Sutoratosu

Ethic yanked the rod back once again, trying to bring whatever was on the other end of it onto the bank. it been like this for a few minutes now, him locked into a tug-of-war with an invisible opponent. he took a step back, pulling upwards as hard as he could, falling to the sand of the shore as a splashing sound came from the lake, Ethic saw a small shadow fly over him and a creature land in the grass behind him. He got up, Ambar at the ready, charging up a seed bomb to make sure their victim catch wouldn't escape. He looked at the small creature, recognizing it as a Skrelp. The thing got up as well, shifting it's gaze between Ethic and Ambar, almost as if trying to find an escape route from it's current predicament. It spewed some type of black substance at Ethic, presumably a Smoke screen, then Ethic heard sand shifting as the thing tried to hurry away, followed by a small explosion. he waved away the smoke with his hand, looking to his left and seeing the Skrelp on the ground, injured and unable to move any further. he looked to Ambar, knowing he'd done just as he'd asked him. "Good aim." Ethic said simply, taking out a vacant ultra ball and tossing it at the Skrelp, watching as it engulfed the creature and shoke for a few moments before the Trigger flashed red, signalling a successful capture. he walked over and picked up the ball, putting it in his pocket before taking out Ambar's ball and the Ball for Nova. he recalled Ambar in a flash of Scarlet light, at the same time releasing Nova. He walked over to the tiger, looking her in the eyes as he spoke. "Nova," he began "We need to get home real quick, you think you can get us there and back without being late for the next part of the Exam?" Nova gave a roar in approval, confident enough in her speed that she felt she could easily accomplish it. "All right." Ethic said, climbing onto the Arcanine's back, as if mounting a horse. he tucked hold of some of the fur in Nova's mane before ordering her to get going. "Extreme speed." He said simply, ducking his head down low as the beast toke off, tearing through the forest so fast that the landscape became a blur beneath them as the traveled.

Erick leaned against a tree in the atrium of central command, fresh snow shone reflectively off the frigid ground. it seemed even colder here compared to other places on the base. He had no idea why Ray had insisted they come up here after Erick had requested to see him at the desk in the Command lobby... But it was the only way Ray would agree to speak with him, And with his Trial success in jeopardy, he really couldn't refuse. Ray stood over on a ledge over hanging a now frozen pound. he continued speaking, not looking in Erick's direction for some reason... he meant it to seem as if It was a subconscious action, but Erick could tell that Ray was doing this deliberately... the guy wasn't very good at hiding body language. "I'm afraid I can't do anything to help you, Erick..." Ray said simply, his eyes gazing out onto the surface of the frozen pound, seemingly lost in this world of snow and ice. Erick pushed the conversation further, refusing to let it end as simply as that "But you saw what she did... I know you did, you were barely ten feet away." Ray again tried to be evasive. "What makes you think I saw anything?" Erick was beginning to get agitated. He felt certain that he'd need his partners co-operation to pass the rest of the Evaluation... but with Genisa pretty much refusing to even acknowledge him at the moment, that was easier said than done... and here was Ray, the one guy who Erick was sure could help him with the issue, and yet he was just trying to turn Erick away with pathetic, evasive answers... he spoke up, his voice rising a little "Don't you give me that bull shit..." He said, a bit of an edge in his voice "I know you saw it. I saw the look on your face as you stood there staring in anticipation." Ray didn't say anything at this...Erick gave out a sigh of frustration, then turned and started walking back to the elevator, turning around to look at Ray as he pressed the call button. "You know," He began "If you were just gonna give me these half ass excuses you call answers, then you should've told me up front... instead of dragging my ass all the way up here in the freezing cold." the toll sounded as the doors opened, Erick took a step onto the Elevator, when Ray's voice rang out. "Come back here." he said simply, still not even looking at Erick. Erick reluctantly turned away from the doors of the Elevator and walked back over to Ray, standing beside him. the good Doctor spoke once again. "Come here beside me, and tell me what you see on this pond, and then I'll help you out with this issue with Genisa Algara." Deciding to simply take the Doctor at his word, Erick stepped onto the ledge beside him, staring out at the pond. the snow was still falling, piling up on the frozen surface and coating everything white as ash. "What are you talking about?" Erick asked, again Irritated, it seemed like Ray was just wasting his time after all. "I don't see anything on this pond except for snow." Ray pointed at something moving just above the ponds surface. Ethic looked to where the other man had pointed, and after a few moments, noticed the movement as well. "Whoa..." Erick said, gasping at what he saw "What the hell is that thing...?" *approximate time till second part of Evaluation: 27 minutes 32 seconds*

