Domination Break! IC (Started/Accepting/PG16)

[Magnet Soldier]

Michael sighed. "Mine. Well, not much again. I was taught by my father to wield guns, and to specialize in them, as you've seen." Michael said, sitting down on a small bench as they exited the boat, and onto the deck. "We'll wait for Harald here. I'd like to hear his story too." Michael said, leaning against the back of the bench, grabbing his katana lightly. "I started my training when I was 5, and wielded my first gun at 8. My training finished when I was 16. I've always been released. I dont know why. My father was aswell. I suppose that's why we never stayed in one place for more than a year, and why no-one ever liked us. I met Adarian when I was 18. My father had died the year before, after an attack by the people of the village we were staying in, a place called Tull. I killed everyone, everyone, in that town. The children and the women included. But I still couldn't save my father. I picked up his revolvers from beside him, and wear them now. I've been on the move since, and met Adarian in some town - I cant remember it's name - on the southern border of Osalia. I was expecting him, I'd always suspected he was releasing people. He was on the run, and was hiding from a passing patrol unit. He didn't realise I was there until a put a gun at his head. I asked him who he was, he told me the truth. I sat down, offered him a chair. I cant remember exactly what he said, and he only got half way, but I remember he told me he could release people, and was leading some rebellion. Then the police entered. I shot a lot of them, but me and Adarian got seperated, and I've been searching for him. I still have a lot of questions to ask him, and am a bit impatient about it. Sorry about that by the way." Michael apoligized, the memory already blurring again in his mind. "I suppose mine's a bit longer than yours, but not much."

[encapturer]

One of the sailors looked around the deck as he counted the people who were getting off. There were five people. One was a man dressed in gray robes, standing near the edge of the boat. Next were two people women near the center of the deck. One of them was dressed in a suit and the other carried some video equipment, so the sailor assumed they were newspeople or something similar. Finally, he counted Nimue and Michael. With the weapons on Michael carried he assumed that they were adventurers or mercenaries, though he had no idea what kind of business they had in the city.

"Alright, we can't waste any more time," one man said. He was wearing a white lab coat with a small red shield emblazoned on its left pocket, signifying he was a part of the Mercado Disease Control. He held a small mechanical wand with two dials, a small cable dangling at the end, and a small screen near the handle. "You all heard what's going on, and willingly came up to the dock." he said, looking at all five people. "Now, let us get off the boat so the others can return to Osalia."

[hr]

Kaito reached the docks to see that there was some commotion going on at one of the boats docked at the station. While there were a bunch of people standing around on the ship, there were only two people on land. One of them was man, wearing the DC outfit, standing near the walkway up the ship. The other was a teenaged girl sitting down nearby on the bench. The girl looked up at Kaito and shook her head. "Sorry, those guys aren't letting anyone on the ship." The man said nothing, and just glared at Kaito.

[Jake the Sage]

Kaito didn't respond to the man's glare with one of his own, as he had no reason to hate the man at least yet, and instead listened to the girl explain that he wouldn't be able to board this ship. Not wanting a confrontation, at least in public where he could be discovered, Kaito gave a warm smile and questioned the girl, "Then perhaps there is another ship which I can voyage on to my destination?"

[i]"If I odn't find another ship it looks like I might have to make an ass of myself,"[/i] Kaito thought shooting the man in the DC uniform a quick glance, not long enough to be noticed though, [i]"But if this DC officer discovers who I am then I'll have to make a break for it and quick."[/i] Glancing around Kaito made note of any possible escape routes which he could utilize in cast he had too flee, a habit he picked up after a long time on the run. With his routes memorized Kaito merely waited for the girl to answer his question.

[encapturer]

((OOC: Bump. I'm still here, haven't vanished off the face of the earth or anything o.o))

[encapturer]

The girl shook her head. "Nope, nada. Not unless the source of this 'disease' is discovered," she said, with air quotes and everything. The gesture seemed to anger the DC man a bit who glared her way.

