Old broken wings, wings that should never have taken to the sky again flapped once, making Damien wobble on his perch pecariously. Dry skin snapped and cracked, withered scales dropped to the ground in a small flurry as the long-dead creature flexed against the stakes pinning it to the wall.

"Damien!" Kage stepped forward, drawing his dagger. The boy was childish, annoying too, but Kage would be stuck with him for the rest of his life if he died. "Get down from there, before it..." Too late. The reptilian head turned, skeletal jaw opening slightly towards the youth clinging to the stake...

"Leave him!" The necromatic words spilled from his mouth and he lifted his hand, bracing himself as the twisted spirit fought against its bounds. "If you have any sense boy, you'll jump!" Damien complied, launching himself into the air, but Kage didn't see him land as his vision suddenly went white. The spirit was forcing its way through, pressing its conciousness against his in an attempt to break his concentration. Sinking to his knees as the cold rushed through him, worse than the strongest of brain freezes, his eyes closed against his will and hands clenched into fists...

"Kage?" He gritted his teeth at the concern in Farris's voice, wanting to scream that he wanted him dead, for him not to worry about him...Looking up at the writhing corpse, he broke the spiritual bonds, yelling the strongest of commands as it began to rip away the stakes.

"The High D! Attack the High D and I will free you!" Then the wooden stakes broke with a resounding crack, and the creature was free...

Damien didn't know what Kage was blabbering on about, but when the shaft he was sat on started to shake voilently he guessed that it was coming free of the wall. Quickly he shimmied the rest of the stake's length and hopped to the metal floor lightly, clutching his prize under his arm.

There wasn't half a lot of noise...maybe his weight had brought the whole wall down! That would be majorly uncool if he'd accidentally destroyed the thing! He looked up to see Kage on his knees, and Ren and Farris slowly backing away from the wall, their faces masks of horror. The corpse itself had broken free of it's bondings, and was hovering a short way away, not by it's wings, which were so tattered and torn that they would never be able to support it, but by another, unseen force.

It's skelletal jaws opened wide and it let out a thunderous, unearthly screech that echoed around the room, deafening them all!

Damien did what every dashing, strong young man with a large weapon by his side would have done in the situation...he opened his mouth and screamed his head off in sheer terror.

Reflexively, Farris drew his gun, and then proceeded to stand there, shaking, unable to move. As the dragon moved, the fear it inspired got stronger. It moved slowly, inching closer to them. In a voice heard more in their minds than their ears, it rumbled, "...YOU...DARE...TO...ORDER...ME...?"

Ren clenched her teeth and forced herself through her fear. Boosting herself to move super fast, she ran forward, jumping as she drew her daggers. In a flash, the dragon's tail had wrapped her up!

"...YOUR...INSOLENCE...IS...WITHOUT...BOUNDS..."

A claw flicked out, and Damien's screams stopped with the sudden shock of having his insides impaled. He looked down at his abdomen, and saw red soak his clothes all around the claw.

With a quick motion, and a scream from Ren, the dragon's tail snapped her body like a twig.

Kage and Farris could only look up in horror. "...DO...NOT...TREAD...UPON...THE...PAST..."

It breathed in, filling its lungs, and then let out a wave of dragon fire! Farris tried to scream, as everything around him burned...

"...I...WAS...DEFEATED...FOR...A...REASON...TAKE...THIS...WARNING...AND...LEAVE..."

*****

The group collapsed to their feet, gasping for breath. They all glanced around, trying to make sense of what had happened. Farris asked, as he got to his feet, "Wh...what happened?!"

Ren and Damien stood up as well, checking themselves over and finding that they were unharmed. Ren shook her head. "Beats me. That...thing, it didn't kill us, I guess. The power it has, it's more than I can comprehend. I can't imagine what it must have taken to down it like that!"

Damien, upon realizing that he no longer had his souvenir, looked up to the wing. It was no longer cut! The creature was in the exact position it had been when they first entered the room! The only difference was that the runes on the stakes were glowing brightly. "...dang."

Kage was very troubled. "It...seems that it remade time. We are at the exact moment we first saw it. Damien, it would be best to not repeat your actions."

"Uh...yeah, sure."

Farris glanced at his watch. "Well, regardless of what happened, and what that 'dragon' was, we are running out of time. We should move on."

Farris took the container to the far door, and opened the door. A lift was in the next room. He waited for the others to follow.

Ren stared up at the 'dead' dragon. "...could this be?..."

Kage walked up next to her. He got the feeling she knew something she wasn't telling. "What is it?"

"I...remember my mother telling me the legends, about the dragons. I don't know why, but I just remembered the story about The Destroyer, Odjn. If...if that thing is the same as Odjn, then maybe we were lucky..."

"Heh. Perhaps." The instant the cat girl had turned her back, Kage let the scowl cover his face. So the creature wasn't tied to the language of Death. Yet...Shaking his head, he came upon the only conclusion he could think of. That...'dragon'...It must have been a shade of some sort, a spirit so immensely powerful that the laws of Death itself couldn't hold it in place. Most shades were originally just normal souls, twisted by being brought back to Life in a place in which too many horrors had occured...But some spirits fought back against their final destiny, and sometimes, they won. Perhaps this thing had been one of those, the few souls that necromancers had no control over and longed to command...

