Saga: Sudden Assembly

[Ryan - Loki]

(OOC: Sorry about my delay people. As you've all probably read in the OOC section i've been very sick this last week. I probably wont be able to make another post until Sunday night/Monday.)

Finally his senses had been given the time needed to readjust after the “move” and since then, having been propped up against a wall of sorts by prince Seriyu due to his fatigue, Ryan had merely been listening to everything that had been said, by both sides for that matter. Something then struck Ryan with great force, a force so hard that it almost forced all of the wind within his lungs out from within them; where was Loki?

Already being sat upright Ryan merely pushed himself off of the wall somewhat, sitting up by his own accord, as his hand instinctively reached for cusp of his blade. Scanning the room rapidly with his eyes Ryan soon found them falling upon Loki, who was leaning against the wall not too far off from him on his left, his eyes closed as if meditating; Ryan knew better. Either side of Loki stood Natas and Dramanius, the latter standing with his arms folded while surveying the happenings of the room, while Natas merely crouched upon the floor doing much of the same. Ryan didn’t trust them, he couldn’t, but without their powers they were unlikely to do anything rash; he hoped.

Having spotted them Ryan returned his attention back towards the room, however through the corner of his eye he caught sight of prince Seriyu; he looked frightened and worried. Ryan’s hand moved up to his shoulder and squeezed it softly and reassuringly. He gave the young prince a smile to let him know that all would be fine, though Ryan was unsure of such himself. At any rate it had become time for him to make his own introduction. With a grunt Ryan pushed up from the marble floor, it’s coldness rushing through the palm of his hand, as he finally stood and began moving forward through the group; prince Seriyu close behind.

‘Honourable mages, please, lend me your eyes for a moment.’ his body fatigued and it showed in the gruffness of his voice, the soreness of his throat. Ryan knew he had interrupted the mages from answering Aion’s question, and an important question it was for the young Nenian, and as such Ryan placed a hand upon his shoulder as he reached beside him; he would not take the mages attention for long. ‘My name is Ryan Jiaoimasu, last samurai and prince of the Jiaoimasu clan, as well as royal aid, general and teacher for the Lavertian royal family.’ It was a long title, longer than Ryan had realised, though he was now glad he had shortened it.

He released his hand from atop Aion’s shoulder and waved it behind him towards Seriyu. ‘I am teacher and protector to Prince Seriyu, hair to the throne of Lavertia.’ Ryan stepped in front of him once more, protectively. ‘I am afraid some of what you think to be fact is actually false. Along the years the story has quite clearly been altered, though this is a tale for another time. Instead there are far more important things that must be addressed right now…’ He paused suddenly.

The seriousness of the changes to the planet were finally hitting home for Ryan. Everything was gone. Everything had changed. All that Ryan had known, all that he had believed in. The royal family, Seriyu’s parents, were now certainly passed on. All whom he loved had also died. Ruby…

‘Personally I am only interested in one thing,’ the voiced echoed out from behind the group within the room, a slight shrillness to it despite its tone. It was Loki. ‘What concern of yours is it what we did in the past, or what we do with OUR powers.’ Despite the somewhat demanding words he had chosen to use Loki had managed to speak in such a tone of voice that his sentence had hardly seemed threatening; one of his talents no doubt. ‘Sooner or later you’ll have to give us back our powers and when you do what makes you think those of us who didn’t appreciate having their powers stripped from them without permission, hypothetically speaking of course, wont use those powers to grasp revenge?’ he lifted his hand and clenched it in gesture to his words. ‘What do you plan to do? Keep us locked up and powerless forever?’

Ryan span his head and looked at Loki. ‘Because there are some of us still here who wont allow you to!’ he spat. ‘Keep your forked tongue in your mouth Loki!’

Loki looked surprised, though for those who knew him better knew it was put on. ‘Me? Brother, I was simply speaking from a hypothetical point of view.’ those his wiry smirk didn’t help him to appear convincing.

Turning away Ryan closed his eyes and took a deep breath, he would remain calm. He slowly opened his eyes again and focused upon the high lord. ‘High lord Estrkin, I second general Aion’s question; the former residents of the north pole, the Dragonians known as the Nenian’s, and the rest of the people of our time…what has transpired of them?’ Ryan almost knew the answer before it was given, though he prayed to the Elder Gods that he was mistaken.

[Jimmy Claymore]

Rizuk hadn't said anything after the council's latest revelation... this should probably be a matter of great concern for anyone watching as this suddenly out of character pause was deeply worrying. He was standing with his arms folded as he absorbed the information he'd been given, they were the only one's left. Everyone else they'd known had been left a thousand years in the past, which wasn't a great concern for Rizuk, even if that meant his cult was dead. He'd just form a new one.

What was bothering him was the story, two things were concerning him. First of all, why did this High Mage have such a detailed story of a time 1000 years ago. As far as he knew, nobody knew that they were going to that cave, so how had he heard about it? If not him personally, someone must have been aware of both Loki's plot and the area where they would be frozen since they found it. That was concerning, they were there for a thousand years an unaware, who knows what could have happened. But that wasn't quite as serious as the second observation...

