Deja Vu; A Meeting of the Minds

[Varos Talantos]

A black-haired Asian wandered the streets of Bangkok. Ten minutes ago, he had been sipping gin and tonic in some obscure bar in Tampa but it was useless. None of the people there were of note or had the potential to be. Now that he was among some that were, he found it didn't matter. He was too distracted by thoughts of the last party of mortals he brought to the Khyper-Diorem. He'd gotten away with it unnoticed by his peers but beside that, it was an utter failure and he still needed to get to the Void. If he could get there alone and survive the trek, he would. It simply wasn't that easy. And it wasn't like he could bring some other immortals with him; they were too knowledgeable and would figure out what was going on... He couldn't allow that. The only option was mortals. Ignorant, power-hungry, underdeveloped mortals ironically held what he needed in their weak hands. How was it that the troubles of the Gods were so often cured only by the deeds of the mortals on this plane? Sighing, he resigned the question to another day. He needed another group of adventurers (willing or otherwise) to finish this venture.

With a subtle left turn into an unoccupied back alley, the man in the tieless suit left the leering gaze of the city behind him and promptly evaporated.

===

The simple pleasures of being home again rushed in and Forgery Zaytsev let a smile break his countenance. There truly was no place like home. Unfortunately, he couldn't afford the time of being there and after a wistful glance about the dwelling he resided in, he walked soberly out through the arching entrance. He walked at a steady pace, head up and smiling for anyone he might pass to see; inwardly, he was nervous at the prospect of departing again. The Khyper-Diorem was a frightful place even for the Gods, yet it somehow kept pulling him back towards it. At first it was thrilling, truthfully. Now, though, he found it more of a risk than anything else. If his fate didn't rely on the task of making it to the void, he wouldn't even bother walking out of these strong gates into the wilderness beyond. If only, if only.

The orange-covered plains of the Khyper-Diorem blasted his senses with the sheer silence of what had once been. He remembered how they had once been so lively and filled. It was dangerous back then, too, he supposed, but it was also more welcoming. The expanses of grass seemed anything but now, in their derelict state. The blowing of the winds was all too loud. He closed his eyes a moment and breathed deeply, remembering the many jovialities and bloodshed and explorations and rediscoveries that had occurred on these vast, tangerine fields.

But there was no point in that now. His eyes snapped open as he pushed it all away from him. The past was where it belonged for now and at present he had important tasks to fulfill lest his future be a short-lived one. He concentrated, ever so slightly, and the beings were summoned, materializing instantly into the space before him outside of those long-standing walls. It was time to finish this.

As they were orienting themselves, Forgery's soft voice was heard, "Welcome to the Khyper-Diorem. This is the land of the predators and you are all here against your will or at least without having been consulted first. You are outside of my home, the famed Shangri-La. You won't be going there, so get those hopeful looks off your faces. Instead, you'll be entering what many would call Hell. Your task is to make it to the other side of this sea of grass without dying."

He pulled small, identical rolls of paper from inside his suit jacket and handed them out. "This is a map of the realm in which you find yourself. We are here," Forgery pointed at a map he held in his own hand for all to see. "You must make it to here." His finger traced upwards to the 'F' on the map and stopped on it. "At which point, I will give you what you mortals like to call a mission update. I will be embarking with you to make sure you don't stray too horribly and for other tactical assistance, but don't expect me to save your life lest you find out through death that I won't." The oriental being balled up his map and it transformed into a lush red apple which he promptly bit into, visibly enjoying the fruit's juicy meat. "Go." He stated simply, announcing the beginning of a new quest.[/color]

[Astaroth Merula]

The demon sat down lazily in the tree, watching tourists and natives alike pass by beneath him. There truly was no place in the world like New York City, and Central Park was more than proof of that. So far today, he had witnessed fifteen pickpockets, three muggings, two fights, an accidental murder, a vampyre feeding, and an account of rape. However, nobody strong had appeared for him to challenge, nor had anything interesting happened to him. It was a boring day in a sinful city.

The male quickly fell asleep on the branch, tired of all the boring, normal on-goings in the park. He was used to having weird dreams, and frequent nightmares, but he had never seen something like this. Before his eyes, he was in a strange place, almost like being in another realm. Here, the winds rushed through a seemingly endless expanse of orange-colored grass, with an emptiness that seemed to filled with a strange tension and a sweet sadness. In the distance stood tall, foreboding mountains, and beyond that, utter darkness. Astaroth felt a tugging coming from inside him, as though a rope were tied to his gut and was being pulled on. The demon instantly woke up and sat up in the branch, still feeling this odd tugging on his very essence. Maybe it was just his body reacting to the feelings in his brain, but the male's body suddenly lunged forward out of the tree and through the air, speeding towards the ground. "What the...!"

