Of Royalty and Rivalry

[Yoshimitsu]

OOC- Okay let's try this with my two new characters. I'm gonna put a limit of up to four people joining this, but I'm not overly fussy who. Chadwyck has already claimed of the spots, if he's still interested, so that leaves three places for people. Enter however you want.

BIC -

"General Sylvia."

"Your highness."

Sylvia, general of the army, taking orders from no one but the royal family. The absolute best in terms of strategist, combat and negotiations. The woman who ascended the ranks of warfare quickly, raised to her position by request of the king himself. She was the elite, the knight everyone aspired to be. No one else compared within the army. She was quick, efficient, logical and merciless. A dangerous combination. She executed her orders to perfection.

"You are aware, of course, regarding the discussions of a new power source to fuel our kingdom?"

"Of course, your highness," Sylvia responded, running her fingers through her hair. Silver, with a hint of lavender. Long and flowing, a gentle curl near her shoulders. Part of her face was obscured by a metal plate, completely concealing one eye. She held her phone to her ear, listening to the king closely. Undoubtedly, this would be a mission of importance. His highness rarely contacted her in person, usually too caught up in politcal affairs regarding the kingdom. "I heard tell of the power source in question."

"Good. The co-ordinates will be sent to you shortly. Take a task force suited to the operation."

"As you wish, your highness."

She snapped her phone shut and stood up, the red leather of the seat creaking slightly. Too new a piece of furniture for it to be regarded comfortable yet, though that was not important. She had little time for luxuries. As much as she appreciated the favours granted her by the royal family, there was usually no opportunity to enjoy them. Her duties kept her busy, and her sworn oath kept her dedicated. A knight must not question her orders, or she would lose rank and reason. Honor and duty were more important to her than anything.

The place in question, she had heard of it. The impossible island, changing shape and structure too often for it not to be supernatural. The energy required to transform such a thing to such a degree must be incredible. If such a power source could be acquired, the kingdom would lose any reliance currently necessary on other states. They could be truly independant. This mission was important.

Her phone beeped, signalling a message. The co-ordinates. She threw her hair back over her shoulder and strode towards the door of her room. Collecting the task force would be a difficult decision; who knew what could be lurking on that island? She could take only her most trusted soldiers.

~*~*~

"C'mon, you know you want to!"

"... No."

"Don't be like that, it'll be fun!"

"... Not interested."

"But everyone wants to go! It'll be a challenge! C'mon, let's do it!"

"... Why?"

Two figures stood at the docks, looking out to the ocean. One of them was significantly taller than the other. The taller one had dark red hair, cut messily across her face and flowing down her back, tied loosely near the end. She wore a wide steel-grey scarf tied around her neck, somewhat hiding the features on the lower half of her face, and a jacket of the same colour that almost looked like it was connected. She stood very still, the sun glinting off her strange sunglasses. Only one lens, and somehow connected to her face without any assistance.

"Because exploring unknown lands is fun! You're the one who's always wandering, why not do this too?"

The second figure was much more animated, and much less human. Roughly three foot tall, and covered from head to toe in black fur. In fact, she most closely resembled a cat stood on its hind legs, though considerably bigger. Her bone structure was a little different, allowing her to stand upright easily. She wore an identical scarf and jacket combination, and had sunglasses that were the mirror image of her companion's. Sticking out from slits in the jacket were two bird-like wings, black at the top but the feathers fading into a grey colour.

"... For someone from a secretive race, you sure are loud."

"Don't be such a stick in the mud! I already got us a boat, we can get to the island no problem! It's probably not even a half hour's trip! Come on!"

"...I don't have a choice, do I?"

"Nope! Let's go!"

The feline twirled on the spot and bounced away from the dock they were stood at. With a sigh, the girl turned and followed her companion. There was a subtle grace to her movements, hands thrust into the pockets of her dark jeans and shoulders relaxed, but such a closed off posture that no one would consider talking to her. There was enough scandal at a talking cat though, so she didn't get very many looks. The feline had pranced ahead much faster than the girl was walking, but it was not difficult to follow her. It was a few boats down, where the cat had stopped. Right beside a motorboat.

"Like it? Didn't have to bargain much either! As long as it comes back in one piece, we can use it for free! I think the guy was a bit scared."

"You're a talking cat."

"Oh, yeah, I guess... Whatever, let's set sail! We'll be there in no time!"

The pair of them stepped into the boat and began to familiarise themselves with the controls. The cat sat at the back of the boat, ready to control the motor, while the girl took the wheel.

~*~*~

"Samm, anythin' on your end?" Felix said into his bracelet. A technological marvel, microphone and earpiece synched in with each other and another person's over distances of up to three miles. Or something like that. Felix never payed attention to technobabble. If it worked, that was all he cared about. Well, that and whether there was some drug in his system.

"Nothing to report. What's your situation?" Samm's voice came back through the earpiece. If he didn't know better, Felix would have sworn Samm was stood right next to him.

"Joint in hand and nothin' but the fuckin' breeze," Felix replied, looking around. Last time he had been to the island, it had been split into a multitude of different climates. This time, it was as though the island had withered up. The remains of trees and grass, a bleak wasteland to the north and thick but dead forest to the south. Not exactly an advantageous position, when the rocks turned the place into a labrynth and the trees were still too thick to allow sun to shine through. A thin mist hung over some patches of the island. It felt dead.

"Strange... This island is devoid of any life. I wonder why?" Samm pondered out loud.

"Who fuckin' knows? All that matters is we got assigned this dead end mission in fuck knows where for no reason," Felix replied, taking a long drag of his joint. The blend of tobacco and various-drug-soaked-weed made a strange flavour in his mouth. Not unpleasant, just strange. Whatever. "Why ain't anyone up on the mountain?"

"Given our locations, we should be able to see anyone attempting to climb. I guess we just have to wait and see," Samm's reply came. Felix sighed heavily and retrieved a hip-flask from his pocket. This was going to be a long day.

 

[Sem]

"Magic, magic, magic," Sorena repeated to herself for no reason at all really. Sem was gone, doing something 'important', and so she was on her own. Not that he talked much, but if he was there with her it wouldn't be so bloody quiet.

The woman appeared to be about fifty if you looked at her, and had a sort of refined beauty that some older women had. Of course, what she wore completely distracted from how physically attractive she was. She wore a slim Victorian-styled gown that was all black, with faint silver markings and a bolder silver trim along the bottom. The upper half of the outfit resulted into a coal-gray corset to which a very small coal-gray bustle was attached. On her feet were a pair of black, high-heeled boots that she was very used to walking in no matter where she was. The upper part of her chest and shoulders, while bare, were covered by her black cloak that wrapped around and fastened just below her neck by a large sapphire broach. Her sleeves didn't cover her shoulders and started just bellow them rather and flowed down, ending in long, loose ends with her middle fingers slipped through holes in the top of the sleeves. Two silver rings were on her middle fingers as well, both were identical and had small sapphires embedded into them.

Atop the woman's head was her most noticeable feature: her black witch's hat. The tip was crooked and bent back, and there was a blue sash tied around the hatring. From under the hat flowed silvery hair to just above the small of the woman's back. It was wavy and not styled in a particular way, simply charmed with a spell that allowed it to remain in an orderly state so that she never had to mess with it. Sorena's face was fair and pale, and she wore no make-up on the account of her not wanting to arse with it. Her eyes were sapphire blue and the most striking part of her face on account of how bright they were.

Sorena had never planned to go near any kind of island, but she sensed the magic of the place like a tiny tingling from where she arrived on that world, which had been on the other side of the planet, and it drew her in like a magnet. The pull became stronger the closer she got until she actually arrived. She wasn't sure what she would find, but she couldn't help but explore what seemed like a deeply magical place, despite how dead it looked at the moment.

The dry ground crunched beneath her boots as she walked through the large dead forest that covered part of the island. Despite the trees being dead and leafless, they were still tall and thick enough to block out much of the sunlight, which gave the place an eerie feel to it. What bothered her for now was the absolute silence. She hadn't seen another soul so far, and as far as she knew the entire island was deserted. It sort of made sense though. The island wasn't her idea of a vacation spot.

It was fine though. Once Sorena had had her fill of the island she would leave. The problem was that she could either have her fill within the next hour, or within the next century. Sorena was so easily distracted and derailed she needed her own mental disorder named after her. That was unless Sorena got serious, and when she got serious she could focus. This happened rarely though, more commonly if the witch was in a fight, and even then...

It got darker and darker the further in she went, and so the woman outstretched her palm and flexed her hand, summoning an orb of light. The ball flashed like the sun for a moment, causing the woman to squint her eyes and bat her arms at the ball uselessly. "Bloody thing," she muttered as she adjusted the brightness setting. She lowered her arm as the orb stayed just in front of her and she continued on her way, exploring the mythical island to see what mysteries she might unlock.

