on the inside of the strange foggy place, Xavier could have sworn he lost consciousness. And then, there was a blinding flash of light, and when he opened his eyes next, he was looking at an extremely run down shack in what felt like the middle of nowhere.

Ignoring the rundown complex for now, Xavier's true shock came from the space around him-- this was limbo? He was looking at two scenes, three if you counted where he stood now. The one, over head, a bright, calm looking city-- it's magnitude and features could have only belonged to 8-Bit. But the one below...it was dark, fearsome, supernatural and foreboding. From what he could see through the glass...ground? He stood upon the lower city was completely covered in a thick darkness, otherworldly creatures surrounded the skyscrapers...what was he looking at?

"Xavier...where are we?" Two swirls of light appeared behind him, and as those subsided, they were revealed to hold the forms of Jayx and Preston, their faces were pale, probably from nausea of the experience. Oddly enough, Xavier was feeling nothing of the sort. He figured he was probably going to get it something terrible later.

"Limbo I presume...looks like we're the first ones here..." Xavier answered him, crouching down to get a closer look at the 'dark' version of 8-Bit (at least what he thought it was). His eyes narrowed, trying to look past the thick clouds of darkness. "What the hell?" For just a brief moment, the senior caught just a glmipse of what appeared to be him...looking back at him through the darkness below. "Nah...just a reflection...must be." He rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a deep sigh. But reflections to smile back at you... Xavier thought with a temble.

"Name?" A voice called out from in front of them. They all looked towards the voice, it belonged to sleek looking man, dressed neatly in a tuxedo very similar to Alistair's. The fellow, who leaned coolly up against the wall of the rundown shack was pale of the skin, with long black hair that reached to his shoulders. His face was clean shavened, with a pair of dull golden eyes and a perpetualy uninterested coutenance. He had his arms crossed, but he still seemed ready to make use of the sheathed katana on his side.

"Name...?" Jayx cocked her head to the side, a bit confused. The man rolled his eyes, annoyed.

"Name. What, is this your first time here?" The bouncer let out a sigh of exhaustion, apparently he didn't enjoy the job.


"How the hell did kids like you make it through the Gate...?"

“Alright then, I'll take it." Xavier put a hand over his heart and seemed to accept her oath. It made her feel a litter better that she wasn’t in this alone. Not too long after, Preston agreed to come along, and Nym officially followed.

"Well then, have you all reached a consensus yet?” Alistair peeked back through the door to check on them, "Time is not a leisure of the elderly you know."

An agreement to follow brought a smile to the elderly man’s lips, and he simply said “Perfect, now it all begins,” before re-entering the portal and waving for them to follow.

Xavier began stretching by going through an odd squatting motion, one Preston imitated for a moment or two before Xavier stopped and began his sparking fist-pounds once more.

"Alright, time to go." He then turned and walked into the pale light beyond the doorway. Aemyle nearly flinched as he did so. Despite her vow, she was still wary of going into Limbo. It would seem that Jayx did not share that hesitance. She sped past the blonde freshman to follow Xavier. Preston, after a moment’s hesitation, followed.

Aemyle took a few steps toward the door, but froze before it, unwilling to go into a place of such dark stories. She glanced back at Nym, who seemed just as, if not more, hesitant to move forward as she. The singer heaved a sigh and turned her multi-colored eyes back to the pale blue fog before her. What lay beyond the fog was unknown, technically. The lore was vague about this place. Perhaps, with her new companions, she might live to tell the tale, to clarify Peregrinan lore on ‘Denr’ilma’. When she examined this adventure, discovery was definitely at its heart. How could any true Peregrin have such a mystery before them and refuse to investigate?

She would go. The alien turned back to Nym and flashed her a smile of encouragement.

“Do not fear, once you take a step towards courage, it will take a step towards you.” She said then took a deep breath and stepped into the mist.

The ground seemed existent at first, but then it felt like gelatin. She saw the odd realm for a moment before her vision blurred and her head began to pound with dizziness. Her eyes darted about for someone to lean on but no one was close enough. Her feet fell out from under her and her body collapsed to meet with the ground.

Before long, Xavier, Jayx and Preston had all disappeared through the door of soft blue light, leaving only a few others behind. She watched as Aemyle stepped up next, turning back to look at her for a moment before approaching the door, pausing again to give her a message about courage before disappearing into the blue light.

Take a step towards courage, and it'll take a step towards me?

