open The Circulation

[Azura 1,107]

The Circulation

OOC Thread: http://mlpforums.com/topic/94086-the-circulation-human-action-combat-mystery-custom-map/

 

The planet of Cynrador was filled with crime and murder, and it hasn't gotten any better when a rumor about a powerful relic started to spread slowly across the planet. Some say it's just a hoax but the people who knew about it started traveling around the entire planet looking for it, and before you know it, there was at least thirty individuals searching tall and wide for the ancient relic called the God's Hand. It possessed a unbielivable amount of power and whoever gets a hold of it can alter reality as we know it.

 

There are many unique individuals that live within this planet which could become nearly unbeatable if they teamed up together, but almost everyone wanted the relic to themselves. Many have killed the people they teamed up with, or has encountered other groups that are more powerful and ended up getting murdered horribly. Some people get tortured in hopes that they would spit out information about the relics location but most of the people have no idea where it was, except one individual called Hikari.

 

She was a girl who wanted to live a normal life, but it hasn't been easy for her to obtain one. Instead, a window filled with possibilities was opened up when she discovered about espers and her own personal reality, and not long after she did, she discovered about the relic and decided to pursue it in hopes to grant peace and happiness to everyone on the planet and all she needed to do was to form a group with the same goal. This was the beginning of an adventure that might just get her killed, but she didn't care.

 

----------

 

It has been two years since Hikari obtained her esper powers, and yet everything still feels the same. Was this what she wanted? A normal life? "No.." she said within the safety of her house. Hikari wanted to feel like she accomplished something, or has made a difference in this world. She believed that there was a reason why she became a Level 4 esper, and she was going to find the answer by finding the God's Hand located within Cynrador, the planet she calls home, where humanity now exists.

 

The relic still hasn't been found after two long years, but there are still people out there who spend their time searching for it day and night. Even though there was a smaller amount of people looking for it, it was because they were the ones who survived from the desperate individuals looking for it which ended up killing others just for a shred of information or a clue about its whereabouts. Hikari knew that if she started looking for it, she might not be coming back home alive, but that didn't stop her from doing so.

 

With an idea in mind, Hikari got dressed, grabbed her hoodie, and hid her knife under her clothing before she headed towards her garage and hopped inside her car. She took out her phone and set the destination to a place which wasn't far from where she lived, and that's the place where the rumors of the relic all started. Hikari took a deep breath before she revved up her car and started driving towards it in hopes that she'll find her first clue to finding the relic.

 

-----

 

Time started flying past as she drove steadily on the road towards a small town located in the outskirts of Fairmeadow, a city filled with scum that wouldn't mind getting their hands dirty for some cold hard cash. "Out of all the places on Cynrador, it just had to be near Fairmeadow.." She said with an unenthusiastic look on her face as she approached. Hikari slowed down when she approached and parked it at the side of the road. She looked out and spotted two men looking at her with a smug look on their face. Hikari knew there was gonna be trouble, but she didn't expect it to come so quickly.

 

She tried ignoring them and heading towards her destination, and that was where her father lived before he passed away a few months ago. Her father hinted something about the whereabouts of a limitless source of power was located in the basement of his house, which she assumed was the God's Hand. Hikari took out the key for the door, but she was rudely interrupted by the two men who decided to tail her. Hikari looked back and saw one of them holding a knife and the other one was pointing a gun at her.

 

"Whats the matter, little girl? Are you looking for something?" One of them said. Hikari looked at them with her sharp red eyes and said "It's none of your business.. Leave me alone before you hurt yourself." Both of them started laughing, but before they could finish, Hikari swiped her hand sideways and knocked them back with the power of wind. She managed to knock one of them out, the one who held the gun shouted "You little brat!" before he pulled the trigger on her.

 

Without having to think, she toggled her hurricane shield that spun around her before the bullet reached her, and when it did, it was knocked straight out of the air. Hikari looked at her surroundings and saw a barrel filled with water and launched it straight at him, her wind carrying the barrel as it smashed straight into his face. "Why did they even bother.." She said with a sigh before she unlocked the door and closed it shut behind her. Hikari turned on the lights and headed towards the basement in hopes that she'll find a clue about it's whereabouts.

 

-----

 

Hikari carefully walked down the stairs. It was dark but the light coming from outside lighted up the place a tiny bit. She saw a note lying on his table and it said:

 

 

 

Dear Hikari,

 

By the time you're reading this, I would have passed away. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you in person on how to locate this relic, but if you manage to do so, you will have all the power you can ever imagine. The key lies between the three mountains of Lightlyn. There you shall find a clue on the whereabouts of this relic.

 

Good luck, my daughter.

 

 

 

She picked up the letter, folded it and placed it in her pocket. Hikari looked around and saw a map of the planet Cynrador. She started looking for Lightlyn on the map that was pinned onto the wall to the right. It wasn't that far away. It was four hours away from her if she were to drive there, but it would take more than just driving as it was located in the middle of nowhere.

 

Map

Edited August 2, 2014 by Kay Dreamer
Adding link to OOC thread

[FractalMoon 378]

Lily checks her notes one more time, then dons a thin overcoat and prepares to get going. One of her more reliable sources had informed her that there may be clues to the location of the God’s Hand in the greater Lightlyn area. This information was too good to pass up, so she silently thanked her cousin for the pilot’s license, and drove over to the small airport where she kept her small plane. It wasn’t much, but it beat trying to drive halfway across the continent for what may be nothing.