 

[Chadwyck]

Trinnean Finley wasn't a knight, exactly, but he was a member of the military under the command of General Sylvia. The reason that Trinnean, or Trin as he was called to save time; he didn't exactly like the nickname, but he couldn't be bothered to do anything about it. The reason that he wasn't exactly a knight was because he operated, mostly, on the reconnaissance side of things. Not that he was useless in a fight, quite the contrary; he was excellent in hand to hand combat, or hand to sword combat, or hand to any weapon combat really.

His weapons were his fists, but not in the sense that he could just beat things to a pulp, he was quick and agile, and on his hands he wore metal gauntlets with short spikes protruding from the knuckles. This meant, of course, that a punch from him could essentially be deadly depending on its location, and he very seldom missed the vitals. It also meant that he could deflect other weapons thanks to them if the need arose.

Still, he avoided straight fights whenever possible, he operated in shadow. He remained anonymous until the moment that he struck. And he was good at what he did.

As far as his appearance went, it wasn't common military attire that he wore. All the heavy armor and fancy dress would only slow him down, and thus counteract his main purpose in combat; to strike fast and with precision. Instead he wore lightweight clothes, things that would serve next to no purpose as armor of any kind. At the moment, he was dressed in a pair of black shorts that went just a bit passed his knees. On his feet were athletic shoes with good grip and traction for covering short distances very quickly, they were black and gray in color and the shoelaces were a dark violet. His t-shirt was plain and boring, but that was only because it was hidden beneath a hoodie sweatshirt that had been pulled over his torso. It was also black, but the crest of the kingdom was emblazoned on the back in silver. The hood was pulled up over his head, covering his face from sight, and his t-shirt collar extended up, covering his nose and mouth. The only part of his face visible, when his hood was drawn, were his eyes; a light brown color, he wore black rimmed eyeglasses over them that sat perfectly on his face.

He was currently running, as he did quite often, running along walls briefly before jumping to another, then another, before ultimately landing on the ground; then he would run for a moment and do it all over again. He liked to keep his acrobatics finely tuned, as they would be what he relied on most when scouting and fighting alike.

The place that he was running to, he wasn't quite sure. He'd gotten the call from the General and had set off to meet her. Not entirely sure where that would be, he just kept running. He knew the overall destination was an island, an impossible island. It sounded like something from a fairytale, he was quite excited to see how this magical place worked. And, as he well knew by now, if the General had called for him specifically, it was something of great importance. He smiled an unseen smile underneath the cloth and flipped over a small wall, landing perfectly and continuing on. He figured he may as well head for the docks, that'd be more than likely the place that they would meet before setting off.

OoC: Hopefully Trin is alright for the part, El. If anything needs changing just let me know and I'll edit him a bit.

 

[Yoshimitsu]

Sylvia snapped her phone shut, having just relayed the co-ordinates of the island to the top recon officer in the army. Trinnean. An expert in unarmed combat, and top candidate to rise through the ranks of the army. She would even go so far as to say he could replace her some day, when her blade and wits dulled. The instructions were clear; monitor the island and report any unusual activity, make no attempt to engage any hostiles until she arrived.

She examined her various pieces of armour, debating which would be optimal for the task at hand. Full armour would be useless; she'd attract too much attention. Something modest but effective. She picked out her shoulder guards, sculpted perfectly to her physique for ease of movement. She also selected a half-breast plate. It ran diagonally from her shoulder to her ribs, covering the left half of her chest. Easy to move in and protected her most vital organ. That would do nicely.

The rest of the task force were above-average soldiers in the army. Slightly stronger, slightly faster, and a better idea of what a mission such as this entailed. A much more capable team than some greenhorn who was newly recruited. They had assembled just outside the castle, waiting for the general. Sylvia nodded as she stepped through the large, ornately carved double doors. The mission would proceed immediately.

~*~*~

"Hold up, I got somethin'," Felix said into his bracelet quietly. He adjusted the scope attached over his eye. "Switchin' to x-ray and zoomin' the fuck in."

Felix's vision in one eye changed dramatically, instead becoming a completely black image save for one figure. Some person. A woman, he'd guess, from the bone structure. Walking through the forests. If it hadn't been for a light she was using, he wouldn't have noticed her.

"What is it?" Samm asked in a hushed tone.

"A woman I reckon, and a fuckin' Power at that," Felix muttered back. "Got some bloody floatin' orb of power. Lightin' her way."

"Don't engage her," Samm warned. "You know our orders, we just have to stop anyone going for the mountain."

"Yeah yeah, I know," Felix answered, taking another sizeable swig from his hipflask.

 

[Sem]

"These trees!" she said, perhaps a bit too loudly. "These trees..." the witch repeated, darting her eyes to and fro with a suspicious glint in them. The trees in question were almost statue-like in appearance and color, which was a lovely dead-gray. The longer she was in the forest and the more she looked at the seemingly identical trees the more paranoid she became. The branches started to look like hands that wanted to gouge out her innards, and some of the trees had faces.

This was all Sem's fault of course, and Sorena would blame him if she ended up burning down the godforsaken forest she was traveling through. By now he would have said something distracting and she would no longer focus on the trees that wished to end her tragically and utterly.

"Listen you!" she said to one particularly menacing looking tree before she noticed a light ahead of her that wasn't magical. "Oh finally," Sorena sighed as she quickened her pace and headed for the exit. "Screw you, trees!" she yelled as she broke free of the forest and found herself in the daylight.

Of course that was the only good thing. The rest of the island was still dead as, well, a dead thing. Sorena snuffed out her orb of light with a closing of her hand into a fist and took a look around. She noticed first and foremost a mountain that was quite near that she would inevitably climb, simply because it was there. "Perhaps I should check out the rest of the island first..." she thought aloud as her pace slowed.

As her cogs turned an insect decided to bother the woman, buzzing loudly in her ear and attacking her nose. It had probably wandered over from the mainland and it really was unfortunate what was about to happen next.

"Don't bother me," Sorena snapped, swatting her hand at it. Still it persisted and buzzed in her eye before flying above her. "You had your chance, little fly!" she yelled and pointed her finger up at it. What happened next, while unfortunate for the bug, was something completely unexpected. A bolt of lightning exploded out of her finger, incinerating the fly instantly and shooting high into the sky. Countless branches sprouted off of the main bolt and it flashed incredibly bright.

"Damn..." she murmured, quickly lowering her arm and tipping the rim of her hat down over her eyes. She looked around, ready for the island's mysterious natives to pop out of the ground and flog her. That flash had probably been visible from space, which could easily be achieved by any magician skilled with lightning magic. Magical lightning was commonly weaker than natural lightning, but it could also be several times stronger, like the bolt she had just fired off. The problem was that the spell she used was a common much-weaker-than-actual-lightning spell, which got the woman thinking.

"This place augments magic by several times," she explained out loud to an imaginary person. "That is... very dangerous, potentially. Hopefully someone saw that and comes to tell me what this place is... or not." She didn't really know if she wanted someone to find her, but she decided that some company was better than none, even if said company was trying to kill her. At least they would talk to her. "Bloody trees," she muttered. At any rate it was too late now. If anyone was watching they could easily trace the origin of the lightning directly to her current location. She felt relatively safe now after her discovery. Normally she wouldn't be too concerned for her life if someone attacked her, but now she had even less reason to fear since the island would augment anything she did - potentially making her one of if not the most powerful being on the planet at that point in time as far as she knew. Not that she didn't commonly rank among a planet's most powerful beings though, so it didn't feel all that special to her.

"Well, if someone saw that they'll find me soon enough," she reasoned and decided to continue exploring, making sure to save the mountain for last.

 

[Chadwyck]

"Yes ma'am," Was all Trin replied as he flipped the phone closed. He would be going on ahead of the task force, not that he wasn't used to such an endeavor. He was often inside places of interest long before any of his country's soldiers were; it was less messy that way, what with them knowing the majority of what to expect. He knew where he was heading now, and he set off straight away; not wasting valuable time. He would like to have as much information gathered as possible before the general arrived.

He walked to the end of a dock and borrowed himself a boat that would take him to the island. It wouldn't take overly long to get there with a boat fast enough. Luckily, the boat he decided to borrow was very fast indeed, that being the reason he decided to make use of it. He was sure the owner wouldn't be happy about losing his property, but it was of no consequence to Trinnean, no one had seen him and even if they had, no one would see him again. That was the point of his position, after all.

The south of the island was where he originally intended to dock, and luckily that was the best place to do so unnoticed. There were thick, dead forests running along the southern side of the island; a most convenient a form for this place to take. He killed the motor while he was still very far out from the island, it would have made too much noise to remain unnoticed in the event that there were people on the island ahead of him.

He came up to the shore and kicked the boat back out to sea after fracturing the hull. He had no use for it anymore, general Sylvia and the rest of the task force would arrive soon and he wouldn't be leaving before that. He would be on the island for as long as he was ordered to be. With a nod to himself as the boat began to sink he took off into the trees.

