End of Days

And so it begins...our End of Days...

Homesickness.

It was a powerful feeling--a feeling that struck the heart with a mighty blow each second causing it to quake and beat faster and harder, pounding as if to escape the chest and go back to where it truly belongs. The scientist sitting in the field of flowers this day thought his heart was going to run away, but with his prodigal mind he knew such a feat was to be impossible. He couldn't even remember where home was, but he knew it was not where he was now, and that was the little settlement known as Ciphron Zero. He thought back to when he first awoke alongside the eleven others he had come to make a life with in the settlement. They had all been somewhere near a large crater, and they decided to come together and build wooden huts at the bottom so they would have somewhere to live. They garnered what resources they could from the surrounding area and since that time two years ago, they had...survived. Thriving was out of the question. In truth, they were barely scraping by, and now that the resources in the surrounding area were starting to be used up, there was no telling how long they had before they were truly in deep water. The scientist himself, going by the name Fenwick Caustier, had proven to be an invaluable asset to the settlement, creating a device called the Limiter that would suppress the effects of the chemicals used in whatever conflict had arisen two years ago, for that had been the source of the devastated land including the very crater in which they now made their home. Said chemicals had given them astounding powers, but those very powers threatened to rip their mortal bodies apart. With the Limiter in place, those powers were drastically weakened, and through training, they could be harnessed at a later point in time without so much fear of death.

Fenwick raised a hand to his face and gazed upon it. The skin was of a darker complexion, but smooth and soft. One wouldn't think them to be the hands of a worker but he had engineered quite a few things in his time. He flung his hand out sending a jet of cold air blasting forth. WINTER RECORD DOWNLOAD COMPLETE. SUCCESSFUL MODULE ACCESS ATTAINED. A machine on his wrist started beeping and whirring after stating the words in its monotonous tone before going quiet once more. His portable module was personally his greatest asset. He had managed to use circuitry to tie it to his Limit power and was able to generate a wide variety of effects based on what data he had available. Unfortunately, the Limiter put a huge damper upon what data it could access, and for now he was stuck with winter temperature records of pretty cold places that he didn't know the names of. "Record function. Preparing to speak. 3, 2, 1. Fenwick Caustier. Date unknown. Thoughts of memory recovery enter my mind once more. Is it possible for us to remember the conflict that led us to where we are now? Or to remember the world in which we lived as it was and not the husk that it is now? I must be sure to investigate this at some point, but even with my mind it is difficult for me to establish how to go about doing so. I will think more on it for sure. End recording." His smooth, deep voice echoed out over the silent field, the only thing keeping him company being the wild grasses and fragrant flowers, red and yellow and blue in hue. It was a beautiful place despite everything else being so ravaged or reclaimed by nature. He smiled as he took in a whiff of the aroma. This was his favorite place to be. It was where he had woken up, and he found himself coming here a lot to relax and think.

There was no more time to think today, however. A certain poster had been put up earlier this week, and it was apparently made by the Ciphron Council proclaiming that Mayor Karn had a plan for expansion and exploration. This was wonderful news, and Fenwick was wondering how long it'd take before Karn finally did something of the sort. Fenwick knew it was inevitable. The Exploration and Land Reclamation Project. That was what Karn called it. Running a hand through his auburn hair, Fenwick closed his eyes as the cool breeze hit him. He rather liked the name. With his white, pristine lab coat flapping about gently, Fenwick made his way towards the settlement, taking the sloping road downwards to where the small motley group of wooden huts was gathered. The soil of the crater was blackened, and Fenwick was rather glad about that as it didn't really shoe on his dark dress shoes which he liked to keep clean, or when impossible, liked keeping the illusion that they were clean. He was probably one of the best dressed in the town, but with extensive knowledge of sewing and such, he was able to recreate an outfit. It may have been his only one, the rest of his wardrobe consisting of rags, but it was nice to have something decent to wear for the end of the world. He would find an isolated pond or river, strip down, and wash it himself, lounging about on the bank while it dried, typically working on research and tinkering with whatever spare machine parts he had chanced upon. It was almost a luxurious carefree life if the looming threat of human extinction didn't constantly rest above them like a sword on a loose string waiting to fall and behead them.

Shaking such thoughts from his mind, Fenwick approached the mayor's hut which was no different from the others, something he appreciated. There was no division of class or status because everyone was in the same boat, whether they were the head of the town or not. A shoddy sign rested in front, however, denoting that it was indeed the mayor's house. The wooden door was open so Fenwick invited himself inside. The mayor was sitting at his desk within, though it wasn't much of a desk. All of his papers, mostly scraps that he had to recycle for keeping notes and records, lay scattered about. The furniture was broken. A couple of chairs for visitors rested in front of the desk, and a burgundy leather couch with a few tears in it rested against the wall. A couple of bookshelves that looked to be in good shape contained more papers and some scavenged books, though most had charred bindings and pages. All in all it wasn't such a bad abode/office for a post-apocalyptic situation. Fenwick approached the mayor, a rather tall man with a slight gut that was noticeably diminishing due to rationing of food. His hair was graying even though he was only in his early thirties, but he wore a beautiful indigo top hat and a matching tattered suit with pants. His dress shoes were in far worse condition than Fenwick's but they were still nice. The dress shirt beneath the suit jacket was white in hue but stained with dirt and what could also be blood, possibly. The mayor did have a wound on his chest at one point when he had awoken. Fenwick had tended to it and it healed up quite nicely. It occurred to him that the mayor had kept the shirt for so long but the lack of clothing stores kind of made it difficult to compose an actual wardrobe.

The mayor had been scrawling some notes but when he looked up, a smile graced his weathered face. His skin had a healthy look to it despite being a bit covered in dirt and dust. He could probably have used a bath but it was so easy to get dirty living in a crater that it was almost pointless. The mayor had a silvery beard and mustache to match his hair which was still mostly a dark brown, but the signs of age were starting. His hazel eyes gazed into Fenwick's cocoa brown ones with fondness. "Fenwick, what brings you here today, my good friend?" he spoke, even his voice sounding older than what it should have.

"I came about your little project. I wanted to let you know that I was interested and would like to lead it actually. Has anyone else expressed interest? I imagine Sial and James wouldn't. Nor would Carralee."

"That doesn't leave many options, Fenwick," Karn replied sadly, shaking his head. "And no one has yet approached me about it beside yourself. Not Elise, not Simon, not Yeva, not anybody. And it is greatly disheartening..."

The mayor's voice trailed off sadly and Fenwick's heart went out to the man. The time had finally come for some of the villagers to take a stand and head out into the wilderness in search of more resources, but now that that time had come, where was everyone?

Away from the settlement, the form of a young woman sat by a river, soaking her bare feet in the cool water. Dark, black hair fell on one side of her body, while the other side was covered in white hair, giving her an otherworldly look. But her eyes were the most shocking color of blue that, despite her frown, gave her an energetic aura. She swept her bare foot through the water, not seeming to care that the rest of her body was without clothes. Her dress hung on a nearby tree.

Yeva didn't understand why, but being naked all alone comforted her. She would never do this if another person was here, but just knowing that she could strip down and relax made her feel so...disconnected from the world. Like she could just let all her troubles be washed away by the current. She visited this place very often, considering that her life was nothing but filled with trouble.

Yeva didn't understand it. Why she woke up in the middle of that crater, or how she got there in the first place. The mayor had told her that she had stumbled onto their encampment not shortly after the first few tents were up. She was wearing nothing but rags and was using a wooden stick to keep herself upright. She was unconscious, with nothing but her will moving her forward, step by step. Perhaps her unconscious mind had sensed the presence of others like her and drove her towards them. Either way, the moment they touched her, her body stopped moving and she slept for three days straight. Her body must have kept her walking for a long time in order to need that much rest to recover.

