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[Rytiko]

Xion, Juperos, Lazereth, Arlin, and Seyren. Men of legend, and men of power. Power enough to pull the strings of all. But was it power enough to obtain what they needed? It would seem so with the prisoners now lining the cells in the underground fortress. They were their subjects, and they were the key.

The black crystal shone, or rather swallowed the light around it. It was emanating a lack of light, creating a distorted and black effect around it. What was its purpose, and who did it call for? And what did it promise in return? That is what the five of them had investigated thus far, and now that they had found its secret, all that was left to do was to wait. They had to do nothing more than promise the prisoners escape, and they would give them what was needed.

But they needed more? They needed warriors elite enough to conquer the elites, and they needed warriors with enough power to throw down the pillars that held them back from their goal. With the warring state that they had manipulated the world into, they would not be too difficult to find?

~~~~~

I can?t remember how long I?ve been here. Years, it seems, away from home. But why?. The Persians could care less about my presence, as they tire themselves bowing down to Cyrus. I would never have thought such a kind king to be such an annoyance. With everyone so loyal to him, I?ve no hope of getting what I want here. No matter how long I serve this empire as an elite general, I?ll never be able to reach my goal. I may as well stop investigating this matter and go home, as the military doesn?t need me. People are just throwing themselves into the arms of the empire these days, none of them harboring much will to resist.

Father, I write this now in hopes that you will accept me once I return. I have failed to uphold my duties, and fear that I shall become an outcast in our world. But you know as well as anyone that I do not believe in your doctrines, and never will. However, I do hope that I can be of assistance to you. If you would accept me, I would be happy to aid you in any way that I can.

That was the message sealed in the envelope now being carried off by a man on horseback. He had an entire bag of mail, and his destination was the station to the East. The Persian postage system had truly united the empire. There were even men willing to carry messages beyond the borders, which united the world.

Mohan Singh let out a sigh as he watched his letter head off to its destination. Not because his father would likely reject him, but because he could feel the stares of the people surrounding him. He was very well known among the warriors in this area, and thus spoken of often.

?The Sand of the East? was his alias among the military, due to his control over his earth-based magic allowing him to use sand as a deadly weapon. Combined with his talented use of dual katars, he was a demi-god of close combat in the desert. His tactics were generally to blind the enemy, hide himself, and attack before he is even seen. However, that wasn?t to say he couldn?t manage without sand. He was a very acrobatic fighter, as is necessary with katar users.

It was unfortunate that they had recognized him, though it was expected as he had made no attempt to hide his katars. There was no one else that used them in the area, making him stand out like a sore thumb. He hated that, because he would prefer it if his combat abilities were more secretive. Potential enemies could find out all they needed to about him from the warriors who spoke about him so often.

Not that the knowledge would help them. As long as there was sand, or even loose soil, Mohan wouldn?t be beaten no matter how many opposed him. That was the reputation he had earned in battle. But lately, he had a feeling that the ones targeting him now may be a bit more problematic. He could sense their power through the earth, and it was of a frightening level.

Perhaps if Mohan had taken proper precautions in response, he would not have been captured that night. The attack was swifter than even a speed master such as himself could keep up with, rendering him unconscious before he could even make out the face of the person who had attacked. They hadn?t even moved ? All he felt was a crushing sensation throughout his entire body. The next thing he knew, he had awoken within a dark stone prison.

There was no light at all other than that offered by the few candles lining the walls. There was barely enough light for Mohan to read the note left on the floor by the mat that served as his bed?

[Rytiko]

The Roleplay:

The note reads ?You have been chosen. You and the 15 others we have chosen will be divided into eight teams of four. You will be given your freedom only if you can conquer our challenges. A guard will release you. Follow him, and you will be taken to the place where you will be randomly divided into teams.?

The tournament will be a test of skill and teamwork, and you will be pitted against both equally talented NPCs and ancient guardians with extraordinary power. I?m keeping my 4-player cap that is common throughout my RPs, so you can easily see that we will be fighting as a team against NPCs.

Most of the battles will be one-on-one matches. How this will work is simply that I trust you to make the battles interesting. You will write out your entire battle in the battle sections, and making them boring only ruins the fun of the RP.

But the battles aren?t all that there is. Not only are there ?Boss?-like battles where it?s the four of us against one huge, God-like enemy (there will be two of these), but there is a story that unfolds as well. In fact, the tournament setting makes up only the very beginning of the RP. We?ll get to a point where it will become much more like a historical fantasy RP. The battles are just something I thought would be a fun way to start things off, as well as an opportunity to show off our characters? abilities and such.

In between battles, there will be some interaction. We?re still a team, after all.

[Rytiko]

Character Creation:

You are free to do pretty much whatever you like with your character as far as origin and abilities go. Because of the time period and the fact that these people collected from around the world, your character can be from pretty much anywhere that was around in the time of Cyrus the Great.

Use the following form for your characters:


Forum Name:
Name:
Age:
Sex:
Appearance:
Weapons and Abilities:
Brief History:


Submit them to me via PM and I will add them in as soon as I get the message.


