Infinite Powers

[Banana Lobster]

Sage Shade

Shade groaned, trying to ignore the pounding in her head. The sunlight was warm on her cheek, the Dragon Sapphire underneath her, digging into her shoulder and-wait a minute. Sunlight? But wasn't she undergr-oh. Oh yeah. That, uh, that big explosion. That would probably have done it. She opened her eyes, squinting as she tried to make sense of things. Yup, dirt, rocks, blue skies, and no mountain. Shade stared. That must have been a bigger explosion then she'd thought.

Closing her eyes again, she pressed the palms of her hands against the soil, struggling to push herself up. Something rolled off her and landed next to her with a thmp. Shade blinked at the anthro-lion next to her. He looked pretty roughed up, his armor scuffed and torn, and a deep cut all the way down one arm. Well. That would explain why it was so hard to get up.

Shaking her head, she stood up and summoned her scythe, taking a moment to enjoy the familiar weight in her hand. Leaning it against her shoulder, she began to walk, holding up one arm to block out the sun as she looked for anyone she recognized.

[Oddood198]

Lydia looked sharply at Zare, taking in his explanation and excuses without so much as a blink. She took a quick glance at the Dark Angel to make sure he wasn't moving to interfere, then back to Zare. She started walking toward the Were-cat, speaking as she closed the distance. "You never message me back, leave me sitting and waiting for ever, and when I finally see you again I find you've joined up with one of the most feared and hated players in Infinite, and we're now fighting each other in a war."
By this point, she was inches from Zare's face, she hoped it would be quite an uncomfortable proximity for him. She flipped her dagger around in her hand so she was holding it upside-down. She slowly raised the blad up and tapped Zare's chest with the point of it, "You. Owe. Me." She said, poking him again with each word for emphasis, "Three quests, and a meal. No complaining, no excuses, and no cheap fast food, either. Got it, numbskull?"

[ClaecElric4God]

/Eric/Zare/
Zare took a nervous step backwards as Lydia started approaching. He couldn't get a read on her, and she was definitely making him nervous. Then she started pointedly scolding him for stuff, and that didn't make him any more comfortable. Zare leaned back as she got even closer, completely unsure what to do. But he got the sense she was enjoying it.
When she finally stopped talking, Zare just blinked.
"Uh..." Then he laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head again. "Sure thing. Just don't...stab me."
He was going to explain Ash and stuff and whatever, but he thought better of it after what she said about excuses.

[Oddood198]

"I'd think a stabbing is the least you deserve, but I'll let you off the hook for now." Lydia said, giving him one more poke with the dagger's point before sheathing it and taking a step back. She crossed her arms, still looking rather irritated, it seemed they would manage to avoid a conflict here, after all. It seemed she had at least gotten the point across to Zare that she was quite upset by his actions and lack of communication, as well as recruited him for a few quests, and she would definitely have him treat her to the fanciest, most expensive food she could find.
"Now, are you gonna continue your uncivil silence, or will you introduce me to your friend there?" She asked nodding her head at the Dark Angel.

[ClaecElric4God]

/Eric/Zare/
"Uh..." Zare blinked again, realizing this situation felt really familiar, except this time Lydia was the one being intimidating, and he felt like his life was in danger just from her glare. It was really...unnerving. If he had any brains at all, he may have defended himself by bringing up the occasion of the two-headed snake, but the pressure from Lydia's aura was too scary for him to get his thoughts in order. Instead, all he could think up was, "Yeah, sorry. I'm a jerk."
"Um, oh, yeah..." He replied to her question. After a moment's pause, he turned, gesturing Ash over.
"This is Ashimatya. You may know him as the Dark Angel, but I personally think that's a bit unnecessary. I mean, yeah, he probably deserves his reputation, and I have no reason to be all chummy with him, and he can definitely be a jerk sometimes; but we've been through a lot recently. It's a long story."
Zare looked back and forth between the two, wondering how this was going to go. Hopefully the only two friends he had in the world didn't end up attacking each other.
"Just...uh, don't try to kill each other or anything," he added as an afterthought.