Ethic got up from the ground, a bit dazed... he looked out at where the group had landed, dumbfounded that a place like this could really exist inside the pit of hell. he turned as he heard a familiar voice speak. "this is the next circle of...Hell?" Ethic looked over at rose and the others. "I guess so... though, it's surprising... Didn't think It'd be... Nice here..." He walked around the space, glancing at various plants. he couldn't help but be suspicious... it couldn't be this good... not down here "Though... It's probably best not to touch... or Eat anything here... or even to drink the water..." He turned back to face the others in the group "God knows what kind of nasty venom or lethal toxins could be in them... just waiting for someone foolish enough to take a bite or a sip..." that's when something caught his attention in his peripheral vision... he turned and noticed a figure suddenly appear on the path a little bit away from where they were... he had no Idea how long they had been there, nor how they had gotten there without making a single sound.... but he saw how the stranger seemed to just be standing there... almost like a predator stalking it's prey... sizing it up... He backed away from the plants he'd been examining, staring at the figure, whose face was obscured by a hood. Hope things don't get bad this soon... He thought to himself we've only been here... what? a few minutes...? He stood there, eyeing the stranger but choosing not to speak about it to the others, hopefully they'd notice as well... that and the fact that if something did go down, it's not really like there was much he could do to help at the moment...

Ok, real quick, did anyone else find Ethic as Wrathful? Notus, don't know how you did it... But you freaking made me have an epiphany just now... My Character is a wrathful person... very much so... I didn't even realize all the signs that he was... AND I FREAKING MADE ALL THOSE DETAILS MYSELF... God... I feel like an idiot that I didn't even notice until some else had to point it out to me... Damnit...How the hell am I gonna be an Author if this slipped by me?... If I can't even realze what's going on in the deepest levels of my own characters psyche... Oh... Oh wait... I pretty much based Ethic's personality off my own... that means...