"You probably never encountered it before," the man said in his extremely deep yoice. He wasn't particularly large, and didn't seem muscular, but the loose clothing made it hard to tell. "Its a disease that slowly eats at the mind, turning you insane, though it's not supposed to be contagious. Furthermore...." The man paused before suddenly clamming up, while the girl had a mischievous smile on her face.

"Nevermind," the man said, regaining his composure. "Just know we are quarantining you here for your own good."

[Jake the Sage]

Kaito gave a sigh and shook his head, not really waqnting to have to steal a ship or anything, and then realized he could amke one himself. Rubbing his chin in thought he must've looked odd to the two he had been discussing with and never would have noticed. He ran down how much time, without magic, it would take him to make a good enough sized boat to set sail; afterwards he calculated the risk and time it would take for making a boat WITH magic. He found the later too risky while non-magical means would require too much time, he had a strange feeling he was pressed for it, and decided it might actually be best to make an effort to steal one. But! Before he made any motions to do so he had to make a few things clear and addressed the man this time, "So is ther any other places I could set sail from, or is the entire coast under quarentine?"

[encapturer]

"Probably have the entire area barricaded," the girl said, before turing to look at the ship. A few members of the DC were walking off the ship, talking amongst each other "Oh, looks like they're disembarking!"

Still on deck was the man from the DC who had briefed the five people of the situation, including Michael and Nimue. "Alright, then. Since you are all still here, I guess you really need to enter. Now, if you would all follow me..."

The man from the DC took the lead as everyone was escorted off the Flounder and into the town. As soon as everyone was safe on land, the ship sailed away, as if it was ready to leave at a moments notice. Once on the ground, the television crew hurried off into the city, while the robed man walked away slowly, giving everyone present a hard look before leaving. Once he had left, the girl who was speaking to Kaito stood up, and walked over to Nimue and Michael, speaking to them like they were old friends.

"Ahh, I thought for a minute there you guys would've stayed on the boat!" She said, while looking the two over. "Err... wait a minute..." She pointed to Nimue, then Michael, then did it again. "Weren't there supposed to be three of you?"

[Magnet Soldier]

"You work for Eva.....[i]Him[/i], Dont you?" Michael said, nearly mentioning Zack Adarian, which he had a feeling was not very wise to do. He looked around at the boat, realising Harald had not disembarked. "Yes, it seems we are only two now. Well, anyhow, Harald, our other companion, did not get off the boat. I don't know why, but I think he got bored of this [i]quest[/i], if you can call it that." Michael explained, glimpsing the boat again before it vanished over the horizon. "We probably wont see him again. Or atleast, not for a long time. Now then, since we have answer one of your questions, answer ours. First, who are you? And Second, where is [i]He[/i]?" Michael asked, not impatiently but hurriedly.

[encapturer]

[spoiler="Location: Church's Storage Room in Nesland | Time: Present"]Evan Adarian yawned. His current company included many religious texts lined along the shelves on the wall. The space was small, with barely enough room for the cot he slept on, and [i]maybe[/i] one other person... to stand in. The area outside of the room was much more spacious, as it has been used to store food and drink, and it even hosted gatherings, if the well-kept tables were any clue. Since he came here, however, that room was rarely visited, and he was allowed to use the supplies there for himself. It still made him uneasy, though, having to hide like this.

He just hoped the people Zack mentioned would come soon... and Mia had picked up the right ones.[/spoiler]


"Okay, okay... come with me, then," the girl said. Before leaving, she turned and waved farewell to Kaito. "Gotta go now, hope you don't get yourself in trouble, now!" With that said, she began to lead Michael and Nimue into the city.

The port town of Nesland was operating normally, despite the news of an outbreak. Due to no one really acting sick, the people went along with their daily lives. Some were nervous, sure, and tried to stay away from others, but those were few and far between.