~~~~~~~~~~~~


Current Players:

Forum Name: Rytiko

Name: Mohan Singh

Age: 23

Sex: Male

Appearance: With a tall and agile build to compliment his fighting style, Mohan doesn?t appear to have much muscle. The typical Indian martial arts garb doesn?t fit tightly enough to show that he indeed does. The loosely fitting black top flows into the sash of deep purple that is wrapped tightly around his waist and accompanied by loosely fitting black pants, leaving his actual level of muscle a bit of a mystery. Not that anyone underestimates him, anyway.

Perhaps it was the threatening looking foot-long bladed set of katars that were normally wrapped tightly between the bottom and top wraps of the sash. Or perhaps it was the cold, slightly red tinted eyes, accented by the medium-length black hair and dark skin that frightened most of his opponents. Or perhaps it was merely his reputation. Regardless, he was not one to be underestimated ? One who did that would soon find himself impaled by Mohan?s katar.

Weapons and Abilities: He uses dual katar and exhibits earth-property abilities. He is exceptionally skilled with the usage of sand, compressing it to create a weapon or using it to blind enemies and conceal himself.

Brief History: I pretty much gave you all you needed to know in the intro post. To recap, though:

He has deserted the teachings of Hinduism and joined the army, outside of his caste. He was meant to be a peasant, not a warrior. But he had always had an exceptional talent for fighting and an exceptional blood lust.

He traveled to Babylon searching for something. What that is? Only he knows the answer to that.

-----

Forum Name: Mizukage

Name: Nomi Sakune

Age: 32

Sex: Male

Appearance: Short but powerful man, with long black hair, dark green eyes, and a thick black mustashe. his muscular frame is crisscrossed with scars from previous battles.

He also wears standard light horse armor, well worn with chips in the laquer and such. Dark Green mainly with blood red accentuates. cords are deep gold. the mask is an old man, snarling with two pairs of tusks. two curling down and two going up like a mustache


Weapons and Abilities: fully trained in all of the samurai arts he prefers the naginata and the no dachi when on foot and a unique serrated tachi from horseback, thought he is skilled wit the bow as well.

Brief History: An ex retainer turned Ronin with the betrayal of his daimyo, Nomi left japan as a mercenary, ending up in india, where he was recruited by the persians. his powerful stature and short temper make him a noticable adversary. as a ronin, he no longer bears the topnot or the wakizashi customary for the samurai class. he lives for battle.

-----

Fourm Name: Queztatlapoca

Name: Areic

Age: 24

Sex: Male

Apperance: With his slender build and average height, coupled with his brown eyes and bald head, people generally don't much notice him. He looks quite ordinary to the untrained eye but the occasional viewer may notice the lightness with which he moves. The white clothing he wears is mainly to keep cool in the hot sun. He carries no weapons.

Weapons and Abilities: He has become a weapon. His inhuman speed and mastery of hand to hand/hand to weapon combat has made sure of that. He will always trys to end a conflict without any serious harm done but if the suitation calls for it he can and will kill.

Brief History: Former Buddhist monk, he still respects most forms of life, but after his family was murdered by the sword of the Hindus (Sikhs) and he sat idly by he has vowed to protect the innocent from the monsters that call themselves royalty. But his trusting nature got him imprisoned in a jail with a note he now read.

