Crossing the Continent

[Archer]

Even when undertaking rigorous mental and bodily training every day, living in a cave for the best part of a half-decade makes one forget the arduous task of walking. It had been three days now since Archer left his training centre; half of that time was spent getting down from the mountains. And now, having spent a night in a small village to gather some energy and supplies, he wandered across the plains of Bedoe, in search of a target that he himself was unsure of. And of course, if the walking wasn’t a problem, then the small, ever so slightly dented but incessantly annoying robot following him all the way would be.

“Are we there yet?” piped up a squeaky voice from a few yards behind the tiring Alchemist.
“Well that depends,” came Archer’s retort almost instantly, “Is ‘there’ a state of consciousness where you’re not an annoying metal douche-bag? If so, you’re still a few stations down the line.”

There was an ominous pause.
“Are we there yet?” piped up a squeaky voice from a few yards away.

He let out a heavy sigh, forcing his legs to keep on; his body weary with fatigue. With a quick shuffle of his arm, he secured the package that was slung over his shoulder. Although deceptively small, the package was talking a lot of effort to keep in position, placing a fair amount of strain on the young man’s back. Curled up snug in the bag lay many small items; each with a transmutation circle inscribed upon their surface, ready and waiting for their purpose.

With his free hand, he took a small bottle of water from his jacket pocket, and placed it against his lips. The water flowed down his throat, the refreshment it gave his body being felt almost immediately. After returning the bottle to its place in his jacket, he took a brief look around the area in which he’d found himself.

“I wish I’d taken the train...” he muttered, letting the bag on his back drop to the ground with a thud. Without speaking another word, he pulled open the draw-string top and removed a few objects. The robot peered over the open entrance to the bag, just as the last item had been withdrawn; in one swift movement, Archer grabbed the strings of the back, flicked it up and over the robot, and pulled.
“Take five in there, I’m gonna make camp,” he said, a grin spreading across his features.
“You’re mean...” muttered the robot, resigning to spend his time slowly rotating for his own amusement.

After a few moments, the objects were laid perfectly around him. Placing his hand on transmutation circle after transmutation circle, explosions of golden light erupted around him as compact blocks of various materials expanded, morphed, twisted into shape. A tent was the first to be completed, followed swiftly by a small cooking oven, various pots and pans, a chair, table, and a canvas flooring which spanned across the remaining open spaces.

Archer smiled. “Just like home, eh?” he muttered, drawing open the entrance to the tent and withdrawing from the outside world as darkness slowly began to set in.

((Just a little piece to make sure I stay active; anyone is welcome to join in, but bear in mind that I'll be away for just over 2 weeks, as of this coming saturday))

[kihaku]

The oncoming night would bring with it all of the mysteries that darkness may keep within its depths, only a fire and company the true shields against its dangers. In Bedoe, the Mountain Stronghold, the shadows that lurk amongst the rocks may even be more deadly than the snakes and venomous insects that thrive amongst Larleta’s undergrowth. However, tonight promised to be far more interesting than a struggle between life and death, and it all started with a boom.

A mile away from Archer, a sudden brilliant flash of light and electricity rocked the heavens and made the earth shudder. As if this wasn’t strange enough, it wasn’t until after the rumbling thunder that followed settled, a strong wind began to gust, sporadically at first, then a stiff, constant rush that swirled around the Alchemist’s campsite, buffeting each item, tugging at the tent’s walls, and howling amongst the trunks of the few scrub trees. Several more bolts of lightning followed, only now things were clearly not well: the most recent two didn’t blast from sky to earth, but rather horizontally from boulder to boulder, mineral to tree, almost as if some elemental creature was raging against the material world.