"Well, first off, I'm Mia Ranel, and as for your second question: [i]he[/i] would have met you in person, but he's kind of stuck at the moment. I don't understand why, but he said that it's for the good of Nesland... however that works." As she spoke, she led the two to the back of a church in front of a single locked door. While she began to unlock it, Michael and Nimue felt an invisible wave of energy; like a gust of wind, coming from the area behind the locked door. The blast of energy seemed to bounce off of them instead of knocking them back, and although intense, it felt familiar to both of them. The wave subsided, though, and Mia finished unlocking the door, revealing stairs heading down.

"He's waiting down here, in the room at the far back." Mia said, motioning the two to head down first.

[Time Psyduck]

Despite the energy coming from beyond the door feeling almost familiar to her, Nimue was still suspicious of this person, worried that this may be a trap. It would be a major shift from sending half a city's police force after them, but she'd thought of it, so whoever it was controlling people could have as well. She had still followed though, partly because Michael had, but mostly because there wasn't really any alternative. The girl, Mia, motioned for them to go first. [i]This doesn't help, but then again she may have the same worries about us. Why do I do this?[/i] she sighed, stepping forwards through the doorway and starting down the stairs. The corner of her eye looked back at the girl with suspicion, in case she tried something.

[Jake the Sage]

Kaito had sighed when the girl waved good-bye to her and simply ran his hand through his hair. Now he truly was lost. He couldn't get on the boat and the girl said there was little chance of any other port being open with the lockdown. Suddenly an idea came to mind and Kaito slapped his forehead, not believeing how dumb he had been. [i]"Why don't I just ask her if there is any other way I can travel?[/i] he thought to himself, looking about frantiqually for the girl, and spotted her at the edge of the crowd. Making his way, sometimes having to shove his way, through the crowd until he saw them turning a corner. Following them, but never managing to catch up, he went "with them" all the way until they came to a building which she unlocked.

[Magnet Soldier]

Michael grabbed the hilt of his gun, not noticing Mia's flinch as his hand flashed to it. He walked down slowly, scared for the first time in years, and excited. Practically his whole body was shaking, and he wasn't sure whether he'd be able to aim properly if anything went wrong. He walked into a large room lined with tables, and presumed it was some sort of gathering place, or a dining hall. He walked towards the middle of the room, and looked around. He almost thought it was a trap, as he couldn't find a single exit from the room besides the main door, which he'd seen was an instant entrance to this room, and the door they'd entered by. Then he noticed the flashed of a metal doornob in the shadows in a corner, and felt another wave of energy emanate from that room. "It's this way, Nimue." Michael said, almost whispering for some reason, and motioned towards the door. He slowly crept up to it, and turned the nob slowly, his hands shaking violantly. When he opened the door, he smiled nervously and said, "Hello again Evan."

[encapturer]

Evan stood up to greet Michael and Nimue who had entered the room. "Ah, Michael. Hello again." He seemed as nervous as well, though after two quick motions with his right hand (Michael and Nimue might have recognized it as the detection spell that Zack taught them), he sighed and became more relaxed. Still, he still sounded weary, which was odd coming from a healthy looking young man. "And you must be... Nimue, right?" Evan said, looking around. "And one seems to be missing," Evan said, shrugging. "Ah well. Glad you two made it, nonetheless."

As Evan spoke, another wave of energy pounded Michael and Nimue, coming directly fron Evan Adarian himself. Evan didn't seem to notice that he was emitting the energy, however, and continued talking. "I'm sure you might be hungry; before we get down to business, feel free to to take anything from the cupboards or freezers out there to eat. There's a good selection out there." While the cupboards and freezers were indeed there, Mia Ranel, who had followed them down, was not there anymore...

[hr]

Mia wanted to stay, but she felt that someone may had followed the group. Quickly, she ran upstairs and outside, since ran told her to be careful of anyone following her to his location; after all, there were many people who wanted him dead. She didn't see anyone in the immediate area, but to her surprise she soon spotted the boy from the docks.

Her shock turned into suspicious as she followed Kaito's movements as he approached her. "Stop there," she suddenly called out in a firm voice, much different than her attitude before. "Why are you here?" she asked Kaito, not moving from her spot.

