An Esper's Tale

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Masq and I are currently in the process of gearing up for this roleplay. Everything shall be updated accordingly and the first post will come when we are ready. Thank you.

Alright, before we begin I have one thing I want explain real quick. You guys may have noticed the new stat IP. This stands for Inner Power, and it is my combination of Morale and Death Drive which will help us out a lot over the course of the roleplay.

Inner Power is a scale that builds up as you attack the enemy. Doing damage increases it by 1 point. KOing an enemy with more than 50% of its HP remaining increases it by 3 points. If you take more than 25% Max HP damage from an attack you lose 1 point. If you are KOed you lose 3 points. If you are KOed with more than 50% Max HP then your IP is reduced to 0 (unless you are in negatives in which case you lose 5 points).

Once you have 10 points, you have the option of one or two things. You can either use it instantly to gain a 25% stat boost to all stats for the rest of the battle at the penalty of locking your Inner Power for the rest of the battle. Or you can hold onto it and activate your D-Ability whenever you like.

Your IP can also go into the negatives. If for whatever reason you get -10 IP, you will have a 25% stat reduction to all stats for the rest of the battle and your IP is locked also for the rest of the battle. If you get -10 IP, you start the next battle the same way, however, the IP will not be locked and upon reaching 0 IP your stats will return to normal.

That's it for my announcement, so lets begin.

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An Esper's Tale

Falling.

Over the continent of Replinatia, a girl falls from the sky. Few can truly spot the signs of her humanity, the town of Kopi gathered in the square. All citizens watch her fall as she hurtles towards earth. All scream as the girl finally reaches the ground creating a large crater just outside town. They all rush to the scene, curiosity covering up their fear as they make their way to her. They come upon the crash site to find a crater, deeper than one would imagine. Inside lays a young girl, no older than sixteen, unconscious.

"Mommy! Mommy! What is she?"

Little children point in confusion, questioning the girl in the crater. Parents hush their children and pull them back, not wanting to be near the girl. However, there is one brave soul who steps forward and ventures down into the crater. But as soon as he get within touching distance of the girl, her eyes shoot open. She's on her feet in seconds, the crowd screaming and moving back in fright. The man move closer and the girl shakes her head in fear, not that the crowd notices.

In her fear, the girl raises her hands in front of her, a large mist gathering in front of her. No one is able to react fast enough to stop what happens next. A small icicle gathers in front of her and then is fired off at the lone man. It hits him directly in the heart, not only knocking the wind out of him, but piercing through to his core. He's pinned to the sunken in ground, his eyes roll up into the back of his head.

He's dead.

The crowd screams bloody murder and begins to run frantically back to the town, disappearing into their houses. However, three men remain behind, two wearing similar uniforms. Upon seeing the girl attack and continue to cower, they rush over to her and grab a hold of her roughly and begin to drag her away.

(Zeri, if you could please post a reaction. Masq is in prison at the moment so he won't be doing anything.)

The elderly man watched as the scenes unfolded before him, a sight that has not been seen by these experienced eyes in all his years. His heavily wrinkled face scrunched up even more, his black pupils examining the crater before him. The audience surrounding him rush past in fear and chaos as he stood completely still, his brown cloak billowing in the wind. The two other men who stayed back began to pull the girl away, but the old man approached them.

"Stop," the old man commanded, his left arm raised towards the two younger men. His voice was powerful and filled with spirit, despite his age. "This is no ordinary set of circumstances," he continued, "I will speak with this little one."

The old man then bent down to reach eye-level with the strange girl, throwing back the hood of his cloak to reveal more of his aged face. His hair was a light ginger color, and the old man had a mighty impressive beard growing on his chin and lips. Gently, the old man spoke, "Little one, what is your name?"

The girl attempted to shrink back as the man asked her a question, struggling further against the other mens' grip on her. But when he did not treat her like the others, she stopped for a moment. The men seemed annoyed by this man, but she was rather curious. Speaking softly, it was obvious she was rather scared and didn't fully understand what is going on.