Suddenly, the male was on his hands and knees, feeling as though he were about to regurgitate everything he had eaten in the last three days. As he opened his mouth to release the vomit, nothing came out, and he was relieved that it was just some sort of side-effect from whatever had happened. It was then that he finally took a notice of his surroundings. Sure he was on his hands and knees in some grass, like he would expect to be; however, this grass was a peculiar orange color. The demon suddenly stood up, wide-eyed, as he looked out upon the vast plains of tangerine-like grass billowing in the breeze. And in the background stood many high mountains that gave off a very real sense of danger and a promise of death. The demon turned in a circle, noticing that the mountains seemed to create a circle around the plains, before noticing an Asian-looking man in a tie-less suit. The male then spoke, and Astaroth looked around him to notice that he was not the only being that seemed to have suddenly appeared on the plains. However, he needed to pay attention to this suited male right now, for he seemed to be in charge here and to have answers that Astaroth might want. He spoke of Shangri-La, the home of the gods, and said that it was his home. If this man were truly a god, it would explain how Astaroth had suddenly reached this 'Khyper-Dio... Whatever-place. A land of predators, huh? Seemed like he would be having a fun day after all if there were some sort of powerful beasts to hunt.

The god then gave them all maps and showed them where they were, and told them that he wanted them to reach some point marked by a 'F' at the top. What a silly god, if he expected to just summon people and have them willing to go along with his plan. Astaroth decided to address him upon this topic. "Hey! Mr. God-thing-person. I know you brought us here for your quest thing, but... What if I don't feel like taking part in it? I'm all for dangerous lands, but if we're just going in a straight line to this F-place, it'll be too boring."

[Kyrian Tidus]

The male yawned as he stepped out of the hotel's shower, stretching his well-toned muscles and releasing the last of the tension stored within them. He had a rouge vampyre to correct today, and was ready to kill if it came down to it. The male dried himself off slowly: beginning with his hair, then rubbing all the water off of his neck and shoulders, then his arms and sides, his torso, back, legs, behind, then private places. The male laughed a little as he looked to see what boxers he had grabbed today; a pair of Care Bear themed boxers that he had gotten from an old love interest who had forced him to keep them.

The male walked into the hotel room and looked down at the clothes he had laid out on the bed. For some reason, he had felt compelled to pick out a wilderness outfit, something that would be appropriate for situations from a grassy plain to a rocky mountain. The male jerked on his black denim cargo pants, a dagger in a pocket on each side. He then proceeded to slip into a dark gray wife beater and then put on a black denim jacket over it with a hidden holster for his Walther P99 that he had picked up in Germany. Next was to strap on his belt, with his katana sheath already attached and the blade resting within its home; this was his most relied on weapon. He male then decided to put on his steel-toed combat boots and then checked himself over in his mirror before moving his bangs off to the side a little.

The male then went back to his bed and pulled out one of his deceased uncle's books regarding supernatural lore. This one seemed to be a whole book dedicated to the mystery of a place known as the Khyper-Diorem. It was while reading this book that Kyrian looked up at the mirror again, feeling as though something was watching him. He dismissed the idea until he felt something tug on his shoulder. He looked down and saw nothing, but looking back up at the mirror showed he white hand of a man in a suit pulling upon his shoulder. Kyrian gasped as he suddenly went flying straight into- no, through, the mirror.

Kyrian sat up as soon as he could and looked around at the strange place he had been brought into. There was a sea or orange grass seeming stretching out forever, although it was clear that mountains stood at the edges of this plain. They even seemed to create a ring around it, Kyrian noticed as he looked from side to side. Suddenly, a man cleared his throat in order to speak from behind him. Kyrian turned around to see a seemingly Asian male who emitted a strong aura of power. However, even before the male began to speak, Kyrian knew where they were... The Khyper-Diorem.

This god, as he implied that he was (and Kyrian was not in any position to doubt that), handed Kyrian a map of the KD that was vastly better than the basic outline that was in the book. Apparently, he had been gathered, with others, in order to set out on a quest to the F at the top of the map. Kyrian smiled as the god said that he would update them at the 'F,' and sent them on their way. The darkness elemental quickly got to his feet and rolled his neck, ready to go. "Well then," the male said with a smile upon his face. "Let's get started."

[Stilia Medusa]

Yelling.

She had seen it a thousand times before, and heard it even more often. Her head was comfortably resting on her palm, and her elbow had probably turned quite red from the past hour of pressure being put upon it. She stared at the passer-bys with bleary eyes, resisting the urge to yawn. It hadn’t been a thousand times, it has been a million! A million and one! A million and two times she had gone to sit down and relax only to have some loud people interrupt her peacefulness.