[Jake the Sage]

Holding up his hands, showing he at least didn't have a weapon handy, Kaito smiled uneasily with the hint of a small laugh; though there was nothing funny about the current situation. Once Mai had seen that he wasn't holding anyhting he was allowed to set his arsm to his side, though he remained in place, and answered her, "Well I wanted to ask you if there was any other way to travel?"

HIs face still a wide smile Kaito began to do the normal, for him at least, and analyze the situation. A potential enemy of unknown calibur stood in front of him, blocking him from an unknown entrance which held some obvious importance to her, and brush all around him for a quick escape; the village was also less than two miles away, well within sprinting distance, if he needed to escape back there to blend in.

[encapturer]

[spoiler="Time: Present Day | Location: Capital City, Mercado"]

Crowned King Franklin Ettada stood alone on the roof of the rustic castle his nation's goverment works from. The building was built more than 200 years ago, in a time of knights and wizards, before the great mechanical boom 150 years ago that granted the technology used today. People once feared that the technology would overshadow magic, but instead, it coexisted beside it - within it. And the Crowned King would have it no other way.

In front of him stood a warp pad, a tool that allowed long distance teleportation. It was a simple raised platform with runes written all along the edges, with electrical wires providing the power the advanced magic needs. The runes soon glowed blue, and a flash of light came from the area above the warp pad. When the light faded, President Karl Sanders was standing there, looking none the worse for having teleported from his office back on the Osalian continent. Spotting the man, Franklin's face grew into a smile.

"Glad you can make it."

[hr]

"You think... Evan Adarian is the cause of all this?" Karl slammed the table as he said this. He was invited to Franklin's office to discuss the situation in Nesland... and was surprised at what Franklin was saying.

"Probably," Franklin replied, placing the crown he wore on the table.

"That's impossible! He only has access to short Range releases... not... not...[I]this[/I]!" Karl was getting angrier by the second.

"Might be a fluke," Franklin said, shrugging. "Either way, with so many out of control people, the town will probably need to be wiped with an Annihilation Rune." Franklin was very calm about the whole situation, even if it meant killing a large amount of people.

Karl was calmed once he heard the town would be destroyed in one blast. "That's... that's good. Then, why are you waiting?"

"I want to confirm something, first. If Evan Adarian is actually the cause of this sudden rash of releases, and if he's in the town... we may be able to go back to normal at last."

"...I get it. Alright, I'll leave it to you."
[/spoiler]

"Out of Nesland? I told you you wouldn't get out until the quarantine's been lifted." Mia sighed, getting frustrated that he followed her here just to ask that question. While she spoke a wave of energy washed over the area, coming from the doorway behind Mia. While the wave seemed to pass through Mia, the insivible force bounced off of Kaito. While it was strong, it did not force him back, and it was unmistakingly familiar somehow.

Meanwhile Mia walked towards Kaito, with her eyes no longer as hostile as they were before. After all, Kaito could actually help the cause. "Say," she began, now directly in front of Kaito, "if you want to leave so badly, why don't you help out? We're trying to find a way to disprove that there is actually an epidemic here. What do you say?" She was pretty much in Kaito's face now - it makes it easier to subdue him if he declined.

[Jake the Sage]

"Oh . . . I see," Kaito said with a bit of dispair. He didn't want to hear that the only way out of here might be to hijack a ship, so he really was begining to worry. While Kaito became lost in his thought the girl, Mai, began walking towards him and started speaking. She said that he could help them disprove there was no illness spreading. Well it wouldn't have taken much convincing to have Kaito agree. He wanted to get out of the city in the most conveniant way possible, so this worked out just fine. With a grin he nodded his head, while the back of his mind made note of the strange energy he had felt, and then looked at Mai who stood in front of him; almost too close. A bit uneasy Kaito took a step back, giving just enough breathing room for him, and nodded his head, "So tell me how I can be of service?"

