Saga: Sudden Assembly

[Kaworu - Horatio]

Kaworu understood the guardians outburst and didn't bother retaliating but he was right in saying that nobody would be sure of how truthful those council members were as we have nothing to compare it too, thou he did not like being insulted and had already pointed out he had no problem out in the world without his powers since he knew he still had some of himself left after all this annoyance and confusion.

He listened to what Aion was saying and knew he had a point that it was best we had more information on them like he'd pointed out earlier "Good I feel like I'm in a canyon with a bunch of echos" thought Kaworu as he listened to Aion continue, "This is really getting us nowhere because we can get any new information on these guys from in here and all we got were introductions which in themselves could've been false, and if we are to use the scroll then what the guardian fellow said was right in that we'd have to send someone out there whose strong or resistant enough to be able to take what they are likely to throw at us. Me and Shannon here would likely still have our immortality as we were born with it but I don't know any of you well enough to leave my friends in your care, so let's brains here since we're their warriors of legend why not act like it and take this detainment till we're completely sure of the effects of our power loss because escaping may not render our powers back to us" expressed Kaworu to the group making sure avoid annoying anyone else in the room.

[Aion]

The Nenian simply sighed as he listened to Kaworu. The point he was attempting to make clear seemed lost."Fine, let's stick with you're argument: everything could be false. Can you prove it? Either way, we're dealing with people who, without much trouble mind you, sealed away our powers; and I doubt I have to explain how amazing that feat is. So sending you, or your friend, into the unknown, is too much of a risk. Besides, there are other ways of disabling an immortal, I can do it, I'm sure others in this room can, what makes you think they don't posses anything similar? They've studied us, we have nothing on them, this is an overwhelming disadvantage." Aion explained. He didn't want to seem condescending, taunting the others or trying to place himself on a higher pedestal than everyone else wasn't his intention; he was generally concerned for the safety of those within the room, well....with the exception of Loki and his cronies, of course. They could be left behind.

"Secondly..." The young man continued, as he began to make another sketch."If you want to make an escape plan, you plan around the worst case scenario; that being, that we are being kept here by high government officials. If they truly are lying, you stand to lose nothing, but time; however, if they're honest, enjoy your life as a criminal." Aion moved his hand out of the way to reveal his newest artwork: more stick figures, this time they had multiple auras surrounding them, and the meanest faces the Nenian could create."You're also wrong on another point, this does get us somewhere." He looked up at the group with his usual smirk."For if we are in a mecca of knowledge, a temple...a school; who does this generally attract?" He asked giving everyone a chance to to comprehend what he was saying."Whether, the council is truthful is moot here, we could be potentially dealing with some of this world's most powerful beings."


The Nenian let the chalk slip from his hand, placing his head on the wall behind him."Whatever the case may be, I doubt these people are dumb enough to leave us unattended to; if one of us leaves, an alarm is bound to go off at some point." Aion finished, just in time to let a small yawn escape from his mouth."Our best bet here, may be to plead our cases to the council. If you noticed there seemed to be tension between them; Nyskel would be our only problem. His kind aren't too difficult to deal with, you know the old saying: "scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours.""

[Ray Hiryuzui]

Though he largely refrained from entering in on the overarching conversation, the Jenevan was listening to everything that was spoken by the group at large. Aside from the annoyances caused from a select few, nothing really captured his attention like it did with the others. After his brief display of rage, the young man quieted himself once more, allowing his body to relax. He and the group remained powerless for now, but eventually, their lost might would be regained.

And as he had done before this entire incident transpired, he would find a way off of this rock. What he would do now that his personal mission was deemed a failure by a massive skip in time, he did not know. It was unfortunate that his sense of urgency was now dulled because of that revelation. Regardless, he still longed to leave. At the least, he could return to Terai-Jin.

If he were to be stranded and powerless anywhere, he preferred it to be his home.

"I am Captain Syller. Please follow me to Holding."

His ears perking up, Ray turned to the man who introduced himself as Syller as a group of Knights surrounded the powerless bunch. Instinctively, he took a head count on their numbers and took note of the gear they used. He had no special reason to do so at that moment, it was just a habit he picked up over 1000 years ago.

Funny how a comical exaggeration had become truth in less than an hour.

As with the others, the cloaked Jenevan followed along to their holding room, only to notice that there wasn't any sort of door. That immediately struck him as being ridiculously out of the ordinary.

"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 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...."

As they were all pretty much shoved into the room, it was pretty clear that they were prisoners within this massive complex. He could tolerate having his psionic abilities disrupted in order for them to verify their standings in regards to how the bigger machine operated. And even then, he could barely tolerate that. Very little prevented him from feeling angry about that scenario. Now that he was trapped within a room with no sort of exit is what pushed him over the edge. Here he was, trapped on a planet he had no intention of landing on, only to be transported into some underground cavern along with a bunch of others he did not know for reasons unknown.

Not a single person here he knew, and their reasons for liking or hating each other were of no concern. Whatever battle they had that lead to that cavern fiasco had nothing to do with him.

And now, he was trapped one thousand years in the future, stripped of psionic might, and locked within a room that had a magical door.

He was pissed. Moreso than the rest of them, most likely.

"Cheer the fuck up! 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?"

The Jenevan cocked his head in the direction of the ranting fool, wanting to shove his fist through the man's face. Instead, his eyes bounced around the room, attempting to locate some sort of weakness he could exploit. He'd be damned if he spent more than a day in here without attempting to conceive some sort of plan. Sure, he agreed with the peon, but his antics had done more than enough to annoy Ray in the short period of time they were around each other. A good fist would be perfect to shut him up.

‘It is simple.’ Another interjected, prompting the former warrior monk to focus his attention on the man. ‘We do not.’

‘Bravo.’ And with that, another chimed in, clapping his hands together in an overtly sarcastic manner. ‘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!’

That line got a mild chuckle out of Ray before he rocked his head from left to right in disapproval. "God my ass..." He muttered softly. It wasn't particularly loud, but if you paid attention, you would've been able to pick it out.

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.

Once again, someone spoke up about escaping, though this one talked as if he already had a decent plan of getting out of here. Though whatever he had planned, someone decided to shoot it down quickly.