This time, it was science. Chemistry to be precise, or rather, the lack of it. She sat bored, while a hundred or some-odd other people; students fresh out of school who were overjoyed of escaping after listening to their teachers’ monotonous voices; adults who rushed by with a coffee in hand, trying to get to work; elderly people sitting on park benches and feeding pigeons. All the while Stilia laid on her stomach with her backpack of all her belongings on her back as per usual, under the shade of a tree, trying to take a nice nap while the sounds of two precise people kept her up.

She and probably ninety-five per cent of the people in the park listened. This couples’ yelling made it hard to do otherwise, and anyone who walked by would switch their eyes over to them. The crying woman, the angry man. A young couple, the girl looking only nineteen or twenty, and yet she already had a ring on that finger on her left hand. But probably not for long. At least the man seemed a little bit older, although still a few years from thirty.

More yelling.

Finished with the antics of the couple, she gave a bored sigh. She didn’t care if that girl was cheating on her husband or not. She didn’t care if their marriage was already going down the drain. Their own fault anyways. So many young couples nowadays seemed to think they were in love, only to find out in under a decade of marriage that they really weren’t. Stilia, although younger than both the arguers, tended to stay away from that subject, the maturity that was needed for a lasting relationship being the same maturity that told her it was wiser to stay away from such a thing as ‘love’. So she tried to drone out the couple’s arguing.

So the yelling fades slightly.

Her eyelids were now half-closed, and she was becoming quite drowsy. They wearily turned to the watch on her wrist trying to estimate how much time she had, it took her a moment thanks to the fogginess of her mind. She didn’t want to be in this park once night rolled around, for then an arguing couple would be the least of their worries.

Sudden silence.

There was a sudden sense of rushing, as if the world had sped around her. She felt like she was flying, her humanised hair whipping around her face, smacking it, while a sense of moving quickly. Stilia could fly, even without changing her body to that of a bird or some other winged creature. But it was not her who was causing this. She opened her eyes, but everything around her was a blur, making her feel sick and causing them to close again.

The sudden feeling of solidness beneath her feet felt nice, and she couldn’t tell if she had been in that whirlwind for three seconds or three years. She wearily opened her eyes; the first thing striking her was the immense and overwhealming amount of orange. A voice caught her attention, and she turned, spotting a man.

Oh. It was him. Stilia had come across this Asian man before, having been summoned just the same way to go help with the rescue of the mermaid race. Some other beings were scattered around as well, and Stilia turned her eyes to two of them.


The first one, some man whom reaked of the awful smell of demons, was already complaining. Stilia frowned at this, not thinking it was very wise. The man should try and at least add some subtlety, instead of aggravating the man she had already known before he had said it to be a God. The other one that caught her attention smelled almost human to her sensitive gorgon nose. The reason this second man caught her eyes was because he seemed ridiculously prepared.


Honestly! This man had on full hiking clothing, and Stilia wondered if the God had decided to pluck him from a hike to have someone suited to the orange plains here. Perhaps he had, Stilia didn’t know. Still, she supposed it would be of use if this group could make it across fine.

The woman took the offered roll of paper from the well-dressed God. She unrolled it and observed it, mentally marking where the God told them their current position was. She also observed the big F on the map, wondering what it could possibly stand for. Did it have some meaning to their quest? Perhaps the F stood for Fate, Failure, or some other word. Or perhaps F was merely chosen on a whim, or as some sort of joke to the God.

The God had a random apple, obviously enjoying it’s taste as the demon ranted at him. The oddest thought occurred to her. She did not know that Gods loved apples. She supposed she had assumed they had their own sorts of food. It was curious to her, yes, but she shoved it out of her mind and returned her thoughts to the matter at hand. She remained silent as the others spoke, waiting and evaluating before she let out any words that may cause harm instead of the wanted help.

The wind whistled past the two beings as they flew and cavorted through the air. Adikartika barely even tried to maintain a grip upon the magnificent red beast beneath him that propelled them both through the air. He laughed as the air flew through his hair, whipping it back behind himself as the two raced through the air. So attuned with his mighty dragoness he simply raised his hands in the air, gripping her neck gently with his legs as she rolled over in the air.
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The red dragon bugled her happiness. Evanesca had been trapt in a cattle car upon a train for three days as she and Adi had traveled across America from New Jersey to California. It had been to populated over most of the way, so she could not risk the flight and they had taken out a cattle car across the country. He had gone with her at least, riding in the cattle car with her body and it had to have been just as uncomfortable for him as her, but at least he didn't have wings that cramped up. However the weak little human had almost frozen to death and would have if it had not been for her own firey breath and hot body keeping him warm.

However that was over, and they where both free at last, soaring over the ocean with the beach nearby. It was to cold for swimmers and the typical flock of humanlings that swarmed the nice sands, making an ideal resort for them at the moment. That was all about to change quite alarmingly though.