Someone or something had been responsible for this time freeze, and he seriously doubted it was that bomb being detonated by Loki. This council seemed far too convenient in light of this, there was something going on here that they didn't want them to know about. But, they were unfrozen, they could move, and they hadn't simply tried to kill them with overwhelming force. This was a strange situation, it'd be best if he just had a few minutes to stop and think about all of this, he wasn't going to alarm the others yet. But, before he could consider everything properly, his companions began chipping in with comments. Aion thanked him for the compliment and he nodded to the fallen Nenian but his question was irritating. He would have hoped it was obvious...

Before he could respond, he groaned as he heard a familiar voice chip in after Ryan's
"Awww, fuck, Loki's not dead. Gimme 5 minutes and a hacksaw and I'll remedy that..." He turned to face the silver haired nightmare with a fierce glare and a look of decided distaste "Y'know, since your powers are sealed along with ours we could at the very least lynch-mob you, how would that taste do you think? Can't believe you have the nerve to act offended, piece of shit like you, I would have had your organs laid out on display in front of you, before you woke up if I'd realised you were here. Let's see you come back from that" Rizuk heard Ryan's imploring to know of the fate of Dragonia's people and found himself wincing. He liked the guy, he was a good warrior, but for the love of crap...
"They're dead and they're descendents are sitting in those chairs, Ryan! I mean, shit, man, how long do you think you monkeys live? He already told you that this cataclysm didn't actually wipe people out, those Nenian guys are probably fine, although, I wouldn't hold out much help for meeting the people you remember"

The dragon had one last question he felt he had to ask
"So, since we're here, I assume you think your ready to interact with us 'warriors'... or is there something else you need?" He made no illusions to chance in this, there was no way they would be there when they woke up unless they had instructions or were the ones who unfroze them. What he was curious to hear was which it would be.

[Ray Hiryuzui]

During the entire debacle, the Jenevan remained quiet. If it wasn't for his lack of psychokinesis, he wouldn't have even remained. Having his psionic might sealed away within his own body meant that any course of action he wanted to take was restricted. Ray had no ties to any of these people and had no reason to be transported into that underground cavern. Regardless of that fact, he was now here, cramped in with these beings, and he couldn't even leave.

The young warrior monk sat on the ground, his legs crossed and his eyes closed shut as he focused intensely, attempting to breach the seal and regain his full might. He could feel psionic energy trickling through, tempting the Jenevan, but even with all of his effort, Raykenzu could do nothing. That fact infuriated him. Regardless, even without his powers, his physical might was still well beyond the norm in regards to the general population of this planet. He was half tempted to punch and kick his way through a wall, but he was certain that one wrong move would bring hundreds, if not thousands of tons on top of him and the rest.

Without psionic energy, there'd be no way he'd free himself. Even his regenerative rate would prove fruitless in that situation.

So like the others, Ray sat and waited. Since nothing of interest came up, he pretty much ignored the rest of the bunch, not even giving them a glance until something of importance arose. Even when their captors returned, the Jenevan pretty much ignored them and kept to himself, continuously attempting to break his seal and gain his powers.

Moreover, we have also come to find that you have been frozen for a little over one-thousand years, give or take a century.”

He heard that loud and clear. His yellow eyes flashing open, the Jenevan hopped to his feet, staring at the robbed men in disbelief. They'd been displaced for a millennium? A month, a year, ten years! Anything but 1000 years! His hands slowly rolled into fists as he let out a growl, turning and punching the nearest wall. Had he had access to his psionic abilities, there would've been significant damage. Even with the natural force exerted, force that could've cracked stone and concrete with ease, the wall barely had a knick in it.

Now not to sound like our dragon god friend there but I suggest you let us leave now because it won't be long till you test our patience, and even with our abilities restrained we are still not going to play house like good little doggies no matter who you are or think you are"

"Will someone shut that damn kid up!?" He shouted, his comment referencing Kaworu after he went off on his tangent once their fates had been revealed. Whether it occurred or not, Ray did not care about it as soon as those words rolled off of his tongue. If 1000 years had truly passed, then his life, his mission, had no meaning! He left Terai-Jin to avenge the deaths on his planet, namely his parents. But by now, those responsible were likely dead! Killing them wouldn't bring his family back, but that wound in his soul could not be mended. Not now.

[kihaku]

Tensions were starting to run high, that much was clear. Already several individuals had begun to threaten violence if their powers and freedom weren't immediately returned to them, which did several things at once. For starters, such verbage of revenge was aggravating their fellow captives, the eloquent Ryan and hot-headed Rizuk most clearly, as well as a man who had opted out of introductions, though looked more like a scholar than a warrior. Moreover, their words and high tempers seemed to cause Therick's eyebrows to crease. He seemed to be trying to decide something, an inner debate going back and forth behind his mostly stoic face. Ser-Nyskel, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying himself immensely. From the start, he hadn't had a very high opinion of the Warriors, and their bickering seemed to only prove his point for him.

'High lord Estrkin, I second general Aion’s question; the former residents of the north pole, the Dragonians known as the Nenian’s, and the rest of the people of our time…what has transpired of them?’

"They're dead and they're descendents are sitting in those chairs, Ryan! I mean, shit, man, how long do you think you monkeys live? He already told you that this cataclysm didn't actually wipe people out, those Nenian guys are probably fine, although, I wouldn't hold out much help for meeting the people you remember"

Verechi shifted uncomfortably after Rizuk's language, though the Lord Mage seemed otherwise unaffected. Instead, he simply chuckled to himself before answering their question.