Yeva straightened out her arms, stretching and feeling the air move with her outstretched fingers. She remembered being stiff and barely able to move for a few days after she woke up, but that feeling had long since disappeared. Now she roamed, trying her best to do what she could for the settlement. Finding fresh water sources was one of her talents, apparently. And every fresh water source she found increased the chances of finding another settlement of survivors. So far she had not been lucky enough. It was really looking like there was no one else left but them. Repopulating now would only be suicide with their current resources.

Yeva sighed heavily, tracing a finger over her leg and watching the small water droplets that had collected there move together. In truth, she had come out here to the river to think. Karn had posted a request from the settlers. Yeva knew that her style wasn't a secret to the others. Out of all the women in the settlement, a grant total of three, she was the most likely to join that sort of project. And she really was starting to think that she should do it. But...

She didn't know. Yeva was unsure whether this expedition would be fruitful or not. Somehow, she was really starting to doubt their chances. They had survived for this long, but for what? Was there really any point in trying now? They would only be wasting more precious resources if they didn't find anything. Yeva sighed again.

Out of the corner of her eye, Yeva saw something move underneath the surface of the water. A fish. It was small, but Yeva nearly dived into the river after it. A fish like that could give a person a full day's ration at this point. But she stopped herself. There hadn't been any signs of any type of fish in this river before, and only now Yeva found one. But that was it, there was only one. If, on the off chance, there was another fish in the river, and if, on the off chance, that other fish was the opposite gender, then those two fish could repopulate the river. But if Yeva took this fish, that would never happen. Yeva watched as the fish sped through the water, past her and out of sight, on a mission.

For a long couple of minutes, Yeva sat at the edge of the riverbank, watching the water rush past. Then, as if on her own mission, she leaped to her feet and set about dressing herself. She grabbed a small, black handle lying nearby and took her time walking back to the settlement. That fish wasn't giving up, showing no weakness in moving forward, so why should Yeva, a much more intelligent being, show that kind of weakness? It was unlike her to begin with. Yeva, hopeless? The very fact that she walked into the settlement half-naked and unconscious should be enough to remind her that her very existence was kept alive only because of her perseverance.

When Yeva returned to the settlement, she immediately marched straight towards the mayor's little hut. The door had been left open, so she walked right in without bothering to knock. Ignoring the presence of Fenwick, Yeva addressed Karn quickly and with purpose. "Sign me up. I'm going to find something or someone or die trying. Balls to the consequences, balls to being one of three women, and balls to you Fenwick. I swear, if you show up to my hut one more time with that trumpet, or whatever it is making all that noise, I'm going to stuff your mouth with your own socks."

Kaidan shuffled on either foot just outside the Mayor's office, pacing in front of the shack sitting opposite it. He started at one woman passing him by, Yeva he thought, that barged right in. He could hear her barking something at him, she sounded quite determined. Quite the opposite of what the poor redhead felt, dithering in the dirt. He pulled at the seams of his slightly too small jacket, an old army surplus thing he'd found sometime last year. His clothes at the time were too ragged to keep pulling together, so finding the ratty thing had been a godsend, and the rest were made by someone else that he thanked profusely for.

Other than that, he'd left the rest of the tiny settlement alone. Kaidan often preferred exploring the crater and some of the perimeter beyond, even sleeping outside when it suited him. He hardly spoke to any of the other residents, preoccupied with examining his surroundings and his own foggy memories, it was a feat he even knew their names. He provided his expertise where he could and took only what he needed from its stores. So it was rather odd, then, that he was contemplating joining a team of people he barely knew in order to procure resources for a town he hardly interacted with.

'Stupid, crazy idea.' he thought. 'More than likely get ourselves killed than come back with anything useful. We don't even know what's out there.' Oh but that was the intriguing part. He could only go so far in his exploration with as few supplies as he had, but curiosity and the need to know burned within him. Danger was just a part of their lives now, dangers of starvation and wildlife were nearly all Kaidan could recall since becoming aware of where he was two years ago, standing at the edge of the crater nearly out of his mind with hunger and a massive headache.

He stopped and scrubbed his gloved hands over his head. "Just do it. Just go in there and do it. Otherwise, you'll be bored to insanity if you stay here." He slid them back down over his face and breathed a long sigh, then dropped them by his sides and (almost) calmly faced the doorway. Kaidan trudged forward and once inside, came upon Yeva and Fenwick, one of them staring Mayor Karn down. Absently, he wondered why they'd named him mayor of the town, but since that was neither here nor there, he let it go for now. "Um, hi. Are you two signing up?"

This place really was small; in fact, one could traverse the expanse of it in about half an hour's time. This didn't stop a certain someone from trying to explore every safe inch they could, though. The inky blackness of the charred brown earth beneath gave cause to wonder about how it had suddenly come under such stress, but perhaps this was something that this person would find out if they chose to venture outside, which no one had yet attempted to do as far as this person could remember.

As far as this person knew, all there had ever been was this acrid ground and this terrible set of conditions that they were forced to live in. If this is what they had always been living in, certainly there could be nothing better, right?

Simon was curious, though. As far back as his memories allowed, he had an instinctual affinity for... junk, which didn't really net him anything useful or practical. He loved trying to put things together and seeing if he got something more useful than the last time. He had both his own successes and failures, but again, there was only so much one could really do in this hole, this "crater" as it was called.

He bent down and rubbed the surface of the ground. As he did so, he felt that it was smooth, almost the consistency of chalk or charcoal. When he brought his hand up, there was that fine black powder that got on everything it touched, and yet the ground beneath looked undisturbed. That was really one of the mysteries about the crater. No matter how hard Simon had tried to dig through it, it had always seemed to stay the same shape, always.

And as far as Simon knew, that was really all that existed. His heart beat a bit faster when he saw the mayor post a draft for "explorers". There really was a world outside of this hole, it just seemed to be unsafe. Until now, he had not even considered actually confronting the man of power to see if his help might be needed. It hadn't seemed that anyone else wanted to volunteer, and with good reason. If it wasn't safe out there, why would someone even attempt to go out and look for things when, if one tried hard enough, they could fashion and repurpose even Sial's old junk into pieces of things that had some use.

Simon had a knack for that sort of thing, retooling and repurposing. As far as he could remember, this is what he really enjoyed most, and he wasn't going to object to doing so. However, it looked as if even Sial seemed to be running out of junk, however unbelievable that might be. Sai shook his blond hair out of his eyes, allowing for the full light of day to be seen.

He didn't really want to look on the outside because he was so comfortable with what he had here, and yet somehow, there was this intrinsic feeling inside, of something calling him from the distance. He said not a word, only looking at the source of light coming over the apex of the hill. He could not see what was over it, but he did know that if he chose to, he would have a legitimate reason to travel outside this hole and see what was out there. Out there could be anything of measure, much more than what Sial could show him, which did tickle Simon's fancy, only if slightly.

He cast his blue eyes down, though, as he brought the matter into consideration. This could mean potentially unsafe conditions according to what the notice had stated. Was he willing to risk his life over an unseen passion? He knew what his heart felt, but that mind of his was keeping the self-preservation part hard at work. He knew he could very well die if he travelled outside of this hole in the ground that he called home, and yet, there were not many opportunities for him to go outside, and surely if he would be with others, he would stand more of a chance than being by himself.

He started walking back towards his hut, mulling over the whole set of shenanigans. If he were to go, there would be an adventure awaiting him. If he did not, while there was no adventure, there would be a life of security and safety awaiting him, if the sickness didn't eat him away first.

He couldn't explain it. There was simply no words to really describe what was eating him away every day that he was alive. It was like a cross between a parasite and a virus, if the two could ever coexist. He could feel himself dwindling away, he was sure, and he couldn't hardly eat much as it was.

He poked his stomach, which was a bit caved in since he had not eaten in some time. He couldn't handle eating much, so he was always starving, but he knew that if he ate, it wouldn't even stay down long enough for him to get any nourishment out of it. This could perhaps be another motivation to leave. Maybe he could find a cure to whatever was making him not be able to eat, and he might even begin to feel better, more like himself again.

