"He is an Avatar."

Once more, the cloaked entity turned to speak to Kuro directly. It regarded the slain Balance carefully, knowing Kuro's disbelief to be both warranted and dangerous.

"The Avatar has been set down the path of the Balance by your successors. The Destroyer of Worlds seized him and tore his spirit asunder, using him as a weapon when it was discovered his weapon's status."

Images--fleeting memories and dreams--floated between the nebulous link the entity spoke on and into the Darklink for Kuro to view. The raging battle between R.D. and Re-Tuul, and the boy's devastating loss to the engineered demon. Of experiments within the halls of Shayol Ghul. Of a raging teenager held within a titan of metal as it laid waste to the monsters occupying Asia. Of the battle between Omega and KishouDoragon as R.D. was finally torn from Daemonus' clutches.

"He walks down a path of mystery, staring into the void," the entity told Kuro. "He is one. Between the worlds."

One between the worlds. In that nebulous state between life and the void. Perhaps, the Avatar was not yet eligible to become the Dark Balance.

But the door was open to him.

"Oh, christ, get inside, the both of you," Tomoko hissed as she ushered her new guests into her parents' home. "Of all the damn places to go to you had to choose Kattelox?"

"Sorry, Tomoko," Alasea said. "We literally just got back and we weren't going to wait around for Carnax to arrive."

"You still could've picked a better place to go!" the girl remarked as she ducked into a bedroom. "Really, with the way you two look, you should've stayed away from one of the last bastions of actual civilization."

"We couldn't," R.D. remarked, slightly annoyed with the other Daughter's irate tone. "We need to see Juno. Well, I need to see Juno."

The pigtailed girl snorted derisively. "Good luck with that. The Ancient hasn't been seen in weeks. He might have Reaverbots patrolling the island but they're not much for talk."

"He's missing?" Alasea asked, somewhat surprised. Juno was one person in the war effort no one wanted to see missing, for a variety of reasons.

"Beats me. No one's seen him and from what little access I have to the Main Gate's systems with that pass he made for me, it doesn't look like he's in the Main Gate anymore. There's someone in there but Juno? Definitely not him, or MegaMan either."

"Then I'll go talk to whoever's in there and find out what's going on," R.D. said, turning to leave the house. "Just make sure Alli gets back home safely."

"You leave my house looking like that and I swear to God, I'll make you wish Colleen had gotten a hold of you!" Tomoko snarled at him, pointing at his shredded clothing. R.D. sighed and rolled his eyes, while Alasea giggled.

Fifteen minutes later, R.D. found himself alone, in a fresh change of clothing and feeling somewhat better, as he looked into one of the many unearthed entrances into the Main Gate. He pulled one of his Phase Blades from his hip and activated it, its blade slicing the air as it elongated.

"Well then. Knock knock, Reaverbots," he muttered as he entered the Main Gate.

Edited by RisingDragon on August 21, 2012 at 21:04:34

"He is an Avatar," the cloaked entity restated, as if it alone was all Kuro needed to know on the matter. "He alone wields the greatest weapon conceived. He alone wields the full might of the power of the unreal."

That sacred, profane power that erodes the power of the divine--that shining substance known as the Crystalis, granted to him by the Secret of the Dragon Tribes. With it, R.D. shared the same connection as Azaleas--the power to slay a god.

The cloaked figure shifted, and spectral images appeared--one of the boy central to their discussion on his right, a surly countenance marred by facial scarring from Re-Tuul's claw, standing as if the world could go to hell. To his left, the image of the Dark Balance, the red-haired Ancient that had ruined the Earth, clad in the vestments of his station.

"Two sides of the same coin. Beings of the most dangerous of powers. But only one can see the dawn of the new Age. The Avatar will best the one who perverts Balance."

The spectral imagery shifted. Their forms came clad in armor, ready to do battle against one another. Faces obscured in fearsome helmets, weapons held ready to strike.

"He must."

R.D. went tense as the large doors underneath the ground opened up without him activating them, and brought his weapon up to bear, but relaxed somewhat when he saw it was not a demon or a Reaverbot bearing down on him, but a humanoid--likely another Ancient; he dressed the part.