Ethic simply sat on the stand, a bit dumbfounded by what he had been found guilty of... What the hell...? He thought to himself ME, Found guilty of WRATH? Ethic was about to open his mouth to speak when Minos gave the chance for last words on the matter, but Lucian stopped him. "Ethic," he said in his mind "I've only been travelling with you for only a little while now... but even I can see the validity of that... I've felt your emotions, even when they were being manipulated... those thoughts and feelings were your own at the deepest level of your conscious mind... You are a Wrathful Person, Ethic... an actually incredibly wrathful person... When's the last time you forgave someone you felt had wronged you? And I'm not talking about small things, I mean like the situation with your father and whats going on between you and Ixidor..." Ethic thought on this... and now that Lucian mentioned it... Ethic realized he had never really forgiven anyone for anything in his entire life... when things happened... he had a way of always finding someone to blame, even if no one was really at fault... there was actually a lot of cases of him doing just this... when his mother died... when the family business started going under, though for that one, only one person was really at fault... along with countless other instances... he began searching his memories... and finally understood I've always been like this. he thought to himself. He stood up, deciding what he would like to say. "You're absolutely right, Judge Minos... I AM a wrathful person... I've always been like this, coming to this place just made me realize who I really am at the end of the day..." He cast a quick glance to the others assembled in the court room, spotting Ixidor and feeling something stir in him. "I...I've always been one to hold a grudge over the smallest things... whenever something happened to me or my friends... I always found someone to blame for what happened, even if no one was at fault... and then I'd hold a grudge against that person, and if I ever did something to them in retaliation for what I blamed them with... I, well... Justified it as... Justice." He stared Minos right in the eye from where he stood before continuing. "I've been a fool... all this time, I've been a complete fool. I've been the exact type of person that I thought I would never be... I've been pursuing personal vendettas and calling them acts of justice... I thought that made me a loyal person... a good friend... I was wrong... ALL IT'LL EVER MAKE ME... IS A MONSTER." he cast another glance at Ixidor "Well... guess It's about time I start learning how to forgive other people... how to stop always jumping to find someone to blame..." But even as he said this, every fiber of his being rebelled against the notion of letting go the wrongdoings of other people... the thoughts entered his mind again... but this time, Ethic was able to push them away, and KEEP them away... Even if his entire mind wasn't in favor, he was sure that some small part of himself was willing to forgive... and that meant It wasn't impossible... that he could turn away from where he was heading. He looked at Ixidor, and the thoughts; the wrath filled part of himself, made resurgence I can't forgive that little shit... After the things he pulled... I'll strangle him with his own shoe laces the first chance I get... and When I find the sick bastard who offed Mr.Taylor, I'll give him even worse... but then another part of him spoke up... saying but one thing simply I can't just go condemning him like that...Is he really at fault? Do I have evidence that, beyond the shadow of a doubt, he is at fault? did he really intend for anything like what happened all those times to happen? He... didn't know which thought process to go with... He was torn... he looked at Ixidor, one part of him wanted very much to kill the boy, the other part wanted to wait and try to get the complete story of what happened before deciding whether or not to do anything... He felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up to see Lucian behind him, apparently only making himself Visible to Ethic at the moment, though he spoke aloud. "You're not in this by yourself, you know... I believe that you can do it, Ethic. I believe that of all people, You can definitely change if you put your all into it. And I'll be here to help you..." He faded away, speaking in Ethic's mind now. "You're not alone in this endeavor. Remember that." Ethic said one thing after this. "I'm going... to try to learn how... I'm gonna try to change..." but even as the words issued from his mouth, he knew this was gonna be a complete uphill battle.

this isn't really helpful... Hell, I'm still at the very beginning at route 2, twidlin my thumbs cause I can't figure out what the hell you all are talking about. been looking around that damn route for over three hours straight now... What crustles? what ledge are they on? do you have to catch them in the grass or something? and where the hell are those plants where you're supposed to gather the powders from, because at the beginning of the route, there's a green and red one. I've interacted with both and gotten no response what so ever. This would be so much freaking easier if someone could just post a screen shot or something for reference.

Ethic didn't know what to think when he found himself sitting on a bench back in Minos's courtroom... except that sentencing must've been finished and the verdict was going to be delivered. he looked to see the others, who had some how also been called at the same time. Well... wonder how my trial went... at that moment, he felt Lucian re-enter his mind "Ethic," he called mentally "We have to talk... what you did... let's just say it's worth talking about. but not now... I think we have bigger worries at this moment." A bit worried by Lucian's deduction that they should be worried about this at all, Ethic locked his gaze onto Minos, waiting in anticipation for sentencing to begin. then the judge spoke to the group... "Very well, you all know me and you know what you're here for, so without delaying anything further on, I shall give you your sentences. Are you ready?" "Yes." Ethic replied simply

Supernovae Niles watched emotionlessly as the cadet explained his plan to head to Clearing Echo1 in order to train his GAO... then in amusement as the thing threw it's handler off it's back, obviously insulted by what he had said, the young man beginning to chase after it as it slithered off. "We shouldn't be here too long, maybe just an hour or so, I have target practice later," Niles let out a slight chuckle, his breath showing as a cloud of steam in the now frigid air. He put the mic down and turned back to Renly. "He won't be coming back here anytime soon, I don't think." With that, he resumed guard duty, the younger man standing beside him, shivering.