[Wolfsong]

/Stephen/ Ashimatya /
He was little surprised when Zare called him over. He was having his own nervous breakdown of sorts and thought Zare would rather be alone for dealing With his friend, and yet...
He studied Lydia a moment, then said suddenly, "l saw you fighting out there. You looked pretty good." He glanced away, wondering if that was the right thing to say.

/Pierce/Arachni/
"I wonder what's going to happen now," Meradith said, studying Amber's still form. Her skin was icy cold to the touch.
Michael stared at the wall, his expression empty. He didn't answer Meradith, didn't even show whether he heard her or not. She kept on talking, as though she had to.
"I mean, yeah, Pierce could still be working with us, and he said he'd heal Cherry, but will he come back to us?" Her voice was growing in anxiety. "If the enthusiasts aren't trapped in Infinite with the rest, they could still be hunting him. He could be in danger even now." She trembled, clutching her arms, babbling. "He could die, and then no one could save us or Cherry. And all those poor people in Infinite will be trapped there forever. No one knows the game like he does, except maybe for that Aegis nut, and he's the only one capable of helping them. They're trapped there, forever-"
"Meradith." Michael didn't shout, but his voice stopped her. They both sat bolt upright as there was a sudden knock on the door. They both stared at it silently, then Michael rose cautiously to his feet. He walked to the door, glancing back at Meradith, then opened it. He gasped, eyes widening. Meradith half-rose from her seat, mouth curving into a smile. "Welcome back," she said.
Pierce stepped in, smiling back. Michael wordlessly held out his hand, which Pierce quietly shook. He went straight to Amber, gently touching her face. Taking her hand, he turned to face the other two, his smile genuine on his face.
"I'm back."

End of Pierce/Arachni's story

/Zara/Kiari/
Zara snuck out the back door. She'd left a note thanking them and saying she hoped to meet them in Infinite again. She hated goodbyes, and she was dying to get home. That and...she wanted to see mother again. She'd make up to them later.
Her thoughts were full as she walked home. So many things had happened, so much ever since joining Infinite. And now, she was pretty sure she'd just had the ultimate experience. Because of a game, men had died. Her thoughts wandered to the dead man in her garage. Because of a game, people had tried to hurt her. And because of the game, she was free and a girlfriend. And at last, she was finally coming back home.
There were two cars in her driveway, one her mom's and the other...heart pounding, she rung the doorbell.
She fidgeted nervously, waiting. What kind of greeting would she get? She hadn't even left a note, hadn't had time, for all her mom knew she'd run away. Was she going to be angry?
The door opened, and her mom was there, rather bedraggled but still a beautiful sight to Zara. The instant she saw Zara, she practically lunged forward, throwing her arms around her daughter. Tears fell, happy tears. "Oh Zara," she whispered. "Oh my Zara."
There was another pair of arms, suddenly, and for a moment she didn't dare believe. Her dad was there too. She smiled, clinging as tightly as she could. It didn't matter how or why, there'd be explanations later. Right now, she just wanted this moment to last forever.
She was finally home.

End Zara/Kiari's story

/Nancy/
Stumbling around in this strange place, for Siccilian no longer was a snow field, Nancy searched everywhere for any sign of survivors. Pushing her blue hair from her eyes, she looked around worriedly. "Hello!" she shouted. "Is anyone...ah!"
She could see someone! She wasn't quite sure who they were, but the sight of someone alive was joy enough! Quickly, she ran toward her. "hey!" she shouted.

[Oddood198]

Lydia crossed her arms and gave a rather noisy 'harrumph' at Ashimataya's comment, "Flattery will get you nowhere, purple hair." She said, "But, if you're the reason that Zare has been too busy to get together with me, then you also owe me. One quest, and the dessert from the meal he buys, got it?" She continued in a no-nonsense tone, "Oh, and you guys have better make sure your wallets are stuffed, 'cuz you're feeding all my pets, too, and Relly's a big eater."

