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The real problem of humanity is the following: we have paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, and god-like technology. — E.O. Wilson With the world around silent, Los Angeles had swollen to a city of nearly forty million, quickly rising to rival Seoul and Tokyo for largest city within the Imperium and the world. Of course with such a dramatic population increase and hundreds of thousands of new arrivals a month, crime was a constant problem for the local Law enforcement. Surveillance was the easiest aspect but only prevented crimes in the commercial districts, the poorer residential areas were polluted with criminals and the dregs of society, but the city kept growing and the wealthy had long since retreated to their towers of glass and steel, turning a blind eye to the problems of the lower city. Though it was the City of Angels, the majority of the population felt that the gods had long since abandoned them. The Syndicate had absorbed the vast majority of the various gangs that had plagued the city before the Imperium's arrival, maintaining far more organization over the prostitution and drug trades that had filled their coffers with billions in profits that were quickly laundered through various banks under shell corporations. Ironically, the level of legitimacy required for such endeavors had meant the Syndicate had to behave just like any other corporation within the Imperium, even sponsoring several of the Formula One cars in the Imperium's global circuit. Kobayashi Corp, one of the companies originally set up to simply shovel ill gotten capital into, had managed to transform itself into a media giant, turning a healthy profit even before considering the Syndicates "cash infusions". Upon the Grand Prix of Long Beach is where our story begins, it was a typical race, with the exception of several of the audience members, the CEOs of several of the sponsors were all in a sky-box watching the race, Kelly Kobayashi had noticed her prey as he entered the spacious room. Most of the rich and powerful had augmentations that were unnoticeable beyond a metal detector or an X ray scanner, but it wasn't as though MoG[Corp]'s CEO was a normal case. The metal upon his right forearm showed clearly, allowing several small holographic projector to be open and easily used. She smiled as he walked up to the window next to her, looking down at the cars darting around the race track at over two hundred miles an hour. A blank expression crossed his face for a moment, running a quick check to ensure he addressed her properly. "Ms. Kobayashi, I wouldn't have taken you for a racing fan."
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It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness Chinese Proverb [hr] Mars, what a boring planet. it took decades to terraform, and even then the results were not ideal. Vast oceans covered about half the surface, funded by several EAI corporations to be a gateway to the outer rim, with Pluto being the final objective, most of the planets could not sustain life, but their moons could hold stations, beacons of humanity in the silent abyss. The trip took over a week of realtime, and honestly it was just a drag, most plugged into the latest holo game or movie, they just seemed to bore me after a while, I was left with a feeling of Hiraeth, a craving for a homeland that no longer existed. Nobody's did anymore, there were the occasional blips but mostly the various versions of Earth, Terra, they had all burned down to just a candle compared the roaring fires that once raged. Mars, to followup on some alleged ruins that were buried under the sand. The structures were not from the EAI, and looked nothing like the Tikal remnants the Imperium spent trillions chasing after among the stars. There was so much to still do, it was as though I needed to be in ten places at once. I wasn't even certain why I decided to follow this up, but the book that started my bizarre adventure what feels like centuries ago wouldn't shut up about the red dust ball. The oxygen would be breathable at least, though not incredibly appealing, similar to being on a mountain on earth on the surface, on the highest points of Mars I would require full oxygen and temperature protection, but my final destination was below the surface.
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:Private: It'd been decades since Mogar had been able to sit back and actually apply himself to something more important than himself. While there was not many things that actually managed to meet that requirement, Launch loops, while effective, were simply not enough for what he had planned to build. Space Elevators would allow the world's resources to be used upon far greater things than simply blowing each other up more effectively. Locations for three of them would allow for nearly equal capabilities for each of the continents, and ensure supply lines would not be too lengthy. The next step of course was to actually communicate with whomever remained, Alleged new super countries spawning from Belarus and Northlands meant there would be a large portion of his idea already completed, having the majority of the world under an active governance to ensure the most effective usage of resources. The first location was southeast of Singapore, and a simple phone call made that Space Elevator agreed upon. The Second and Third Locations would be slightly more effort and require someone else's pen. Congo was the next on the list, and meant speaking to Belarus. The conversation was left up to Katsuro to handle, his mother had gone off the deep end, she was somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, but that was about all she was good for as well. Katsuro would send a diplomatic cable to the Belorussian Foreign Affairs Office, with a similar message being sent to the Northlands to discuss a more civilized method of breaking up global governance. Mogar would do the same for the third location, most likely in Ecquador, for that land it would require the blessing of the United Caribbean States.
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Antasija and Mogar stepped through the gate as normal, on the other side though, he was alone. He looked around for a few moments, he was in the middle of a dark forest, so the where would be difficult, Strike one. A flick of his wrist informed him there was no satellites above, so the time period was anywhere from the early 1950s to... pretty much 4,000,000,000 BC, so strike two. The sky however could afford him some information, while not an expert he knew enough about the stars and their proper positions to quickly deduce that he was in the Northern Hemisphere. The exact time was impossible without a more in depth investigation, but he estimated perhaps the 1500s, having once visited Europe in 1493, the stars appeared as he recalled, and he was on roughly the same latitude as Rome. It took him several minutes to decide what to do, even calling out "Antasija!", several times. No such luck, for once she had even gone first, but she had always appeared next to him within seconds when he had gone first, what could have possibly gone wrong? Their intended destination, Rapture, 20XX, just before her disappearance, apparently did not sit well with fate. More interesting to him was rather than ending up in the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, he instead was in Europe. Mogar picked up his bag, sliding it onto his shoulders and set out through the woods, he could use a flashlight, but that'd raise more questions than he really needed to deal with at the moment, finding out where exactly he was would be the first step to solving this mystery. It took over an hour but he eventually came to a dirt road, it appeared to be decently traveled and he decided to head north, civilization had to exist somewhere. -
OOC stuff: 1) If you wish to participate, this is mid 1960s Rapture, city has gone to hell, the fall has happened, and not simply splicers, but zombies, mutants, biological monsters, Rapture was a bastion of superscience, but without proper controls, such things have a funny way of coming out. Create your own back story for your character. 