The island had a strange feel to it, like one could feel the magic that made this place ever change shape and form. He didn't like it too much. He was running through the branches of the dead forest, when he started to notice that it got really dark really quickly. That wouldn't do, he could end up right back where he started. He was about to ascend to the tree tops and get a view of his surroundings when he noticed a light ahead of him. It was too bright to be natural light at this depth in the forest.

He followed the light at a safe distance, which was just close enough to actually see the light and follow it, he noticed a witch that was speaking to herself. Or perhaps the trees. Trinnean raised an eyebrow as she began shouting at one of the more menacing of the dead trees. "She's daft." He muttered to himself, so quietly it was almost inaudible to himself.

He had to pick up speed as she started running with a shout of, "Screw you, trees!" Again Trinnean raised an eyebrow; the witch really was insane from the looks of things. He arrived at the end of the dead forest, staying deep enough within the thick of trees that no one would see him if they were to look into the branches. The witch shot a gigantic lightning bolt that flew straight up into the sky, it was probably big enough to see back on the mainland. As the witch started to march off, Trin pulled out his phone.

"Ma'am, there's a witch here. And from the looks of things she's more than likely daft and incredibly powerful. I'll continue scouting the area," He finished clicking the phone shut. He was following orders: reporting unusual behavior. It didn't get much more unusual than giant lightning bolts and talking to trees.

The witch marched off in one direction, it looked like she was avoiding the mountain on the island. Rather than follow her around, which would sooner or later end up with him getting caught, he decided to head in the opposite direction, around the other side of the mountain. He would have to scale it soon to get a better view of the island and a more full idea of its shape, but for now he needed to familiarize himself with the rest of the environment and stay out of sight.

 

[Yoshimitsu]

"Yo Peacock," Felix said, stowing his hipflask away again. Instead, he produced a joint and lighter from a different pocket. Before lighting it, he continued, "We've got a witch here. She's absolutely batshit fucking loco."

"Yeah, I saw the lightning strike," Samm replied, ignoring Felix's somewhat affectionate nickname for him. "Like I said, don't engage her. That probably wasn't a deliberately powerful spell, this island is a magical hotspot. Anything magical should gain enhancements."

"Gotcha, boss man," Felix confirmed. He turned and started walking through the forest. It wasn't uncomfortable, as far as climate went. A fair temperature, with little wind and no cloud. The darkness was something else entirely. In the quiet stillness, tiny sounds were amplified so much. Every footstep sounded like it belonged to an elephant, twigs snapping and cracking like firecrackers. When a breeze blew, the rustling of the tree brances was deafening.

Felix wasn't one to be unnerved though. He continued onwards.

~*~*~

"Affirmative, Trinnean. Do not engage, wait for us to meet you on the island," Sylvia replied, snapping her phone shut and pocketing it again. She was stood at the top of the steps in the courtyard. Down below, the task force of soldiers had assembled. Four rows of five, all dressed in identical uniform. Breastplates, shoulder plates, shin guards and skin-tight black cotton underneath. Each armed with a sword and a gun, with a visor that allowed for night vision, heat vision and x-ray.

"Khruks," Sylvia called quietly over her shoulder. Immediately, something came floating towards her from the shadows. A small figure, barely three foot tall with two semi-visible wings. It was not a biological figure, that was certain. Its torso was considerably smaller than a normal human's, it's legs longer and arms a little wider. It was made from a strange lilac metal, and looked clad in armour. Its hair was black, flowing from under its helmet. Despite the face being mostly expressionless, the features moved almost naturally like a human's would.

"Ku, kururu," the creature replied.

"When we arrive, I want you to scout the area from the sky," Sylvia instructed, kneeling to talk to the creature. It replied by nodding. None of the task force reacted at all. This kind of exchange was normal, and many of the soldiers knew what Khruks was. Fewer knew that Khruks could talk, but those that did knew that she could only say those sounds, "Kuru".

Sylvia stood up again, and walking down to the soldiers. They had all been briefed on the situation already, so there was no need to say anything regarding the mission. Without a word, she swept past them and walked down to the docks. The soldiers followed.

~*~*~

"Hey Luna," the feline started, bouncing around the motor boat. It wasn't a very large boat, but she didn't let that stop her bouncing. "Aren't you excited?"

"... Not really," Luna, the girl, replied. She was still sat at the controls of the ship, letting it travel forward through the waves. She leaned back into the fairly uncomfortable chair and watched the water.

"But it's a completely new island! It's gonna be full of adventure and stuff!" The cat persisted.

"...Sara."

"Yeah?"

"It's probably full of nothing," Luna stated, her voice neutral and quiet. The magicat, Sara, jumped on to the control pannel, carefully avoiding pressing anything. Her amber eyes locked on to Luna's face, full of excitement and determination. Luna's eyes Were impassive. There was nothing discernible in them. So guarded.

"Don't be like that!" Sara insisted, jumping on to her friend's shoulder. She jumped behind the girl and ducked round in front of her. "It'll be fun!"

"... Sure." Still no real emotion. Sara didn't let that put her down. She'd keep trying until Luna smiled.

 

[Sem]

Christopher Barber hovered over the waves, looking at the barren island that lay before him. It would have been very difficult to spot him, considering he blended in quite well with the waves. This was because he was entirely transparent. Why was he entirely transparent? Well, because Christopher had recently died. It had been a simple accident, nothing dramatic, nothing violent, no drunk driver. He had been hiking by himself on a camping trip with his family. Christopher had lost his footing and fell several meters before cracking his head on a rock. That was all. His body wasn't found until the next day - he was there with his family when they saw it.

It took him a while to completely accept that he was now a ghost, unable to communicate with his family, to tell them he was fine. He couldn't tell them that he loved them or that he missed them. He stayed with them for a couple of months, followed them everywhere and watched over them as they slept. Despite his desire never to leave them, their grief became too much for him to bear and he left.

He had only been twelve when he died, almost thirteen. Christopher, like most children, had dreamed of the day when he would be on his own, but he never thought he would be on his own as a wandering spirit with such little life experience. Having left his family little more than half a year prior, he was slowly getting used to life as a ghost. He wanted help though, he wanted to know how to communicate with his family, and so he was really searching for another ghost like himself who might know how to do that.

The problem was that ghosts weren't as common as people thought, not real ghosts. There were imprints, they were everywhere. A person who died commonly left an imprint behind, and while most of them were too weak to be seen or perceived, the few that were strong enough were what people commonly thought of when they thought about ghosts. Weaker imprints could sometimes only manifest as an emotion or a scent, or sometimes a memory of that person would flash into the mind of another person who knew the deceased. Stronger imprints could often be seen, but they were hardly ghosts. They were more like shadows, and followed a similar routine every day, a similar pattern. Ghosts could see any imprint, even the weak ones, but no one could communicate with them, as they had very limited vocabularies and little to no "brain activity". Chris found that out the hard way after stalking imprints for weeks to no avail.

He sought out mediums as well, but soon found that most of the supposed mediums weren't actually mediums and just pulled people's legs. Typical.

The boy glided towards the island, deciding the check it out before moving on to another part of the world. It definitely looked like a place a ghost would haunt, so there was no harm in checking. If someone was able to see him they would have seen that he looked like any ordinary twelve year old. He was still dressed in the clothes he had died in, not bothering to wonder whether or not ghosts could change their clothes. He wore a t-shirt with a popular brand-name on it, along with a coat and a pair of jeans. He hair was short and ruffled and his face had a few freckles on it.

Christopher felt a slight tingling as he reach the island, forcing him to stop. He knew from personal experience that ghosts normally didn't feel anything, but he was tingling. Before he could spend more time wondering why he was tingling he saw an enormous bolt of lightning blast up into the air and he could feel his hair stand on end.

"What's happening?" he wondered, noting to himself that that was the biggest lightning bolt he had ever seen. He decided to hunt down where it came from, or where it struck. He flew through a forest of dead trees, phasing through anything that was in his way. On the other side of the forest he discovered a lone figure wandering out in the open. It was in all black and wore a pointed hat and looked very much like "...a witch?"

He got closer to the figure, and he saw that it was a woman, a woman who appeared to be talking to herself.

"Don't you dare," she said under her breath, kicking a stone out of her way.

Chris wondered for a moment if she was talking to him, but she wasn't looking at him, and she soon muttered about other things.

"Will need to see how much more powerful my magic is before I accidentally kill someone," she said, kicking another stone.

The spirit decided that she wasn't aware of his presence and got closer. He felt an even stronger tingling in his body as he neared her, and for a second he forgot he was dead it felt so real. He stared at the witch for a long moment before hovering closer and tapping her shoulder. His hand passed right through her as he expected, but it didn't feel like it usually did when he touched someone. Instead of feeling nothing he felt a warmth surround his hand, causing him to flinch.

