The Garden

Waylands chuckles as Ivan asks if he meant the ground. "Earth, terrible name for a planet I know," Grinning he chuckles spilling soot from his maw. "Might as well have called it dirt." Shaking his head he continues. Already feeling like he was in a better mood since talking to this man. He wasn't sure why but he felt like an old friend he was seeing after many years apart.

"You're right though. I can't say I've heard of your home either." Wayland leans in as Ivan whispers his apology in a hushed tone, waving him off he chuckles at the irony of someone apologizing to 'him' for invading his provacy. "Don't worry about it. I probably know more about most people I've seen than they'd like me too." Not giving any sort of explanation of his ability to perceive history through objects he carries on. Popping his backs as he goes, the sound not unlike two metals pipes dully clanging together.

"It's habit at this point to keep myself restrained. Don't worry about it, though, I'll remember that in the future." He offers a grin for the consideration but plows on regardless. He was beginning to feel tired again. What he didn't say was that people like him, people with abilities were hunted for years in his world. Concealing ones abilities was instinct since that war.

Nodding at Volga as she walks past, Kira in her arms. Wayland can't help but laugh at the poor girl, she couldn't hold her drink it seemed.

Taking a step back and away from Ivan as the cat girl comes into view, Wayland observes the woman as she introduces herself. Looking for something, some item that would allow him to get a read on her he comes up cold. Making him grin. A challenge. Nodding his head he thinks of how to introduce himself. Getting his opening when Ivan speaks.

"It is an honor, I look forward to saving existence with you both." Before they could get to much on though, the girl darts past them. Moving off to her room with little fanfare. Wayland can only shrug to himself, looking once more to the sky. He supposed it was getting on into the night. Casting an apologetic glance at Ivan he nods.

"Perhaps we could continue this conversation in the future? Possibly even get our fellow zeroe together and introduce ourselves properly." He grins silently at his own little pet name for himself and the other newly summoned folks.

"It's been hectic since that first battle and doesn't look to be slowing down anytime soon. But we should probably know the people we'll be fighting next to." Offering his hand for a final shake, Wayland turns and makes his way to one of the unclaimed rooms.

The door to his room was nothing special. Not in his mind. Solid steel, pitted with rust, the dull red of the rust bleeding into the frame from many years of disrepair. Never the less he smiles softly as he sees it. Home sweet home. He thinks. Reaching for the non-descript gray knob. He enters solemnly. "I'm home," He mutters silently as he always did. He didn't expect a reply. He never did, not even back home. They were all dead and gone now.

The room was nothing. Like the door, it matched the heart of its occupant. A long metal table against one wall stacked with weaponry and bars of various metal, a large steel framed bed solitary against the other wall made to almost militaristic neatness. He stood between them staring at the far wall, something stirring in him. It was a mirror of his safe house back home. But now, since all this had started it didn't feel like it was wholly his anymore. The hammer in his soul provided no comfort as he lay down that night in the alien/familiar bed.

Anima

She took in Volga's words as the captain started to depart to her own door. "Good health to you as well Volga." She bid her farewell as she exited through her door.

Many people were all retiring to their respective doors to all finally get some well deserved rest and she was in much need of that. Not far off her door stood, her name marking it clearly. As everyone else was leaving she did not wish to linger behind so she approached her door and entered.

Inside the room was a fairly accurate facsimile of the tower, the home she was only recently taken from. Seeing as the memory of such place was still fresh in her mind she noticed details that were off. The absence of books and alchemy equipment was one such detail which was omitted. The old cobblestone walls all looked precisely as she remembered them, the red and gold trim carpet just as faded as the last time she saw it. The vat which she was created in still stood, encompassing an entire side of the room with it's considerable size. Many cords and tubes were still hooked up into the large metallic base which supported the vat and controlled the substances within. At the center of a panel set right in the face of the alchemical device was an octagonal socket.

She noticed that the socket was empty, the energy that previously gave the water inside it's divine warmth absent. It was disappointing but such comfort was an unnecessary luxury for her. What was important was that the shrine she had built just under the window facing out towards the lands beyond was still there. When she looked outside the land was almost the same as before yet there was also something off about the green plains beyond the tower. The forest was silent, no birds nor insects could be heard. While sunlight poured in from above it didn't feel real. The whole world this room was set in was designed to look and seem real but was not real all the same, merely props designed to mimic her home.

It was disappointing that she hadn't actually come back to her warm and lively home but this was good enough for her. She might of been worn both physically and emotionally from the conflict which had transpired earlier but there was a more pressing matter to attend to. Approaching the shrine she set her tentacles and sank down into her lower form, mimicking the prayer position she had learned from her books. She begun to pray to the sun, thanking it for protecting her and all others from the darkness and asking to again bring them to dawn so that they may flourish in it's radiance once more. While things like water and rest were important to her nothing was of greater importance than remembering to give the sun it's reverence.

It seemed Rose was a bit short of attention, and a bit jumpy at that. Something about those two red heads seemed to have ticked her off, perhaps it was just the last drop combined with how cautiously she had acted towards them and any happening prior, but it had set something in motion in her. She excused herself and made off to her room.

It also seemed the hectic nature of the day had caught up with Wayland, Ivan gladly took the offered hand for a final shake as Wayland uttered words that almost appeared like an echo of his thoughts bouncing back at him. "That sounds like an excellent idea. After we've had a chance to let the day sink in and get a bit of rest of course." Ivan replied.

As Wayland went off to his room Ivan picked the lantern up, instantly rekindling the pale green flame inside, and walked to his respective room. The dark wood of the door relaying what the inside looked like, and the fragrance of the plants embracing him as he opened the door. He put the lantern down next to the door where it lay leaning against the wall, dark and inanimate. Ivan sat down at the desk hoping to find parchment and ink in one of the drawers, unfortunately there was neither to be found. A bit odd in terms of priorities, the room has a small indoor garden, but no parchment or ink in the scribes desk. Ah, plants... He was going out to get water for tea, well at this point he felt too tired to put in the effort to brew a pot, it'd have to wait until tomorrow. Perhaps he should check the workshop for parchment and ink tomorrow too, then at least he could document his findings on the lantern.

Ivan sat down on the edge of his bed giving a short prayer to each of the four gods, before he lay down on the bed recollecting his thoughts as he tried to find some rest while trying to ignore the uncanny feeling of the room that was almost, but not entirely the same. He didn't know what felt more unnerving the fact that it had been copied so well, or that it was just off enough for him to notice.

Kira retired to her room with Volga, the stress of the day had worn her out, however, she could still think of more intriguing things to do with her new attractive companion, and would set about making such things a reality.