2) Survivors and Splicers are the most likely choices for said backstory, if you have questions before you decide to join feel free to throw me a Query, 3)the intent of the thread is survival horror, I will be the "GM" for the event and hurl whatever randomness at the "party" 4) If you have a specific request for a monster, trap, or scenario that fits into this, suggest it and I'll see what we can do, collaboration! It had been nearly 6 years in Rapture since they had been in the city. Mogar looked out the viewing port upon his creation. The Big Daddies still apparently were doing their tasks, controlled and fed by the computer system, they'd likely be the only residents able to survive even a nuclear strike upon the city, they went past one working on a collapsed tunnel, apparently repairing the broken glass. There were obvious signs of wear and tear upon everything, buildings were dimmed, the true nature of the city was impossible to determine from the outside, they had continued to try to reach someone on the inside, but there was just static. He turned to Antasija, "Something's definitely wrong, the city is far too dark, it doesnt look like anyone has maintained the place for months, maybe years." "Well, that's not quite a worst case scenario, but it's certainly not a good thing." Antasija says, "What's the suggested course of action and how heavily armed should we be upon our entry into the area?" she asks, checking on her choise of outfit to make sure it was all in the right place, tactically speaking. Shaking his head he quickly retorted, "I suppose you can bring the Thompson. Considering I can't get anyone on the radio, and the computer system is either down or being jammed, I'm thinking we should be prepared for a worst case scenario." putting on the various holsters and spare ammunition he'd potentially require, all able to be worn under his dark grey pinstriped suit, he had to remain a certain level of class after all. A female voice came over the intercom, "Airlock connected, All good things of this earth, flow into Rapture." "I was thinking about something a bit more tactical actually, but if you want me to bring the Thompson I certainly can. It doesn't fit with the present outfit though." she opens a briefcase and produces an AK-12 configured for 9x39mm rounds and grabbed a pair of 95 round drums, "Really, I feel it would be less effective than this." Looking through the armory they had been standing in, he ran his fingertips across the weapons, eventually deciding upon an FN SCAR, "You always have a certain style about you, one of these days we're gong to have to actually try that thing out though, maybe it shoots holy bullets or something." he teased, slinging the weapon onto his shoulder, along with a backpack containing breaching equipment, if the city's computer had been comprimised getting anywhere would require a blowtorch or some C4. Antasija cradled her weapon, the barrel of which was almost as long as her torso, "Do you think so?" she asks, obviously asking about the first thing he'd said rather than anything else; the precise makeup of her outfit was a rather form fitting tactical-grey, lightly padded catsuit with a tactical vest over it and a headset, but that was about it, "I'd not take the chance on the holy bullet thing." "I know so, I must have rubbed off on you." he said sticking out his tongue. "We'll have to try it out next time we have to fight something unnatural, can't hurt to try at least, and if so we'll have a weapon that doesn't involve my own variant of vampness." He said unscrewing the door, the smell of the air was musty as it poured into the cabin, "That's always a good sign..." he said trailing off, the lights powered on as they entered the welcome center, trash laying littered everywhere. There was no sign of life, no noises, just the sound of the air filtration system blowing air that was far too old. Antasija flicks an eyepiece down over her left eye. Her vision was exceptional and she already had a certain amount of nightvision, but having a precise rangefinder and a little bit of thermal capability was nice too, "Smells terrible in here." she kicks a coke can absently. The nearest terminal was down of course, he walked away from it with a sigh, the giant television screens flickering static above him. Standing in the middle of the place he looked around, "Let's try to rail line first, I suppose, we need to get back to the tower, that's the only way we're gonna actually find out where the $%&@ everyone is." "That sounds like a good enough idea." she keeps the powerful weapon to her shoulder, ready to blow anything that moved too suspiciously away. "I don't like how quiet it is." With her words, she of course cursed them to regret those words, as they moved quietly to the Station, voices could be heard, putting a finger to his lips they stood and listened. A disheveled woman stood over a baby carriage, talking down to it but making little sense. "Momma's gonna take good care of you, not like your old momma, I love my baby, She didn't scream much, she must not have loved you." the woman rambled on and on. Mogar gave a puzzled look and gestured for her to stay put and keep a bead on the woman, slinging his gun and walked towards the woman, "Hello?" he asked loudly and clearly, wanting to ensure he was not a surprise to the obviously manic woman. she turned and screeched at him, running directly at him with her arms spread, fingernails long and sharp. Antasija, not wasting a moment, put an eight round burst of fire into the woman who was very clearly off her rocker, her weapon's recoil not causing her to waver more than half a foot across her target over the course of the automatic fire. When finished, and sure that the woman was dead, she lowered her weapon, "Cause that wasn't creepy." He quickly went to the baby carriage, filled with empty vials and syringes, "Well, no baby, of course." he said dryly, begining to examine her body, "Gunshot wounds killed her, at least. Obvious signs of severe ADAM usage, mutations within her DNA are likely based upon the condition of her body, someone opened the floodgates of the stuff down here, what she had in the carriage I couldn't use in a year." "Well at least something's alive down here." Antasija says, taking a scan around the area, "Not sure if that's a good thing for us but at least nothing Too catastrophic has taken place." He continued a scan of her body, the amount of ADAM was... incredible to say the least, that she was even able to maintain breathing with that much in her system proved a tolerance could be built up, there was so many unknowns when he had begun the project, it appears he would find one possible scenario, perhaps at too great of a cost. "I don't think that was a good sign at all, the ADAM works like a drug, it does have a certain level of addiction, to have ingested this much and still be alive is impressive, but where there's one drug addict there's plenty more." he said quietly, getting onto the empty looking train, walking through the cabins to check for any unwanted guests before reaching the "engine", and switching the thing on. Antasija dropped the mag and set about replacing the rounds she'd spent and replacing the clip, "Well, do we clear the place out or do we go grab reinforcements?" she asks while she does this. "What reinforcements? You want to travel all the way back to Japan on another Earth to go begging for soldiers from the Empress?" He put on a sarcastic british accent, "Please mam, I want sum soldiers for me city." He shook his head, "We're on our own, maybe we'll find survivors, the city was made up of the best and brightest, someone will have kept themselves alive, and anyone else we can dispatch." "Well I don't $%&@in' know, I figure you've got connections or something." Antasija says, "Where do you want to go from here?" He shrugged, "Fort Frolic is the next stop, and if we don't find anyone there, onward to MoG[Tower], we either find survivors or I figure out what the hell happened." he said, starting the train upon its journey. "Well I think it's obvious what happened, someone got too liberal with the bio-technical gear while you were gone." she says, taking a seat and looking outwards, "Shouldn't be too hard to clear the place." He laughed coldly, "Two hundred and fifty thousand people were in this city when we left, even if 90% of them died, we're still up against potentially twenty five thousand people, all of whom will likely try to kill me due to my body possessing ADAM, you thankfully don't have any in your system due to your little vacation, but they'll be able to smell me out real quick." "So, bullets for the first couple-hundred and a good thrashing for the rest." she shrugs, "Unless they get too grouped together, I don't see a terrible problem. It might be quite a camping trip though, few weeks at least." He looked around the cart, "I'm honestly in the mood to drink at this point, I had figured that maybe the signals were just jammed due to the city's defenses, not that my city had turned into a den of monsters." he stared pensively out the window, a school of fish was swimming by as they blew past in the high speed rail. "We're going to find Fontaine, he's the only one who would have done this." "He might be dead." she shrugged and continued to look out the window, "And if he isn't I imagine he's had a difficult time staying alive." He turned to her, appreciating her pale skin in the green glow of the water and it's inhabitants outside, deciding to walk over to her and wrap his arms around her waist, turning her to face him and kissed her forehead lightly, "I appreciate you going along with me through all of this crazy life we have chosen, it's nice to see you'll help me kill a quarter million people if we needed to." he teased, taking the brief lull in action to relax and reflect upon his strange relationship. "Decrease the surplus population." she says in her best Scrooge impression, "Bah, humbug." she kisses him, "You know, the corpse kinda ruins the mood." He chuckled, "I wasn't planning on going much further than this, we have a city to save, or burn down and recreate, I dunno." Turning her in his arms, he rested his head upon her shoulder as Fort Frolic grew larger. Nipping at her ear he whispered, "Besides, I happen to love when you get that lustful look of battle in your eyes. Talk about turn ons my little vampsicle." "Burning it down would be a terrible waste of resources." she kisses him again, "Personally I'm not a big fan of the times I get that way." Checking his weapon as they entered the tunnel into Fort Frolic, he smiled at her, "Well, I'm thinking you're going to have to learn to enjoy it for the next few days."
