Unexpected Situations (RP)

Alright. I’ve got a few Figments who are getting violent over the fact that they haven’t been getting as much playtime as they usually do (due, in large part, to NaNoWriMo and how the RP boards over on Sygnus tend to shut down during this month while everyone works towards their wordcount). So, because of this, I’m starting a new freeform RP.

Rules:
NO GOD-MODDING. You cannot deal damage to or write for someone else’s character. If you want to skewer someone’s character, write the action, but not the results. Leave the results up to the author. Who knows, some characters may have tricks up their sleeves.

OC’s ONLY. I know I’m not the only one here with Original Characters, and I’m encouraging y’all to let them out to play for a bit. That means no canon characters. I don’t care if your OC’s are based off of some world or other (my own will be from the FFIV-universe, specifically from the Wayrift webcomic), but DO NOT use canon characters. You can reference them, but do not play them.

DO NOT RP MORE OC’s THAN YOU CAN HANDLE. I will be using six (maybe 7) of my own Figments, but I HIGHLY suggest y’all use less. Especially if you’re not used to RP. I’ve RP’d up to ten characters at once before, so I’m used to keeping track of the numerous personalities and motivations running rampant in my head. For beginners, I suggest no more than three.

POSTING OUT-OF-CHARACTER WILL BE NOTED WITH THE USE OF DOUBLE-PARENTHETICALS. ((Like this))

If I think up more rules, I’ll post them. As I have stated, I’ll be using some characters of my own that fit in the Final Fantasy 4 universe. Specifically the one created by Aywren over on Sygnus in her webcomic Wayrift. HOWEVER. The RP will not take place there. It will take place on my world Aelwyd. Here is a rough map for reference:

and a written description of the world: Here

Also, I may throw in a villain just to be a bitch and give y’all someone to beat-up on. But he’s a powerful bastard, so be warned. ((And a few residents of Aelwyd may make cameos from time-to-time. I really can’t help that))

Now. On with the show~

---

Be careful, ladies, ShinRa spoke to Xanda and Laekna’s minds from her airship, I’m getting some weird readings on that vortex up ahead. She continued to fly above and just behind Nightwing, closely monitoring the two girls and three dragons.

I know, mum, Xanda mentally replied, that’s why Commander Kain sent us out here in the first place.

“Be nice to your mother, Xanda,” Laekna scolded the Dragon Knight she was currently flying with.

Xanda rolled her eyes as Nightwing slowed down and hovered a few hundred feet away from the swirling vortex. She spared a glance backwards to check on the few other Dragon Knights that had flown out here with them and noted that they looked nervous. She couldn’t really blame them. This magic felt foreign, nothing on the Blue Planet could generate a vortex that large. Not even the late Zeromus had power like this. She felt Laekna tighten her grip while little Kurak whimpered.