So many things had happened, a future was set before she couldn't change, and she knew the cost. If River knew everything he'd get in the way she knew that much, but things had to happen this way, they all knew the cost. It was going to be a long month, and she was looking forward to testing the 'assets' of recruits like Volga and Charmeine. Although she too would enjoy 'playing' with Wayland, in a scientific manner, he was a forge and she was a metal type of gal after all, although she figured asking "Can I play with your body?" Would come with all sorts of interesting conversations. Tinkering was where she would be, Tinkering, Sparring and the Bedroom where what called to her. For now an attractive viking and a warm bed called her name, and she was going to answer.

---

Vin stood beside River as he usually did, clapping his hands to send the plane into the dark of night. Those who stayed to look after the recruits would be training too, amongst themselves and the recruits. Lazarus would open himself as a target and sparring opponent to those who needed one such as Rosa and Allan, River would appeal to Volga and Charmeine in teaching them the guttural and radiant styles of angel and demon combat routines, his ice playing second fiddle, regardless of Charmeine's complaints of his racial status. Dominic would assist those who wished to Tinker, dolling out resources and knowledge from his pool of artifacts, partnered with Nero who would duplicate himself in order to spread between the groups, utilizing an intuitive form of hive mind to fill the role of his fellow guild mates when they were occupied elsewhere and cataloging information from those absent to fill needed roles. Luka would sit at the centre of it all, a well of magical energies and stamina restoring aura's that would make her ideal for training, she was a pool of innate magical knowledge, everything down to her blood cursed with the purest of necrotic magic, glyphs surrounding her purified the energy into a form that would aid in the recovery and strength of all while she battled her own inner demons. Vin himself would be leaving with the rest.

Deep into the training River would open his door to those who were interested, an "excursion" to a battlefield of old on the menu, offering the recruits a first look at the strength of the nameless, and the power a lord required.

Rosa retained some of her old routines for the sake of familiarity, yet her presence in this Garden stirred up more of her wilder traits and whims. As time went by, fixture on old routines troubled her. This dissatisfaction didn't stop her from committing her concerns and fears and questions into prayers to her Mother at the beginning and end of each day, and sometimes she found the passion she once held filtering into those prayers. She remained in a foreign place full to bursting with magicians; but somehow this place made her feel more alive than anywhere she'd been in the years since she made her acolyte pledge in the temple.

Even stranger she found herself spending time with some of these magicians. Poring over books in the library or over either of their desks with Ivan. The werecat didn't always agree with or fully understand his philosophies, but she found herself enjoying his presence more often than disliking it.

On the other hand, she couldn't stand certain members of the group and argued with them, but the arguments rarely came to blows. Besides she had more than enough opportunity to work her powerful muscles and natural weapons. It was both unnecessary and unlikely to be good for them as a group to have any infighting, but she never declined a challenge or friendly spar when presented either by their teachers or other newbies. Only two things gave her difficulty: keeping up with Lazarus' speed -even the forty to fifty miles per hour (64-80 Kph) she was capable of lagged behind him- and keeping friendly spars friendly. For the passion and wild spirit stirring inside her often let her forget it wasn't yet a battle to the death.

The day River opened his door and seemed to be simply waiting for something, she approached him and asked, "Is something happening?"

After Volga's first night with Kira partnered by the next morning and various other engagements, she quickly grew to enjoy her new environment and the people within it despite not understanding much of them. The only thing she would often struggle with in this was her fading memory.She spent the first few nights regaling new friends with fireside tales of battle, mischief, and debauchery but did so less and less as it slowly crept away from her before eventually stopping altogether. This is not to say that her spirits were gone from her as she started many new memories of mischief and debauchery with Kira and her new friends and comrades as she spent her time preparing for the events to come. She spent most of her time sparring with Wayland among other swordsman among The Nameless as well as testing her ice with River but left the rest of her time to Kira. Her lessons being with Charmeine proved difficult as she often did not know how to approach her socially and instead chose to act as her own culture would dictate. She had however, grown fond of Anima as a young comrade and would converse with her when given the opportunity. She would even tell her a tale or two if prodded to do so, either reciting her own, one she'd learned, or spinning a new one as a kind of game to play. As for other members she did make it a point to spar with each member at least once but eventually favoring to spar with the more spirited skirmishers.

Of course Ivan almost literally jumped the chance with Dominic offering to share knowledge on his of his artifacts, not to mention being willing to hand out materials, he also was quite a good bouncing board for his ideas. And when Ivan came into the workshop to tinker some more on the Heart of Fenn Fire, Dominic appeared to be the only one that wasn't surprised to see him work the artifact without ever using a tool or touching it really, carvings on the metal frame taking shape as the artifact balanced in the air. While he did not purposefully hide himself testing out the artifact, he made sure to only to it while keeping a good distance between himself and any others who might find themselves harmed from it's power. Though all of this had only kept him busy for about half a week.
After all the tinkering in the workshop Ivan made sure to make room in his schedule to soak in as much knowledge as possible, often finding himself accompanied by Rosa and/or Anima. Of course this quite often lead to some very interesting conversations and some quite heated discussions. It was not quite like he was used to, but this was nice in it's own refreshing way, perhaps even better than the somewhat stiff discussions between peers he was used to. He also found himself taking an effort to get to know other others at the very least, but he found himself often gravitating towards the same people among which Rosa, Anima and Wayland.
Furthermore he made great use of the aura provided by Luka, who he through the words of others got to learn more about, and the demons she faced. Though he was still quite disgusted by the nature of her powers he had gained some respect for her. Her aura allowed him to train rigorously and recklessly, more so than he would have been able to do back in Thylysium, even if he desired to learn the combat arts. He made frequent use of Lazarus' services as a sparring partner to increase his ability to wield his power under the pressure of combat, and to force him to go over his limitations, setting the bar ever higher as his body adapted to become a better conduit. These sparring sessions usually lasted until Ivan was hurt to a point where he wouldn't be ready to fight for at least a couple of days, even taking in account the aura. During this downtime he made sure to still use his power to a lesser degree to create a stockpile of energy to be used in the upcoming duels. But mostly he was hoping it would help him get past the damn box that sat there almost mockingly so.

(Whoops echo)

Allan

After that night life for him was a holding pattern, a constant struggle to maintain normalcy and routine in a bizarre and dangerous realm.

The days that followed were uncomfortable to say the least. While at the very least his living quarters were isolated the same couldn't be said of the training zones. He had done well in keeping conversations minimal and maintaining his personal space however there was the issue of Luka sitting in the center. The weird necromancer emitted a revitalizing aura to the area, benefiting those within it by replenishing their various energies. He would have none of that.

His reasoning was that if he wanted to train himself he should be allowed to exhaust himself. If he simply suckled on the power spawned from Luka like the rest of them then his own power would have less difficulty replenishing itself and adapt based around the surrounding conditions thus becoming weaker when he's not near a replenishing aura. It is a simple fact about the body really. If he gets exhausted lifting a certain weight then his muscles will get stronger so it doesn't exhaust him in the future. The human body is inherently lazy, hence the necessity of exercise. Recovering faster may allow them to shave down the time lost between training routines however he believes that developing his own ability to recover is also necessary.