Suddenly in mid-air the world went black around them. Evanesca roared in to the blackness around them, anger filling her at the sudden loss of everything from the sun in the sky to the ocean below. Then the world exploded back in to her vision and Evanesca roared again, this time in fear. A wall was hurtling at them at extreme speeds. She curled her wings, decreasing their speed rapidly then doing a mid-air roll, so her face was no longer towards the wall but her stomach and legs where. She hit the wall roughly, jarring herself and surely Adi but no longer at a speed high enough to injure herself. Her gleaming talons scrabbled at the wall, finally finding purchase enough to cling to it and she stopped her momentum completely. She snuffed, ruffling her wings and twisting her head from side to side wondering what exactly in the blazing dreams had happened.
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Adi flung himself forward and gripped the neck of Evan tightly as the world suddenly vanished around them then reappeared in a startling orange hue. He clenched his eyes shut tight, having seen the wall hurtling towards them. Eva and himself had only practiced something like this once or twice, and once had been a complete fail with them both having ended up dead and the second time they had both been horrifically injured. However, there was no horrible splattering death, no pain or agony ripping his body apart. He slowly cracked open his eyes then patted himself along his chest. Yea, he was definitely alive. Eva had landed safely, if not totally well.

Then, suddenly there was a voice speak beneath them. A male voice, coming from what appeared to be some asian man who seemed to be addressing a group of other beings about some quest they had all been brought forth to participate in. He leaned down, resting his palms against Eva's powerful neck. He whipsered softly. "Good job dear, but lets get closer and see who all we are dealing with."
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Evanesca was truly annoyed. What imbecile had brought them here, with out their permission. What weak, little non-human had done this and almost ended in the result of the death of her human? She glared down at the group of gathered beings, a sneer plastering against her face along her lips. Weaklings, the lot of them. Except....was that truly a god? She hrmph, slowly letting the sneer slide away. While she had contempt for all other beings, the gods however where not something to piss off. She knew this as they where the only things more powerful then the mighty dragons (in her opinion).

However, when Adi mentioned getting closer she curled her neck around and level a rueful eye upon her and answered with only the rude snort that blasted smoke in to his face before she leap from the wall, landing near the group of beings. She inhaled deeply, taking in the scents of the beings. There was the god, though his scent was nothing unusual but he was obvious by the power he wielded. There was a demon, his sulpherous smell stinging her nostrils and making her snort yet again. A human like scent mixed with something dark like mystery and night taking upon an olfactory state. A dark elemental then, how interesting. Then there was the strangest scent, as if the person could not decide who they where, a clear tell of a shapeshifter. Now, to simply decide which was which. Eva smirked, deciding to let them reveal themselves through actions and words.
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Adi stayed upon Eva's back. Unaware who, what, or why they all where here except for some quest to apparently reach a fortress was all. His hand hovered over his holstered pistol. Just before flying to day he had wavered upon taking his pistol and sword thinking that nothing could possibly happen. It was just a small flight after all. However Eva had insisted, saying that he was clumsy and prone to having things unexpected and dangerous t himself and as a weak human he would not know what to do to defend himself with out a weapon. So Adi had consented, strapping upon his sword and pistol over his high collared vest he always left unzipped down his chest revealing his muscled torso. Blue jeans covered his legs, simple and mundane but suitable to many situations. Fingerless black leather gloves covered his fingers, allowing a better grip upon whatever he happened to graps, including his weapons or the scales upon Evanesca's body.

He looked around at the group, wondering instantly who could be friends and who would be enemies. Probably best to find somebody who might actually help him. He had no idea what this "shangri-la" was or that "khyper-diorem" though that was apparently where they where at this moment. It was very...orange actually. He wondered what exactly made the grass orange but that didn't really matter at the moment. He focused his attention back at the group before him.

[Thanatos]

Having heard of a murderer in a small town, Thanatos made short work of getting there. The town was small and most people pointed their fingers at one man. Once night fell he quickly began his search, still in his human form he quickly walked through the town, catching only glimpses of a man wandering the streets. Thanatos jumped a fence and climbed up on a roof, getting a better view of the neighbor hood. Morrigan sat on his shoulder, resting, fluttering her wings every now and then when Thanatos moved to quickly or jumped.

As he stood on the roof top he watched the man walk down the alley and stop at a womans house. The rapist stood behind a tree and watched the house for a good thirty minutes before acting. As the man walked towards the house Thanatos put his left hand over Morrigan to comfort her as he jumped off the roof and landed on the ground just past a fence. Quickly running to the house he saw movement inside through a window, it was the woman. Having lost sight of the man he saw the back door was left open, guessing it was from the man he pushed it open and walked inside. The loud sounds of his boots hitting the wood then tile flooring must of alarmed the man as he quickly panicked and fled the house out the front door.