-----

Forum Name: Megell

Name: Alexis

Age: 48 Appears to be 20ish

Sex: male

Appearance: A little odd in appearance, he at first appears to be quite a normal man, blue eyes and brown hair. He wears glasses with a special sealing mark around them, but otherwise they seem normal. He wears a simple shirt and pants, nothing fancy. And all in all appears as if he will be an early out in the matches, though his attitude seems to suggest otherwise. He is in constant possession of a nine ringed staff. (The same type japense monks may use for sealing monsters.)

Weapons and Abilities: His staff, though made of wood is actually much harder then diamonds and the like. He is a very capable physical fighter, but his true area of expertise is in sealing away other people. Through the use of seal scrolls and cursed markings, he can basically create barriers around targets and then send them to another dimension. (Arguably hell.) He can also create barriers which are used to protect from outside interference.

Brief History: He refuses to mention it. However simple deduction will tell that he was some type of priest or holy man.

[Rytiko]

((Sorry for the delay. Not to place blame or anything, but I was waiting for Megell. It's no problem though, as I was still sorting through a couple of things myself, so it probably would have been only a day shorter if not for him.))

Dark, damp, and cold were the corridors he followed the guard through. This stone prison was consuming him already, planting an emotion he had rarely experienced, fear, as a constant feeling picking at his mind. What was it about this place that had already began to break him? This dark feeling? It was unlike any misery he head experienced before. Was this what his negligence to the laws of Dharma and Karma had wrought in their vengeance? No? This was too cruel even for his crimes.

He had released several others as he passed their cells, but each of them seemed far more gone than Mohan. Like zombies, they followed without even a sound down the dark stone hallway towards a foreboding steel arched doorway. There was nothing flashy about its appearance, but perhaps its plain and empty look is what gave it the effect that it had. There was only an indent in the center, in which the guard placed a small, jagged metal pole into. With a hellish screech, the door opened into a room with a far different look than the rest of the prison, shattering the hopelessness almost immediately.

The walls were lined with gold and scarlet flags depicting a shining golden sword with ornate curves. The floor was covered with a magnificent rug, the same as the banners lining gthe walls. Beneath them was a layer of pure gold tile. The lighting was almost blinding compared to the few candles within the prison corridors ? Flames of a shining gold surrounded the room on the walls, and were the center of attention with the golden chandelier hanging from the ceilings, which were a minimum of 30 feet high.

Three more doors opened, but the hellish screech sounded more like a holy song from this side. The people from the other parts of the prison all walked in , attention focused either on the chandelier or the five men standing in the center, each with a hardened look of a magnificent soldier. Clad in gold and crimson, just as the room was, these men could be no other than their captors. But now they had called them all here for some reason.

Mohan was itching to launch himself at them, but acknowledged the pointlessness of doing such without any of his gear. He already knew they were faster than him, so there was little point in attacking now. He?d have to wait? Besides, it appeared that they were ready to give a speech.

?I am sure that you wonder why we have brought you here. This question will be answered in due time, but let me assure you that the roles that each of you play are greater than any other you could have played on Earth. Your purpose is multiplied by at least ten times just by being here. You have all been chosen.?

How was it that Mohan could understand him? In fact, it seemed that everybody could understand him. He was speaking a language unheard of to Mohan, yet he had no problem comprehending exactly what they were saying? Odd.

?You can understand what I am saying because we have endowed these halls with many enchantments. No matter what language you speak, you will all understand each other. And understanding each other is vital in the role that you are to play.

There are four guardians, each holding a gem endowed with all the knowledge of the essence of the Guardian. The four essences of earth, fire, water, and wind are stronger here than in any place. But the strongest here is the essence of darkness, one unbound by physics and laws. It is one of the two essences not present in your world, the other being light.

There have been those able to call upon them from other dimensions, however here the power is stronger, and actually present. That is the feeling you all experienced within the cells. This room, however, is filled with our light. Our light is strong enough to shatter the darkness? But I am getting off topic. Excuse me.

There are four guardians, and each of them must be slain. Unfortunately, it is not that simple. After slaying the four guardians, which will be done in four groups of four, you must slay each other and aquire the power granted to the opposing team by the gemstone of the Guardians. Only four with the blood of FOUR essences can do anything for this cuase. Unfortunately, to do this, lives must be sacrificed. For that? I am deeply sorry.?