 

Unlike seemingly everyone else in the world, Lily didn’t want to control the God’s Hand, only study it. She realized that an artifact of this much power shouldn’t be controlled by any one person, especially if it was someone who was willing to kill another to get it. In an ideal world, she thought, the artifact could be studied and a proper countermeasure could be created for it.

 

As she finishes her final pre-flight checks and takes off, she muses that there must be other people who have gotten this message and are already moving toward whatever this clue is. As much as her machines made trawling for rumors and information that much easier, there are always people ahead of her. She hoped she didn’t run into any of them, especially if, like many of the hunters of the God’s Hand, they had bought their equipment from her. Selling to all sides was profitable, but tended to make a lot of enemies.

[Samurshy 708]

With Zeke, it seemed he was never graced with a fair fight. It always felt like, whenever he attempted to extract information from deadbeats, their buddies were never far away. And this time was no exception. Tracking down the new hideout of the Crux gang wasn't ever really that hard. If you have enough money, any information is easy enough to obtain. Of course, Zeke wasn't really in the financial position to be paying off every lowlife he saw hanging at street corners. But he did make enough money at his full time job at the local record store to at least bribe one or two junkies. Once he obtained the new whereabouts of the Crux gang's new hideout from Pudge (a local, well known, street slider, who had been in more gangs than one could count) Zeke hopped in his white Ford Taurus and began to navigate through the cracked streets of Vertlyn. It only took roughly 7 minutes to reach the destination he was looking for.This was the abandoned part of the warehouse district, after a chemical spill in the Sarvic gulf a couple of years ago, the companies who owned the northeast block of the warehouse district went bankrupt and had to abandon their operations in Vertlyn, which in turn were recycled into the perfect base of operations for the Crux gang. 

Zeke noticed a dead end alleyway big enough to fit his car into, and he slid into it. He shifted from drive into park and turned the key in the ignition all the way to the left pulling the key out and placing it into his pocket. Zeke popped the trunk, opened the driverside door, closed the door, locked the car up, and then reached into the trunk procuring a black tarp. He unfurled the black tarp and covered the car with it, hoping no nearby gangsters would notice it. He choose the dead end alley because, normally with gangsters, dead ends aren't frequented. So, Zeke felt pretty safe leaving the car he inherited from his parents unattended here, at least for the time being.

Zeke stepped out of the alleyway, the brisk chill of Vertlyn's night air brushed against Zeke's face. He pulled his hood over his head to cover his ears from the cold and began to walk the 50 meters to the warehouse that was said to be the Crux gang's headquarters. The warehouse seemed pretty rundown from the outside. The small windows at the top of the 80 foot tall building, were either completely smashed out, or cracked. There wasn't one piece of glass intact on the entire building. The warehouse was made out of a mixture of concrete (for the base) and thin sheets of steel (for the walls) that were held together by wooden beams. The metal walls were bent in places, some of the sheets of metal had folded back corners revealing the area in between the metal wall of the outside and the metal walls of the inside, that were held together with wooden two by fours. Zeke thought it a certainty that there were mice inside the building, as there was no fathomable way, with the condition of the walls, that mice couldn't find their way in.

As Zeke approached the building, he reached for his sidearm, a Baretta .45 ACP pistol. The cold metal of the magazine touched Zeke's palm, numbing his hand briefly. He drew his pistol with his right and and kept his arms at his side as if he were relaxed. Zeke wasn't afraid of police. Zeke had lived in Vertlyn most of his life, and perhaps when he was younger, there were police. But ever since the Crux gang became a prominent name on the streets, the police were slowly snuffed out. Most civilians thought the gang was just heavily armed, but Zeke knew the truth. The gang was special. In order to become a member of the fold, you must be an Apostate (a mage who has left religion entirely). Crux is entirely made up of magi, To ensure the public didn't overreact, the media made sure to portray the gangsters as only armed with conventional weapons. Magicians (for the most part) were kept to the confines of religious sects, because the public opinion on magi was one of fear and contempt. In order to prevent riots, the government demanded the media keep their abilities a secret, and they did.

Zeke reached the main entrance of the warehouse, a large sliding metal door which was slid shut, and latched with a chain locking it shut. Zeke tugged on the chain, hoping it wouldn't be locked tight, but it was. Shit, if only I could use my light ability, I could melt this chain into a puddle. Zeke thought. But Zeke thought it useless to try. He knew that he had almost no control over activating his abilities. It was like an automatic instinct, instead of a paradigm that could be switched into at any time. As if his powers had a mind of their own. And Zeke felt that his powers weren't going to help him melt a lock.

"Shit. I am going to have to find another way in."  Zeke cursed silently to himself.

He began to walk back towards the road so that he could get a better perspective on the building in front of him. But as soon as he stepped ten feet away from the front door, eight LED floodlights, all pointed at Zeke, turned on. For a moment Zeke was blinded. Screech of feedback from a loudspeaker blared in Zeke's ears.

"Zeke Redsteele! We have been waiting for you. You didn't think it would be that easy to find our hideout, did you? Pudge is one of us, Zeke. We allowed you to find us." A familiar female voice hissed out of the loudspeaker.