[Wolfsong]

/Stephen/Ashimatya/
He stared at Lydia in some surprise. Bossy little miss, wasn't she. Still, he found himself smiling slightly. Well, if she didn't care, why should he? "I suppose," he replied, laughing as he spoke. "I can do that." He glanced at his clock, then gasped. "Oh my gosh, I'm going to be late for work! I can't afford to lose this job too!" He shook his head wryly. "Later Zare, Lydia. Just send me a pm when you want to quest, k?" and he logged out.

[ClaecElric4God]

/Eric/Zare/
Zare cringed as Lydia spoke. Yeah, this wasn't going to drain his finances at all.
"Okay, okay, we get it," he replied in a light tone. "You really know how to make a guy feel bad, don't you?"
Zare smiled, though, looking at his friends. Huh. He'd convinced himself that no one in Infinite was sincere, and online friendships were completely undependable. Well, these two proved that wrong.
Zare opened his mouth to give a big eloquent speech about friendships, but the next thing he knew, Ash was leaving. So instead, he just turned to Lydia.
"Thanks for understanding." He said. "And for being so awesome. Questing was a blast, and I can't wait till next time."
Then he looked at his own clock, cringing.
"But I really have to go now, life and all that good stuff. Being trapped in a video game really messed up my schedule. I'll definitely talk to you about questing as soon as I can, though."
Zare did a quick salute, then logged out.

OOC: Well, that's it. My story is finished. Fin. The end.

[Banana Lobster]

Sage Shade

For the third time in as many minutes, Shade seriously considered changing forms to speed up her search, but once again decided against it. The chances were, even if she did see anyone alive, they'd mistake her for a real (well, semi-real) horse and try to catch her. Not fun. Brushing her hair back, she paused a moment to finger the Dragon Gem hidden around her neck. But there was no water around, except for that still inside various canteens and water-skins. Useful for in a pinch, but not much use outside of a fight. Ah well.

"Hey!" Shade turned, surprised, twisting the handle of her scythe so that she held it horizontally. If it was that fire-master again....

But no, it was another girl. Looked pretty relieved to see her. Thinking back, Shade confirmed that she hadn't been one of the group that had appeared to protect Pierce, and she hadn't been there when they arrived. So that meant she had been with Cyrano, and by extension, on her side during the battle. So she was probably an ally; so Shade probably didn't need to look quite so intimidating. She let the handle of her scythe hit the ground with a quiet thmp. She nodded a greeting and waited for the girl to catch up.

[Wolfsong]

/Nancy/
She was so relieved when the girl put the scythe down, and nodded to her. She thought she recognized her now, but she wasn't quite sure. She slid to a stop beside her, doubling over as she tried to catch her breath. "Ah....oh..." She managed to straighten, smiling in relief. "I'm so glad, I thought I was the only one still alive in here. Are you okay?"

/Stephen/Ashimatya/
He straightened, pulled off the headset, and put it aside without hesitation. He was going to give it a while before he went back in.
The kitchen was empty. He found himself a cereal box and just started eating straight from it. He sat on the counter, staring at the ceiling, thinking hard. About Zare, about Lydia, about Cyrano, and especially his brother. Where were they now> What kind of lives were they living?
It was so hard, imagining such things. Zare's circumstances he knew to a degree. Lydia probably had a regular family, a mom who knew and loved her and a father who cared for her. Cyrano...Tyler had loving parents, and was stuck in a wheelchair. He'd never acted despairingly or complained either, but always had a smile ready. Stephen wondered if they'd ever be friends again.
Ms. Jean suddenly entered the room, his mother entering with her, her hands guiding his mother in. He slid off the counter, holding the box aside. "Is everything alright?" he asked worriedly.
Ms Jean shook her head, a small smile on her face. "Sir..."
"Stephen," his mom suddenly said. He jumped, whirled to stare at her. She was staring at him, her eyes beautifully clear and focused. His eyes widened, heart swelling near to burst. was she..."Stephen!" she repeated, holding her arms out to him. "My son!"
Dropping the box and ignoring the mess, he flung himself at her, clutching her to him. Tears welled up in his eyes. "Mother!"
"Stephen...my beautiful, wonderful son..."
Now...there was only Pierce left. If he could just bring Pierce home, he would have all his family together again. All that remained, he would have again. "Heck with Aegis's offer, he doesn't get it," he thought with a smile. "This is what I want. I don't need his new reality. This is enough for me."