"My... my name is Terra. I- Please... make them let go of me, I-"

"Sir, we haven't the time for whatever you plan to go on about. This girl is a danger to us all, and by federal order, we are to remove all dangers from the capital. Permanently."

At this the two men began to drag the girl away again, this time more roughly. She struggled against their grip once more, but it was all for naught as they were far stronger than she was at the moment.

"No! Please! Let me go! I- I didn't mean to- I-"

"Shut up. You are to remain silent; You can scream all you want before the Matron finishes the job."

And they continued to drag her away against her will.

"Enough!" The old man barked, grabbing the arms of both men with his own two hands, which were revealed to be incredibly muscular and strong. He stopped the two men from pulling the little girl away, and snapped their hands off of the girl without injury. The old man's cloak settled as he gently helped the girl to her feet.

"I, Jacobson Wycliffe II, will take responsibility for this child and her actions," the old man declared, staring down the two men before him. He then smiled, "You two men wouldn't dream of going against me, after all I've done for the state, now would you?" As an expert healer, the old man, Jacobson, saved many lives of soldiers in his time. The state practically owed him an army. Surely, one little girl would not be a problem.

"This little one obviously has a strange power," Jacobson spoke out, staring the two men down with his powerful gaze. "But she does not have control over it. She lacks discipline. I will take it upon myself to train her to control her magic, as she can become a great asset to our country when I am gone."

"Sir, we-"

"I'm afraid that isn't allowed."

The guards cringed as they heard the voice behind them, turning and moving out of the way quickly. Behind them came an elderly woman with sharp features and an icy aura. A permanent frown was set on her face, she was unhappy with the older man attempting to stop her guards from doing their job.

"I'm not sure if you've realized sir, but this child has murdered one of our own. Unable to control her powers or not, she has committed a serious crime and according to the law she must be dealt with."

At this the woman grabbed ahold of the girl's hand tightly. Pulling the small girl over to her, her grip tightened once more. She turned to leave, but stopped and looked the man over.

"If you have a problem with that, take it up with the House of Charges, not me."

And with that she rather hastily dragged the girl away from the town off to a large, grey building in the distance. The guards followed close behind, afraid of what the woman might do to them.

Jacobson watched as the little one was dragged away by the woman, his wrinkled face set in an unsatisfied frown. They eventually went out of his sight and he brushed his cloak a few times, the dust that still surrounded the area from the crash was slowly but surely settling. Jacobson grabbed the hood of his cloak and flipped it over his head, casting a shadow over his eyes.

"I suppose this old man is going to have to bend a few rules," Jacobson mused to himself, in a way that anyone close by would just roll their eyes at him and call him senile. A crooked grin graced Jacobson's lips, senile he might be, but he knew that he was the wisest of them all. Jacobson turned and started heading for another area, intending to give the little prisoner a visit.

The bony, wicked woman threw open a cell door, spitting at the other prisoner inside before throwing the girl in. Purposely tripping the young teen, she fell on her face next to her cell mate. She was able to pull herself together long enough to look back at the cold, cruel matron with tear filled eyes.

"No! You don't understand. I-"

"I understand perfectly my dear. You have broken the law, a quite serious one at that. For this you must be punished, you understand, don't you?"

"I-"

"Of course you do; Now rot with the rest of your kind. I shall be back soon to finish my job."

The girl looked over to the other human in the cell with her, her eyes widening slightly at the sight. A boy, bound by unforgiving bandages, stuck in this prison alongside her. He was probably innocent as well, not that anyone here likely cared.

(Alright Masq, you get a little time to roleplay and when I feel it has gone long enough I'll cue Zeri to come rescue our arses!)