All at once, six or seven lightning bolts landed with a boom like several concussive grenades going off in unison. Each bolt was constant, like that of a Tesla coil, equidistant from one another, and slowly but surely they began to swirl around a central point. Faster and faster, until all that could be seen was a wall of swirling, coursing electricity. For about a minute and a half, the lightning was unchanging, but all at once the campsite fell dark, the wind stopped, and every trace of lightning disappeared. In its place, a young man was standing stock-still, hands limp at his sides, his head tilted back, and eyes staring off into space. His long brown jacket rustled a little, then fell back, and for the moment, all was still.

A bright lance of electricity arced from his right hand to the ground, and it seemed to snap him out of whatever trance held his mind. His eyes, a calm, tranquil brown, searched the area for something familiar, something to jar his memory of where he was, how he came to be here, and most importantly, why he was there. Spotting Archer’s tent, he turned and made for it, sliding his hands into his jacket pockets and looking around, almost as if self-conscious, though he was really looking for anything that might clue him in to his whereabouts.

Now, he will tell his story.


For some reason, my head was still buzzing and my eyes were having trouble adjust to the dimness of my surroundings following the bright tunnel that lead me to this camp. Just shy of stumbling around, my only guiding light was the fire, the heat flowing from its burning fuel like a beacon to my senses, the waves of energy it gave off an undulating column of crimson light, though it illuminated nothing around it. I can’t quite recall what lead me to the following realization, but some innate sixth sense told me that what I was seeing was the true Heat Energy given off by the flames, and as soon as it hit, the changes in my head were almost too much to describe.

Instantly, the whole world lit up as if the sun were out, despite it having either dipped beneath, or yet to peek over the horizon. The rocks around me glowed with a faint teal, I could see the luminescence of the green plants, though I knew that, given the mountainous surroundings, they would be withered and nearly brown by lack of water. I couldn’t exactly say what the green represented, but I could feel that there was something great hidden within it.

The brightness shocked me, but I tried to keep a straight face as I sought out the owner of the campsite. I turned to the tent, I could see a figure of white burning brightly behind a screen of dull brown, the overall shape human. The brilliance was such that it made me look away briefly to rub my eyes, wishing that whatever was granting me such uncommon vision would just go away. I opened my eyes, and the lights were gone, replaced by the true campsite.

I thought it best not to approach the tent too closely, as I couldn’t be sure if it’s occupant would really be all that friendly to someone who’d appeared out of nowhere (I could only assume that’s how it happened, as I couldn’t recall having walked to this location). With more than a little unease, I slid my right hand behind my head to scratch an imagined itch before clearing my throat and speaking.

“Ahhm~… Yeah, uh, hello? If you speak English, I was wondering if you might lend me a hand?”

[Archer]

It was mere moments after his head hit the pillow of his rudimentary camp-bed that the earth began to shudder, the sound of falling pots and pans outside the tent disturbing any rest the young Alchemist may have been planning to achieve. Rising from his bed once again, he moved to the opening of the tent, just as a sudden gust of wind blew the flap of canvas aside, gripping onto the material in an attempt to drag it away to the distance.

He pulled his jacket back over his shoulders, arms sliding through the sleeves as he walked determinedly through the opening, raising his left arm to help protect his face against the buffeting wind. Every few seconds, a new flash of light would illuminate the campsite as a bolt of mysterious lightning struck down against the ground, a roar of thunder being it’s only accomplice. Out of the corner of his eye, Archer could see the figure of a small metal Liixan, a pair of aviator sunglasses over its eyes, slurping some unknown liquid from a bottle through a straw.

Before he could express his annoyance and surprise at the robot’s escape from the bag, the final bolts of lightning struck and swirled, a distant vortex of energy convulsing wildly in the night. Until a few minutes later, as suddenly and randomly as it had arrived, the energy dispersed in a flash, leaving a figure stood alone against the darkening skyline.

What the hell was that, questioned Archer internally; in all his years of scientific study, he had never heard of a spectacle such as this, an alien life-form, perhaps? Just as the idea cropped across his train of thought, another brief flash burst what appeared to be the figure’s palm, seemingly snapping him into consciousness. He spotted Archer’s came, and started lazily wandering towards him.