End Stephen/Ashimatya's story

[Banana Lobster]

Sage Shade

Shade waited until the girl straightened up before replying. She looked alright; no bloodstains, no obvious injuries. Mostly just dirt smeared across her clothes. Shade doubted she looked much better. "I'm fine. My username's Sage Shade. And yours is...?"

[Wolfsong]

/Nancy/
"I'm Nancy," she answered. She glanced around, then said, "Do you suppose...Pierce did this? I had no clue he'd gotten so strong..." she bit her lip, uncertain, then turned back to Shade. "Anyways, I'm glad you're okay. With all these players...and Siccilian has been....its like nothing I've seen before."

[Oddood198]

In just a handful of seconds, and before she had time to say more than a couple of rushed goodbyes, Ash and Zare had logged out and left Lydia alone on the Siccilian battlefield. She took a deep breath in, and then sighed, "Well, it's getting late, I guess. I suppose I should probably be going, too, while I can." She said, then opened her menu and verified the log out button was indeed there.
The last few hours of Infinite had caused more fear and danger for her than she had ever felt in her life, the fear of not being able to log out, being trapped indefinitely, and even danger of dying. I should really quit while I'm ahead... She thought. Infinite had probably become more trouble than it was worth, all she wanted was a game to kill time with, not something that could be used a mass prison or a weapon. She thought of Saify, and Zare, and Sage, and Ash, and even Kiari and her pet party member Hawke, and all the other people she had met through Infinite, friend or foe, as well as the adventures she had had. Sighing, she logged out.


Iris took her headset off and tossed it off her bed, causing a clatter as it hit the floor. She sighed, sitting up and crossing her legs, looking down at it the headset. Infinite had proven itself to be very dangerous, to her, to her friends, and to any other players inside. After all that, I really should just toss out all my gaming gear and be done with it. She thought, then sighed again, But, maybe thinking that the game's more trouble than it's worth isn't all that correct, because meeting those people, having those adventures, living that life... It's sure worth a whole lot.
She swung her legs off the bed and stood up, then picked her headset up off the floor and set it on top of her computer. She then walked away, opened her bedroom door, and left, wanting to get back to her life of normalcy. She knew that the smartest choice would be to give up on Infinite as a whole, but she was young and stupid, so she would be back, someday.
For now, though, one life was enough for her.

[Banana Lobster]

Sage Shade

Shade looked around, taking in the broken bodies and glistening pools of blood. "I'm...not sure. I don't remember much of the trouble Pierce caused last time, but to have grown this powerful? Its...absurd. Its a game. What's the point of all this? Its stupid." She shook her head, absentmindedly tapping the scythe against her shoulder. She returned her gaze to Nancy. "So, now what?"

[Wolfsong]

/Nancy/
Nancy was quiet, thinking, then she said, "I guess...hey, my log out button's working again!" She thought a moment, then said, "I suppose we should get out while we can..." She shook her head. "Seems the field is clear, anyway. After a moment, she turned to Shade. "Hey...thanks for coming and helping. I really appreciate it..."

[Banana Lobster]

Sage Shade

Shade shrugged. "Yeah, well, it was better then sitting around waiting for someone else to do it." She pulled up the menu and paused with her finger on the log-out button. She sucked in a breath and blew it out slowly. "Well, here goes nothing."

-Logged Out-

Dara

"Dara!"

Dara blinked, surprised as her mom's arms wrapped tightly around her. "M-Mom?"

"You've been out for almost six hours! We've been worried sick!" Her mom let her go, yanking off the game console. "That's it, no more Infinite. Ever. I didn't want to believe the stories on TV about people getting trapped in the game, but then your father and I came up and nothing we did seemed to reach you, and...."