Warmth. It was such a rich feeling, that he didn't realize he had missed until just then, and it made the boy want to cry. The living didn't know how lucky they were.

"Stoppit," she muttered, kicking another stone, but she didn't turn around and continued saying things.

Wanting to feel the heat again he rushed forward and flew his whole body through her.

Blessed warmth. It covered him like a blanket and lingered even after he had passed through her.

"Little boy," she said, forcing Christopher to snap out of his reverie of warm feelings. He was shocked to find the woman staring directly at him now, piercing him with her blue eyes. "Touch me again and will blast you to the afterlife where you belong."

"Y-you can see me!" he said aloud in shock. He couldn't remember the last time he had talked using his supernatural mouth.

"Yes, I can see you."

"... You can hear me!"

The witch rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "Recently died, have you?"

Christopher nodded, unable to speak for a moment.

"You weren't murdered, were you?" she asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"No, ma'am!" he blurted.

"Thank gods," she said with a visible amount of relief on her face. She turned around then and continued walking. "I once had the misfortune of running into a teenager that had been murdered. She would not stop whining for the life of her. ... death of her? Anyway, you get the idea."

Christopher stopped hovering and stood there a bit dumbstruck for a while, watching the witch walk away from him. It was the first time he had been able to talk with an actual person since dying. He didn't care that she seemed completely off her rocker - she might be the person who could help him. "W-wait!"

"Don't touch me," she stated simply. "I'm feeling trigger happy and I will blast you to high heaven. ... Or blast you to... low hell, I guess," she murmured to herself. "Have you been naughty or nice?"

Chris ignored her question, but decided not to touch her again despite the temptation to. Nothing that he had encountered so far could touch him, but he didn't know what magic would do to him - if she was a real witch that is, which he couldn't be sure of until he heard her say 'bippity boppity boo' and sparks flew. He didn't really care if she was a real witch or not. She could see him and hear him, that's all he needed.

"I'm sorry about that," he said as he caught up with her. "It's just... you're warm."

"Ah, yes, that's the my magic, dear," she explained. "This island seems to augment it, so now I'm going to figure out why. Who knows? Maybe I'll move here. It's not that pretty, but I'm sure I could change that..."

"My name's Christopher, you can call me Chris," he said, wanting to get down to business as soon as possible. He couldn't help it, he was excited. "And I was wondering if you could help me..."

"I'm not sure I can help you," she replied, still not facing him as she walked ahead.

"But you can hear me! That's all I need. I want you to tell my family that I'm ok!" he felt himself smile as he said it.

"I'm not going to lie to your family, small one. You are most certainly not 'ok'. Dead people are never 'ok'."

He paused to think for a moment. The witch was right, of course. He was dead, but he didn't really think of himself as dead since he was still around, just as a ghost. "You could tell them that I'm still around, that I'll be with them. Just so they won't be sad anymore..."

The woman sighed and stopped walking. "Look. ...I can do that if you want. But it won't stop them from being sad. They won't be able to see you or hear you, at least not until you develop your abilities."

"Wait, abilities?" Chris asked.

"Yes, abilities. Most ghosts have certain abilities. You can fly, phase through objects, and you probably have some kind of telekinesis. You can eventually get to where they can see you, to the point where it's as if they could touch you. And they'll be able to hear you as well. It's not the same, mind. I imagine it would be rather bittersweet for them."

This filled the boy with even more joy and he ignored her last statement. He knew he could fly and pass through things, but he didn't know he could become visible to human eyes. "Telekinesis... that's moving stuff with your mind right?"

"Yes, sir," the witch nodded. She had started walking again, but Chris was right behind her. "Could you teach me how to do those things?"

"Teach you?" she repeated. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm not a ghost, I don't know how to do those things. Why don't you meditate or something."

Again, she did have a point - he couldn't expect her to know how to do any of what she had just described. "Well, thanks anyway," he said.

"No problem," she said, turning around and giving him an awkward smile. Christopher just stood there a bit awkwardly himself. He didn't exactly want to leave yet. This woman was his only connection to the real world. "Is there anything else?" she asked.

"C-could I stay with you, for a bit?" he asked her. Had he been a live his cheeks would have been red. "You're kind of the first person I've talked to since... you know."

The woman inhaled sharply, seeming to want to refuse his company. However, she could not deny how much the boy seemed like a lost little puppy, and with those eyes and those freckles... She found herself saying, "Sure, why not. I could use the company anyway. This island is too quiet, and you'd make a nice replacement for Sem."

"... What?"

"Nothing, nothing. My name is Sorena by the way."

"Good to meet you, Miss Sorena," he said with a grin and hovered after her as she continued walking.

"Hm, Miss Sorena. I like how that doesn't make me sound old."

 

[Chadwyck]

"I really hope there's something on this damn island that will be of some use to us," A young man grunted as he scratched the stubble, that was growing dangerously close to becoming an actual beard, on his cheek. He was twenty-four years old and he would remain that age for a long time; essentially for the rest of the days of the earth, unless he could find someway to break his bond with the spirit of rage that inhabited his body. He was well over one hundred years old, though he was still every bit as spry and young as he appeared. One of the spirit's effects on his body; no more aging process. Along with enhanced speed and strength. Ozias Ferguson was pretty much set; that is, if he actually cared about any of those three things.

He wasn't tricked into his possession, as most in his situation would have been. No, he chose his own fate when he discovered the bodies of his wife and daughters; murdered over a land dispute. In order to make those responsible pay; he made a deal with the spirit. Beyaal, the spirit of rage, together they destroyed the people who had taken Ozias' life from him. Only afterward did he realize that the bond was a permanent thing, something that only the most powerful of magic could separate; and he wasn't even sure that would be enough.

He became dead to the world as much as it became dead to him. He didn't care for anyone or anything; he began to drift, searching for the thing that would separate him from the spirit. Beyaal no longer wanted to be bound to the human, so they were in agreement that a solution must be found. Their search had led them to this island.

Ozias was dressed in a manner that suggested he cared nothing for appearance or reputation. His top was a sleeveless, torn blue hoodie that was stained with what was more than likely blood. His jeans were torn and ragged, light blue, and just plain dirty, his white trainers were caked with dirt as well. He wore his light brown hair messy, it was little more than a tangled mess upon his head.

His amber eyes scanned the island stretching out before him, “Son of a bitch,” He groaned, “This place is dead. How the hell is this going to be of any use to us?” He asked no one in particular.

“Well, perhaps there is someone else here who may be of some use. Though, there’s no way of knowing whether or not they’ll attack us.” Ozias’ body growled with an obviously different tone. While Ozias’ voice was gruff and unrefined, this voice was deep and proper. Not at all what a rage spirit would be thought to sound like.

“All the better if they do, I’d love to bash some skulls. I’ve been bored as hell lately.” Ozias replied in his own voice.

“We’re here to look for a way to separate, not to kill the inhabitants of another landmass.” The spirit growled in response.

“For a rage spirit,” Ozias began stepping forward toward the mountain, “You’re boring as shit.”

“So you keep saying, human. After one and a half centuries, I thought you’d be used to it by now. Remember, I’m not an embodiment of rage, I just feed off of yours. There’s a difference. I’m not a rage demon, after all.” Ozias’ body sighed as it kept walking, “Now go do whatever it is you’re going to do.”

Ozias smiled before shouting to the sky, “Hey! Any sons a bitches out there looking for a fight! Come and get it!” He grinned as he walked up to a tree and punched it; splintering the wood in a loud crack.

-------------------------------------------------

Trinnean was sitting high up on a branch of a tree, cross-legged, looking for anything out of the ordinary. When he heard a man shouting in a gruff voice; he decided that he’d go investigate. After all, he needed to gather intelligence on everything on the island before the general arrived.

He moved quickly and silently to where the shout had originated, on his way he heard a loud crack that sounded like something exploding. He arrived on the scene to see a man and a tree that had been nearly shattered out of existence. He stayed far off and watched as the man moved through the trees; completely unafraid of the forest. Much different than the witch from earlier.

“It wouldn’t be in my best interest to follow him; he has above average strength, but not much more. He lacks subtlety, so I’m sure he won’t be hard to track down later.” Trinnean reasoned with himself. “I best call it in, regardless.” He nodded as he pulled out his mobile phone. “Ma’am, a man just arrived on the island. He shattered an old, and quite sturdy looking tree with what I assume was a punch. He doesn’t appear to be too big a threat, he’s as subtle as an air-raid siren.”

He clicked the phone closed, looking up at the mountain. He had checked everywhere else on the island; it was time to see what lay at the top. What they were looking for might be up there, after all. With a flip down from his perch he was sprinting up the mountain paths, moving quickly toward the peak.

OoC: Ohsnap, mountain time!

 

[Yoshimitsu]

"Unknown person heading for the mountain, moving to stop or engage depending on how the situation develops," Samm reported, before shutting the link. He adjusted his earpiece, the visor automatically extending over one eye and shifting lens. A target appears, and he zoomed in on the figure ascending the mountain.