He found himself stopping in front of the mayor's hut, though. He could hear a bit of discussion coming from inside, and he could see the shape of some legs from where he was looking down. This was the moment of truth. This was where he would make one of the few most important decisions of his life. He could either go out on a world of adventure, all for the sake of good, or he could stay in security, rotting away from the inside out. When he put it like that, the choice or lack thereof seemed to be obvious, but it was still a tough decision to have to make.

Who knew what was lurking out there? Who knew the true dangers that they may or may not have been equipped to face? Simon balled his fists. He was tired of putting himself through this. He was tired of being unable to eat a filling meal. He wanted to be alive again, and if there was something out there that could help him be just that, then so be it, he would have to go out there and try to find something.

Simon trailed in front of the door and simply lurked, listening to the conversation within. There were four people, Yeva, Kaidan, Fenwick, and the mayor himself. He doubted that the mayor would go on the exploration seeing as how he had important duties that he needed to fulfill here inside this hole. This seemed to be the perfect opportunity. He was still scared to say anything, though.

Fighting with his reservations, Simon silently stood simply shifting his weight in the hut's entrance, watching the others declare their interest, and seeing if they would directly present him with their need. He could not make the decision himself, he was sure of that.

Fenwick stopped feeling sorry for the mayor the moment he heard some particularly familiar footsteps. There was an urgency about them, but a forceful one, not one as expected as in an emergency. There was only one person with a gait like that in this small settlement, and sure enough, she came striding in right up to the mayor's desk, her long, bizarre black and white hair trailing behind her. The scientist had stepped to the side to get out of her way but her words wound up being directed at him near the end anyway, even though he had no idea what she was talking about. He didn't play any instruments, certainly not the trumpet. If he were to play one, he'd go with something more classical. Fenwick's eyes darted to the mayor whose eyes seemed to gleam in delight. Yeva was going to do it after all. Out of anyone in the entire settlement, honestly she was the one most likely to do it. She had the resolve and the strength to back it up. This was certainly a pleasant turn of events.

"Consider yourself on board, Miss Yeva!" Mayor Karn exclaimed, a huge grin on his face. "It is your bravery that hopefully our future generations will be singing about in praise." Karn bowed his head to the woman, despite the age difference between the two of them. It did not matter what age they were. It was a sign of respect to someone who was going to risk their life to aid the settlement and see that it prospers. That made two people at the very least. "I'll have you know Fenwick here is signing up as well. As a matter of fact, he's leading the expeditions. Though I'm still a little bothered about sending just two of you off, even being as powerful as you are."

Another voice sounded from behind the three of them, and Fenwick turned to see the face of Kaidan there, one he didn't exactly expect to see, but one Fenwick was delighted to see there. Another powerhouse added to their force would be perfect. "A pleasure to see you here, Kaidan," Fenwick greeted the fellow. "It seems as though Yeva here is signing up and so am I, yes. Does this mean you'd be interested in coming along as well?" he inquired, though he was pretty sure of what the answer would be. "If not, I'd hate to have to persuade you otherwise." Fenwick grinned mischievously; playing the role of mad scientist was fun every once in a while.

Yeva took a deep breath, letting it all out in a huff when she finished. Mayor Karn was overjoyed by her willingness to be a part of this mission. She could help but smile at his enthusiasm. He was such an energetic fellow, though that wasn't too surprising. Despite how old he appeared to be, he was really quite young. Not younger than Yeva or Fenwick, of course, but still a spring chicken of sorts. Yeva, though still distracted, heard another enter the hut. When she finally swiveled her black-and-white head of hair, she found a surprise she didn't expect.

"Hello, Kaidan," Yeva greeted kindly. She knew the man, but not personally. She knew he was soft spoken and not the source of great confidence like Yeva was. A more restrained type of person, though given the circumstances here, she couldn't blame him for being quiet. She quietly listened to Fenwick speak, if Kaidan was thinking about joining, that would certainly help, but..he wasn't exactly the personality suited for this kind of task. "If Kaidan is here to sign up, color me surprised," Yeva said in a not-so-blunt manner. The others knew she was the type of individual who thought that the fewer words used, the better, but in this case, she was trying to choose them carefully. "I don't mean to offend, but you're the last person I'd expect to sign up. Don't get me wrong, it would be wonderful to have you along. The more capable individuals we have, the better. Isn't that right, Fenwick?" Yeva smirked at the taller and slightly older man next to her. She liked Fenwick enough to tease him, but her feelings didn't go beyond that.

The way the two of them were looking at him - well, just Yeva really, although Fenwick was being a bit disconcerting - had Kaidan glancing between the two of them and fidgeting where he stood, idling on either foot as he tried to respond. He was much better at just doing. "I - well-" The slight sound of dirt shifting behind him made him turn on the spot, hands instinctively poised to take on whatever the thing was, but when he saw it was just Simon deflated and gave a little wave to the junker. "H-hi." Good, someone else to watch him flounder.

Kaidan ducked his head and turned back to the others, a bit calmer though he was staring at charred dirt now. "I - yes. Yeah. I am, signing up that is. I know I'm not exactly, um. The greatest prospect for the team." He knew precisely what Yeva was getting at. He didn't appear to be a team player, was highly introverted and liked his own company, but he doubted they knew the things he did or just how far he'd gotten outside the crater. He forced himself to look up and face them. "But, I need out of here. I want to know what's out there, what's beyond the buildings I've seen. There's - there's so much outside, what if we find other survivors, or technology?" Kaidan nodded, partially to himself. "I want to go."

Simon debated with himself. Ever since the marking two years ago, he had always been sick. He was given a Limiter early on, but that hadn't stopped the fact that he was still just sick. Something that happened marked his sheer makeup, and it made him hurt and be hardly able to eat. There was simply nothing he could do with it, either. He had been looking around the crater for some kind of clues as to what this was caused by. To this day, the only thing that he could come up with was something that had to do with the incident.

Ever since, he knew that something was quite wrong. Ever since they all had been given Limiters to intervene against the chemicals that had come over all of them, it seemed to just not work as well for Simon. He could see and hear and all that jazz, but he never really felt good on any given day. It was almost as if he were doomed to live this way for the rest of his life, and he was tired of it. Simon came back to the front of the mayor's hut. There had to be something out there that could fix this. This wasn't normal, and he knew that. Something was wrong. This needed to be fixed, but he was confident that even Fenwick wouldn't really know the problem behind this, and he didn't really want to insult the scientist when he saved Simon's life like this.

No.

He had to find the cause of this himself, and perhaps a way to cure it would be outside of the crater, somewhere, somehow. It just had to be. He had made up his mind. Shaking from exhaustion and a sheen of sweat covering his forehead, he walked into the mayor's hut. There was still a bit of conversation going on between Yeva and Kaidan. Simon looked at the mayor after surveying who was in the room. "I count three people here, and if they're all here at the same time, that must mean that they are signing up for the trip outside. Did you need a fourth?"

He couldn't tell Fenwick. Not after he had done so much for Simon. The only way he might be able to solve this is if he found something outside. He stood there, shivering a bit, but trying to keep a smile on his face.

Fenwick easily caught Yeva's tone and was quick to respond. "But of course. We can't have anyone dragging us down, right? It would be a huge shame, especially in such a dangerous environment," he offered in nonchalant whimsy, though his eyes fell upon Kaidan as he spoke once more, clearly flustered at first, but seemingly gaining some ground for himself, primarily by looking down at it. He knew the fellow to be rather quiet and he had a tendency to keep to himself, but this was something else. The scientist felt his smile melt a bit into a disconcerted frown and in his mind, he hoped that maybe this little mission would get him used to being around people. After all, prime teamwork was going to be a necessity if they were going to be successful, let alone make it through the ordeal alive at all. Before he could say anything, Simon stepped forward, also another face he didn't exactly seem to expect. Actually, Simon was the last person he expected to see here today, let alone making a request to join the mayor's project. The man was visibly not okay, but for reasons that remained a mystery to Fenwick, and he had never thought to ask in fear of offending the man.

