Maxwell Arcus's Story

8:32 p.m, Kuo Suites, New York City, U.S.

Marina laid her head on her desk, yawning. She had just finished another long meeting - her father had given her another presentation to create, forgetting how much she dreaded them, or remembering and deciding to keep her from going to her school again. "I'll start it soon… I promise. Can I just go?" She wasn't sure if she even wanted to go to school at that moment, she had been in at least three meetings throughout the morning and she was tired of it.

She just wanted something else to do with her days. She wanted more than all of these meetings, endlessly lining up in her schedule. Maybe, when she finally got home, she'd get to working on the dress that she had been wanti-

"Marina, go home and sleep, sweetie. They really put you through the ringer this morning." Her friend Anna put a cup of coffee on her desk, giving her friendly smile and a chocolate muffin before going to wander through the office once more. Marina gratefully grabbed her food and coffee, needing no excuse to stay any longer.

Her father saw her leaving, but even as he yelled at her to stay, she knew he wouldn't fire her. After all, Marina was her father's best worker, even if she was his daughter. She may not like business, but she had the unfortunate habit of being good at it.

The train ride home was uneventful, and as she took the steps out of the metro station, the night air filled her lungs. She smiled, breathing deep, and decidedly walked towards her apartment door. After work, it was always nice to get home and breathe the night air, and just…relax. It seemed she never had the time to relax anymore.

Opening the door slowly, she found her Eledise sitting just behind the door, barking happily. Marina pushed her way past the puppy and closed the door, leaning down to hug Eledise. She was sitting on a package, and had to be pushed off it so that Marina could read what it said.

"Marina Kathleen LaRousse… Huh. No one uses the full thing anymore." She stared at it, but put it on the counter so that she could give Eledise her dinner, before turning back to the package. "Haven't ordered anything. So what…?"

She tore off the white package, and found her beta disc of Aramnia, complete with a letter from the company which was immediately thrown away. Her computer - always running, even when she left - was in the living room, and she quickly loaded her game, excited that she had been chosen. However many betas she had signed up for, she was never actually chosen.

"Come on, come on…" Marina breezed through the character creation screen, as she always did, quickly picking whatever looked nice and going with it. What came out was Favorin d'Aegis, a celestial being who was taller than she could ever hope to be, happily standing in the battle arena with her golden staff. She watched quietly as Favorin moved around the screen, randomly practicing spells and smiling the whole time.

Marina looked down at Eledise, and gave her dog a loving pet. She knew that she would be too absorbed in this game for the next few hours at least, and the poor dog never got much attention anyways, when she wasn't home. Her boyfriend never gave outside of what was necessary to anyone. Her eyes flitted back to the screen, and she pressed 'Enter World' with a happy laugh, before seeing black all around her.

Favorin didn't quite realize how rude she had sounded until Analia responded. She blushed, backing up slightly, though there was nothing to do - she had to finish the conversation she now started. Of course, if she did something rude enough, would the other walk away? She wouldn't know. Unless she tried. But should she try?...

"I... That's not what I meant. Forgive me. My manners have failed me, spending much time in solitude." She stared at Analia's hand, and once she determined what she was supposed to do, slowly shook the other woman's hand. What a curious custom.

"Perhaps we have set off on the wrong edge, my friend. I am Favorin d'Aegis, formerly of the Stars, but I find myself with mortals today." She pondered for a second, trying to look for something else to say. "You are setting on a journey, you say? What destination do you have in mind?"

If she was lucky, maybe she would find someone else who was destined to be in the Battle for the West. The concept seemed nice to her - after such a long time that she had wandered alone, if she could truly find someone else who would fight with her, and for her.... Someone who would walk besides her, laugh with her...

Someone she could trust.

Someone I could call a friend.

She shook her head softly. She wouldn't get her hopes up. She quietly reminded herself that her future was a mystery, and for all she knew, she could die by a wild goat stabbing the next morning.

But, just maybe...

Analia smiled, her hope of making a friend had risen even higher, like the Himalayas. Wait a minute? what are the Himalayas? she pondered a moment to herself. Turning her full attention on Favorin her smile widened and her golden eyes sparkled "Ah a celestial one, It is a pleasure to meet you. I don't have much experience with magics but I have always wanted to see it done. As for my adventure, I'm not sure yet, I had planned on going wherever the wind would take me as they say."

She looked around and up at the sky thinking of something else to say. Maybe she would accompany me, it might be fun, heck she might even have a destination or quest. Taking a deep breath trying to gain confidence she spoke to Favorin. "Maybe you could join me? It might be fun even. You can pick where we go, I don't mind." she said all in one breath.