Shit, he thought, I’m not prepared... if he’s hostile, I’m in trouble. Although he’d grabbed his jacket before leaving the tent, he was ready to call it a night until the phenomenon took place; wearing just his simplest khakis and white tank-top, his belt was left by his bedside, the Archangel and his other tricks and treats still attached firmly to it. In a moment of inspiration, he padded one hand against his uppermost jacket pocket, letting out a sigh of relief as he reached inside, pulling out the fragmented piece of chalk that had fallen from the packet.

Grabbing a nearby saucepan, he kept one eye on the approaching figure, whose eyes were currently covered by his own palms as he seemingly tried to clear his eyes of something, whilst his other checked scrupulously for errors on the transmutation circle he was scribing against the base of the pan. Dropping the chalk as soon as he was finished, he turned to face the figure, who had now completed his journey to the campsite.

“Ahhm~… Yeah, uh, hello? If you speak English, I was wondering if you might lend me a hand?” the figure said; for all intensive purposes, he looked just like any other human male, but someone of that description doesn’t appear in the middle of nowhere in a flash of electricity. Better stay careful, thought Archer, tightening his grip slightly on the pan’s handle.

“...with what exactly?” he asked, his voice giving away no sign of emotion whatsoever.

[kihaku]

For a moment, I couldn't find the words. I fumbled about in my own mind, trying to divine exactly what it was I'd hoped to acheive by approaching his camp. The truth was that I was at just as much a loss for an answer as I was for my location, and upon this realization I simply dropped my hand and lowered my head. I was forcing myself to stay collected, there was no way I was going to come across as my usual self; dorky, smart-ass that I am, I needed this person to tell me where I was, maybe even help me out. That wasn't going to happen if I alienated him right away.

Decided, I answered him the same way he'd answered me: emotionless, calm, but wary at the same time. "I'm sorry, I know this must seem really strange... but... I don't know where I am. In fact, I don't even know how I got here. Something like that does have a tendency to put one ill at ease."

I removed my hands from my jacket pockets, pulled it somewhat back, and instead slid them into my pants pockets. Why, I have no clue, but for some reason doing something with my hands, no matter how trivial, was helping to keep me calm.

"I was hoping that you might be able to help me. Any information you could provide would be more than I could expect, or even direction to the nearest city would better."

[Gray]

As the words left Prometheus' mouth, a low boom came from the heavens, like rolling thunder and what looked like a large metal object, cubed in shape, hurtled towards the ground some 100 feet from where Prometheus stood.

If anyone around the impact had an ability to sense power levels they would have realized one sprang up right before impact and then dissapeared right after.

Where the object landed stood a small crater, some 20 feet in diameter. What sat in the middle was what looked like a large metal crate that most would see in space trade transport ship bearing the logo of a prominent shipping company.

As the dust began settling down, a small groan escaped the broken pieces of the metal crate as one large break off piece, about 8 feet by 8 feet began to shift, as if something beneath was trying to get out. "You've got... to be kidding..."

[Archer]

"I'm sorry, I know this must seem really strange... but... I don't know where I am. In fact, I don't even know how I got here. Something like that does have a tendency to put one ill at ease. I was hoping that you might be able to help me. Any information you could provide would be more than I could expect, or even direction to the nearest city would better."

Just after the dramatic pause that he'd left intentionally for the effect it created, Archer opened his mouth to speak, but the only noise to emerge was a low, rumbling boom. It was syncronised so perfectly that even he almost though he'd made the noise, until he saw the reddish glow in the sky that indicated some object entering the planet's atmosphere. Interesting, he thought, his eyes locked on the increasingly large spark in the heavens.

"Well, the first piece of information I'd offer," he said, eyes twitching momentarily from the glow to the alien and back, "is to take some sort of cover from that." Upon that word, he swiftly turned his back and re-entered his tent, just as the object became recognisable to the human eye (not that his were paying attention to it-- anything falling at those speeds is bound to cause trouble.)