Ethic watched as Mr.Taylor seemed a bit irritated for some reason, then turned and began following him. "I must say Ethic, not being able to keep things straight is profoundly frustrating, especially in the situation we find ourselves in." "Well, don't be hard on yourself, Mr.Taylor." Ethic said "This place is pretty much like Daedalus's Labyrinth... I'm amazed I can even keep track of anything..." With that he turned and started walking again, before long coming back to where the Group was. Ethic called out as he and Mr.Taylor approached. "Hey guys, I got him!"

Supernovae Corporal Niles stood in the guard tower by the base's main entrance, able to see his breath in the falling temperature. "It's colder than a Witch's teat out here!" called Renly, the young Private who had been assigned to man the guard tower this shift along with Niles. he turned and looked to the younger man, who was barely out of his teens, not even old enough to drink yet. "Shut it, Private. Your duty is to monitor and man these towers... not complain about the temperature." with that, he noticed a large moving object in the distance, heading towards the gate. He brought his binoculars to his eyes, seeing a large Rock snake with an individual in Grey and Black clothing; a Cadet, riding atop it as if the thing were a horse. As the rocksnake and cadet drew nearer, Niles reached for the controls for the built in loudspeaker- system atop the towers, pulling the mic to his mouth and bellowing, the speakers amplifying his voice. "Halt and state your business here, Cadet!!"

*The Date is March 18, 2062. the current time is approximately 08:19 hours. Nine minutes prior, Squadron Fox 1, under the command of Staff Sergeant Matthew Douglas Surge, was deemed to be fully competent in issuing combat orders to the strange creatures inhabiting the world, codenamed as GAO, or "Genetically Altered Organism". The second portion of the Evaluation is due to begin at 09:00 hours. Staff Sergeant Surge has dismissed his squadron to their leisure until such time. the group has been left standing shortly inside the East-facing gate of the Military complex denoted as "Fort Bexly" a genetic testing and special forces training area located in the heart of a Forest bearing the same name.* Erick looked at his fellow cadets following both Ray and Surge dismissing them and walking away. "Well, I don't know about you guys... but I've got some things to take care of." With that, the young man walked off after Ray as he proceeded to Command Central, his metallic GAO, a species named "Beldum" floating through the air behind him, his black and grey cadet uniform vest rippling as a cold wind picked up and blew dust off the path way crisscrossing the base and sending it swirling into the air. *Flurries begin to fall from the cloudy sky before long, landing on the frigid ground and sticking, slowly accumulating. as more and more fall*

let me just kill Logan off for your suggesting insubordination to the Hosts decision Again, like I said, you can finish it someday. Anyway, here's the schedule for the rest of the evaluation 1. Commanding competentcy (Complete, all passing) 2. Healing break (Current) 3. Marksmanship/ competence with both a main and secondary fire arm 4. CQC competency 5.Written test/ situational course of action 1 6. Killzone evaluation/ mental ability to give fatality orders/ situational course of action 2 pass these, and you become a GAOW. in other words, you graduate from the training program and receive a rank suiting your current abilities Edit: And CHAPTER 2 is a GO!

Ethic watched as the Elderly man headed off. "Now then, I think it's this way!" "Allright, let's." Ethic said, then he noticed that Mr.Taylor was heading off.... in the opposite direction that Ethic himself had come from after finding the group. "Mr.Taylor!" he called out "That's the wrong way, here, follow me!" With that he turned and started walking slowly towards where the group was, making sure to go slowly so that Mr.Taylor wouldn't lose sight of him and get lost; this memory lost had obviously affected the older gentleman's sense of direction as well.

no he's not, because we are done with Chapter one folks! God... your battle got more in then anyone elses... oh well, you'll be able to finish what was started oneday But for now, we've got to move. Chapter two will put up later on (Probably within an hour of me writing this) you'll be starting off from where Surge and ray left you at the gates. it's time for a war.