"Tch! Raiya... It's been a long time" Zeke said with an annoyed undertone

"Aww, what's wrong, Ginger? Are you angry that we set you up? Well, no matter. Five of my men are converging on you as we speak. I would put down that pistol and step away from it if I were you." Raiya said.

Zeke did as she said and placed the gun on the ground and backed away from it. Sure enough, 5 gang members stepped into the light. Some of them carried tomes, or staffs, others were empty handed. If Zeke wasn't careful, he was sure these gangsters could turn him into nothing but a scorch mark on the ground. The gangster started chuckling amongst themselves as if they had just won the lottery. The fear of being surrounded set in, and it was at that moment Zeke felt the familiar burning of his birthmark being activated. Zeke concentrated and the light from all of the floodlights began to poor into Zeke's body. He eventually absorbed so much of the light that every single light bulb burned out, returning the night to pure darkness. Zeke could hear the confused mutterings of the magicians. He also noticed some of them were starting to panic as they began to start their spell casting. Zeke did not allow them to finish, in an instant he released all of the pent up light energy he had just absorbed at once, creating a massive burst of bright light. The light was so bright that everyone that had surrounded him was temporarily blinded.

Now that Zeke's powers were active, his reflexes were enhanced. As all of his enemies were rubbing there eyes trying to not only regain sight but adjust their eyesight to the darkness as well, Zeke began to take them out one by one. Moving with animal like speed and agility, he zigzagged through all of them, attacking them as he went by. He kicked one of them in the stomach, the enemy let out a cry as he was sent backwards 7 feet. The next one he uppercut in the jaw knocking him unconscious. After that, he leaped into the air and landed on the next one's head kicking off of it and using the momentum to roundhouse kick the one beside him in the head as well, both of which fell unconscious. The last one was letting out nervous cries of panic and confusion as he looked through his tome that was illuminating do to his magic. The foe started uttering some panicked words in ancient tongue. But before he could finish his spell, Zeke ran forward as fast as he can, using his momentum from running, he put all of his energy into both his palms, which he extended outwards as soon as he was within range of his enemy. The resulting impact sent the mage airborne, as he crashed through the warehouse door that was locked, breaking it down with his limp body.

Zeke could hear slow clapping from within the warehouse. An attractive woman, 25 years of age, with long black hair, in a leather biker jacket with an upside down cross embroidered on the back; stepped out of warehouse over the rubble and the most likely dead body of her subordinate.

"Very well done" Raiya said with a smile as she stopped ten feet in front of Zeke

Zeke's body moved on its own as he launched himself forward looking to connect with a punch from his right fist. But as soon as his fist made it within 5 inches of her face his entire body stopped, suspended for a brief moment, before being sent flying backwards as fast as he launched himself forwards. He landed on his ass and tumbled backwards a couple of feet before coming to a stop, face down on the ground.

"Now now, Zeke. Is that any way to treat an old friend" Raiya said condescendingly.

"Heh, I was just checking to see if you had gotten rusty over the years." Zeke said as he picked himself off of the ground

"Now, I am insulted that you would think that." Raiya retorted "However, it doesn't appear your skills have gotten any better over the years. It is going to take a little more than a flashbang to stop me, Ginger."

"But let's not resort to violence just yet. I have a few things to speak with you about first." Raiya said.

"I have something to ask you as well." Zeke said. He dusted himself off after the meeting he had with the ground earlier.

"Let me start first." Raiya demanded, "It seems as though you have been busy, these days. When you aren't stocking records and CDs at your job, you are disrupting my subordinates' operations. I thought we had an agreement the last time we spoke. That, I would provide protection to your little record store in exchange for not harming my men"

Zeke spit on the ground in disgust. " Your men were shaking down an old lady trying to extort her money. And they were harassing an innocent young lady."

"My men were collecting protection taxes from an old shopkeeper woman, and collecting a location fee from a prostitute who was using our turf as her personal cat house" Raiya snapped back

"Do you honestly think I will just sit by and do nothing as you single handedly turn this city into a cesspool?" Zeke asked

"No, I don't. I know you are a goody goody. And I know you think you are some kind of hero, but you aren't. This city is mine. If I wanted to turn it into complete chaos, I would tell our men to stop packing guns when out in public and start using magic in front of those civvies. I understand you have a problem with the way I run things here, and honestly I would rather not have to kill you. I don't hate you, Zeke. In fact, I feel bad for your current situation. Your family deserved better than to be run down by some esper scum. And you are still struggling to make it day to day, which is why I originally made an exception and asked you to join our gang, despite not being a magician." Raiya continued, "When you denied my proposition of becoming a Cruxian, I thought you would just continue your existence in silence. Maybe drink yourself to death. But instead, you insist on disrupting my day to day operations"

"I denied your offer because I am not a criminal." Zeke spat.

"HA! You act so high and mighty, as if being a law abiding citizen of this broken system is somehow a blessing or a good deed. It isn't. You are only a cog in the machine, the very same machine that killed your family. You do realize, right? That espers were made by that government, that society that you are working so hard to protect?"; Raiya's face was now livid, in a mixture of disappointment and anger.