"You are partially correct, my Draconic friend. Like all the peoples of Noria, the 'Nenians,' as you call them, were forced to adapt and survive." He sat back in his seat and folded his hands in his lap. "I'm not as sure about their past as you are, but I can tell you of their present. 'Lavertia,' sounds much like Leiversa, home of the Leiversians. Their home is now mostly forest, and they prefer to keep to themselves. Now, if the Nenians truly lived at the ice-cap, they don't anymore. They are now the Nethians of the under-sea nation of Menith. And," he raised a single finger, "contrary to the Dragon's statement, they are not amongst our number on the Council.

Several decades back, we came to an understanding. Their intolerance for extended periods on dry land, as well as incredible difficulty in reaching their home created an impass that neither side could truly bridge. In the end, they allow us to pass judgement without them, on the condition that we do not attempt to encroach upon their territory around Menith, north of the Void."

"So, since we're here, I assume you think your ready to interact with us 'warriors'... or is there something else you need?"

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

My heart sank in my chest as the realization hit me full-force. It was as if a light had been flicked on in my head, and all of the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. Their legend, our current lack of powers...

"You're not going to let us go, are you?"

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

It seemed the question the Council had been avoiding had finally been asked, and made several of them very uncomfortable. Ser-Nyskel, on the other hand, only grinned wider.

"No, we're not. You see, it is my belief that the legend of the Warriors is mostly true, and I convinced my peers that it would be in our best interest to investigate your personalities and histories further before allowing you use of your powers. Who on this Council could tell whether or not you would all turn against us, or create such a rift in our nation as would be uncrossable? No," he shook his head slowly, "it is in Ithroia's best interest to keep you powerless for now, at least until we can be sure you mean our people no harm."

"As much as it sticks in my craw, I must agree with Nyskel." Therick spoke up, his mind made up, but his brows still drawn together as if his newfound determination brought his soul no peace. "As High Lord of the Knights, it falls directly on my shoulders to ensure that our people are protected from steel and skills, of which we know nothing of you." He sighed and looked at each of them as he spoke. "I am not a superstitious man, but I would lose the respect of my Captains if I did not at least give the legend some merit, insofar as the danger you may pose to the Guild and Ithroia."

"In layman's terms, yes, we're done with you for today. Some of the Knights will escort you to the Holding Room, where you will be provided for until we need you." It was almost sickening how he danced around the words "dungeon" and "imprisoned," but no matter what the warriors might have had to say, there was nothing that could be done.

Armor clanked, and a dozen people of various size and shapes approached the warriors with lowered visors and weapons at the ready, though not necessarily poised to strike. They were prepared for the unexpected, and wouldn't be taken unawares. One man stepped forward, carrying his helmet instead. On his back, a red cape of a light, airy material flowed behind him. A gold eagle grasping a sword in one claw and a spear in the other with a shield over its chest emblazoned on both his cape and his chestplate displayed the arms of the Knights proudly.

"I am Captain Syller. Please follow me to Holding." He turned smartly on his heels and marched towards the exit, with the twelve other knights herding the group along. The walk wasn't arduous, even after their debilitating mode of travel. They didn't descend nearly as far as a few might have thought, and came to a halt in front of a room with no door. Over and around it, symbols carved and painted into the stone glowed with a soft blue light.

"These are the Wall Cyphers. They allow entrance, but not exit. From within, it will appear as if the door doesn't even exist. As you can see," he motioned into the room, "there are large, barred windows. They will not permit a body to pass between them, but allow in a comfortable amount of light. Enough food will be provided to keep you all from going hungry, and if you require it, blankets can be procured. If you require anything else, simply come to the wall opposite the windows, and say what you need. If we deem it appropriate, it may be given to you. Now, if you please," he stepped back, and the other Knights crowded in a little closer, pushing slightly until each and every one of the Warriors were now in the room.

Four bare stone walls, one with unreachably high windows. There were several occupants already, though they paid the newcomers no mind. A few slept, one stared wistfully at the windows, and another stared at nothing in particular.

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

"... I'm starting to miss the violent mobs."

[Jimmy Claymore]

Rizuk raised an eyebrow at being told the Nenian descendents weren't part of this council, he muttered to himself as the Lord Mage continued
"I'm not a fuckin' psychic, man, give me a break". When he finally answered the most important question it was Nyskel again that was talking and Rizuk's facial expression as he learnt all of the things that Nyskel had done before they even WOKE UP was beginning to piss him right the hell off and gradually escalating as his brow creased and furrowed, his teeth clenched and his eyes blazed with the kind of rage that only someone with a God Complex can muster. As he finally neared the announcement that they were going to be held by guards, Rizuk was rolling up his sleeves and shouting quite loudly, there may be nothing they could do to avert their fate but that wasn't going to stop the Dragon of Zolan.
"NYSKEL! Arrrrggh, you motherfucker, you absolute unrepentant Mother! FUCKER! You bother to find Legendary Warriors then go out of your way to make them DISLIKE[/b] you!? Are you a Fucking Masochist or something!? Get the Fuck down here, I am going to slap you back to where we come from! HEY! Don't you restrain me! HEY! NYSSKEEEELLL!!!!![/color] Rizuk was finally bustled away along with the others being poked slightly by some lowered spears. He didn't much care that he'd probably managed to make Nyskel appear to be RIGHT in approximately 30 seconds of ranting.