So they were their slaves, pit against each other in battle for an unknown cause, with an unknown chance of survival. What the hell was this place?? What gave them the right to do this!?

?The four who help us will be granted their freedom. If you refuse to participate, you will be locked here forever,? he said, his tone suddenly becoming sinister and evil. So that was it. They had no choice. None of them possessed the power to defeat them now.

?Your equipment will be returned to you. After that, we will assign teams. Any who think to attack us once they get their equipment will be immediately and cruelly imprisoned in a dark spell. That will be worse than death could ever be??


One moor door made its appearance on the wall. Lifting a cage filled with weapons and armor, two massive bull-like beasts headed for the center of the room. Each step shook the place, causing the candles to flicker occasionally. Mohan had never seen nor read of such beasts, but he could not deny their power and magnificence.

As the beasts set the cage on the floor, all sixteen of the prisoners rushed to get their things back. Mohan had little trouble finding his katars in the midst of all the swords, staffs, daggers, and other drab weaponry. There was not much in the cage out of the ordinary, but Mohan knew that it was not the weapon that was normally out of the ordinary. It was the skill with which it was wielded. And he was sure that each of these people had the same fighting potential as he did, otherwise there would be no need for a contest of this sort. This would be challenging? Mohan both longed for and despised the thought of this ?Tournament?, if it could be called that.

?Now, for the teams!? the same man said once they all had their equipment. He went through and handpicked each of them, looking at a list of names with unknown symbols written next to them. Whatever sorting method they were using, it would be impossible for anyone to tell at the moment. That was fine though, as long as the teams were strong.

Mohan was grouped with a short Asian man, a Buddhist monk, and what seemed to be so me sort of holy man. They were then told that their fight would not be for another day, in order for them to work on their team efforts. Their first fight would be with a randomized Guardian, so they needed to be powerful enough to defeat a demi-god enemy with nearly infinite power in one of the essences. They were assured that things would be fine, but each of them had their doubts?

?So? I suppose we should start out with names and fighting styles, and we can work from there?? Mohan suggested. Following up, he said ?My name is Mohan Singh. As all katar users, my fighting style is very acrobatic and quick. I have some knowledge of the earth essence, and normally use sand against my enemies? but I don?t believe that will be a possibility here. What about each of you??

[Queztatlapoca]

"My name is Areic. And I need no weapon to aid me in combat. I use speed and misdirection to unarm my aggressor and try to end any conflict with little to no pain."

[Mizukage]

"Look at you. Geisha, trapped in a man's world, it is all fine and good that you can dance to entertain, but can you truly move with the serpent's grace?

I am Nomi Sasune, warrior born, not made. now would one of you women help me into my armor? your company is no pleasure, but you may as well serve some good." with that I put on my helmet, letting the smiling mask finish my thoughts.

[Rytiko]

((Quez, I was meaning to ask you, did you intentionally give your character a history that would be difficult to combine with my own? If so, I applaud you, as that will be a great plot device. If not, then it worked out well anyway.))

'Well, isn't he cocky... His arrogance will be problematic if he thinks he can walk over me. The warriors of southern Asia had nothing on me. We'll see if he is any different...' Mohan spitefully thought. He ignored his words, and instead examined the monk.

"No need for a weapon, eh? You must boast an awful lot of speed to do such a thing. I'll not question you though, as we shall see just how fast you are shortly," he said with a hint of curiosity. He thought of himself as fast, so the speed of the monk must be extraordinary if he could have been selected by these men without using a weapon. It would certainly be interesting to see.... But even more interesting was his obvious Buddhist heritage. A Buddhist warrior was an oxymoron of many levels. What could have led this man down a war-driven path? All logic pointed towards placing the blame on India and the Hindus.

Mohan had long since left that world behind him, but he could still not help but wonder if their histories would become a problem amongst the group. He could only hope that they could ignore them long enough to get out of this place. From the sounds of it, the only times that they would be free of the darkness was when the five warriors were around. Mohan refused to spend the rest of his life in such a prison. They would win, whatever the cost.