[Magnet Soldier]

"Thanks. I didn't eat on the ship, so I'm starving." Michael said, releasing his grip on his gun and walking over to one of the cupboards. He pulled out a packet of instant Noodles and a saucepan, poured the noodles in and used two very quick spells, one creating a small fire, one summoning a bit of water. About 3 minutes later, he had three bowlfuls of noodles, and placed one in front of Evan, Nimue and himself. "So then, Evan, do you have any questions for us first? I have a feeling that, as soon as we start asking our questions, we wont stop 'till tommorrow." Michael asked, sitting down on a wooden chair.

[encapturer]

Mia's eyes widened as Kaito accepted the offer. Of course now she needed to get him to do something. After a few moments of thought she decided she would take him to Evan, and have him decide what to have him do.

"Alright then, come with me!" she told Kaito before she turned back around and walked over the doorway. "Close the door behind you," she called out, before descending down into the basement herself. As she walked, she wondered if Evan would send Kaito away, like he did the others that tried to help him. Most were understanding, but Kaito looks like he would force Evan to take his assistance. She hoped he would, after all, she feels that Evan needs help, and just her and the two newcomers wouldn't cut it.

[hr]

"I already got an overview of what happened back in Eldwund from Zack when he contacted me. Still can't believe you guys defeated Thor." Evan said while waiting for his noodles to cool. "As for your questions, you'll want to ask Zack if you ever see him again, since he knows more than I do. I can tell you what I've learned in my travels though. Basically, the Domination has something to do with these." Evan dug into his pocket and placed a pair of crude crystals on the table. They were emitting a faint pale blue glow. "These are unprocessed Xeno Crystals... and you know all those warnings about handling unprocessed Xeno Crystals? All lies. The only one remotely true is the Clinical Insanity... because these crystals can actually release people from Domination."

Evan heard footsteps approaching and looked up to the doorway, and saw Mia come down the stairwell. "And Mia here was one that was freed by a Xeno Crystal and..." he continued, but paused when he saw the unfamiliar boy behind her. Mia just put on a mischievous grin while Evan merely sighed.

"Look," Evan began, speaking to Kaito. "I don't know what she told you, but you shouldn't worry about it. Just go home."

[Jake the Sage]

"Well I don't know what you thought she told me," Kaito said stepping forward, "But from what I heard you need people to help prove there is no infection going around. I'm willing to help if you'd let me . . ."

Kaito looked at the man, though he'd called him a boy the truth was they were pretty close in age, and then over to the others. [i]"If this is all there is then he does need help,"[/i] Kaito thought quickly before returning his gaze to Evan, "Besides its not like we don't have some common goal in me helping. If you get your mission finished then I can travel freely to my next destination. Or would you like me to prove I can actually be of assistance to you?"

Repositioning himself, a fighting stance, Kaito gave a quite grin while simultaniously waiting for Evan to answer. He didn't want to have a fight if need be, but from what Evan had said he wasn't the kind who'd simply be coorced into accepting someone who just upped and asked if they could come along . . . no . . . Evan struck him as the kind of person who'd have to see it first hand in order to understand.

[Magnet Soldier]

Michael laughed. "Now then, kid. I wouldn't fight him. I dont know if you noticed, but he was the one who emitted them waves of energy I have no doubt you felt on your way here." Michael said, turning to face Kaito. "Now, do what he says, or explain what you can do without injuring anyone. Because if you do you'll have a bullet in your head before you see it happen." Michael grinned. "And that's not a threat. I could actually do that." Michael turned back to his noodles again, slurping up the last few dregs and sighing. "Anyway, you were saying Evan? Something about the Xeno Crystals and how they release people?" Michael asked.

[Jake the Sage]

Kaito shifted his position slightly as someon to his right spoke, a guy holding a cup of noodles, and listened to him without changing where he was looking. He mentioned that it was him who'd been sending out the waves of energy he had felt before coming in and Kaito merely nodded in assurance that he had felt them. [i]"Yeah I figured this was tyhe guy,"[/i] he thought to himself while the guy continued, [i]"After all that kind of power is extremely rare . . . sent shivers down my spine."[/i] Without moving he then replied to Micheal stating that he'd better do what he was told or explain what he could to do help, "Well it's kind of hard to say what I can do to help without knowing what is going on. But I can tell you this, I'm pretty good at a lot of things so just put me down as 'handyman' or something like that."