"Kage! You comin'?" Sighing, he sped up his pace to catch up with the cat girl. Ren...that was her name, but if he thought of her as that, it would be harder to betray them later. Yes...she was Cat Girl, Damien was Boy and Farris...The High D that he would defeat and take his power from Nothing more, nothing less.

As they rode the lift upwards, Farris glanced at each of his comrade's faces. From his view, he guessed as to how each of the other's were holding up. Damien was shaken up - heck, they all were. But the kid seemed to be taking it a little harder than the others. Ren was troubled, but seemed to be okay. Kage also had something on his mind, but wasn't really all that bothered by the vision. "Kage has seen the most of death. Ren looks as bothered by it as I am, and Damien, well, I'm just glad I'm not him. He must feel pretty bad, starting the situation and all." Farris himself was trying not to think about what had just happened. It was too big for him, if what Ren said about those legends were true. But they were just legends, right?

Ren put on a smile, and wrapped her tail around Damien's knee. They exchanged glances, and she cast him a reassuring look. She could tell he probably wasn't as bothered by what had happened as he looked, but she still wanted to comfort him.

Farris suddenly remembered that Ren's new set of injuries hadn't yet been treated. He tossed her a med kit, and she caught it. "Thanks."

Just as she was about to open it, a loud sound came from far beneath them! The lift shook, as something big started to climb the shaft, roaring as it went! Farris balanced himself by holding onto the guard rail. "What's going on?!"

Kage was the first to look down. "It's the giant Duke, the one we didn't kill!"

Ren also looked down, a hand on Damien's back to keep him from falling off. "He's mad. No wonder, though, we finished off his friends!"

Farris pulled out his gun. "He'll reach us before we get to the top! We have to stop him, or we might all fall!"

OOC: If you want to put in anything before the Duke appears, feel free, and then after that, any reactions to this new situation.

"Dang, no way!!!" Was this ever going to end??? Damien staggered backwards into the middle of the lift, his legs folding under him. He sat down with a bump, his eyes wide.

"This sucks!" he exclaimed "I wish I'd never have come!!!"

"He's alone." muttered Kage. "We can take him if we work together."

"No way! I quit! I don't wanna die!"

Ren turned and knelt down beside him. "Hey, chin up! We're not gonna die! I say we teach this monster a lesson!"

Damien looked her in the eye, slightly mesmerised by her face. She was a babe, that was for sure!

"Comeon, I want to see you kick this guy's butt!"

A slight grin crossed Damien's face, and slowly he drew his sword and stood up. If she believed in him, maybe he could fight after all! And hey, maybe if he impressed her he could convince her to go out with him!

"Alright..." he muttered, psyching himself up. "...bring it on!"

(OOC: Wether Ren picks up on Damien's crush or not is up to you Way. Hope this post is in-character for Ren...I get the impression she cares for Damien kind of like a younger brother. Let me know if I'm wrong or if anything needs editing)

OOC: Nothing wrong with that there! Though I keep forgetting that Ren is only 2 years older than Damien! XD

IC:

Satisfied that Damien was still in the game, Ren began preparing some magic.

Farris pulled out his gun, and took aim. "That's all well and good, but a sword won't do much good in this case! If it reaches us, we'll all go for a fall! Let's hold him off till we reach the top, and then we can fight him properly!"

Farris took aim and began firing bullets down the shaft, and he succeeded in slowing the beast down, but it was still gaining! "Come on, just a little while longer...!"

Ren did all that she could: she set up an Ice Barrier between the Duke and the lift. It only took three swings from his axe to break through it, and he kept on coming! Running out of time now, she gathered energy for another spell, hoping desperately that they would make it...

Farris looked up as he reloaded his gun. The top was in sight! "Just a little more...!"

Kage sighed, seemingly bored by the preceedings.

Why isn't anything ever easy?" He flicked a spectral bone towards the Duke, watching as it bounced off its skin harmlessly. But there was the top...He jumped, twisting in the air like a cat and landing smoothly on both feet. Not bothering to check if the others landed all right, he drew his knife, eyeing the still lift calmly. Turns out, they had jumped not a moment to soon, as the huge blade of the axe swung through the platform, splinters of material flying everywhere. Kage shook his head, trying to banish the thought of whose body had been on the receiving end of one of the Duke's previous attacks, to give the weapon such a strong Death aura...It landed before them, a mass of armour and muscle, beastial face twisted with truimph at finally catching its quarry. Holding the blade at a ready stance, Kage let a similar smile catch his lips.

"There's no holding back this time," he murmured, not knowing i the others heard him and not caring. Then, a quick challenge in Necromatic; "Show me what you're made of!!!!!!!!"

As the Duke advanced, its mouth twitching in anticipation, it stepped right on top of a Flare Trap Ren had just set up! FOOM!

If it was mad before, it was even madder now! It let out an ear-splitting roar, then charged forward, swinging its giant axe!