Since there was nothing he could do right now, short of proving that a thousand years of practice and a genetic predisposition to fire made him quite hard to kill, he was slouching along with a firmly fixed glare on his face. He was taking notes of what the corridor looked like and grunted in annoyance at what looked like an exceptional boring cell. The wall cyphers were explained and Rizuk's ears immediately pricked up at what he was hearing, it seemed worth making sure he understood this properly
"So they don't allow exit... how do we get out then?" His eyes were firmly fixed at Captain Syller's and he tried to convey his pure and unadultered annoyance at what was happening. He was bustled inside and stood facing the now WALL with some considerable annoyance and rage seething inside of his chest. He turned to see what that strange guy he didn't know (well... ONE of them) had seen. The inhabitants of this room were most definitely prisoners, sleeping? staring at the window?
"Cheer the fuck up!" Rizuk bellowed at the old prisoners, stepping away from his group and towards the unfortunate souls trapped here "For the love of crap, why aren't you forming escape plans? You monkeys get so lazy..." Rizuk turned to face his group now he was someway in front and folded his arms, a firm glare on his face
"Alright, how are we going to escape and re-activate our powers? Bright ideas anyone?" Rizuk's almost complete inability to admit defeat was certainly useful now as he just faced his allies impassively and waited to hear some spark of wonderful insight of how to get them out. He had a few ideas of his own but most of them would have been fatal to everyone other than him, which, while not a flaw exactly, didn't seem too encouraging. After all, they might be useful later on.

[Ryan - Loki]

Ryan’s worst fears had been confirmed, though logically there couldn’t have been any other answer to his and Aions question. Though Dragonians live for unnatural periods of time, even Ryan was stretched to remember even one tale of a Dragonian living for over a thousand years. They were alone in this world. All they now had was each other, and considering some of their company Ryan wasn’t particularly looking forward to the near future, especially as he knew where this was going.

Before Ryan could ask his next question he heard it. Spinning his head around his eyes fell upon the young man who had attempted to help during the battle within the chamber, the young man who had done something with the universal forces within the chamber to weigh the sword down. In all truth Ryan didn’t truly understand what the young master had done or what his abilities allowed him to do, but it was clear that he was clear in mind and an intellect as well; it would prove well to have another amongst the group in the days to come.

However once again Ryan’s thoughts had proved correct; the mages never planned on releasing them or giving them back their powers, at least now yet. It was widely known that first impressions were important in almost any situation, and no situation was more important than this one, yet Ryan feared that many within the group had not given a great first impression and as such it wouldn’t help their cause. Ryan sighed. There was no point in resisting or trying to reason with the mages. Though they all seemed extremely intellectual on the most part Ryan could actually understand their reasons for why they were being cautious. Ryan knew that in their position he would have done the exact same thing and he was sure that Aion would have as well.

What Ryan assumed could only be a Knight stepped forward, introduced himself as captain Syller and asked them to follow him to their holding room. A sombre expression upon his face Ryan merely bowed his head at the council of mages above him before he began following, prince Seriyu close behind him. It wasn’t long before the group arrived at the holding cell, captain Syller beginning to explain the rules and procedures. Ryan listened closely; he would rather hold all the information and then make educated decisions rather than to not. However the information was hardly too important and so he simply bowed his head at captain Syller and moved into the holding room.

It was bare, four plain walls and a window. The absence of a door allowed for the mind to stretch out towards freedom, so it did its job well, and the bars on the window did allow a healthy amount of light between them; it was by far one of the better prisons he had seen in his time, though this had been his first stay within one.

Slowly Ryan moved across the room to the nearest wall, pressing his back against the cold concrete. He could feel the cold through his cape, though it helped him to feel alive. A dragging sound resounded across the room as Ryan slid down the wall into a sitting position. His head was lowered and so his hair drooped over his headband and covered his eyes. He sat in silence, prince Seriyu taking a crouched position beside him.

Then Rizuk spoke again. There was silence in response, but the silence didn’t last long as Ryan finally spoke; ‘It is simple.’ Ryan muttered softly, his voice reaching out across the room. ‘We do not.’

‘Bravo.’ Loki stepped forward towards the middle of the room, clapping. ‘and I suppose your master plan is to simply play good captives until they decide to grant us our powers and freedom?’ Loki raised his hands and looked at Ryan, waiting for a response.

‘Yes.’ the answer was blunt, emotionless, but it was met with more cynical clapping.

‘Well good luck with that, but myself, I plan on figuring a way out of here. No prison can hold a God!’

[Tidus Revok]

Tidus was leaned against the wall and couldn't help but over hear Ryan and Loki's little quarrel. Trying to keep his hands warm he slipped them into the satchel he was wearing and felt something thin and round resting in it..

Of course! I must have forgotten about it after being knocked out! This is my ticket out! Then again. I can't make it out alone. I'll need some help getting out.

Tidus stepped out between Ryan and Loki and spoke softly as not to be overheard by any of those Knights that led them here.