Well, that was the reason his mind gave him. At heart however his reasons were quite different. Aside from wanting to keep a large distance between himself and the rest of them he did not want to rely on anyone else's efforts or abilities, only his own. True, she didn't seem to mind projecting this power across the training area however if he were to make use of the energy the glyphs have modified for their use then he would have to admit that he had help from her at some point in his training. He couldn't allow himself to willingly accept the benefits this rag-tag team of characters had to offer, especially not for training.

His goal was to stand between the lords and the worlds beyond the garden. He had only just made this his target after learning of them not too long ago however it made little difference to him. Whether it was on the smaller scale, keeping Heaven and Hell from destroying his world in their war or on a much larger scale, fighting beings of undetermined power so they don't go and wreck stuff across the multiverse, he would stand and fight until his last breath. Outside of fighting for the safety of the worlds beyond however he had literally no attachment to the beings surrounding him and little to care about from them outside of matters directly pertaining to the main job. He saw little point in going about sizing himself up to the others and his disdain for company certainly didn't help. Despite Vinn's words making friends was rather low in his list of priorities.


So he trained, mostly by himself when he could get away. Whether it was punching through large rocks, running great distances or doing an ungodly number of sit ups he managed himself with a great deal of isolation. He was fairly dedicated too, spending almost all his time from sunrise to night honing his physical prowess.

Some say a person's appearance reflects their character, that there is a connection between how the events in their life had shaped a person and the manner in which they present themselves. While that is debatable there is undoubtedly a connection between the power of his soul and the effort put towards bettering his body. As he had learned back when he was young the more he practiced with his super powers the more powerful they got. He hadn't ever put forth this much focus and dedication on solely improving his abilities before however he was concerned. He had only two months to get a reading from the box. In all the years he had spent back on earth he had only gotten as far as where he was at upon being thrown into this place by the portal's explosion. He didn't know for sure if he could meet that deadline which meant he'd be out of the loop before this sick game could even begin should he fail to meet the boxes standards. That would nullify the point of him being here if he were to just get put out on the bench while the others fought the lords.


One day as he was getting ready to get back into training he noticed that River had opened his door, a number of folks gathering. He himself was not immune to curiosity, the matter as to what he was up to drawing him nearby. From a distance he leaned back on something and folded his arms, watching and listening from where he was at to determine whether or not what was being discussed was worth his time.

Wayland drifted, in mind and body. Wandering around the camp almost absentmindedly devouring ingots of steel as he went, every time he finished one he'd pull another out of his pocket and devour it. It was frustrating for him, watching the others grow, and yet, it made him swell with pride that they were getting stronger, even if his own growth seemed to have stagnated.

What am I doing wrong? He'd ask himself, posing the question to his inner world, talking to the flames, to the presence he knew to be there. The closest thing he ever got to an answer was a feeling of amusement and a single errant thought. Everything, he was doing everything wrong.

So, he wandered, eating ingots as he went. The days flashing by in a flurry of training and comraderie.

Of the older member, Dominic was the one that Wayland actively spoke to the most, mainly due to his need for a steady supply of metals and Dominic being the guy to ask for them. Other times he would simply sit with Luka as he assessed his inner self and attempted to strengthen his inner world, as he let her innate energies wash over him in relaxing waves, he never spoke to her, if she spoke to him he would respond but usually their time spent in each others company would be in companionable silence. The other old timers he mingled with, feeling drawn to do so for some reason he chose not to think too hard about.

The new members, those summoned for this cycle were busy busy, all training like mad. He supposed he would look a little too laid back in comparison, but his muscles did not atrophy from lack of use, nor did his skills dull from a lack of training. Still, he made an effort to get to know every person that he would be fighting next to, to the people he may very well die next to. Whether that be through sparring with Volga, doing his utmost to push her to the limits of her swordsmanship, calling up the knowledge of every Nordic fighting style he could think of he did his best to pass them on to her.

Or through simply chatting with Ivan, using his own innate grasp of metals and metallurgic theories to discuss the interworking of all forms of engineering and how they pertaining to the world and his magics, trying to help him in any way he could with his projects or simply to sit and chat with the young man he felt he knew but didn't know why.

Kira approached him herself. Making him laugh so hard he actually nearly fell, when she asked if she could play with his body. He consented, for reasons that were still beyond him she felt familiar in a way that simply set him at ease, and nearly unable to deny her requests that weren't damaging to himself or others.

The ladies Charmeine and Anima saw little of his attention, he felt that the angel would likely not appreciate it and as she seemed to always be in the slimes company he didn't get to know her either. Whenever their paths did cross he would drudge up memories of meeting VIP's on his home world and treat her the same, polite and cordial, but in the end they were building a shallow relationship, he regretted it but could see no way to correct it at the time.

The rest he did his best to get to know more. Getting drinks like promised with Elena and asking her for tales from her time as a sailor, wiling those hours away in a relaxed state as he listens to the words. Doing his damndest to approach the seemingly skittish Rosa whenever he saw her. He wasn't entirely sure how that went but he figured he had to make the effort.

And still there were more people. He'd tried to approach the young man, Allan, he recalled, but could never bring himself to interrupt his training, as he seemed driven, Wayland could appreciate that, respect it, and thus didn't bother him.

And so he spent his time, struggling to get stronger and seeming to make no progress, frustrated but proud as those around him got stronger and stronger as he stayed the same. Nothing interesting happening until one day River left his door open.

Something like amusement raced through his soul as he looked at the door, making his way almost without thinking about it towards it, the others crowding around, waiting he supposed to see what was going on, seeming to form a perimeter around the entrance. He strode right passed them, the beat of his soul shifting for a moment to a different tempo as he looks into the room and an unfamiliar, to himself at least, grin pulling at his lips as he catches River's eye and in one motion grabs the door handle and closes the door with a single sharp move.

He barked out a laugh, alien amusement swelling in his chest as he walks back towards the crowd of onlookers, until he comes back to himself.

The hell did I just do?

River found his door shut in his face, by Wayland of all people. He slowly opened it back up and ruffled his own hair awkwardly, coughing once or twice before with a wide grin speaking. "Ahem, well...I'm glad some of us are in high spirits." He commented with a chuckle.

He moved towards the group and slammed his door shut, the room beyond had looked remarkably like Vinn's Oasis.

"Well, now that the majority of us are here I guess it's time for the announcement. I want to take you guys on a field trip, to a battlefield from the last cycle. Give you a first-hand glance at what the war is really like, and to meet an old friend of The Nameless." He said plainly, glancing at Wayland "For some of you the trip isn't optional." He finished.

"For some of you it'll just be a battlefield, for others it'll be a veritable supernova of magical energies, at worst, it'll provide a distraction from endless training, and a fair bunch of you need one." He stated, clicking his fingers swiftly to re-open his door, a duffelbag flying into his hand to be slung over his shoulder.