Before his acquaintance from the unknown entered the tent (the only noticeable cover for a considerable distance), the young alchemist strung his belt back around his waist. As soon as the leather was fastened around his form, a strong gust of wind shook the tent to it's foundations, the only thing holding it in place was the occupant(s) inside, a small cloud of dust bursting through the tent's entrance.

Leaving the pan on the floor of the tent when the wind subsided, Archer walked out once again, this time into a curtain of settling dust around a single point, not very far away. Walking over to the area, the falling cloud parted, showing the shards of metal debris that lined the ground, a painted logo still in tact on one sizeable chunk. Archer laughed a haughty 'Ha!' besides himself.

"Well well," he said loudly, adressing the stranger behind him, and secretly hoping the impact had destroyed the annoying robot that had followed him from the mountains, "isn't this the central of cosmic coincidence today?" A series of bleeps (that oddly resembled the bleeps that cover up obsenities on family shows) that floated from a wriggling sack to his right crushed his optimistic thoughts in almost the same way as they'd envisioned the creation's destruction moments ago.

As he approached the wreckage, it seemed to be complaining.
"You've got... to be kidding..." it said, in no uncertain terms. One of the larger pieces of rubble was shifting uncomfortabley. Whipping a fresh piece of chalk from his belt, Archer bent down besides the lump of metal and got to work, doing his best to scribe an accurate transmutation circle upon the rumbling surface. A few seconds later, he directed his voice towards a hole in the rubble.

"Hold still now," he said, and placed a palm flat against the surface. A golden glow lightened the darkness around them as the large metal surface began to take form as something new (a collection of metal rods, each roughly six feet in length: Archer wasn't letting go of the options that either of the newly arrived life-forms were hostile), revealing whatever or whomever lay beneath...

...but before the hidden figure was fully revealed, the following missive weedled it's way into the depths of Archer's mind; even by the nature of the introduction he found it difficult to know if any of his surrounding guests had recieved it also, seeing as they had evidently just arrived on the planet:

Warriors of Dragonia, hear my words... I am in need of your immediate assistance. For those who wish to help me I promise glory, riches and power beyond your wildest possible dreams. All of you who are interested meet up with two of my allies in the most northern part of the country where the land dies, the mountains surround and time appears to stand still; the old ruins in the North of Metapha. That is where your journey begins. They will be there at midnight, but they will not wait for long. Without your help all will be lost. Hurry.

For the second time that night, Archer let out a bellowing bout of laughter; if the surrounding figures had not heard the message, they might've thought him insane. But this telekinetic interruption was the exact lead he had been waiting for; his suspiscious thoughts finally had meaningful grounds. Even if this particular message turned out to be a red herring, it was surely a sign that things on Dragonia were about to take a turn for the worse.

Turning away from the dissapating pile of rubble, almost forgetting his doubts about the friendliness of these intruders of his peaceful night, Archer walked towards the camp, his body expelling an intimidating air of confidence. He grabbed the wriggling sack by it's tie, hauling it up into the air (much to the discontent of it's inhabitent), and turned to face the man who had pleaded for help.

"I've decided," he started, "That we're going to Metapha. Anything else, I'll explain on the way. Now," he held the bag aloft, it's squirming contents clanking unnervingly, "Your job for now is to hold this bag. Do not let anything get out of it. Clear?"

Regardless of whether it was in fact clear or otherwise, he absentmindedly tossed the bag in the man's direction, and set about dissassembling his camp. Although Metapha was in a different time zone, he still had little time to get there; a few measly hours at best until midnight. Bursts of golden energy fluxuated around the area as pots and pans returned to simple balls of matter, as the alchemist's mind raced, trying to devise a solution before the opportunity was too far out of reach.

[kihaku]

Things seemed like they were starting out well enough, though a storm seemed to be brewing just behind me. It sounded as if thunder was going off, until it clicked in the back of my mind that the dull roar wasn't fading away.