Look Loki, Let me be blunt. I hate you with an unspeakable passion. The only reason I'm letting you in on this is because I need all the help I can get. As for you Ryan. The quill that was with this scroll has been missing ever since that day we encountered Markis. You and Pariah were there right before he lost it. If you have it I need it NOW! I think I can get us out of here with the scroll.

Tidus turned and spoke to the rest of the prisoners.

Anyone who wants out come with me. And anyone who is scared to fight without powers, Or who wants to play good little prisoner, then just ignore us and stay where you are.

[Shei'ki\Agatha]

Agatha sighed and just sort of let herself be taken away. What good would resisting them do, if they had them all "by the balls" as it were, and they could probably end each and every one of them with little difficulty as it stood. She wasn't a proud creature, she knew when to just shut her mouth and let herself be swept up and away.

Slowly, as she was set into the cell with the others, she came to the realization, from the headhunter mostly, that she'd not had much of a chance to be good, since wresting herself free. She would likely get no positive testimony, no good word from any of the warriors she knew, for they, quite simply, didn't know she was Agatha, and if they did, they would likely not remember... it'd been so long...

Agatha looked to Ryan mournfully, her eyes, now blue, staring at him for a good long moment. She might have looked like Agatha, albeit Agatha as a Zolan woman... but she wasn't sure Ryan would remember her... he was so much older... many years must have passed for him, as they did for her, locked in a torturous body that had no care for her comfort for so long, only now getting used to it enough for it to be comfortable.

"Ryan-san..." she whispered softly, and slowly approached him on her hands and knees, to cross the five or six feet or so they were separated by. "Ryan-san...!" she knelt beside him, and her long, fuzzy ears splayed out sideways and sagged downward, her eyes sad and tired, the restraints taking a toll on her. No, they couldn't seal her completely and keep her alive - her energy WAS her life - But they could CERTAINLY keep her energy inside her body, and that was what was done.

"Ryan-san... Its me, Ryan-san..." she murmured, and put a gentle hand on his, trying to show him the light inside her, trying to bare to him the torch that guttered under the restraints on body. Her big blue eyes tried to catch his, tried to see into the man she once knew.

[Aion]

In his short life, Aion prided himself on few things, one of those things was his ability to plan ahead. In every situation he had a plan, a way out, but now he had nothing; no escape plan, no brilliant way to birth a rebellion...nothing. The young man tensed up as Rizuk spoke about the fate of his people; in his heart, he knew what the dragon had stated was the truth, but he was hardly ready for this. He had learned one fact from the council though, the Nenian's had survived, and were an independent nation. If he and his companions were to escape, "Menith" would be the place to go.

However, there was one bothersome question nagging Aion: "Would the Nethian's accept him?". Though it wasn't known to any outside of the Cyraa's high council, the King, and Ryan; Aion hadn't been raised in Nenian territory, but the Circle of Eliseia, by Luneia, leader of the Eliseans. This was due to the actions of Aion's parents; who, in order to save him, went against the religion of the their tribe, obtaining Leviathan's flesh and feeding it to their child. This action was seen as one attempting to become a god, and those who even considered performing such a ritual were executed by the council. Even though, years later, Aion had managed to earn the council's trust, becoming an unofficial member in the process; who knew, upon his "vacation", what had transpired. Was the truth released? Were the Nethian's still followers of Leviathan? Were they any less xenophobic?

Aion remained silent once they reached their prison, taking everything in; the smell, the cracks in the walls...every detail. He listened to Rizuk spouting orders to the prisoners, Loki and Ryan go back and forth; he watched as the young woman that had aided his friends in the battle with Loki approached Ryan."Sir, I must say I'm surprised, I couldn't see you taking a mistress; a Zolan one at that." He said in a humored tone, a goofy smile instantly appearing on his face. The young man awaited the onslaught that would come as a result this comment. After all, Aion, although jokingly, was still disrespecting a person of superior rank.

In the meantime, something else caught his interest: Tidus' comment about escaping. It seemed the he'd overlooked something."Tidus, correct?" The Nenian asked, remaining as respectful as possible. "We're all unfamiliar with each countries borders, abilities, and power; but we know one thing, they cooperate. I suppose my question would be: "What's your plan for escape once the governments of this world are on your ass?"

[Kaworu - Horatio]

Kaworu had known his polite threat wouldn't help matters much but they couldn't get any worse and it seemed like the council were going to keep them for an undisclosed amount of time which annoyed him even further, he respected the captain who came in with his guards giving him a polite nod upon appearing and after he'd brought them to the cell and given a short summery of the place which he was sure to pay attention too. Once in Rizuk got up the current other occupants of the cell and asked if anyone had any plans on getting out of this prison and then Ryan & Loki seemed to go back to their original selves, while the young fellow who had the scroll earlier that had planned to wipe everyone who is now in this room off the map was now claiming he could get everyone who wanted out.

He walked beside the Nenian who posed an interesting question to the young conflicted man "I'd also like to point out, you were about to destroy everyone in this room within five minutes of writing in your scroll yet we're all still here. So I'd gather your scroll has also been deactivated otherwise we'd all be bodies in the morgue right now but I on the other hand have something else that is more likely to work, but it all depends on weather my place is still standing or not but like the Nenian said what will we do when these council guys are up our tail pipes. I mean even without my powers I'm not afraid to fight and it's likely I'm still immortal but I have people to look after and three of them depend on their powers to protect themselves, so till we know more I'm just going to leave this little device in my pocket going as it'll continuously scan the room finding any faults or weaknesses and when it finds them we'll think up our way of escape and how to go about it. Because fighting smart is better then getting killed" expressed Kaworu to the group.