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Mogar was unsure of how much of Antasija's skill had remained within the new shell she had received. There had been no word from Rapture for months now, and Mogar had a responsibility to those who had chosen to move from The Cape to the undersea Gotham. There was a particular dōjō he had been frequenting as of late, having the requirement to maintain his own abilities and being too lazy to find an apartment with a room large enough for the equipment. Of course, this came at a cost, but most of those in East Asia tended to look the other way so long as there was a financial transfer, even with those who had... unique abilities as he did, so long as he paid for any potential damages the owner did not really care what happened so long as Mogar didn't bring the building down. The owner, an old man, was standing upon the patio outside, listening to the rain, It was 4am when Mogar and Antasija finally showed up, the idea coming to Mogar after an evening celebrating Antasija's return, it had been a few days so she had been much easier on the alcohol intake than him, it was going to be an interesting night.
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They had spent several days together, but unfortunately it was time to get back to work. The world they had visited had grown, from chaos came order, nations had risen, empires formed, and now the sides were set for a battle to decide the fate of this world. None of that mattered to Mogar though, The dream Empress Hoshiko had sold was turning into a nightmare for the population, there was no choice for them but to follow her into whatever she chose for her people. He had witnessed her innermost thoughts, saw every weakness and dark thought she ever had, she would lead them into darkness, or into a gloriously bright future. It was all out of his hands of course, he wanted no part of the war, he had his damsel back, and now it was time to return to where it all began. Back to Rapture, but did he create his own dream, or did it turn into a nightmare after he abandoned it? There were many questions to be answered, and many more artifacts to be collected. tick, tock, tick, tock.
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War had come to the Imperium, not that the average citizen noticed, the gigantic holographic displays and television screens would bombard the populations with images of the war, including the Empress herself riding in a Type 10. The subtle message that constant threats are all around them being disseminated , ensuring loyalty of the population regardless of ethnic or religious background. The enhanced shifts had led to even more money being spent are the bars and clubs of the nation, extra money meant more booze, and finding someone else for the night. The best part of this country to Mogar, was the darkness never really set on the Empire of the Rising Sun, they simply created their own light until the Dawn came once more. Pilots had to be specially trained to land in Tokyo, the amount of light pollution and lasers that strobes through the air caused for incredible discomfort to those who relied on the normal visual landing. Within the city itself, the neon and lights were overwhelming, he roamed the city streets seeking to clear his mind, talking to the Dreamer had given him pause, perhaps Antasija was not completely written off after all, and it was interesting there was others with his... technical prowess, though it appears to manifest in a far different way for him. He had taken him up on the offer but would be waiting a day, the first of the copies was to be sent to the Americas, as a test of how accurate they were to the real thing. There was so much to do, every world he visited was always thrown into chaos, he sighed and stopped in the middle of the alley, a rock in the river of people walking in either direction. Rain began to fall and he looked up at the sky, the clouds constantly reflecting any of the thousands of light sources of Tokyo. It was all going to come together, he just had to be patient, he thought to himself, stepping into the nearest club to get out of the rain.
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There was a riddle about decision making that was in a movie Mogar used to watch when he was a child, and was probably used elsewhere too, but David Bowie was a more memorable character than anything else that had used this particular riddle. David Bowie is awesome. It's a simple enough riddle, but it raises the question, is limbo a real place? Mogar had been to hell before, and he didn't recall a room to decide between which place he went, he simply work up in the darkness. it had taken him almost a month of studying before he found the answer to his own riddle, there was a way to get a doorway to that netherworld, it would be for a cost most would be unwilling to pay, and would realistically work against his whole "let's not go back to hell" plan, but he was running out of ideas of how to find Antasija, she was simply not on this plane of existence, so he would need outside support, and since Tera had gone silent, he would need to take matters into his own hands. While the occult was not his specialty, he had tracked down Micheline and she would be useful for this, he hadn't told her the cost of this ritual, leaving one very important ingredient off the instructions he had given her, but she'd find out when the time came. She would be the actual final ingredient, but a particular knife was required for this to be a success, one that was created in the netherworld. Interestingly enough it would look very similar to the blades he could create thanks to Tera, just a slightly lighter black, not the Vantablack of his own weapons. Unfortunately for Mogar the only thing left he required was in a church. Normally stealing from a church would be a cakewalk for him, easier than stealing candy from a baby, so to speak. The church was not anything of this world though, it was built in 1549, but not by anyone from Japan, and probably not anyone of the earth. It had a crooked fence, a crooked bell tower, crooked everything. The structure had not only survived for more than half a millennium, but amusingly had not changed since it was created, the otherworldly materials that created it not having wear and tear in the mortal plane. [spoiler][/spoiler] He stood in front of the Church, it was so out of place in Nagasaki, and it seemed as though everyone just ignored it, continuing on as though this freakish building didn't exist. The thought hung in his mind until he realized with clarity, it didn't exist, not for normal people anyway, he stood across the street and realized it was simply a closed store to everyone else, something that nobody had a reason to pay attention to. He took a deep breath, "Here goes nothing." he muttered to himself as he walked across the street and pushed open the door.
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It had been months, no sign of anything related to Antasija's disappearance. Too little evidence for this to be simply a traditional kidnapping or even something from below interfering without any sign. The first idea that had come to mind was someone from the old world having created the same technology. He managed to replicate it with Tikalese assistance, surely there had to be someone out there smarter than he who perhaps was able to do it solo. None of that mattered though, The so called Imperium of Japan was a chaotic mix of Asian cultures blended with a perverted American culture and it was overwhelming to try to fully understand it to outsiders. Mogar felt like he was was Alice in Wonderland, on a long drug trip without any idea where the rabbit hole would end. He woke up in Tokyo again, though he couldn't remember how he got back there or even how long he had been gone, it didn't matter, he thought stretching in the bed, the wall coming to life with images from INC, evidently scientists were researching genetic engineering here as well, he laughed to himself as he lit a cigarette, which quickly fell from his mouth when he saw who their lead scientist was.
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"Staying in my play pretend, where the fun ain't got no end." It was a week later, and Mogar had gone through more than it would have cost to pay for a house in Tokyo in a bender, he had paid for rounds for entire clubs. He also began being flamboyant with his technology, advanced even for Tokyo, he got more than a few turned heads. He was convinced Tera had kidnapped Anatasija, or at least had a hand in it, but without a way to prove it, or to contact her for that matter, he was left all alone in the city. "AND I GOTTA STAY HIGH ALL THE TIME, TO KEEP YOU OFF MY MIND!" he shouted down at the crowd singing it themselves, pouring what was probably several hundred dollars of alcohol on them. jumping down from the bar he tossed the credit card at the lovely bar tender that had been with him this evening. "make sure nobody goes thirsty!" she leaned in "what about you? you need anything from me?" she asked sincerely. "Jack and your love would be nice for now." he replied, she gave him a tumbler and leaned in again "I'm off in an hour, you look like you need a break from partying anyway." he just nodded to her and wandered back into the crowd of people, getting lost in their ebb and flow, the writhing of sweaty bodies.