“Alright!” Xanda called to the men, women, and dragons behind her, “I’m going to test the vortex, stay back unless I tell you otherwise!” She effortlessly stood up on Nightwing’s back as blue flames encased her right hand, rapidly growing in heat and power. Let’s test this fucker. She let loose the fireball directly at the center of the vortex and watched it impact. At first, nothing happened. Then the world exploded into colors and magic. Xanda was dimly aware of her mother screaming something before everything went black.

~~~

“…don’t know what’s wrong with her. She’s not injured.”

Xanda groaned as she opened her eyes, Laekna’s concerned face swimming into view. She sat up with a grunt and looked around. She was being cradled in the crook of Nightwing’s forearm with Laekna and her mother hovering over her. Her mom’s airship was a few feet away and looked a little battered, though she knew it would be fine. They were in a forested area, but not any forest that she recognized. She noted the way the trees seemed to thin out towards her left North and knew that they’d find plains if they went that direction. And then there was the magic. It had the same feeling as that strange vortex.

“We’re not in Baron anymore, are we?”

Laekna shook her head as she sat beside her friend. “Midnight and Kurak are out scouting, they should be back soon…we’re the only ones here.”

Xanda nodded and turned towards her mother. “What happened?”

“I’m not sure,” ShinRa replied, “after your fireball hit the vortex, it seemed to reach out towards you and pull you in. I just barely managed fly into it. Next thing I know, we’re here.” She paused as she closed her eyes. “I’ve never felt magic like this before,” she said quietly, “it’s so powerful…”

“Well,” Xanda grunted as she stood, “we’d better start looking for whatever made that vortex appear if we want to get back to Baron.”

“There’s a village not far from here,” Midnight said as she flew back into the small clearing and landed on Xanda’s shoulder, “maybe a couple day’s walk.” She glanced at Nightwing, knowing he was far too tired to carry them at the moment. He’d worked hard to fight the pull of the vortex.”
Xanda nodded. “We’ll head in that direction then,” she said, “but for tonight, we’ll camp out here and rest.”

Laekna and ShinRa nodded and got to work setting up a temporary camp. Hopefully nothing would bother them during the night.

((All characters can be found in my dA gallery. ShinRa is the only one I haven't colored yet, but she has long white hair and lime green eyes...like every other Lunarian.))

((I would like to join :DD Cerace has not been allowed out to play for some time, and neither has Keenai. :3))

((Just jump in!))

((AWE YEAH.))

The sun had nearly set once the camp was set, a prickling unease seeping up from the scarce wildlife that was around. Something was wrong, but what? A predator in the area? Or was it just one of those feelings you got when you were away from home?

There was scuffling in a large tree to their immediate west, leaves fluttering as someone- something moved about in the branches, watching them.

--

Among the branches and soft leaves, her silver hair remained draped across her back, piercing eyes of molten blood staring down at the group settled in the small clearing. Her sharp, claw-like fingernails remained deeply embedded into the wood of the large tree, black cat ears slightly drooped in caution and curiosity, twitching to every sound. She had found prey, and it was about time.

Crawling further out onto the branch, the silver-haired female scurried along carefully, not wanting to alert the newcomers with the stray creak of a branch. Narrowing her eyes, she continued to watch, the large scaled beasts putting her on edge. She could fight cannibals, but not dragons. If only Keenai were with her... they may be able to take them all down. Oh, well. Best wait for an opening and spring. Settling back down, she continued to stalk.

((FFFFFF, Cerace you wuss.

I couldn't think of what she should do XD But cats do wait for opportunities, after all. >:3))

((No worries, ShinRa is a bit of a mind-mage. Though she's better at mixing magic and technology...hence her airship.))

"We've got company," Nightwing rumbled without opening his eyes. He had no idea where their stalker was, but he could feel them watching.

Kurak nuzzled further into Laekna upon hearing Night's declaration, effectively waking her up. Despite being the size of a large household pet, he was still very much a hatchling, and definitely didn't like being in unfamiliar territory.

"Way to wake everyone up, Night," Midnight scolded the large dragon from her perch on Xanda's shoulders.

"I was just saying what everyone was thinking."

ShinRa shook her head as she noticed her daughter trying her best to remain asleep, and failing rather spectacularly. Come on down here, she mentally broadcast, hoping their visitor would be able to understand the Common tongue, I promise we're friendly. On a whim, she broadcast the message again, but in Lunarian. Dewch ar lawr fan hyn, yr wyf yn addo ein bod yn gyfeillgar.

Xanda sat up a bit with a groan and glared at the fire. Was it really too much to ask for some sleep? Apparently. With a sigh, she reached next to her and grabbed her Chakram, just in case.