R.D. deactivated the Phase Blade and went to follow as he was beckoned, quickly catching up to the stranger. He glanced around the Main Gate's inner structure, noting now in this time of calm how it looked quite unlike most of the places he's been to, with its simulated night sky and uniform structures. The occasional reaverbot appeared on patrol, ignoring them like the ones on the surface had. He had only been here once before, taken to Juno's control room with the others, but they had a schedule to keep.

God, it felt like so long ago that they had rushed to Kattelox on their journey to deliver the Omega Core.

"Well, to start things off, you can stop calling me that," R.D. began, remarking on that damnable title. "I'm R.D., not... that."

Not yet.

"Second, I wanted to talk to Juno about that nutcase in Asia that's our new Dark Balance. He's an Ancient, so I figure your people have some info on him I can use. NightShade's got some bone to pick with me, so I figure the more I know the better I can prepare to stop him."

If I can stop him... this Draconios guy sounds like he failed, but if NightShade was terrified of Draconios... maybe with Lumiya, I can finish what he started and bring an end to this madness.

NightShade was a threat. But Ziatoch was the true danger, and the world couldn't fight both of them at once. They had to deal with one quickly so they could stop the other. And if the Omega Core was right... if the Isle was right... that was up to him.

"I don't suppose you know where Juno's run off, do you?" he asked as an afterthought. "Alli's colleague said she knew he's gone from the Main Gate, but her system access isn't high enough to find out where."

Loud grunts filled the air with every swing of his axe, likened nearly to battlecries in his frustration with the current situation. It did not sit well with him to hide out here, on the island of Kattelox, but it was one of the few places on Earth that could be called relatively safe. 'Safe', a word that had little meaning anymore in this world. How long had it been now? At least several months, he figured, maybe even years. The armies of Xastra and Ziatoch had become so common for so long it seemed almost natural that they existed in this world. But the young man's cries of "die abomination!" as he felled a tree to the indignant cries of dragonbirds fluttering fast to get out of their lost nests showed that he disagreed vehemently with that view.

He wiped the sweat from his brow and moved to chop off the branches, a task that took him near half an hour, before tying a rope around the trunk and dragging it all the way home -- he didn't even take the time to carve 'LUKE' into the trunk as he used to do before the Dark Apocalypse. The house stood three quarters of a mile away, a little past one of the Main Gate entrances. He was only vaguely familiar with it, having been told by his father that he should stay away from it, despite having lived so close to it for most of his life.

Every other pull he grunted, stopped for just a second to take a deep breath, and then continued. The thought of cinnamon pancakes with fruit mash he had been promised filled his mind and tempted him, urging him onwards. Luke felt almost like he should just drop the damn thing and leave it behind to go get the pancakes first, even if he would need to steal them away from under their cook's nose.

He stopped when he heard voices all of a sudden. He wasn't halfway home yet, so they couldn't come from the house and there weren't any other houses nearby. Luke looked around, but didn't see anyone. "Anyone out there, best come out 'fore I throw a tree at ya! I can hit a zettabee from twenty paces with this thing!"

It was a lie of course. He could only do it from eight.

Edited by Morphman on August 22, 2012 at 23:01:13

"My purpose supersedes all."

If the cloaked entity felt any distress at Kuro's outburst, it did not show any sign of it. Its words rang with a certainty... a finality.

"It is beyond your station and your purpose. Yet it is paramount to the survival of the dimension that you hold dear." it told Kuro. "He has been chosen by the Balance. The confrontation is inevitable. This makes him the key to the fulfillment of my purpose."

It turned from Kuro then, stepping past the slain Balance.

"He must face Azaleas and triumph. To do otherwise throws everything into doubt."

And with that, he disappeared, his presence fading from the mental links.

R.D. lowered his gaze briefly as Val informed him what he knew offhand about NightShade and the myth surrounding him, wondering how to detail what he knew of NightShade to the Guardian Unit. It was clear to him that the NightShade he spoke of was a dimensional alternate, like Draconios clearly was for R.D.--it wouldn't make sense otherwise, even with the weak dimensional barriers for this realm. That said, Alasea said they only know this entity by the name of NightShade purely on Kuro's word.