Silence. He had known of it for a long time. Isolation. That, too, he was familiar with. The guards outside his cell chattering sometimes? Their words were insignificant to him. They might as well have not been speaking at all. They never paid attention to him. Everyday they yearned to beat on him, and tried to taunt him into picking fights so they could do so, but they walked away disappointed all the time. He was a 'good little prisoner.' Not even worth hurting. They used to do it regardless, but he would never scream. The same vacant expression would be upon his face each time, and they would just look at him in disgust, bleeding and bruised. Not a single tear ever fell from his eyes...at least not in front of them. At night, he would cry, filling the small cell with sound...but it, too, became insignificant to him. All was silence. There was shelter in the silence.

She brought him company. A young girl who looked like she couldn't harm a fly. The matron spat at him as she opened the door, but he rolled slightly so it missed, but it still looked like it hit him so she would be satisfied. She tossed the girl in who was obviously frightened. He remembered a time when he, too, was frightened. Taken away from his sister and mother because of a power he might have had. At this thought, he smiled. Just a little. Eerily. His face returned to normal in a fraction of a second, full of its usual dismay and sorrow. Not only would he now have to suffer his own wrongful imprisonment, but another's as well. What should he say? 'Everything's going to be all right. Just hang in there.' Pffft. He nearly burst out laughing at that, but managed to keep his expression calm, for he knew the truth. There was no hope in the Death Prison, hence why it was called the 'Death' Prison and not the 'Happy Funtime Rainbow' Prison.

"S-so.....long...," he managed to utter. It was then that he realized that he hadn't even heard his own voice in so long. It had to have been years since he spoke. He refused to say a word to anyone in this place, including himself. He coughed. His throat was a bit dry. "I-it's been....so long...since I've spoken...t-to another...person," he managed to get out, obviously a bit shy. He didn't bother moving closer; he preferred keeping at a distance anyway. What if she really had done something evil? If she wound up in this place, chances were she hadn't. "Y-you don't seem like....you b-belong here..." he added, deigning to point out the obvious.

Upon hearing his voice, she froze for a moment, taking them in carefully. Uncertainty, at answering his question, was all that occupied her emotions for a moment. But then it faded, and with a slight shake of her head, she spoke as softly as ever.

"I... I don't know..."

The words echoed in the darkness, the only ones able to hear them being herself and this boy. The words echoed in her mind as well, repeating themselves over and over again. She truly didn't know... Did she belong in this Death Prison? Sure she had done something that had upset these people, but what was it? The man that had been hit by the ice... was her being behind it the problem? What did she do? Shaking her head a little more, tears continued to spill onto the floor. She didn't know the answer to the boy's question... she just didn't know.

She cried. Alexander was taken slightly aback, and the painful image of him sitting in that exact spot letting his own tears fall to the ground filled his mind. That was many, many years ago. He hung his head low and grimaced in helplessness. Silence. Except for her crying. That was significant. It deserved to be heard. Deserved to be acknowledged. Several moments passed, but he still did not know what to tell her. To comfort her. It was something he had not known for a long time, so how could he bestow such a thing upon another being knowing that it was empty? Insincere? Unreal? Maybe just hearing it counted. Or maybe they would get out of the prison one day...and not be headed to their burial site...which was most likely some large pit dug out back.

"C-calm down...all h-hope isn't lost yet...," he murmured gently, shocked at the words that escaped his mouth. They were the very words he wished to laugh at, for he knew they were nothing more than false hope--a curtain of velvet lies to toss over the brutal truth. "It's t-true....I've been here for...m-many years. But I'm still...alive." The word. Alive. What was it? He remembered a time when he felt truly alive, back when he was living a happy life with his family. Another word. Happy. All these things he had been deprived of came back as bittersweet memories. They almost pulled the salty tears right from his vacant eyes, filled with anguish beneath the guise of hopeless indifference. But he had to stay strong, even though he knew he was far from strong.

