Sutoratosu

DERIC & JEZICALO Jezicalo harsh glare softened as he saw Deric began to break down and slump on the stones of the street, placing his head in his hands as he sat against the wall. A series of short gasps issued from the man, and Jez knew that he was sobbing. He stared down at the man who had been his commander all those years ago, feeling guilt for having broken him like this. As much pain as the memory of everything that had happened caused him, he knew that it caused Deric far more. He had lost everything back then, his dream, his career, his reputation, and more important to Deric than any of that, the woman he loved. All Jezicalo had really lost was a little sister, and one who was a bit difficult at times, at that. He hadn't stopped to consider that maybe this refusal to think about what had happened was simply Deric's primary coping mechanism, and not just him not caring anymore. He was one who tended to try to hide his emotions, put on a mask of stoicism that he would confront the world with. But on the inside, he was no stoic. out of everyone, Jezicalo was probably the only one in their little quintet who knew what he was really like. Just a few moments ago, Royce and Decate had gone to check on Marshal, see if something had happened. The moment the two of them had moved out of earshot, Jez had taken the opportunity to confront him about how things had turned out, about how they needed to leave the city immediately and start a new hunt for Marca. needless to say, things had escalated to point they were now. "I'm sorry," he said regrettfully. "It was cruel of me to accuse you of...not caring anymore. If anything, you've probably wanted Marca dead far more than I ever have." Deric sat there in silence, still letting out those short gasps, still sobbing and trying to hid it. Jez decided to push his point from here. "I should've known that you didn't let yourself dwell on it because you knew you'd get like this," he continued. Deric was beginning to gradually regain a hold of himself. "But running from it, pretending that an issue isn't there when it's looming over your shoulder, that isn't going to work, Deric, You yourself taught me that lesson once!" as he spoke, he could see that Deric was lowering his hands. just a little more... "We can't pretend like he didn't do what he did to her!" Jez roared "Forgeting is the same thing as forgiving him! And if we forgive him... then it is an injustice to my little sister... an injustice to the woman who was you fiancee." Deic let his hands fall to rest in-between his legs, elbows resting on his knees. Jez knew that he had done it now, that he had awakened the vengful beast that Deric had been back after it had happened. He stared up at Jezicalo from the ground, a fierce, tearful expression of grief, determination, and fiery hatred on his face. "You're right." He said as he stood up. he reached down to his belt, tearing the scabbard off and handing the sword to Jezicalo. He simply looked at it questioningly. Deric explained. "This was her blade. The weapon that was by her side... the sword that she used to save me so many times." he thrusted the thing into Jez's hands, forcing him to take it. "My blade was unable to do the same for her when she needed it. When he... when he forced himself inside her and then killed her... My sword was nowhere to be found. My sword couldn't protect her then..." he looked up to the night sky... it had been a sky much like this one, back then. cloudless and clear, with a full moon pulsating with light, the stars blazing brightly. "It's far too late to protect her now," he snarled, looking back at Jezicalo. "But my blade...can still avenge her!" Jezicalo took a few steps back as Deric said that. The look in his eyes was actually starting to frighten him now... it was like nothing he'd ever seen from him before... "Wha...what about Samiel?" He asked weakly, now the one who needed convincing. "Samiel can go fuck himself with a stick!" Deric shouted, grabbing Jezicalo by the lapel "We work for him no more! Our task now is to right the wrongs that have been done, no longer will we fucking play the part of lowly servants!" he shoved the man backwards in his rage, sending Jez sprawling to the cobble stones on his side. Deric stormed off towards the direction of the Diran gate, where he had hidden the group's weapon cache five years ago. All Jezicalo could do was lie there and look as he left him behind in his wake. a faint grin spread across his face, despite the pain beginning to throb in his shoulder and ankle. he forced himself up from the cobble stones and limped off behind the man he was once again proud to call 'Arch Magistrate'. Darius's Group (Dobby, Hukuna, Exlink, typhlosion) It was not long before the four men made their way back into the hollowed plaza, though when they arrived, there was a line of Magistrates blocking the way further in, all of them dressed in heavy armor and wearing gleaming helmets of platinum. each man in the line had his blade drawn and propped out before him, resting his hands on it like a cane (well... a cane that went up to the mid torso region...) not one of them wore cloaks, the only way one would know they were magistrates was the Sigil emblazoned on each of the breast plates. All four men recognized this, even those without any real prior experiences with Law men... it was common knowledge across the world. Normally, a magistrate only ever took off their cloak when they removed their armor. A magistrate with Armor still on, but no cloak, however, symbolized that the Current Regime had fallen... they removed the cloaks because this meant that Martial law was now in effect, and they could not allow possibilities of themselves being hindered in combat. "Halt!" one magistrate ordered. in his armor, he stood at at least six in a half feet... his size was quite the intimidation coupled with a voice that sounded strong as steel. All four men found themselves instantly stopping in their tracks, not even aware that their legs had done so on their own. "State your names and business!" another Magistrate, this one a young woman from the sound of her voice, ordered. "There is a curfew in effect, all citezens are to remain indoors. The city of Cithalos is now considered to be currently under liberation." From where her voice was coming from, it seemed that she was standing right next to the first magistrate who had spoken... in fact the young woman stepped forward out of the line, and Gideon could recognize the unmistakable Emerald hue of Cesealia's eyes, along with her blond curls spilling out of her helm. out of all the Magistrates present, she was the only one without a weapon. But the lightning crackling at her finger tips suggested crossing her would be a far deadlier engagement than it seemed. She was obviously the one in command here.