"Xanda..."

"What, Lae," Xanda practically growled, "it never hurts to be prepared. Besides, you're a White Mage. You can heal any damage done."

"The fact that I can heal is irrelevant. You shouldn't be jumping to arms in the first place." Laekna huffed and crossed her arms, narrowing her faintly glowing green eyes at Xanda.

Xanda arched a sculpted eyebrow at her, meeting Laekna's gaze with her own glowing ice-blue gaze. "Which one of us had to survive on their own in the wild for over thirty years, during the Great War, with only a couple of dragons as company?" She stared Laekna down until the girl conceded that perhaps Xanda was right.

((Some BG: Xanda is half Elf, half Lunarian. Laekna is Half Lunarian, half Human. A Lunarian's eyes tend to glow at night, especially when the moon is out. (Aelwyd does, in fact, have a moon.) ShinRa is a full Lunarian, so her eyes would glow the brightest. And Lunarians are know for living quite a long time. So even though Xanda is nearing 50, she is physically in her mid-twenties. And even though Laekna is close to 40, she's physically in her early 20's. Physical ageing slows down dramatically around 20. And ShinRa? Close to 90, but looks 30.
Oh. And Nightwing and Midnight are Xanda's Bonded. Kinda like familiars, except that dragons are every bit as smart as Humans/Lunarians/Elves/whatever. Kurak is Laekna's Bonded (though he's still pretty young...but growing fast). Since Xan and Lae's eyes are glowing, the dragons' eyes will be as well. It's part of the whole Bonded thing...thoughts, emotions, energy, and even magic can flow freely across the Bond in either direction.))

Crimson irises widened as the words invaded her mind, her ears standing fully at attention. What was this...? Friendlies? All the easier for the kill. But... that foreign langauge was oddly soothing. Platinum brows knit together tightly as the huntress shook her head, baring her sharp, pearly white teeth. She needed food, and these people were too good to pass up.

Springing, she leapt onto the end of the branch, taking off into the sky with the added momentum from the tension on the soft branch. Her silver hair was illuminated by the slowly rising moon, her eyes glowing in the backdrop of silky moonlight, lips fixated into a nasty, hungry smirk as she bore down on the group.

"Toldja," Xanda smirked at Laekna before turning to Nightwing. "Have a ball," she told the large dragon, "but no barbeque. I'm still full from that weird cat-looking thing with funky ears."

Nightwing snorted at his Bonded before lifting his head and looking in the direction of the stranger. He opened his mouth, took in a large breath, and roared. There might not have been any fire with it, but it still created quite the breeze...and scared the shit out of anything and everything for miles.

Xanda stood, sword in one hand and Chakram in the other, with Midnight perched on her shoulder. Laekna stood beside her scowling, but nonetheless pleased that Xanda had opted for a relatively harmless technique, with Kurak at her side. The shuffling and whirring noise to their left indicated that ShinRa had reached her airship and was hovering, waiting for the order to activate her WAD system.

((WAD stands for Weapons and Defense. The airship may be fairly small (only just large enough for four people to fit comfortably), but its got all sorts of fancy shit on it. I have fun writing for it.
Also, the animal Xanda is referring to is one local to Aelwyd, a Zerdon. Think Sabre-tooth cat...but with shoulder plates. One of the most formidable predators on Aelwyd...not including dragons, of course.))

((...Mind if I hop in? I've got a few guys who wouldn't mind being let out of their cages.))

((just jump right in~))

((Gotcha~))

"So much for Emil's amazing sense of direction, ja?" the jibe was uttered through a snicker.

"Shut up," crimson eyes glared at a pair of dark grey, "Like you're any better Jarek? We'd be half way up the mountain and you'd still say, 'Oh! I think there's a town around the corner!'" a hand covered in worn dark brown leather ran through messy locks of raven.

"Cool your jets little brother," Jarek soothed, trying to ignore the glare that his brother was aiming at him. He swung his head around, locks of fiery orange-red tumbling around his face, his horse tail swinging in an arc around his back, "I'm sure that whatever it was that...landed or whatever is around here somewhere," a feral sort of grin crossed his cheeks, "So relax, okay? I'm teasing."

Emil huffed, shoving his brother's shoulder. "You and your damned curiosity..." he smoothed his rumpled black tunic and laid a hand over the twin blades at his hip, "You think it's close? The camp I mean?" he murmured, turning around on his heels to glance around.

"Oh yeah, I can feel it. Something in the wind, you know?" Jarek twirled a finger in the air, then let it fall back to his side, "What's the ground tellin' ya?"

Emil was silent for a few moments and then spoke, "Too many things. Or rather...a lot of things close by," he admitted, "Whatever though. Let's just keep moving," he grunted, trudging towards the camp without hesitation.

Jarek's grin didn't fade and he shook his head, "So impatient..." he clucked, following the slightly shorter man after a brief pause.