Seeing the man flee out the door he tightened the grip on his scyth and quickly ran after him. Once out of the house Morrigan took flight, following right behind him, trying to land. Thanatos quickly caught up to the man, raising his scyth while running he swung it, the blade easily cutting through the mans legs. Amputating the mans legs at his knees he watched as he fell, quickly stopping Morrigan landed back on her perch on his shoulder. The man screaming, pleading for mercy for what he had done as Thanatos raised his scyth in the air.

Bringing down the scyth to decapitate the man his vision quickly went black. Next thing he knew he was in a sea of orange grass with a man infront of him, realising it wasnt the rapist but a different male he stopped the scyth just before it reached the mans neck. Morrigan took flight, startled and flustered from the route of transportation, she flew around a bit. Pulling back the scyth he took a few steps back to look at the people around him. Hearing the asian man speak of Kypher-Diorem and Shangri-la he knew he was in the realm of gods. Looking behind him at the walls of Shangri-la he guessed, that the god of balance would be inside the walls. Turning around he walked up and took the roll of paper from the man. Inspecting the map as he watched the man tell them where they were and needed to go.

Rolling up the map he held it in his left hand as Morrigan landed on his shoulder. Looking at the other people before glancing back at the asian man. When he saw the man bite into the apple that was once a map and he was finished speaking Thanatos spoke up. "I have but one request. Take my companion, Morrigan. This is no place for a bird. Take her to Shangri-la where she will be safe. When I finish your mission that you so promptly forced upon us, I will return for her."

[Varos Talantos]

"Forgery cocked his head towards the complaining voice. The Demon, of course. He kept trying to give them chances for some reason, despite their naturally proud nature. He shrugged almost boredly to the whining Demon and stated simply, "Don't partake. Good luck getting home."

His head turned towards the more-refrained Reaper and listened to his request before shaking his head. "He wouldn't be safe in Shangri-La; his best shot's on your shoulder." The Elemental seemed optimistic, ready to go. It was really a welcome relief. He looked at the Gorgon and nodded slightly at her before stepping aside to get out of the group's way. Forgery took the last few bites of the apple and then threw it beside the pathway where it dissolved. After a lick of the lips, he gazed intently at the group to see how the drama of choosing a leader and/or direction would unfold.[/color]

[Astaroth Merula]

The demon smirked a little when the god turned towards him, obviously content that he had garnered his attention. However, the god seemed to be displeased, annoyed even with Astaroth. He even dismissed him from their plans and told him 'Good luck getting home.' Pretentious asshole, he was, and Astaroth would've killed him if he stood a chance at even touching the male. Also, he would not be able to worship Lord Solemn if he were to attack this lying god; and losing his powers wasn't a very tempting deal either.

The demon pouted at his obvious rejection, and decided to settle on this; maybe they would get more freedom than he had thought. He decided to look around and see who all he would be venturing with, since he had been paying complete attention to the god. There was a reaper with a white dove perched on his shoulder, a female who looked to be human, but was most definitely not. A man who he knew from the past, his old master, Kyrian Tidus, who had freed him a few months ago and he hadn't seen the elemental since. What a coincidence. And finally, he looked at the presence that had distracted him from the god when it had appeared; a dragon. He couldn't believe that those things actually existed, such dangerous beasts of enormous power.

The demon smirked as he turned his back on the group in order to look back over the group, rubbing the metal arm band on his left forearm anxiously. This seemed like it was going to be much more fun that a day in the park.

[Kyrian Tidus]

Kyrian gaped a little as the god just threw away the apple and let it dissolve. Being an apple-lover himself, he couldn't see how someone could just waste such a delicious fruit like that. On that topic, Kyrian had no food, and it didn't seemed like any of the others had any either; might be a problem during their quest.

Earlier, Kyrian had noticed the human-looking female looking at him curiously, as though asking something about his appearance. Maybe she was admiring how he was so well-equipped for this quest. It was a little funny to Kyrian as well, that he had worn this for his hunting today; and even funnier that he had a book on the K-D with him, as though he had anticipated this. Since they were going to be together, he might as well take a look around at his group-mates and assess them, as well as pick out the ones he wouldn't be able to deal with.