"What of you, staff-wielder? Who are you, and what are your abilities?" he asked, trying to forget the feeling he had had before being brought here.

[Mizukage]

"Ha! him? I must carry him as well? come shaper, craft me a bauble. I know your kind, smoke and mirrors, or are you a new type of hedge doctor?"

Fully equipped, I draw myself up to my full diminutive height and saunter up to him, eyes mocking.

[Megell]

(not been able to access for the last 3 days, sorry guys. And mitz, forgive the Auto hit, it was WAY to comical to pass up. Hit me back if need be, just remember to go around the barrier or wait till a later time. in other words, I owe you +1 auto hit. )

Alexis stood to one side of the conversation as long as he could, trying to get a feel of the group before he was drawn into the plight of the situation around him. He used his nine ringed staff as a sort of crutch, leaning forward and holding it and letting the old oak support his weight. A simple relaxed smile played onto his face as he took the time to adjust his spectacles on his face. This situation was amusing him to no end.

When the attention came to him however, they addressed him with the same, gruelling contempt he had grown used to over the years. You don?t kill a man and expect kind comments he thought? However ?hedge doctor? was a new one on him. He merely smiled and kept his cool. As the man with the large curved sword crossed to him, Alexis kept his smile and his stance as unprovoking as he possibly could, and adjusted his glasses with the palm of his hand. The man stood close to him, seemingly attempting to start a fight. Alexis however just kept with his honest sincerity.

?Well, I guess I really do have to get involved in this here conversation?, Alexis said, a exaggerated grumbling southern accent in place of his usual thinner one. ?Well padres here?s the deal; I?m not to keen of a fighter I?ll be the first to admit I?m not exactly cut out for a fighters life.? He paused, mostly for dramatic effect, somewhat because he wasn?t sure how to word his abilities, ?But that doesn?t mean I?m defenceless buds.? With that, Alexis put his hand into a hand sign, it had his pinkie and index finger closed with his middle and pointer out, his thumb was tucked up flat against the side of the thin of his hand, making it appear if he was making his hand into the shape of some sort of gun. In a second after he created this hand sign, he focused on the energies of the area, pulling out the raw mana in the surrounding area and shoving them into a wall in-front of himself, then weaning them and trimming them to a small, thin form.

In a second, a thin, glass like structure appeared between him and the Nomi character. At the same time another smaller box barrier shot up from the floor between the mans legs, it rapidly extended its length until it struck him right under the crotch. It definitely would smart either way.

?And that buds, is what I do, call me a barrier master.? His playful smile remained. Either way he meant no harm, just it seemed a little to funny to pass up.

[Queztatlapoca]

((@Rytiko nay i didn't try to do that but it does seem like a good choice now))

Shaking his head while hiding the smile on his face Areic said "Now it would be best to save the energy any disagreements might use for the trials ahead of us. But now i suppose we wait."

[Rytiko]

Mohan couldn't help but smile as the barrier master with an odd dialect, even considering the languistic enchantments, struck the short man from below. Arrogance was such a funny thing, and was even more humorous when it was broken by such a simple blow. Of course, rage was inevitable, despite the monks words...

"This stops now - harvesting ill intent for one another will only hurt us. These guardians likely posess extreme amounts of power, and we'll have to work as a team to overcome them," Mohan said in an attempt to stop the inevitable rage. "I harbor no illusions of omnipotence. If we could take these beasts on alone, they'd not have bothered to gather so many of us. We'll have to work together if we are to conquer."

[Megell]

?Ultimately, I be guessing your right?, Alexis said as he scratched the back of his head; he had screwed up again. Even though he could create physical barriers without any strain on his energy reserve, even a minor amount of physical discomfort could be life threatening under these circumstances. He turned back to the diminutive samurai and spoke, ?I suppose I need to offer you one of them apologies?. He adjusted his glasses again with the palm of his hand, then reach out with his other in a handshake, ?Best be making peace I suppose.? He said, the same smile on his face.

[Mizukage]

(( I think i'll cash that coupon ))

Such crude humor, this gentleman would be fun..

My warrior spirit forbade that I fall to my knees, even so much as a grimace to show the true pain I felt. Simply smiling I weathered the pain as a willow would a storm.