And as she put it, he could've easily lied to her and Awai and Riul. What did seem clear, though, is that this NightShade had the power of a Dark Balance.

Finally he looked up, opening his mouth to tell Val what he knew, and immediately cut off as the system alerted the Ancient to something, causing him to blink at his remark. "No, I've never touched any of the machin--"

Again, he was cut off as the computer's voice sounded, detailing his biometric designation and alias. The screen that appeared caused him to recoil in surprise at its sudden appearance--he was still somewhat twitchy after his incarceration at Shayol Ghul.

A quick scan of the list told him some stuff he understood and some stuff he didn't. But what caught his attention was the last point on the list.

"Audio recording...?"

R.D. pursed his lips, his face looking almost a scowl with the scarring across it.

"Only one way to find out, isn't there?" he finally said. "Play the recording."

No reply came. "Huh. Guess I imagined it." It was possible, in the forest something often stirred, but so close to the Main Gate he always felt a little edgy. He knew he shouldn't go there, it was too ingrained into him from since he was a little boy, but on the other hand he knew this was were Juno had lived and worked, an old ally. He couldn't help but wonder where he was, but surely if the purple-haired man were to show up on Kattelox, he'd at least be one of the people to know of it. There were always signs.

He drag the log to the house and dropped it when he got close, right next to the chopping block he'd later use to chop the parts of the log into smaller parts. He went inside the house, calling out to announce himself, and slammed the door shut behind him.




"Damn." A robotic voice cursed.
"Yeah, that's the way of it." A human female companion replied as the pair surveyed the charred and broken landscape that had such a huge, gaping hole inside of it. The lands were no longer ruled by lightning hawks, and Ziatoch no longer showed interest in the continent after he had extracted the Core Energy, but the land had definitely not yet healed.

"It's a pretty big hole, so we've found, but we can fix it." The android crackled. "We've got the tools." The thing was covered in a thick layer of sandy dust, caked to the metal below in places. It didn't look like it could possess much in the way of any tools, yet it said that, claiming it could fix a continent, while only sounding vaguely hesitant. "Well, not we, not I, but folks I know."

It turned away from the hole. "Let's go. This whole world needs a fixing, but we're not going to start here. Not yet."

As the audio clip ended and the holographic screen disappeared, the silence in the room was almost deafening. It was a few moments before R.D. spoke.

"Well. That... simplifies things, I guess."

The recording confirmed a number of things--it had mentioned Draconios, and remarked about how NightSh--no, how Xastra, how Azaleas, was definitely a dimensional interloper. The girls would certainly be remarking on the fragility of the barriers by now.

And that armor... so that's what Juno had given to him when he had confronted Sheena. He wasn't sure it would've helped him in the long run during that fight, but things had worked out well in the end. He got the feeling, though, that he'd need more power than just that. If worst came to worst, he'd assimilate the armor into the Dragon King Armor. The power of the Ancients combined with the might of the King of Dragons, fueled by Lumiya... it may just be enough to turn the tide against Azaleas' minions.

"Val," he spoke up, turning to the second-class Guardian Unit. "Can you pull up that file Juno mentioned? If it has what I think is on it, I think we'll have a fighting chance on taking down that phony Balance."

(OOC: Mainly because I wanted to jump back in with an old character who had a reason to be involved with the whole war. I picked Luke mainly because way back when he was my most uninteresting character and I thought I'd round him out a bit.)


= = = Africa = = =

"So what do we do now? I didn't escape from the Core just to end up hiding again, doing nothing." The female gritted her teeth and clenched her fist around the grip of a crossbow strapped to her hip.

"Kzt, it would be a lot better if we knew the present location of Sheena and Electra. They at least had reverted to their original forms, if I am correct. Even knowing the location of some of the Six Weapons would help, or other artifacts, especially ones not in possession of either A or Z. I could tinker with them."

"You can do that?" The archer seemed uncertain.