"Maybe...they'll just forget about you as they have me....not worth killing. That's what they say...," he continued to speak. Blood not fit to taint their blades. It'd be more funny to watch him rot away over time until he was nothing but a corpse on the cell floor. No more tears. He couldn't imagine a similar fate for this girl. He didn't want her to die. He didn't want to die himself, despite already being dead on the inside. "If they come for you...I'll throw myself at them...and you have to run." Once again, he couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth. Had he truly gone insane? A wicked grin flashed 'cross his face for but a mere moment before disappearing again. He was going to give his life for the life of this girl, and she might not even be able to escape given the circumstances. But if there was even a chance....

Terra looked up over at the boy, tear stains on her cheeks, disbelief in her puffy eyes. Did he just say he would give his life for her? He didn't even know her. She didn't even truly know herself, and yet... he was willing to die for her. He didn't even know her. But he would die for her... she didn't understand that. But then again, there was little she did understand.

"What... what do you mean? Y-you don't know me... I... you... I couldn't let you do that..."

Alexander shook his head. He felt something deep within his body that he didn't understand. Was it...resolve? He tossed the idea about in his mind and he shivered. That was it. It was resolve. Life seemed to flicker into his eyes if but for a mere instant as he looked at the girl. "I-it doesn't matter. If I'm g-going to die....I'd rather it be w-worth something...than just being left here to rot in this cell," he explained. It was true that he didn't know this girl, nor did he truly care for her...but there was the feeling within him that she didn't deserve the inevitable death that awaited her in the place, creeping around every corner....waiting for its time to strike. "D-do you understand?" he asked, though it occured to him that it might be a pointless question. This girl seemed to be so confused at the moment. It would be a surprise if she could comprehend anything.

"It doesn't matter...again. Just do it. Run away. Y-you have to...p-promise me," he said desperately, thoughts of what true death would be like flitting through his head. It has to be better...than what I'm living... he thought sadly, on the verge of tears again, but he held them back.

"Hm, I will not stand by and watch as two little ones put themselves at risk," Jacobson's voice emanated from the surrounding darkness. His figure entered the torchlight and revealed his face, obscured by the hood which he pulled back to look at the two inmates. "As long as this old heart of mine is still beating, I will not allow the younger generation to leave me in the dust when it comes to courage."

Procuring a ring of keys from within his brown cloak, Jacobson drew closer to the cell where the two prisoners were being held. Figuring out which key was the proper one took a little time for the old man, but with a few clicks and clangs, the metal doors were eventually swung open. The well-aged man looked inside the cell, seeming bewildered.

"What are you still doing in there, little ones? It is time to leave," Jacobson commented, as if the door had been open the entire time. "This old man can't wait forever."

Terra looked up at the open door and the man from earlier with wide eyes. Not only was his appearance on the scene surprising, but he had let them free. Whats more he was getting them out of this horrid place and back into the world. It was almost too much for the girl to handle at once, but the smile on her face was all that mattered. She stood and began to move over to the older man who was rescuing him, but paused to look at the boy. He was still bound and she doubted he would be able to get up, let alone escape with them.

"We have to cut those bandages..."

Those words. The ones about having hope. The ones he so dearly wished to laugh at. They were now laughing at him...and he felt a mixture of shame and excitement. At last! A chance of freedom had presented itself in form of a very sage-like old man who must have possessed quite a daunting amount of cunning and bravery to sneak into this place so craftily. He managed to stand, but only weakly. His legs trembled...not that they had much weight to hold up. He was so skinny from being underfed....he hadn't even noticed with all the time going by. Trying to move his arms, he remembered that they were restrained.

The laugh. He had to hide it. Alexander coughed. At the sound of them cutting the bandages, he felt like laughing, but figured it would be...odd to them. Cut them, cut them, CUT THEM!! he practically screamed inside his head crazily. His mind pounded with anxiety and he had to resist the urge to rock back and forth on his heels. Just a bit of sweat formed on his brow, and he smiled nervously. "Y-yes...I do believe it'll be difficult for me to travel in this condition....," he stated calmly and modestly.