well, if you're already heading back, feel free to arrive at your choosing. I don't intend to get involved with movements throughout the forest unless someone is lost.

Good God... I'm going to tell you this right now, that IV spread... is just horrible. Now, I try not to judge mons based on IVs and such, but even I would either release that little bastard or put it in a box to pasture. I usually don't really condone this, but this case is a tad extreme...so here's my advice: You'll be better of chain breeding for better IVs than you will be if you use that thing in battle. End of story. The end result probably won't be shiny, but...

The lost and the lonely one

Gardevoir. this statement is heavily influenced by personal bias It's got a good leveling learn set, and has the highest base Special attack of any fairy type.

RESPAWN AS SEAL TEAM 6! ENTER THE FORTRESS IN SEARCH OF BIN LADEN!

7/10 would be higher if I could just remember where I've seen that character before...

SPAWN AS BLACK MAN! SEARCH FORTRESS FOR BACK ENTRANCE!

Chimchain, Supernovae, and Kenny Before the young hunter's eyes sat the account of Rodac Tactalli himself, the words penned in a fine, flawless script that was still highly legible even after four millennium. and on those pages, Tactalli's story unfolded... the truth unfolded. The text read as follows: The 18th day of February, in the 17th year since darkness I have served as the Lord's highest advocate for nearly a decade now. and in those ten years of loyal service, I have not once questioned him, have never had any doubts of his intentions... and I will not have any now... twas nothing, I am sure... It was just after noon today. I was consulting the Lord on word that Khal Tidrus might be plotting rebellion on Ahka-Tinora. I asked him what is it he would have us do. And he simply stared at me for the longest moments... just sat there atop his throne in the alter, staring at me with a look belonging to dead men. I waited patiently for at least the better part of the hour, thinking that the Lord was testing me to ensure I was a worthy servant, as he has done several times in the past. Finally, however, I took note that the lord twas not breathing. nor did the warmth of life flow through his body. he felt... cold...hard, as if he were wrought from stone and iron. I tried to rouse the Lord, to now avail. his skin twas a shade of gray, as if he were frozen in time. At last, when I was about to put out the call to find a Chronomancer to undo whatever vile working this was, The Lord seemed to return to himself, the color returning to his form. I explained to the Lord what had happened, and he merely dismissed it, citing that I probably had not gotten enough rest in recent days. And that was it. He dismissed me soon after that. he did hear my require as to Khal Tidrus or my report of the situation in Ahka-Tinora. he simply sent me away immediately after blaming my perception on not getting enough sleep. Perhaps he was correct... yes, he had to have been. I am reaching advance age, after all... The 25th day of February, in the 17th year since darkness A similar event has occurred today. again, just after noon, I attempted to consult the lord as the what course of action he would have us take to keep Tidrus in check and prevent war from breaking out... And again, I found him on his throne, grey and cold as stone, eyes glossy like death. I knew from the last occurrence that he was not testing me this time. I again tried to rouse the lord. And again twas of no avail. I did not hesitate, I put out to call for someone to find a Chronomancer. luckily, one so happened to be attending service in the chapel. he tried every technique of his field that he knew... and naught worked. finally, after an hour of failed attempts, the Chronomancer looked to me and said that what ever this was, it was not caused by a disturbance in the field of time around the lord. with that, I saw no reason to take the man's time anymore. I dismissed him. and only moments after I had done so, the lord returned once more, just as he had sever days ago. and again he dismissed my account of what had occurred as the advancement of age on the mind. and he dismissed without hearing anything of my report...again. The 19th day of March, in the 17th year since Darkness I have served as the Lord's highest advocate for nearly a decade. And in that decade, not once have I had any doubts about his intentions... But I have doubts now. and they are not small in size. I have tried several times in recent weeks to file my report with the lord and hear his consul on the matter. the same time every time, just after the mid-day bread. and every time, it is the same occurrence... the last instant was only yesterday... but I managed to catch a glimpse of something then... It was a flash of red. a series of tiny lights descending from the sky, coming in through the window, and disappearing inside the Lord's shoulders, hands, and legs, as well as his neck... I have made sure to take to my bed chambers early and arise late every day for the past two weeks. His theory of it being a lack of sleep holds no validity this time. I told him as such. and he had no reply. simply stared at me in a confused, almost threatening manner, then teleported me out of the hollowed throne room, the guards slamming the doors behind me, feigning complete ignorance when I demanded they open them. Left with no choice and not wishing to go fetching an Arch Commander, I simply returned to my chambers. (Needless to say, those two were promptly removed from their posts today. disobedience to my orders only got them the reward of being re-assigned by the Church Guard Arch-Commanders to guard the city sewer entry ways, which we've had quite an issue with thieves hiding in.) I have many questions as of now, but the biggest of them is this: What were those lights? the 30th of March, in the 17th year since Darkness I have given up trying to file my report with the lord. I have simply advised my eyes and ears on the continent to keep me informed of Tidrus's actions. for the past several days, after noon I have been heading straight to the Church Archives. they are still