Maxwell uttered this word while looking up at the orange sky, It was sundown, His favorite part of the day, Maxwell sighed as he glanced at his watch. "5:22...". Maxwell stood up, looking around for his bike. As Maxwell pedaled home he thought about what he was going to do when he reached his destination, "Ugh...I can't shoot, My bow is in the shop for repairs" A few hours ago, Maxwell used the bow as a club to fend off delinquents after school, "Such a drag...Is was their fault, they swung first..." Thought Maxwell as his brown 2-story home came into view.

Something was different though, There seemed to be a package at his doorstep. Confused, Maxwell parked his bike into the garage and zoned in on the package, "Obviously, This couldn't be his fixed bow, However Maxwell decided to bring the oddly decorated package inside.

His parents were asleep. "Typical..." muttered Maxwell. Maxwell silently closed the door as he walked upstairs to his room. Maxwell let out a sigh of relief, as he grabbed a pair of scissors and went to work opening the box.

"Maxwell Arcus" Maxwell read out loud, "It's pretty unprofessional for it to be handwritten", but to be honest, this whole situation is unprofessional. Maxwell tore open the box, stunned at the disc that resided within it. "A video game?", Maxwell glanced at the desktop computer sitting on top of his desk, "Video games are for little kids" Thought Maxwell, But Maxwell quickly changed his mind as he stared at the packet of math homework that was located across from the computer. Maxwell pushed the packet aside thinking "Well, I will do it later". Maxwell inserted the disc into his computer, and started the game

"Character creation, Huh.." Muttered Maxwell as he chose the features on his champion, He scrolled through the classes until one caught his eye, Archer, Maxwell quickly clicked it and customized his character, just putting on the things that looked good. He then named his champion Arcedies Silverfang. He then let out a sigh of relief and clicked "Enter World". "Things just got interesting" Said Maxwell under his breath, as his screen faded to black.

"I may be resistance to the snow, But that doesn't make me unable to feel it" Arcedies studied his surroundings. He seemed to have forgotten something he shouldn't have. Arcedies looked to his right, faced with the katana lying beside him, He then looked up at the sky, Poorly covered with a blanket of white, The moon was barely visible. Arcedies reluctantly got up, "If I am going to meet new people, I might as well get rid of old habits". "Niveus!" called Arcedies as a blur of black knocked him back into the snow, he faced the hyperactive wolf and said "Time for breakfast!"

Chunk! "Bulls-eye!" yelled Arcedies as the deer was brought to the ground in one swift motion. Arcedies snapped his fingers and the beautiful silver longbow faded into particles, "I caught a big one!" pridefully exclaimed Arcedies as he triumphantly strolled over to his prize, picked it up and headed to his campsite. After cooking and cleaning the specimen, The meal was devoured in minutes by the help of The white haired man and Niveus. Arcedies, licking his fingers after the meal, Got up and threw the leftovers to his wolf, swung his pack over his back and headed down the mountain.

Arcedies watched in awe as sights he never seen before came into view, Bridges, Grass and people stunned The white haired man, Finally reaching the big city. Arcedies then climbed onto a nearby building, Niveus following closely behind, Arcedies was awe-struck at seeing all these exciting things, However a small group of people caught his eye, "Two knights...and a type of person I have never seen before, Wow the city does bring interesting people". His eyes drifted away to a large Colosseum. Curious, Arcedies jumped down from his hiding place, landing with a loud thud and pointed to the rocky structure, People that were walking back and forth glanced at him as he exclaimed

"Come on, I think I found another we can recruit to your cause Favorin. Who better to help than someone who looks like a knight!"

Favorin let herself be dragged along, and as she followed Analia, she couldn't help but giggle. Such a care-free place to be; and to have friends, it was such a joyous place to be. It reminded her of a life that she used to have; one that she never truly had the chance to do what she wanted to do, and now she had the chance to do what she wanted to do.

Haven't I always been able to? I left the Heavens on my own whim... When have I ever not been able to? She shook her head softly, and continued to run after Analia with a smile on her face. When at last they met the knight, she couldn't help but giggle as his history flashed before her. She saw the small child running alongside his grandmother, and she bowed deeply to him, rising slowly.

"Um, sure."

"We have a...quest. A quest that we are both destined to go on, one that I fear is crucial to this realm. For if we fail, the realm will surely fall." She looked to Analia for a moment, and back to Liotche. This was the reason that her clan never sent her on negotiations. "I look at you, and I see that you, as well as us, have no destiny set."