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

Ray considered that to be a possibility, but his mentality at the moment did not reflect that suspicion. Sure, he hadn't said anything out loud in regards to an escape attempt and had no real intention of doing so, the possibility of them being under surveillance was one of those things Ray kept pushing from his mind. Now that someone else brought it up, it would be something brought to the forefront.

"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."

Ray turned his head to the man who introduced himself as Aion earlier, and gave a subconscious nod. That too was a good point. However, he didn't intend on wandering around like the rest of them seemed to want to do. His intention was to leave. And if he needed magic to do that, then a little telepathic suggestion would go along way for a portal to be made to get him back to his home planet.

The fighter draped his cloak over one shoulder and moved over to the windows, tapping on the bars casually. From the light flick he gave one, he verified that they were metal. What type of metal, he had no idea. Even without his powers, the physiological makeup of a Jenevan was pretty impressive. Compared to other Jenevans, Ray's natural strength was above average, but even that was enough to pretty much destroy this setup.

And with that in mind, he began to tug with his left hand, lightly of course. The time he spent on the former Dragonia gave him an idea of what level of strength the average person was at, so he pulled with that force, just to see if the bars would give. Considering the amount of prisoners already present in the room before they arrived, he expected that these bars had been abused quite a bit. And since they didn't move from his little attempt, he assumed that either the foundation was still strong, constantly maintained, or mystically enhanced.

After pulling a few times, he backed away from the window and turned to the group. "Crap is sturdy," He exclaimed, sparking conversation with them just in case they were being monitored somehow. He assumed most prisoners attempted the same thing once they got in, so it wouldn't be out of the ordinary if someone out of their group did the same.

Whether they were being watched or not, Ray was going to abuse the hell out of those bars to see if they would give.

[Kaworu - Horatio]

"Well as I already said, sounds like a plan" informed Kaworu acknowledging Aion, Kaworu then turned to his friends to see how they were then went to an empty corner of the room bringing the twins and Augury with him, he let the twins lean against the walls as they both grasped at their side "Give me a look" asked Kaworu who then looked at Cyrene. The boy had a slight gash in his side and he was never one to admit having a wound in front of unknowns, and the only reason Marien was coping her brother was due to the twin factor but knew neither would bother saying anything intill it was noticed.

Shannon made sure Augury was alright "Augury, does any of your magic or abilities still work" the deamon whispered and she just shook her head in response, they both then leaned up against a bed that was near them and just wondered how long they'd have to wait before they were able to leave in to the strange world they were now in. Kaworu pulled a small device from his pocket and hovered it above the Cyrene's wound and within several seconds the wound was gone, as was Marien's pain due to her brother's injury then they both laid against the wall and rested while Kaworu found himself a spot to lay.

He figured he didn't want to enter into the conversation any further because he knew it'd just end up going round in circles till all hell breaks loose, so he just did his best to block out unneeded noise and stay to paying attention to his friends incase some other problem arises to put them in danger. Since he knew nobody in the group before entering the cave and only knows what has been said since his appearing, he knows little of those around him thou he can read people quite well and has already made some assumptions of some of the people's general characters' but otherwise he had just as much info as he did have about the council members.

[Shei'ki\Agatha]

Agatha sighed, leaned against the wall beside Ryan, and just relaxed there, her stance on the matter, if she had one, left unspoken now as she shut her eyes, and drew herself up into a fetal position. She couldn't call the situation a mess. No, it was quite clean, quite cut and dry. The council had them under their collective thumb. There was little they could do under that sort of weight.

Well, probably anyhow.

"You know..." she began, and sighed. "There is no way we can really know what the Council really is. I personally have some experience with dictatorships. Okay, a lot of experience. They always think they're doing what is best, always believe that their law is greater than any other. This arrogance seems to be... a mankind thing. Paints a pretty bleak picture, doesn't it?" she chuckled and shook her head, opening her eyes.

She said no more, though.

[Jimmy Claymore]

While it is rare, occasionally, the Dragon will listen to differing view points. Rizuk was stroking his chin as he let the conversation wash over him, one of the idiots on the enemy side almost made him explode in laughter. Calling himself a God, how egotistical could you get? The irony was apparently lost on him. Listening was a rare thing for him during dialogues, he tended to have an opinion and saw conversation as a means of explaining how the other person was wrong, but their dialogues were sparking ideas in his old head.

The comprehensive and detailed dismantling of Tidus' and Kaworu's plan by Aion caused him to momentarily reassess his own objectives. Yes, he could get out, yes he didn't particularily give a flying fuck who the planets inhabitants were but he hadn't enjoyed the Zolan Government trying to kill him for those last 300 odd years. He wasn't sure he fancied an entire planet doing it. One thing was bothering him the more he thought about it, they hadn't recognised that at least one of their number hadn't been there when they'd fought Loki and the others. It made no sense... unless they didn't know everything about them. Which was potentially good... he doubted his legacy had lasted this long without the occasional scorched earth. Except he'd told them who he was. He may even had added a "fucking" in there as he did. That might mess up their search attempts... no, he probably had the word quite frequently in any books about it. In both a positive and negative sense.

The group seemed split in half, most likely due to his particularily volatile statements. He should probably take some responsibility and try to think of a better plan now. Which might help if he stopped listening and started OBSERVING what was going on and thinking about it. He may be incredibly awesome but he still needed to think his plans through for them to be sound.

First things first on his mental agenda for consideration, the one who'd gone for the bars (who he was referring to in his head as "that guy who thinks the loner look makes him look hard", thankfully he didn't say this aloud or they would probably be facing a good deal more trouble, an angry Jenevian and a Dragon going at it would probably end up with at least one of them dead. And there was no guarantee it'd be the Jenevian) seemed to believe he could wrench them free. This either meant he was an idiot, but Rizuk thought this unlikely, an idiot would have talked more (again, the irony shot over his messy black haired head) or... he had some genetic traits that would help him. Rizuk had his nails and teeth, probably a few stray scales around his vitals, but not enough to be a viable threat. If they'd sealed him in his TRUE form, well... they probably wouldn't have de-frozen...