"Honestly we'll take as many people as we can get our hands on," Fenwick replied seriously this time. Although Kaidan and Simon might not have been the most optimal choices, considering the population of the settlement, there weren't very many plausible candidates. This seemed like it was going to be about it.

"Yes, yes! You're both welcome to join, by all means!!" Karn exclaimed ecstatically, standing up from his chair and giving them all a grateful grin revealing that he had lost a couple teeth that he definitely had two years ago. "It seems to be that you four are about the only ones interested." The thinning man maneuvered himself away from his desk and over towards a makeshift cupboard with a padlock on it located beneath one of his bookshelves. He took a key that was on a string around his neck and unlocked it, pulling out a white case with a faded red plus design on it. He strolled over to Fenwick and practically shoved the thing in his arms. "As promised, you get a supply kit for each excursion you make," Karn chimed and patted Fenwick on the back. "I'm expecting for you guys to set out immediately. Using my ability, I've scouted the nearby surroundings of the crater, though unfortunately my ability cannot read that far out."

Fenwick's eyes widened in surprise as the case came into his possession, but he wound up smiling and decided to open it while Karn scrambled off to find something else. Inside he found some interesting materials. There were several band-aids that had disinfectant already applied to them. There was an empty jar and some iodine tincture. There were also a few wedges of cheese and half a loaf of bread. Was that really supposed to last them? It seemed they were going to have to heavily rely on finding their own food. There was also some other useless junk. Some random leaf from an unknown plant. There was a chunk of brick, and an old shoe. Was the mayor high when he made this? Fenwick's eye twitched slightly and he looked up to see the mayor tacking some large scroll of parchment to his wall. It was a map of sorts...though not really much of a map. It had the crater in detail, and then three places marked around it.

Fenwick opens the Supply Kit!

Band-Aid x4 obtained!
Empty Jar x1 obtained!
Iodine Tincture x1 obtained!
Cheese Wedge x3 obtained!
Half Bread Loaf x1 obtained!
Unknown Herb x3 obtained!
Chunk of Brick x1 obtained!
Old Shoe x1 obtained!

"I hope I'm not rushing you, but this project needs to get underway immediately. Please understand my urgency," Karn apologized as he gestured to the map. "Come closer and choose which place you'd like to explore first."

Karn's Map

Available locations:

>The Watchtower
>Riverside Cave
>Ciphron Forest
>The Forgotten Palace [LOCKED]
>Magnolia Plaza [LOCKED]

*Places that are [LOCKED] or [SEALED] are inaccessible for the time being.

"Choose wisely and make your decisions! Remember this is a group effort; majority rules!"

Yeva eyes the map with vague interest. She took a lock of her white hair and began twirling it around her finger. She wasn't thinking very hard, but making a decision had never been her strong suit. A minute later, she leg her hair fall back down and pointed at one location on the map. It was the Watchtower she was pointing out. "I think we should go here." She said, not explaining her reasoning directly afterward. Instead she eyes the map with a furrowed brow, deep in thought now.

"Yeah. Here. It might be a long shot, but there could be some survivors lurking about there. And they might have food. If not, there's sure to be something there," Yeva said, stopping to think about the other places. "The riverside cave here will probably have a freshwater source. Maybe even some fish, if we're lucky. As for the forest, there might be a lack of water, but we might find some animals to hunt down. Whichever you guys think is the priority right now is fine with me, but I think a visit to the Watchtower is deserved."

>The Watchtower

Simon looked at the map, trying to ignore the pieces inside that box Fenwick was holding. That was more junk than even Sial had at the moment, and he fantasized about what he could do with all of it... but he needed to stay down to earth. He had been accepted into this venture somehow, and he needed to earn his keep. This was the only way that he was going to be able to get rid of this sickness. There were three locations on the map, and he listened to Yeva explain her choice. While she was talking, Simon was trying to judge the distance between the crater and the rest of the locations, but it seemed as if they all had the same distance. However, the tower did just marginally stick further inward, judging from the drawing on the map, than did either the river or the forest. Simon made up his mind.

"I agree with Yeva. From what I can tell, it seems that the tower is closer to us than either the river or the forest, and to be honest, I feel fine; I don't need to eat or drink at the moment. I think I can stand to go find any survivors. At the very least, perhaps we can use some things from the tower to start making something more hospitable in this hole." His eyes gleamed at that bit, but his reverie was interrupted by his need to cough. He leaned around and let a series of small coughs into his sleeve, which all racked his chest. He was sore from continuously doing that. "But of course, if we need to go collect supplies first, I'm sure we'd be more than welcome to." His voice was weak, but his determination was strong.

> The Watchtower

Kaidan came over closer to the map after Yeva and Simon spoke up, deciding he should take a closer look himself. He agreed most with Yeva's assessment, and Simon had a good point as well. However, he'd had a bad feeling about that place ever since he'd seen it out on one of his solitary excursions. It wasn't that he believed in ghosts or anything, just that something about it seemed to whisper 'stay far, far away for your own good' and thus far he'd listened to his instincts. Going with others, however, did allay some of his fears. After all, there was strength in numbers right?

He squared his shoulders and tapped the spot on the map where the Watchtower was. "I would rather not go here. I've seen it before, passed it by, it's . . . well it's creepy. I wouldn't want to go by myself. Uh, I mean, well I didn't." He glanced back at the others, a little nervously. "But I think, even though we'd all probably be more at home in - in the forest, or even exploring the cave, we should go. These old buildings usually have something interesting in them. Er, as well as dangerous though, so we'll have to be careful."

>The Watchtower

Fenwick hung back a bit and watched the others making rationalizations while they gazed upon the map at the available sites for investigating.  Though the watchtower did seem to be quite promising, the scientist didn't think it was the best choice.  There was something off about the watchtower.  He had remembered seeing a building off in the distance in the field of flowers but didn't know what it was.  It just so happened that the red 'X' that denoted its position happened to be in the field of flowers on the map.  It must have been the same building.  What were they going to encounter there?  Were there truly survivors or decent resources?  Maybe there was leftover food.  Perhaps it was a good idea after all.  He looked at Mayor Karn and merely nodded his head to offer his agreement.  Karn met his gaze and approached him, shoving a smaller roll of parchment into his hand.  It was a map akin to the one Karn had put up only far less detailed.  "What are we supposed to do with this exactly?" Fenwick inquired of the grinning mayor, eyebrow raised in curiosity.  Ciphron Zero was clearly labeled and had decent detail, but everything else was...blank.

"It's a map that you can fill in and make notes on!" Karn was quick and more than eager to answer, almost as if he had expected the question.  "I figured it would be more accurate with you making it rather than relying on my ability since it is far from perfected," he admitted sheepishly.  "I'm sure it'll be much more convenient for you, and you can mark down what resources you find and where to find them and the like!"

Fenwick couldn't argue with that.  He rolled up the parchment and closed the supply kit, packing everything away into his bag which he typically carried with him everywhere, for it possessed his tools and gizmos that he liked to tinker with.  With everything set, it seemed they were ready to go.  Mayor Karn thanked them over and over again, seeing them off and walking with them all the way to the edge of the crater.  The field of flowers stretched out quite a ways all the way to a forest in the distance, but just before the forest's edge rested their destination.  Waving goodbye to the Mayor and their settlement, the group set off through the wildflowers passing by the sparse trees that dotted the landscape until they reached their destination which only took them about twenty minutes.  It wasn't as far away from the settlement as it appeared to be.  And thus they stood before the mighty tower that seemed to be made of some sort of dark tan brick covered in vines and ivy, crumbled and weathered.  The roof and parapet were missing entirely, and the wooden door with its iron latch seemed to be barely hanging on.  Fenwick actually stepped forward and knocked lightly on the door only to have the entire thing fall over and land on the stone floor inside with a crash.