From within his cape, Jacobson procured a small dagger, though for what he used it for was unknown, and the old man, despite his haggard appearance and obvious age, sliced through the bandages holding the boy's arms together with a single, clean swipe. Just as fast as he pulled the dagger out, it disappeared beneath the old man's cloak, and he gestured for the two little ones.

"Come, follow me. We must leave before the guards wake up," Jacobson allowed a slight chuckle, "They won't be feeling good when they do wake up though." The old man backed away from the prison cell and took a few steps towards the direction which he came from. All he needed to do was find his way back, hopefully none of the guards would notice him or the little ones.

The party was now free to escape from the horrible place that was Kopi's Death Prison. Taking turn after turn, the two youngsters followed old man Jacobson out of the building. But something wasn't right, every turn seemed to blend into the previous and no matter what way they seemed to be led nothing changed. It was almost as if they were walking in place the entire time. There was a moment when the rather clueless girl stopped, tilting her head to the side.

"Doesn't something feel off?"

Before the others could respond a small beep was heard from the darkness above the group. A cold, almost evil, and most definitely familiar voice was heard over an intercom.

"Oh how cute~! Trying to visit the prisoners old man? I'm afraid that's a major violation of the law~! And as you know, I must punish those who break the law. Try to run all you like kiddies, I'll be down to finish you off soon, but until then..."

At this two guard appeared on opposite sides of the party, drawing spears and lanterns.

"Have fun with a few friends of mine~~~"

Prologue: The Girl from the Sky
Objective: Defeat all enemies and escape!
Atmosphere: Death Prison (We gotta get out of here! Ally Party move is increased by 1 Cell/Prisoner from the Sky. Terra is unarmed.)


{ } {A} { } A
{ } { } { } B
{ } { } { } C
{ } { } { } D
{ } {T} { } E
{ } { } { } F
{ } { } { } G
{ } {M} { } H
-1---2---3-


Terra
Hp: 20/20
Mp: 25/25
IP: 0/10
Atk: 2
Def: 2
Int: 4
Spr: 3
Crit: 5%
Evade: 2%
Move: 4 Cells

Antony *Discovery (3)*
Hp: 20/20
Mp: 20/20
IP: --/--
Atk: 4 --> 6
Def: 4
Int: 1
Spr: 2
Crit: 5%
Evade: 2%
Move: 3 Cells ---> 6 Cells

Marcus *Discovery (3)*
Hp: 20/20
Mp: 20/20
IP: --/--
Atk: 4 --> 6
Def: 4
Int: 1
Spr: 2
Crit: 5%
Evade: 2%
Move: 3 Cells ---> 6 Cells

{ } - Escape Space
Trigger Command: Escape (Finish the battle. Usable by: Any Ally)

You may start in Rows D-E!

Prologue: The Girl from the Sky
Objective: Defeat all enemies and escape!
Atmosphere: Death Prison (We gotta get out of here! Ally Party move is increased by 1 Cell/Prisoner from the Sky. Terra is unarmed.)


{ } {A} { } A
{ } { } { } B
{ } { } { } C
{J} { } {A} D
{ } {T} { } E
{ } { } { } F
{ } { } { } G
{ } {M} { } H
-1---2---3-


Terra
Hp: 20/20
Mp: 25/25
IP: 0/10
Atk: 2
Def: 2
Int: 4
Spr: 3
Crit: 5%
Evade: 2%
Move: 4 Cells

Alexander
Hp: 25/25
Mp: 25/25
IP: 0/10
Atk: 5
Def: 4
Int: 1
Spr: 3
Crit: 5%
Evade: 2%
Move: 3 Cells

Jacobson
Hp: 15/15
Mp: 30/30
IP: 0/10
Atk: 1
Def: 2
Int: 4
Spr: 4
Crit: 5%
Evade: 2%
Move: 3 Cells

Antony *Discovery (3)*
Hp: 20/20
Mp: 20/20
IP: --/--
Atk: 4 --> 6
Def: 4
Int: 1
Spr: 2
Crit: 5%
Evade: 2%
Move: 3 Cells ---> 6 Cells

Marcus *Discovery (3)*
Hp: 20/20
Mp: 20/20
IP: --/--
Atk: 4 --> 6
Def: 4
Int: 1
Spr: 2
Crit: 5%
Evade: 2%
Move: 3 Cells ---> 6 Cells

{ } - Escape Space
Trigger Command: Escape (Finish the battle. Usable by: Any Ally)

Player Phase - 1

Terra straightens her back!