"HA!" Rizuk grinned broadly as the idea hit him like a brick. "Of COURSE! Man, I was so pissed off at Nyskel I forgot all about it" He shared his delighted face with his fellow captive, unaware it made him look like a large shark that had discovered a baby "They could have killed us. Power sealing technology? Us unable to move? Why didn't they? We are essentially walking WMDs. Answer? They need us for something" Rizuk frowned as he thought his idea through more carefully "It's either that or that "High Mage" guy is a lot sappier than I give him credit for. We don't need to escape, they have to let us out to do whatever their problem is! Man, I'm getting slow in my old age. Anyway, if we assume everything they've said is a lie anyway, the air coulda suddenly turned poisonous and giant chickens roam the Earth. Even if their lying, they got a nice budget to build somewhere like this." Rizuk's arrogant joy was almost radiating off him as the idea unfolded. They would have to let them out at some point, it made no sense to find them, unfreeze time (presuming, of course, they were responsible for this unfreezing) and then it was a simple matter to eliminate some threat. He was making a few assumptions based on the logic and mentality he'd observed from the council but had failed to take into account one thing. His OWN ego which tended to warp most information so it centered on him.

There was something more, lurking in the back of his mind that was adding to his worried observation. They had known where they were. They had a prophecy. And Dragonia suddenly had magic. He hadn't explored the whole planet but he couldn't remember finding a school of magic. So, as it wasn't native to start with... where had it come from? Rizuk's mind was unfolding more and more concerning realisations as the day rolled on, and he wasn't sure that escape was the best idea any more. He should probably share these thoughts, most likely with Ryan or Aion. Of the group these two had actually earned a modicum of respect from Rizuk. If he saw them drowning he might possibly go and help. If he wasn't wearing his nice clothes. He cast a glimpse to the Nenian and muttered
"Oi, Frosty. You noticed anything wrong with what we know so far?" Ryan seemed pre-occupied with Loki for now, he'd trouble the Samurai later. For now, just one opinion would help.

((OOC: I was a bit tired when I wrote this, there could be errors))

[kihaku]

"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 are Dragonia's most powerful warriors?”

I didn’t recall his name, but he seemed about ready to explode at this point. He appeared to be the kind of person who is quiet until he feels he needs to be otherwise, same as me. However, in this situation, now wasn’t the time to simply wait until you blow up at the slightest provocation, as he appeared to be doing. He went on for some time, and though I listened, I didn’t really feel all that affected until he specifically turned his tirade on me.

“…and you - I don't even know where you came from, but screw you!”

‘The hell?’

“How can you blame Tidus for all of this. Do you even know who these guys are?”

‘No, but then again, do you?’

“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!"

“Yeah, your life, maybe. I certainly know the worth of my life, and it definitely ain’t the same as a whole planet.” I found it morbidly amusing that he was attempting to draw conclusions about who I was merely by how I was reacting to a situation that I had never faced before. In the back of my mind, a small, nagging voice was egging me on to sock him right on the cheekbone, but I had never been prone to physical violence.

"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!''

“… Fuck you, man.” I didn’t really have much more to say in response at first. My gut reaction was to simply tear him a new one verbally, but I didn’t think he’d respond well if I merely went off on him like the Dragon-guy had with Nyskel.

“Don’t act as if you know me. Do you know where I’m from? Do you know what my life had been like before I was shoved into this little room with all of you freaks? I’ve been in so few fist-fights, I could count them on one hand. Before I got to this God-forsaken planet, I had difficulty bench-pressing one-fifty. I was an insignificant little speck on a planet of over six-billion people.” I stared at him, but not angry, not melancholy, just blankly. “What do you expect from me? I’m back to where I started: a normal guy with nothing special about him. I’m not one of your stupid little warriors, I never was, and I probably never will be. If you’ve got some self-confidence issues, take it up with your mommy, ‘cuz it doesn’t amount to shit to me.”

That was probably more swearing than I’d done in a week, but I didn’t feel any better for it. Cursing had always made me feel uncouth; the inability to express myself more eloquently had always left a dry feeling in my mouth. However, sometimes I simply couldn’t help myself, whether it bettered my situation or not.

Without any help, the fell back into bickering amongst themselves. As always, these people seemed to know each other well, while I was stuck on the outside looking in. It was a familiar sensation, one that I had long ago accepted as just part of my life. I sighed and stuck my hands in my pockets and looked towards the window. That one guy who’d caused the earthquakes earlier pulled fruitlessly against them, and my heart almost went out to him. Almost. I could only imagine what it must be like for these people, always so powerful they could kill an army if they wanted to. A single punch could smash through these walls, a sneeze would slice a man in half, and now they were no stronger or better than… well, me.

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

As the others spoke amongst themselves, a figure materialized as he walked calmly through the wall where the door should have been. At first, no one noticed his entrance until he lowered the hood on his robe, revealing tanned skin and very dark-brown eyes. His young face had the budding angles of manhood, though it retained some of the soft curves of youth. His black hair was pulled back and held with a leather strap, tooled with strange symbols that could be familiar only to him, though his bangs were unevenly cut for reasons of preference. On the right side of his face, his bangs hung down to his chin, though it was cut steadily shorter so it grew only to the base of his ear further back. His normally placid face was tense with agitation and anxiety, though only his eyes betrayed his feelings.

Brandon was the first to notice, and paused to look at him for a second as if he initially didn’t recognize him. After a moment’s hesitation, he frowned slightly and pointed at him.

“Hold it… you’re… Sulas… Ril?” Brandon spoke loudly enough to get everyone’s attention, though the young magician did not wince under their collective gaze. Instead, he stepped forward with a determined stride to address the group as a whole.

“Everyone, please, if you could listen to me for a moment,” he raised up his hands to ensure he had their attention. When he was sure, he continued, “If you remember, I am Sulas-Ril, Second Alleviator to Lady Elmelda.” He paused to search out Aion and make sure he had recovered from his injuries. His deep eyes met the General’s, and he nodded before proceeding. “If you doubt any of my superiors, I must admit that I cannot blame you. I, among others, sympathize with your situation and feel you are being treated horribly unfairly. In our society, even the lowest vagrant is given a proper hearing before being confined for any length of time in any manner, and you have had your very powers suppressed without provocation.”

His expressive eyes shone with compassion, and his voice sounded stressed when he elaborated how strongly he felt against their imprisonment. His hands moved as he spoke, emphasizing his words and adding vibrancy to his eagerness.