"Kzt, of course I can." The robot's face even attempted a smile of confidence, but it looked incredibly awkward with what little metal facial features it possessed. "I may primarily be an engineer, but I have studied the science of magic as well, primarily for creative purposes of course."

It scanned the daylit skies as it tried to measure how long the day would yet last, more out of boredom than necessity. "Kzt. The US is in lockdown, but they got Carnax to deal with. The only places that can be called safe now are Africa, Antarctica, Kattelox, the Core and--I'd never thought I'd say this--Hell. Putting Hell and other connected realms with this one in interdimensional lockdown to shut this world out from the rest is something we could attempt, but we'd be shutting ourselves in in the process. They haven't been able to pierce our barrier yet, but with time and research they likely could. Just to be sure though--" and it fell abruptly silent as blue lights turned on, flickering. The archer kept silent as she surveyed their surroundings, knowing that it could scan other areas it could create a datalink with through long-distance satellite communication, if only there were machines present. The check had nearly become routine for them, checking up on the safety of places they knew or suspected to be safe: what little remained of Africa, the more habitable parts of Antarctica, Kattelox Island, a handful of other locations.

"Kzt. Still safe. No ill progress. Let's depart and return to base. Confirm. Arya, Kaiora?"

Edited by Morphman on August 24, 2012 at 2:34:13

R.D. crossed his arms as the information opened up into a full window, allowing his complete perusal of it. The blue-white light reflected harshly off his green eyes, but he didn't blink as he took it all in.

It was as he expected: a full rundown on the information of Azaleas that Juno had collected, detailing what Juno could find of his rise to power, and also of his twinner, the slain Ryu Draconios. It didn't remark on the origins of Draconios' chosen name, but R.D. was still convinced it was a code-name--R.D. was clearly American, and he was certain he wouldn't have a Japanese name. Or one that sounded vaguely Greek. He drank in every word, detailing Draconios... this so-called "Messiah" and his rise to power.

It felt alien to him. Certainly this was him in an alternate dimension... but it didn't feel like it was him. It said nothing of his childhood. There was no mention of his sister, or of his family. It confirmed, however, that the man was well and truly dead, struck down in a fierce battle that had nearly taken Azaleas with him. It--

His eyes narrowed, taking in what it said was Draconios' last words. "I'm nobody's Messiah... I just know what's right, so I do it... But I've got a surprise for you...I'm not the only one."

I'm not the only one.

Had Draconios known about the Beta dimension? Of R.D. himself? Had the man expected what would happen if he failed, banking on the possibility--

The realization hit R.D. like a ton of bricks.

"Then we will see, R.D., if history is truly bound to repeat itself."

"But I've got a surprise for you...I'm not the only one."

Azaleas had fought against Draconios in a terrible, land-destroying battle, beaten into an inch of his life and barely coming out on top after fatally wounding his nemesis. He had taunted the dying hero, only for Draconios to laugh and taunt him back with the possibility of another one like him waiting to strike.

Azaleas... was afraid.

He couldn't help it. He threw his head back and laughed. Laughed like he had never before--none of his brief smiles or smirks at a joke of Matt's, it was a sound that was alien to him. But he laughed.

He soon doubled over, still laughing, no doubt alarming the Ancient that was taking care of the Main Gate with the unusual behavior. Tears started running down his face, some catching the rivulets of his facial scars. His sides were beginning to hurt, but he couldn't stop laughing.

At the entrance of the room, behind R.D. and Val, two young women stared at the spectacle in disbelief. One girl in glasses and brownish-black hair tied into pigtails, changed into a simple dress, the other with her hair free and dressed in a pair of spaghetti strap shirts and capri pants, both of them with swords strapped to their hips.

"I think your boyfriend just lost his mind," Tomoko said, staring as R.D. fell to his knees, still laughing like the world had just told him its best joke.

Alasea didn't even register her colleague's barb. "R.D....?" she asked, worried for her friend.