[Tidus Revok]

Tidus leaned against the wall as he was bombarded with question after question. The Nenian did have an awfully good point. And had he not been paying attention at the council, He would have thought the same. But Tidus wouldn't propose something like this unless he knew it would work.

I don't know everything about him. But I do know Nishaio was well known in his world for saving its butt quite a few times. And the council mentioned there being a New Civea. If they have read their history books, then they will be more then welcome to help a friend of Nishaio. We will brake out using the scroll, and flee for New Civea. Ive also wrote in the in the scroll that in two hours, The wind will change and blow in the direction New Civea is from our current location. All we will have to do is follow the wind.

Tidus noticed Kaworu walk up to him. Tidus was annoyed at him and Rizuk for giving them such a pleasant introduction at the council. He honestly thought an angry two year old who knew nothing but swear words and insults could have handled it a lot better. But he tried to be polite, and hide it.

"I'd also like to point out, you were about to destroy everyone in this room within five minutes of writing in your scroll yet we're all still here. So I'd gather your scroll has also been deactivated otherwise we'd all be bodies in the morgue right now but I on the other hand have something else that is more likely to work, but it all depends on weather my place is still standing or not but like the Nenian said what will we do when these council guys are up our tail pipes. I mean even without my powers I'm not afraid to fight and it's likely I'm still immortal but I have people to look after and three of them depend on their powers to protect themselves, so till we know more I'm just going to leave this little device in my pocket going as it'll continuously scan the room finding any faults or weaknesses and when it finds them we'll think up our way of escape and how to go about it. Because fighting smart is better then getting killed"

True my friend. But when you have god-like power resting in your satchel, It's no longer a matter of wits.

Tidus sighed rather irritated that no one had caught on to this but him.

First of all - what I wrote was for the greater good. Also you seemed to have taken out of consideration what I wrote. I wrote that Gaurdinia would be destroyed killing everyone in it. You are write about us being alive. But when you think about it, I never wrote that it killed Loki, or Tidus, or anyone specifically. I just wrote that everyone in it died. And as we heard by the council. It appears Gaurdinia has been destroyed. And I'm sure if there was anyone in there that had not been transported to the future as we have, Then they are surely dead. This scroll was used to create an entire world. It can't just deactivate like some kind of computer. The scroll still works fine.

Tidus opened the scroll and turned to the rest of the group with smirk on his face.

We break out using the scroll and head for New Civea! At the least, I have a creation scroll. A relic that will ransom our freedom if all else fails. Whose with me?!

[Ryan - Loki]

Ryan merely sat there in silence as people within the room began talking, which meant he had unknowingly ignored Tidus, despite hearing loud and clear what he had asked. All he wanted was to be left with his thoughts. Unbeknown to probably everyone within the room, possibly with the exception of Aion alone, Ryan had been deeply involved, back in the past, with a woman. If the truth was divulged then the pair had been in love. She had always told him that their love would never die and that it would survive great distances, terrible harshness and even the line between life and death, but in the end it seemed that not even that love could survive a thousand years.

His eyes filled with water as he fought back his emotions. He was a samurai, showing emotion while in the presence of an enemy was a fatal mistake. However Ryan’s attention was soon stripped away from him as the mysteriously familiar woman from the forest battle began crawling across the floor towards him, muttering his name over and over. Lifting his hand up to his eyes he wiped the water away with his sleeve before tilting his head upward enough to be able to see her through his hair.

As she finally reached him she spoke yet again; ‘Ryan-san...It’s me, Ryan-san...’

Ryan-san…? someone had called him such before, he knew someone a long time ago, even longer considering their circumstance, who said his name like that. She looked so familiar. Am I going senile in my older age? he knew he wasn’t but he still couldn’t put his finger on who she was. It was then that Aion spoke.

‘Sir, I must say I'm surprised, I couldn't see you taking a mistress; a Zolan one at that.’

Ryan glanced up towards a grinning Aion and couldn’t help but let out a small laugh of his own, though it was a short one. ‘Easy general,’ Ryan said softly. ‘We can think about women after this situation resolves itself.’

Returning his gaze to her Ryan looked at her intensely for a moment. He held the answers he wanted. He would discover her identity. Like a flash of lightning it struck his brain. How could he have not noticed it before? She had hardly changed, despite the obvious changes in appearance. Ryan squint his eyes and tilted his head as he looked on at her in surprise.

‘…Agatha?’ It was her alright; he could see it now, as clear as the day. He hadn’t seen her in longer than he could remember, before the great disaster, though in truth he had seen her quite a lot recently, not to forget that she had sided with Loki during the events that had led up to this. He wanted to ask her why, though he feared the answer would just add to an already troubled mind and situation; his questions could wait. It was then that what Tidus had asked registered in his head. Ryan turned his head towards the young man just as he finished revealing his plan.