“If you don’t trust the Council, so be it, but please, if no one else, trust me. Even without Lady Elmelda’s command, I would have attended your General Aion’s wounds immediately were it not for Council protocol. I have given you no cause for mistrust, except by association with the other Lords. But now I am going to tell you why I am here, and you must believe me!” His voice grew increasingly agitated as he continued his speech. “Though I am not sure why, Ser-Nyskel is planning to use you somehow to achieve some end that I cannot foresee. I realize this is incredibly vague, but from what little you’ve seen of him, could you believe it to be a lie? Even his second, Shaban, feels strongly that he plans no good fate for you. He was the true zealot when it came to plying the idea of incarceration on the others, and his skills at persuasion are unbeatable. Like a snake, he twisted everyone’s beliefs around to suit his own goal: to capture you.”

Sulas-Ril shuddered despite the lack of chill in the air, and his face became grim. “I do not know what he has planned for you, but I do not intend to simply sit back and let it happen. If you still wish for your freedom, then I have a way to give it to you. However, where you escape to, or how you elude the Knights, I can offer only this advice: seek out the students. I have caught wind that there is a secret gathering of students who feel the Council is tyrannical, and are searching for ways to either even the odds, or depose them completely. Though I do not agree with them, I am sure they will give you sanctuary for a time.”

He darted a look over his shoulder, waited for a moment, then turned back to the group, walking back towards the entrance as he did so.

“I will give you a signal. When I do, you will only have enough time for one quick ability before Nyskel realizes you have your powers back. When he does, he will cut them off again. However, it will only work in a certain range. Once you’re outside the Guild walls, the Ward should fade, and you will have your powers back.” His eyes became serious as he appraised Loki, Dramanius, and Natas. “If you are not cautious, you will bring the Knights down upon you. No matter how powerful you think you are, Lord Therick is a master General. Under his command, even five Knights could be a problem for any of the other Lords. I must go.” He turned and dashed for the wall, holding out his hand towards the solid stone. For a moment, the rock in front of him wavered as if made of water, and he paused just before it.

“Remember, wait for my signal, then run as fast as you can for the walls. Until the Ward has faded, Nyskel will know where you are.” With that, he dove headlong through the rock, which instantly solidified.

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

I stood and stared blankly at the wall for a moment, unsure of exactly what had just happened. Finally, my brain had enough time to process, and I made up my mind right then and there.

“Take my chance on the street? No offense to Ril, but screw that, I’m staying here, where at least they treat you nicely.”

[Kaworu - Horatio]

Kaworu was sitting with his friends and noticed the entrance of the young man listening as he showed his sympathies and distaste for our sudden predicament and incarceration getting up about two thirds in, as he came to a finish he got to thinking about who'd be the one to use their ability as they had their fair share to choose from in here and picking the right one would be crucial.

Then he heard the last remark made by the possible American about staying here and being treated nicely "So how long do you expect to be treated nicely when a bunch of us disappear, don't you think they'd want to interrogate you or some other fun sounding acts that you Earth men have a problem with. These council guys haven't really given us any reason to trust them for all we know they may have had something to do with the incident that landed us here in the first place, and whoever does go better have a good choice on who'll spark up their ability and what they'll do with it, so people what will it be?" posed Kaworu to the group.

[Ray Hiryuzui]

“Hold it… you’re… Sulas… Ril?”

The Jenevan turned around and faces the entrance moments after one of those robed characters, this one in particular being named Sulas, entered their immediate prison. Though in Ray's mind, it was more like a rest stop. He was dead set on getting out of this tiny room by nightfall, and with his natural strength, it was pretty much a given. If he couldn't remove the bars from the window, then he'd punch the most annoying person in the room.

Maybe they'd separate him from the others, and that would be all he would need in order to make his grand escape.

“Everyone, please, if you could listen to me for a moment,” Normally, Raykenzu wasn't one to comply, and considering his predicament, very little kept him from outright attacking the man and using him as some sort of leverage to make his escape. But he had little else to do, so he opted to listen. Maybe the man had something significant to say.

“If you remember, I am Sulas-Ril, Second Alleviator to Lady Elmelda. If you doubt any of my superiors, I must admit that I cannot blame you. I, among others, sympathize with your situation and feel you are being treated horribly unfairly. In our society, even the lowest vagrant is given a proper hearing before being confined for any length of time in any manner, and you have had your very powers suppressed without provocation.”

If that's the case, why the hell doesn't he just let us out now? he thought as he stood, staring down the man before them. It didn't take a genius to know that this man was more liberal than some of his peers, so he was probably here to broker some sort of deal. Whether that deal would be sparked of his own ambitions or through the will of his council as a whole, Ray didn't know. If his telepathy hadn't been dampened, it would be easy enough to find out. Hmph, he hadn't realized what a useful tool his telepathy was up until now. He almost missed it.

Well, if it didn't come with tremors and headaches.

“If you don’t trust the Council, so be it, but please, if no one else, trust me. Even without Lady Elmelda’s command, I would have attended your General Aion’s wounds immediately were it not for Council protocol. I have given you no cause for mistrust, except by association with the other Lords. But now I am going to tell you why I am here, and you must believe me! Though I am not sure why, Ser-Nyskel is planning to use you somehow to achieve some end that I cannot foresee."

Though they didn't need verification for the obvious, even Ray appreciated that tidbit of knowledge. At least they now had a specific target to vent their frustration towards. That knowledge alone made he, and the rest of the group, just that much more dangerous than they were 30 seconds ago.

"I realize this is incredibly vague, but from what little you’ve seen of him, could you believe it to be a lie? Even his second, Shaban, feels strongly that he plans no good fate for you. He was the true zealot when it came to plying the idea of incarceration on the others, and his skills at persuasion are unbeatable. Like a snake, he twisted everyone’s beliefs around to suit his own goal: to capture you.”

"Then when we get out, he's the first person to get crippled. Simple as that." The former warrior monk didn't outwardly proclaim his statement, but those in his vicinity would have been able to pick up on it if they actively made use of their ears. Hell, they'd probably agree with him. They might not agree with the extremism behind the words, but his point would be enough. Once they got out and recovered, this Ser-Nyskel would become their prime target, or Ray's prime target at the least. Whether the others got involved was of no concern to him.

“I do not know what he has planned for you, but I do not intend to simply sit back and let it happen. If you still wish for your freedom, then I have a way to give it to you. However, where you escape to, or how you elude the Knights, I can offer only this advice: seek out the students. I have caught wind that there is a secret gathering of students who feel the Council is tyrannical, and are searching for ways to either even the odds, or depose them completely. Though I do not agree with them, I am sure they will give you sanctuary for a time.”