Back at the currently-being-attacked camp, the silver-haired female had landed a few metres from the group, her sharp molten eyes of blood staring at Xanda, flicking back and forth between the woman and her chakram. Should she take the risk? She could probably survive... but her regeneration rate had been lacking lately.

Remaining frozen in a stare-down, her ears twitched to the sound of the ship to the side, black cat ears standing straight upon her head. Should she run away? Their weapons, that weird ship anyway, seemed advanced. But it had been a while since she had met a challenge like this.

Grounding her feet, the feral-hybrid's muscles steeled before she leaped at Xanda.

((Gaaaaah, sorry this is so late! I was stuck on what my reply should've been, and Cerace was being a right bitch and taking a nap. e.e Lazy cat bastard.))

"PROTECT! SHELL!" Laekna shouted as the protective magic of her spells surrounded the campsite in a gentle green light. "Xan...don't kill her."

"Relax, Lae," Xan replied as she let her Chakram fly, following it up with a ball of vibrant blue fire, "I only kill for food or on Commander Kain's orders now. Never did particularly enjoy killing humans. They're so fragile and weak."

ShinRa fired off a few warning shots from her airship, the sizzling bolts of raw magic grazing dangerously close to their silver-haired foe, but not actually hitting her. I do not particularly wish to invade your mind and force you to stop your attack, ShinRa mentally addressed the attacker, but if you continue to attack my daughter, I will have no choice.

Nightwing only turned his head to watch the ensuing fight, he knew his Bonded would have no trouble with a single girl, however odd she looked.

Kurak, knowing full well how perfectly Xanda and Laekna could work together (granted that they stopped bickering), turned his attention elsewhere. He sensed something else headed their way, and trotted out of the campsite to scout them out with Midnight flying next to him.

((BTW, Xan and Lae technically aren't together...yet. But the sexual tension is definitely there. ShinRa finds it highly amusing.))

Jarek paused for a moment and called out to his brother, "Hold up Emil," he cocked a ear to the sky, "I think I found what we're looking for," he grinned. Raising a hand to his cup his ear he nodded, "Yup, winds tell me we've got a little tussle up ahead, wanna go and crash the party?"

Emil smirked, "Now you finally decide to give me a good idea," he could feel his fingers twitching towards his swords for a fight despite his otherwise calm face, "Where to?"

Jarek pointed and trotted off, "Follow me," he called, heading towards the sounds of battle and whistling winds.

((Ryder and Kali to the rescue... The first of the many I'm sure will get sucked into the mess. Hardly fair to let Xanda get into all this trouble without her wingman, Kali! -- Heh. Sygnus forums reference, from our old RP there... :D Nice to meet you all! Assuming this is after Rifted Riders, wolven?))

The young woman sat mounted upon the massive violet dragon, Ryder next to her upon his own, smaller, sleeker green dragon. Their similar pairs of eyes scanned the horizon of the unfamiliar world.

"What do you think has happened?" Kali asked her elder brother, who glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"I do not know. Whatever it is... I am almost certain it has to do with our cousin..." He sighed. "She always seems to get herself into trouble..."

Kali smirked a bit, looking back at the horizon. "Well, we'll find them. I can track them if they're here."

Ryder nodded. "Of course."

Kali was the Captain of Baron's Royal Guard, an adviser to King Cecil. Her elder brother, Ryder, was a noble Dragoon, and had once been Xanda's personal commander. He had the singular pleasure of training the newest members of the corp. Whether he always enjoyed that job was another story.

Together they flew through the sky, looking for some sign of their friends.

((Yup, this is post Rifted Riders. I'd have had it all take place on the Blue Planet, but Aelwyd wanted some attention.))

You watch them here, Midnight spoke to Kurak's mind, I'll keep an eye on them from above. She flew higher up, skimming the treetops as she kept an eye on both the two men headed towards the campsite and their Bonded. She took a quick look around to make sure there weren't any of those strange fire-colored birds around and noticed what looked a lot like two dragons flying side by side in the distance. I'm going to go check out those two dragons, she informed Kurak, freeze the men in place if they cause any trouble. With that, she flew off to scout out the familiar looking dragons.

The strange silver-haired creature had darted off after that toss of the chakram, dodging it by a mere few hairs. She watched Xanda and the others from another tall tree, her stomach churning with hunger and bloodlust, having not slain a thing in weeks.

A chilling howl scared off what little wildlife there was left, birds fluttering hurriedly from their perches as the monster-girl streaked towards camp again, deciding to go with a frontal assault. In the back of her mind, the red-eyed female knew this could be her last hunt. So why not make it interesting?