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Mogar lived a simple life as CEO of MoG[Corp], a small house, a garage with a few cars, just an ordinary man really. He woke up as normal, a large bed with an assorted variety of feminine forms filling out the rest of the matress, yawning he turned off the alarm clock next to the bed, finishing the glass of something alcoholic he had left from the night previous, "Hair of the dog." he muttered, setting the empty glass down. After a quick shower and shave he put on a black suit, black shirt, and royal blue tie and met his limousine outside. The news was on the TV in the vehicle, he mostly just listened to the stock prices and read his paper, the car ride was one of the few periods of down time he got so the comics were a good way to destress before the lengthy day ahead of him. It was another day at the office, Thirteenth Redemption had launched yet another attack, it was an annoyance but they didn't seem to have an interest in attacking the capital, he listened to the normal !@#$%^&* he had to deal with as ruler of the southeast asian empire. the hours dragged on and on until finally it was 7pm and he could rationalize going home without any guilt. A dinner was being prepared, only a small gathering of about 40 people, small for a Tuesday but he didn't feel like having a Gatsby party tonight, there had been dozens of deaths, it was a time for reflection, not a time to celebrate. There was a lack of guards at the entrance he normally used, but the gates opened as usual so he didn't think anything of it, perhaps they needed to take a piss or grab a drink, he turned off the TV, not wanting to hear anything more about the Thirteenth Redemption's resurgence into the nation, they had fought them off into the Philippines but they had managed to continue to strike at the mainland, someone was supporting them, it was just a matter of whom. The Ferrous Pacific Brotherhood had recently struck out against R.U.S.S.I.A, perhaps they were supplying the rebellious forces. He shook his head as he got out of the car, taking a swig of the glass of whiskey he had been nursing for the 45 minute long car ride. He got out of the car, stretching his legs as he got out of the car, knocking the drink back he tossed the glass back onto the seat, someone would clean it or get him a new one for tomorrow. He walked up the stairs wondering what gourmet he was going to dine on tonight, when a shot rang out. He didn't hear it of course, there was only time for a brief moment of realization as the sharp pain in the back of his skull before... nothing. Fallaces sunt rerum species
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:Private: "Are you sure you want to do this?" "Have to, no other way we can live on the surface without fear." "Don't say I forced you into it." "Well technically I don't get much of a choice, It's what I am here for." "I always did make effective arguments." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Secure Message would be sent to Athens, bounced off multiple satellites from a dozen different nations, originally sent from a tor network which keeps no logs, should a tracing attempt be made, the original IP using the most advanced tracking technology would appear to be Drakan in Origin.
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OOC: Some music for this post That night, after spending most of the day with Nenetl and just enjoying the city, taking a break from the constant research or action, Mogar and Antasija lay entwined together in bed, falling asleep promptly. He heard whispers, voices surrounding him, not quite audible, he was back in the darkness, will-o'-the-wisps lighting a path through the black, disappearing as he reached each, another appearing farther along to replace it. He swore he could hear Tera's laughter in the distance. He shrugged to himself, nothing he could do but follow along the path. He walked for hours, days, months, who knew how long it really was, but it felt like forever. Finally he found a circle of the wisps, he walked into the center and called out, "Here I am, what was the point of bringing me here?" looking around into the darkness. There was no reply, the silence became overwhelming. "I know you're out there, you brought me here for a reason, just do it already!" he shouted at nothing, frustrated with the constant games lately, nothing was simple anymore. The wind howled suddenly, the wisps disappearing like candles, he turned around in circles, pitch black and the roaring wind, he felt vertigo, the entire universe was spinning, and then... nothing. He woke up feeling hot, so hot, did Antasija leave the heater on? why would she leave the heater on, she is never cold. he moved his hands to push the blankets off him, there were none, his eyes fluttered open, he wasn't in Rapture anymore. he was laying on a bed of pumice, he sat up, where the fuck was he? The sky above was a dark purple. A red giant filled the sky, a small blue star sat in orbit of the Sun, he definitely wasn't on earth anymore, he mused. Standing he looked around, he had been here before, in another life. He had talked about this earlier with Antasija.he was being sarcastic about showing her the other world, but it seemed mentioning the memories made the gods send him back here. He considered contemplating why but quickly pushed aside those thoughts, there was always a purpose, he simply had to find out why. All around him there was lava, pumice, and fire. He started up the mountain he stood upon. After a few minutes of hiking, he walked to a burning tree, just barely touched by a lava floe it had quickly caught fire, he watched the flames dance before holding out a hand towards the fire, simply an observer in his own body at the moment. The fire swirled around his hand, forming into an orb in the palm of his hand. "Whoa." is all he could sputter out, finally regaining control. he held the ball of fire in his hand watching it surge and spiral. There was a small bug looking creature, with a head like a sucker fish and wings like a butterfly, sitting on a rock near a lava floe, looking as though it was breathing in the smoke coming off the floe, he took aim and launched his fireball at the creature, watching it explode. "Well, that's a new power." he said quietly to himself, continuing up the mountain, he wondered where that came from, but none of this made sense anyway. He noticed more of the Lavalickers, as he just decided their name was. but he left them alone, no point murdering things for the sake of it. He sulked up the mountain, the lava seemed like it was coming from random spots all over the mountain, he had to walk over a burning fallen tree to get over one of the floes, finally reaching where he could go no further, a sheer cliff in front of him, there was a narrow ledge around it, leaning his back against it he sidestepped over it, slowly moving his way across, occasionally the pumice crumbling under his feet. He sighed looking down the probably thousand meters it was down to the lake of lava far under the ledge he was walking over. He continued on slowly, every step a potential death sentence, and he was way out of range of the Vita-Chambers of Rapture. He finally came to an alcove in the rock, just as he reached it the skies opened up, rain pouring down, he stood under the stone roof he had managed to reach before watching the rain pour down, highly acidic, the pumice began smoking, he sat down in the outcrop, he wasn't going anywhere, after 20 minutes he grew bored, he walked around touching the stone, when he reached the back of the outcropping the wall shimmered, placing his hand firm against the wall "Open sesame?" he muttered, the wall turning transparent. "Alright, magical walls, I had forgotten this world's laws of reality." he said shaking his head, he walked through the false wall, torches lighting on the walls as he went down a winding narrow tunnel. descending further and further into the volcano. t took him 10 minutes to reach a golden door, gleaming in the light from the magical flames of the torches. He took a deep breath and grabbed onto the handle, pushing the door open. He found himself in a gigantic room, easily 100x100 feet, a chandelier lit in the center of the room, made of what looked like dragon bones. fully half of the room was lined with book shelves. entire left side from right next to him to a massive