"Make sure you don't fuckin' miss," Felix said playfully, re-opening their link. Apparently he wasn't happy about being cut off so suddenly. The brightly coloured boy pointed his fist a distance above the mountain, his wristband shifting as it readied to fire. A small dart with explosive charges in the point, which would sink into any surface and barbs would extend, completely embedded in any surface.

Even human skin.

"I never miss," Samm replied. He pushed a button on the band, and fired the dart a distance in front of the figure. A cord trailed behind, which Samm could use to drag the potential hostile back.

 

[Chadwyck]

Trinnean was making good time up the mountain, but he had a tendency to make good time anywhere he went. He had scouted the majority of the island and found nothing too excessively problematic, the witch would be a bit of a nuisance if she was insistent to get whatever energy source this island held. Of course, there was little chance of her standing up to general Sylvia and the rest of the task force. But with the amount of power that she displayed, it may be better if he monitored her a bit more closely after he checked what lay at the peak of the mountain.

Trin had the ability to think deeply about situations while doing something that required as much concentration as scaling a mountain, his athletic ability and reflexes had been honed to that level of becoming second nature. However, he allowed himself to become too inwardly focused, a mistake that he didn't take lightly. Especially because it left him open to attack, which is precisely what happened.

Very suddenly there was a dart in his leg, he grunted as it embedded itself in his skin. It hurt something fierce, but Trin had trained to withstand pain and focus instead on the situation. This meant a number of things. First and foremost, there was at least one more person on the island he hadn't yet encountered on his reconnaissance. Secondly, they were sticking close to the mountain, which must have meant there was something more to the landmass. And thirdly, if he wanted a better look at his attacker he needed to let himself be dragged in by the wire attached to the dart.

He braced himself for the pain that would soon come with the tugging; wrapping his arm around the cord so that the majority of the tension would be in his hands and not on the flesh of his leg. He just needed to get close enough to get an accurate look and assessment of his attacker, then he could worry about making his escape.

OoC: Short post, but it gets the job done. Didn't want to auto Samm, so that's why I cut it off where I did.

 

[Yoshimitsu]

The boat nudged into the shore gently, the waves lapping the sides causing it to rock lightly. Just enough water to start up again, but not too much to have to wade through. Sara hauled the anchor overboard, firmly keeping the boat in place, as Luna stood up and shifted her arm under her jacket. Sara tutted disapprovingly, but refrained from commenting.

"So we're here!" She announced cheerfully, extending her wings. It was more of a big jump than a flight, but he landed on the beach smoothly. Luna looked up at the mountain, her neutral expression fixed on her face. She, too, took a long leap to reach the beach. She fell a bit short, but still avoided the majority of the water.

"... I see that," Luna replied. She took a few steps forward, then paused.

"Something wrong?" Sara asked, her wide eyes looking up.

"... Maybe," Luna answered, but did not explain. From underneath her jacket, she pulled out a slightly bulkier than normal handgun. It was mostly deep red, apart from the black grip, but the most noteable detail was the barrel. There were two chambers, aligned vertically. She pulled an ammo clip from one of her jacket pockets and slid it into the gun with a satisfying click.

~*~*~

"Apprehended, engaging now," Samm informed Felix, before closing the link entirely. Time for focus, and he didn't need Felix shouting advice in his ear, then commenting when he didn't take it. The piston was reeling itself in at an alarming speed, dragging the target towards him in hopefully the most painful manner possible. When the target was about fifty meters away, he clicked another button on his wristband. The blades on the dart retracted, and the entire point slipped from the target's leg.

Samm slipped a gun out of one jacket pocket and unsheathed one of his rapiers. The blade glowed a faint blue for a second, as Samm felt its appropriate power take effect. He pointed the gun at the target's body and fired once.

 

[Sem]

"There is nothing at all on this island..." Sorena muttered. Indeed, she had explored the majority of the island already and had found nothing significant about it yet.

"How strong does this island make you?" Christopher asked as he floated alongside the woman.

The witch stopped walking and quickly thought over the boy's question. "I would say that I could comfortably destroy the world from this island..." After saying that she continued walking.

"... What? Really?!" Chris exclaimed, clearly shocked and somewhat nervous now. Who in the world had he gotten caught up with?

"Yes, I think so. But not to worry! I would never be so irresponsib- you know what? Let's go take a look-see at that mysterious mountain that looms over us like some sort of... something." With that she began walking towards the mountain. "There's been nothing so far that explains why this island is so magical, but the mountain would be the best place to check. I should have gone their first to begin with."

Not having the patience to walk all the way she took hold of the ghost-boy's arm and teleported. She reappeared at the base of the mountain and immediately felt a stronger tug on her magic. The mountain was the source. "Of course the mountain is the source of all this, silly... me..." her voice trailed as she looked around, noticing her new friend was gone. She realized then that she had just tried to teleport a ghost along with her, and proved to be quite unsuccessful. "Better wait here for him then," she muttered.

Not too far off Chris found himself suddenly alone, with smokey-inky wisps hanging in the air - leftover from whatever the woman had done. "... Did she teleport?" he wondered, using his knowledge of superpowers from his collection of comic books. "That's pretty cool," he added before figuring that she probably teleported closer to the mountain. She had tried to take him with her but proved unsuccessful. He began flying straight towards the mountain, however, and soon located her recognizable figure.

"There you are," she said. "Now, let's see what's on Magic Mountain."

 

[Yoshimitsu]

"The witch is headin' for the fuckin' mountain," Felix muttered into his comm-device. It would leave a message for Samm, when he re-opened the link. Better to explain now, instead of letting Samm worry later on. The dark haired boy stubbed his joint out against his boot and stowed it away in a pocket before pursuing the witch. Teleportation. Of course he'd be up against someone who could teleport.

"Lesse if this beauty's as good as they fuckin' say," the boy muttered to himself, pulling a handgun from one of his pockets, even though it was blatantly too large to fit. He produced an ammo clip from another pocket, with five bullets in it. The ammunition was an unusual shape, more like capsules than bullets. He slid the clip into the gun and pistoned his way to the top of a very tall tree.

"Five shots from this baby and you're magic's not gonna help ya, witch," Felix said, grinning to himself. He took aim at the area around the woman and pulled the trigger five times. Each capsule would smash, and an anti-magic field would form around the woman. In theory.

 

[Sem]

Sorena heard the shots, stopping as they all missed her - or so it seemed. The five bullets in the ground around her reacted differently, however. Within seconds Sorena found herself in a mysterious bubble. "What is this?" she wondered, about to blast the force-field. She thought better of it, however, not knowing what it would do to her magic. She could overpower a simple force-field with ease, especially on this island - but it was trickier if it was a reflector that bounced her magic back at her.

Instead she tried the safer method of teleportation - which didn't work. "Ooh... this field stops my magic, how clever. Someone's been watching me..." she muttered, looking around and then spotting a tree in the distance. "Bloody trees."

"Is this bad?" Christopher asked, not knowing what to think.

"It could be..." she muttered. "Someone's bound to come get us eventually. Or they'll leave us in here to die. Which you don't have to worry about since you're already... yes. As for me? Well, I'm already immortal... but I've never gone a long time without eating..." She would have if Sem wasn't the one who reminded the woman to eat. Gods know how she survived the years prior to meeting him

"... It's anti-magic, right?" Chris asked. Sorena nodded while leaning over, contemplating whether or not to poke the force-field with her finger. "But it's probably not anti-ghost..." he floated over and found that he could phase through the field without much trouble, though the energy used made him feel quite strange. Rushing back into the field he took Sorena's hand and focused. He was trying to see if he could phase her through as well, but he had never extended his ghostly abilities to another being before.

"Focus... focus... he thought to himself. Suddenly, part of the woman's arm became intangible.

"Well, that's just weird..." Sorena muttered, poking her other finger through her wrist.

The boy tried hard, thinking loud and clear of what he wanted to do. "Phase, phase, phase..." After a few moments Sorena's entire body acquired the same attribute. "Yes! C'mon!" he exclaimed, dragging the woman through the force-field. "It worked! I focused my powers and it worked!" Christopher said excitedly. Perhaps it wouldn't be so hard to develop his abilities after all.

"Well!" she exclaimed as she became whole once more. "That's quite a useful feature you have there. Now... who wants me incapacitated?" the witch wondered allowed, and decided that the first place to look would be the tree not too far off. Without warning she fired off another bolt, only she made sure to use a weaker spell that time, ensuring that astronauts wouldn't notice it. The lightning struck the tree, splintering the bark and lighting a fire.

 

[Chadwyck]

Trin was being dragged across the ground toward whoever it was who had attacked him. That was what he had been hoping for, to get a look at his assailant and see what he could find out about them at first glance. He hadn't anticipated that the process would hurt this much, however. He was being reeled in much quicker than he thought, and as such he couldn't help the process out by keeping some weight off of the cable. Instead his entire body weight was being dragged by the dart in his leg, and his frame was being dragged through anything in his way.