Xanda silently acknowledged the girl's excellent reflexes as she lit her hands once again, she really didn't want to kill this girl. Something told her that she wasn't from this world either, and any ally is a valuable one.
The crystal hanging around her neck started glowing a brilliant blue as she tapped into her Elvish heritage, causing her features to sharpen and her ears to lengthen as the slight glamor she always kept vanished in favor of more power.
"At least I learned a few things from my good-for-nothing father," Xanda growled out. She narrowed her eyes and focused on the way the magic of Laekna's two spells wove in and out of each other, weaving her own Elvish fire-spell into it as well. In a matter of seconds the gentle green shield spell erupted into flames, effectively creating a shield of swirling blue flames around Xanda and Laekna.

Nightwing tilted his head as he observed their adversary. There was something off about her...something hungry. He rose to his full height with a rumbling groan (he was still exhausted, after all), and ambled over to where they had killed that strange cat-looking beast with natural armor. The carcass was still mostly in-tact, only the good bits of meat having been removed for cooking. He skewered it with a claw and flicked it in the silver-haired girl's direction. He usually wasn't right about these things, but it was worth a try if Midnight wasn't there to tell him how stupid his idea was.

Kali felt a familiar presence and urged Centriel forward. Ryder was not far behind, sighing at the antics of his energetic sister. "What is it now?" he asked her.

Kali looked back. "I'll tell you what it is!" She said with a laugh into the night sky. "It's our friend! It's Midnight!"

Ryder recalled fondly the small Dragon and urged Stellari foward.

Just a bit farther by friend. He told his dragon as they set off toward the much smaller shape.

Midnight recognized the large purple form of Centrial and sped up to greet them, relaying the news instantly to Xanda and Nightwing. She hovered in mid-air before calling out to them. "The camp-site is this way, Xan and Lae are in the middle of fighting off some cat-girl-thing, and Kurak is scouting out two men headed towards the campsite," she paused for a moment, "you have no idea how good it is to see you two."

With that she turned around and flew back towards the clearing, the faint speck of ShinRa's airship growing larger as they approached.

Barely, the cat-girl was able to catch the strange feline-type thing, landing and stumbling faintly. She was running on an empty stomach, and her muscle mass had depleted in the last several days without food. Staring down at the carcass, she glared around the site awkwardly, her clawed fingertips faintly sunken into the armoured flesh.

What was this thing? Who were these people? Why was she even here? A million questions assaulted her mind as she took another glance between the dragon and Xanda, standing on guard, merely on defence for now.

"I'd try and calm down if I were you," Xanda informed the girl, "I've got a report of two more dragons and their Bonded on their way. And they don't take family being attacked lightly."

Nightwing tilted his head in a way that would have been adorable...if he had been smaller. "Huh. Didn't think that would work."

"Who are you," Laekna asked the girl, "and are you from around here?"

Wild red eyes flickered back and forward, before the girl did finally relax, though her shoulders remained tense.

"I am not from here," she spoke, her voice smooth like liquid silk, if a bit deep. "I'm from a city... one which has nothing, not even running water." She mumbled, her gaze sobering. "I am known as Cerace to many."

Xanda sighed as she removed the flames from the protective shield, not bothering to put her slight glamor back on. "We're not from here either," she said , "we've got some left-over cooked food if you want some, best to be in top condition while on a strange world, I imagine." She eyed the girl thoughtfully. "You have excellent reflexes, by the way." She raised her left hand and caught her Chakram as it returned to her.

Kali laughed and smiled, practically charging after her old friend.

As usual, Ryder was not far behind, wondering what sort of trouble they were into now.

Kali and Ryder were both related to Xanda through the blood of her father, who was the brother of their mother. Kali and Ryder themselves were only half-siblings, but that had been enough to bind them together. Very few things could separate them once they had found each other, and even when they had gone their separate ways, they had remained close.

After all, as Ryder said, they were family.

Midnight circled above the campsite and observed everything going on as she let Ryder and Kali choose where they wanted to land. "I'm going to go find some more food," she called out so everyone could hear her, "if anyone wants to join me."

I'll come with you, ShinRa mentally broadcast so everyone could hear, looks like everything's under control here. It's great to see you, Kali and Ryder. She fiddled with the controls in her airship until a map of the land came up, showing the wildlife in the area. There's a large group of something that looks like deer off to the west.