Nym wasn't all too sure what she meant exactly, but she couldn't back out now. Morris still held onto her hand, which she was thankful for. She was going to need someone to cling onto to get through the scary times. She gave Morris's claw a little squeeze, not wanting to hold onto him too tightly incase she hurt him - he was only small now, after all. She let out a heavy breath before stepping up to the door next, not wanting to be the last one to go through. She was always last at doing almost everything, this time she didn't want to be left till last.

"One small step for Morris, one big step for Nym..." She mumbled to herself, psyching herself up a bit before walking into the light. It became too bright to bare, and she had to close her eyes. For a moment, she didn't feel anything. She felt suspended in a void of nothingness, left to float around forever, though the feeling soon returned. She brought herself to open her eyes, a small wave of sickness hitting her, though nothing as bad as what she thought might happen. Nym looked down to her bag, checking on Morris, who was gazing around the place they were in now.

Her eyes were soon wandering too, looking up to see a city, and looking down to see almost the same city. The lower city didn't look exactly the same, it looked darker, though in a way Nym couldn't really describe. It unnerved her, but everything made her feel like that, and so she was starting to push that feeling away. It was beginning to aggrivate her.

At the sound of another voice, Nym brought her gaze back to everyone else. She saw the suited man asking them for names, suddenly asking them if they'd been in this place before.
"I don't think we'd look so confused if we had been here before..." She commented under her breath.

Styx Appears


"Don't tell me this is your first time here...?" The golden eyed man groaned from his position up against the shack. Realizing the obvious answer, he moved on to simply observing their behavior as each one of them came through the Gate, each in a 'whirlwind' of light. Only one person's Gates had that type of behavior for those whom stepped through it: Alistair. At the revelation, the bouncer grimaced, these must have been the kids Demetri wanted.

He watched as they all exhibited signs of nausea, something even he still had sometimes when stepping through Gates. But when he saw one of the girls pass out from the ordeal, he let out a disappointed sigh. Were these children really the ones Demetri was trusting with the job.

"How did kids like you all make it through the Gate?" He asked, with a hint of anxiety in his voice.

"Who're you..? I'm getting real tired of random golden eyed folks popping up in my life." Xavier shot back; there was no doubt that all three of the mystery men they've run into over the past 48 hours were all related, the eye color couldn't be a coincidence. "You're with Dread's and the Hatter aren't you?" His eyes narrowed in suspicion, a look that amused the bouncer.

"My name's Styx- though I could have sworn I asked you for your name's first...that's rude you know?" He shrugged, "You should check on your friend..." Styx dully pointed with his left bony index finger towards Aemyle, stretched out on the glass ground behind them. Xavier bit his lip upon seeing this, quickly hurrying to her side.

"She's fine, it's probably just a reaction to the Dimensional Dive." Xavier felt some relief at the bouncer Styx's words as he crouched down next to Aemyle, who was still unconscious at this point. "Judging by the looks of it, you all are the nine Demetri-Sama told us all about, then I won't waste any more time-- we could lose this opportunity." Preston was confused by what the tuxedo-wearing man was saying, what opportunity?

"An...opportunity?" Preston frowned.

"Yeah. Are you all aware that those fancy powers you all have aren't exclusive to your group? Demetri-Sama has located four others with the same type of techniques, and he's captured them in another Dimension." Styx smirked, clearly amused by the situation. "They're just students like you all are, but they're in league with a malevolent foe, we think it's the target Demetri-Sama was sent to your city to find and..." Preston gulped, they were going to have to fight? Other students? And they had powers, just like they did. But what if they were much stronger than they were?

"Are they strong?" Preston asked, his voice mighty shaky.

Styx smiled and nodded, a frightful gleam in his golden orbs, "Of course, they're in the middle of The Coliseum right now. They've been alive in there for at least a few hours now...they're bloody tough." His smile built into a toothy grin, which revealed his row of oddly sharp teeth, "Then again, Demetri-Sama wouldn't have given this job to you all if he didn't believe in your ability..." Styx pushed himself off the wall and stepped forward just a bit.


Just like Maverick to push his job on us! He thought furiously. Jayx frowned, she was hoping to see Demi now, but whatever, she thought. They just had to deal with those four kids in the Coliseum thingy right? And then they could probably see him. She smiled peacefully at that conclusion, and began to shift side to side impatiently.