Farris began unloading his gun again. Damien stood next to Ren, sword ready, waiting for it to come closer. Ren was preparing another spell. Kage decided to use the others as a stall tactic, to give him time to use a more powerful necromantic ability.

Ren said to the group, "I'll be the distraction! Damien, get behind him and attack him from there!"

Ren jumped forward, then began to dodge the Duke's attacks! He mostly swung with his axe, but every now and then he would swing with his fist, and even took the occasional bite! Ren was using her speed magic carefully, making herself move fast enough to dodge the attacks, but not so fast as to make it attack somebody else. To keep it interested in only her, she would lash out with a dagger when she could.

As Farris reloaded, Kage unleashed a bone storm! While most of it had little effect on the Duke because of its armor, it did knock the Duke off-balance! Damien was in position, and this was the perfect opportunity!

OOC: Up to you now, Wraith Go Damien!

We'reinsanewe'reinsanewe'reinsanewe'reinsanewe'reinsanewe'reinsanewe'reINSANE!!!

Damien lunged forward, and there was a flash of metal as his sword arched round.

The Duke gave a mighty roar and fell backwards, landing on the reound with a CRASH. Falling the other way, away from his body, was his arm with the axe in it. It clattered as it hit the floor and skidded off towards the lift shaft, dropping into the blackness below.

Damien was stood, a little stupified, over the Duke's body, sword held up at shoulder height in both hands. The golden blade dripped with blood. Had he actually done that???

"Damien that was amazing!" cried Ren. "Nice work!"

Damien's eyes flicked to her face, and he grinned sheepishly."I...uh...thanks!"

Kage had bent down beside the Duke's corpse, his eyes narrow. "No...not yet..." he muttered, too quietly for the others to hear.

"Yeah, that was a quick move." agreed Farris. "Looks like you could..."

He was cut off mid sentance as suddenly the mighty Duke's body began to heave! All of them stepped backwards in shock, and Farris shouted: "It isn't dead???"

The Duke hulked itself back onto it's feet and with it's remaining arm threw a blow at Damien, whi was still a little dazed by his heroics earlier. The impact sent him flying into the wall, cracking it as he impacted! He dropped to the floor, blood seeping from his mouth.

The Duke spun round, wobbling thanks to it's off-center balance. Blood was gushing from the space where it's arm had been, but the pain had driven it into a blind rage! What it had lost in manuverabillity and balance, it had gained in a complete berserk anger! Letting out an ear-splitting roar, it charged the other three venomously...

Because Kage was so close to it, he was bowled over as the Duke charged!

"Damien!!" Ren shouted upon seeing his limp form.

Farris lifted his gun and tried to fire, but found it was jammed! His heart was pounding as hard as the Duke's feet hit the floor!

The Duke rushed forward, outstretching its remaining arm to punch Farris! Ren stepped in the path, and with a swift jab deflected the Duke's arm to the side, and it narrowly missed Farris! The Duke followed through with a bite! Ren lifted her other arm in defense, and the sharp teeth clamped down! She managed to grit her teeth and keep from screaming. Blood spread out in lines all across her arm, flowing rapidly.

Ren let out a yell, and began to hit the Duke over and over again! Amazingly, the blows were powerful enough to cause the Duke to stagger backwards! While the Duke was off-balance for a moment, Ren ran over and grabbed Damien's sword, and then charged back at the Duke! The force of her swing sent the Duke far enough back to fall down the shaft! It roared as it fell, the sound rapidly becoming more and more faint.

Ren gasped as the pain caught up with her, and fell to one knee, holding herself up with the sword. "...take that, you jerk!"

Farris recovered from the sudden turn of events with an exclamation, "ay da mi!"

Kage had gotten to his feet, annoyed at how badly it went. At least he wasn't injured beyond a bruise or two from the roll he took when he was shoved out of the way by the Duke.

After a moment, Ren stood up, and took the med kit again. She went over to Damien, and said to Farris, "You two better go on ahead, what with the time limit and all. I'll take care of our injuries, and we'll catch up to you later."

Farris hesitated. "I...Are you sure?"

Ren nodded. "We can go faster than you, so we'll catch up."

Farris nodded back. "Alright. Good luck, you two."

Ren began attending to the wounds both she and Damien had received, and Farris and Kage went off down the path. It wasn't too much further to the Mid Sector Borough.

But who knew what lurked in the dark?

Damien felt something soft and cold touch his forehead.

He let out a low moan and shook his head slowly. His head was spinning, and could taste blood. Slowly he opened his eyes.

The light was so bright! He squinted in the glare, his head throbbing for a moment from the brightness. He tried to raise his hand to his head, but he felt too tired.

"Easy...take it easy..."

His blurred vision slowly arched round to face the voice, and suddenly his pain was forgotten! Staring into those big green eyes, he suddenly felt like the entire world had melted away.

He spoke, his speech slurred slightly. "Wow...I knew angels were beutiful, but..."

The angel grinned slightly. "Heh, angel eh? I'll hold you to that!" She reached forward, again dabbing his forehead with a damp cloth.

He simply sat and stared at her, drinking in her form, the large wings sprouting from her back, her cute, feline face, her awesome body...his mind wasn't fully there, but what little of it was swiftly began to fantasize all sorts of qonderful...