General McCarthy tapped his cane against the wood surface of the stage, his voice bellowing out "HALT!" *Like with so many other matches before, the GAOs disregarded whatever order their handlers had given them and listened obediently to the General* He turned to Kenneth holmes, actually impressed by the cadet's performance just now "You did far better than I expected you... You pass with flying colors. He turned to Logan next "You both pass with flying colors." Next he addressed the group as a whole. "I hereby deem Squadron Fox1 to be competent in commanding and directing a Genetically Altered Organism! This portion of the Combat Readiness evaluation is complete! the next portion shall initiate at 09:00 hours! you have approximately forty-five minutes to get your partners healed, then you are to report to the Marksman's range for the next portion of the Evaluation! being late, even by ine minute, will result in immediate discharge from the program! You are Dismissed!" Wtih that, the general walked off the stage and back towards the road leading to the base, leaving the group alone with Surge and Ray. Surge turned to look at his squadron "Follow me back to Base." *With that, surge walks off as well, followed by Ray. you all follow him, and after a short hike on a dirt road, come to the east-gate of Fort Bexly. Surge waves a strange card in front of a scanner, and the massive gates grind open silently. you all follow him inside, and he turns to address you again.* "Well, you all passed. I have no assignments for you now except to get your GAOs healed if necassary! I'm sure I don't have to remind you by now, but the Medical wing can be reached by taking a right after entering the Command Lobby, heading through the double doors, and taking another right!" He turned and walked off towards the Officer's barracks, calling out as he walked away. "Dismissed!" Ray walked off towards the white structure that dominated the center of Fort Bexly; Command Central, calling out as well "If any of you needs me for something, just go to the front desk in the Lobby and request to see Dr.Ray." with that, the group was left standing alone as the Gates closed silently behind them. ((END OF CHAPTER 1. STORY CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 2: A SERVICE TO THINE COUNTRY.))

Anver pulled himself up the fire escape, climbing the ancient, rusty stairs and after a few flights finally coming to the very window he had used to escape that night so long ago. He undid the locking mechanism on the window by pressing his palm to it, grateful that he had invested in outfitting the apartment with high-tech glassware. He pushed the window open and crawled inside, rolling off the sil and landing on the white sofa in his living room. he got up and closed the window behind him, pressing his palm against it to lock it shut once again. He took a few tentative steps inside... no one came to greet him. which meant the alarm system must be off; it was wired to signal an noise in the master bedroom encase of intruders, and then give the suite owner options as to whether the would like to get Emergency services involved... Anver didn't let himself begin to jump to conclusions, maybe his wife Sandra and the kids just weren't home... he checked his watch... Neither of the kids had school today... and Sandra worked out of home via the web as a consultant...she should've been here at this time of day... He decided to try one last method... The temperature all throughout the Suite this time of year was set to exactly 73 degrees farenheit. but when a person entered an area, their body heat radiates off them and gradually heats the area directly around them... it was subtle, but the increase was enough for someone like Anver to detect... he closed his eyes and focused... relying on a skill he had developed a while ago but hadn't thought to put to use for a while. he could sense the static temperature field throughout the place, in everyroom. he directed himself to looking for any anomalies representative of someone's presence... he shifted his sense to the master bedroom. nothing.... the kids bedrooms... nothing... the two bathrooms... nothing again... the loft space they used for storage... Nothing...Sandra's home office space... same thing... his private study... nothing...He sensed the living room next... but the only temperal anomaly he could sense was his own, which had it's own way of fluctuating wildly for some reason he had never determined. the only room left was the kitchen. he pulled out his glock and fitted the silencer back on it, poping out the clip with rubber bullets and replacing it with the old one filled with lead. he popped the safety off and loaded a single round into the chamber... He began moving towards the entrance to the kitchen, his gun up in preparation to fire. He stepped onto the tiled floor before long, his steps echoing of the mahaugonhy shelves and pantry he stepped forward a little more, coming to a stop in front of the Marble island in the center of the room, looking around, and seeing nothing out of place... he let his arm drop to his side, his gun still in his hand. "Where the hell did they go?" he asked himself, thoroughly perplexed. ((You know what to do from here...))