‘They do not trust us, and with good reason. What makes you think that they are not listening in on everything that we are saying? If I were in their position I would be doing exactly that.’ It was an obvious point, but one Ryan feared Tidus hadn’t considered. Slowly Ryan moved his good hand within his cloak, down the sleeve of his lifeless arm. His fingers brushed against the tip of the quill that Tidus spoke of; he still had it. ‘And no young master Tidus, I do not know what transpired of the quill.’ it was a lie, something not in Ryan’s nature to do so, but he would not allow the boy to make another stupid mistake.

‘Heed my warning young master Tidus, heed my warning everyone…do nothing, attempt nothing. We do not want to make our situation worse.’

[kihaku]

My emotions were running low, and my energy tank was very nearly on empty. I looked around and noticed again that any occupants that were there when we arrived were lethargic, careless, and slouched wherever they wished. Ryan too quickly followed suit and slumped against a wall.

‘Not a bad idea,’ I thought to myself drearily. I looked behind me and saw that whatever device the Captain had mentioned earlier made good on its promise; the portal had closed behind us and left a blank stone wall with no indication there had ever been an opening.

"Cheer the fuck up!" The sudden roar caught me off-guard and caused me to jump. My eyes found the curiously loud individual, and noticed with another pang of despair that only one of the initial prisoners actually looked at him.

"For the love of crap, why aren't you forming escape plans? You monkeys get so lazy... Alright, how are we going to escape and re-activate our powers? Bright ideas anyone?"

I almost laughed at his gruff optimism. I had no idea what kind of person he had been before our capture, but I could be certain that, like the rest of us, he no longer had any sort of ability to escape our penitentiary. No matter how much he hollered or carried on, he had been reduced to a level of useless comparable to… myself, before arriving on Dragonia.

‘No, it’s Noria now.’ Not that it really made a difference anymore. No matter what the place was called, names were meaningless now that everything I had once known was gone. Even if I did manage to get back to Earth, it would be like… Fry from the show Futurama. Everything would be so different; it would take months to even adjust to the small stuff. At least here, the tech was low enough to comprehend. Hell, I could probably even give them a hand at some advancement.

‘But if they have magic, what can I offer them that they can’t already do?’

‘It is simple.’ Ryan’s voice cut through my musings to voice the opinion I had carried with me from the very beginning. ‘We do not.’ I agreed, though certainly not whole-heartedly; I was far too morose to do anything that enthusiastically.

‘Bravo. And I suppose your master plan is to simply play good captives until they decide to grant us our powers and freedom?’

‘Yes.’

‘Well good luck with that, but myself, I plan on figuring a way out of here. No prison can hold a God!’

“Funny, I’ve never heard of a god getting his ass handed to him by a straw effigy, and then be so powerless he can’t even walk through a door.” However much this pissed him off, or even if he ignored it, I really didn’t care. I hadn’t followed most of the trials and tribulations of the group from the start, but what I did know was that this Loki was the cause of all of this grief. For all I knew, he was the reason I was stuck here.

"We're all unfamiliar with each country’s borders, abilities, and power; but we know one thing: they cooperate. I suppose my question would be: ‘What's your plan for escape once the governments of this world are on your ass?’"

‘Another poignant question,’ I thought to myself. Even if we did manage to escape out into the countryside, what good would it do to run to a foreign nation we knew nothing about, who very well might hand us right back over? If this Guild was half as powerful as they claimed to be, they could coerce even America to extradite prisoners back to where they belong.

“I'd also like to point out, you were about to destroy everyone in this room within five minutes of writing in your scroll yet we're all still here.”

The brakes in my head slammed hard and caused my brain to come to a screeching halt. At first, I hadn’t made the connection, but now things were starting to make sense. That whole long legend the head-cheese had filled us in on, our instantaneous transportation to the future…

“Holy shit dude!” I exclaimed at the group in particular. My eyes were wide as dinner plates, and I pointed in complete shock and awe at Tidus, my finger steady as stone. “Your scroll, calling in death for Guardinia… you’re the cause of the cataclysm that nearly killed all life on the planet! It didn’t hurt us because of that weird blue energy right at the end of the battle!” My mind began reeling from the implications of the struggle we’d had deep in those ruins, and of all the changes this small group had wrought on the whole planet from one small altercation.

“We changed the evolutionary course of this planet… we would still be in the past if it hadn’t been for that time-bomb going off.” Tidus then began to go on about how what he did wasn’t all that bad, as if trying to shift the blame to something else. He wouldn’t accept that it was his fault? Of course it was his fault! If he wrote that Guardinia would be destroyed, wouldn’t an event of that nature have world-wide effects? At the very least, tectonic activity would go berserk and probably kill of hundreds of fish and animal species.

“We break out using the scroll and head for New Civea! At the least, I have a creation scroll. A relic that will ransom our freedom if all else fails. Whose with me?!”

I frowned and shook my head slowly, as if disappointed.

“Y’know what? Screw you dude. As far as I’m concerned, you’re the whole reason I’m stuck in this hell-hole.”

‘Heed my warning young master Tidus, heed my warning everyone…do nothing, attempt nothing. We do not want to make our situation worse.’

“I agree,” I concurred enthusiastically, “I didn’t get through three years of college to get beat-down in a prison by magic-users.”