Three flashes of light surged into existence in that instant.  The light formed floating humanoid shapes with hollowed out eyes and mouths, their three-talon claws conjuring bows of surging energy, taking aim at the intruders.  The room around them was in great disrepair and with the roof missing, all the wood of the would-be tables and shelves was rotted through, and what books were left behind were subject to the wrath of the elements, most likely unreadable.  There didn't appear to be much to salvage here, and it was only one room.  Was this all there was to this place?

"Battle function, engage.  Immediate action," Fenwick spoke simply as the module on his wrist began to whir to life.  INSTANTANEOUS BATTLE MODE ENGAGED.  USER IS BATTLE-READY.  INITIATE COMMAND PHASE.  The module whirred some more and replied in its monotonous voice as Fenwick entered a battle stance, readying to defend himself and the rest of the team.  This was the first time he had decided to fight against the monsters of this world head-on.  His heart thumped rapidly in his chest.  He knew he could die, but it was now or never.  This was the first step for mankind to take in order to restore itself to its former glory.

LIMITER FUNCTIONALITY 100%.  NO ERRORS DETECTED.

Chapter 00: The Beginning After the End

Location: The Watchtower - Ground Floor

Objective: Defeat all enemies!

Background: ~Icarus~

Achievement: Dig Your Own Grave - Draw the attention of all enemies and have them all use Barrage on one allied unit in the same turn. [8 AP]

{ } { } {w} {w} {w} {w} {w} { } { } A
{ } {w} { } { } { } { } { } {w} { } B
{w} { } { } { } {L} { } {s} {s} {w} C
{w} {r} {C} { } { } { } { } {s} {w} D
{w} {r} {r} { } { } { } {M} {s} {w} E
{w} {r} { } { } { } { } { } { } {w} F
{w} { } { } { } { } { } { } {U} {w} G
{w} { } { } { } { } { } { } { } {w} H
{ } {w} { } { } {F} { } { } {w} { } I
{ } { } {w} { } { } { } {w} { } { } J
-1---2---3---4---5---6---7---8---9

Fenwick (Researcher) *LIMIT ERROR (0)* *OVERHEAT (0)*
HP: 15/15
LP: 25/25
DD: 0/10
Atk: 1
Def: 2
Int: 6
Spr: 4
Evade: 1%
Move: 2 cells

Los (Spirit Archer) *MDO +10%*
HP: 35/35
LP: 30/30
DD: --/--
Atk: 1
Def: 2
Int: 6
Spr: 4
Evade: 5%
Move: 4 cells

Mitz (Spirit Archer) *MDO +10%*
HP: 35/35
LP: 30/30
DD: --/--
Atk: 1
Def: 2
Int: 6
Spr: 4
Evade: 5%
Move: 4 cells

Corven (Spirit Archer) *MDO +10%*
HP: 35/35
LP: 30/30
DD: --/--
Atk: 1
Def: 2
Int: 6
Spr: 4
Evade: 5%
Move: 4 cells

Urn
[No Occupy]
[Trigger Command: Search - Search the contents of the urn.  Range: Adjacent.]

{w} - Watchtower Wall
[No Occupy]

{r} - Rubble
[No Occupy]
[Trigger Command: Investigate - Rummage through the rubble for materials or resources.  Range: Adjacent.  Uses: 4]

{s} - Rotted Shelves
[No Occupy]
[Trigger Command: Investigate - Search the shelves for interesting items.  Range: Adjacent.  Uses: 4]

Players may start in rows I-J!

Simon walked through the field of flowers with a bit of nervousness fluttering through his chest. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to expect, but now that he started, he very well couldn't stop in his tracks. He had made a commitment, both to his team and himself. He would find something that could cure him. He would, even if something had to happen first. His throat dried as he looked at the watchtower. Was he ready? Were any of them ready? He shook his head. He couldn't worry about as something simple as this. He was acting out his passion, he couldn't be someone who was just going to cower back at the first signs of uncertainty.

He bent down and picked a small white flower, falling behind a bit. He twirled it in his hand, thinking that it reminded him of somewhere he had been before... somewhere... That flower reminded him of something... Simon tried to grasp for it, but there was nothing to grasp. Still shaking, he absentmindedly put it into his hair. That troubled him. Why couldn't he remember where he might have seen something like that before? Certainly he hadn't been hurt that bad by this sickness...

But then they had walked into the watchtower, and he knew that he needed to focus. He was looking around the base of the tower, looking for something that he could use later, which was one of the goals they had set off for. Suddenly, though, Kaidan seemed to be scared of something. Ghosts? He heard Fenwick begin to activate his limiter. That's right. He was a scientist. He would not be dissuaded by mere specters. This would not faze him.

"Note to self.. It seems that there are hostile beings here--" A fit came over him and he coughed into his sleeve. "and there will be some difficulty getting what I need. My main objective is finding anything of use to bring back to the crater. Perhaps that pile of rubble? There has to be something I can reuse out of there." He looked as Yeva was speaking softly towards the team. Over there was an urn. A container was always useful, almost as much as the jar they had. "There are also shelves near an urn. They seem to be dilapidated, but there might be some paper that we can use for kindling of sorts. Prepare to be ready to combine materials."

[Simon starts in I3!
Simon's Innate ability Scavenger activates!
Chance of finding up to three Materials!]

Simon scavenges the area!

Items found:

---Rotted Wood x1
---Chunk of Stone x1
---Dried Moss x1

Chapter 00: The Beginning After the End

Location: The Watchtower - Ground Floor

Objective: Defeat all enemies!

Background: ~Icarus~

Achievement: Dig Your Own Grave - Draw the attention of all enemies and have them all use Barrage on one allied unit in the same turn. [8 AP]

{ } { } {w} {w} {w} {w} {w} { } { } A
{ } {w} { } { } { } { } { } {w} { } B
{w} { } { } { } {L} { } {s} {s} {w} C
{w} {r} {C} { } { } { } { } {s} {w} D
{w} {r} {r} { } { } { } {M} {s} {w} E
{w} {r} { } { } { } { } { } { } {w} F
{w} { } { } { } { } { } { } {U} {w} G
{w} { } { } { } { } { } { } { } {w} H
{ } {w} {S} {K} {F} {Y} { } {w} { } I
{ } { } {w} { } { } { } {w} { } { } J
-1---2---3---4---5---6---7---8---9

Fenwick (Researcher) *LIMIT ERROR (0)* *OVERHEAT (0)*
HP: 15/15
LP: 25/25
DD: 0/10
Atk: 1
Def: 2
Int: 6
Spr: 4
Evade: 1%
Move: 2 cells

Simon (Rising Chemist)
HP: 25/25
LP: 20/20
DD: 0/10
Atk: 1
Def: 2
Int: 5
Spr: 4
Evade: 1%
Move: 2 cells

Yeva (Living Wrath) *CRYSTALLINE CHARGES (0)*
HP: 25/25
LP: 20/20
DD: 0/10
Atk: 5
Def: 1
Int: 3
Spr: 3
Evade: 5%
Move: 4 cells

Kaidan (Sentinel)
HP: 25/25
LP: 20/20
DD: 0/10
Atk: 4
Def: 5
Int: 1
Spr: 2
Evade: 3%
Move: 3 cells

Los (Spirit Archer) *MDO +10%*
HP: 35/35
LP: 30/30
DD: --/--
Atk: 1
Def: 2
Int: 6
Spr: 4
Evade: 5%
Move: 4 cells

Mitz (Spirit Archer) *MDO +10%*
HP: 35/35
LP: 30/30
DD: --/--
Atk: 1
Def: 2
Int: 6
Spr: 4
Evade: 5%
Move: 4 cells

Corven (Spirit Archer) *MDO +10%*
HP: 35/35
LP: 30/30
DD: --/--
Atk: 1
Def: 2
Int: 6
Spr: 4
Evade: 5%
Move: 4 cells

Urn
[No Occupy]
[Trigger Command: Search - Search the contents of the urn.  Range: Adjacent.]