"Yeah. I know that most espers get their abilities from laboratories and academies. But just because a lone esper kills a family, it doesn't mean all espers are bad, or for that matter, all of society." Zeke's expression turned forlorn as he recalled the events that took is family from him.

"Whatever, Zeke." Raiya said, disgusted, "Either way, I can't have you continue your crusade for justice in my city. This is what you want, right?" Raiya said as she pulled a folded piece of paper from her leather jacket pocket. "A lead as to where God's Hand may be?"

"So you knew." Zeke said.

"Of course. I have eyes and ears all over the city. I also know what erotica you bought at that convenience store the other day. What was it... oh yeah! 'Bust Burst'." Raiya replied

"H-how did yo- That's not important right now. Don't change the subject" Zeke said, embarrassed.

"This paper has the location to the next big clue in finding God's Hand. I would go myself, but, I have too much invested in this city to leave on a rumor. If I give you this, you have to promise that you will leave this city, and never come back." Raiya finished as she took a cigarette from her pocket and lit it with the tip of her finger.

Zeke didn't waste any time with his reply

"I promise" Zeke replied.

Raiya walked the ten feet over to Zeke so that she was standing right beside him, facing the opposite direction. She blew smoke into the air, as she placed the piece of paper in Zeke's hand.

"Out of everyone who deserves the ability to change the hand that God dealt them, I believe it is you who deserves it most. I will be rooting for you" Raiya whispered in Zeke's ear. And with that she continued walking forward.

"Thank you." Zeke said, with a tear in his eyes.

"Don't mention it, kid. Oh, and you have 24 hours to get the hell out of my city, or I am kicking you out by force" And with that, Raiya was gone, vanished with her magic.

Zeke opened the paper
So it appears I have a long travel ahead of me. Lightlyn Mountains. Well, better start preparing.
And with that Zeke picked up his pistol, holstered it, took the tarp off of his car and sped off back to his apartment to pack his belongings.

Edited April 13, 2014 by Samurshy

[Chickey 383]

Misha had heard about Gods Hand a while back, not really caring because he deemed his fake. However once he heard the tales of a great deal of people start to swarm around for it his interest finally peaked as he decided to do something about it. He figured it anyone was going to find a giant magical object that was probably gold colored, it would be him. He thought about what he would do as he wrote a few letters to some people he knew to start his trip. 

 

It had been a flight that felt like days, but after it was finally over he had finally arrived in a city that was close to the Lightlyn Mountains. He walked down the stairs of the airport and outside in the city. Looking around as he adjusted his golden glasses as he examined the city, taking in his first breath. He scowled with a look of disgust, it was practically worse than his home of Dracholt, in Morden. Though the snowy mountain-y forest-y wasteland wasn't much different. Something he personally didn't think possible. Even the air felt gross and... and... contaminated. It felt horrible to just be in for him. He just hoped that it wouldn't get on his clothes.

 

He walked over to the parking lot of the airport, clearly looking for something there. After a decent amount of searching though the cars, he finally found it, a white Dodge Challenger STR8 with a golden hood ornament that matched his palms symbol. All of the metal bits and accents of the car were also gold. He gave a slight grin and stepped a few feet back, admiring the car for a few moments like an insane man. "Looks like someone was able to obey orders for once and get something right." He commented to himself before he pulled out a key and got into the car. He revved up the engine as he drove off for the mountains he heard so much about.

Edited April 14, 2014 by Pumkin

[FractalMoon 378]

Lily lands in a small clearing near the closest rumored area to wherever this information about the God's Hand is located. She climbs out, then subconsciously commands the plane to fly itself to a nearby airport, where she has already rented a hanger using funds no one would notice from their bank accounts. She felt a twinge of guilt at what was technically theft, but reminded herself that all the money was going to be lost to rounding errors anyway. With a small smile of success, she begins the hike to the rumored site, still hoping not to come in contact with anyone else.

[Chickey 383]

Misha drove the car out of the parking lot, turning on the stereo as he listened to whatever was on. He examined the sidewalk as he put the car into cruise control. The first thing that he noticed is that pretty much everyone was wearing a hoody and a baseball cap. Gary Jules - Mad World played in the background as he continued to drive, still looking. "How redundantly boring." He commented to himself in a sad tone before he switched the station, looking back at the road. He knew he had to get to some mountain, but he wasn't sure where he even was now. He drove around until he finally found a sign that told him where the Lightlyn Mountains were, picking up a cheeseburger on the way. He took the road there, getting bored to the point of punching himself in the face for stimulus whilst doing so. Out of all the things that Misha was, impatient was definitely one of them.

 

Eventually, the the roads the led to areas by the mountains cut off. He sighed as he parked his car in a lot and got out, locking it on the way. He just hoped it would still be there when he got back, ordering another one was going to be a pain. However, now he could finally see the mountains off in the distance. And too his dismay, what he could see is that they were still far away. But this was as close as he could get by car.

Edited April 14, 2014 by Pumkin

[Azura 1,107]

Hikari got out of the house and back in her car. She started up the engine and headed in the general direction of the mountains. As she drove towards Lightlyn Mountains, she realized that time was flying by as it has already been three hours since she left when she glanced at her watch. She was slowly approaching a dead end on the road, and Lightlyn Mountains was visible in the distance. There wasn't any choice other than to hike up. In fact, there was a nice pathway through the forest which appeared to lead the way towards the mountains. Hikari got out of her car and started heading towards the mountain in hopes that she'll the key that will lead her one step closer to the relic.