fireplace directly across from him a large bed on that side, with two desks on either side, a pair of comfy looking chairs with a lacquered burnt wood table between them. His gaze continuing through the room, he saw a small dragon sitting in a hole in the wall to the right side of the fireplace, an alchemy lab... a sacrificial altar with Antasija on it? Mogar ran over to her the moment he realized what he was seeing, she was still breathing, he ran his hand across her cheek, before shaking her by the shoulder "Wake up Ana, Wake. Up." Antasija blearily awakes, "Ugh, why the fuck is the heater on so high?" she says before she opens her eyes and starts, almost falling off the alter as she springs up, "Wha- wh- where are we?!" she asks, practically in a panic. He took a look around the room again before answering. "I think... we're on the planet." he coughed. "Well, this afternoon, you remember how I was talking about a world I couldnt describe to you, I'd have to show you? turns out the gods actually wanted me to show you." he paused for a moment, "Wait, you're really you aren't you?" "Unless I'm a really, really well made figment of your imagination so as to have all of my memories, yeah, it's legitimately me." she says, standing on her legs, "So what happens next?" He shrugged, "This is all new to me, I remember this is where it all starts, I just don't know the story goes besides it ends with, well, alot of death and destruction." "Oh, um." she looks around nervously, "I suppose I'm going to be involved in that am I?" Smiling for a moment he looked at her "See, thats the part that is confusing me, you arent supposed to be here, so I'm not sure if this is just sort of a tour visit, or if we have to actually accomplish something here..." "Well, I guess we'll see then won't we?" she asks, standing close to him, "I'd rather not die, dream or not. Especially if it carries over." He eyed a weapon rack nearby, "How are you with a sword, or a mace? If I remember right I created alot of weapons here, magical weapons." "Swords are easier." she says, "Maces are only good for heavily armored opponents. I'm not going to have to face anyone wearing full plate am I?" she asks, "I suppose it doesn't really matter with the whole 'super human strength' deal unless they're intense." Mogar grabbed a bastard sword off the weapon rack, noticing there was a weapon missing already. That dream... was it just a dream? He handed it to her, "I would test it out, I believe that it is enchanted with frost, one of the more simple weapons I created, but I am hesitant to give you anything with chaos magicks." his memories had been flowing back into him since he returned to this place, his home for many many years. She gave it a few experimental swings, enjoying the sound of it humming through the air, "It'll do nicely." she says, heafting it a little. Mogar pointed to the alchemy lab, "Don't touch that by the way, it's all the same stuff as the previous one, I don't think you really want to accidentally turn monstery." he said sarcastically, walking across the massive room to the desks, there were papers scattered and books opened, he started reading over them. trying to figure out what the purpose of this detour through the stars was. He sighed, and the little dragon looked up a t him and sighed too, smoke coming out of its nose "I wasnt asking for your opinion." the dragon growled slightly and laid his head back down, looking a bit miffed. Antasija jumped, as if seeing the Dragon for the first time, "What the fuck is that?!" she asks hastily, pointing her sword at it a little clumsily. The dragon hurrumphed, her movements almost boring the creature. "Well, that's a dragon, he is my bro, his mother was not so nice, but I couldn't just leave him there alone, look at that face, he's a cutie." the dragon smirked at her, fangs reflecting off the firelight. "Dragon, right." Antasija lowers the sword and clears her throat, a little embarrassed at how she'd acted, "Sorry, just, never seen a dragon before. He's got a name?" "Roslarb the Insane, it's just a name though, I don't think he is actually crazy." he said with a smile, still reading over the papers in front of him, "Could you grab me a drink from other there? he pointed to a table next to the giant bed, a dozen different bottles of all different sizes filled with red and brown liquids. Antasija grabs one of the bottles of brown liquid and brings it to him with a little trepidation, "So, what are we going to do?
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They had set up a base of operations in the new world's Tokyo, the newly extremist views that had been spreading amongst of the people of the city after the war had surprised him. The Japanese had always deified their ruler, and it was quite strange that almost every other population center had been hit but the location of the Empress went untouched. He had left Antasija at the airport to go on her own vacation for now. He needed to figure out his own issues that had begun springing up. He was far more knowledgeable at southeast Asian mythology than the Korean/Chinese/Japanese blend that thrived in Joseon, so he had secretly wished she would have come along for this trip. He mostly sat and watched the clouds and ocean fly by as they went over the Sea of Japan, his mind stuck on what had happened in Vietnam, the loss of control was surprising to him but it had been a very long time since he used the Abyssal Powers. The Book had informed him there was a few in this world who could help him learn to control the powers, he needed to desperately if he ever wanted to be able to be alone again with Antasija after their adventure to Vietnam. She had gone on a vacation to Tahiti, wanting another beach like their trip to Bangkok and always enjoyed speaking french, while he was off to fix his problem. her words echoed in his thoughts throughout the flight. "I don't know what's happening, I don't know why, but I do know that it scares me and I don't quite feel safe around you right now." He touched down in Seoul, an even larger city than previous, millions of North Koreans and Chinese having taken refuge in Seoul since the war, Joseon was growing, the North being brought up to the same high technological abilities as the South, but it was a long process and would take as long if not longer than it would take the Imperium to rebuild the home Islands. Joseon was a new nation now, but there was still some tensions. The amount of Chinese citizens had caused discontent amongst some, especially the Southern Joseonese who had very negative opinions of the Chinese since the war. Mogar passed by a girl in a Kumiho mask as he left the airport, she stared at him as their paths crossed, but by the time he had realized and turned around she was gone. Shaking his head he got into a taxi, giving the driver the address he was to head to according to the Book, it was only a corner, but he suspected he would find his way to where he needed to be, it hadn't led him astray yet. A half hour later he was dropped off and started walking to the east, looking down the alleyways until he saw one that caught his eye. He headed down the empty corridor, following the arrows, the dark one flicking on every so often. He found himself on a dark street, surrounded by neon signs. he looked up as he walked further down the road, the sky above not visible, only more neon signs. He pulled himself out of the awe inspired daze, getting his mind back focused on his goal. a stairway on his right, neon lights beckoning him inside. he walked down the narrow hallway, a maze of them, left, right, another left, another right, down and around until he came across a dark corridor with only a single red light above a door. Mogar stood there for a moment, wondering if this was really what he needed, was His lover worth making another deal with another devil? the internal battle resolved itself with a shrug, He was going to go to hell either way, might as well have an army to break out with him as well he supposed. He opened the door, feeling a cold swirl of air escape from the room, giving him a shudder, the Kumiho girl from the airport somehow stood in the center of the room facing him, the door slamming shut behind him just after he stepped into the room. Turning away from him, she asked "Could you zip me up?" in English... Not that he could see it, but there was a smile across her face.