Dara stared at her mom, shocked. Six hours? She knew she had been in there for a while, but she'd had no idea it had been that long. Wait a minute, if it had been six hours-"I missed our visit!" she blurted out.

Her mom stopped mid-rant, turning to her with the happiest look Dara had seen since before Ian's first accident. "There won't be any more visits Dara, never again. The hospital called earlier-your father's with Ian right now."

Dara's jaw dropped. "He's, he's awake? He finally woke up?" Her mom nodded. Dara leapt off the bed with a loud whoop of joy. "YES!" Suddenly, Infinite and all its troubles were forgotten as she grabbed her mom and yanked her towards the door. "What are we waiting for? Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Laughing, her mom let her drag her to the car, and they were soon on their way to the hospital. Dara grinned. Soon she'd be back with her family again-her whole family. Annoying little brother included.


~~End~~

[Wolfsong]

/Final Persons for Final Post/

Michaelis helped Astral up the rocky path, then he moved deeper into the caverns. Wind moving through the tunnels howled like some otherworldly creature, and even he couldn't suppress a shudder. Astral cowered closer to him. "Michaelis, do you think...that sounds like Gii'itera."
He shook his head. "No, its not. Don't worry." and he kept moving.
Eventually it opened up to reveal a huge garden of stone and plant. Michaelis grew tense the further in they went. The place was a potential minefield, and one wrong turn meant a speedy or slow end, depending on what got you. Beyond this was another stretch of caverns which opened into the interior of a castle. With a hall long as a football field, lined with tall pillars, it was imposing. To Michaelis who knew it well, it also inspired agitation. Master Aegis had performed many experiments here at one point, and Michaelis had been one of them. For him, this place was a memory trove of nightmares.
That and, unlike Astral, he'd seen what happened to Gii'itera here."
"Wasn't this pace going to be an Event once?" Astral asked quietly.
Michaelis shrugged, though within he cringed. "Yeah, an event...of sorts."
Aegis stood at the end of the hall, standing before a grand pair of doors, each covered with intricate designs and pictures. Astral gave a cry as she recognized Oracle, laying in a broken heap on the floor. Something black and horrid was on her skin, pulsing with red veins. It covered most of her body, and was spreading into her face. Astral ran to her, hovering anxiously over her though she didn't dare touch her.
"So, how did it go?" Aegis asked, turning.
Michaelis straightened, yanking his eyes away from Oracle. "The factions are broken, sir. Hadrian's brats took care of him, and they left. The factions, even small ones, are...destroyed."
Aegis nodded. "Good. I have new jobs for you." He beckoned to the corner, and a new figure joined them. Michaelis gasped as he saw him. Stringy, maroon hair fell wildly around his face. He wore a deep red jacket, and what could have been the bottom half of a tattered brown robe. In his violet eye was a crazed light. He too had the terrible black patches on his skin, one huge patch over his left eye, surrounding it in agitated red like a flame.
"Gii'itera!" he gasped. Astral half-rose, eyes wide in horror.
Aegis smiled, and arm extended. "it is time for the continent to rise. When it does, we will assuredly have guests, but only the special ones will clear it. While that happens, here is what you, my precious children, must do..."

END OF INFINITE POWERS

First off, I would like to thank everyone for having patience with me. Its been a rough ride all around.
Claec, I loved meeting your guys. Zare's story made me cry, and Kenji made me laugh. Thank you for joining me in this.
Odd, thank you once again for sticking with me. Your participation is gratefully accepted and appreciated, particularly your faithfulness when I'm being slow and lazy.
Freddy, thank you for doing so much. It was fun working with you.
Banana, I loved Sage Shade the whole way through. She's a great person, and I hope she lives happily with Ian.
Koneko, your characters were, once again, some of the nicest I know. Thanks for joining in.

and finally...thank you everyone. This rpg would never be, without you guys. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the fun ride you guys have given me.