"So we're going through another one of those doors...?" Xavier asked from behind them, a bit concerned for everyone's safety.

"Nah, this one's a bit different-- you can't connect to other Dimensions outside of a system through a simple Gate, you have to use a type of Portal...Rift....ahh...it's all too complicated to go into right now, just head on through this," Styx snapped his fingers, generating a wispy black smoke beside him. It twisted and turned, and wove together to form a circular black 'rip' in the space immediately in front of the shack.

Preston gawked at the hole in space, making out the shape of a large arena on the inside-- the other kids with powers were in there...and they had to defeat them. If they were aligned with this foe, they must have been responsible for what's been going on in 8-Bit...he was ready.

"Know that if you deal with these four in here, you'll help to stabilize your world, and prevent incidents like what happened last night with the chimera from happening again in your city." Styx coolly leaned back against his spot against the shack wall, and shut his eyes, trying his best not to look interested in what they were all going to do.

"Be careful though, once you get in there, the students probably won't be your only foes."


At this, Preston sighed. It was a Coliseum after all, he'd be surprised if their weren't any monsters inside...they had to be ready just going in...but the didn't even have weapons on them-- what the hell could they do against the monsters and students? The blonde freshman inched closer towards the portal, a solemn look on his face.

"You'd be surprised what kind of dangerous weapons you could find on the floor of a Coliseum...just saying." Styx mumbled, loud enough for all of them to hear. Preston's eyes widened-- maybe they had a chance then. Just a hair away from the portal, he looked at all of them with a smile, they had to go sometime right?

"We can do this guys..." His face went red, clearly he wasn't prepared to give a speech of any sort. "I mean...heh..." The boy nervously twisted one of his blonde locks around his finger, trying to find something inspiring to say. But before he knew it, Jayx was already headed into the portal, a cheery look on her face.

"Heheh, let's go!" She said, diving head first into the wide rip in space. Styx, and Preston both watched her perform the feat in awe, clearly not used to her Jayx-ness (apparently Styx was more interested in them than he led on to be).

"Well then, that's one way to go about it. Why don't you all follow her? Like I said, we may never have an opportunity like this again." Styx smirked, amused by it all. Preston nodded, a fire was now in his blue eyes, Jayx had inspired him.

"Right...ok. I'm going." He stepped back just a bit, giving himself some room. And then, letting out a breath that held all his inhibitions, charged forward, disappearing into the darkness of the rift.

"Sheesh....those two sure are excited..." He spoke from his position next to the singer, who must have been close to coming around- based on Styx's diagnosis. "But they're right though, we should get moving." Xavier wasn't crazy about the idea of fighting other students, but if they were allied with Dread's target...they had to be dealt with right? Maybe they just had to beat them to a pulp, and let Dread's swoop in and 'rewrite' them like he did Moe? Yeah...that sounds right.

"We'll just rough em' up right?" He didn't ask the question to Styx though, he just recited the words, looking down at Aemyle. The senior sighed, he couldn't worry about it now, it was time to get moving.

* * *

BRAVE!!

"What's this?! A strange flash of light on the floor? Is this some sort of spell from or five fighters...or something else?" The announcer Icarus exclaimed from his resting position on a cloud, just above the arena floor. The crowd busted into a fit of electric excitement upon the reveal of what caused the flashing light, two newcomers, both looked equally unreliable, and full of blood to watch splash on the ground. More gore! More screams! More action! This was going to be a great day to be a spectator.

"Jayx...we're here!" Preston's eyes darted around, oblivious to the conflict going on just in front of him between five bodies and a pack of ravenous wolves. The freckled, space-cadet didn't respond, she seemed to be lost in her mind's world at this point.

Oh no...this setting...it's going to cause him to come up isn't it? He groaned, almost fearful. Somewhere inside Jayx's mind, yet another one of Jayx's imaginary friends were beginning to stir. A tune of extreme adventure and courage played in her mind, the fear of battle only made her heart begin to beat faster and faster. BRAAAAAAAAVE!!! Kid hollered, unlocking the last latch on the door that held the personality back.

Appearing in a mass of dazzling stars and spirals behind her was a tall, athletically built man. He was dressed just like a pirate, an eyepatch on his right eye, striped red vest, complete with no shirt, a pair of baggy striped trousers and black, extremely worn boots-- he even worse a bandana on his head, atop his long, scraggly black mane.