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The Empress had heard disturbing reports from the Jōhōhonbu(Defense Intelligence Headquarters), strange incidents in the Southeast Asian region since the collapse of India, attacks against villages by strange men, kidnappings were on the rise. and at the same time a strange guest was brought to the Palace... interesting times. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mogar stood looking out the open door the side of the helicopter, music blaring down upon the surrounding jungle, their first mission in this new world to pacify and locate an artifact in this world, a goblet with quite... interesting properties. shouting into the headset he wore, "You realize this is going to be war, not our usual walks in the park, right?" he said to Antasija, looking over at her."I've been shot before." Antasija shouts back, "It's not so bad until you notice. Anyone who tries to stop us has already made a fatal mistake." He laughed, "Bonnie and Clyde vs the world eh? the Imperium Intelligence suggested there may be as many as 500 infected so far, the chopper ain't bringing us straight there, they found an armory, and while we're getting paid for this, they aren't paying us in helicopters." he teased, "Plus, do you really want to walk back to Hong Kong from here?" "No, that'd be tedious." she says "I'd prefer if we didn't get shot down over the jungle anyways." Antasija put on a set of aviators, nudging the frames under the headset carefully."Looking the part there babe," he said, the sun was bright, and they needed to get this done asap. "Basically they'll be under mind control, while we dont have to kill every single one, we need to get to the chalice before they'll stop being all... zombified." "The whole situation is $%&@ed if you ask me." she says, looking out the door, her hair being blown about despite having been tightly tied, "If there's a way to get them out of the whole mind control zombification thing I'd like to make that a side objective if you don't mind." Seeing them begin to group as the chopper descended he smiled, it was going to be an exciting day. "Just gotta get the chalice and they'll go back to normal, until they drink from the cup again at least. I am still curious to how an aztec artifact ended up in Vietnam, but my curiousities are not the priority, let's get this cup, it should prove quite useful." "Ten bucks says Indiana Jones did it." she says, smiling at him, "And if getting the cup breaks the !@#$%^&*, then hell yes, that makes everything easy."Letting out a booming laugh, so loud she could hear it even without the headset, he grinned at her "Yeah, you know, just have to go through a batallion of heavily armed Vietnamese who have orders to kill anything that tries to enter the village, piece of cake." the sounds of 7.62mm automatic starting ringing out, tracers filling the sky. "looks like we're about as far as we're gonna get, see you on ground floor." he said, kissing her lips for a moment before jumping out of the chopper, the rope slipping through his gloved handds, he stopped himself a few inches from the ground, hopping off he brought up his Rifle, begining to shoot 3 rounds into the head of anyone else with a gun. Antasija grabs the rifle she'd picked and goes down the rope upside down, holding it between her legs to keep her from going too fast as she starts shooting long before she hits the ground, laying suppression for Mogar as she slides down the rope, lithely bending up to grab it in one hand to place herself on her feet as she reaches the ground."You always have to one up be, don't you?' he said over his headset walking slowly toward the worn path that they men had been coming from, most were armed simply with knifes and other blades, but he didnt expect that to last for much longer. "It's been a while since I have had to do this... since you, in fact." he commented as the river of bodies slowed to a trickle, probably realizing that sheer numbers don't work well against automatic rifles, dropped the clip and shoving another into his rifle he coked it back and looked at her. "When do you think they'll make a movie about us?" he joked. Antasija knocks her hair back behind her shoulders absently and switches her clip around, having bound a pair of them together for ease of access, "I don't suppose they'll write much of anything about us until we start telling them." she says, looking around, "You know, I feel like a cigar would really complete the look." she comments on how she'd presented herself for this mission. He patted his breast pocket "After we finish this, it should be fairly easy once we get past all these !@#$@#$ people." the path through the jungle was rather easy, it led straight to the village, the numbers almost ceased to come at them, and the ones that did looked haggerd, as though they hadn't slept in days. Stepping over the most recent one, he looked back at her "They've got to be planning something." "It doesn't seem like it from where I'm standing, but I wouldn't know a plan if it bit me on the ass." she says, looking around cautiously. He stood in the opening to the clearing that the village stood in, listening carefully he pulled a grenade from his belt, tossing it against the door of the nearest building. The ensuing explosion turned the bamboo house into splinters scatters everywhere. there were at least a dozen bodies in the remains of the house, he quickly threw another one to the house across it, men clambering out already before exploding just like their peers. "the Indy reference was apt, if it could be a trap, it most likely is." "Everything's a trap these days." she says, walking along, "Can't hardly go five feet without someone trying to trap you." Another stream of them came out of the next set of houses, a spray of bullets into their chests and heads quickly put them down. "I'm going to make the wild guess we have to get to the church in the center of town, if I were an egotistical madman that is where I'd set up camp." "Obviously, biggest building in town, you think any respectable madman would set up anywhere else?" she continues to walk, participating in putting down any enemies they might encounter. While reloading a teenaged boy came out from between two buildings, jumping onto Mogar's back and causing him to lose balance, unable to position his gun he flexed his fingers, his right hand turning dark, a small dagger appearing he stabbed the kid in the stomach, slitting his throat after pushing the teenager off him. He stood there for a moment, the dagger having disappeared but his veins in his forearm still black, senses went on overdrive, he could hear the sound of a few hundred further to the north of the village but they sounded as though they were continuing north. Remaining in the village there sounded like there were less than 20 remaining, most of that center building. His breathing became rapid and deep, staring at the large church. Antasija walks towards the building, "Come on, the faster we get that cup the less people we have to kill." she says, looking back at him with concern. He looked at her, a twisted grin upon his face, "A Vampire with a conscience, now I've seen everything." he said throatily, nowhere near his normal voice. "You kidding? More conscience than the average person can claim even." she says, rasing the rifle to her shoulder, "Wouldn't hurt a fly." He waved his hand to her, "Come here, I want to touchhhh you." She looks at him, an eyebrow arched high, "What? Mogar, are you alright? You sound different." He took a staggered step forward, hands outstretched, the rifle falling to his side, hanging off his shoulder by the strap. "I'll be just fine oncccccee I get my hands on you." the veins on his right arm had not returned to normal, clearly visible, the black standing out easily against his tanned skin. Antasija lowers her rifle and takes a step towards him, "We've not got time for..." she trails off, noticing his arm and his general mannerisms. She takes two steps back away from him, her face masked in confusion, "Are you sure?" she asks slowly. As a lone straggler ran towards them he points his hand at the guy, a bolt of darkness shooting out of his palm, hurling the zombie into the jungle. "I will make sssssure we won't be interrupted." he wheezed out. taking another step towards her. Antasija grips her rifle a bit tighter, and takes another step back, "No closer, I swear Mogar, you're creeping the $%&@ out of me right now. Cut it out." He shook his head laughing, "Sssso sssshoot then." continuing to walk towards her. She lifts the rifle to her shoulder and points it at him, "Mogar, this is creepy as nothing else, snap out of it." she says urgently, taking another step back. "I jusssst want a sssssnack, my little vampire bride has taken her ssssshare from me, but now you hold out from me?" his walking began getting a bit quicker, as though he finally remembered how to operate his legs properly again."Yeah, yeah I am." she starts to step back, keeping pace with him exactly, but all the grace in the world couldn't compensate for tripping over a rock and falling on her back, which was what happened next, "I swear to everything holy and otherwise if you take another step I'll shoot you!" she shouts at him, half hysterical. He continued walking, standing over her with a sick smile. "You won't sssshoot me, even you know that." he said, putting a hand next to her head he began crouching down, looking into her eyes, the scent of her fear enthralling him, proving to be quite the distraction. She pulls the trigger. Nothing happens but the gun clicking on empty. For a split second she looks shocked at the rifle, but then with lightning quickness she turns over to try and dart off into the forest. "$%&@ me!" He grabbed onto her ankle easily, dragging her roughly through the dirt, "You are the only meal for many miles, I can't let you sssssimply run away, I am too hungry to oblige your request though." he said tossing her back onto her back, his eyes were dark now, no longer the pale blue she recognized. Antasija scrambles for her sidearm, "Like hell I am!" she shouts defiantly, pulling the Beretta out of its holster and swinging it to face him as quickly as she could manage, which considering her condition, was almost quicker than the eye could follow. He grabbed her wrist, "Did you forget? I'm ssstronger than you now, fassster, you are going to make a fine dinner, consider it repayment for all those times you fed upon me." he tossed the gun away from them, leaning down to smell her neck, she was panicing now he could tell, and he thrived off it. "Like. Hell!" she repeats, quickly uppercutting him in the diaphragm and using his grip on her wrist to her own advantage while he was stunned, swinging to land across his back, driving her elbow into the back of his head, utilizing the momentum she'd built up in the swing. Vision blurred and went dark, he fell unconscious onto the ground, a half dozen of the remaining zombies came out to investigate the noise and charged at her, noticing he was fallen.Groans and moans were briefly cut with a "Get Her!" grunted from the crowd. She quickly grabs Mogar's own sidearm from his holster and dispatches three of the charging zombies, caving in another's face with a heavy punch and elbowing another's to oblivion before putting a bullet in the head of the last one, standing panting over the comatose body of her lover, "!@#$@#$ hell." He laid still, completely knocked out from the blows, but his arm gradually turned back to normal coloring while he lay there.