[Samurshy 708]

Zeke woke up to the sound of his alarm clock and the scent of freshly brewed coffee. He peeled back the covers and sat upright, stretching both arms as he yawned. 

Last night was certainly eventful. Raiya gave me the information I needed pretty quickly. I hope the information isn't false. Zeke pondered this as he looked around his room. Zeke's bedroom in his apartment looked the same as ever. Band posters plastered the walls, a singular window shed light from outside the fourth floor of the apartment. His computer that he got from a yard sale sat idle in the corner next to the desk. The monitor was off, and the desk was covered in miscellaneous CD's and bank statements. The dark green walls seemed to warm the place up a bit, but his apartment was still lonely and depressing. Zeke looked into the mirror on his bureau as he walked past. His red hair, and patchy facial hair no longer looked familiar. His eyes had bags under them from last night's escapades. His gaze shifted down to his medium build body. Zeke only slept in his boxers, which left his torso exposed, Zeke’s lean muscles shown prominently, from his pecks to his abs. He noticed the large gash like scar on the right side of his torso that he received two years ago when the golden haired esper killed his family. Memories rushed into his head of the night where he lost everything, but gained perspective. He flinched as his hand brushed his scar, not from the pain of the scar, but from the pain of the memory. 

The smell of fresh coffee pulled him out of his memories and drew him back to reality. Zeke walked over to his closet, and opened it, retrieving an empty duffle bag. Zeke began to pack everything he needed for his trip. He packed clothes, toiletries, an extra pair of shoes, a map of the country, and bullets for his handgun. Zeke stood in his closet entry looking at the selection of clothes he had left to wear.

Lightlyn Mountains are about a three hour drive from here. So I might as well put on clothes that I would wear there. If I remember correctly, there is a Lightlyn City at the base of the first mountain. I think I will wear outdoors clothing, Zeke thought. Zeke reached into the closet, pulling a long-sleeve, tan, hunting shirt. The shirt was button-down and had two front pockets for ammo, and other survivor equipment. Zeke unbuttoned the shirt and slid it on. The fabric that it was made out of was both comfortable and durable. Zeke walked over to his bureau and opened the top drawer, revealing his bottoms. He chose a pair of tan survivor cargo pants, which had built in knee pads, for rock climbing and hiking. Zeke also pulled out a pair of fresh, black boxers; he slid off his previously worn boxers and put on the new ones. He also slid on the cargo pants, zipping up the fly, and buttoning the top button. The pants were a loose fit, so he also looped his bullet belt through the cargo pants. Zeke grabbed his pistol, and holster, from his nightstand, and clipped it on his belt. He then grabbed his blue Columbia windbreaker, and after buttoning his shirt, he pulled the thin coat on, leaving it unzipped. Zeke pulled his white headphones off of his bed’s headboard, and slid his iphone in his pocket, connecting the headphones to the iphone. Zeke slid the headset around his neck, and pushed play on his Iphone which was on mass shuffle. The song, The Crowing by Coheed and Cambria was the first song to start playing. Zeke zipped his duffle bag shut, grabbed his Hohner Marine Band Special 20 harmonica off of his windowsill, slid it into his coat pocket, hiked the duffle bag up over his shoulder with his right, and exited the room.

Zeke’s bedroom was connected directly to the kitchen, separated only by a door. Zeke walked over to his automatic coffee brewer, and picked up the cup of coffee that was sat directly under the spout of the brewer. He sipped the coffee, and realizing it was black, added some creamer to it. He slid the lid on the cup that happened to be a travel mug, and began to walk out the door. He grabbed his keys that were on the island in the kitchen, and with that, he left.

Zeke walked out of the apartment building, and into the apartment parking. He unlocked the car and popped the trunk, throwing his duffle in. He closed the trunk, and got into the driver’s seat. Zeke pulled out his iphone, and unplugged his headphones, plugging the iphone into the sound system in his car. Zeke slid the ignition key into the starter, and turned it clockwise, firing the engine to life. Zeke put his foot on the brake petal, pulled down the transmission shift lever into R for reverse, and backed out of the parking space. He then, foot on the brake, slid the car into D for drive, and drove out of the lot and onto the main streets.

Zeke thought back to the letter he dropped off at the record store, stating his resignation. He hoped that old man Wilson wouldn’t be too broken up about it. The old shopkeeper enjoyed having Zeke around, but Zeke was in a hurry, and hoped that the letter would suffice. Zeke took the main street to the exit that led to the main highway towards Lightlyn. Zeke turned up the music, sipped on his coffee, and set the car to cruise control. He was in for a long ride.

Edited April 15, 2014 by Samurshy

[Chickey 383]

Misha walked over to the trunk of his car, popping it open with a look of excitement, "Alright, lets see what toys we packed for playtime." He said as he pulled out a golden butterfly knife from his coat pocket. He picked up a box heavy box, twirling the knife around in his other hand before he cut it open. He found a case inside, sliding it open and finding a golden tiger-striped Desert Eagle inside. "Whaho shit... feels like Christmas already." He commented as he picked up the hefty gun, slipping in a full mag and cocking it back. "But daddy I wanted a rocket lawncha." He whined with a childish voice for a moment as he grabbed a holster and attached it to his belt. He rested his gun in it and grabbed a few extra mags with him as he started his journey for the mountain. Seeing the distance he was glad he was wearing boots today, but he figured he'd be there soon enough.