"Jayx! I smelled a fight, and I just had to come on out! Allow me to aid you and bring ye the spoils of victory! It's what us warriors do!" The fighter bellowed, beaming with pride as he stepped beside Jayx. He grabbed hold of the cutlass strapped to his waist and adopted a bloodthirsty gaze in his eyes. "Hawhawhaw! They'll all fall by my blade! Just watch me Jayx!" And with that, the pirate charged off towards the fray, not even knowing what his target was.

"Okay Brave! Have fun!" Jayx waved to her friend as he ran and sunk his blade deep within one of the first beasts he came across. They were all oblivious to the gates in front of them which were slowly rising...it looked like round two was going to start soon. Another impressive display of lights formed behind Jayx, this time, revealing her most common imaginary friend. Him.

He stood tall and lanky, wearing a decent looking white button down shirt and black and white plaid scarf around his neck. His hair was long, which bright white streaks throughout. His eyes were light blue with a relaxing air about him, though the perpetual scowl on his face contradicted this piece of his features. As for his legs, he wore a pair of tight-fitting black trousers and black loafers. Hanging on his side was the black sheath to his broadsword, his hand was already gripped tightly around the silver hilt, ready to strike.

"He's going to be more trouble than help in this fight..." He frowned, stepping beside Jayx while she looked at him with a goofy face. It still feels strange to step onto real ground... The man thought, just a bit cautious about this new place.

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kTBbTSjZpI]Uncontrollable[/url]

Charlotte stepped through the shimmering portal after her friends. A wave of minor nausea passed through her stomache; was it from her earlier tiger-shift or from walking into a space both mystifying and scary? A well-dressed man introduced himself as Styx, and muttered to Xavier and the others. Charlotte heard them, but didn't process the words; she was looking around and taking in this breath-taking space. Directly above her was a replica of something that looked like 8-Bit City in a glass bubble. Below her was a dark, shadowy reflection of the city above her head. In the lower city, creatures and monsters prowled around the skyscapers.

The Junior looked up just as Jayx and Preston dissapeared into a new rip of space. It was dark and purple and twisting, like a lava lamp, almost. Styx stepped back as Xavier jumped in after them, and the man in the suit gestured with his hands for her to follow. Looking back at Aemyle, Styx saw her worry, and said, "Don't worry, I'll make sure your friend follows as well."

Charlotte nodded, and, after a moment's hesitation, carefully stepped through the rip...

...Ending up in the heat of battle, in an enormous Colliseum, filled with cheering people screaming for the blood of the new participants and the five others blocking, kicking, and attacking through a pack of wolves.

She barely saw Jayx wave as some pirate-like-man ran into the chaos. A huge wolf with wide eyes filled with crazy hunger had left the ground, heading towards her. Instinctively, Charlotte ducked, the wolf flying over her and landing with a thud. He wasn't done yet, though. And she was only just beginning.

Charlotte transformed into her tiger form, with ease this time- then thought better. Let's try something new...

The stripes dissapeared, the orange turned to gray, the snout became longer, the tail more shaggy- she was a wolf.

Her attacker was only stunned for a second. It leaped for her again, mouth agape, and tried to get a hold of her arm. He succeeded, but that's what she wanted. Charlotte yanked her paw out of his jaws and jumped onto his back. She pinned him and rolled him over, claws ripping the flesh as it happened. Once on his back, the wolf was done for, helpless. She went for the jugular, teeth snapping closed on the vital vein. His life ended quickly, blood staining his neck fur and the ground.

Charlotte stood. She looked around.

Charlotte was the attacker now, and the rest were prey.

Charlotte's hunger for blood dripping between her teeth and sound of bones snapping in her ears grew; it was all she wanted.

Charlotte picked her next victim, and attacked.

Slowly, her sense of hearing began to work again. She heard the voices of those around her, though she did not make much sense of it. She caught something about going somewhere and fighting, but the first clear thing she heard was a foreign voice saying "Don't worry, I'll make sure your friend follows as well."

Her multicolored eyes blinked open to see a city from below, and as she took stock of her surroundings, she discovered that it was 8-Bit. After blinking a couple of times she pushed herself into a sitting position, which, upon seeing the gatekeeper, quickly turned into a crouching position with her gun drawn.

“Who are you?” She asked, “Where are my companions?”