"That's it...you'll be on your feet soon, then we can catch up with Kage and Farris."

Damien looked puzzled. "wh...who?" He suddenly went into a coughing fit, spitting some blood onto the floor beside him.

The angel dabbed his forehead again. "It's okay, you're just winded, and from what I can see the blood is just where you bit your gum, nothing serious."

Slowly Damien's sences were returning. "Can't you heal it?" he murmured, staring dreamily into her eyes again. "Right now I can think of a lot of things you could heal about me..."

The angel paused, looking at him funny. "What?"

By now though, Damien had realised there was something wrong. Her wings had dissapeared! Also, he couldn't help thinking he recognised her from somewhere...

"Wha...wait...Ren?"

Ren grinned again. "You finally waking up? You gave me quite a worry there! You were out for almost ten minutes!"

The pain had returned in Damien's back and neck. Slowly he sat forward, wincing. Ren put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, I said take it easy! We'll catch the others up soon enough. Take your time."

Suddenly Damien's mind finally clicked, and he opened his eyes wide as he realised what he had been saying! "Ren, uh...I...I mean, I think I was...hallucinating...y'know, kinda...not fully here..." he stammered.

She reached out and put a finger on his lips, silencing him. "It's okay." she grinned. "Just rest for now..."

Farris was nervous to be by himself with Kage. He felt a kind of hidden hostility from the man. Still, the fact that if anything happened to him both he and the container would explode did ease Farris' mind. It meant that Kage would not do anything to hurt him. Still, Farris felt like the situation was awkward. He wanted to break the silence, but it wouldn't have been easy too.

To get to the Mid Sector Borough, they would have to go through a broken subway tunnel next to an old and abandoned shopping district. Water had gathered to flood part of the tunnel, so they skirted around the pools into the shopping district.

Kage was the first to notice it - the stench of rotting flesh. Immediately after, the sound of clinking bones and dragging metal. The presence of Death was here...the power of necromancy. He gestured to Farris to stop for a moment. They were near several damaged things, like racks, shelves, and shutters. The counter to their right was bare. Kage drew his knife, trying to identify the source of the power. Farris decided it would be a good idea to pull out his gun.

Suddenly, movement was all around them! From behind the counter, breaking through the shutter, and coming from around the racks and shelves, moving, rotting corpses staggered slowly towards them! "Zombies!" Kage hissed.

Kage knew fighting them directly would be pointless: they could knock them down, but a few seconds later they would get up again. To stop them properly, they would have to hunt down little green ghosts called 'Broken Hearts'. Once the ghosts were stopped, the zombies would no longer be animated. Farris said quietly, "horrible things must have happened here..."

***

After Damien had woken up, Ren checked her bite wound. It was bleeding through the bandages again. She turned away from him so he wouldn't see, and changed the bandages again, securely tightening the new ones with cord. This was the third time she had changed them, and even though she had disinfected the wound, there was clearly something wrong. She picked up his sword, and he could see that while he had been out, she had cleaned it off and helped it get its shine back.

She was thinking to herself, "we'd better try to get a move on. I don't want to move him yet, but it's dangerous to stay here for too long. I could carry him, but he should be able to walk just fine. Hmm. Just a few more minutes, and then I'll ask if he's up to going." She turned back to him, continuing her vigil.

An arm reached out, flesh falling off the finger bones, clawing for the sweet life in front of it...Kage slapped it away irritably, sighing as Farris jumped back, face growing pale.

"It can't hurt you unless it gets its claws on you," he snapped, delivering a savage kick to the zombie's head as it approached him once more. "You neednt jump ten feet in the air everytime it gets close." He knew he was being unfair; he had done much the same when first confronted with the horrible creatures...Pushing the thoughts aside, his eyes caught the faint flickering of a Heart in the corner. Brandishing his knife, he crept forwards, trying not to...It uttered a shrill squeak, followed by Kage's cursing as the zombies increased their pace towards him. Bracing himself against them, he uttered a sharp command, directing it towards the fleeing Heart.

"Stop!" It froze, still making the high-pitched whistle of fear, almost like a tea kettle. Kage walked forward, then broke into a sprint as he was assaulted on all sides by rotting hands...Out of the corner of his eye, a soft green glow shone in the shadow, and he called out to Farris.

"Get that one!" The man hurried towards the Heart, but Kage couldn't see if he reached it or not, as the mass of bodies tackled him, anything to protect their Heart from his glinting knife...He swore once more as the claws tore through leather, leaving deep gashes down his arm, then squinted at the frozen Heart. A twist of his arm and he threw, knife striking the ghost squarely in its middle and making it disappear with a last shrill shriek. As it did, one zombie dropped lifeless beside him, undead gleam leaving its empty sockets. But there were still too many for him to fight off, and Farris was occupied with his Heart...Grimacing at the wounds on his arm, he extended his hand, calling to the bone handle on the end of his knife. "Come to me...Come to-" His command was cut off as one zombie attacked his back, tearing the jacket and causing a bolt of pain to shoot through his body.