While he was still a long ways off, the dart retracted itself. That was not what he was expecting, nor was it preferable; he was expecting to be dragged in much closer than this. The reconnaissance officer had a decision to make: either he give up on attempting to get an ID on his assailant and save himself, or getting in closer and engaging the target. The latter would be a violation of his orders, but a temporary skirmish while he gathered some information would be beneficial.

His decision ended up being made for him, though, as he heard the gunshot. His instincts took over and out of reflex he ended up focusing his energy into his one and only supernatural ability: teleportation. The likes of which had been artificially engineered into him for the purpose of being a better spy. He disappeared in a wisp of black smoke and appeared immediately behind the figure, who he could now clearly see was a man wielding a gun and a rapier. While still airborne, he twisted and kicked at the man's back; both to throw the man off balance and to propel himself away.

---------------------------------

"Damn dead forest. What the hell is up with this bullshit place?" Ozias complained as he kicked a decently sized boulder in front of him as if it was a pebble. The man was quickly losing interest in the island, and when he lost interest he tended to do stupid things. Things that would draw even more attention to himself.

"Wait!" His own body hissed at him in reply, "Did you hear that, meat?" Beyaal asked in his calm, smooth voice. Ozias' body turned in the direction of the mountain.

"What is it now?" Ozias sighed and rolled his neck back, cracking it.

"I believe I heard gunshots coming from the direction of the mountain, seems we aren't the only ones here."

"Well it's about damn time." Ozias began walking toward the mountain at a leisurely pace, a smirk on his face, "We're going to introduce ourselves."

"For once, human, I agree. Try to keep at least one of them alive, however, remember we need to figure a way to break this bond."

"Trust me, I haven't forgotten how much I want to get away from your stingy ass."

Ozias and Beyaal broke into a light jog that quickly developed into a brisk sprint, anticipation of a fight overwhelming Ozias; it'd been too long since he'd seen any action.

 

[Yoshimitsu]

"Goddamn lousy witches," Felix muttered to himself, firing a piston at the next tree over. He knew he wouldn't have long before this tree caught fire too, but by that time he'd be on the ground. Why did it have to be Powers, again? Every one of their recon missions turned into a fight. Usually a fight with the odds stacked heavily against them, too. He reloaded his gun with standard ammunition and took aim again. Three shots, then he dropped to the ground and slipped his ring from his finger.

It was a complete violation of orders to engage a target without an extensive knowledge of their powers, but his more important orders were to prevent anyone from scaling the mountain. As he ran towards the witch, his ring extended into a solid black bo-staff that was roughly the same height as him. Twirling it around his fingers as he ran a curved line towards his target, he gauged how much force to use. Incapacitate, don't kill. With the gun still in his hand, he unloaded the entire ammo clip at the witch and prepared to fight.

~*~*~

Samm took his job far more seriously than Felix, including his training. Very little caught him by surprise when engaged in combat, including teleportation. If an opponent teleported, it was a safe bet that they would appear behind him. He turned on the spot and blocked the incoming kick with the flat of his blade. Even though his target kicked away, Samm was in pursuit immediately. He holdstered his gun again, flourishing the blade.

Incapacitation was more important than termination in this instance. A corpse usually lead to a mountain of paperwork, and a migraine for everyone involved. Samm resolved to injure his target to the point where they would be incapable of heading up the mountain. With this in mind, he aimed a series of rapid strikes to the target's legs, intending to sever the tendons and ligaments required during walking.

 

[Sem]

"Ha!" Sorena exclaimed as she saw a figure dart out of the tree she had attacked, landing in another nearby tree. Someone had been watching her, and certainly didn't seem willing to let her go any farther.

Shots rang out and Sorena swatted her hand through the air - the sapphire on her silver ring flashed blue as she smacked the bullets to the side using magic. She was well aware that some aspect of the mountain made her more powerful, and if all this fellow she was facing could do was shoot pieces of metal at her then he was at a massive disadvantage. Though, Sorena didn't want to kill him either. "Best that he thinks that I will kill him though..." she muttered.

"What's going on?!" Christopher asked, never having experienced a fight like this before. He was unsure whether or not he should duck for cover or help.

"Calm down," Sorena said as she followed her assailant with her gaze while remaining stationary. As soon as the which saw him pull out the gun again she held up her hand again, stopping the bullets with a magical shield. Then, she twirled while raising her palm up to the sky as icy blue runes floated around her. An explosion of freezing cold burst out around her, instantly covering everything from the ground to the trees and everything in between in a thick layer of ice. Flash Freeze.

"You're better off not fighting me, just to let you know," she told him. "This island powers up my magic by quite a bit. We're better off talking it out like civilized people."

Chris gazed at the two of them silently, but more at the witch. She had just frozen quite a large radius with seemingly little effort. Perhaps fortune was smiling down on him at last, pairing him with such an individual.

 

[Yoshimitsu]

"Sorry, no can do," Felix replied, slamming his heels into the ice. Two blades flicked out of either shoe's sole, and he continued moving at a speed greater than the average human's. "Orders are orders, no one touches the fuckin' mountain."

"You're just another fuckin' Power, to be honest," he continued, skating in a wide arc. There was more to what he was doing than banter. He was trying to lull the witch into a false sense of security while he made his move. "Big deal, you can cast a couple of fuckin' spells. I'm your average Joe, but when I have to, I can take fuckin' Powers out."

He fired another dart, this time aimed at the witch. He wasn't intending to hit her though. The dart cut into the ice, planting itself neatly. With a twist of his wrist, he started the reel on his wristband. He was dragged along towards the dart, aiming a slide kick at the witch's feet followed by a quick swing of his staff.

 

[Sem]

"Can you now?" the older woman said dryly, standing still as her foe moved around her, sliding on the ice she had created. "I'm willing to bet my hat that you haven't met anyone quite like me... well, except now you have." She whispered to Chris, whom Sorena guessed was invisible to their foe. "Start heading up the mountain, I'll meet you there." The ghost-boy nodded, looking rather frightened as he did as he was told, flying away at full speed.

Sorena saw the dart aimed at her and moved to the side, though she didn't need to in the first place. The dart embedded itself into the ice, and out of the corner of her eye she saw the young man slide towards her. The male met his mark, kicking the feet out from under the woman as his staff slammed into her gut. The woman crumpled onto the ice.

"Oi," Sorena said, appearing to be standing off to the side and lying on the ice at the same time. "Weren't you listening to me?" As she continued speaking the other Sorena on the ground began to blow away like ash in the wind, ashes that were aglow with her blue magic. "Right now I'm more powerful than I've ever been," she said. "Using all of my magic completely, at this moment, in this place, I could probably end all life on this planet - just putting it into perspective for you. If you don't want to talk then fine, but I'm investigating the mountain whether you like it or not."

With that she turned on her heel, away from the man as massively powerful gale of wind expanded from the woman, tearing up the ice into a find dust, uprooting trees, snapping their branches, and lifting boulders out of the ground - an explosion of wind magic. While the young man was trying not to get killed by the wind Sorena had already vanished - teleporting higher up the mountain's base, out of sight for now, but she had a feeling she would be seeing the young man again.

 

[Yoshimitsu]

"I wouldn't fuckin' count on it," Felix muttered, shielding his face with his arms. Shards of ice were lethal. Could blind you better than six inch nails. Even so, things were about to get serious.

Deadly serious.

~*~*~

A whirling blade suddenly cut in front of Sorena, barring her path perfectly. As the witch tried to dodge to the side, the blade moved too. And the other side. Suddenly, it vanished again. In its place, a teenage boy stood. The witch tried to teleport past him, but the blade was in her way again. The boy appeared in front of her again, a grin on his face.

He was barely any older than nineteen, with shockingly blue hair and piercingly blue eyes. He was dressed pretty casually, considering her clearly had more than enough power at his disposal. A plain blue t-shirt and dark jeans. The thing that set him aside was the blade in his hand. It was no ordinary blade, that much was certain. The hilt and guard resembled Bahamut strongly, his tail and his wings combining to form a perfect circle. The blade itself started as two individual blades, both pure white, extending straight up. They hit a point and curved, forming a heart shape. Wrapped around the top of the blade were flattened versions of Bahamut's neck and head, coiled around the weapon and forming a jutted edge at the end. A chain was linked from the hilt to a wristband around Yoshimitsu's wrist.

"Sorena, it's been a while," Yoshimitsu said casually, as though he was meeting an old friend for coffee. "We just can't have friendly visits, can we?"

Yoshimitsu shrugged, then raised the blade in his hand.

"The Bahamut Oathkeeper," he explained briefly. "Combining Bahamut and the powers of Light into one weapon. The most powerful I can be. I take it you know what that means, right?"

Yoshimitsu sighed.