in their early construction stages, but the books being transferred there from the old Namorian well of Knowledge lie in crates, free for me to read. So far I have found nothing of the lights in the old tombs, but I am finding repeated refrences to this "Well of Knowledge" area... It is ironic, we are transfering hundreds if not thousands of ancient tombs from that crumbling temple, the years were not kind to it. it seemed that at some point, lightning struck the spire and part of the roof collapsed, making our efforts to recover the tombs from the farthest levels imposible. It is ironic, because we draw knowledge for the archives from this place, and yet know nothing about it's true purpose. It was not built to serve as a library, that was just a secondary function... it was built to serve as store house for the secrets of the universe, a place where no question is left unanswered. perhaps if I traveled there with a chronomancer... 5th of April, the 17th year since darkness I'm quite sharp, if I do say so myself. I have traveled to the well, and with the help of a chronomancer, I managed to get passed the rubble blocking the way further into the depths. twas not long before we came to a door... one that would not open. it is late, however. we shall return to the surface and take lodgings for the night. 14th of April, The 17th year since darkness My doubts were founded entirely in truth. I know this for a fact now. it has been one week since I ventured into the Well of Knowledge and asked my question. what i was shown that day has played back in my mind countless times, as if some force is adamant that I remember it vividly. what I saw was a story that is hard to retell, but I shall try on these pages... The first vision I saw was a young man with a cape of scarlet across his shoulders, placing a blood soaked crown atop his auburn hair. on the stones before him lay a man run through with a sword of light, the man bore a strong resemblance to the younger one... almost as if he were his father. The vision I was shown after that was of a massive battle on a barren plateau... two brothers fighting one another...well, no, one brother trying to kill the other and the other retreating from the attacks and pleading with him. the man trying to kill his own brother was the same man I saw from the first vision, the crown still atop his head. and the last vision I saw...was off that same man from the first two standing in a darkened landscape, beings as strange as the night itself gathering around him as he tore open some type of portal... at that moment, I had gasped in shock. I recognized that landscape on the other side of the portal. I recognized the shape of the portal. and I recognized the beings around him. what I had seen... what I saw was this man starting the Nix War. he was the reason man nearly ceased to exist. after that scene, things began to warp. the next thing I saw in the vision was him standing high in the sky, walking on air itself... and in his hands sat the air and the clouds...and darkness and red light. and he combined these things to form a being with four wings... he formed the Lord Azuaqyar from those materials. but the Azuaqyar I saw then was much like the one I had seen during the occurrences. but then the man reached out his hand and tendrils of red light burst forth from them, connecting with the Lords body and bringing color and life to his form...and then the vision changed again, and I watched the Lord descend from the heavens, just as I had watched the first time nearly twenty years ago. And then the visions were done. and then a voice spoke to me, and it said... "the man you saw was named Rossephus. he is a monster and a deciever. he thirsts for power, and will stop at nothing to obtain it. his lust for it led him to commit many atrocities in the time before time, and he ultimately triggered the end of the first Era of Existence. His brother was named Marcelos. Marcelos was entrusted with the keys to the future following his brothers crimes, he was entrusted with primal forces from which everything else owes it's existence to. and with those keys, he created a new era of existence, the one you live and breath in even now. but Rossephus was not destroyed for his actions. he was sealed... sealed within one of the keys bestowed to Marcelos; it was meant to serve as the ultimate humiliation, for Rosse loathed his younger brother and viewed him as weak, but the seal was not complete. Rosse was still able to influence the worlds his brother created. and he has done that countless times. the latest of which was when he tore the void that started the Nix War in this world." And I asked these voices who they were and they answered "We are the keys that were bestowed to Marcelos. we are the two primal forces of all of nature itself. we are the beginning and the end. we are... The Alpha and the Omega." And I asked them what the red lights I saw meant, and they answered "Those were Rossephus assuming control of his puppet. he must rest for a certain time each day in order to maintain the hold on his marionette. that is all that Azuaqyar is; a puppet. mindless, soulless. he is simply a body Rosse created for himself to occupy... he is simply...an Avatar that he uses." and I asked why he needed this 'Avatar' of his. they answered "Because of the Spheres, Rodac. the spheres protect this world, they that was the point at which the account ended abruptly, beneath those words on the page was a rather large, long since dried blood stain, as if someone had been killed in the middle of writing the journal entry... it was easy to see why Atton said that Tactalli had been 'murdered'. out of the corner of their eyes, the three men all thought that they saw Stratos's eye's flicker and dim for a moment, temporarily losing their golden glow and revealing a vibrant green beneath. His hair shifted color from shock white to pitch black. he seemed to be weak in that moment, almost losing his balance and falling over... though he seemed to regain a hold of himself, albeit with sweat now beading on his brow. his eyes had regained their golden hue, as his hair had regained it's snow white coloration.