"It...was a new jacket too..." he grimaced, trying to pull the knife towards him once more while attempting to ignore his newest injury.

After firing bullets into the heads of a couple of the zombies, then watching them get back up again, Farris understood what Kage was doing. "Get that one!"

Farris saw the green ghost, shaped almost like a little balloon. Rolling the container around, he knocked over several zombies in his way, then jumped over a hole in the floor to land next to the Heart! The Heart was alarmed, and was going to float away, but at this range, Farris couldn't miss. BLAM!

The timing was good, for several of the zombies throughout the room collapsed, some of them near Kage! At this moment, Kage remembered a rare subset of the ghosts. While each Broken Heart only controlled one zombie, if a group gathered together, they would merge into one Heart controlling many zombies. Taking one like that out, like Farris just did, would turn the tide of this battle!

Farris fired several bullets, knocking back the zombies next to Kage, giving him the time he needed to get his knife...while the zombies near him got closer...

***

Damien's eyes snapped open when he heard a metallic clang nearby! As he moved to get up, Ren held him down, mouth on her lips in a gesture of 'shh'. Motioning for Damien to wait there, Ren pulled her daggers out and crept silently to the corner the sound came from. They were not alone, and whoever the other person was either didn't know they were there, or were clumsy. In one rapid motion, Ren burst around the corner! Out of the sight of Damien, he could only wonder what was going on. He thought he could hear Ren's voice, but if that's what it was he couldn't make out any words.

Ren sighed and relaxed as she saw a small Genic. It was one of those pet Genics, this one some sort of cross between a dog and a cat, with a bushy tail and a friendly attitude. She couldn't remember the name off-hand, but they were smart and obedient. This one in particular had a folded piece of paper attached to its collar, and a ring with a familiar pattern on its tail. It looked up at her expectantly. "So, you're the messenger, huh? Let's see what you have to say."

Ren approached the pet and bent down to take the note. It let her take it, and then it scampered several paces away, sitting on top of a small pile of junk and cleaning its face in a manner reminiscient of a rodent. Ren's eyes flicked across the paper as she unfolded it, and Shrike's handwriting was apparent. "Blah blah blah, Mid Sector lift blah, and blah blah - oh good grief!" She crumpled the paper. Her feelings were in turmoil now. "Shrike wants me to..." She shook her head. "I..." Looking accusingly at the pet Genic, she said, "You. Tell your master that I'll do it, and give him this." She took a folded up piece of paper she had prepared for this occasion from her pocket, and tied it to the collar of the pet.

The Genic scampered off quickly, this time being careful not to make noise. Ren shook her head again. "This is why I left them in the first place. This part always hurts..."

Tossing the paper onto the pile of junk, Ren came back around the corner. Damien saw her troubled face, and concern entered his mind. "You okay?"

Ren's face lit up as she looked at Damien and approached. "Yeah, I'm fine. It was just a rodent digging through junk. Hey, if you're up to it, I think we'd better get moving. We are bodyguards, and the body we're supposed to be guarding is getting away!"

"Ugh..." Damien didn't sound too excited about the prospect of movement, but he began to shift his weight anyway, leaning forward. Ren slipped a hand under his shoulder and helped him slowly to his feet. He swayed for a momrnt, but then steadied himself and took a deep breath.

He noticed the bandage on her arm, and opened his mouth.

"I'm alright." she said, cutting in before he could speak. "Here, don't forget this." She held out his sword, handle pointing towards him.

He took it slowly and replaced it on his belt, then the two of them moved off down the corridor, Ren supporting him slightly on her shoulder. Had the situation been different, Damien being this close to such a beutiful babe as her would have been a dream come true for him! As they walked he kept casting sidelong glances at her, basking in her stunning beuty. No matter how this mssion turned out...no matter what happened to their employer, Farris...Damien would make sure that Ren was okay.

She noteced his glances and looked across at him, grinning. "What?"

"Nothing." he replied quietly, his heart skipping at the warmth of her smile. "Just...thanks, for saving me."

The knife was back in his hand, his feet once more planted on the ground. Kage was back in control. He swung at the zombies, taunting them closer, while twisting around them in an attempt to keep them in the tightly packed group. The dimwitted creatures responded as expected, shambling forwad in a tight knot, getting closer and closer to the flickering Heart...

""You...not survive..." Kage smiled in grim amusement as the zombie spat out a few Necromatic words through its decaying mouth. "Pain awaits...any who defy..."

"Right..." Kage eyed them sceptically, edging closer to the dim ghost. "We'll see..." Then he burst into a sprint, and struck...

Farris fired at the zombies coming nearer to him, holding them at bay while his eyes darted around the room for more of those ghosts. He couldn't see any from where he was, and he was now being backed into a corner. Whatever Kage's situation was, he hoped it was better than his!

The Broken Heart Kage was aiming for was definitely a lot stronger than the others, and its body flashed brightly as it became aware of its danger! Kage detected a shield at the last moment, and quickly chanted to add power to his blade! The timing worked out perfectly; the knife pierced right through the shield and the ecto-plasm of the Broken Heart's body!