Always smiling to hide the rage within I look into the eyes of the mage, seeing the proffered hand and taking it, enveloping it fully in my large hands.

" funny, and entertaining, and while the gentleman IS correct, I cannot allow an honourless dog to think he can rival ME."

With that, I tighten my grip to the point where I hear the bones in his hand grind together, then I half pivot into him and using my body as leverage I pull him over my shoulder and throw him with all my strength into the centre of he room.

Turning to the Five that spoke before I hoist my naginata and yell out a banzai call fearsome enough to make even the most hardened enemy doubt his resolve.

"free me from these walls! I thirst for combat!"

[Queztatlapoca]

Smiling at the short mans clever tactic, Aeric simply watched the events unfold. Though he had hoped that this group he had been put into would have been more agreeable there was little he could do about that now. Patience was one of his strong points and he believed he had enough to wait through this day, and then be able to "appease" his captors demands.

[Megell]

?Well aren?t we the disagreeable type? Alexis said aloud as he skidded with his feet along the floor. Typically he wasn?t one to get into a fight, much throw the first punch, but this man was starting to boil his blood. He had taken his pride away through the use of his below the belt hit, but this type of retaliation was completely uncalled for. Mildly put, Alexis was pissed. His face curled into a frown as he spoke from his prone position on the other side of the room, ?well ain?t this a sad state of them affairs. Little partner you leave me as steamed as a sun placed kettle?. Regaining himself, he spoke again in a much calmer tone, ?But despite your obvious mental short commons that make a while horse look like its in the right frame though, this ain?t the place for such banterings. If you wanna pick a fight with me padre, at least wait until this thing is over. Then betcha mothers britches I?d drop you down a couple of them notches on your oversized opinion short stuff.?

Alexis adjusted his glasses, and stood back up, ?but as I said, right now ain?t the time, whatcha think our chances of coming outta this without a hair hurt will be if we drop a member this early in this hear predicament? Lets just call it a truce till then.? Alexis stood back up and returned to his position in the group. And as he passed Nomi he said, ?and don?t get e?m focused on us, best to keep in the background yah squawker.?

He hated being harsh, but this man was just a few nuts short of a set, and a few brain cells short of a synapse. He couldn?t afford this right now. None of them could.

[Rytiko]

((Megell, I have to ask if you really feel your dialect is appropriate to the time frame. You seem a bit above and beyond the levels of slang in an established language during the time. It's not a major issue, though it may be something you want to address.))

And so it was that the four had met and successfully set in failure for any attempt of togetherness. It would seem impossible to overcome the boundaries set not by the power of their foes, but by the lack of unity amongst themselves. Whether it be the conflicting history between the Hindu deserter and the Buddhist, or the self importance valued by both the holy man and the ronin, everything was working against them.

Everyone was taken back to their cells for the night. Back to the cold misery that some had endured for years, and others, such as Mohan, were just introduced to. Not that it mattered, though. There was no getting used to this hell, and no matter how long it had been.. . The feeling of warmth was forgotten as the darkness wrapped around them.

Was this their incentive to win? It was enough for Mohan... It was enough for everyone. That became clear as the misery was replaced by determination and hope when the morning came. Geared for war, they gathered in the central room once more. Today marked the first day in their chance for escape.

Whatever the cost may be...

[Mizukage]

Another night in the stocks, it wasn't the first time, but it still made me uneasy. at least this time i was complete. for the first time in what seemed like ages I held my weapons, seeming to glow, even in this oppresive darkness.

I had spent the night practicing forms, reminders of the battles before, and those to come. the most restful night I have had Since the banishing.

And as I stood in the main hall once more I saw all that was the past, and the future streaming into this one point. though I was paired with men that were not warriors in the slightest sense they carried themselves with the wieght of all the lives they had taken, putting them here.

Even the strange talking miscreant, who found testicular jokes humourous bore an air of competence about him. A good night's rest had cleared the blood from my vision.

It seems that this was to be a test of patience, my mask would remain, the cries silent.

Now if they had only taken better care of masaru than they did of me.

[Megell]

(I actually was thinking of mentioning that in my last post, but I thought otherwise? but scince you asked?