"Sorry to dissapoint if you were expecting a grand booster for the final haul towards the black box test, but you'll get something out of this anyway, if you're interested, pack yourself some gear for a day and meet me over on the hill by Luka. We'll be crossing an Apocalypse Zone so it won't be a walk in the park getting there and you'll have to hold your own as a team unit. " He said, readjusting his duffelbag of gear and smiling, finishing his little announcement and curbing off to move towards Luka and the hill. After all, he had to let her know she could take the day off herself.

Ivan reached the gathering of people near River's open door, just as Wayland made his effort to slam the door shut. Like River he was amused by this rather silly act of Wayland and had to make an effort to maintain composure. In the brief time thereafter he could see through the doorway it revealed a place that looked remarkably similar to Vinn's Oasis. However by now the idea of recreating a space that looks similar to an almost uncanny degree had decreased to something hardly worth noting. The field trip River announced sounded like a good opportunity to learn more about the true extent of this war. The mention that the field trip wasn't optional for everyone made him even more sure that it'd be something worth spending some time for, but for some reason it also felt like that statement was also meant for him. However it wasn't like he'd need anything beyond a supernova of magical energy to give him motivation to go. At the very least if nothing worthwhile came from it, he could harvest some of that energy.

As River mentioned that they'd most likely would have to fight along the way Ivan went back to his room to pick up the lantern. Slightly dusty from laying around, but otherwise in perfect condition, as shown by the ever so eager flame that appeared as soon as he laid his hand on it. He cleared the dust off the lantern and grabbed the pouch of crystals on the desk. Then went off to the gathering spot near Luka, where River was already waiting for them. Seeing as most of the others were on their way to the hill too, he asked the obvious question that River failed or rather deliberately forgot to answer. "So, you mentioned that for some this wasn't an optional field trip... Would you care to elaborate who of us are among them?"

Allan

He looked on at the antics of Wayland as a few people laughed and such. His face was pretty much neutral throughout the event. It wasn't particularly funny yet others seemed to find it quite mirthful indeed. He just simply counted the seconds until River got to the point of why they were gathered.

After a short time River stopped talking on started up towards the hill while prompting everyone else to get stuff for the trip given how he says it's going to be a whole day outing. Unfurling his arms he started back towards his room. Unlike the others he did not need much in the way of maintenance. The only thing he was going to get for this was a bottle of water.

Stepping inside his run down apartment he lazily threw the door shut behind him and drug himself over to the fridge to see if he had any. Looking inside the rusty old thing all he saw was a half empty bottle of hot sauce he procured earlier that month. Other than that it was pretty much empty given how he typically ate as he went, never really taking things back. Of course this was inconvenient as of right that moment since he would have to keep looking for a water bottle. For a guy who worked as hard as he did he could be pretty apathetic at times. Being forced to put effort into doing something was a nuisance for him. With a grumble he shut the fridge and went back out to continue looking.


After a halfhearted search he couldn't find anything resembling what he wanted anywhere. This set back was vexing if only because he knew the easiest way to resolve this quandary was also one of his least preferred methods: Talking to the people around here. Given how he's had to talk to people even when he was actively avoiding being spoken to the idea of seeking information out of them was even less appealing. Still, not one to struggle pointlessly on purpose he swallowed his concerns and walked up to the general group.

"Hey, anyone know where to find a water bottle?" He asked the group in general, not necessarily aiming his query at any person in particular.

River was caught on the way to the hill by Ivan, he held his chin thoughtfully in response before smiling lazily and shrugging. "I assumed you'd know who you are, firm believer in faith and all that." He said nonchalantly, turning back to the group he pointed to Wayland, Kira, Ivan and finally Volga.

"I'd say you lot could stand to gain the most from the trip, as for why...you'll understand when you see it, it's kinda hard to explain without ruining the grandness. The Nameless are kinda all about dramatic reveals. Believe it or not I only joined last cycle, so what you're going through is pretty fresh in my mind, we're kind of a pain in the ass to settle in with and explanations really aren't our strong suit." He said truthfully, readjusting his duffelbag absent mindedly. "Actions and results prefaced by strong bonds, that's how we work. By the time the cycle ends you'll be able to formulate a wombo combo that plays to all your strengths on the fly." He commented, hustling up the hill to Luka and flicking her affectionately on the forehead to bring her out of her concentration.

She rubbed the soft spot with a soft yelp and he pulled her up by the hand, she appeared flustered about ending the magical well until he spoke "Field trip time, you need to take a break, go play with Dom, I heard he made you a gift." He said soothingly, his voice full of warmth and kindness, sheperding the young girl away to the workshop.

Kira crossed her arms together and huffed, leaning on Volga's shoulder broodingly, she took a note from River's book and clicked her fingers to magnetize a bunch of gear to herself. Taking the time to pry the materials from its randomly conjunctured position plastered to her body as she waited for the rest to get ready.

Volga smirked, ready and willing to take on their next venture. Trained and maintained, she walked proudly alongside her new comrades as she carried her elfette companion. She smiled at Kira, finding endearment in seeing her huff at her frustrations. She raised her head at the inquiry of the asocial pugilist and absently tossed him her water skin "Drink well comrade! Dry lips and an empty stomach have fell more warriors than any sword!". Volga was in her full arms and armor for this trek and couldn't help but stumble at the sudden weight of Kira's magnetic spell. She righted herself as gracefully as she could and prayed to her namesake that Kira hadn't noticed her slip. She watched Kira pluck the magnetized odds and ends from herself with shameless curiosity as she too was beginning to fidget at waiting "Is something troubling you, Kira?".

Supernova of magical energy? Apocalys Zone? Rosa shuddered visibly at the thought. She didn't know what a supernova was but she definitely knew how she reacted to magic. Because of that terrible weakness she could never take advantage of the strange girl's magical aura, and usually kept herself away from Luka as much as she could. It pained the werecat though. What little glances she saw beyond the robes seemed to indicate that Luka was a kit, which itself was strange to her, because Vinn put that kit in a position of authority in relation to the other newbies.

When Wayland came to the gathering by River's door, Rosa resisted the urge to pull away from the sharp smell of fire that never faded from him. She did ball her hands in fists though, not to target anyone but to hold herself back. Because of that struggle, her only response to his motion of shutting the door was a simple glance toward him with raised eyebrows. Why would he do a thing like that?

River recovered well enough and Ivan asked the question on her own mind, so it was one less thing to think about. Her name wasn't on the required roster. In some way it was a relief, because she wasn't required to face that "supernova of magic," but it also reminded her how she despised her weakness and her perhaps over-eagerness in sparring. She actually wanted to fight these monsters, even though she landed in the Garden against her will. She actually wanted to get her hands dirty. She wanted to win. She wanted to know her effort had an impact. A brief grin danced over her face, pointed fangs barely exposed, as a truth revealed to her. Perhaps she had answer to her prayers and petitions of many days.