The female seemed to be shrouded in a bit of mystery, not giving off any real presence; she might be a little dangerous unless he could get closer to her and learn a little about her. Next was a reaper with a white dove on his shoulder. Earlier he had made a fuss about leaving his dove in Shangri-La, where he thought it was safer; a man who carried a sign of purity on his shoulder, and cared so much about the little animal's safety couldn't be a bad guy. Though his being a reaper, and having that wicked scythe automatically made him a threat if Kyrian were to somehow wind up on his bad side. Next was a familiar face, and one he had never actually expected to see again; Astaroth Merula. He had recently freed the demon from his sense of service that his dad had put the demon into towards Kyrian. This one would be trustworthy in a fight, and he would probably listen to anything Kyrian said; so that was one person who he could rely on already. And now, on to the ones who stood out the most, even among supernaturals and a god. A dragon and its rider. Kyrian really hated thinking of the majestic dragon as an it, however he did not know its sex as of yet. The mighty creature seemed a bit prideful, but not yet dangerous or threatening, and seemed to be doing the same thing Kyrian was; assessing the group. Its rider seemed to be a bit nervous, obviously not used to being thrown around in the space-time continuum it seemed. Kyrian knew that these were the two whose trust he had to gain first; not only because the dragon was the most powerful being out of all of them, but also because its rider seemed to be a friendly person, and he was obviously nervous.

The darkness elemental walked towards the two and dropped to one knee before the dragon, still not sure as to its gender; however, he was guessing it was a female from her refined pride, whereas males were more assertive and boastful. "Good day, Lady Dragon, and hello Rider. Uhhh... I'm sorry, but I'm not really used to being formal. Anyway, I noticed that you seemed to be nervous up there, and I was wondering if I could help you to calm down. Though you have nothing to be really worried about with such a magnificent creature as your partner."

[Stilia Medusa]

Stilia watched, stunned, as more people popped out of the sky. Literally. From the great expanse a giant flash of red suddenly went by, nearly crash-landing. Her wide eyes settled on the creature, taking it in a moment…. A dragon.

Stilia couldn’t resist the small smile on her face. She had come across the large lizard-like species before, and if it was anything as fierce as the last one she had encountered, then it would be a good addition. Well, if it decided to team up with the rest of them, something Stilia planned to do for now in the name of safety despite her wariness on the demon that looked like he would get them all killed.

Another rush of movement caught Stilia’s attention, turning it away from the dragon. A being seemingly looking like a walking squeleton had also appeared, a wicked looking scythe in hand. He asked about a bird, and Stilia just noticed the small thing resting on his body.

She returned the nod that the God gave her in respect, having no wish to anger someone stronger than her. It simply wasn’t very wise to do that. And then the Gorgon disguised as a human turned her attention back to the dragon, as it would be one of her most useful allies in this quest. It seems it had also attracted the attention of another. That oddly-prepared almost-human was on his knee, kneeling before the great beast even though he hadn’t kneeled before the Godly being. And yet, even with all these newcomers, when Stilia finally spoke, it was addressed to none other than their summoner himself. She looked at the map, before turning her eyes to him. Her finger lightly pointed to the F on her unrolled map. “So, Sir-God, how long does it take to reach this point from here. And what awaits us on the path itself?”

Simply two phrases, but each very important. She was surprised none other had inquired about such a thing. Or food, or some other important matter. Of course, there was no guarantee this God would answer her, but it was worth a shot. She wanted to know what she was headed into.

Evanesca snorted as one male approached her and Adikartika, dropping upon one knee. She raised her head over him, sniffing and then blew a blast of smokey hot air in his face. This was the dark elemental then. His smell was enough to give him away. She listened to his words, the released a short bark (though to everybody else it would be an exceptionally loud) bark that was her version of a short derisive laugh. She looked down at the kneeling human, her face full of a condescending look before she spoke to Adi. "Tell the weak male to stand before I mistake him for a morsel and devour him upon the spot, love." She glared down upon the dark elemental once more, sizing him up. He was smart to seek her help, but she did not know this male. He would have to earn any respect from her by actions, not through smooth flattering words alone, through secretly inside they helped the male some what as he played upon her prideful nature.
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Adikartika listened to the male carefully, then simply stared at him with wide eyes. He dared to approach Eva with out permission first, then belittled him about be nervous and with out need? Oh, this man was in for a HUGE surprise if Evanesca didn't fry him right out. He watched his dragoness, then swallowed and repeated her words to the male. "She says to stand up or she is going to eat you." Adikartika smiled slightly, finding Evanesca's brutal threat an amusing thought indeed. He had noticed the female of this group eyeing them as well, but instead of approaching, she began to attempt to get a answer from a small Asian male, whom everybody apparently seemed to think was some sort of god. Adikartika simply watched them all, occasionally glancing at the map in his hands. He sighed, then looking up at all the other beings stuck upon the ground. Pity they all couldn't fly. They would reach this fortress in a matter of hours instead of days then and could probably get away from most dangerous creatures along the way.