[Time Psyduck]

OOC: Err, Jake? I don't think Michael was female at any point in that post.

Nimue had, although she'd be somewhat reluctant to admit it, flinched when Evan produced the Xeno Crystals from his pocket. She'd only seen them maybe twice before, and both times from the other side of quite a lot of shielding. However, the fact that she felt the same energy as she had at the entrance to this place, coupled with the fact that Evan clearly didn't consider them to be even slightly harmful, was enough to convince her that if the warning were valid, then the insanity had already gotten to her - after all, why should she have come this far if she was 'sane.' She picked up the noodles. She was never overly keen of pre-prepared food, but despite (or perhaps because of) her hunger she wasn't in the mood to actually cook anything.

Another boy appeared, who seemed fairly eager to join up, to the point of almost making a challenge. She simply said nothing and watched from behind her still half-full bowl.

[encapturer]

Evan's eyebrow rose as Kaito continued to speak - he was insisting that he help out the group. Fortunately, he didn't have to tell the young man to behave, as Michael did that for him. Evan smirked - he was just how he remembered him from before. Of course, he still had to deal with the one who wanted to help out, and the fact that he stood steadfast despite being threatened and told to leave showed that he had promise, as opposed to the others that Mia brought down.

"Alright, you can help," Evan said after a quick spell to confirm that he was a Released. "Just know that this is bigger than you think, and if this plan is successful, you won't have to live in fear any more. Much better than just being able to travel, right?"

Without stopping, Evan then turned to address everyone at the table. "Now, the reason I wanted to meet you here was because a Xeno Crystal processing plant is here, which would make it easy to release an entire town from control. The problem is that my ability to release people has always been unstable, and just by carrying these crystals, my ability went haywire. I'm not sure how often you use the spell that Zack taught you, but if you did, you would see that almost half the town was released." Mia grinned - she was the one who discovered that bit of information.

"That's where you come in. Since you are Released, and were not artificially given the power to release others like I was, you can use these crystals in a more controlled fashion. Not those," Evan said, pointing to the crystals on the table. "Those were already used up by me. But in the plant, there should be plenty of unrefined crystals for you to use." With all that said, Evan finally began eating his meal. It was good to not have to make it himself once in awhile.

[Jake the Sage]

Kaito, unable to contain himself, actually jumped up in the air from excitement when Evan said he'd be able to help. Landing with a wide grin he heard his new ally mention that this was 'bigger than you think' and 'you won't have to live in fear any more' to which Kaito merely looked back with contempt, "Well I've never really been afraid of anyhting to be honest, just cautious, but how big are we talking about?"

But instead of being answered Evan instead addressed the rest of the group, including Kaito himself, and stated what needed to be done along with what he was expecting. Listening Kaito nodded as if he knew what was going on, but in all honesty he was so lost it was very unlikely he understood anyhting since the first sentance. Once Evan finished talking he raised his hand, feeling a little emberrassed because of this, "Uh . . . so . . . what are we doing?"

[Magnet Soldier]

"Stealing the crystals." Michael simply stated, removing his revolvers from there grips, and placing them firmly down on the floor. He was quite bored now, so he decided he'd clean his revolvers a bit. After all, they were about to raid a presumably huge factory that was probably heavily guarded, so he wanted his weapons in top conditions. He split his revolvers apart delicately and quickly, into the many pieces that made it up. Then he pulled out a cleaning kit from somewhere on his person - it was too fast for anyone to notice, and no one seemed to be really bothered - and he started passively started to clean his revolvers. "Anyway." He started, turning towards Evan. "What's the plan for this raid, or are we just going in guns blazing?" Michael asked, his eyes shifting to look at Kaito, then Mia and finally Nimue, then back at Evan.