Hiding out in camp certainly won't do a thing for her, magic or no. Besides, River was offering them a glance of history, knowledge of the past, as well as a challenge. Her grin widened and she gave a whoop. She had yet to turn down a challenge, and wouldn't start now. A new plan also formed to resolve her great weakness, but for now she kept to herself.

Quickly she gathered supplies, including a new field journal she started recently. When her job was done here, she wanted to put it into the temple archives, even though she wasn't even certain if she could go back home. She beat that thought back with a switch! Each day is a blessing itself. Thank you, Great Mother, for just one more day. She silently prayed and caught up to the rest of the party with an easy lope, that gave her speed without costing much energy. "What do you mean when you speak of different cycles?"

A smokey chuckle rumbled it's way out of Wayland's mouth as he follows after the group, something like anticipation rolled into excitement and smashed into a feeling that could only be explained as 'SOON!' pounded in his gut and set his teeth on edge, River said his participation was mandatory, he was eager to find out why, maybe he could find some answers, something to push him forward, something that would let him push these limits, clear the static in his mind. He wanted, no needed something, something unfathomable, just beyond his grasp.

White hair, red lips, love, agony, pain, crazed laughter on the edge of his soul, whit noise as he reaches for the foreign thoughts. The sound of swords scraping against swords as he stops next to River and growls, lips pulling across his teeth in a vicious snarl, the air suffusing with heat and smoke. He needed to figure out why he could almost remember things he'd never known, why the laughter in his soul/mind set in him a rage so profound that it could set the world alight, a rage so old and cold that the fury he'd known upon setting eyes upon the top hatted abomination was as a candle to the sun in comparison.

Calming himself he looks to River next to him and nods as if they were old friends, a grin alien to his normally stoic face pulling at his mouth, before he turned his eyes back on the horizon as if searching for the answers out in the world, nodding once again to himself he waits for them to set out.

River turned to Rosa, rubbing his jaw. It seemed he got to talk a lot today, all business and no pleasure, what a terrible time for an Incubus. He glanced at Kira, still being carried by Volga and grinned Atleast one of us is making up for it. He mused inwardly.

"Buckle up kids, River's gunna give you a lesson on Garden lore." He started.

"Cycles are what we call the combination of the break periods and game periods in The Garden. Each Cycle usually lasts a thousand and a bit years, at the end of the thousand years the Lords begin to awaken along with any Vassals they kept and start to amass resources and regain their power. Usually through absorbing souls, although others have unique methods, the man in the top hat who forced his way out of Luka is one of them, he feeds on fear, anxiety, hopelessness. During the breaks we rebuild, rearm, train, try to find where the Lords went to sleep and total the body count." He paused and scratched at his cat-like ears, tail freed from its position as a belt and swatting back and forth in agitation.

"Over the cycles they've been getting shorter, we're down to about a hundred years now, and as you experienced, a lord or two have woken up even earlier. Based on the warning signs, duration, and results of high-level divination spells, this is the last cycle, ever. We find a way to waste them here, or we lose, on top of that we have to defend the four cities so we've got something to come back to. I joined last cycle along with KH4 and a few others, out of the crew we've got on deck, this is about a fifth of The Nameless. Everyone else died, in fact, almost everyone except me and K died. At the game start of every cycle, agents of The Garden itself can be hired for exorbinant prices to summon newbies from other worlds, and to revive some of the dead, its a random lottery who comes back, if you don't make it into the next cycle after you die, you're gone for good." He explained, taking a deep breath to continue the final stretch, man explaining so often turned into rants, he had to wonder how these rants would look on paper. One giant wall of blabbering text, going on and on.

"If we're lucky, revival restrictions will unlock once The Garden's clear, if we're unlucky....well don't die. Nobody knows what happens when The Garden is clear of Lords, we were all summoned or born here to clear them out. We didn't even figure out the timer was shortening until dozens of cycles in, so who knows what'll happen to this prison once it's empty of prisoners. Most of us are accustomed to living here, being ejected back to my homeworld by force doesn't sound fun, I'm dead there." He mused, tail flicking faster in agitation.

"Final warning for Cycles 101, most Lords don't make it through more than a few cycles, new lords are made from corrupt individuals or warped from a corpse of a dead one, so stay pure and don't leave anything behind. Those who do make it through cycles get names and start developing from mindless monsters into creatures of personality, they're the most dangerous, there are one or two of them who can even resist The Garden's will and never sleep. We don't know how they get so strong or what makes them different, but if a Lord introduces itself, run. Even if I tag-teamed with Blitz we'd struggle to take a Named One. Take notes kiddies, Apocalys zones hold the highest chance of holding a Lord, this is important, they're made from a Lord scarring the earth with a game, or from when it takes a nap." He finally finished, taking an exaggeratingly large breath in and breathing it out, holding his arms at his side and puffing jokingly.

"Class dismissed, good question Rosa, I'm more likely to give you a straight answer than anyone else. Mainly because I've still got all my memories, huzzah for not dying right?...or not again, like that other time...and the other one. Don't do death kids, it's not so great for your heart." He joked, grinning and scratching at his ears again "But I hope to god that answers that, I'm not sure what I could have missed." He mused thoughtfully, ruffling through his hair as he always did when he was thinking.

---

Meanwhile in the temple of doom...better known as Kira.

---

Kira held her hand up in the shape of a mouth and moved it everytime River spoke, rolling her eyes sarcastically and mimicking his awkward scratchings everytime he paused. She was so caught up in her playful jab that she'd entirely forgotten she'd been so huffy previously, realization hit her when the grandiose class was over and she turned to Volga, awkwardly pecking her on the cheek (Unsure of showing affection still and still not 100% okay with touching) and grinning "I'm fine, just not super excited for mandatory field trips, I'm sure it'll be fun." She reassured her companion, filtering through her assortment of junk and tossing stuff aside she didn't think was useful. Realization hit her again and she whispered into Volga's ear "Sorry about the magnet." She apologized plainly, afraid she'd wound the warriors pride if she mentioned it further than that.

When River answered Ivan's question and pointed at him, he could feel a smile surfacing on his face. It seemed the garden had a specific purpose in mind for him, and it seemed that it had been tugging at him at every moment of doubt. Whatever was waiting for him at the other end of that apocalypse zone, it wouldn't just be some magic he could siphon off. Now the question was just a matter of what there was to be found.

As River explained the workings of the world to the best of his knowledge, from what he heard and understood it really sounded like the world itself was weakening, almost like an animal succumbing to a series of infections, without a moment to heal up. However what scared him the most was the idea that seemingly regular people could turn into these vile creatures called lords from merely getting corrupted. Maybe it was because it struck so close to home, or perhaps some fear that it might happen to himself. At any rate from all the bad news his message contained this was the only thing that really made him shake down to the core.