[Vigilant Creed]

Vigil had walked many miles and now that rest was in sight, he found himself growing ever more excited. The fast beating of his heart in anticipation of the rest to come was shaking off his weariness and defeating the entire purpose of this pit stop.

Vigil shook his head slightly at the sound of a bell ringing and turned his attention back to the clerk who handed him his room key. He nodded in thanks with a small smile and headed back outside and glanced down at the key. Room 22 should be over.. there.. Vigil thought to himself as he set off for his room, the large cargo bag he carries his armor in slung over his shoulder.

Even though he attempted to be as quiet as possible, his combat boots still made large smacking sounds against the pavement as he walked up to his door for the night. Using the key, Vigil entered and flipped on the light switch. After a few seconds, a flickering light came on in the center of the room's ceiling. It cast a dim glow, but that was enough for Vigil to see what a dump the place was.

The carpet of the room was torn up in many places, and the sheeets on the bed were tossed about in a most chaotic manner. There was a bathroom a short distance from the small twin bed where it was apparent the door had been torn off the hinges. Vigil didnt even bother to look inside the thing; the smell coming from it spoke words enough. He strode over to the bed and was greeted with the pleasant sight of a used condom lying on the pillow.

Virgil shook his head in disgust. There was no way he'd be laying down in here anytime soon. He dropped his back and pulled out his armor which he quickly polished. His task finished, Vigil slowly began to put the larger set of plate on. Reverting to his natural form, Vigil quickly filled out the suit and he slung his axe across his back and stood against the wall. Many times during his service, Vigil had been called to rest in such a fashion and he found that sleep came easy with the familiarity of the stance.

Vigil floated in a dreamlike state. He felt as if weightless in a great black void, staring at an endless expanse that would swallow him if he were to let it. Struggling, Vigil attempted to move away from the void but there was nothing to grab on to. Almost mercifully, he was jerked from this dream and felt as if he was tossed into a tornado. When it was all over Vigil stood up straight again, balance regained, and he quickly surveyed the room around him to see what had happened.

Immediately, Vigil was away he was no longer in a room. No longer on earth. The great magnitude of orange that assaulted his sight caused him to blink while the gears of his head turned. Vigil's master had often spoken to him of such a place.. the Khyper-Diorem... Knowing this, he realized the experience he had felt must have been some sort of magical transportation. The nauseating effects quickly passed, Vigil had been transported in such a fashion before.

A man stood speaking, Vigil immediately assumed this was a god and he payed attention. Standing still as a suit of inanimate armor, Vigil noticed several others had likewise been teleported. Including what appeared to be four humans and a dragon. The sight of the massive beast almost made Vigil's hand reach for the large double bladed axe slung on his back but he was too disciplined for such an action. While the beast was obviously a potential threat, Vigil knew from the god's words that they had been brought here as allies and he would refrain from any action that may bring about conflict.

Once the god was finished talking, Vigil shifted slightly in his armor, muscles itching to get on with this quest and possibly obtain the power to fulfill his goal. When he spoke, his voice was of steel, strengthened by purpose, his steel grey eyes hard underneath his helm. "For this quest i would recommend a path along these mountains. It may take us a bit longer than expected, but we would be less likely to lose ourselves with such definitive landmarks guiding our way."

At 11ft in height with white fluffy wings and no scent to deny otherwise, Vigil knew that the other beings around him would likely mistake him for an angel. He could see another demon who had complained after the god have them their quest and Vigil took an instant dislike to the male. Sometimes coming from a race where outward appearance and smell were as varied as the flakes of snow in a blizzard could be a bit difficult, but when it came to such things as this, Vigil was glad the other male demon was nothing like himself.

[Thanatos]

Nodding at the god's words he glanced at the mountains ahead of them before looking at his map. Deciphering which direction they were facing wasn't the hard part, it was getting the others to agree on a path to get to the fortress that would be the hard part. Looking over at the others he could guess what a few of them were but a couple escaped him.

Thanatos didn't want to make enemies before the journey even began. Stepping back the flesh disguise he wore disappeared and was replaced with bone. The white clothes around his torso and waist blew in the breeze as he watched the others chat.

Watching the others he slowly began to sit down, laying the large scythe down beside him as he thought of what the best route would be. Taking the dragon to fly them there came to mind but she couldn't carry all of us at once, it would take many trips to get all of them there. Walking over the mountain or around it also came to mind, only thing they have to worry about is what beasts lay and wait for them in the fields and forests. Walking around the mountain would take longer but would be less of a strain then climbing over the mountain.

Knowing his thoughts of what would be best do not matter all that much unless the group agreed with him. The group has to come to a mutual agreement or they will all parish in this land kept him quiet for the mean time. Keeping a eye on the people in the group that seemed the most aggressive. Picking out the ones that seemed dangerous or renegades so he can be cautious with them.