In a flash of the energy of the dead, the remaining zombies in the room collapsed, still as the dead ought to be. Farris wiped his brow free of sweat, and got back to his container. "That was unexpected! Right, good work Kage! Now, let's keep going. It's just a short distance further to Mid Sector."

"My pleasure."

Despite all the beating she had taken over the past few hours, Ren couldn't keep from smiling. For some reason, being around Damien made her happy.

She beamed energy as she put a little more into supporting him. Even though she was sore and exhausted from all her combat and magic use, she didn't show it.

They were making good headway, and were just now entering the subway area next to the shopping district Kage and Farris had just left. In front of them was the broken down section of the subway, filled with water. It was a narrow ledge to the side that they would have to cross, if they didn't want to get wet. "Darn...I hate water." Ren said.

She began to prepare her Spider Climb power. After a moment, they were able to, one at a time, crawl rapidly along the wall to reach the other side. As they got back together so that Ren could help support Damien again, they couldn't help but notice the numerous zombie corpses lying all over the place. While the smell of rotting flesh was apparent to Damien, it was far worse for Ren's better senses. She wrinkled up her nose and curled her tail in disgust. "Let's hurry..."

The four met together at a small inn near the edge of the Borough. This wasn't the main Borough of Mid Sector, and it was a lot smaller, but it had plenty of supplies. The entire area was of the style of a subway station, but it had been abandoned for that purpose a long time ago. Now in some disrepair, the small group of people that were here relaxed in the safety of the mall when they weren't working.

The inn they were at wasn't even a building, just some beds in a quiet room. Farris was delighted to see the others had arrived. "You made it! We're gonna rest here for a while. We have to wait for the lift to come back down, anyway. I'll leave you here, while I go and talk to the lift operators. Feel free to wander around; the people here are friendly."

Farris nodded, and took the container with him as he left. "Mid-D's are always friendly...they have to be to survive right in the middle of the classes."

Kage had finished using the Med Kit, and set it on a small table nearby.

Ren made sure Damien was comfortable on his bed, then she walked over to another bed. As she went, she didn't notice that her arm had started to bleed again, several crimson drops hitting the floor!

"Hmm..." Kage noticed the cat girl's blood but said nothing of it, prefering to lie back on the bed and hum softly under his breath. The salve on his back was helping, and he could easy get a spirit to patch up his jacket sometime...

He pushed himself up, one hand reaching into his coat pocket as he did. Finding what he was looking for, he pulled it out; a small flute made from what looked suspiciously like a finger bone. He blew a soft note through it, a soft trembling tone that seemed to quiver through the air and both set your hair on edge and made you wonder at its beauty. Then his fingers moved on their own accord, spinning a story of heart-aching beauty and painful longing...

Almost as an afterthought, he lowered the instrument, gazing at the others.

"I hope you don't mind...?"

Ren shrugged as she reached the bed. "Not at all. It's kind of...lovely..."

Finally, Ren's exhaustion caught up with her, and she fainted, collapsing to her knees, her upper body resting on the bed, the bleeding arm at her side!

Damien heard the FLUMP as her head hit the matress, and he looked up. His eyes widened as je saw her prone form.

"Ren?"

He jumped off his own bed, sat back down hurredly as he winced in pain, then, much more slowly, stood up again and moved over to her. "Ren you okay???" No responce.

Kage had started up with his flute again, and Damien turned to look at him accusingly. "You play music while she needs help???" he asked angrily. "Help me get her onto the bed!!!"

Kage gave the boy a withering glance, standing up on his own sweet time.

"Her loss of life isn't overly threatening," he noted coldly, stretching his arms above his head in an attempt to relieve the cramped muscles. However, it merely strained the wound, so he stopped quickly. "But, if you insist..." He walked over nonchalantly, then picked up the girl and dropped her unceremoniously onto the bed.

"You want it gentler, you do it yourself," was his reply to Damien's accusing gaze. The boy was grating on his nerves, with his unsatiable curiousity and devotion to the cat girl...Devotion? Hmm...

Kage reached out an arm, pulling the boy closer to him. "I see where this "affection of yours is leading," he hissed softly in Damien's ear. "You'll be so madly infatuated, you'll forget your duty and try to protect her instead of Farris. And you know what the penalty is for forgetting to protect your employer, especially this one? We'll all suffer." Pulling away, he studied the youth coldly. "You may want to rethink your emotions before proceeding." Walking back over to the bed, Kage let himself fall onto the matress, taking care to land on his front. The bed was soft, and he was tired...Against his better judgment, his eyes slipped closed, and his first deep sleep in a long time took over.

Damien was about to make some scathing remark, but gave up a he saw the subject of the remark fall asleep almost instantaniously. He glared at Kage's prone form for a moment, before turning and retrieving the med kit from the group's supplies.

He hadn't cared much for Kage since he first met him...something about the guy unnerved him, and he seemed so full of himself too! How he treated Ren just now was another (albeint much larger) bucket of water over the dam.

Kage wasn't happy eh? Boo hoo...such a sad situation, he'd have to do something about it right away! He could rot with the bones he summoned as far as Damien was concerned.