The other woman that stood with the robot and the archer was staring off into the distance. Her clothing was simple enough--cargo pants with the cuffs stuffed into sturdy boots, belts slipped around a narrow waist and over a thin colored shirt beginning to dampen. The her arms and face, skin naturally dark, shone with a sheen of sweat. Her arms, while slender, showed obvious muscle. Her black hair was braided and tied back into a simple bun, and a heavy machete hung at her right hip, an automatic pistol opposite of it, and just above it, the sleeves of a flight jacket tied around her waist.

Hazel eyes were still staring... but not at the crater. It had caught her attention earlier, sure, but she had been in Africa when Ziatoch had struck at it, ripping the Core Energy from the ground after Electra's stunning defeat. It had been a terrifying day, and she had only narrowly survived thanks to the help of her two companions.

Her gaze went southward, off into the distance. As if drawn.

Still, Kaiora Raedrim was quick to respond to the robot's question. "I... yeah," she said, taking in a breath. "Make a note to come back to this continent soon, though. I get the feeling we're overlooking something."

Edited by RisingDragon on August 24, 2012 at 9:50:11

= = = Africa = = =

"Notition filed." Robot crackled. "Let us depart."

From his metallic frame, a pair of flat wings like those of an airplane extended, with bulky head-sized engines on each. The engines ignited and shot a white-golden flame out their exits, causing Robot to rise up. A pair of cables extended from his arms, plates attached to them on which Arya and Kaiora could stand, handholds being five feet further up.

Arya adjusted her bow to be across her back and chest, rather than swung over an arm, and grabbed hold of one. Her other hand held her dirty blonde hair out of her blue eyes as she looked back at Kaiora. "I hope this war won't last until we start to go grey and get old. There's so little left already. No wonder you feel odd. I get uneasy of this entire world."

"Relax, old man," Tomoko said, waving him off as Alasea hurried over to R.D.. "We're two of the Daughters of Dawn. We just cheated our way inside."

Shortly after Tomoko had explained their two new visitors to her parents, R.D. had already left for the Main Gate and they went to follow. It was a bit slower for them, needing to fake out the entrance's defenses to allow them in, then confuse just about every single Reaverbot they encountered--Tomoko's own legitimate access was limited to the sub-ruin the entrance to her Pillar's cave was hidden at and more-or-less useless in the Main Gate.

Still, it gave Alasea some practice on the finer things with her powers--they needed more than just combat skills and defensive abilities to truly protect the planet's only hope at stopping Ziatoch.

R.D.'s laughter was subsiding, and still chuckling he accepted Alasea's hand to get back onto his feet. She looked at him worriedly as he wiped the tears from his eyes, took a deep breath, and calmed himself.

"So what was that about?" Tomoko asked, causing him to turn at the sound of her voice.

"This," he replied, gesturing to the holographic image displaying the obtained data. "Everything I needed to know about Azaleas and Draconios."

"Is that...?" Alasea questioned, glancing at the attached image.

"Yeah. That's Draconios."

"He looks like you, that's for sure," Tomoko commented, noting the strong resemblance--he looked for all the world an older R.D., right down to the matching facial scarring. "His eyes are brown, though. Your's aren't. What gives?"

"He never underwent a Binding Ritual," R.D. remarked tersely. "I did."

"Fair enough. So why'd you lose it just now?"

"All this time we've been worried about what Azaleas would do to us. All his power and prestige as the Dark Balance and we never knew. He's been afraid all this time."

"Of you?" Tomoko remarked, sounding very unconvinced.

"Me personally? Probably not," R.D. agreed. "But he was afraid of Draconios... and Draconios knew about me. Azaleas might not be afraid of me... but he's afraid of what I could be. What I could become."

R.D. smiled down at the picture, his eyes dark with intent.

"I'd hate to disappoint him on that."

Kaiora untied the flight jacket from her waist and quickly slid her arms into it, zipping it up fully--Africa was bloody hot here, but flying openly on Robot was bloody cold and she didn't feel like freezing to death.

"You saw what happened here," she remarked to Arya. "Hell, I was here when it happened. This keeps up and we won't have to worry about getting old."

She spared one glance back, almost as if she had an itch, before shaking her head and muttering under her breath, taking hold of Robot's extensions so they could leave. "Get us out of here, Robot."