It however only took mere moments for that uncannily serious River to revert back to the casual and merry River he'd been up until now, as he answered to the perhaps now redundant question of Rosa. Though Ivan wasn't quite sure which version of him he disliked less, beyond the unchangeable point of him being a demonic being. It however seemed like Wayland had taken a liking to the critter, so there might be something positive hidden within him, or maybe that still is limited to the amount of power he commands.

Charmeine

The young princess dreaded the past month in every way possible. Although she wasn't particularly fond of anyone in the group (Excluding Anima), the fact she was paired specifically with the two who insulted her instantly killed her ego. There were a few times she was thinking of just going solo. Well, more than a few times. She had her studies, she had endless knowledge she could just pop up from her library! However, River seemed to have better knowledge of this mysterious land, and Charmeine decided to stick around and let things flow.

Apon improving her angelic powers, she had learned two more abilities. The first being a multi-strike. Should she somehow become air born, she would have the advantage of shooting off multiple arrows. But, given their distance from the ground, each would scattered towards the left or the right. This was useful for multiple enemies rather than just one target.

Her second ability was where she was able to actually combined her crossbows into one longbow. Not only did this make her acceptionally more powerful, but it was also easier to handle given her stature. The drawback of this, however, is that her powers were limited. She was able to charge her arrows, yes, but given that most of her powers were based on hand movement, this was only useful for extremely long distance targets.

During her training, she had also learned a few moves on her own. They were not original, she had read them from one of her scrolls. However, given the new strength she has required, she was finally able to move up a level. Despite being over-joyed by this realization, she'd never thank River. She deserved to be taught, after all. 

Charmeine didn't mind River as much as she thought he would. He was entertaining, and perked her interests. However, there have been many times where she would go off on him, be that he frustrated her or gave her blite once more. Whenever that would occur, she'd have to drop whatever she was doing and drag herself over to Anima. She was probably the only person who deserved Charmeine's gratitude. Despite it all, he had taught her a great deal on how this world works, and even herself. The princess felt as if she understood who she was on a entirely different level. 

As for Volga, the princess still despised her. Ever since she gripped her grubby hands on her waist, the whitette has done nothing but avoid her unless it was required. Even then, all the pretty Viking would receive was humphs, hair flips, and nasty glares. Though, the seraph had to admit. The one thing she could appreciate was Volga's confidence. That's something Charmeine never really could grasp; how people could be so sure of others and even themselves. This would of been some form of jealousy. 
----
Eventually, familiar faces and some not so familiar faces gathered around and waited for River's instructions. Charmeine sighed and combed her creamy hair with her fingers. She had been trying her best the past few weeks to stay pampered and proper 24/7. Like a doll. However, the conditions of both her tent and training had proved that to be difficult. Her eyes seemed tired, as if she were lacking sleep. It wasn't that she stayed up late, it was the matter of no matter what she laid on, it wasn't perfectly soft like her bed back home. The seraph let out a nasal sigh and flipped her long hair back over her shoulders. Home. The princess wondered what it was like now, how it was doing without her. Without her guardians, at that. It was something that would never seem to give her mind a break.

River mentioned that of a 'field trip'. Charmeine crossed her arms and stared at her instructer with a suspicious expression. Was all of this really true? About The Garden and what could happen to anyone in this group, even her? The whitette's gaze fell, having a sudden interest in the floor. 

It wasn't until he mentioned packing that she picked up her gaze. Now she had to think about what she wanted to bring. One day's trip? That means one huge bag of supplies. Some brought messenger bags, and others simply brought what they had on them. But no, Charmeine needed more than a simple change of clothes. The Seraph shifted her weight to her left leg, and chewed on her cheek as she thought. Yes, she'd have to bring her comb, her perfume, her skin powder, some foundation, her good luck charm...

In the midst of her mental list, she found herself gazing over to Volga and Kira. Charmeine huffed, and scowled at their public affection. This wasn't something forbidden back at what she called home, but really, was this the time for kissing someone's cheek as if they were a god damn woodpecker? The whitette stared at Kira for the longest time, wanting to say something but not sure what. The thought of actually apologizing crossed her mind. The princess let out a entertained hum, cupping her own cheek as she was now stuck with this goofy smirk on her face. Truly, Charmeine cracked herself up.

Allan

As soon as he caught the water skin he was caught in a moral dilemma.

While he had asked for a water bottle having taken someone else's was a favor to him, one he would have to repay. The thought of being in debt, even in the slightest, to any one of these bizarre freaks was an unpleasant thought to say the least. His mind raced as he tried to conceive of an excuse to refuse the favor or somehow avoid it without coming off as a complete jerk.

After some deliberation he figured of a way to sorta-semi mediate the situation he had landed himself in. Popping open the cap to the water skin he drank his share before closing it up and tossing it back to the barbarian chick. "Thanks." He said, hoping the water that was left was adequate enough to get her through whatever trouble they were going to be strolling knee deep in soon.


Though soon might of been an optimistic thought as River rolled into his spiel, Answering Rosa's question in more words rather than less.

Allan stood and took in all the information he was dished, his armed crossed in front as he watched River speak. He was largely unphased by the majority of what he had to say as it was pretty close the same as the demons & angels business he had gotten himself tangled in back home. His expression pretty much remained a bored frown throughout most of it, however not all. While some of the others seemed downtrodden by the info one particular piece of it put a smirk on Al's face.

So this is the final cycle... Good.


He was pleased to hear there was a deadline to all this. The entire time before he was deeply concerned that he had just been dragged into some strange skirmish he was doomed to fight in for eternity. He wasn't the most impatient man but when he does a job he likes to get the job done completely so he can put it out of his mind after. Never did the idea of constantly looking to the horizon, waiting for some new world threatening danger to rear it's ugly head, appeal to him. With this however there was promise of an end, of some measure of certainty. True, the difficulty that was involved was likely going to be steep however that mattered little to him. There were few risks that would dissuade him from stopping whatever the heck these things were from coming to his world.

Of course his smirk vanished almost instantly as River started to joke around. Not being an overly humorous sort himself didn't help ease the painfully unfunny quips as they went down. As it stood while the knowledge regarding the state of the cycle was welcome he was starting to wonder if the guy was ever going to get on with this day long escapade or if he was just pulling their strings.

"So, are we going or what?"

Wayland's fire boiled to the surface again, and Rosa flinched, like he struck her. Then she retreated to the back of the group and curled her hands in fists again, while the fire cooled. The smell never faded but the furnace did rise and fall with the man's moods. Another part of this challenge was dealing with him. He was on the required list, but she chose to come anyway. The werecat took a deep breath of cooler, fresher air, reminding herself that this was NOT a forest fire, and focused on River's spiel.

Over the top is actually a better definition for these Nameless. She just wanted to know what the word meant to him, to make sure they were both speaking the same language. Many times since her arrival she's heard the term cycle, but her definition of the word didn't fit the context of River's statement before her question. She never asked for the full history of the Guild and Games, as she expected to learn the history on the way.