and it's not like this person will be fighting for them forever... He'll have his day of defection as soon as a suitable opportunity presents himself... and maybe he'll try to kill a few individuals while he's at it...

Ethic watched in joy as the cards were restored to their original state... but he had forgotten about how Mr.Taylor had mentioned short term memory lost after using his time ability. "Why am I here? What happened Ethic?" Oh... Right, he said something about memory loss... Ethic took the cards out of Mr.Taylor's hand, putting them in his pocket as he began to explain recent events. "Well... Mr.Taylor," He began "I don't really know how far this whole memory side-effect of your ability goes... so I guess I'll start at when I left to go see what had happened to rose and the others... I told you to stay here and wait for me until I came back for you; you looked like you had really tired yourself out running from that thing that was chasing us, so I figured I'd let you rest a while..." Ethic turned to the puddle of blood "As for where we are right now... This is... where a man named Marcus murdered you... you told me so yourself before..." He turned to the glass rubble that now was strewn across the field in the adjoining aisle "That other there is where Ixidor betrayed me and nearly killed me and successfully killed kenny" He turned to face the man again... "I found the group alone... the wolf was gone and Kenny was healing rose, though I don't know when he showed up... Damian told me that the wolf dissapeared and everything reverted back to normal in the area... that's when I came back here to get you... you started to walk over, then some smell caught your attention... you found this puddle here..." Ethic gestured towards the puddle on the floor, nearly dried now, it's scarlet hue turning a bergundy color in some places. "then you told me... about how you died... after you finished... I got an idea of something you said... about how you said you were able to turn back time...to restore things to how they were before... so I got an idea." He pointed over to the glass "I explained what happened over there before I found the group... about the man who somehow witnessed your death... about the glass storm... about how the arcana was destoryed... I asked you if you could restore the Tarot deck to it's former state..." Ethic looked Mr.Taylor in the eyes before finishing his explaination "Then I went over and picked up what was left of them and you took them and... put them back like they once were... then you kinda... lost your memory." Ethic thought of something, and a bit curious, asked Mr.Taylor the question that had come to his mind "Say, Mr.Taylor... is this short term memory loss... permanent? I mean... do you ever get the memories you lose back?"

^oh you have no idea, my friend...

how the hell did Xe get that many Rupees with so few post? I'd say someone must've donated them to him... But who would that be? had to be someone with a lot of post and Rupees racked up... hell, maybe it's even a chain of donations between various accounts belonging to the same person... time to start the search...

Ethic felt a wave of elation when he heard Mr.Taylor say he would try. The young man reached out his hands and held out the strips of the cards to Mr.Taylor "I won't hold anything against you if you can't bring them back, Mr.Taylor. I want you to know that. If you can't do it, then maybe it was just supposed to happen like that."

alright then, onwards we shall go.

I'm looking forward to the war that will surely ensue when they next meet with the capabilities for open combat, Typh.... oh the shear emotions that will fly. it'll probably be a fight to the Extreme... Who will win? The Magic Artist? Or the Evoker turned Arcane Fugitive? that reminds me... I've got to get some hate for Ethic brewing about the one called 'Scot' as well... the guy's gonna need it when time comes to.... Damnit... Giving out spoilers again... (PS: Ixidor should be happy that he's travelling with Marcus when he's like this, he seems to be less sociopathic... Mr.Taylor didn't have the benefit of meeting Marcus when he was in this state of mind...maybe Ixidor won't be murdered by his own traveling companion.)