{w} - Watchtower Wall
[No Occupy]

{r} - Rubble
[No Occupy]
[Trigger Command: Investigate - Rummage through the rubble for materials or resources.  Range: Adjacent.  Uses: 4]

{s} - Rotted Shelves
[No Occupy]
[Trigger Command: Investigate - Search the shelves for interesting items.  Range: Adjacent.  Uses: 4]

Player Phase 1!

Fenwick moves to G5.

Taking a few steps forward, Fenwick realized that this was it.  It was do or die trying.  There was no going back but he couldn't let his resolve waver.  He had challenged the chemicals that threatened to kill off the rest of humanity and won, so what now did he have to be afraid of?  With his technology, he would put to rest anything that dared get in the way of his new mission which would inevitably provide a greater chance for humanity to survive.  "Retrieve weather data.  Frozen lands.  Lowest temperatures," Fenwick issued his command to his module which continued to whir.  PROCESSING REQUEST.  RETRIEVING... ... ...  WEATHER DATA RETRIEVED.  TRANSFERRING DATA.  The air began to get colder in his vicinity raising goosebumps on his dark skin.  He pointed his hand, the one with the module attached, outwards towards the enemies.  DATA TRANSFER COMPLETE.  ACTIVATING EXECUTABLE PROGRAM WINTER'S TOUCH.  BRACE SELF FOR POSSIBLE RECOIL.  At that point, a blast of cold air surged forward towards the foes from out of Fenwick's hand, the air wrapping itself around their forms, ice crystals forming in the air and sparkling in what light was filtering down from the mostly cloudy sky.

"Assault success.  Keep hold of energy for next attack."  The module merely beeped in response instead of voicing its affirmation in order to focus on holding the energy and data as requested, a small display appearing and showing two gauges, one of available power and one of the already completed data transfer.

Fenwick uses Winter's Touch!  Hits Mitz and Corven!  6 Ice Dmg! (INT)

LP: 17/25

LIMITER FUNCTIONALITY 100%.  NO ERRORS DETECTED.

Simon pored over the materials that he found. Some dried moss, a plank of rotted wood, and a chunk of stone. The stone could best be repurposed if reused to build a structure, perhaps, but as for the other two, he thought he could make a tincture out of it. With rot comes new life, and as such, the loam that was inside the wood could more than likely be used separately from the rest of the wood. He would need to separate it later.

Simon watched as Yeva went forward and slashed the enemies with what seemed to be sheer fabric. Quite impressive. He couldn't do anything like that, he was sure of that. As he was watching Yeva, closer to him, Fenwick moved forward and shot a blast of frigid air. Scaring him, he recoiled a bit and shivered harder. So he could manipulate the weather? Quite neat. He needed to focus on finding pieces for his concoctions, though. He himself moved forward. He really needed to become useful... and -fast-. All he could see around him was the shelves and rubble. He needed to find some sort of liquid base in order to activate either the moss or the herbs.

"Note to self, I need to find some sort of usable liquid base in order to activate these plant materials. Once I do so, perhaps I can make some use of them. At the moment, I believe the only thing I can do is lob these pieces of brick and stone, but they would most likely be better used if we were rebuilding a structure within the crater. The iodine's fine as it is, and the jar would be better used as it is as well. I can break down the shoe at a later date to pull it into its components. I believe it is safe to assume that I must search for more materials first." He coughed again and scanned the place for any form of liquid. "But I suppose anything would do..." His color was draining away, and quicker than it usually did. This wasn't good.

He drew up his syringes and splayed a couple of them in his hands. He focused on the spirit straight in front of him, the lower part of which was blocked from view by the pile of rubble. At least he could do a little bit of something, right? He took aim and reared his arm back. With no regrets, he threw the syringe at the thing, the inoculating blade twirling in midair, and the metal of the barrel gleaming as it traveled through. As long as he hit it, he'd be happy.

[Simon moves to G3!
Simon basic attacks Corven!
5 INT Damage!
Simon waits...
Simon's Innate Ability Scavenger activates!
Chance of finding a Material!]

"I knew this wasn't the greatest of ideas; we really should have taken initial recon into our own hands to make sure it was safe and lead you guys in the right direction," an unknown male voice emanated from somewhere.  "Garuda, engage the opposition!"  A strange green projectile coated in swirling wind descended from above, striking the area between two of the spirits and exploding in a swirling gale that seemed to damage them.  The source of the voice landed on his feet on the ground effortlessly, a strange bird-like crossbow in hand.  His light green vest covered a beautiful white dress shirt and his dark green trousers were well-kept.  He was fancifully dressed somewhat like Fenwick was.  Suave jet black hair was slicked back with gel and luminous emerald eyes gazed fiercely and cockily at his opponents.  His muscled form tensed as he readied himself for combat.

There was no mistaking it.  It was Hunter Sharpe of the Ciphron Council.

Hunter joins the battle!

Hunter uses Tempestuous Shot on C4!  Hits Los and Corven!  17 Wind Dmg! (ATK)

LP: 18/30

Hunter appears at G4.

* * *

Los takes 15 Dmg!

HP: 20/35

Mitz takes 9 Dmg!

HP: 26/35

Mitz is Dazed!

Mitz's Move is reduced by 2 cells!

Corven takes 18 Dmg!

HP: 17/35

Corven's Move is reduced by 2 cells!

Simon scavenges the area!

Items found:

---Rotted Wood x1
---Wildflower Petal x1
---Block of Quartz x1

Kaidan flees from the watchtower....GOOD THINKING!

Chapter 00: The Beginning After the End

Location: The Watchtower - Ground Floor

Objective: Defeat all enemies!

Background: ~Icarus~

Achievement: Dig Your Own Grave - Draw the attention of all enemies and have them all use Barrage on one allied unit in the same turn. [8 AP]

{ } { } {w} {w} {w} {w} {w} { } { } A
{ } {w} { } { } { } { } { } {w} { } B
{w} { } { } { } {L} { } {s} {s} {w} C
{w} {r} {C} { } { } { } { } {s} {w} D
{w} {r} {r} { } { } { } {M} {s} {w} E
{w} {r} { } { } { } { } { } { } {w} F
{w} { } {S} {H} {F} { } { } {U} {w} G
{w} { } { } { } { } { } {Y} { } {w} H
{ } {w} { } { } { } { } { } {w} { } I
{ } { } {w} { } { } { } {w} { } { } J
-1---2---3---4---5---6---7---8---9

Enemy Phase.

Los moves to D4.

Los attacks Hunter!  7 Dmg! (INT)

Mitz is Dazed!

Corven uses Barrage on Hunter!  5 hits!  5 Dmg per hit! (INT) [Ignores 20% of target SPR]

LP: 20/30

Hunter dodges one hit!

Corven waits.

{ } { } {w} {w} {w} {w} {w} { } { } A
{ } {w} { } { } { } { } { } {w} { } B
{w} { } { } { } { } { } {s} {s} {w} C
{w} {r} {C} {L} { } { } { } {s} {w} D
{w} {r} {r} { } { } { } {M} {s} {w} E
{w} {r} { } { } { } { } { } { } {w} F
{w} { } {S} {H} {F} { } { } {U} {w} G
{w} { } { } { } { } { } {Y} { } {w} H
{ } {w} { } { } { } { } { } {w} { } I
{ } { } {w} { } { } { } {w} { } { } J
-1---2---3---4---5---6---7---8---9

Mitz is no longer Dazed!

Player Phase 2!