Solid advice, though Ray had little intention of following it. Of course, he had little to no plans once he got free, so it make a lot of sense for him to at least meet up with these people, considering his ambition to strike back at the one who locked him up. On second thought, sticking with these people could lead him to the one who brought him to that temple under what was then known as Guardinia in the first place.

Heh, looked like he'd have to tag along longer than he set out to.

“Remember, wait for my signal, then run as fast as you can for the walls. Until the Ward has faded, Nyskel will know where you are.”

And with that, Sulas Ril departed their prison cell. Not too long after, someone decided to share their opinion.

“Take my chance on the street? No offense to Ril, but screw that, I’m staying here, where at least they treat you nicely.”

"Nicely?" Ray exclaimed, almost taken aback by the idiocy of the comment. "You're being unjustly held prisoner by a nation you have no knowledge of and locked in a room that is probably filled with rapists and murderers, with someone apparently planning to use you as if you were an object without your consent. I would not consider that nice. Regardless, stay here. I don't care. Just don't expect me to come back to get you."

"So how long do you expect to be treated nicely when a bunch of us disappear, don't you think they'd want to interrogate you or some other fun sounding acts that you Earth men have a problem with. These council guys haven't really given us any reason to trust them for all we know they may have had something to do with the incident that landed us here in the first place, and whoever does go better have a good choice on who'll spark up their ability and what they'll do with it, so people what will it be?"

The Jenevan chuckled. For once, that kid made sense. "I'm even agreeing with that annoying asshat over there. I'm getting out of here." Ray had a number of options to make his escape once their abilities were slightly released, though his mind rolled back to only one. All he needed was his Shadow. Though Ray himself wouldn't be able to do much, they didn't necessarily mean that Shadow would be restricted in such a manner considering his unique properties. With Shadow having access to Ray's palette of abilities, escape would be relatively simple.

Though he was unsure of how much effort it would require for such a feat to even be possible in his current state. Should everything succeed, there was a chance the Jenevan warrior would pass out, and that would reduce Shadow's effectiveness, as well as the entire group as a whole. It seemed that telekinesis was the more logical route. "Those of you who aren't chicken shit, don't worry about wasting effort trying to get us out of here. I get us through the wall, just as long as you're not afraid of getting cooties from touching each other." As long as they had contact with each other, Ray could use his telekinetic prowess to render them all intangible and go right through the wall.

The logical point of exit was the wall with the window, since that lead to the outside.

"After that, you all can come up with the rest."

[Jimmy Claymore]

Rizuk's recognition kicked in slowly as he listened to the plan unfold. This was that same kid who'd been healing Aion, he'd already earned points for being a decent enough sort, humble, servile, all that jazz. But he wasn't completely buying this random appearance... not to mention his views on Nyskel.

Granted, Rizuk's plan of action mainly contained steps along the road of 1) Get free 2)Make Nyskel realise how fortunate he was to be born with the biology he was by showing him the alternatives and 3) Have a 6-some. But is Nyskel had some plan for them he was doing a damn good job of making them dislike him. In all honesty, from this position, he wanted to side with the kid quite readily but... that was too unlikely. Why the hell would he want to help them? Why, if Nyskel was so good at convincing people, was he just making everyone here hate his guts? Wouldn't convincing them that they were the good guys make more sense? Was Nyskel actually that much of a fucker!? Rizuk believed yes. But this wasn't the full answer...

One of the others was for staying... which he noted mentally, he had a point. As far as prisons go the lack of urine, shit and semen covering them implied this was a reasonable one. One of the others immediately shut him down (in fact, using pretty much the same logic he would have done, if not the wording) but there was a point there. They could be treating them infinitely worse.
"You're being unjustly held prisoner by a nation you have no knowledge of and locked in a room that is probably filled with rapists and murderers[/i]"
"They were mostly consensual or deserved!" Rizuk added, subconsciously defending the many and detailed list of his personal crimes against Humanity and most other species that were either mortal or had holes in the right places. It was a slightly sobering thought to realise that, of their group, he was one of the few that actually deserved to be there. Zolan had been after him for years...

Not the time for reminiscing, he had to think in a more structured way, they wanted out, yes? And... to escape through a city... the scale of which they didn't know, the DEFENCES of which they didn't know. With their powers soon to be shut off.
"Getting through the wall isn't the issue, it's not falling to our deaths once they turn our powers OFF again." Rizuk pointed out, the stoic guy was suddenly talkative but his idea had merit, if it was what Rizuk thought it was, iy would guarantee less death and destruction if they happened to be near the bottom of an enormous tower. The problem WAS that if they phased through, and they saw they'd activated their powers they'd either end up in mid-air and falling or half stuck in solid brick. He wasn't sure which he'd like less. If he transformed inyto his true form he'd at least be a 30 foot long flying dinosaur that breathed fire as a natural byproduct of BREATHING, even if they shut down his powers, by sheer biology he'd be able to escape. Except, now he was thinking.

Why were they in here?
They didn't trust them
What was the FIRST thing they thought of doing?
Escape/Bodily Harm to Nyskel/GROSS Bodily Harm to Nyskel
What do they do when offered an escape route and a chance to betray the council?
... jump at it.

Logically, he ought to say all this. Logically, he should say wait like Brandon was. Except, Logic was never the major part of his thought process "Alright, we have to assume that Sulas has our best interests at heart, any further debating with this council happen on our terms with our powers restored, agreed? Right, we have time for one ability before we get switched off. This either means we have one person do one... or we synchronise and unleash a LOT of power. Anyone who can teleport? If there is, we're going to the Ice Caps. Outside of their range, as they told us, and Frosty can meet his relatives" He shot a vague smile at Aion, maybe that'd cheer the guy up "If not, I can transform and you can mostly ride the Dragon so to speak. But, forewarning, if you act like an annoying shit-fucker, I reserve the right to eat you. The important thing is timing, we have a window of about a minute to do everything, once we all feel our abilities are back act." He turned to face the human who'd chosen to stay and felt an odd surge of compassion and interest
"You got any more reasons we shouldn't leave? If you can talk me out of it I'll stay and let those two figure it out on their own" he indicated Kaworu and Ray with his thumb, his eyes tracing over Loki and his loyal followers "Oh yeah, do me a favour and the second you get YOUR powers back, smack Loki unconscious. If someone's taking the rap for us leaving I'd rather it was him. Y'know, for the whole torture aspect" Rizuk walked over to the wall and breathed deeply focusing his heart and soul and waiting, he would feel the heat returning, his life, his true self. And if he didn't, then he would probably find out that Sulas was not quite as awesome as he'd first believed.