"Well, the first piece of information I'd offer... is to take some sort of cover from that."

I followed the man's gaze and saw, just in time, the flaming object aimed almost directly at the tiny camp. My eyes widened and my jaw went slack in an unfortunate lapse of wits. It took me literally a few seconds to gather them back around me and follow the stranger's lead back into the tent. I knew that I didn't have permission but he really didn't seem to mind. My heart was pounding, my hearing was clouded with the blood rushing through my body, and I had to grit my teeth to prevent myself from saying something increadibly stupid.

Before much preparation could be made, it felt as if a stick of dynamite went off only a few dozen yards from the small tent. I closed my eyes and pleaded with the powers that be to protect us from harm. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as if in eerie response just as the wind buffeted the sides of our cover. I opened my eyes, trying to absorb the fact that it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

The dust settled and the two of us stepped outside. Looking around, I could almost make out a shape, almost like a dome covering the tent. It was there for barely a heartbeat before it was gone, leading me to wonder if I'd really seen anything at all. Brushing it from my mind, I turned my attention to the more pressing sensory issues: the irritating beeping coming from a wriggling sack, the immense amount of dust in the air, and the heat that was quickly lessening from the sides of the... cube?

"Well well, isn't this the central of cosmic coincidence today?"

I tried to figure out that comment, and realized sheepishly he was refering to me as well. Self-conscious again, I put my hands back into my pockets and looked upon him as he did his work with a mild interest. Normally I would be completely freaking out at the crater and fallen object, but the whole landing had galvanized me against what was about to happen next.

The guy from the camp drew what looked like a pagan symbol on the side of the capsule that was twitching, then it glowed with a bright light before falling away as several long rods. My eyebrows shot up excitedly, but I suppressed all else. I'd only ever heard of alchemy in old books and anime's, but here it was right in front of me, transmutation of the most real kind.

Just before I could say something, I felt pressure in the back of my head, a sudden thudding against my temples that caused me to stagger for a moment. At first I thought it was another one of my rare powerful migraines until words coalesced inside my mind as clearly as a microphone lodged in my brain.

*message*

My head still ringing, I was brought sharply back to reality by a harsh, barked laughter. The camper seemed pleased by something, but I had no idea whether it was something I'd missed or if he too had received the message from the unkown sender. He grabbed the still-wriggling sack and held it aloft for a moment before turning to me. He seemed, at the time, to exhude a self-assurance I hadn't detected before, as if my presence, nor the fallen one's, bothered him any longer.

"I've decided."

"O-oh?"

"That we're going to Metapha. Anything else, I'll explain on the way."

"Er-"

"Now," holding the bag out, he continued, "Your job for now is to hold this bag. Do not let anything get out of it. Clear?"

Without waiting for a response, he tossed it to me.

"Jesus!"

The sack thudded against my chest, winding me slightly, and with it's unceasing writhing, I promptly dropped it, I'm almost certain, on its head.

"Shissa," I swore under my breath, quickly picking up the sack by its tie and eyeing it with a suspicious glance. "N-not to be nosey, but what exactly shouldn't I let out? And what about the guy from the sky?"

[Archer]

It seemed like an impossible task; in a matter of hours, they had to not only make it to the coastline of Bedoe, which in itself could take days if tackled incorrectly; the mountains that surround the country standing as a constant border patrol. However, should one make it to the coast in ample time, they would then need to cross the ocean to Metapha, and then make their way to the northernmost point of the island. So either, the pair would need to find a fast way to the eastern coast of Bedoe, then commandeer or manufacture a boat worthy of crossing the seas, or they'd have to take to the skies instead.

These were the thoughts rushing back and forth through Archer's unceasing mind, to the point at which he had almost ignored the fact that the newcomer was addressing him.

"N-not to be nosey, but what exactly shouldn't I let out?"