[FractalMoon 378]

After what feels to her like hours, but was in actually an hour and a half at most, Lily arrives at the geographic coordinates where the source told her there would be a clue. Failing to find anything, she becomes alerted to three separate phone signals, each coming from a different direction. Knowing that anyone who was coming this far into the mountain range is likely bad news, she tries her best to hide and wait to see where the signals go.

[Azura 1,107]

As Hikari hiked up the mountain, a cold and breezy wind blew past her. It's been quite some time since she's been out in the nature, and it was rather refreshing. She heard the echoes of the birds chirping in the distance as they flew away into the skies. As she slowly approached closer to one of the three large mountains, she stood on the slope of the mountain and overlooked the lands. Hikari looked in the general direction of what seems to be the middle of the three mountains and started heading towards it. She started breathing deeply as she started running out of breath halfway from the mountain to the middle of all three, so she laid her back on one of the trees to catch her breath.

[Chickey 383]

Misha walked through the forest and towards the mountains. He wasn't sure exactly what he was looking for, but he figured he would know it when he sees it. He started to walk toward the middle of the three mountains, making sure he kept as quiet as possible. If there was going to be anything here, he figured it would probably be in the middle of the mountains. He kept his hand close to his gun in case any animals that inhabit the forest show up, or even people. Even though he had magic, he figured he'd try the gun out first if possible this time. The last thing he wanted was traces of magically burned squirrels laying around for all to see. Or worse case scenario, trees lighting on fire and burning the whole place to the ground. He shuddered as he knew smokey could never forgive him then.

[Samurshy 708]

The road seemed to stretch on for miles. Zeke stayed in the left lane (fast lane), sped up to the speed limit which was 80 miles per hour, and then he pushed the button for cruise control. He had only been on the road for about an hour, but the hour seemed to drag on excessively making it seem as though it had been two or three. The coffee he had been sipping was all gone now, but he was sure that the caffeine was the only thing keeping him from passing out from boredom. Zeke could feel the caffeine’s power waning, though, and needed a fix. Zeke noticed that there was an exit that led directly to a fuel station/convenience store. He decided to turn off at the exit and park in one of the many empty parking spaces in front of the station.

The fuel station was a SletCo station, one of thousands across Arconium. It was a fairly small shop only about 100x100 feet altogether, and it had a sign emblazoned on the top with SletCo’s orange cat mascot. Zeke placed his foot on the brake and slid the transmission into Park, and turned the car off. He placed the keys in his pocket, and exited the car, entering the SletCo station. The attendant behind the counter didn’t so much as acknowledge Zeke’s existence. The attendant was a large, middle-aged man, with thinning hair and a greasy complexion. All of his attention was directed into the newspaper he was reading; as he leaned back in the wooden chair he had behind the counter. Zeke was surprised that the man didn’t look over at him and question him about the sidearm he had attached to his hip. Even though Zeke had a permit to carry weapons where law enforcement was effective, he normally got scared expressions wherever he went. Zeke shrugged it off and went to the back of the store where the refrigerated goods were kept. He walked past the beer and opened the door that had the energy drinks behind it. He picked three, Rockstar energy drinks, out of various flavors. He also noticed the convenience store had a hard alcohol section. Zeke walked over to the various racks that contained all manors of whisky and vodka. He picked out Jaeger, and some cheap vodka. Zeke also grabbed a 5 liter jug of water that was sitting right next to the counter.

If get injured, these can clean wounds and serve as a small anesthetic, Zeke thought. Also, as Zeke often suffered from insomnia, alcohol was a depressant that helped him sleep as well. Zeke took everything to the front counter. The balding man, whose nametag read, “Vern”, gave Zeke a quizzical look as he examined him.

“You have some facial hair, but you look young enough to be in high school still.” Vern said in a mocking tone. “I am going to have to see some identification.”

Zeke sighed and pulled out his iPhone. The leather case on Zeke’s Iphone also doubled as a wallet. Zeke slid the back of the phone forward revealing all of his cards. He pulled out his identification, which stated he was 22, and his debit card. Zeke handed it to the Vern who looked at the card intently, examining it as closely as possible. Eventually he conceded and began to ring the items up with his scanner.

“That will be 46.99”, Vern said as he took the debit card from Zeke and slid it through his register.

Vern bagged all the items as the debit charge cleared. Vern put the bags in front of Zeke, and stuffed the receipt in the bag with the energy drinks.

“Have a good day.” Zeke said as he picked up the bags and began to walk out the door.

“God’s hand doesn’t exist” Vern said offhandedly in an obviously Mordenic accent, as Zeke was about to walk out the door.

I have been doing my own research into the rumors about God’s Hand. I know very well that God’s Hand isn’t well known. Even the rumor is only known by a handful of people. But, not only is this man privy to information about God’s Hand, but he also somehow knew what I was passing through for. These thoughts raced through Zeke’s head, as he closed the door and walked back into the store.