Fenwick (Researcher) *LIMIT ERROR (0)* *OVERHEAT (0)*
HP: 15/15
LP: 17/25
DD: 2/10
Atk: 1
Def: 2
Int: 6
Spr: 4
Evade: 1%
Move: 2 cells

Simon (Rising Chemist)
HP: 25/25
LP: 20/20
DD: 1/10
Atk: 1
Def: 2
Int: 5
Spr: 4
Evade: 1%
Move: 2 cells

Yeva (Living Wrath) *CRYSTALLINE CHARGES (1)* *LP REGEN [1]*
HP: 25/25
LP: 11/20
DD: 2/10
Atk: 5
Def: 1
Int: 3
Spr: 3
Evade: 5%
Move: 4 cells

Los (Spirit Archer) *MDO +10%*
HP: 20/35
LP: 30/30
DD: --/--
Atk: 1
Def: 2
Int: 6
Spr: 4
Evade: 5%
Move: 4 cells ---  2 cells

Mitz (Spirit Archer) *MDO +10%*
HP: 26/35
LP: 30/30
DD: --/--
Atk: 1
Def: 2
Int: 6
Spr: 4
Evade: 5%
Move: 4 cells

Corven (Spirit Archer) *MDO +10%*
HP: 17/35
LP: 20/30
DD: --/--
Atk: 1
Def: 2
Int: 6
Spr: 4
Evade: 5%
Move: 4 cells --- 2 cells

Hunter (Sharpshooter) *HIT +20%* *CHR +20%*
HP: 20/25
LP: 18/30
DD: 2/10
Atk: 13
Def: 5
Int: 3
Spr: 9
Evade: 8%
Move: 4 cells

Urn
[No Occupy]
[Trigger Command: Search - Search the contents of the urn.  Range: Adjacent.]

{w} - Watchtower Wall
[No Occupy]

{r} - Rubble
[No Occupy]
[Trigger Command: Investigate - Rummage through the rubble for materials or resources.  Range: Adjacent.  Uses: 4]

{s} - Rotted Shelves
[No Occupy]
[Trigger Command: Investigate - Search the shelves for interesting items.  Range: Adjacent.  Uses: 4]

Fenwick uses Winter's Touch!  Hits all enemies!  6 Ice Dmg! (INT) [Target Move -2 cells][Los is Stunned][Corven is Stunned]

MP: 9/25

Looking away from his gauges, Fenwick's face became a portrait of surprise as the enemies were assaulted from above, his attention instantly garnered and redirected to the air.  Descending from the missing watchtower roof was a very familiar face, one that belonged to a member of the Ciphron Council, Hunter Sharpe.  His scientific mind processed and loaded plenty of questions that needed answers but now was not the time for a total bombardment.  Fenwick would have to play it coy while the monsters were obliterated because there was no doubt that Hunter was far stronger than any one of them at the moment.  "A pleasant surprise; we may have been a bit in over our heads," Fenwick admitted sheepishly, pushing a few buttons on his module's display.  "Loading encore command.  Execute promptly."  The device whirred to life, accessing the previously gained weather data, lowering the temperature in the air once more.  Fenwick held up his hand and unleashed another blast of cold which seemed to drastically debilitate a couple of the spirits.  "Attack success.  Power down for internal system recovery.  Data may be accessed for future attacks so standby."  His commands given, the module instantly set about storing the data and ran a check on its internal program chain and physical circuitry.

"Thank you for aiding us, Mr. Sharpe," Fenwick offered his gratitude to the man that had joined them.  They would have a much easier time with one of the Council members on their team.  However, Fenwick couldn't help but notice that Kaidan was nowhere to be seen.  Where could he have gotten off to?

Fenwick waits.

LIMITER ERROR.  LIMITER ERROR.  FUNCTIONALITY REDUCED TO 80%.  RECOVERY SYSTEM ACTIVATED.

Fenwick's Limit Error activates! [+1 LP Recovered]

LP: 10/25

The sound of glass shattering filled Yeva's ears as a small, black crystal began to form over her head, rewinding time to recreate the glass shard. It hovered gently over her head, and turned as Yeva moved her head about. She rolled her shoulders, giving the crystal a real turn on it's axle. She was already beginning to feel the power flow through her body. She'd let it simmer there, if not for the need to do damage, and to do it now.

"Hunter?" Yeva's attention was drawn away by the appearance of another person. In their midst stood none other than that Sharpe fellow. What was a member of the Council doing here? Were they really in such a dangerous place that someone took notice of their folly and sent help? Or was Hunter here by his own will? So many questions, but one thing was clear at least. He did not seem pleased. Yeva sighed, she supposed it was mostly her fault for speaking first about seeing the tower. She couldn't help it that the others didn't have minds of their own.

"I'm not gonna have much after this," Yeva warned anyone who happened to be listening to her. She cracked her whip at her side, the obsidian crystal above her vanishing just as quickly as it had come. Her whip began to glow an odd color, the blade of her cloth turning red as she swung her handle up and delivered a sharp snap that cracked the air and sent a bolt of strong magic at her target. Whether it was shocked by the attack or not, Yeva spun on her heels, bringing her whip up from the ground to slash away at the ghoul. Her whip circled her body, the dimming glow of her whip illuminating her. She watched carefully, waiting to see if her luck was good enough to give her another crystal.

Yeva consumes a Crystallite Charge!

Yeva uses Pulse and Maim on Mitz! 3 Int DMG! Chance of Shock! 8 Atk DMG!

The way Yeva was twirling about with her whip made her slightly embarrassed. She didn't blush, but she definitely felt a little silly, for some reason. But it felt almost natural to her. Maybe she had been a dancer before the calamity. That was definitely something to ponder. If she hadn't been one of the few fighters willing to go out, maybe she could have been an entertainer. Someone to keep smiles on everyone's faces. That would have been nice. Maybe she could still do it. All she really needed was to find her steps again. And survive. That was also important.

Simon had a smile on his face as he saw his syringe plunge into the ethereal form of the enemy past the rubble. He hadn't expected to hit the thing on his first try. What really shocked him, though, was the bright green projectile that whizzed past his head and the confident voice near him. He looked to his side, seeing Hunter Sharpe brandishing a formidable weapon that was pointed at the specters. "Oh, Hunter. It's nice to see you out here. Did you think we were in over our heads?"

He remarked in passing, he had to steady his concentration on finding things he could repurpose. That was his goal here, along with finding the cure to save his life. He threw a second syringe at the spectre behind the rubble, and dove towards it so as to get out of its field of vision. As he went, he clutched a small petal in his hand. Perhaps he could use this to his advantage and bind the moss he gathered together to make a makeshift adhesive... but that was a different matter. He needed more.

"Note to self... perhaps pulverizing this rot will give me the liquid I need. Yeva seems to be running out of restraint, I need to work fast."

[Simon basic attacks Corven!
5 INT Damage!
Simon moves to F3!
Simon waits...
Simon's Innate Ability Scavenger activates!
Chance of finding a Material!]

Los takes 2 Dmg!

HP: 18/35

Los's Move is reduced by 2!

Los is Stunned!

Mitz takes 10 Dmg!

HP: 16/35

Mitz's Move is reduced by 2!

Mitz is Shocked!

Corven takes 3 Dmg!

HP: 14/35

Corven's Move is reduced by 2!

Corven is Stunned!

Simon scavenges the area!

Items found:
---Oaken Plaque x1

Chapter 00: The Beginning After the End

Location: The Watchtower - Ground Floor

Objective: Defeat all enemies!

Background: ~Icarus~

Achievement: Dig Your Own Grave - Draw the attention of all enemies and have them all use Barrage on one allied unit in the same turn. [8 AP]

{ } { } {w} {w} {w} {w} {w} { } { } A
{ } {w} { } { } { } { } { } {w} { } B
{w} { } { } { } { } { } {s} {s} {w} C
{w} {r} {C} {L} { } { } { } {s} {w} D
{w} {r} {r} { } { } { } {M} {s} {w} E
{w} {r} {S} { } { } { } { } { } {w} F
{w} { } { } {H} {F} { } { } {U} {w} G
{w} { } { } { } { } { } {Y} { } {w} H
{ } {w} { } { } { } { } { } {w} { } I
{ } { } {w} { } { } { } {w} { } { } J
-1---2---3---4---5---6---7---8---9

Enemy Phase.