Without breaking a second, Archer's reply breached his lips before he even realised what it was:
"Unfinished research project."

One good thing about the situation is that the bag had stopped beeping, however the silence that followed seemed more ominous than any annoying noise it could muster.

"And what about the guy from the sky?"

Archer glanced over at the rubble and poles again, seeing the figure who'd caused the fuss moments ago.
"He's welcome to come, too. But unless he can fly or teleport, I'm not sure what use he'd be..."

During the conversation, Archer had remained on-task, reducing his campsite back into easily transportable matter; this was fine, until the point at which he realised that the bag he had used to transport the goods was now being used to restrain an overly hyperactive droid. He could almost feel it grinning at him.

Leaving the lumps of metal and cloth on the ground for now, he stood up straight, and a wave of realisation caught him, dragging him down into it's undertow.

"How terribley rude of me," he said, turning so that both of the newcomers could see him clearly, "I quite forgot to introduce myself." He gave a slight bow, maintaining his view on the figures all the while, "Magnus Archimedes; call me 'Archer'. And who may you be, exactly?"

[Gray]

Gray welt annoyed as he pushed on the heavy metal crate laying on top of him, as he was about to give a mighty shove, something felt like it hit him in the back of the head, shocking him from head to toe, kind of like being doused with cold water, only without the wet, just the shock.

*message*

Metal creaked and the large piece of the tansport cargo crate was lifted off of him by something mechanical. Gray didn't have too much experience with something like this but he thought he heard stories, something called Alchemy. No one on Eyeel knew much about it though.

"Damn, that hurt," he said sitting up. "Thank you," he said, but his voiced seemed to fall short, since neither of the two seemed to have actually heard him, and the one controlling the machine, the one who laughed, didn't seem the least bit interested. The other, to what Gray could tell, was a servent, the way the other threw his bag to him, ordering him to hold onto it.

Defensively Gray removed a small flask at his side and opened the top. It seemed empty as he began filling it with the sandy dirt he had created upon impact. Quickly topping it off he placed it back at his side climbing the rest of the way up.

"Hmmm... I guess this planet's name is Dragonia... but... why would that... voice ask for my help? I haven't been in the planet's atmosphere for even a couple minutes." He thought to himself.

He heared the alchemist talk about going to where the dissembodied voice talked about, and assumed they had heard the same message.

"And what about the guy from the sky?" said the servent boy, didn't look much older than he. Gray felt a little annoyed, the Faction that he came from didn't believe that anyone was above anyone else, so servitude was considered rude to do to someone.

"He's welcome to come, too. But unless he can fly or teleport, I'm not sure what use he'd be..." This irked Gray for a moment as he pushed off the ground, floating upwards to them from the bottom of the crater, landing next to the servent just in time to hear the introduction.

"And yes I can fly. I got the message too you know, means I'm considered a warrior of this planet... I don't even know anything about this planet, but I don't mind in helpin'," he said looking to the servent.

"My names Gray, I am Eyeel," he said with a nod, as if they were to know the name. He wasn't actually in his solar system so there is no telling they knew of the Eyeel. Other planets within his own system knew the name well and the name itself would be enough to grant respect.

"Who are you and... uh... where am I exactly?"

[Archer]

Archer's brow furrowed into mild annoyance as the second newcomer floated gloatingly towards him. Just as he thought he'd got the situation under control, peope had to go and start having independant thought. How rude!

"And yes I can fly. I got the message too you know, means I'm considered a warrior of this planet... I don't even know anything about this planet, but I don't mind in helpin'," the newcomer said, his eyes shifting between the other two in this unlikely trio. Well, Archer thought, he can fly, at least, and that's better than nothing.

"My names Gray, I am Eyeel; Who are you and... uh... where am I exactly?"