Terra erected her slightly slumped over form the second Jacobson started barking orders at her. Her eyes full of fear for only a moment before she realized he wasn't saying anything with anger, rather he was trying to help her. Nodding her head as best she could manage, Terra began to focus as the elderly mentor had instructed. At the core of her being she felt mana begin to rush down and gather at her feet. With a sort of spin-kick, a small burst of flame gathered and then flew at the guard in question.

Terra casts Fire on Marcus!
(Damage: 120% Int/Effect: Burn 50%/Element: Fire)

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Prologue: The Girl from the Sky
Objective: Defeat all enemies and escape!
Atmosphere: Death Prison (We gotta get out of here! Ally Party move is increased by 1 Cell/Prisoner from the Sky. Terra is unarmed.)


{ } {A} { } A
{ } { } { } B
{ } { } { } C
{J} { } {A} D
{ } {T} { } E
{ } { } { } F
{ } { } { } G
{ } {M} { } H
-1---2---3-

Marcus takes 8 Damage! (Alexander)

Marcus takes 5 Damage! CRITICAL! (Terra)

Marcus is Burned!

Enemy Phase - 1

So the prisoners decided to ignore him? All for the better he guessed, seeing as he blocked their exit point. Hopefully his ally would be able to keep them preoccupied so she could keep this act up.

Antony waits.

Marcus takes 2 Damage from Burn!

Marcus moves to F2

At this point, he was feeling like shit, but he had a job to do. Just because Antony couldn't move didn't mean that he couldn't. Running forward he quickly struck the only girl in the group and proceeded to attack once more.

Marcus uses Quick Slash on Terra!

Terra takes 4 Damage!

Marcus attacks Terra!

Terra takes 4 Damage!


{ } {A} { } A
{ } { } { } B
{ } { } { } C
{J} { } {A} D
{ } {T} { } E
{ } {M} { } F
{ } { } { } G
{ } { } { } H
-1---2---3-

Neutral Phase - 1

N/A


{ } {A} { } A
{ } { } { } B
{ } { } { } C
{J} { } {A} D
{ } {T} { } E
{ } {M} { } F
{ } { } { } G
{ } { } { } H
-1---2---3-


Terra
Hp: 12/20
Mp: 17/25
IP: 1/10
Atk: 2
Def: 2
Int: 4
Spr: 3
Crit: 5%
Evade: 2%
Move: 4 Cells

Alexander *Mana Substitues (2)*
Hp: 25/25
Mp: 25/25
IP: 4/10
Atk: 5
Def: 4
Int: 1
Spr: 3
Crit: 5%
Evade: 2%
Move: 3 Cells

Jacobson
Hp: 15/15
Mp: 30/30
IP: 0/10
Atk: 1
Def: 2
Int: 4
Spr: 4
Crit: 5%
Evade: 2%
Move: 3 Cells

Antony *Discovery (2)*
Hp: 20/20
Mp: 20/20
IP: --/--
Atk: 4 --> 6
Def: 4
Int: 1
Spr: 2
Crit: 5%
Evade: 2%
Move: 3 Cells ---> 6 Cells

Marcus *Discovery (2)* *Burn (3)*
Hp: 5/20
Mp: 20/20
IP: --/--
Atk: 4 --> 6
Def: 4
Int: 1
Spr: 2
Crit: 5%
Evade: 2%
Move: 3 Cells ---> 6 Cells

{ } - Escape Space
Trigger Command: Escape (Finish the battle. Usable by: Any Ally)

Player Phase - 2