Edited by RisingDragon on April 10, 2013 at 16:42:27

The two girls spun around, suppressing shrieks, but R.D., perhaps still feeling some deranged mirth from the realization, only looked over his shoulder before turning to face the slain Balance.

He lowered his gaze from Kuro for several moments, pondering. How indeed? Never mind having the power of a Dark Balance--Azaleas still had five of the Seven Beasts of the Dark Apocalypse, and the armies linked to them. Gouki's forces were in complete disarray upon their return from Shayol Ghul--Daemonus had seen to that with Omega. Carnax had no army of his own, but that left Donovan, Chishio, and Hydro unaccounted for.

G.A.R. had their own plans, and had the information taken from the Omega Essence to utilize, but he had no clue how ready they were--the XA-26-483 Ragnarok had yet to return from the Polaris Outpost and renew their efforts planetside. But even then, they were outmanned and outgunned by sheer numbers alone. He needed an army to break the teeth of Azaleas' forces before he could even hope to engage the Dark Balance on his own.

... an army that Draconios once had... the army of someone even Azaleas had feared...

"Well... I think, for starters, I should get an army of my own," he said, looking back up at Kuro. He leaned back on his foot, crossing his arms over the black t-shirt and frayed overshirt he wore. "I wonder how much Azaleas would freak if I took that army out of Ventre itself."

The resulting silence from Tomoko, Alasea, and Val staring at the idea was deafening, like waiting on the sound of a pin drop.

R.D. shrugged at the former Dark Balance. Alasea and Tomoko couldn't believe it. He shrugged. "I've still got the Great Serpent's Scale," he said. "Persior's still got a dimensional gateway intact."

He glanced over at the two Daughters. "And didn't you say that the dimensional barriers for the Beta are weak?" he asked.

Numbly, Alasea nodded. He turned back to Kuro. "Shouldn't be too hard to figure something out."

"But what about getting an army?" Alasea asked. "If Azaleas has already subjugated the realm..."

"Oh, well that's the easy part," R.D. said, causing her to blink in surprise. "Azaleas is afraid of Draconios, and he was the strongest entity in that dimension. If Azaleas was afraid of him, everyone else under his command must be terrified of him."

"But--"

"Word will have spread that Azaleas killed Draconios, yes, I know," R.D. said impatiently, waving Alasea off. "But I think he's going to have a problem if suddenly Ryu Draconios came back to life and announced it to the whole world. I think someone will take notice of it. It'll be a start, at least. Add in spreading a bit of news on how Azaleas came here, released seven eldritch abominations in an attempt to take over the world... and then lost two of them in battle? Even his own minions will begin to doubt Azaleas' superiority."

He looked up at Kuro, his gaze hard. "I stood against Dragon Drive FINAL. I stood against an Avatar of Destruction and I came out on top. So I know I can bring Azaleas down. I already look the part for Draconios. If I instigate the second coming of a Messiah, then there's nothing Azaleas can do to stop what I'll have put in motion. Nothing."

"Those... look like shadow creatures," Alasea remarked, sounding worried.

"Donovan's ilk. Well, either you have something he wants," R.D. remarked, looking over at Val, "Or Azaleas is already aware we're back. Give you three guesses as to which it is, and the first two don't count."

Tomoko sighed. This was just what they needed. "I hope the Reaverbots are ready to play meat-shield. Alasea and I can help set up wards and make sure the people are safe. You think you can handle them, R.D.?"

"Can't be any worse than Lee or Draco," he remarked. "Get your Reaverbots ready, Val. Have them meet me at the entrance."

Alasea nodded, and both teenage girls ran out the room, this time not even bothering to worry about the Reaverbots patrolling the Main Gate's halls. R.D. shoved his hand into his satchel and quickly pulled out a random Chaos Emerald and tossed it into the air. "Chaos... Control!"

Green light blazed with a clap of thunder, and R.D. disappeared from the control room. As the horde of black creatures hurled towards the gate, light blazed into existence just before it, blinking away in an instant as R.D. landed in a crouch. He stood up to his full height and looked towards the skies as the beasts came soaring in.