At the mention of the planet's name, Archer's mind flicked through his memories from his studies; the name flared a brief recolection from his courses in Higher Astronomy, but nothing of any significance. However, this one was also blissfully unaware of his location, even on a planetary standard by the looks of things. He wondered for a moment how these people got anywhere in life if they could simply arrive on a planet with no knowledge of it's geography or culture.

"Welcome then, Gray; Firstly, you may well be able to fly, but what you can also carry is what needs testing. But we'll get to that in a moment..." he let out a sigh of disbelief; as if he really didn't believe that he was about to explain something this fundamentally simple.

"However, seeming as you both seem to be totally unaware of your situation, I should probably begin by enlightening you. You are currently," he left a slight pause for effect, "In the middle of nowhere. More specifically, you're in the middle of nowhere on the continent of Bedoe, on the planet of Dragonia. The destination, Metapha, lies some many miles to the east, across a stretch of ocean. Any questions thus far?

[kihaku]

The newcomer, though I realized instantly that I wasn't any more a veteran of this planet than he as soon as I thought it, was clearly annoyed by the fact we were talking as if he weren't around. I'd been about to apologize, but he floated over as if he could walk on air! Alchemy and unaided flight!? Physics and all I knew about reality were quickly unraveling in front of me and I was powerless to stop it.

Not that I was upset, I was instead kind of jealous that they both had these sudden powers and I had simply plopped into being on an alien planet. Still, he too introduced himself and I felt it was rude to not follow in kind.

"Ahm, yeah, my name's Brandon Haggardy, though my friends just call me 'Pro,' a nick-name from my middle name 'Prometheus.'"

Realizing I was rambling, I shut my mouth with a rush of chastising thoughts to myself.

"I'm... um, Human," I added, since I had no freaking idea what the Hell an Eyleel was, "From, in order of size, Earth, U.P.C., California, San Francisco. It's pleasant to finally know you both."

I felt a small bit out of my league, having nothing really positive or helpful to contribute, but at least I was making some minor social progress, and considering the circumstances, that wasn't really a bad thing.

[Gray]

Gray nodded his head and gave a short smile to Prometheus and looked back at Archer. "I am no servent of yours. I will not carry an ounce of your possessions when spoken to so rudely," he said his shoulders back and his head straight. Eyeelmen are very stubborn people. Once his mind was set then that was that. "If you are not strong enough to hold your own possessions then you don't need them." He said folding his arms.

As he folded his arms it could be noticed two long daggers to either side of his hips. This was not shown in any threatening way, as they were not brought out as such, they were barely visable under his coat, their black and red hilts standing out against his pants that looked to be made up of sand itself.

[Archer]

"I am no servent of yours. I will not carry an ounce of your possessions when spoken to so rudely. If you are not strong enough to hold your own possessions then you don't need them."

Wondering which servents he actually had, Archer gave Gray a sideways look, before shaking his head slightly.
"I believe you misunderstand me," he said, deftly flicking a lump of chalk from his belt, "Observe."
Kneeling down, he began to inscribe a quick, relatively simple transmutation circle on the ground in front of them; within a minute it was complete, and when his palm pressed flat against it, a flash of golden light revealed an accurately detailed map of Dragonia etched in the ground itself. As he stood up again, Archer's eyes caught on the glimps of metal on Gray's belt. Don't forget the possibilities, Archer, he muttered internally.

"This is a map of the planet you are currently inhabiting," he said plainly, picking up one of the metal poles which had rolled away from Gray's crash site and pointing to the centre of the larger land-mass displayed on the left side of his impromptu map, "We're currently here. I'd say the scale of this map is roughly 1 kilometre per inch. Our destination," he said, sliding the rod's tip along the dust, creating a trail to the top of one of the islands in the centre of the map, "is here. Taking time-change into account, we have roughly 3 hours to reach there. I have no issue with carrying my own possessions; if you recall, it was under twenty minutes ago that I was alone in this wilderness before you two arrived, and I managed just fine with my luggage then. The issue here is that if we are to make any impact in this event, then we need to cover an impossible distance by foot within the time set. I cannot fly, and would cross this ocean and give my aid in this situation. Given the circumstances, I cannot do this alone, and would be grateful for your help."