Your right, the accent ?ain?t? correct, but for the character I had in mind I wanted to create someone who even from there language? for lack of a better phrase was ?uncultured?. I just figured I couldn?t effectively match a present vocal pattern because I just don?t know it, so I gave him sort of a cross between hick and southern rumble. It works well to get his character across, though it can be butchering of the time frame. Just overlook some of his more colorful metaphors and all shall be good.)

Alexis knew the night drill so well after so many years. He had seemingly spent an eternity here, meditating in the dark, thinking about the crime he had done that had first brought him to this torment. He deserved every moment of it. He wished desperately for the day to come and the night to fade into its soft oblivion. He yawn and rolled over onto his side, it was gunna be a long night.

The morning came like always, some guard smacking a stick onto the side of his ?cage?, never daring to actually open the door themselves. He supposed they had heard his ability and feared some of the things he could do. He woke up slowly, making sure to bring himself fully back to the present. His mind focused on bringing itself back to the present.

He spoke, ?Guess it be time.? The guard looked at Alexis then spoke, half fearful half respectful, ?Yes, it is sir?. He must have been new here, he must of heard the stories, a pack of lies for the most part, but still scary for a man something to lose. Alexis spoke softer, ?Don?t worry bud, this one here has no desire to ?scap. Best be putting that mind of yours to ease.? And with that he stood up and followed the guard to where the others were gathering.

The room was brimming with the usual simmer that was always there before any type of fight. A little chatter, a little excitement, but still an overhanging sense of dread. Even if everything went perfectly, only four of them would walk out of here with there lives? Unless they tried to escape, but none look foolish enough to try something like that, ?cept for that one from earlier.

Alexis sat down in the center of the room and grabbed into a small kit that he had taken with him from his cell. It had a small cup, copper pot, a lamp and a few sets of herbal tea. He lit the lamp, put water into the pot, and began to boil the contents. He sat, a small smile playing onto his lips, even in this hellish place one could always enjoy a nice cup of tea in the morning, and anyone who shared one was fine by him.

He paused and sighed, no one actually was into that now a days. It was a bit of a bugger in his opinions.

(Yes, obvious brownie points, share a cup of tea with him in the morning, and he?ll have +1 respect for you.)

[Mizukage]

( I think I'll take that, everyone knows the japanese are famous for thier respect for tea.)

An interesting fellow, this barriermage, but he seemed a little out of touch with thier current reality.

' i can respect that though'

standing across from the holy man I squat down and pour myself a cup saying "you do know that it is traditional for a woman to make the tea... hmmm?"

leaving the unasked question I nod to him and take a drink. The strange flavours and aromas of this world's heathen brews was never lost on me.

" But i digress, we seem to be allies in this game, it seems best that we get to know each other, so that the battles ahead go smoothly, I am nomi sasune."

I keep looking at my tea partner, the soft murmurings of the other teams mixing with the soft clink of the cup against my unfasened mask.

[Megell]

?Ya?ll can call me Alexis,? he said as he took another sip of the tea. He hadn?t expected this Nomi character to actually enjoy such a simple pleasure as tea in the morning, and it was pleasant to find that there was something he could relate to even in this man. His feeling of distrust to this man began to fade out rapidly, he even found himself feeling almost comfortable around the man. A gentle smile played out on his lips, he sipped his tea again and adjusted his specs with the palm of his hand. Speaking in a lighter more informative tone, ??cept when dealing that there tea festival if I do recall correctly. Traditionally speakin? it?s typically the man who made the tea to symbolize his greater healing power for that relationship.? He took another sip of the tea, ?well that?s just what I heard while I was there for them couple months.?

Smiling as he finished his cup of tea, he reached over to the pot shook it a bit, noticed that it was empty. He reached into his satchel and pulled out a small water canteen and refilled the pot. He also grabbed another set of tea, a little finer then the other one, but it had a bit of a hint of mint to it, so he never enjoyed it quite as much but company always seemed to like it. ?But ?ther than that,? he continued, ?I would tell yah that there is a certain tad of arts in making a perfect cup O? tea. Plus it works a fine number on calmin? those mornin? nerves?. The new water was starting to simmer, so he took some time to throw some of the leaves into the little cage in the center of the pot, a simmering of mint rushed up as the tea leaves hit the water, it smelled delicious.