Le Picture: (URL: http://digital-art-gallery.com/picture/466 ) Some music to go with it... noticing a theme? There's some hidden meanings in the story below. see if you can find them... SNOW It's snowing again. It's always snowing... always so cold and desolate. That's all the words you need to describe the world now... though, words probably won't be around much longer... not when I'm finally gone. My name is Alec Rain... and I'm probably the last man on Earth. It wasn't always like this. Life used to be good. Foot-ball games, a steady job with generous pay, a low rent...even a wife with a new baby girl on the way. But then the Winter came...It was like a frozen hell. So much snow... it just kept falling. It wouldn't stop... it even fell so hard that it blocked the sun. For me, the world used to be safe. It used to be a place where you didn't have to worry, a place where if you clung to something you believed in, it was because you wanted to, not because if you didn't, you wouldn't be able to keep yourself going at all. I don't know what I cling to anymore. Hope? No... God? No... I tried hanging on to hope once. when my wife passed... I still had a part of her... I still had my little girl in my arms. Back then I clung to hope like there was no tomorrow, clung to it so much that I even named her for it. As long as Hope was alive, I'd live as well. But I was a fool. I thought things could get better, thought that maybe, just maybe, there was a God out there... But I was wrong. There came a day when I learned that there was no God... when I learned that mercy was a lie. And that was the day that Hope died. I don't know why I keep going anymore. I don't know why I haven't turned the gun in my hands on myself. My legs simply keep moving, one in front of the other. I don't know how many miles I've walked now. I don't know how many days have passed. I don't bother keeping track of those things anymore. I don't care about those things anymore. All I do is keep trudging along the roads. All I do is wander. I can't stop. I don't know why. The only thing I do know anymore... is that I can't stop. I can't end it. I've already tried... and every time I do, There's always something in the back of my mind, telling me not to give up... her voice... and every time, she would say only one thing to me. and that thing was this... "Hope only dies with you, daddy."