Rio noticed a flash of light coming from the opposite side of the colosseum but had no time to inspect it as a wolf tried to take a bite out of his leg. He spun to the side and planted the new spike into the wolf's skull as it skid across the ground. Now, out of immediate danger, Rio had time to observe the two people who had just appeared. One of the newcomers transformed into a tiger making Rio jump. Then, as the tiger transformed into a wolf, a new dilemma came up. Were all of the wolves just transformed people? That would mean that I am a murderer. I have never killed anyone before, or have I? And why am I feeling so alive? Am I actually enjoying this? Well, I have always been put down for the enjoyment of others, It's my turn. What do i care if these are people or not? I deserve to be happy, and if killing makes me happy, then that's what I'll do. With his mind now made up, Rio gripped his weapon tighter and charged into the fray. He Swung down hard and placed the spike into the side of a wolf causing it to yelp and turn. As it's head turned around Rio placed his hand right between the ears and fried it's brain. He was getting pumped!

(if this conflicts at all with any main plots, let me know and I'll edit it)

{{N!ghtmare, you put a link like that up by writing [url=enterurlhere]Title[/url] just paste the url in where it says enterurlhere. (:}}

Nym watched everyone do their own thing, the man in the tux, Styx, talking about others like themselves. It worried her that they weren't the only ones with these powers, wondering how many others there were out there that hadn't been discovered with powers just yet. She watched as Preston and Jayx disappeared into the door to the colessium, glancing to Xavier and Aemyle with a questionning look. Should she walk through too, or wait for them?

"Nym, lets go in."

She looked down to see Morris gazing back up at her with his big proud eyes. It looked like he was ready for a fight. He wanted to get stronger again, she knew that, and he had asked for her help in that. She was once again a little nervous about being involved in this, seeing as she hadn't even found her power yet. It wasn't like she could fight with a weapon either, so her chances were slim. She wouldn't be able to get any stronger if she didn't try though.

After psyching herself up again, Nym nodded once, a sudden fire behind her eyes as she pushed the fear aside for once, stepping up to the gate next and disappearing through it to the other side. The next instant, she seemed to be in the middle of a battle. She ducked automatically as a wolf leapt towards her, the wolf going over her and landing nearby; snarling at her.

Another child, easy pickings.

Another voice, this time darker than the ones she heard before. And it wasn't telling her to run away. This one sounded like it was going to attack her, just like the wolf was. Then it seemed to make some sort of sense. Perhaps it was the wolf saying it, after all the could talk, just in their own little language, right? Perhaps she was hearing the wolf language. Perhaps that was her power?

Nym looked around on the dusty round. Styx had said something about finding stuff on the ground, and so she was searching for something to defend herself with.

No more waiting!

The wolf seemed to cry as he leapt for her again, Nym squealing in reaction and diving out of the way of the wolf's claws and fangs.

All at once, the battle around Valor seemed to simply explode. They had been winning, it had seemed, and slowly the wolves had been weakened as a group. Easy pickings for the skeletons, and anyone else who was able to get a wolf that was distracted. However, when the other team entered... Valor simply stopped and stared, his power activating instinctively to give him more time to analyze what was going on here. Newcomers... Perhaps they were the other team Demetri had warned them about? If that was the case, then it was merely a massive stroke of luck that they were also attacking the wolves. They had the right idea, too--dismantle the neutral party so that each side could focus on the other. And with attackers from both sides, the wolves could be surrounded and cornered more easily--especially with the teeming mob of bones and fists that had been summoned earlier.

Valor immediately began taking stock. One of the girls seemed to be some sort of shapeshifter--that would make fighting her nearly impossible in direct combat. A surprise attack would be best, and from multiple flanks. Failing that, she should be taken away from the main fight and be repeatedly charged by varying party members, with the intent of forcing her to transform repeatedly and rapidly. This should tire her out swiftly. As for another of the girls, she seemed to be of limited concern, or at least hadn't displayed/discovered her power yet. She seemed to be more interested with flailing and squealing under the attack of those dreaded canines than actually fighting back, and this would make her easy pickings--if anyone could be diverted from the main fight. This would be a job for the Skeletor Squad.

The third girl appeared to be a summoner of some sort. She would have to be contained in some way as well, but of most concern would be those she brought forth. The pirate-looking thing could be quite dangerous if it got distracted from the wolf slaughterfest, so it would have to be supplied with a steady stream of these beasts. Wait a minute, that could work! A new stroke of brilliance came across Valor's mind. Letting time return to normal for him, he began to shout orders again while stomping on his own wolf's head, trying to dislodge a fang he could use for stabbing its neck and finishing it.