"The mountain's off-limits. Turn around and don't make me stop you, please."

 

[Sem]

"Yoshumitsi!" she said, finally recognizing the young man, despite unknowingly botching his name. "It can be a friendly visit - why is everyone here so bloody trigger-happy?" she asked, forgetting how she annihilated a fly earlier. She wasn't going to attack him, and she didn't pull her sword out of the magical pocket in her sleeve. The witch eyed his weapon and regarded his words, knowing that the young man was indeed powerful - but so was she. Any confrontation could easily result in the complete destruction of the island and anyone on it.

"Maybe you will talk to me? I could feel the tiniest tug from this place halfway across the planet; that's why I'm here. What is this place?"

-------

Christopher had seen the woman the vanish, but she didn't reappear anywhere he could see. He waited for a few minutes before deciding to look for her on his own.

 

[Yoshimitsu]

"Summed up, or long version?" Yoshimitsu said, with a short laugh at the end. His grip on his blade never wavered.

"Short version is, this place is a huge magical hotspot. Loads of people come here trying to find its secret. None ever manage, because I stop them every time," Yoshimitsu explained. He paused, scratched his head, then looked at Sorena straight in the eyes. "Long version? There's a massive energy source underneath this planet. The extra energy it gives off is what makes this place a magical hotspot. No one apart from me as ever come close to it, and there's a fuckin' good reason for that. Anyone who tries to access the mountain gets stopped by whatever means necessary, no exceptions. Loads of people want to research it, but I wont allow it. This sort of power is never to be touched."

There was a heavy meaning with the words Yoshimitsu said. He only hoped the witch would understand.

 

[Sem]

"Ah, so that's it?" she nodded. Thinking about it now, there really was no further reason for her to be on the island. Sorena was powerful, but not power-hungry - she didn't need that much power, power that would probably destroy her in an instant anyway if she took on too much. The thought of experimentation was tempting - but definitely not worth the trouble of fighting Yoshimitsu, who was obviously guarding the energy for very good reason. Sorena nodded her head, thinking it all sounded quite practical. "Well, guess there's no reason for me to be here then..."

But then, her composure changed. Her serene face changed to one that was more thoughtful, with her brow furrowed. Looking at the situation from another perspective, it was quite selfish of Yoshi to keep this kind of power away from everyone. Who did he think he was, anyway? A nice young man for sure, but he wasn't the world's guardian angel, the only one knowing right and wrong, good and evil.

That much power could be used for so many things, and solve many many problems. It had the power to change the world, for the better as well. Sorena wasn't usually much of a humanitarian, though she did donate money to various causes. But this was different. She could make a real difference if she had access to the power beneath the island.

"Sorry, lad, but I don't think you're looking at the bigger picture," she muttered as dozens of blue symbols appeared around her. They quickly changed from the natural sapphire blue of her magic to an electric blue. Another ring of runes appeared under feet as her sword slid out of her right sleeve. A wave of electricity flowed just over her body as she turned to face Yoshimitsu. "I guess it won't be friendly afterall..." the witch murmured as another wave crackled. She pointed her finger at the young man, and from it shot an incredibly large sphere of lighting, as big as an automobile. It shot at him at a blinding speed, leaving a large, sizzling gash in the ground it traveled over.

As Yoshimitsu responded to her attack she activated the various spells inlaid into her clothing, more importantly the spell in her boots that would allow her to keep up with Yoshimitsu. Normally she was very fast, but in the end she was only at the human limit when it came to things such as her speed and strength. The rings on either hand granted her more strength as their spells were activated, and her clothing itself would act as armor and also heal minor wounds.

Yoshimitsu wasn't a foe to be taken lightly, and so she would take every precaution available despite how powerful she currently was.

 

[Yoshimitsu]

"I was worried this might happen..." Yoshimitsu muttered, letting the blade slip from his hand. His finger curved and caught the guard, the blade itself swinging like a pendulum for a moment. He threw it forward, the blade spinning as it went. It tore through the lightning easily, like a circular saw through a tennis ball. The blue haired boy quickly retracted the blade, linked to his wrist by a chain, and gripped the hilt once more.

"Don't do this, Sorena!"

Yoshimitsu threw his blade once more, the time with more speed and precision. It was already spinning before it even came close to the witch. Like a deadly buzz-saw, it closed in on the woman.

 

[Sem]

"You think I don't know what I'd be dealing with?" she replied as she swung her blade upwards, blocking Yoshimitsu's weapon. Her added strength allowed her to block it successfully, knocking it back towards its owner. "I've been around a long time - I know just what this energy could be capable of. Terrible things for sure - I understand your point, but it can also be used for good."

The sorceress repeated her spell, only this time it was based on water magic. She sent a powerful flood of water at him, ruining the ground even more thoroughly than her last attack did. She sent another powerful bolt of lightning into the water, charging it. Yoshi could still do a number of things - this was nothing, but she didn't want to kill him.

 

[Yoshimitsu]

"You still don't understand, do you?" Yoshimitsu sighed, snatching his blade from the air as it shot back towards him. He swung it from his finger again, letting its own weight carry it back and forth. Sorena was clueless. There was far more to the energy than he had told her, and there was a very good reason for that. Sorena was a clever one, though. She might grasp it.

The teenager drew a circle in the air in front of him using the blade. The circle glowed brightly, then fired out a solid beam of white that cut through the incoming electrified water.

"Sure, let's consider that the energy can be used for good for just one moment," Yoshimitsu said, one hand on his hip and the Bahamut Oathkeeper held loosely in his other hand. "It wouldn't take long for people to realise it existed. Governments would fight for it. This island would become a battleground, and so many lives would be lost. Between the war for the energy, and me stopping people from accessing it, think about the death count for just one minute."

Yoshimitsu paused for a moment to let the full weight of his words hit Sorena.

"I don't like killing anything, you know that, Sorena," Yoshimitsu continued. "But when people find out about the energy, they get drunk on their own desire and wont stop. It's all or nothing for them, and they wont accept that sometimes you just need to leave well enough alone."

He gripped his blade tightly, readying himself once more.

"Turn back, Sorena. Don't make me do this."

 

[Sem]

Yoshimitsu was right, but that didn't change Sorena's mind. She would protect the island herself if it came to it - there were several magical methods of getting rid of unwanted visitors without harming them. She just had to have it; the witch was blind to any other idea or concept at the moment, which showed in her eyes. Something wasn't right.

"I'm sorry," she muttered as her magical aura flared brightly around her for a single moment. Seven spheres of her raw, sapphire-colored magic flashed into existence and surrounded her like a ring as she began levitating off of the ground. With this simple change in effect, the witch now had unlimited access to her magic. More complicated spells that required chanting the drawing of runes could now be cast with simply a thought. In this form she could cast her Apocalypse-class magic if she wanted to. This was added to the fact that the island amplified her magic tremendously.

The sorceress wordlessly snapped her fingers as the spheres orbited her at an increased speed. The ground moaned for but a moment before a segment of earth beneath her shot up into to the air, giving her some altitude over Yoshi. With another wave of her hand she cast the next spell.

Any clouds above them faded, or rather, boiled away as the skies became increasingly clear. When most people heard the words weather and mage, they thought of someone who made it rain, or summoned tornadoes. Of course, Sorena could do those things, and much more - but she could also make it sunny. Too sunny.

The temperature in the immediate area shot up tremendously within just a few moments. Trees violently burst into flame in a matter of seconds and the ground began to blacken. It was like being under a giant magnifying glass. This was a powerful Ruin-class spell that was typically cast over a large area, but Sorena had only focused it to the immediate area that contained herself and Yoshimitsu, but she could expand or move it at will.

The witch looked expressionlessly at her opponent as she intensified the spell. She would win at any cost.

 

[Yoshimitsu]

Yoshimitsu laughed a little, wiping his brow. Sweat was already gathered all over. Too long in this weather would be the end of the fight. Time to put a stop to it. He paused just long enough to remove his t-shirt and pat himself down. Then, the blade was back in his hand and the determination back on his face.

"Super heat, Sorena? Neat trick. Let's see if you like some of mine."

Yoshimitsu vanished, moving much too quickly to be followed by the human eye. In the blinding sun, his actions were completely masked. Going this quickly for too long would kill him, so he had to make sure his attacks were precise. A vast number of white circles appeared at various altitudes and distances from Sorena, all seemingly appearing in the same moment. Yoshimitsu snapped his fingers as he moved and beams shot from every disc, all aimed at Sorena. Using this brief opportunity, Yoshimitsu shot outside of the range of Sorena's spell to cool down for a moment.

"Man, it had to be a witch. An absolutely insane one at that," Yoshimitsu muttered to himself.