Ethic didn't hesitate when he saw the wall falling apart. He Withdrew his saber and dashed through the hole in the wall, diving into a front roll and emerging just in time to avoid it collapsing atop him. he stood and dusted himself off, retrieving the Torch from his pocket and flicking the beam on once again, scanning the area ahead. He took a moment before moving on, staring back at the broken Blancmange wall. He made a mental note not to be surprised by the stuff he found down here anymore. with that done, He turned and headed off again, keeping the link at the ready in the back of his mind. Things looked like they were going to get weird down here...

Chimchain, Supernovae, & Kenny Stratos was a tad impressed by this boy. He seemed to have some courage, speaking to someone with his reputation like that; and it was real courage, not the type that came from rampant mob-mentality or blind hatred. "You are right," Stratos admitted "It is my own fault my arm is like this. I should have just killed the pope and his sub-servants and just been done with it. But enough on that. You said that you 'can't stand People who abuse their power to suppress the weak', Did you not?" He then turned to address all three of the men who had entered onto the Alter since the fight's end. "That is precisely what the Cithaloc Church has done for the past four-thousand years. Abused their power every chance they get in order to suppress the weak. That man I was fighting, the one in the red cloak and with the crown and golden breast-plate, He is the enemy of all mankind. This church was established by him, back long ago when he took the opportunity that the Nix War presented and corrupted the minds of the people after he had his puppet save the human-race. It was all a ploy to win humanity's trust." At that point Atton broke into the conversation. "And before you go dismissing anything this man says as lies, Allow me to verify everything he's saying. I am Atton, Arch-Magistrate of this city. Everything the Sky Slayer has told you is true. I have held my position for twenty years here. Stratos came to me one day telling much the same story. And he asked a favor. he wanted me to break into the Ancient archives using my authority, feigning to be pursuing thieves who had gone into hiding. He told me that if I did, I would find proof that everything he was saying was the truth. I too thought that Stratos was lying at the beginning... but I did as he asked of me. I had already began forming doubts of my own after having seen certain... things. I did what he suggested, and stumbled upon more than enough proof down in the lowest reaches of the archives." As he spoke, he reached into his armor and produced a small leather bound journal. it looked ancient and fragile, the pages yellowed and made brittle by the ages. He held it up for the Alchemist, Ekarder, and Hunter to see. "This is the first hand account of the first High Preist of the Theocracy." he continued. "you should all know his name, I'm sure you've already had countless history lectures during your childhoods. This is the Journal of none other than that of Rodac Yerf-Tactalli, protected and preserved for four thousand years by an ancient chronomancer's spell. the account begins during the darkest days of the Nix War, during Tactalli's time as the leader of a small band of wise men trying to find the weakness of the Nix, and goes up all the way through his time as High Priest. What truly matters, however, is what is written towards the end of the account. Tactalli had become suspicious of this 'God' he was serving, and he began to look into things and beyond things. He stumbled upon the beginning of the truth, all those years ago. and he was murdered because of it. the official records all say he died of old age, but it was nothing but pure murder." Atton held the journal out before him, offering it to the men. "But go on, don't simply take my word for it, read his account for yourself." MEANWHILE, IN THE LOWEST LEVELS OF THE CHURCH ARCHIVES... "This night has taken quite an... unexpected turn..." Cardinal Morsey said. He and those Church officials who had survived the chaos all stood gathered around a round table made of ancient wood. The Archives were not the most accommodating of places, with cobwebs and dust