Edited by RisingDragon on August 25, 2012 at 9:57:14

= = = With Robot, Kaiora and Arya = = =

The ocean blue stretched out far below them as they flew at an altitude that made it easy enough to scramble radar and other detection methods so that Robot didn't have to spend energy on more advanced Undetectors, but high enough to also stay out of immediate sight of sea serpents swimming just below the water, and out of their reach should one decide to lunge up from the seas. Of course, their altitude likely wouldn't make it high enough to stay out of reach of a Gan or Hydro, but those were highly unlikely encounters.

As they drew nearer to South America, Robot sent out a message ahead of them so that their arrival would be prepared for.

Arya had her dirty blonde hair tied up in a ponytail to prevent it from getting whipped around in the wind as they flew. She looked at Kaiora, kind of wanting to strike up a conversation, but as soon as she tried to say something, the wind blew her words away, so she held quiet afterwards.


= = = Nexus, The Past = = =

During her stay in the Nexus, Meta had made a habit of sneaking out of her room, rather than staying in there and catch some sleep as she had been advised often by now. She just couldn't sit still. She knew she couldn't go outside of the Nexus or meet with anyone other than the Balances, for fear of disrupting the timestream, but she hadn't asked yet how they knew it could or might do that. All she knew was that she shouldn't allow herself to go back early, nor grow complacent and lazy. When she returned to Earth, to the time she had come from, she would make sure to be ready. Ready for Hydro and his Sword of Time, ready for Carnax whose power she desired like she had taken Electra's, possibly Donovan's as well to reinforce her position as a Dark Balance, and ready above all for her father, Xastra, and her brother ZetsumeiRyu, should he stand in the way of her destined battle with her progenitor. She had enough time to think here anyway, to come up with a plan. Her army was still vast and was out there somewhere, undoubtedly led by Gilgamesh now, from their interdimensional hidden base: the City of White Metal.

She wondered if, when the time would come, the other Balances would be of any help. She didn't know yet how much they knew of her, but they knew something at least, and if they already knew something, something more might be in order to secure the future that would come after the future that she had come from. And if they would not help her... there was always the one man she had been told of would likely be her ally.


= = = Nexus, The Present = = =

"Cupcakes!" Shouted Maya.

{context needed}


Edited by Morphman on September 2, 2012 at 2:59:44

It took numerous hours before land appeared for Kaiora and Arya as they clung to Robot's limb extensions, but soon the sea gave way to land, eventually to humid rainforests that now crawled with who knows what. Much like her native Africa's jungles, Kaiora knew that this place was just as dangerous for the unwary on its own. But now, with Chishio's kin stalking beneath its foliage...

Ah, but there's things here that even the spiders fear, the woman thought, looking ahead to their destination. Hidden within the base of a mountain, obscured underneath countless leaves, lay an imposing gash in the stone, situated in such a way that only those who could climb effortlessly or soar through the sky could enter. And at each end of this cavern entrance, a pair of menacing dragons sat on vigil, ready to incinerate any intruder that approached.

Both took note of the approaching machine, eyes focusing as they stood up on their hind legs, ready to fight if it was anything hostile. But soon they settled, recognizing Robot as it closed in on their location, and they returned to their vigil.

As soon as they landed, Arya immediately got off the plate she stood on and stretched herself in relief. "Man, if that flight had gone on any longer, my muscles would've fossilized!" She proclaimed, before bending over in an attempt to touch the toes of her boots. "Ahh, much better. Still would prefer to get a massage or something."

Robot's wings folded up and clicked back into his sides, the turbines disappearing halfway into his back and a plate folding over it, making his shoulders visibly bulky with their contents. "Kzt. I will go and confirm Relayia's presence or meet with the current presiding dragon officer. You two attend to your biological needs." He turned and walked off into a cavernous corridor in search of a dragon with the knowledge he required--the sentries were obviously not to be asked while on duty.