Zeke placed the plastic bags at his feet, about a meter to the right of him. Zeke then drew his pistol with his right hand, keeping his arm to his side.

“You’re an esper, aren’t you” Zeke said

“Not that it is any of your business, but I am. But I am assuming you are asking this because I was right about why you were passing through here.” Vern chuckled

“Maybe… Are you saying that you didn’t read my mind?” Zeke said, frustrated.

“Kid, it doesn’t take a psychic to know you aren't normal” Vern said with a smile, “In fact, the reason why I figured you were a Hunter is because of that pistol you are carrying. A standard military issue Berretta 45. ACP. It isn’t something that a normal civilian would be carrying around. But moreover, the duffle bag in your car is also packed with various clothing and toiletries. Not to mention you are wearing a windbreaker, and mountain boots. It is quite easy to piece together, actually” Vern said.

“How did you-?” Zeke began, holstering his pistol.

“How did I know what was in your car let alone your duffle bag? I am an esper, but my power isn’t over the mind. I am a clairvoyant. I can see everything within a certain distance, and process it almost immediately. And before you ask what a level 4 esper is doing managing a convenience store, well, let’s just say I have done enough adventuring for many lifetimes. It was time for me to find a place to live out the rest of my days, and I love convenience stores.” Vern explained, “But enough of that. I am trying to give you some good advice. God’s Hand is a myth, a dead end. It is a fool’s errand, a wild goose chase that only leads to bloodshed“.

Zeke smiled, as he picked up his bags and turned to face the exit once more. “I have nothing else, Vern. This isn’t a myth to me, it can’t be. I can’t afford for this to be anything other than an item that I will obtain.” And with that Zeke pushed the door open, about to exit the SletCo.

Vern laughed heartily, his deep voice ringing through the station. Zeke’s teeth clenched as the laughter began to make him angry.

“Well, it looks like you have a large journey in front of you, then.” Vern said, smiling widely, “But allow me to give you some more advice before letting you leave here. Well, it is more information than it is advice… There were four others who came also came through here, who were all obviously Hunters. They traveled together, 2 males 2 females. I wasn’t sure if they were espers or sorcerers, but they were heavily armed. I don’t know if you have any powers either, Zeke, but no matter how powerful you think you are, it is easy to get overpowered if they have numbers. If you are intent to carry on from here, all I can say is to be careful. Most Hunters are in it for themselves, and they are ruthless. Though, if you can manage to band together as those Hunters did, you may be able to make it far.”

“Thank you, Vern. I will keep that in mind.” And with that, Zeke left.

Two hours and two energy drinks later, and Zeke had made it to the foot of the mountains. The gravel of the unpaved road crunched under the tires of Zeke’s car as he pulled into the gravel parking area that tourists and hikers use when they are about to trek Lightlyn. Zeke parked the car in the completely empty lot, and then turned off the car. Zeke popped the trunk, exited the car, and opened his duffle bag. He retrieved a few boxes of 20 rounds, stocking his belt and his cargo pockets. He then, downed the last energy drink and retrieved a small hiking backpack that he had packed in his duffle. The hiking pack was completely empty and folded as if it was brand new. He unzipped it and packed the 5 liters of water, zipping it back up again and throwing it on his back. Zeke locked his car and then began trekking the mountain.

Zeke breathed in deeply, the fresh mountain air, as he took in his surroundings. He was fairly close to the mountain that the Vertlyn route took him to. The mountain was covered in a lush, green forest. All manner of life existed on this mountain, from insect, to bird, to lizard. Zeke continued to hike up the mountain and started to walk the circumference of it. Eventually Zeke got to a part of the mountain where he was facing the other three mountains in the distance.

What was it that Raiya wrote down again? Zeke thought, Oh yeah, the clue resides between the mountains, so I am assuming she means plains where the three mountains intersect, the bowl that the combined mountains create. Zeke began to walk down the mountain and towards the plains that lay at the foot of all the mountains.

The first think that Zeke noticed about the Lightlyn Bowl was that it was considerably wetter than the opposite side of the mountain. Due to gravity drawing all the precipitation down the mountain, most all of the water collected in streams that ran throughout the plains. Zeke decided to continue to follow the streams until he saw something. Eventually the stream he was following intersected with a medium sized spring. The water of the spring was beautiful. It was perhaps the clearest water that Zeke had ever seen before. Zeke decided to rest on the bank of the Lightlyn spring for a bit before continuing.

I am in between all the mountains, I wonder how much further I have to go… or where I have to go for that matter, Zeke thought has he rested.

Edited April 16, 2014 by Samurshy

[FractalMoon 378]

Lily, after seeing that none of the signals approach her further, begins to move up the mountains. Silently cursing herself for not bringing an oxygen tank, she tries her best to limit her pace and stay aware of everything around her. Her mind reaches out to the few electronic signals in the area, calls to them, intercepts them, and begins to pull as much information on each person as she can from them. Such a lucky thing, people keeping their entire lives on their phones, it made finding out who the biggest threat, or the best ally, will be. She crouches on an outcropping in the mountain, surveying the area from a distance before choosing to move in. She once again curses herself for not bringing her camera, just in case there was something hidden in the area. She blinks away the streams of data and once again sets out for the cave.