"We cannot do this quest alone. While I first thought I would be alone in the Battle, there are many in this arena, that would join us in our quest. I extend the peace to you, dear knight - our quest is to travel to the Battle of the West. This will set the destiny of the realm. While there will be many tribes who may join us in the fight, champions are required to do what they cannot." She smiled at him, her head raising slowly with an old pride. "I can see that you, too, are also longing for an adventure. After all, who of us in this arena are not? And thus, I ask you, friend, will you join us in this Battle? I cannot promise you will walk away from it. I can, however, promise you that it will be an adventure worthy of the stars."

She did not mention that she had no wish for adventures anymore; a small part of her was longing for the home that she did not know of. One in which she led a different life...

She watched carefully as Tyrin turned around. Something about him told her that he was not interested in speaking with them, though she would hold her ground against him, knowing that while he may not join th-

Wait. He's...kind of like me.

"Forgive me, friend, I had not meant to offend you." Almost immediately after he had turned around, she dropped into a bow, her knees just about gracing the ground. She arose slowly, listening to him. "And before you ask, no, I don't eat babies. That would be disgusting."

Favorin hid a disgusted look herself, frowning. "That would be beyond disgusting. An inexcusable act for those of us who breathe and claim to stand for good." She blinked softly, watching him. His history made her suck in a sharp breath, the soft heart that her clan had claimed to have suddenly wounded.

"You have no reason to trust me... I see that you hold hatred. The stars have blessed you with the strength to carry through this. You will no doubt be of great help in our quest." She was whispering softly, barley aware that she was speaking. Her voice trailed off into a soft mumble as she lowered her eyes, speaking of the magics she had learned, while forgetting that she was to be working on recruiting.

Climbing a small house in the outskirts of the Arena was nothing compared to climbing all the way up here, On the top of the large Colosseum. He felt the cold breeze on his neck and made a smile. Arcedies looked down at the people inside, "Hmm...It seems people take things very seriously here" "Ah what would Pops say if he saw me up here". A flashback of his father scolding him for doing something unwise in the past scarred his mind. "Yeah, He would probably not be very pleased. But who cares, He's not even here.

Arcedies looked outside into the distance, The mountains where he was raised came into view, "Wow, Getting this far is a task only someone as amazing as me could achieve, Not Bad, Not bad Indeed if I do say so myself". Arcedies decided to lay down. While on his back, He looked up at the blue sky covered with clouds, The sun shone down on the armor he was wearing. He looked at Niveus, The black hound was in a deep slumber. "The sky looks more beautiful here then in the mountains..". Arcedies quickly got up and exclaimed "Wait I forgot, I should probably meet new people, instead of just look at the sky as always" Arcedies thought about how he promised to himself to make new habits. Arcedies looked down inside the Colosseum and said "And what better way to make new friends then in combat!"

Perhaps I have found more friends than I would have originally asked for. Ancestors bless me, I never would have thought...

Favorin gave a smile to him. She was more than happy that he was considering joining her, as she knew that she would need his help. Such powers would be invaluable to her, and while she did have such herself, she knew that above all she needed someone to be like her. She needed his help more than anyone else's.

"They call me Tyrin Raxius. No doubt you've gathered I'm a mage either wise you wouldn't approach me for a quest. You'll have o forgive my lack of manners, most people I meet offer me very little of that." She bowed her head in accordance, knowing many stories of the mortals who would walk over their own mother's corpse before lending aid to others.

"...Also, if I may be candid, what exactly are you?"

Favorin stiffled a giggle. She had certainly never heard anyone be so forward, let alone one who did not know of the celestial beings. Though, after such a long time in the heavens, is such a concept so bizarre? Certainly not. Humor me, Tyrin...

"My elders have blessed me with the name of Favorin d'Aegis. My race is known by many names; celestials, star-walkers, or simply spirits of another kind." She sighed softly, deciding to explain the quest herself, knowing how horrible that would be. "Forgive me for being indelicate with this, as I fear I was never meant to be the one to speak. I was not granted with such gracefulness.

"Our quest is one of great peril. I cannot say that you will make it alive; for not even I can see that future. It remains hidden to us all, as does the outcome of this Battle - The Battle for the West, the one that will mark all of our lives. For if we fail," she paused to gesture around at the Arena, "This will no longer be. The shadows will take this land and if there is a soul alive to see it there will be much peril.

"I cannot say that I know how to lead us. I cannot say that I know where this quest will take us; or when we will fight. All that I know is that we will fight alongside the many tribes who have sworn themselves to this quest, and that we will need all help we can get." She looked at Tyrin. Truly looked at him - staring into his eyes, she bowed her head softly. "Will you join us? There will be no hatred should you decline; I daresay, I find myself want to return to the stars."