[Garoten Reklor]

Garoten ignored the guy's response to his tirade, at first, but was moved by compassion (which Nishaio insisted would get him killed someday) when the guy explained where he'd come from. Garoten had simply assumed he was a powerful warrior, given their present company. He still didn't agree with the guy's course of action, but it suddenly made a lot more sense.


"Wow. I'm sorry. I just assumed you were a warrior too. I apologize. I'm supposed to be a Guardian, and here I am running you down. My name is Garoten Reklor, by the way. If you still feel like you need to stay here, I understand, but I'm telling you from experience, you can't trust people like the Council to play fair. Come with us, and I promise we'll keep any harm from coming to you."

Before he could discuss escape plans any further with Tidus, Sulas-Ril appeared in the room and gave them one of his own. Of course there were the obvious questions of whether this was a setup and whether Ril could be trusted, but to Garoten it was more of a gamble for Ril than for them. Even for a minute, this group could deal out world-changing damage with all of their powers restored. For his part, it was all about getting out and as far away as possible. He and Tidus had the speed to put serious distance between the Council and them, even without any other techniques, but something to help slow pursues down would be useful. He decided for his part to use a low-powered Burning Winds. A small flaming tornado would have to be at least a distraction. After that, he would be gone. He'd offered his help to the one guy, and of course he'd make sure Tidus got away, but the rest of the group was on their own, for all he cared. He gathered his cloak and staff and waited to see if Sulas was telling the truth.

[Ryan - Loki]

Despite his somewhat bleak views on the situation and the fact that he had his head bent forward, his hair obscuring his view of the room and the people within it, Ryan made sure to pay attention to his surroundings. It was the second rule of war and though technically there was no war Ryan found that the same principles worked just as well in almost every situation, even to the extent of saving his life on several occasions.

At any rate Ryan had been content to remain in silence, nothing he was hearing sparking enough interest within him to either speak of look up; until the sudden sound of footsteps and the voice of a newcomer rung through the now silent room.

“Everyone, please, if you could listen to me for a moment.” he paused, as if waiting for everyone’s attention. When he spoke again he had it. “If you remember, I am Sulas-Ril, Second Alleviator to Lady Elmelda.”

Slowly Ryan’s head tilted to the side, just enough for gravity to slightly part the hair that was in front of his eyes enough for him to see what this “Sulas-Ril” looked like. Instantly Ryan recognized him as the one who had tended to Anion’s wounds. Of course! “Alleviator”, meaning “Healer”. How could I miss such an important detail? This, Ryan quickly realized, was far more important than he had first realized. It would take an extremely dedicated, passive and likely kindhearted individual to learn, what Ryan could only assume was extremely difficult, to become a healer. Sulas-Ril’s own talent helped to understand him as a person; knowing a mages affinity by their talent alone was a fact that Ryan could draw knowledge upon, unless their talent was preset or chosen for them.

It was a small footing and not something that Ryan was about to read into as fact but it was too big to ignore at the same time. Slowly Ryan returned his head back into the same position it had been earlier, the movement so slight it hardly seemed as if he had moved at all. The rest of what Sulas-Ril had to say was of extreme importance and so Ryan continued to listen, despite this after Sulas-Ril left the room again Ryan felt as if what he had discovered upon on his own was far more important than an ill-conceived escape plan.

“Teacher…”

The sudden voice of prince Seriyu surprised Ryan, having almost forgotten that he was there. Ryan answered without moving his head to look at the young prince. “Yes Master Seth?” though an accomplished warrior without his powers Ryan would not dare speak aloud the presence of royalty in this prison through fear of rousing the prisoners that were not within the group to try and use Seriyu to their advantage.

“Do you believe that we can trust Sulas-Ril?”

Ryan thought about the question for a few moments. He did not wish to influence Seth, especially with tainted opinions or information, so instead he opted to return the question instead. “What do you think?”


Like Ryan had done Seth took a few moments to think about it before replying. “I…believe so.” his voice sounded somewhat unsure, though his expression was more fortified in belief.

“I concur, though I have been wrong in the past.” his words were spoken with a slight hint of humor. “Why do you ask?”

“Because I-” he paused briefly, as if preparing himself. “Because I believe we should trust in him and escape this prison.”

Now Ryan understood the hesitation; the prince had been worried about disagreeing with Ryan on the topic, Ryan having openly stood against taking action and trying to escape. Ryan remained silent as he continued to look down at his knees, though his thoughts were loud within his head. However, before long he spoke, but not before turning his head and looking at prince Seth. “It was brave of you to speak your mind Seth. I would be foolish not to respect such a thing.” a small glimpse of a smile curled upwards at the corner of his mouth, though only for the briefest of moments. “However if you decide to go I cannot accompany you.”

A sudden look of surprise struck Seth’s facial expression, then it was replaced with disbelief and humor, but after Ryan’s own expression remained serious it once again returned to disbelief, this time mixed with fear and betrayal. “You would leave me to go on my own?!” he exclaimed through a hushed voice, though his voice had been loud enough to draw the attention of anyone nearby who hadn’t already been listening in.

“I have my own opinions on this situation Master Seth, opinions that I feel strongly about. Would you have me go against those opinions?” silence was the answer, as he expected it would be. “Master Seth, we are no longer in the world we once knew and felt safe within. The future is more uncertain than ever. If you are to survive out in the world without my protection you must forget much of what you already know and learn much of what I have never taught you.”

Seth’s expression changed, though only slightly. “How am I to learn such things?! Who is there to teach me if not you?! You must come with us and then you can teach me!” it was a desperate plea.

“I’m afraid I cannot follow you on this adventure, but before you go there are a few things I can teach you now.” Ryan shuffled on the floor, turning hid body to face Seth. “We must hurry, for I fear we have not got long before you will need to leave.”

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

Meanwhile Loki and his two followers were gathered within a discreet corner of the room, which they had acquired from other prisoners by means of their intimidating appearances; none more so than that of Natas”. They were close enough to hear everything that was being said within the room, with little exception, but now far away enough from everyone else that they could speak amongst themselves quietly without anyone else interfering or listening in.