[Azura 1,107]

Hikari stood back up after resting for a few minutes, pulling out her phone as she continued heading towards the middle. "If I'm not wrong, it's just a few minutes away from where I am." She mumbled to herself as she looked at the map on her phone. As she approached the center of the three mountains, she didn't see anything in particular. "I wonder what I'm even looking for.." She said as she stood on the opposite side of the cave entrance where the secrets of the relic lies within.

[Chickey 383]

Misha reached the middle of the three mountains, something felt off to him as he continued to walk in search for some clues. As if the environment felt like it was tampered with recently. He stopped and looked up sniffing the air animalistically for a few moments before his bored expression turned into a rather viscous grin. He smelled an all to familiar smell in the air, it was the smell of other people. Something that he had become all too keen on tracking over his years.  At this point he veered off now directly towards where the cave was sitting. At this rate he would probably reach it momentarily. He upholstered his golden deagle, taking the safety off and proceeded, anxious of what was to come now.

[Samurshy 708]

Zeke sat at the spring bank, taking swigs from his water jug. Eventually the rock he was sitting on began to hurt his butt, making him stand up once more. Zeke put away his water jug and stretched his arms out above his head, popping his neck. Well, I am in the center of the three mountains, though I don't see a cave, Zeke thought. 

Zeke noticed a small hill in front of him, past the springs. He decided to go there to see if he could get any perspective. He jogged over to the hill in question, and it only took him a minute to reach the top of the incline. Instantly Zeke dropped to a prone position because as he looked out past the hill he was on, Zeke not only spotted the cave, but also spotted someone walking towards it. Zeke couldn't see the person, as the cave was 100 meters in front of him, but the person was easy enough to spot, as the dot that was the person, glittered gold . The speck heading towards the cave shimmered all over, as the suns rays hit every single piece of reflective gold he had on him, which was a lot. What kind of asshole wears gold accessories on a hunting expedition? Zeke thought. 

Zeke waited until the golden speck disappeared into the cave before heading towards it himself

[FractalMoon 378]

Lily sighs as all three of the signals converge on the cave, "Well here comes the exciting part." She fiddles with the cross on her neck, praying to any deity who may be listening that she not die today. She casually unholsters her sonic pistol and interfaces with her nanotech array just in case. She picks her way down the mountain, preparing for whatever may come when she enters the cave.

[Azura 1,107]

Hikari noticed some movement nearby her, and as she looked around her, she saw someone with red hair overlooking what seems to be another person off in the distance. Hikari quickly took cover behind a tree as she waited for a minute or two before heading towards his last location. She spotted a cave entrance but was unsure if they went in. 'It's not like I have any other choice..' She thought to herself as she entered the cave, making her way down as it grew darker every step she took.

[Octavia's Bow 2,035]

Yasuna stretched, observing her small 'home'. This cave in Lightlyn Mountains had been her home for about a week, after a small rain-storm had driven her from trying to hitchhike. Yawning, she looked around and saw people. Real ones. She shivered and threw up an invisibility spell. If these were the people she'd... procured the radio from, then she did NOT want to get caught out in the open. Throwing up a spell on the radio for good measure, she waited to determine their intentions

[Chickey 383]

Misha had already entered the cave, he walked through it for a little bit before stopping. Something he found odd was that the smell outside still strongly persisted in the cave itself too. He turned around, finding a ledge of rock on the side of the cave and climbed up on it. He sat on the ledge and simply waited, knowing there were people nearby. People he'd most likely want to meet. Oddly enough, he sat not even a few feet a way from the invisible Yasuna.

[FractalMoon 378]

Lily decides that there's no sense wasting time, then realizes there is a phone signal she hadn't noticed before. With practiced ease she connects to it, spoofs herself into hypervisor status, and skims any information of value off of it. Coincidentally, two of the phones were near each other, so she moved toward them first. She finds a place that's reasonably out of sight, and calls both phones simultaneously. If these two were together they'd be more receptive to a call to both of them, and if they weren't then that would be one less fight she'd have to take part in. Subconsciously she kicks the volume of both phones to maximum, going for the biggest effect she can with what she has.

@, @@NightWing, 

[Chickey 383]

Misha quickly reacted, pointing his pistol over towards where he heard another phone from Yasuna, ready to take a pot shot at any time. He waited as he kept himself ready for anything. "I can smell you, whoever you are, I can smell the other one too..." He said, speaking with a very slight Mordenic accent as he looked over to where Lily was hiding. He gave a chuckle and scratched his head, not sure what would happen next. But he was ready for a fight if it was coming.

[Octavia's Bow 2,035]

As soon as her phone went of, she squeaked and fell away from it, the invisibility breaking. She heard what he said, and instantly cast three different illusions. Her invisibility returned, she cast a noiseless charm on her phone, and she flooded the cave with the scent of roses. This was really trying her concentration.

[FractalMoon 378]

Lily stays silent, but Misha hears a voice on his phone, "You do? Sensitive sense of smell... I wonder, is your sense of hearing or sight as acute?" The speaker in his phone overloads itself, letting out an incredibly loud high frequency pulse before exploding into a cloud of smoke. Yasuna's phone lights up and vibrates, signifying the receipt of a text message. The message states 'Your charms may hide you from the naked eye, but you can't hide from me. I see all, I hear all. So come out with your hands up and maybe we can be friends. -Clairvoyance'