She shuddered again, clutching her field journal like a life raft. Soul-sucking monsters and dead coming back to life? Prisoners? Her eyes turned back over her shoulder to the quiet camp. Were they the prisoners or the evil monsters? Evil. Evil monsters. That's what she's here for. Kill the evil monsters! Not yet, fierce daughter. You will have your battle, but not yet. Listen and learn. Rosa tipped her head quizzically. She know she heard a voice, a soft female voice, but none of her female companions spoke.

The grumpy human broke her concentration with his latest demand they get moving. She growled under her breath, but faced forward again. Him, she wouldn't let under her skin. "My mother often joked that no answer would ever satisfy my endless questions, so I could probably think of more to ask." She gave a half-grin, "For now, I will give you respite, though don't expect it to keep the whole trip," she teased and bounded ahead of him, where she dipped into a dramatic bow. "After you, Monsieur Guide." She returned to her full height and added, "You're the only one who knows the way."

River looked surprised when Rosa bounded ahead of him, realization hit him and he awkwardly scratched at the back of his head. "More questions? And here I thought going on a desparing rant would save me." He let out an exaggerated sigh and smiled, saddling up and hopping in front of Rosa. "Almost forgot I was in charge there, you'll have to forgive me, it's been about a hundred years since I was in a guild, I'm a bit rusty." He excused, stepping past Rosa and bringing up a leg to kick forward at the air, the boot colliding with suddenly apparent wood and knocking open a double-door. Revealed ahead was an emerald forest with tall glowing trees that swayed in the wind, dropping green sprites of leaves on the pathway which wove its way through the magical grove. The grass was lush and springy, and the sounds of nature burst forth from the cluster of grand oaken majesty.

River took the first steps in and picked a falling leaf out of the air, sticking it into his mouth to chew. "Well then, let's get a move on, the first zone's a fair bit ahead after all." He mumbled, hand covering his mouth politely. "Eat whatever you feel like here, after this it'll be whatever you've got stowed." He stated, leading the way off the beaten path at a steady pace, deeper into the Emerald Forest. He figured after the demoralizing reality of the cycles, a nice change of scenery was in order to show the beauty of The Garden.

After all, the upcoming Zone wasn't going to be pretty if they weren't careful.

One of them might die.

---

Sometime later

---

The walk would be lengthy, and River would accomodate for stops when people needed it, aware not everyone had high stamina or natural abilities to compensate. Likely to people such as Alan's annoyance, River insisted on brief tours through fantastical regions of the forest as "Shortcuts", often plotting for breaks to arrive there when a member tired out. Falls where the water flowed the purest blue, caves brimming with rivers of crystals of fantastical hues not possible on any other world and other locations. Oddly enough, River was in awe of every single location he toured. Kira sometime along the way had extracted herself from Volga and began walking, not wanting to burden or cling too much to her Viking companion. Both Kira and River tried to socialize as much as possible along the way.

The group were finally on the edge of the Apocalypse Zone, and River stood on the precipice of what looked like a clearing surrounded by black obelisks encircled with runes. The guide however pushed his hand towards the clearing, and an illusory wall made itself known as his fist dissapeared . "Holographic projection." He stated plainly, bringing his hand back and dusting what looked like black goo off his fingers with a disgusted look.

"Not that I have to remind any of you but the fun stops here. If you mess up in here you, or your friends, will get hurt. Bad. " He reminded seriously, he pushed a hand to his chest and a small bubble floated outwards, his fingers glowed a gentle violet for a moment and he painted the bubble into a violet pyramid and stuck it through the barrier. Pulling it back after a moment and returning it to a pink bubble to sink back into his flesh. "On the plus side, there's no lord currently in the Zone." He stated with a relieved sigh.

He slipped himself halfway through the projection and pointed through, tossing a small gold crystal, rectangular in shape, to whomever was closest. "I'll be going ahead, no matter what happens to me, or any of you, do NOT try to leave back this way, go straight ahead and follow the rules. The warning'll make sense once you're in, give me 60 seconds, then follow. That'll point you towards me. " He ordered, passing all the way through with a soft "Ding" reminiscent of a retro videogame load screen.

60 seconds later, those who entered would find a barren landscape. Black ash made up the ground and choked the skies above, the air was polluted and coarse but still easily breatheable. Around the entrance point was a dead tree, broken half-way up the trunk and pinning what looked like a wolf which wheezed uneasily. The creature was stained black and its fur looked like ink, its ribs were easily showing under its malnourished frame, beside it was another of its kind, dead. There looked to be a path of clean brown dirt leading straight ahead towards the paltry remains of a city, architecture gothic in style and made of lavish marble materials, stained browns and inky blacks by the polluted atmosphere to barely show the majesty that once was. The city was crumbling under the wheel of time.

The dead city was a maze of peaks and flat-top roofs inter-mixed in highs and lows, a cathedral sat imposingly at its heart in a square, and the city marked a wall-less and grandiose circle with its clear dirt floors. As the group would enter, the Lazul cards all had on their person (Vinn had been entirely persistent they had it at all times.), made a loud beep. Those who looked would see the cards face change, the words "Game Start" appearing before a larger screen projected from its face.

---

---

The game was sudden, unprompted, and worst of all there was a trail of crimson blood in the ash heading towards the city that abruptly stopped.

River was nowhere to be found.

Wayland snorts, smoke shooting from his nostrils when River says he'd almost forgotten he was in charge, a hint of amusement sliding into place in his mind as he flashes the incubus a wry knowing grin, before shaking his head to shoo away the alien feelings. Cursing under his breath he clenches his fist hard enough to cause his fingers to spark against his palm, making a noise not unlike nails on a chalk board. Grunting in irritation, and not ready to try and be soothed by his internal rythm he leans over as they're walking and takes a large bite out of a tree trunk, gnashing the bark in his maw as it turns to ash, he finally begins to calm down, the air around him noticeably cooling as he manages to rein in his emotions. He had no need to eat or drink, not in the same way a normal person does at least, but it did always help to calm him down.

It turned out to be quite the walk, long, monotonous and interspersed with random stops for those needing to rest, he wasn't one of them, spending the times they stopped standing vigil over the group of people he barely knew. For now, the thought ghosting through his mind, yes, for now. Having shaken off the distraction Wayland walked along, taking in the sights in a peripheral sense, as he watched for threats that might not be percieved by any of the group distracted by the landscape. Case and point, their leader, seemingly awed by every new scene, that was just like River.

Sharp pain shooting through his mind, Wayland forces himself to not think about the incubus, turning himself back towards his self appointed guard duty, though, this place is certainly beautiful.

Some time later they came to a clearing, Wayland walking ahead slightly to stand near one of the obelisks, examining the runic script, it wasn't anything he was familiar with but something about it, shaking the thought away he turns just in time to see River tossing some sort of golden crystal to the person closest to him and then dissapearing.