“We ave” to take this chance to break out; it’s exactly what we’ve been wait’s for!” Natas exclaimed through a hushed voice. Without his or Loci’s powers traits from his previous state had begun showing through; his gruff voice, small horns protruding from within the top of his skull, but most noticeably he now had a mouth that housed sharp, white teeth.

“I hate to say it my liege, but Natas does have a fair point. I believe two options have presented themselves before us: our first option is to use the small window upon which we gain our powers back to destroy this entire building and everyone within it as a warning to what happens when they mess with Lords of Hell.” A malevolent smirk momentarily crossed his face. “The only downfall is that our powers may not fully return, so we are likely to find ourselves extremely outmatched. Our second choice is to side with the…others, for a lack of better word, until it no longer benefits us.”

“Or…” Loki began but stopped, his voice a whisper as if he hadn’t actually meant to voice his thoughts, rather simply think them.

“You see a third option? Do grace us with your knowledge Loki.”

Loki looked between both of them, his thoughts now completed gathered. “Or perhaps one of us remains behind.” Suddenly Loci’s hands were spread apart out in front of him, a gesture aimed purely to grab their attention and emphasize what he was about to say. “I believe that this Ser-Nyskel could be a valuable ally in this new and strange world. It would only take one of us to convert him, of that I am sure.”

Loki could see that both Natas and Dramanius were both surprised by this sudden change within Loki, especially as only moments before he had been proclaiming that he would break free of this prison. “It is clear that Natas is not fit for this job, his talents lay elsewhere, but you or I Dramanius, we are more than fit for such an easy task.” Loki smirked.

Dramanius shared the smirk. “Or perhaps both of us could stay, a sign of good faith on our part to Ser-Nyskel?”

“An leave me alone with them?!” Natas exclaimed in protest.

“Coward.” Dramanius hissed, to which Natas roared in his face in reply. The entire room echoed at the sheer volume of the roar, surely drawing all attention in their direction.

“You’ll be our eyes and ears of the group Natas. I’m sure these mages have ways of contacting people from a long way away. We will be everywhere…but nowhere.”

All three of them share a twisted smile.

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

Seth opened his mouth and gestured that he was about to continue in his attempts to convince Ryan to come, but instead he sighed and nodded his head in submission. Without a moments hesitation Ryan’s hand shot up towards Seth and struck him across the cheek before returning it back to his lap. Seth recoiled quickly, raising his hand up to his now red row cheek. However, before Seth could say anything Ryan spoke.

“Never lower your gaze from an enemy, or even those who are not your enemy. They will not honor you as you would them. Trust is a fickle mistress. Do not forget her idly or she will make you remember.” Ryan hated to take such extreme measure to get his point across and though he knew it was necessary it still pained him to do so; it was a lesson he was sure Seth would not absentmindedly forget.

Seth lowered his hand to his lap while taking deep breaths to control his anger. The red handprint was still evident across his cheek. Slowly Seth nodded. “Yes teacher.”

“Your voice and the way you speak is another tell-sign to your heritage. You must learn to speak as a normal person would. Listen to how I speak, much like you do in many senses, but now think back to what you have heard of Loki voice and how he speaks,” he hated to use Loki as an example of something good, but the direct comparison would prove his point better than any other could. “We are one in the same though direct opposites. You would do well to learn to speak as he does rather than how I do.”

“Yes teacher.”

Ryan nodded and looked over towards Aion in an attempt to catch his eye, nodding his head backwards to let him know that Ryan wanted to speak to him privately. Ryan waited for Aion to move over towards him before he began speaking. “I realize that there isn’t a country to which you serve now, much as there isn’t for me. I realize that you need to see what has become of your people…and though I can no longer give you orders, please, take prince Seriyu with you and keep him safe. I will not be joining you. I will be staying.”

Ryan looked past Aion towards the rest of the group, though he didn’t attempt to stand up. “I urge you all to remain for you do not understand what you are getting yourselves into by leaving in this manor. You will become fugitives and have a plethora of mages tracking you down like dogs. Do you honestly feel that starting a new life, in a strange new land, will be any easier if you’re being hunted? It will be as impossible as using your powers to fight the mages.” Ryan sighed and shook his head.

He wouldn’t preach to them any longer. Their decisions were their own and much like with prince Seth they had to make their own decisions and learn from their own mistakes. ‘I wont force you to remain, but I will not leave myself. At least one needs to remain if an attempt to explain all of your actions is to be put across to the Lords of the mages council. Perhaps I can show them the desperation behind your actions.’

‘We’re staying too.’ Came a solid statement from a corner of the room, both Loki and Dramanius attached at the end of it.

‘Well I’m not staying locked up in this pitiful cage.’ growled Natas as he walked out from behind the two of them, planting himself against a nearby wall as if in protest.

Ryan wasn’t sure why Loki had suddenly had a change of heart and wanted to stay and the same could be said about Dramanius too; for one thing Ryan was positive that it hadn’t been he who changed their minds. They were up to something. He was just glad that he’d be around to keep an eye on them both.

[Aion]

Aion had every intention on agreeing with Rizuk's opinion on the council; however, his chance to respond was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Sulas-Ril. What the Nenian had speculated had been confirmed through Second Alleviator's explanation; and even more had been revealed. Aion had listened intently, and aside from the opportunity to escape, something else caught the young man's attention: the mention of Lord Therick.

One of the few things that had nagged Aion's mind during his imprisonment was one line of the legend: "As a condition, they were never allowed another legendary warrior, and those still left were sealed in an under-water cavern and frozen until such a time that the people could defend themselves...". During his time, few could stand toe to toe with a Lord of Hell; even under his command, five knights would be nothing more than cannon fodder. It seemed as of now he had an understanding of what they were against. Needless to say, he didn't like it. Aion was still against leaving, but the opportunity that had just presented itself was one that wouldn't rear it's head again. He knew this well, thus, if they were to escape...now was the time.

He turned to Rizuk just as the dragon mentioned retreating to the north pole."It's too dangerous; who knows how much the Nenian's have changed over such a long period of time." Aion protested, his voice taking on a rather grim tone."We should lay low, find the students, and get shelter; as Sulas-Ril suggested. We can use that down time to our advantage, gathering supplies and information on the land. There has to be somewhere nearby that opposes the council..."