And Farris? Well, there was the money...but somehow the money didn't seem all that important anymore. It was still alluring, but it was becoming an extra...a perk of the job rather than the objective. And if they failed and Farris blew up? It would be unfortunate, but he figured he could live with it, so long as Ren was okay. He hadn't really been bothered about the Suit's life in the first place...only the money, and while he had begun to like Farris' manner, he still didn't fully trust him. He saw no reason not to continue with him for now, but should anything happen, so long as he and Ren were out of harms way he'd be happy.

He knelt down next to her on the bed and opened the med kit...suddenly realising that he had absolutely no idea what to do with any of the equipment! He thought for a moment, recalling what Ren had done for him earlier...a cloth and some cold water...

He quickly ran out of the room, returning shortly with a bowl of water and, sitting back in his position by the bed, he picked up a cloth, wet it, and gently began to dab Ren's forehead...

Farris found the lift, and was walking up to it when he was stopped by two guards. "I'm sorry, sir, there's been a technical malfunction, and the lift won't be fully repaired until at the earliest tonight."

Farris shook his head. "If it's not one thing, it's another...is there another path I can take?"

The other guard nodded. "Yeah, there is." He laughed a little. "There always is, if you look for it. Do you know the ice caves?"

Farris' eyebrow raised. "I've never been there, but I know where they are. Why?"

"Well, if you make your way over there, you'll find that, immediately above the ice caves, there's an area with several lifts. You can find you way from there, but I've heard from a reliable source that the Industrial District is the fastest way."

"Hmm...okay, thanks."

*****

The inn owner happened to glance over, and when he saw the condition of Ren, he decided to get the doctor. Only a minute or two passed before the doctor arrived. He was a dog person, and he hurried over to the bed. To Damien, he requested, "I'm a doctor. Please let me examine her." As he pulled out his own tools, he asked, "what happened, boy?"

"Uh...I dunno." mumbled Damien hesitantly. I was knocked out at the time..."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow and turned to examine Ren's arm. He stripped the bandages off and began examining the wounds. "Hm...these look like bite marks."

"We were fighting a big Duke at the time. We thought he was dead but he supprised us and attacked me." Damien's speech was a little faster than usual, as he tried to firmly put across the fact that he had bravely and fearlessly fight off the beast alone and protect his comrades, and it was purely bad luck that made him get knocked out and the others get injured!

The doctor was listening to Damien, nodding occasionally, but once he heard that Damien really didn't know, it was just background noise. After poking and prodding and examing with various tools, the doctor pulled out a needle and injected some thick fluid directly into the bite wound. Then he bandaged it up securely, and applied pressure on the arm until the bleeding stopped.

Farris happened to come back at this time, and upon seeing the doctor, hurried over. "What's going on here?"

The doctor glanced at him. "Are you the one responsible for her?"

"Huh? If you mean I brought her here, yeah. She was fine just a little while ago. What's up?"

Closing his bag, the doctor stood up. "She is a victim of several things. Firstly, overexhaustion. She has pushed herself to the limits of her stamina. Secondly, overuse of magic. Again, she pushed herself. Thirdly, the bite she received caused a rare disease that ordinary medicine can't cure. The wound will continue to bleed periodically as the disease causes damage to the surrounding tissue. I've injected her with a medicine that will slow the disease and stop the bleeding for a few hours, but I don't have any more, and there's nothing else I can do for her. There are doctors that can handle this, but...never mind."

Damien looked up at him. "Where are these doctors?"

"...BioCorp has doctors that have the skill and equipment, but the price would be high, as this isn't common at all..."

Farris added, "and the lift to BioCorp we took is destroyed, anyway..."

Damien saw the doctor was still not saying something. "And???"

"And...Trinity."

Farris took a step back. "The terrorist organization?"

"Yes. They also have skilled doctors and medicine rivaling that of BioCorp and the government. But, as they are an anti-government group, they aren't easy to find." The doctor looked from Damien's pleading face to Farris. "...talk it over and assess your options. If you decide to find Trinity, come meet me at the edge of town."

With that, the doctor walked off. Farris took a long, slow, deep breath. "Great."

Seeing that Kage was asleep, Farris didn't bother him. He stepped outside the inn, gesturing to Damien to follow. "...let's let her get some rest. Just so this is clear between us, we can't reach BioCorp from here, and I have no intention of making a deal with Trinity. If things go well, we can make it to High Sector in a few hours, and I can have her taken to the hospital there. They should be able to do something to help her."

Damien had been listening, and knew that the doctor had said only BioCorp and Trinity had the means. The High Sector hospital wasn't on the list, and he was bright enough to figure that out...

"You what...?" muttered Damien, stunned.

"The hospitalsin High Sector. They'll be able to do something."

"He just said they can't!"

Farris shook his head. "We really have no other option. I'm sure that..."

"You're gonna just let her die???" interrupted the youth, his face and stance becoming angry...

Farris watched the youth's expression and movement carefully. After a long pause that added to the tension in the air, he said, "...I can't afford any delays, but I can't afford to lose any of my bodyguards, not after we've made it halfway. I get the feeling that if I decide we should go to High Sector as rapidly as possible, would you leave me to help Ren?"