[Garoten Reklor]

Garoten had been peaceful thus far. He had followed cooperatively enough and, upon entering the cell, had sat quietly against the wall like Ryan. Unlike Ryan, he hadn't sat out of despair or resignation, but to be able to concentrate more on a way out of this mess. He wasn't a warrior by nature - although he had idolized heroes and wanted to be one of them since he was a kid, even after the training he had gotten from Falkan and Nishaio, he preferred to avoid unnecessary fights. That was why Nishaio had given him the rank of Guardian, while he made Tidus a Warrior because the younger man would jump at the chance to right a wrong, real or perceived. It wasn't that he was resigned to rotting in a cell indefinitely, but it wasn't worth risking a giant fight over yet.

Rizuk's rant went ignored by him - the dragon was too unstable to be relied on for any real plan of action. As far as Garoten was concerned, they had Rizuk, Kaworu, Agatha and Loki to blame for being tossed back into a cell. Rizuk's offensive rant, Kaworu's arrogance and threats, Agatha's spazoid laughter, and Loki's pathetic attempt at deception and threats surely hadn't done much to convince the counsel that they were an okay element to release into society. He'd kept his mouth shut so far, but the frustration was beginning to mount when the group's conversation began. Tidus's offer of a solution drew some surprising responses:

He wasn't that shocked when Kaworu speculated on the scroll and insisted he had something better hidden away - the kid seemed to be rather skilled in covert bragging. Garoten knew very little - only what Nishaio had told him in a few minutes of conversation - about the scroll, but he knew enough to doubt it wouuld simply stop working. Ryan, however, shocked Garoten with his own let's-play-along-and-hope-they're-nice-to-us attitude. The final straw came when some guy he didn't recognize scolded Tidus for his actions and took the same wimpy attitude. Having finally had enough, he stood to his feet:

"What is this? I hate to agree with Rizuk, since it's his mouth that landed us in here, but what is wrong with you people? THESE - " He indicated the whole group with a sweeping gesture. "are Dragonia's most powerful warriors? These who repeatedly saved a planet - or nearly destroyed it from time to time, whatever - are sitting in a cell whining about how hard it might be AFTER we escape? Are you kidding me? You - " This time he pointed at Aion: "Are a GENERAL, and yet you instantly believe the world's governments cooperate with this council because they told us so. Come on, we don't even know if a single thing they've told us is true! You'd rather forego a sure thing and take a chance on whether some place is still standing after a thousand years, and you - I don't even know where you came from, but screw you! How can you blame Tidus for all of this. Do you even know who these guys are? All of our lives would have been a small price to prevent them from accomplishing their goal - even if we could prove that some worldwide cataclysm was the result, it was STILL worth it!"

The last two comments were directed at Kaworu and Brandon, respectively, but Garoten wasn't finished - he had just paused to catch a breath. He had always been like this - reluctant to fight, but relentless once it began.

"You know what, forget it. I grew up idolizing people like us. I always wanted to be what we are - and now I'm disgusted to be in your company. Are you all so weak without your powers? You so-called gods and heroes can sit on your cans and worry all day about making things worse, but those of us who deserve to be called warriors would rather take a chance out there than remain prisoners in here!''

He glared angrily at them and stalked over to the wall where the door had been. Looking closely at the blue symbols in the walls, he whispered to Tidus.

"Don't forget about the rules. Whoever writes us out of here would have to be more powerful than whoever's technique is keeping us in here. Don't take any foolish chances."

He wanted to talk to Tidus about several urgent matters, but was reluctant to with the whole group in close proximity. Several among them he suspected would have no qualms about eavesdropping and interfering with their business.

[Aion]

He held his tongue through Garoten's outburst. His frustration was understandable, especially if he'd never been placed in such a situation before; and, the only person he seemed to know within this crowd was being criticized without mercy, Aion couldn't hold anything against the Tenju Guardian. The Nenian shot a simple look back at him, as if to say, "are you finished?"; and soon after began to reply. "We also don't have proof that a single thing they've told us was a lie. If they are being truthful, we stand to lose too much. However..." He stopped mid sentence, making sure he maintained eye contact with Garoten."If you're willing to rush into a world you have no clue about, and take on an enemy that you have no understanding of, with nothing but assumptions to guide you, don't expect to last long. I'm not suggesting you "sit tight and be a good boy", but at least take everything into consideration first."

Aion plopped down, taking a sitting position; his eyes darted across the floor of the prison until he spotted his target: a piece of chalk. They didn't know everything, but they could piece together whatever views they've had, along with what they were told; if anything, it'd waste some time and calm everyone's nerves, perhaps even give them an answer or two. The group needed to put their differences aside, for now; arguing more would only hurt their chance for release, after all.

The moment his hand took hold of the chalk, the Nenian began to make a sketch of the council and each warrior, enclosing them all in a circle together; his art wasn't particularly good, but it would get the job done. "Let's just stick to what we can assume is true." Aion spoke up as he finished his drawing. "First off, the council: With the way they introduced themselves, I'd say it's safe to assume we're dealing with a guild type structure. What caught me off guard was how different each member of the council was. Normally, you wouldn't find many foreigners ranking so high in a nations government; matter of fact, I think all of us would have a hard time deciding what Warden's natives look like, based on what we've seen."

The young man scribbled dozens of crudely drawn stick figures holding hands around the circle, complete with smiley faces. "Wherever we are, I'm guessing it's considered a mecca of sorts; and considering each council member's title..." He paused thinking over what he had said thus far. "This world's center of knowledge?"