Analia smiled and held out her hand to Tyrin. "Hi, I'm Analia. It's a pleasure to meet you! Even if you don't decide to help us." her golden eyes were warm and friendly as they always were. Her excitement was a contagious thing and she was practically exploding with it.

I'm making frends. Real friends, that I can call my own. she thought to herself, her smile never wavering. This is almost as good as my new camera I'm waiting on. wait, what is a camera? she thought to herself.

Arcedies glanced down from the arena, Watching multiple people conversing, Arcedies, Of course, Wanted to fight more then anything, But he had a bad feeling about this Colosseum, He felt that he should probably enter with a group of people that he was well accustomed with.

"That would be fine...If I knew anyone here..." Arcedies grumbled, He would walk on top of the Colosseum walls, Thinking...I should probably start taking action, Instead of just doing nothing, Arcedies then stopped and then lied down, Positioning himself in front of a small crowd of people. "Heh Probably". And drifted off to sleep, With Nivues on one side and his katana on the other.

Liotche scratched his head awkwardly, wondering where he could find something to write on. Maybe the shops would have one...

"Hey, There's something I need to get before we enter the Coliseum, so I'm going off first." He said to the group, jerking his thumb towards the direction of the shops. Turning around, Liotche strolled away from the group, mentally calculating how much he had. It wasn't much, but if the price of items here were the same as his village he could probably get a notebook and pen with cash to spare.

Then again, considering how things were the cost of paper in this area would probably be more than he could afford. Or the only paper they had were pink and covered in fluffy unicorns and looked as though it was designed for five year old girls with an obsession with all thing girly, or there was no pen (which was fine since he could use charcoal sticks) or they had just ran out of stock and needed to wait next month, or -

Ok, this was getting stupidly depressing. He hadn't even reached the store yet, why was he thinking like this? Frowning deeply, Liotche increased his pace in an effort to get the thoughts out of his head - and promptly stepped onto a puddle of soapy water.

This morning, Ken Shiner was tasked by his mother to throw the dirt bucket of soapy water used to clean the house. He was on his way to chuck the contents of the bucket into a drain when someone bumped into Ken, causing him to spill the dirty water onto the ground. His mission of emptying the bucket (she never asked where to empty it) accomplished, Ken shrugged and went home, unaware that he had created a death trap of epic proportions.

It had already claimed six lives this morning. Liotche was the seventh.

With a shout, Liotche skidded across the slippery floor, his arms waving like a windmill. People ducked out of the way as he tried to regain his footing, only to fail as his foot came in contact with the slippery patch on the floor (it was a really large puddle). Loosing his balance even more, Liotche slid forward, his arms frantically trying to find something to hold onto as his face came dangerously close to the ground. Desperately, he tried to regain his footing again and much to his relief, his foot found dry ground. Staggering forward, Liotche mentally cursed the person who made the puddle and tried to move back into an upright position.

Moving a few steps forward in a manner which resembles a drunken man, Liotche stepped on a katana sheath.

With a horrible certainty that nope, he wasn't going to be able to stop himself from falling this time; Liotche fell forward. In a way which almost seemed as though he was moving in slow motion but was actually pretty fast (like how a few seconds can seem to last forever when you see and realise what's going to happen but can't move quick enough to stop it), almost as though time had stopped to let his brain realise what was going to happen, Liotche could see the scene like his soul had gone out of his body and was watching like one of the crowd.

He was falling face forwards towards the ground, directly above a young man with white hair sleeping on the ground beside a wolf and the katana he had tripped over. If the white haired man stayed in the same position, Liotche's stomach area (the place where the abs were) would land on the man's torso. His chin would hit the ground like a brick from the sky and even more importantly, it would hurt. A lot.

Then time sped up, his soul went back into his body and Liotche was falling forwards, his arms spread out in an attempt to stop his fall. 'Oh bugger.' he thought, gritting his teeth and bracing for impact.

Arcedies looked over at the man who has fallen on him, "You know...If you did that without the armor...That would have been better..for both of us" Arcedies said. Arcedies then slowly got up, clenching his chest "Oww..." Arcedies then observed the man's attire. A warrior, huh? he thought, He also has a interesting weapon. Well, If i'm going to make acquaintances, I might as well start now.

Nivues deeply growled at the stranger, Slowly walking towards the man on the floor, "Easy boy..."Arcedies soothed, As he pulled back the ferocious wolf, "He really is a friendly dog, I promise" Arcedies said as he smiled to the man, Arcedies then picked up his katana, and held out his hand to the unknown figure,

(Gives a chicken sandwich)

Liotche landed on the white haired man with a loud thud, his arms covering his face to keep it from landing on the ground. Although his armor had decreased the impact, it still hurt and knocked the breath out of him, causing him to lie unmoving on top of the white haired man. The now awake white haired man wheezed out from underneath him "You know... If you did that without the armor...That would have been better..for both of us."