galore in every corner this far down. The red carpeting on the floor was starting to rot, revealing the stone beneath. the ceiling was so high that it disappeared into darkness after a certain point. Book after book lay strewn across the floors in-front of the many shelves in the chamber, as if someone had been hastily searching for something. from the amount of dust that had gathered on their leather bound faces, it looked like they had been lying there for years. Cardinal Jacze placed his hands down firm on the table and leaned forward, meeting each of his colleagues eyes with a solemn gaze yet subtly fierce gaze, his face illuminated ominously by the sole light source in the entire room, a small wicker lantern. "That is a complete understatement," he said. "This night has turned into a complete disaster... The Sky Slayer is within the city, I have word that His Holiness has fled, along with two of the Arch Commanders of the Church army, as well as word that one Arch Commander is dead, along with some 700 of the 1000 soldiers that were stationed in the city this night. The Ceremony has somehow been botched, that was no Resurrection, the Magick that was used was a practice Forbidden by Ancient Law; It was a summoning... a breaking of a seal. With the Pope and everyone else in direct attendance now absent, we have no idea or information as to what happened to cause the ceremony to go so far a stray from it's goal, nor who it was that preformed the Summoning and broke the law of old." Remus, head of the Magicks department, interjected. "We have lost all contact with the leader of Chimera White as well tonight," he said "We can only assume that the Sorcerer they were dispatched to eliminate was of a higher pedigree than we classified him as. As of now, Lord Gilwyn and the twenty sub commanders of Chimera White are considered KIA. We would be wise to presume that the same sorcerer they were sent out to kill had some hand in the summoning that took place." Cardinal Morsey shot an angry glare at the sage. "How dare you?" he called. "Suggesting that his holiness would commit the highest form of blasphemy and allow for a summoning to take place... I shall strike you down myself for that, you Magick Whore son!" "Calm Down!" Remus ordered, his eyes flaring white for a moment. "I did not say that his Holiness 'Allowed' the summoning. I simply said that the sorcerer may have had a hand in it. for all we know, which is nothing, I might remind you all, This Sorcerer could've taken taken the his Holiness hostage or disabled him before going about his nefarious business. The Pope may have not have been able to intervene in the matter." "Enough of this!" Head Cardinal Yoyce hollered, speaking up for the first time in the conversation. both Remus and Morsey fell silent. "We all have acknowledged that things have gone quite poorly this night, now let us stop bitching and speculating about them, and actually devise a plan of Action as to how we will counter these Issues!" The other officials at the table all nodded their heads and agreed silently. Yoyce stood from his chair, knowing he had the floor. he began to pace back and forth as he addressed each official. "Remus!" he called "Yes, Sir." "Is there anyone within the Magick's department who is suitable to assume command of Chimera White?" "No sir, not unless you count myself, but I've already many responsibilities as head of the depar-" "I care not for how many responsibilities you shoulder, leading the unit is now one of them; You are now in Command!" Remus just slunk back in his chair a little at that, grinding his teeth... he already had a heavy work load, and now this? "Morsey!" he addressed next. "Yes...sir?" "Who is the highest ranking Church Army officer left alive in this city?" "I... I do not know sir..." "Then find the fuck out, NOW!" Morsey stumbled from his chair as the head cardinal shouted, running up the stair case as fast as he could to fulfill his orders. Yoyce turned his attention to another official. "Jacze!" he called next. "Yes, Sir!" "you are to apprehend the Sky Slayer. Do not Kill him, we need an interrogation to find out what occurred at the Papal Alter this night." Jacze just smiled at the mission. "Very well then, sir." he said before rising from his seat and vanishing from sight.