Turning to look at the others in their party he grunts, panning his vision across the group, taking them in and grinning slightly as he trots up to the barrier, laughing softly in the smokey way that he does, he steps through without a word, intent on being the first through in case they were attacked first thing on the other side, his confidence in his ability to take and survive a hit was strong, he wasn't sure about the others yet though.

"Well," he starts as he sees the new environment, letting the word hang in the air for a moment as he takes in the rotted state of the world around them, and turns back to the others as they come through, deadpanning, "This is nice," his card beeps just as he's looking down at it, his hand having moved subconciously to pull it from his pocket even before he realized he's need it, this felt familiar for some reason, even as the fore of his mind was twisting into combat mode, eyes narrowing dangerously.

Without thinking he starts spitting out orders as he slides his card back into his pocket, mind flashing through plans and memories of similar battlegrounds at the speed of thought, "I'll take point," He'd already established that he could soak up the most damage, "Melee fighters on the sides, intercept anything coming our way and put it down," He figured this would be Volga, and Allan, but wasn't entirely sure of their capabilities despite the month of working together, but he trusted them enough to watch their 3'o clock, and 9'o clock respectively, leaving it up to them to choose whichever they'd guard, or if they'd even take to his order at all, "Mages and ranged fighters hold the center, you see an enemy at a distance and you think you can hit it, take it out," This would be Charmeine and Ivan if they agreed, "Kira watch our six, be ready to raise walls just in case, Rosa, see if you can't track our would be enemies, and we'll move forward and take them down as a team, securing buildings as we go."

"This good with everyone?" He asked as he moved.

Wayland was unusually tense, this place set his teeth on edge and made him want to do nothing more than to set it ablaze. His orders given, without a second thought he proceeds forward, if the others had better plans he hoped they'd let him know, otherwise he'd proceed as he'd set out to, his military background made him snap to giving orders in a situation like this, especially when there was no other apparent chain of command. He of course meant no offence, whether the others saw it that way or not was up to them. First target the nearest building to them.

Allan

For the most part the trip was something he couldn't say he hated but wouldn't do all over again either.

The scenery was eclectic, a wide mixture of natural scenery distorted through a fantastical lens. His ordinary world never prepared him for any of this but by this point he had started becoming desensitized towards seeing things which defied all sense of reality as he was accustomed, his standards for what he actually expects finding new bottom limits to drop to.

In all truth he did not really mind the supposed shortcuts though he had some suspicion that River was lying about the purpose of the detours. While he walked he simply kept to himself, watching the scenery around him as he considered things of a more philosophical matter. Even when the whole group was brought to a halt for someone he didn't really care he had kept a slight distance between him and everyone else, remaining close enough to follow but detached so he could be more alone as he took in the environment. All in all the walking alone was no issue and the view was admittedly nice, he wouldn't admit to any higher praise than that though. What detracted from it all was the company.

The sound of their chatter was a bother. It kept him from enjoying himself, the noise acting as an intrusive element in his thoughts. Anytime anyone addressed him he was stern and laconic, answering just enough to get the point across without spurring further conversation. Dealing with the people's company was a chore and he only really accepted it in begrudging silence as he'd rather not raise a fuss over something he can't change.


Soon enough their journey came to a halt before what appeared to be a massive wall of obelisks. Al was ready for pretty much any sight no matter how dark or grave so he wasn't quite as interested in the massive structures the others seemed transfixed by. River channeled some lights while drawing on the apparently holographic obelisks, scanning for something from what he could gather.

River confirmed there were no lords present behind the wall, good news from what he'd heard. As he stepped through he tossed a rectangular golden crystal of some sort to someone. After sixty seconds like told he stepped through the wall into the zone beyond.

---

A barren wasteland, black ash painted the ground and choked the air. It was breathable but by no means clean, sort of like New York city. He noted there was an animal trapped under a bit of old wood but before he could really remark on it something that demanded more attention came up. Specifically his card beeped in his pocket. When he pulled it out it projected a screen from it's face out in front of him as a flat holographic screen.

Rules. Of course things weren't going to be as simple as going from point A to point B, nothing ever was. Still, what was weirdest for him was the fact that he was given a clear outline of what to do. In his line of work what needed to be done was rarely ever clear. It was only towards the later part of his time before the Garden that he even had so much as an objective outside of 'hit all the things'. This game was going to take more than that if he wanted to succeed.

It was going to require thought and lots of it. The tin man had already started barking orders, trying to get their group organized and lead them. For the most part his advice was sound, optimizing safety for the squishies was fair enough. Without saying so much as a word of acknowledgement he went over to his presumed place in this arrangement, standing to the left of the party and leaving the right open for whoever wanted to take the spot.


"This good with everyone?" Wayland asked them. Al was deep in thought, reading over the rules in his head and considering the implications. While Wayland had given them all positions what he had failed to come up with or at least share was a plan. While sticking together was the safer option the goal of the game wasn't to visit as many buildings as possible, it was to hold the most buildings by the end of the timer. The rules didn't specify if buildings could be changed into a point for the enemy team after already being captured by their team so he assumed from the semantics of the third rule that they could. With that in mind if they traveled in a tightly knit group there was little to stop the opposing team from following them, taking back the buildings they captured and effectively undoing any effort they'd make towards winning this thing. They needed a way to keep the buildings they were going to take.

Doing the math in his head he calculated that with thirty one buildings, the cathedral counting for five points, they would need to capture and keep eighteen buildings or thirteen buildings and the cathedral in order to win. There were only seven of them. In order for them to hold eighteen buildings four of them would each need to look after three buildings while the remaining three would each have to look after two. This would spread them out over a dangerously vast distance between each other and they still had no idea what their enemies were capable of.

If they took the cathedral at the very least they could capture the surrounding buildings with five people watching over two buildings, one person guarding three and one person left to defend the cathedral. They would still be spread out but at the very least they could hear each other and be able to respond if any one of them got jumped.


There was almost no math that would net them any modicum of safety save for the shelter of the buildings themselves. If they were going to survive this game taking the cathedral would be necessary if only to help scout out the enemy team. They needed to know where their enemies lurked and the cathedral was the best place to find them. Al had some suspicion that if they didn't race straight for the cathedral they were likely to see their enemies there anyways.

"There's just seven of us. We can't keep these buildings and win." He finally broke his silence, addressing Wayland.
"We need to head to the cathedral. If our enemy is anywhere they're likely on their way there. We can figure the rest out when we get there."

His tone was cold but not harsh. His intent wasn't to oppose Wayland's leadership but to relay tactical information, no more, no less. He was fine following orders but he also had no intention of losing this. None of the enemies daunted him more than the possibility of the repercussions for failing this game. As Vinn had previously stated the games usually carried with it a reward. The award wasn't announced when they entered, leaving Al's mind to wander about the possibilities. It could be an item, a boon to the winning team or worse, a toll on the losing team. In this zone he was fairly sure if they were going to be paying anything the only currency it was likely to accept would be their lives.