The only answer Liotche could get out was a small, winded "Nnngh." It sounded somewhat like an agreement.

He continue to lie face down on the ground as the white haired man slowly got up, catching his breath and doing a mental checkup on his body to see what damage it had sustained. Vital systems good, weapon and back unharmed, torso hurt like it had been hit with a hammer, chin was ok (thank goodness - the blow would've caused a huge bruise) arms were in pain too, but overall there was no lasting damage and geez could whoever was making that noise shut up -

Liotche looked up with a scowl and went very, very still. 'Great,' he thought sourly, staring at the angry growling white beast before him. Detachedly, he remembered seeing a white furry blur beside the guy as he fell; maybe it was his pet. Looked like Mrs Jerphri was right after all; the world was a dangerous place. Just his luck to trip over someone who owned a pet wolf-dog and wow it's teeth were really white and sharp...

Then the white haired man he had fallen on pulled it back and Liotche suddenly realized that he had been staring at its teeth. He teared his gaze away as the white haired man reassured him that his pet was actually pretty friendly. 'yeah right,' Liotche thought sarcastically, getting back onto his feet. 'As friendly as a cat is to mice, maybe.' Although now that it wasn't growling at him it actually looked pretty cute...

Nonono, what was he thinking, it had wanted to kill him just now. Turning to face the white hair - I mean, Arcedies, Liotche shoved any thoughts of cuteness out of his head and took his hand.

"My name's Liotche." He answered, giving Arcedies hand a brief shake. "I don't consider falling on someone as a greeting either, but some idiot left a soapy puddle on the ground and well..." Liotche trailed off darkly as he remembered what happened. How embarrassing; luckily his new team hadn't seen it. He would have to pay more attention to his surroundings next time.

"Anyway, sorry about that." He continued apologetically, wondering if anything had been damaged in the fall. Hopefully not, Liotche wasn't sure if he could afford to repair anything expensive. "You use a sword too?" He asked curiously, noticing the katana Arcedies was holding.

"Wait!, let me go with you!" Analia shouted and took off after him. As they went around the different places she looked around in wonder. This really was a wondrous place, but not as beautiful as her home in Alaska...she thought then looked around in confusion. I'm not from some place called Alaska. she thought. Coming back to herself as she followed Liotche she looked up just in time to see him slip on some water. She took off and used the wall running against it and jumping from side to side to avoid the puddles and landed beside him and a white haired man.

Looking down she noticed the white wolf and crouched down. "Well aren't you just beautiful." she said smiling and then stood up again holding out her hand "Hello there friend, I'm Analia! I see you have met my friend Liotche. What brings you here?"

One minute, He was staring at the sky, Praying for life to move on faster, Until It would just leave him, And now, He is in front of two unusual people, A blonde man, With a large sword and a hyperactive female who also wields a large sword. Arcedies shook the hand of the strange female, "Are all woman like this?" Thought Arcedies as he brought his hand downwards after the greeting. Arcedies thought a bit and decided to put on a show before he went into the Arena. "You use a sword too?" asked the blonde man. Arcedies slowly unsheathed the blade, Showing a beautiful design printed on the blade, "But this is nothing" Arcedies exclaimed, "Arcedies sheathed the katana quickly, Making sure not to damage the blade, And took 2 steps back. "Argentum!" A snow white bow formed and fell into his hands, A arrow also appeared in his hands after the bow was called, Arcedies then pulled back the string and shot the arrow straight at the Colosseum, The arrow finding it's way onto the door, And piercing the area near the doorknob.

The white haired man then snapped the fingers in his right hand, And the bow melted into particles, A small gust of wind then swooping in, and leaving no trace behind. Arcedies then turned around and said, His hair and cape flowing in the wind,





OOC:((Sorry, It took so long, I was finally acknowledged and I haven't said anything for a while, This post is also pretty short...My bad again, I'm also a band kid, And we had a 2 day trip to Victoria, And when I came back, I had a pile of Homework, Waiting to be done, Due tomorrow, So yeah, Sorry again))

Analia smiled at Arcedies again. She unsheathed Killrune and held it up. "This is my baby. Meet Killrune! She's been in my family for generations and is still in great shape. If you ask me, I think she has a little magic in her. Anyway, before you head to the arena, I would like to ask you something." she said and waited for his response.

"Shoot" Arcedies said impatiently waiting for the question

(Shortest post of my career)