Why it makes perfect sense. It's called a Psuedo-Democracy. But anyways, yeah, I imagine it would come in handy during the very late/ post game segments for when we start getting the chance to find uber strong mons/ legendaries. I know we will...

I have something similar, though with me it tends to happen when I see certain images. Mind if I put some on this thread? I know it's supposed to be music based, but...

I'd add to that list, but as of right now, I'm fairly certain that Notus already has some pretty weird things planned for this circle... and I don't intend to give him anymore ideas as to what he could possibly do to us.

So... I'm guessing that everyone's about ready to head back to base?

reading this reminded me of something... my first novel idea. it was a bit like this one, but it was dead-set in the science fiction genre. basically the gist of the idea was that following some war/ catastrophe that left the world humbled and weary, a new type of human began to emerge in the dominant levels of society, humans created during the wars... Humans who are the descendents of those individuals who were "enhanced" for War-fare purposes, genetically altered to unlock the secrets of the "Junk DNA" that lies inside all human beings... secrets that proved to be quite useful in armed conflict and intelligence. (Junk DNA is what scientist currently classify as DNA that the Human Genome project can not find any purpose for; IE, they don't know what significance it has or what it effects, so the assumption is that it's... well, that it's just junk.) Yeah, the idea went through several revamps and complete plot rewrites over the course of over a year because I kept feeling like something just wasn't right about it. so this above is pretty much the only concrete aspects of it that I could give you. eventually, I got into RPing on here, and developed new worlds and new stories that I found far more interesting... and so this idea has pretty much just been sitting on the backburner for several months. I can even recall the name of the main protagonist I was dead set on using: Ezekiel Wyrm. The first name coming from a biblical prophet and the surname coming from beasts of ancient legend. but like the idea, he too was ultimately pushed into the back of my mind. Reading this inspires me abit... perhaps someday in the future, I'll decide to brush off Zeke's (Zeke is How I would've referred to him for the majority of the story) story and give him a day in the sun. But enough about me ranting on about my old ideas gathering cobwebs in the abyssal plain of my neural network, let's take a look at what you've got here. Alright, Dobby, this is looking quite good from this little preveiw of chapter 1. Not very often when you find a Fantasy-inclined story, like I assume this is, that is narrated in the first person, but I think it'll work quite well with this. Even though not a whole lot has been revealed about "Gifts" I feel from what information we have been given so far that you have a well thought out, diverse, and unique system for them. looking forward to see what you got in store for that. I'm also loving these little insights and internal comments of Derren about the people he interacts with. adds a bit of comedy to the story. overall, this is looking quite good, but you may want to look Proper formatting for novels, things like hanging indents, etc.

Ethic stood there for a moment, poking his finger against the substance. He must be crazy, that's it... this is a marble wall, it has to be... why would anyone- His train of thought broke when his finger went in for a few inches, then was bounced right back out. That confirmed it... Either he had indeed gone off the deep end, or this thing really was made of Blancmange. He balled one of his fist and threw a couple of quick jabs at it, each one bouncing right off the pale, creamy substance before him. Yup... this was definitely Blancmange... and it was thick in consistency. "Things just keep getting weirder down here..." He muttered to himself as he took a few steps back from the wall. For a foolish moment, he actually wondered if he could eat his way through it, it dawned on him quickly however, that such would be humanly impossible. He thought for a moment... from what he could tell, just walking around this thing wasn't an option, it looked like it ran the full width of the path, blocking the way forward. Climbing might have been a possibility... but Ethic honestly didn't want to even attempt such a thing. That left him with one option... "I'll cut it." He said, stowing the flash light in his jacket pocket. He brought his hands together in front of himself, one balled into a fist and the other cradling that one. He didn't really know why he didn't assume a more traditional grip technique... this was just the first thing that had come to his mind when he thought about it. A moment later, the Death Link was active and his Life Saber blazed to life in his hand, illuminating the area far better than the Flashlight's beam had. he took a few moments, tuning the blade and adjusting how much life force he wanted to put into it. Since this was a relatively soft material, he figured he wouldn't need more than a little. after a few seconds, he was ready to make a test strike to see how things went. he rushed forward, bringing the saber around in a sweeping arc, closing in on the wall with a ferocity that the young man wasn't even consciously aware that he was expressing. ((Notus, I'm just gonna treat this wall like an enemy for now. you decide what happens with that blow.))

I knew you couldn't stay away from all this craziness, Hukuna. Good to have ya with us again. EDIT: Blancmange? 0.O ... Things have gotten very weird... very weird indeed. The foolhardy adventurer side of me wants to have ethic take a slash at it... but the wiser, Prudent side of myself senses a huge trap in this and tells me to just have him go back and face what ever made those screaming noises... Oh...well, looks like we're going to go the foolhardy route....

So...I'm guessing something has happened with Notus?

It's an interesting Idea. I wouldn't mind seeing something like this being put in late in the games plot. maybe as some type of reward for beating down/ royally screwing the meteor's plot, kinda like the master ball was kinda the prize for interfering with an organization's actions in the official games. (though to be fair, you had to always look around their base a little bit for it, it wasn't just handed to you.) To if it were to go that route, it should have some benefits to make comparable to a Masterball. perhaps like that Team Revival thing someone already mentioned. just spit balling here

Belated welcome. have a nice time in the community if you haven't already.