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Mogar finally appeared on the other side, studying his surroundings for a moment he estimated they were about 30 miles when where they needed to be, as to exactly when, he would have to take more advanced calculations and wait until night to read the stars. he waited for Antasija to pass through, wondering if she was still standing their slack jawed. Antasija walked through as he was musing to himself, a little bright in the cheeks, "I always love the past. Especially when there aren't any !@#$@#$ jungles around." They were surrounded by hilly terrain, just grassy rolling fields for as far as they could see, sparse trees dotting the landscape, the sky was clear, a wonderful day in southeastern Europe Mogar thought to himself. The last time he was in this area was with her, just after the plane crash. shaking those memories out of his head he smiled at Antasija, "we're a bit off target but we should have time to get there." he said holding out his hand, "We'll need to find clothing, I used period proper kits for us but the clothing I can't replicate as easily as simply grabbing some from a local." "True." she says, looking down at what she generally wore, slightly torn from the last time they'd time-traveled, "I don't suppose I'm going to like the local style though." Mogar looked around as they began walking, there was a road nearby and where there's a road there would eventually be people, "Nothing wrong with togas." he said with a smirk, "I don't mind them personally, very airy." "They're not very flattering and it's hard to run around in them." she shrugs, "But I'll live." He saw smoke rising over a mountain "Let's hope they're friendly and understanding of our future clothing long enough for me to sedate them, I take it you don't speak much Greek?" he asked, knowing the answer. "Not much, no." she says, "I could swap spit with one of th- oh wait, that only works for them, !@#$." she tries to consider something else. "I only gave you one dose of that stuff anyway, I can speak enough to get us into their house I think, and directions to where we need to go, if we have to have a formal dinner or something we may be in a bad place." he said as they went over a hill, a small farmhouse a kilometer away. "Well, I don't think we'll have to do much talking apart from that, we're only going to have to steal the big knot right?" she asks, "How hard could that be? They can't possibly have anything really hard to break into at this point in time." He glanced at the farmer off in the field in the distance, they may be able to just walk in and take what they needed without notice. "We're technically going to have to steal an ox cart that is immovable, and replace it so when Alexander does show up, he can be the hero and cut the thing, be a hero, that whole thing. As to how hard it is going to be... we'll see." is all he could reply. "That doesn't sound terrible." she says, beginning to walk towards the farmhouse nonchalantly, "At least it won't be covered in Indiana Jones style boobie traps." He shook his head "You just had to say it, didn't you? now it IS going to be booby trapped." they had managed to reach the house unnoticed, no dogs or other pesky animals to notify their owner of the pair's arrival, finding robes for the pair of them, Mogar threw her one and began getting undressed quickly, putting his clothing back into the burlap bag he had designed for their little adventure. Antasija does likewise, "You know it occurs to me that this won't do much to disguise us, what with the general Mediterranean color of the people around here. We're still going to stick out I think, or just be incredibly pale in their considerations." He looked at his arm for a moment, "Perhaps with me they'll think I just an a hermit, with you though, I'm not so sure what they're going to think, let's take the long way around." he said quietly, leading her around a hill to escape from the view of the person they had just stolen the outfits from. "We have about 20 kilometers to go, how do you think we roll the thing back to where we need to be though?" There was little information to go on for exactly the size of this knot. "We could steal a couple of ox." she says, shrugging, "We've already stolen a guy's clothes, and it's not like it'll change much that this guy is missing them. Speaking of what they'll think of me, I have no idea, I'm a little too... well, to be much of anything except a fine catch." Thinking about that as they walked, returning to the road once more, "Should that be our cover story? I'm a recluse who traveled far to purchase you?" he thought out loud, he didn't have chains but slavery was fairly common practice in these times, it wouldn't be much of an effort to find the proper equipment. "I think that might work if we make sure to say I'm from up north, I'm a little too pale to be around here, even at their most pale they don't get to where I am. I don't think we'd need much else to convince them except, well, speaking Greek." she comments. He pulled out a length of rope, binding her hands tight enough they wouldnt come loose easily, but left the knot so she would be able to free herself if need be, he looked down at her with a smirk, "First time I've ever tied you up and wasn't planning on taking your clothes off afterward." he teased, leaving a length of rope to work as a leash, cutting it and holding it in his hand. She rolled her eyes and smiles, "You can take them off later of course." she walked with him as he began moving once more. According to the sign they were passing, the city of Kyra was to their south west, sniffing the air he smelled fire... and flesh. "Looks like we arrived on schedule then," he muttered, we have about a day, at most two, until Mr Xander shows up and puts a wrecking on Telmessos." "Well, that's cutting it close but we should be able to manage fairly easily." she says, still shuffling along behind him. He looked her over, the ancient clothing fit her well even though it wasn't designed for her, hanging off just enough to stir thoughts, but not enough to expose anything. "I would kiss you ya know if I wasn't afraid someone might think it was strange." he said looking at her with a smile. "I'm your attractive slave, nobody would think it was the least bit odd." she says, smiling, "People would only think it odd if I were the one who initiated." He glanced around, there was a scout in the distance but he paid them no mind, they were far enough in the distance it would take them easily 5 minutes to reach them. He leaned in and stole a kiss from her, intentionally being as aggressive in the move as possible to ensure that if they had been watching things looked proper. he whispered in her ear "We'll have to try this when we get home." he said winking at her, tugging on the rope gently, "Let's go slave." he said loudly in greek. Antasija blushes brightly and puts her head down, acting the part of the pampered slave well, if not too well, "Yes master." she says back, her Greek stained by a Romanian accent which didn't appear when she was speaking English. The Scouting party arrived quicker than he had estimated, Alexander must have had good horses. "Citizen." he said in Greek, "Where are you headed to in this dangerous land?" looking down upon Antasija with a sneer. Mogar coughed before replying "I am... taking my slave to the south, it is said they have been freeing slaves in this region as of late, I hope to find a business man who would rather make coin over simply being a "moral" person." he managed out in greek, "Apologies, I have been working on my Aramaic in order to begin this business venture." The Scout looked them over carefully. "Be on your way, but be sure to not trust any of these Achaemenid, We are going to eradicate them house by house if need be, Alexander shall rule this land." Mogar placed his hand on his chest "Alexander!" he shouted, the scout nodding and continuing on his route. A few minutes of hustled walking Mogar finally exhaled deeply. "Well that was just about all the Greek I know, let's hope nobody else wants to be inquisitive."