 

[Sem]

Sorena raised her hand above her head as a veil of her magic fell over her body like a glove as her previous spell vanished, along with the heat wave. The exact moment the beams touched her a crystalline-looking sphere of magic surrounded her and the beams. The projectiles bounced off of her body, but bounced off of the sphere as well, gaining much more speed and velocity as they ricocheted off of the witch and the inside of the sphere. Not even after a moment had passed, but the sphere simply aglow, like a miniature sun, lighting up the area brilliantly.

Before releasing the pent up energy she cast a homing-spell on the beams, which would cause them all to home in on her target, which was Yoshimitsu. The crystal around her shattered, releasing the beams that shot at Yoshimitsu so quickly that they could not even be perceived by human eyes.

 

[Yoshimitsu]

The beams never touched Yoshimitsu. In the next instant after they had been fired, specks of shining light floated peacefully around Yoshimitsu as he stood in another stance, as though he had just struck something before him. The Bahamut Oathkeeper glowed for a second, before settling down. The teenager relaxed his stance again, an easy grin on his face.

"That's not enough, Sorena!" He roared, vanishing again.

More circles appeared around the witch. This time, each circle fired a relentless assault of white bolts at the woman. Yoshimitsu landed smoothly on the mountain, then shot from his position again. A deep cut appeared in the rocky surface, a huge chunk of rock coming loose. With a pulse of Light, the rock was sent flying at the witch.

"Not done yet," he muttered to himself, gripping the blade tightly. He blasted into the air, a solid wall of sound following him. With an elegant flip, he brought the weapon swinging down at Sorena's head.

 

[Sem]

A bubble of magic appeared around Sorena as she floated just above her pillar of earth. The barrage of white energy was powerful, but the witch channeled enough magic into the shield so that it would hold without much strain. Each blast bounced off of the shield, showering the area and no doubt attracting more attention if the fight hadn't already gotten the attention of everyone on the island.

The witch saw the large chunk of earth flying towards her as her bubble faded. Hovering back, she broke off a large chunk off the top of her pillar and blocked the other one with it. The two collided with an almighty crack, sending bits raining to the ground. Sorena raised her arm, taking control of both pieces of earth. She made them slingshot around her, and as they passed behind her the rocks very quickly melted, turning into a deadly stream of lava that was aimed straight for the incoming teenager.

Her sword appeared in her hand in a flash of light. She twirled it as she brought it above her head, blocking Yoshi's blade. Seeing as the witch was airborne, one would have thought that the impact should have at least pushed her down - but no - she remained as stationary as if she stood on a solid surface.

"Not enough you say?" she asked him as she held her blade against his. She immediately lit up with a burst of electricity, electricity that would travel through her sword into her his and hopefully electrocute him. Sorena was growing less and less concerned for his well-being. He stood in her way, and even if they were friends (using the term loosely), she wouldn't allow him to get in the way.

Circles of sapphire-blue runes appeared around them before quickly turning electric blue. At once all of them shot powerful bolts of lightning at the young man.

 

[Yoshimitsu]

Yoshimitsu snatched his blade back, but it was a moment too late. His arm started spasming from the electricity flowing through it. As quickly as he could, he retreated. Better to be alive right now. Sorena was a tough opponent. She had enough power to destroy the planet right now, with more to spare. He was glad that it was focused on him. He, at least, could dodge and defend. The planet stood no chance.

More lightning came his way. With incredible agility, Yoshimitsu performed a number of acrobatic and energetic flips and jumps to dodge the incoming blasts. Not even stray tendrils of lightning touched him. It was a remarkable spectacle. A series of dodges, then he went on a seemingly all-out offensive.

A pillar of white and golden flames erupted from the ground, and blasted into the sky where Sorena hovered. The already cracked and burned ground was incinerated, huge chunks of earth being carried on the flame and thrown at the witch with alarming velocity. The teenager shot through the air, swiping at Sorena as he passed. He spun and came to an abrupt halt, higher in the air than Sorena was. Another circle drawn in the air, another solid white beam.

Yoshimitsu was no longer playing around. Things had just gotten serious.

 

[Sem]

The column of fire shot towards the woman and parted around her as it flowed passed. The flames changed in color from white to sapphire blue as they passed by. The parted streams of flame coiled around each other and arched towards Yoshimitsu at double their original speed.

One of the chunks of rock hit the woman, pushing her back. The sword in her hand flashed and was replaced with a large mallet. Using it, she easily deflected the rest of the pieces of earth and blocked the young man's blow. Using impressive speed herself she spun out of the way of the white beam and shot at her foe, swinging her lightning-charged mallet at him.

Using the momentum of her swing she flipped over Yoshi's head and drop-kicked her lightning-charged foot towards his head.

 

[Chadwyck]

Trin was expecting a block, his intention wasn't to harm so much as it was simply to escape. He felt satisfied that he had accomplished that very goal when the man leapt after him, not even knocked off balance by Trin's kick. It wasn't exactly the sort of thing that he was prepared for, but it looked like he wasn't going to get out of fighting; at least, not right away.

He twisted in midair, reaching into his pocket and crushing the item that he pulled out instantly. The small capsule fractured easily in his grasp, resulting in the chemical reaction of the air meeting the liquid inside. Smoke began to form before he had even tossed the item in his pursuer's direction; engulfing the both of them in a dense fog.

When his opponent flourished his blade, Trin was no longer there. He teleported directly behind the man and delivered another kick, this time poised to snap the man's spine.

----------------------------------

Ozias smirked as he heard the sounds of combat nearby. They weren't incredibly close, but they were still close enough to hear. "Finally, we've found some other fucking people on this island." He muttered as he turned toward the fighting.

"Just remember not to tear them apart until after you've figured out how to sever the bond." His own mouth replied.

"Yeah, yeah. I got it."

He broke into a jog, then gradually quickened pace as he got faster to the sounds of combat. When he was certain they were just up ahead he began to sprint as fast as he could. It wouldn't be polite to keep them waiting, after all. And he wasn't about to sit on the sidelines and wait for some "opportune moment" like Beyaal would have insisted. No. He wouldn't even wait to see what he was up against.

He barged onto the scene, quickly surveying the area. "A blue haired kid and some old broad?" He muttered unimpressed, "Well shit, sure sounded promising." He grunted, then he struck. Not one or the other, but the ground between them. He hit with such force that the earth shattered beneath him. Cracks spread from the point of impact and a shockwave rolled outward from him. He'd created a miniature earthquake with himself at the epicenter; high walls of earth crashing toward the two combatants.

 

[Yoshimitsu]

Yoshimitsu shot back, narrowly missing the incoming bludgeoning weapon with a few tendrils of electricity scorching his skin. He rubbed the flesh on his torso that was tingling, dispersing the remainder of the sparks. With a quick movement, he slipped underneath the incoming kick and readied a counter.

Before he could attack, however, a wall of earth came flying at the pair. With a solid strike, the Bahamut Oathkeeper released a wave of white that split through the incoming wave, and all the subsequent ones. He scanned the area for the source of the attack. A scruffy twenty-something year old. The more he looked at the man, the stronger a feeling of unease grew in him. This stranger was harboring a secret, a potentially deadly one at that. If he was attacking with little respect for his opponents, he was either stupid or, knowing Yoshimitsu's luck, ridiculously powerful.

However, he was making no move to ascend the mountain. At least that was something.

"I don't know who you are," Yoshimitsu called to the man. "But I'd say get outta here."

He turned his attention back to Sorena, the Bahamut head on his blade glowing as he unleashed wave upon wave of sapphire flames at the woman.

~*~*~

Samm flicked the dial on his visor, quickly switching to infra-red vision in one eye. The smoke was annoying, yes, but this unknown foe would find it much more difficult to escape now. He quickly scanned around, but there was no target in sight. Immediately, he dropped to the ground. A leg kicked the thin air just above him. With remarkable flexability, he twisted and wrapped his legs around the one above him. With a secure grip, he flipped his opponent smoothly. Before a retaliatory kick could be delivered, Samm jumped back and aimed his gun at the stranger's left leg. He pulled the trigger.

 

[Sem]

Sorena had pretty well lost it now, lost what it was that made her Sorena. She looked upon the newcomer with uncharacteristically cold eyes, whose pupils had become slits, like a cat's. She looked at him for only a second, deciding to ignore him. He wasn't strong enough to stop her.

The waves of fire surrounded her, and she gritted her teeth as she felt burns appear on her skin. The magical orbs that orbited her went into action, revolving around her in a myriad of patterns, absorbing the fire and adding the energy of it into Sorena's magical reservoir as a temporary magic - so temporary that she would need to make use of it now or let it go to waste.

Hovering back she spun, arm raised to the sky as dozens upon dozens of bolts rained down from the sky towards Yoshimitsu. As the bolts fell the magic spheres moved up and down her body, as if she were being scanned. The spheres turned pure white and in moments the burns were treated and the pain was alleviated. Flicking her eyes towards the blue-haired teen she bolted towards him again, as fast as the lightning she had cast at him. Again she swung the mallet in an attempt to smack him against the mountain itself.