As the male in armor spoke out he listened to his reason as to why. The reason was good but not good enough, the problem didn't lie with losing each other, it was what waits for them in the different biomes of this world. Reaching up he strokes the feathers on Morrigans chest as he watches the group and thought to his self about this situation.

[Varos Talantos]

"So, Sir-God, how long does it take to reach this point from here. And what awaits us on the path itself?" The serpentine Gorgon inquired. Forgery glanced about at the group. A pair of Daemons, a Draconian and Dragon, a Gorgon, a Reaper, and an Elemental. He pondered briefly and replied, "That depends on which route you care to choose. Anywhere between one and four days. As for what awaits you, that is entirely up to yourselves. If you enter the mountains you will face different beasts than the plains possess. Each is defeatable and all of your talents will come into usefulness before the end, I imagine." Forgery shrugged at the Gorgon, not really having answered her question but clearly finished speaking as he turned and started walking with a merry gait north along the most worn of the paths. After walking eleven steps, a black cloud filled the sky and the harsh beating of whispers surrounded the beings there gathered on the plains. As the humming of those voices grew deafening, all turned black and nothing could be seen.

As suddenly as the sounds had come, they subsided and the God stood there no more. Instead, Forgery Zaytsev had brought himself to the edge of the Lake of the Khyper-Diorem. The water was silvery with merely a tinge of blue and impossible to see into. It looked much rather like a mirror than any body of water. A few beings were sipping cautiously from it's embankments, ready to flee at the first sign of danger, and Forgery decided this place would be proper. He looked carefully at the water as suddenly a bubbling occurred from near the edge where he was standing and watched as a mortal broke the surface. It was the Angel he had summoned. As the proud Hunter oriented himself, Forgery spoke softly to him. "Welcome to the Khyper-Diorem, my homeland. This place is filled with perils and many adventurers and beings have met their ends here. Be careful lest you join them." He feigned to think and spoke slowly, almost seeming uncertain before finishing the sentence coldly, "And other adventurers have lived. Perhaps even your friend Kyrian Tidus, the Elemental." He smirked knowingly at the man. "Do I have your attention now, Cordoba?" He grinned. This was going to be a great game.[/size]

[Cordoba]

The male angel had been following this male elemental for some time. He had staged several 'accidents' and other such mishaps for the male, attempting to get him to use his elemental power simply so he could see what it was. Never before had he had the joy of fighting, much less killing an elemental before. He followed the male back to his apartment, having decided earlier that day that a more direct, physical approach would have be needed to elicit the response he wanted from the male. This was all in complete curiousity. He wanted to know what a dark elemental was capable of doing, before he slew the only one that he happened to know of. Always good to learn about your enemies before you engaged them in combat. It was just....tactical. He moved up the stairs slowly, his soft boots making no noise. However, his armor softly jingled occasionally as he pressed against the wall to look around the corners as he made his way up the winding stair case. He stopped outside the door. He gripped his swords, slowly drawing them from over his shoulders, for he KNEW the male was in here. He had watched him enter and the man had not come out.

With a resounding crash, the male angel kicked the door open and lunged in. All very dramatic, all very loud to simply get the man's attention. However, there was one minor draw back. There was nobody in the room. Not a soul. Cordoba was furious! Where had the man gone to? He could not have possibly escaped from him. He paused, shivering as power, unbelievable power washed over his skin. Something had happened here. Right here, in this room. Though there where no dead bodies to be seen. So not a fight then, but something else. Holding his swords, ready to defend or attack if something should happen, then angel began to move about the room, using the tips of his blades to shove stuff aside and trying to gather some information upon this dark elemental. He frowned. There was nothing here. At least nothing of real importance. Just trivial junk that would clutter any normal beings life.

He turned, having decided to wait outside to see if the male ever came back when suddenly the would went insane around himself. He felt as if the entire world had just collapsed upon himself, crushing him to a speck. Darkness flowed around himself, silvery flashing through it randomly as he seemed to hurtle upwards. Suddenly his head broke the surface of what could only be described as "water" though it clung to one's skin like a liquid metal instead of water. Before him stood a male, full of the same power that had filled the room he had been standing with in. The grasses around the land, a brilliant orange, shivered and rustled as things vanished in to them at the sudden happenings going on at their watering hole. The powerful being spoke to him, welcoming Cordoba to his homeland, named the Khyper-diorem. The man described the place in a easy way, as if he had done so before making it all seem so easy, yet added the warnings as well that proved it was not as simple as he made it out to be. When he mentioned the dark elemental's name, Cordoba smiled back at the male and finally stepped up out of the 'water' and slowly nodded, speaking in a deep voice in response to the man's question.

"Oh, you most certainly do, denizen of the Khyper-diorem." He