[kihaku]

At this point, there wasn't much I could do. Gray was apparently taking offense to something that Archer had said, Archer was simply ignoring this and going about his business, and all the while I was doing the best I could not to make a pest of myself. To occupy myself, I picked up a small stone and tossed it into the air, caught it, and simply continued to do so.

Archer drew his map of the planet, or what I took to be the geography of Dragonia, and began to explain our current situation. Absentmindedly tossing my small stone,

"The issue here is that if we are to make any impact in this event, then we need to cover an impossible distance by foot within the time set. I cannot fly,"

'Yeah, that'd be gravity at work.'

"...and would cross this ocean and give my aid in this situation."

I shrugged and thought to myself, 'Yeah, well, if we could nullify gravity, we'd love to give that a try.'

Then I realized I'd lost my stone. I lowered my head, patted my pockets, scuffled my feet against the rocky ground, all the while checking for the little pebble I'd grown somewhat fond of. Thinking of the dome around the tent I'd seen, I paused in my searching and took a peek upwards.

"Well... That's new."

The rock was floating a few feet above my head, perfectly still, though I could feel a slight bit of heat being given off from it. All of a sudden, I felt it again, that increadibly powerful burst of insight of... I'm not entirely sure how to describe it, but I suppose it could be described as "interconectivity."

I blinked out of instinct, and the world in front of me changed again, just as it had before. The rock, dull and brown, seemed to be sucking in a dark gray that I hadn't noticed before. Instead, a noticeable red aura was emanating from it in a constant flow.

'It... it shouldn't be doing that.'

As soon as I thought that, the red ceased, and instantly the darkness wrapped around the stone, instantly pulling it to the ground.

=======================================================

"Given the circumstances, I cannot do this alone, and would be grateful for your help."

"Sounds like a plan."

Brandon turned around to face the pair, his left hand in his pants pocket, his right hand idly playing with a small pebble no larger than a marble. His face was calm, pleasant, with a smile playing around his lips.

"See, it turns out that I've got these powers I've... well, really, just figured out, and I think I've got the answer to our problem."

Brandon blinked, and instantly his brown eyes turned a blazing red, almost glowing the moonlight. His fingers stilled, and the rock lifted from his hand as if gravity had been turned off. He shrugged.

"Guess I can make things fly, fancy that, ay?"

He smiled, bright teeth flashing cheekily.

"Not so bad for a first day."

[Archer]

He had been so caught up in his discussion with Gray, who, though stubborn, from first impression seemed the most reliable of the pair, that he had almost forgotten that Brandon was still there. Therefore, it was even more surprising when he said the following words:

"See, it turns out that I've got these powers I've... well, really, just figured out, and I think I've got the answer to our problem."

Intrigued, Archer turned to face him full on, watching with interest as Brandon's eyes turned from brown to burning red in, literally, the blink of an eye, and the pebble lifted effortlessly from his palm. Impressed, Archer looked rapidly between the pebble and the man's eyes; the force behind this was not immediately evident. If he were using some form of Telekinesis, then his eyes needn't have changed colour; that is, unless it was a rare exception case. He allowed himself to grin slightly.

"Well well, that's interesting," he said, glancing around himself for a moment to gain some idea of perspective; if Gray could fly by himself, then either he would need to carry Brandon, the equipment, or Archer himself. Then, Brandon's power would, given luck, be able to transport the rest. It would depend on the extent of this hitherto undiscovered ability; some tests would have to be run, but the hope that their target would be met was slowly creeping up upon them.

"Try lifting up those items," he said, pointing to the orbs of matter that was once his camp, "and we'll see what we can do from there, Bra--" He paused for a moment.

"Prometheus, was it?" he said, "I like the ring of that..."

(Not the best post but we need to start getting out of here)