"Okay, new plan, guys. Joel, send a couple skeletons to go harass Blondie ((Nym)), and have the rest goad the pack into going after the pirate guy that summoner chick ((Jayx)) called up. And keep an eye out for the shifter! ((Charlotte)) If you find a wolf that acts strange, try and get it to shift! We need to tire her out, do NOT engage her directly!"

"Okay, new plan, guys. Joel, send a couple skeletons to go harass Blondie, and have the rest goad the pack into going after the pirate guy that summoner chick called up. And keep an eye out for the shifter! If you find a wolf that acts strange, try and get it to shift! We need to tire her out, do NOT engage her directly!"

She had just finished snapping the neck of another wolf. It was frail with hunger, so it was an easy kill. Charlotte almost felt sorry for the pitiful creature. But with her sensitive ears, she heard this boy's voice of the chaotic screams and growls. It made her angry. The shifter? He thinks he can tire me out! That plan won't work! I need to protect the others!

Her human thoughts slightly made her paws turn to fingers, but she quickly held them off and ran to Nym, who was dodging a wolf, but not attacking. Charlotte got at a closer distance, then left the ground in one fluid leap. She tackled the wolf and pushed him to the ground. This was almost down to a science.

Steps to an successful kill:

1. Run, jump, tackle- try to break legs on the way down.
2. Pin target with belly up.
3. Rough 'em up with some claw wounds.
4. Break. The. Jugular.

Charlotte did just that, but on step three, the wolf pushed her back with his good leg (she had broken the back left) and she fell back at Nym's feet. Did the scared girl know who she was? There was no chance to wonder more, because the muscular wolf got to his paws and charged. Charlotte pushed Nym out of the way and in that time took a long gash down her side from the wolf.

Charlotte growled and turned. The two wolves, hackles raised and heads down, lips drawn and fangs baring, circled in a stand-off. Niether made a move, except their slow & carefully placed paws, dragging them in circular rotation. They waited, anticipating that other would make the first move. Both were bleeding badly, though the real wolf had more wounds to heal than Charlotte, her fur, too, was soaked in red.

Still, no wolf attacked.

Xavier watched as each one of them stepped into the rift, one after another, and then he looked back down to Aemyle, not wanting to leave her alone in such a strange, most likely hostile place. A few moments after all but the two of them left, Xavier spotted a new reflection in the glass – it was Styx, with an almost fatherly look in his eyes.

"Don't worry kid, I'll make sure your friend follows too." The bouncer had his arms, crossed, but motioned with his head for the senior, who had a few inches of height on him, to head for the rift behind them. “Your pals’ll need you.” Xavier looked from Styx, than back towards the singer. He then let out a deep sigh, as much as he hated to admit it, the tuxedo-wearing fellow was right; he couldn’t let them be down a fighter.

“Fine, fine. Don’t try anything funny alright?” Styx chuckled at Xavier’s advisory, “I’m serious…it’s always the guy that wears a tux as street clothes, that you can’t trust.” He rose up from his kneeling position next to Aemyle. With a groan he stretched each one his arms, trying to work out the ‘kinks’.

“Hurry up already, it’s not good to keep a Rift open for too long, it screws with the Equilibrium.” Xavier didn’t follow at all what the bouncer was going on about; instead, he leapt into the rift with a goofy grin on his face, ready for a fight.

After a while, the former stillness of Limbo returned, and Styx, with a tired context, took a seat on the glass, legs crossed, sheathed katana propped up against his erect body. He was so still it looked as if he was meditating. Eventually, the green haired girl began to stir from her rest, albeit, a bit put off by the fellow’s presence.

“Who are you?” Aemyle asked, “Where are my companions?” She had her weapon drawn. Styx noticed it as a weapon foreign to the dimension she should have been from. Pushing his new found suspicion of the character aside, he held up both of his hands, urging her to relax.

“I’m Styx, I watch of Demetri-Sama’s place while he’s away. You’re friends are taking care of the business he has for you all, a battle against students just like them—I mean, you all,” He quickly tried to correct himself, still mulling over the girl’s weapon in his mind, “If you’re feeling up to it, you’re probably needed in the fray as well.” Styx pointed with his thumb towards the open rift a few feet behind him. “I’d like to explain more in depth, but you’ll understand that leaving something like that open for too long can be hazardous.” The sitting man let out a breath, “So, you feel like putting up your dukes? Err…barrel?” He laughed awkwardly.