Los is Stunned!

Mitz is Shocked!

Corven is Stunned!

{ } { } {w} {w} {w} {w} {w} { } { } A
{ } {w} { } { } { } { } { } {w} { } B
{w} { } { } { } { } { } {s} {s} {w} C
{w} {r} {C} {L} { } { } { } {s} {w} D
{w} {r} {r} { } { } { } {M} {s} {w} E
{w} {r} {S} { } { } { } { } { } {w} F
{w} { } { } {H} {F} { } { } {U} {w} G
{w} { } { } { } { } { } {Y} { } {w} H
{ } {w} { } { } { } { } { } {w} { } I
{ } { } {w} { } { } { } {w} { } { } J
-1---2---3---4---5---6---7---8---9

Los is no longer Stunned!

Los's Move returns to normal!

Mitz is no longer Shocked!

Corven is no longer Stunned!

Corven's Move returns to normal!

Neutral Phase.

Hunter uses Rapid Fire on Los!  3 hits!  10 Dmg!  15 Dmg! CRITICAL!!  10 Dmg! (ATK)

MP: 8/30

"Yeah, you could say that; we really felt uncomfortable with you all not knowing what you were getting into.  We're endeavoring to do better recon using Mayor Karn's special ability," Hunter admitted quite easily, nodding in greeting to his fellow villagers that so deigned to acknowledge him.  He raised his elegant crossbow, Garuda, and launched a rapid succession of bolts at one of the nearby spirits, each one landing without any difficulty whatsoever.  The trained eye was not to be messed with.  He kept an eye on each of the spirits, looking out for sudden movements.  Who knew such powerful entities would be residing in the tower?  The world was full of the unexpected now so it was probably something they would all have to wind up getting used to.  He spared a glance at Fenwick for a moment.  "Also we did some editing to one of your prototype software and I brought it along to give to you; I'm sure it will come in handy but it'll have to wait until this rabble is cleaned up."

Hunter waits.

{ } { } {w} {w} {w} {w} {w} { } { } A
{ } {w} { } { } { } { } { } {w} { } B
{w} { } { } { } { } { } {s} {s} {w} C
{w} {r} {C} {L} { } { } { } {s} {w} D
{w} {r} {r} { } { } { } {M} {s} {w} E
{w} {r} {S} { } { } { } { } { } {w} F
{w} { } { } {H} {F} { } { } {U} {w} G
{w} { } { } { } { } { } {Y} { } {w} H
{ } {w} { } { } { } { } { } {w} { } I
{ } { } {w} { } { } { } {w} { } { } J
-1---2---3---4---5---6---7---8---9

Player Phase 3!

Fenwick (Researcher) *LIMIT ERROR (1)* *OVERHEAT (0)*
HP: 15/15
LP: 9/25
DD: 5/10
Atk: 1
Def: 2
Int: 6
Spr: 4
Evade: 1%
Move: 2 cells

Simon (Rising Chemist)
HP: 25/25
LP: 20/20
DD: 2/10
Atk: 1
Def: 2
Int: 5
Spr: 4
Evade: 1%
Move: 2 cells

Yeva (Living Wrath) *CRYSTALLINE CHARGES (1)* *LP REGEN [1]*
HP: 25/25
LP: 2/20
DD: 4/10
Atk: 5
Def: 1
Int: 3
Spr: 3
Evade: 5%
Move: 4 cells

Los (Spirit Archer) *KO*

Mitz (Spirit Archer) *MDO +10%*
HP: 16/35
LP: 30/30
DD: --/--
Atk: 1
Def: 2
Int: 6
Spr: 4
Evade: 5%
Move: 4 cells --- 2 cells

Corven (Spirit Archer) *MDO +10%*
HP: 14/35
LP: 20/30
DD: --/--
Atk: 1
Def: 2
Int: 6
Spr: 4
Evade: 5%
Move: 4 cells

Hunter (Sharpshooter) *HIT +20%* *CHR +20%*
HP: 20/25
LP: 8/30
DD: 5/10
Atk: 13
Def: 5
Int: 3
Spr: 9
Evade: 8%
Move: 4 cells

Urn
[No Occupy]
[Trigger Command: Search - Search the contents of the urn.  Range: Adjacent.]

{w} - Watchtower Wall
[No Occupy]

{r} - Rubble
[No Occupy]
[Trigger Command: Investigate - Rummage through the rubble for materials or resources.  Range: Adjacent.  Uses: 4]

{s} - Rotted Shelves
[No Occupy]
[Trigger Command: Investigate - Search the shelves for interesting items.  Range: Adjacent.  Uses: 4]

Fenwick moves to F5.

Fenwick attacks Mitz!  6 Dmg! (INT)

A program?  Fenwick tapped his foot in thought before pacing forward a bit, going through all of his prototype plans.  What would be useful in their exploration of the area?  His eyes brightened as he realized what it was.  Before he set off he had been tinkering with a program that could be downloaded onto the Limiter and used for marking locations and constructing maps.  It was the ultimate cartographer/explorer's software.  He was pretty certain he wasn't going to be using it personally, but in the case anyone ever wound up going outside the village in search of resources or survivors, it would be a great boon to them.  Who would have thought that he himself would wind up putting it to use?  Hell, it hadn't even been completed because he figured no one would ever leave; he lost motivation for the project.  However he had a solid foundation which must have allowed Hunter and Thomas Tribult, both who were rather tech savvy, to build upon it and finish it.  He was legitimately excited to see what the final product was.  "Oh you've got me riled up now in a very good way, Mr. Sharpe, because I do believe I know what it is that you've brought with you," Fenwick said smoothly, a mildly satisfied and almost coy look upon his face.  Oh yes, he had to get his hands on that thing.  Even being in the middle of danger, Fenwick could not just simply discard his love of technology.

Some technology to add to their stocks? Yeva frowned and furrowed her eyebrows. She wasn't much concerned about what Sharpe might have brought, but if he thought it would be useful for them, then all the better. Yeva tossed her hair to the side and readied her whip, taking notice of the obsidian crystal that hung over her head. She knew she had consumed one of them already, but a second one had formed. This was very good, the crystal would slowly give her some spare energy. The battle would be over by the time Yeva could use it though, most likely.

Yeva flicked the handle of her whip and snapped it at her side, creating a shock of lightning at her side that illuminated her white and black hair. In that instant, Yeva adopted a ferocious look and gave a shout, snapping her whip again, this time on top of the ghoul's face, creating another zap of lightning where the whip hit.

Yeva attacks Mitz! 5 Atk DMG! 2 Int DMG!

Yeva's Crystallite Charge restores LP!

LP: 3/20

Simon scrabbled around in the ground after he heard the syringe sink into the ethereal archer. Success. He pulled a plank of wood off the ground and turned it towards his face. The wood was covered in dirt, but Simon could see something almost smooth on top of the wood. He brushed the loose debris off of the top of the wood and he could see some gleaming characters. He brushed a bit more of the dirt off and he could see golden writing of some sort across the front of the panel. It seemed to be ornate, though he could not tell what it said in the slightest.

"It seems that there is no liquid to be found, but at least this would be a good decoration for Mayor Karn's office."

Simon didn't speak to anyone in particular because he was still intent on being somewhat useful in this battle. So far he had stayed rather hidden from the enemies and hasn't returned much fire. He hoped that this would soon change. He crouched towards the rubble and let loose a series of raucous coughs. He needed to find something soon, and fast.

"I do say, Mr. Sharpe, you did come in the nick of time. I hadn't the slightest idea how we would get out of this unscathed."

[Simon uses Trigger Command: Investigate! on Rubble F2!
Simon waits...
Simon's Innate Ability Scavenger activates!
Chance of finding a Material!]