Seconds later, the Nenian moved toward Ryan, and heard him out. Aion was taken aback by his words. "You'd leave him to me...?" He asked in surprise. Even though their country was gone, they both still had a duty to protect the prince. Aion, however, wouldn't protest Ryan's decision to stay. "Though I disagree with your decision to stay, I'm more than aware I can't convince you otherwise...." The Nenian paused taking a moment to think over his next few words. "I'll keep an eye on the prince for a while. However, we both know that we'll run into eachother eventually." Aion looked his superior right in the eyes. "Will you be under the council's rule?"

[Ryan - Loki]

Ryan reciprocated Aion’s stare and chose his words long and hard. Slowly he raised his arm and placed it on Aion’s shoulder. “As long as a man holds freedom within his heart he can never truly serve another.” It was a sentence more aimed to inspire the group who planned to escape rather than answer Aion’s question and this was displayed in a sigh that escaped Ryan’s lips. “I need to be a negotiator for us in this time of uncertainty and you know better than most what is needed to be a negotiator.” he shook his head. “I do not know what fate awaits me for remaining. I will do what it takes to keep hostilities to a low, but I will not be turned against, or be used against any of you.

“They have me as their prisoner and I may be at their will, but I am not without my pride, my integrity and my honour, and they cannot force me to do something against my will.” He smiled and for a moment Ryan appeared as Loki did when he smiled, their likeness showing through for the slightest of moments. “I am far too old and stubborn.”

With that said Ryan turned his head and looked around at Seth for a moment, who was still sitting upon the floor most likely in deep thought about what Ryan had said to him. Ryan returned his view back to Aion. “There is not much time as I am sure the sign will come soon.” he said as he absentmindedly look towards the wall that Sulas-Ril had entered and left through. “I know you will do what you think is right by Seth, but do allow him to make his own decisions as well – he needs to learn, as we have, how to live in this word.” Ryan was now speaking firmly. “I trust you my friend, keep his identity a secret and keep him safe.”

With that said Ryan turned around with a grunt and slid his back down against the wall again until he was sat in his previous position. “As for me…I must now wait.”

[kihaku]

Once finished warning the captured of their fate, Sulas-Ril stepped cautiously back into the outer corridor and glanced at the guard stationed there. Small, glowing white runes danced before his eyes, and he continued to stare straight ahead as if nothing was wrong or out of place. Ril thanked the stars and jogged quickly around the corner, up several flights of stairs, and into a dim room where he found Shaban on the floor, his legs crossed, fingers interlaced, and his eyes closed in meditation.

"Are they aware?" Shaban's eyes never opened, and his lips barely moved as he whispered, not daring to tempt a break in concentration any further.

"Yes, and the Knights have just changed the guard."

"Then we are ready. Place your hands around mine, and prepare to channel your magic into me." Sulas-Ril nodded and did as he was told. He sat across from the young mage, set his hands in place, and waited.

Down in the corridor, the small runes froze in place for a fraction of a second, then glowed a vibrant blue and emitted a small hum. Instantly, the guard's eyes drooped and he collapsed in a slumbering heap. The glowing characters shifted back to white, then danced merrily as they flew through the door and into the chamber.

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

I listened to what the warrior had to say, and I nodded when he finished.

"Apology accepted. If it's any consolation, I'll at least help you guys get out-"

Just as I was about to say more, a glint caught my eye. I frowned and tried to focus on it, but it moved erratically. After a second or two, I finally realized that they were little white symbols of some kind, blocky yet elegant like the ones I vaguely recalled seeing just before passing out and waking up in the council chamber. I pointed to them, but couldn't exactly vocalize what I had indicated as they suddenly began to multiply. First, only a few faded into view, but they were quickly met by more and more, until it seemed as if there was no end to them.

Like snowflakes on a soft wind, they floated about the room above and around us. It was eerily beautiful, and I found myself on the verge of a smile just as another change seemed to ripple through the glowing population. They slowed, their movements suddenly sluggish, when they seemed to shift from white to a soft, pale green. Without any more warning than that, they suddenly flew at us like darts, and several dozen attatched themselves to my body. It was the same for everybody else, except the placement of the characters seemed random.

"What the Hell-" I stopped myself as I realized what a horribly foot-in-mouth statement it was, and also because a sudden change came over me. Like the first few draughts of coffee or broth, a warmth flowed through my body that recognized instantly, though I had never truly realized what it was before: my powers returning to me.

I closed my chocolate-brown eyes, felt that internal switch flick, and opened my now ruby-red ones as I viewed the world once more with my Sight. That smile I'd felt came on me at full-force, and I couldn't help but shout for the pure exhileration.

"YES!"

Without thinking, I ran for the wall with the window and slapped my hands against the stone. I could feel the energy trapped within the rock, the pull of gravity on each and every brick, and exactly how I was going to change that.

There was a sudden stillness in the room coming from my direction as I wrapped my mind around the Gravitational energy in the wall and held it for the briefest of moments. Then with my smile still firmly in place, I sucked the Heat energy from the air around us, cooling the room to just above freezing, and fed that into the wall. With the additional energy, I converted the entirety of it into Motion.

The result was epic.

With a resounding crack-boom like the earth splitting apart, the whole wall, from side to side and ceiling to floor, burst out into empty space as chunks of rock and morter. I looked down to the ground and smiled to see we only twenty feet above the stone-littered grass, the outer wall clearly visible only a few miles from us. I knew that, with their abilities restored for the moment, it would only be a matter of miliseconds before they were gone.

I turned back to Garoten and nodded to him as I jerked my thumb over my shoulder.

"Alright, now get out of here before they realize their prison has a draft."

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

Shaban's brow creased in a frown, and his fingers clenched harder on the opposite hand. Sulas-Ril, monitering his magic input, noticed the change in his friend and shot him a questioning look.

"The Knights are aware, but no one saw the wall go. They have a minute before they realize it was the Holding, and another twenty seconds before word reaches Ser-Nyskel. How long could you hold him off?"

"His Scaevu is powerful, and it has a way of circumventing Alleviation. I estimate forty seconds." Shaban nodded.

"Then they have two minutes to traverse the five miles to the outer wall. At that distance, Nyskel will be too far to find that many. Pray that we are not discovered, Sulas-Ril."

The young Alleviator shuddered at the thought.

((RUN!!))