= = = Nexus, the Past = = =

Her grunts echoed throughout the spacious white chamber. The black pillar that stood in the middle looked rocky, but her fist sunk deeply into it as if it were made of goo - yet it did not suck her in like it. Kicks hit it from left and right in successive blows. Meta had been going on for so long now that her skin bore the pearlescent gleam of her sweat, which stained the training outfit she had plundered from one of the closets - not knowing whether it belonged to Serenade or to Lament. Her hair was shorter now, having been cut with a slice from her sword in a burst of ill-expressed enthusiasm over the plan to prepare herself for the long-awaiting fight.

She ceased momentarily, then kicked the pillar one more time with a loud cry, and stopped. She walked over to a small table standing to the side and took the towel that laid on it to wipe away the sweat. She sat down on the chair beside the table and eyed the small pile of books she had collected from the Nexus' library earlier. She didn't like reading, but she had to study to learn more about the Balances, their history and what it meant to be a Balance. She wanted to get to know more about Xastra, Kuro, the Dark Apocalypse, Ziatoch and other dimensions. When the time would come, she would be ready both physically and mentally.

With a sigh she put down the towel, picked up a book and began to read.

= = = Nexus, the Past = = =

Meta's head turned fast at the sound of Lament's voice. He had caught her off guard, she thought she'd be alone in here for a while before they found out. "Don't look to much with that lecherous stare," she told him with a scolding tone at his comment. She was quiet a moment, before adding "but thanks."

She cast a look aside at the Chronicle of Darkness and gave a shrug. "Heh, I'm not too sure myself what I'm doing. I'm trying to be prepared for everything when I get back to where I should be, to defeat all those who shouldn't be there and be ready for my duties as a Dark Balance and general of the City of White Metal. I'm trying to become stronger and wisen up for when the time comes, but I can only do so much. I don't want to be sent back before I'm ready." She looked up at Lament, lock with his eyes. "If I can change the fate of the world for the better, maybe I'll manage to do the same for my own."

"Look, Val," R.D. said as the Ancient landed from his kick. "You've got spirit, I'll give you that. But there's a few things you have to realize."

Offhandedly, R.D. raised his hand and flicked his wrist, hurling a wave of plasma as the shadow creature Val had just downed.

"Shadow Creatures don't play fair," he continued, ignoring the impending explosion. "And you'll need help to take on this many at once."

Particles of light suddenly flit through the air, settling upon R.D.'s skin and clothing as the Main Gate's doors opened to allow Alasea and Tomoko through, this time both with the sacred swords drawn and magic flowing through their bodies. With a flash of light, the gathered particles condensed and solidified, encasing R.D. into the altered Dragon King Armor. A fang-plated mouthpiece closed down over R.D.'s mouth, and his eyes were covered in darkness.

"But the biggest point I'm making," he said, his voice somewhat muffled by the helmet. "Is that I'm much, much stronger than you and this is going to be practically cathartic for me."

The blood-red jewel encased in the cuirass of his armor began to glow, and there was a warbling sound as the ground around them disappeared in chunks, becoming so much prismatic mist. It flowed through the air, gathering at various points on R.D.'s body. A cannon-concealing buckler with a large blade slung underneath it appeared on his right arm, a larger kite-shaped shield with a thin, pointed golden cross appeared on his left. Twin cannons slung underneath his hips materialized. Paneling on his back swung open into four sets of thrusters that instantly ignited as he went airborne.

"And this time, I'm paying back in full!" he roared, hurtling into the ranks of the Shadow Creatures.

"You're better off letting him go," Alasea told Val. "There's too many innocent people here, and the more of us there are to hold these creatures off, the better."

"And it's not like I can go anywhere anyway," Tomoko muttered, weaving defensive wards around the three of them to protect against infection and possession attempts. "I bloody live on this island."

Kaiora stretched, muscles protesting from the long wait to get to the dragons' lair. Really, they needed to convince Robot to get a vehicle one of these days. Surely there was a Whispercraft lying around somewhere. She could fly one of those easy with her old training. Robot could probably fly one even better. "We've got to find an alternative one of these days," she agreed.

After a moment, she decided she'd need to use the bathroom soon. But first... "It's noisy as hell in this cave all of a sudden. Did something happen while we were gone?" she asked.