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OOC note: This is where the "adventure" RP will take place, anything happening in Rapture will continue in that thread. Ah, the bible. What an interesting subject. For some the Bible is the word of God himself, passed down to man so he may lead a righteous life and to others, merely a work of science fiction filled with stories of fantasy. The truth lay somewhere in the grey, just as most things did in this world. Mogar had thought of the bible for centuries it had felt like when Bangkok had fallen and he was brought into darkness, there was not much else to do but think in that place. Corinthians had always held a special place in his mind, the actual location of Corinth had been a center of trade and nationalities mingling, something he had always set out to create. This world in which he had skipped through time and interacted with was so full of destruction compared to the prefall world, the deaths of WW2 happened on a constantly basis, millions dying for no purpose, the leaders of this new world seemingly only interested in their own selfish desires over the health of the civilians they would ravage. Every moment he had control over his memory, his thoughts, he repeated Chapter 13 of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, it was what had kept his mind off the thoughts the darkness always brought out, Doubt, Despair, Fear, Hopelessness, the emotions the creatures fed upon. Billions of others were in the same place as him, he knew. How many kept their hope alive? He only had the belief that his guard was something other than what she appeared, something greater. It was years between his brief encounters with her, they never spoke but she always slowed her steps when she did. The written word kept him strong, kept him believing there was a way out. he would repeat it to himself constantly, every waking moment. If he was to escape, it would be through love. When he was alive, he had no belief in a "God", science was the only answer to life's questions. Faith. what an idiotic idea, a man in the sky will grant you wishes? There was nobody else in this world who will look out for you besides yourself. He had created a company from nothing, been at the forefront of research and development of technologies this world would never see again, why would he believe in a man watching the billions of humans on this planet like a twisted version of The Sims? Hope. Hope is not something he felt often. He held confidence in his own ability, an expectation of success at anything he had set his mind to. But hope in others? A very rare occurrence, in his situation he realized he would need to have hope in others, there was only one alleged case of anyone escaping this prison, and that was a thousand years ago. Dante, a fairy tale, a book to give to school children to teach them classical literature. He had spent decades going over everything he could of Dante's tale but that was a much different tale than his, he was given a tour, not thrown into the pit. The similarities were not lost upon him, it WAS cold, and it WAS dark. and Mogar WAS self-indulgent to the extreme, while not personally violent, he did not mind violent behavior so long as it furthered his goals, and malice? Malice was the hardest to come to terms with, A desire to take pleasure in another's misfortune. Not everyone's misfortune, but those who had wronged him previously he finally admitted he did enjoy schadenfreude, but who didn't? That left him with Love. He had trouble remembering who he had genuinely loved in his life. His parents, of course, pets, certainly. But other humans? They had always found a way to hurt him when he tried to love them, the thought of them being down here beside him for their own betrayals in life. The occasional secretary, the mistress, the rare girlfriend, he had trouble ever loving someone for long, always getting rid of them before they got too close. After a hundred and seventy years, based upon his internal clock at least, he finally called out to his warden. "Can I ask you a few questions?" she seemed taken aback, almost shocked that he was still cognitive it appeared. "I suppose I can spare a few moments, they usually ask far sooner than you did though." Mogar chose his words carefully, not wanting to offend her, needing any help he could possible pry from her. "I realize where I am, or at least have a basic understanding, but why? I would have thought I would be in one of the upper floors, Lust? Gluttony? Greed? Wrath? I fit all of those, but if I am correct, I'm on the bottom floor, why?" She smiled, it took either millennia for them to admit to their faults, or was immediate, this was a rare case indeed just as she had thought when she first laid eyes upon this soul. "You had all of those sins, two of them more so than the vast majority of your species. your greatest sin however is the betrayal of your own people. You allied the wolves surrounding you to keep your people secure, but what do you think happened when you died? As we speak your former ally has already torn apart your nation, used your weapons of defense for the destruction of other nations. your people died because you abandoned them. you had the ability to lead and you disappeared upon them." He hung his head, her... species aside, there was no reason to doubt her words, there were many on the world above who would kill their own mother simply to have the more comfortable bed, and these are the people leading millions. "I understand now, thank you for telling me why I am receiving this particular punishment, and not one of the others I had figured I had earned if this place was real. Is this an eternal punishment, or do I get a sentence and then am free to go?" She laughed heartily, every other leader still functioning she had ever spoken to vehemently denied the claims against them, Mao in particular still refused to acknowledge the tens of millions his failed policies had let starve, still holding onto his own fractured ego. This one, he just agreed to it and continued the conversation, what a creature she thought to herself. "Every case is unique, and I do not decide these things, nor will I ask for you, I would get comfortable if I were you." she said, turning around to resume her rounds. "One more question!" he cried out after her, she paused, turning back to him. "What is your name? If you are going to be my only interaction for eternity I wish to know what to call you." She shot him a grin, his every action just fueling her thoughts further. "My name is Terazoharon, in your language the closest translation would be... Empress Venom Butterfly." "A fitting name, beautiful and poisonous." he said, almost to himself. She heard him of course, supernatural hearing had its perks, on top of the fact on this floor they tended to have come to terms with their fate. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Back in the present, or the past, its hard to keep track, Mogar shook his head, he had used the Gate before, but that had never happened again, the memories of the darkness were always there, but rarely ever so vivid, it was like he was there again. The rover sat a few feet away, Antasija stood next to him, he relaxed his grip upon her hand, "Sorry, these trips always make me nervous." he said to her, wanting to clear his head. "Don't worry about it, you can just make me a new hand if you break this one." She said flashing her smile, they were all alone so she was relaxed. A dense jungle surrounded them, the sounds of birds filled the air, with the occasional roar of an animal he hoped they would not run into. Mogar took a few moments to establish their base camp, the coffin sized machine to bring them back in case of an emergency, a chest containing a months food, tablets to purify water, and igniters to start fires. Of course the most important piece was a small chest containing a metal disk, this was the most important part of their kit, the way home, and for this Mogar dug a deep hole using the tactical shovel on his pack. a half hour later it was buried under 4 feet of dirt near their camp, he grabbed a large rock, burying it directly above the device partially exposed. he kicked around the dirt to remove the freshly dug look, and looked around contently, the natives may find their rest of their stuff, but the titanium walled vita chamber could survive anything the locals could use against it, and the chests were bio metrically locked. He turned to Antasija with outstretched hand, "Let's see if those virgin sacrifices you saved actually taught me anything."
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It is my pleasure to announce that Rapture has become a signatory of: *The Solidarity Pact for an Allied Maroon: http://maroonity.com/spam.html *The Maroon Economic Pact: http://maroonity.com/eco.html o/ Rapture o/ Maroonity Coalition of Royal Allied Powers Commonwealth of Sovereign Nations Global Order of Darkness Monos Archein Random Insanity Alliance Rapture The Order of Halsa The Templar Knights Through Yggdrasil's Roots United Sovereign Nations In Memorandum... Arrow of Chiron Fellowship of Unified Nations Frontline Formation Coalition Knights of the Imperial Cross