· * *

Overcast/Before the Battle

Xavier’s feet touched down on the soft sand of the Coliseum floor. It was loud here, real loud. The sound of different metals cutting through flesh and fur, the roar of the crowd, and even a few familiar voices—his comrades? Or…

The dust kicked up from his touching down began to settle as he himself rose up from the crouched position he was in upon regaining consciousness from traveling the Rift. Yet again, he felt none of the nausea that the others felt upon switching dimensions, was he just lucky? Maybe he was just blessed with an iron stomach. None of that mattered though. As the last of the dirt and dust cleared from his vision, he laid eyes upon the fray, his comrades, a pack of wolves and…?

Joel, Don, and Naydelle? Three students from his homeroom. What the hell? He thought, distraught. Was this some kind of joke? They can’t be…they’re really the ones we have to fight? He saw two other students he didn’t notice, that made five, either Dreads made a mistake with his math, or gaining followers—Followers? What am I thinking? Xavier shook his head, Nah…I’ve got class with those three…they’re just like us… Styx’s words from earlier flashed through his mind.

”Four students, just like you all, have been captured by Demetri-Sama. They’ve allied with the target he’s been sent to 8-Bit to find…” Xavier frowned, disheartened by the recollection. He still couldn’t make sense of it, but he didn’t have time to, because before he knew it, a set of fangs dripping with saliva was flying his way. Quickly, his left hand iced over, a mustering all his might, he plowed his fist into the snout of the beast. It toppled back with a yelp, squirming about on the ground in pain.

“Shit…” Xavier called off the ice from his hand, though it didn’t feel like anything was around them, he still found it awkward to walk around with a huge block of ice around one’s writing hand. He looked forward, still hesitant to attack people he knew, “It’s not like we’ve got an opening to attack them now anyway. Handle the neutral group first…and then…” The senior bit his lip, knowing full well what came next. “ Auuugh!” He hollered, charging forward into all of the chaos.


Jayx was still in her former spot, watching Brave with a child-like wonder. She hadn’t seen the warrior in action for some time, seeing how He made her hide him away because of the ‘danger’ he often caused them to get in. It was entertaining, watching how easily his blade cut through the wolves. He had the grace of a dancer, but struck like a freight train. He however, watched the fighter with a sour expression, put off by his savage remarks as he cut the attackers down.

“He doesn’t even notice that the other party is pointing them on him…” He said with some sort of awe at Brave’s…what was it? Courage or stupidity? Maybe both. With his peripheral, he noticed one of the beasts sizing up the oblivious Jayx. With an aggravated sigh, he gently shoved the girl out of the way and lifted one long leg in the air, preparing to bring down the hammer, “Jayx, honestly, pay attention to your surroundings, and not just one thing! First rule of battle!” He let down his leg like a guillotine. There was so much force behind it one could hear the bones in the creature’s skull cracking, needless to say, it was done for the day.

“Haha, okay!” Jayx giggled at Him.

“Brave, would it kill you focus on something other than the small fry?!” He hollered, trying to get the pirate to recognize the bigger threats.

“Ha-ha-haw! My blade leads me Mate! I follow ‘er wherever she goes!” This answer only caused Him to grow even more irritated, obviously Brave was ignoring Him.

“I cannot STAND him!”

Back to Xavier, as he charged forward, he drew the attention of three of the four-legged terrors. The rushed him, expecting such a large target to be lacking when it came to agility-- normally, they were right, but ever since last night, Xavier was feeling a lot lighter. With a gasp at his attackers, the large senior ducked as the leader leaped at him, but not without throwing his right hand into the air, which was now surrounded by a raging inferno. The dog's entire pelt let up with flames, and needless to say, that one was out of the way. The other two went with a shadier approach, charging for the spell-slinger's legs.

Quickly, Xavier swept his left leg across the ground, tripping one of the beasts up, while positioning him just out of the way of the other, allowing it to stumble head first into the dirt arena floor. The student let out a breath and stepped to the side, trying to gather his barrings for a counter attack.

"They're thinning out...we're going to have to come to blows soon..." Xavier concluded, looking as the numbers of thew wolves began to dwindle, a bit unnerved.

((I'm going through a Soul Eater phase, so don't be surprised if a lot of my tunes are from the anime xD))

Astro