When it came down to it, Damien now knew what he would do. "Yes, I would!"

Farris rested his hands at his side, and relaxed a little. "Then I guess I don't have much of a choice. I really need your help, as well as hers. So, here's what we'll do: we'll rest here until Ren wakes up, and then we'll talk to her and see what she wants to do. Either way, we'll go meet with the doctor again, find out what we need to do. Try to get some rest, I get the feeling we'll all need it."

Leaving Damien at the Inn, Farris decided to plan ahead, before resting himself. "If everything were safe, I wouldn't have to have bodyguards in the first place! As it stands...I can't make it the rest of the way without great risk by myself. If I'm going to make it...but Trinity? I'll be lucky if they don't kill me on sight! Heh, ironic though...they would easily recognize the security device I have, so even though they might want to kill me, I have that one trump. With that...I guess it's a risk I can take. Man, but they're fine bodyguards! I probably don't even have to worry about myself with them around!"

After his little walk, he returned, and he picked an empty bed, and went into a light doze.

Ren's eyes fluttered open, and the first two things that came to her awareness surprised her. First, she saw Damien's worried face over her. Second, she felt much better, but her arm ached something awful! "...uhh...D-Damien? What happened?"

Farris had been the first up, and he was standing outside the inn. Kage, too, was nearby, checking over his wounds. Damien had woken up only a few minutes before Ren, worry bringing him to her side to try the damp cloth again. All had gotten enough rest, regaining their strength for the coming journey. Farris listened to see what Damien would say, and prepared himself to go over there and help explain what the doctor had said.

"I dunno...you collapsed." replied Damien quietly. "Listen...we got a doctor in to see you and he said you need special treatment."

Some may have skirted the truth, or even downright lied, to try to cusion the impact of the news, but it wasn't Damien's style. Besides, if Ren was shocked enough it may make her more likely to seek help and force Farris to do the right thing!

"It's serious." he continued. "We need to get you somewhere to help you." He decided to leave it at that, hoping that Farris would see Ren's face and decide not to bother asking her oppinion...

Ren observed her surroundings as she sat up, sliding her legs over the side of the bed. She picked up the scent of the doctor and his tools, saw the new, professionaly-set bandages on her arm, and smelled the medicine in the wound. "Serious...oh no. Where do we need to go for the treatment?"

"Trinity."

Ren turned to Farris, who had just entered the room and said that one word. "What?" She asked, thinking she had misheard.

Farris rested his hand on his gun, uneasy. "The bite you recieved gave you a rare and largely unknown and untreatable disease. High Sector might have medicine to help, but the best place to go would be BioCorp. Sadly, we can't get to BioCorp from here...so, to have any hope of saving your life, we have to go find Trinity."

Ren's head swam. Trinity. It didn't seem real, like this was a dream, but...she knew it wasn't. "O-okay..."

Damien was surprised at Farris' words; it seemed the suit had changed his mind!

A short while later, they reached the doctor. On the way, Farris had described what Ren needed to know about the disease, which had yet to be named. Now, they faced the doctor. Farris crossed his arms. "Before we go any farther, how much will your services before and this information cost? I need to pay you for your help."

The doctor shook his head, holding a hand up. "No charge. I like helping people in need, and you have a greater need than most."

"So spill it," Damien said, impatiently, "where do we find Trinity?"

"As a matter of fact, it turns out that there are two agents disguised as lift guards right here." Farris' eyes widened in surprise at that. "I talked with them not long ago, and they agreed to take you to their Mid Sector base."

Distrust filled Farris' mind. "If those two were Trinity, then they must have been trying to divert me into a trap! Finding this out turned out to be a good idea...if that lift really isn't broken, then I could make a run for High Sector by myself! But..."

He looked at Ren. The disease was damaging more than just her arm; her degenerating health showed in her drooping ears and tail, and she wasn't beaming energy like she had before. The rest had given her body the strength to go on, but she wasn't as powerful as she had been, by any means.

Looking at the doctor again, he asked, "I'm a High-D, and a worker for the government. What makes you think I won't tell them you have a connection with Trinity?"

That doctor moved over to his briefcase, opened it, and began sorting his equipment. "I don't know whether you will or won't. But I believe that good deeds deserve to be given to all, regardless of who they are and regardless of the consequences. I think that if I do everything I can for good, then we can all be one step closer to peace and happiness. I truly hope that you find success...come what may."

Farris hesitated, thinking. "...thank you."

On the way to the lift, Farris said to Kage, "If you come along, I'll pay extra. I wouldn't blame you, though, if you chose to quit now and head back down to Low Sector. I can make sure money is sent to you. Either way, I just can't let these two go of into danger on their own."

Ren had been trying to make sense of all this on the way; to wake up and find that you're dying? It still didn't feel real...

(OOC: Hm...I was waiting for Trueblue since he hasn't posted in a while...he on holiday or something...?)

IC:

Damien, pretty much oblivious to everything around him except Ren, noticed her uncomfortable look. He stepped forward, putting a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. She flinched, but relaxed as she saw who it was.

"Hey." he murmured quietly. "You okay?"

(OOC: Yeah, I was waiting for him too...in a couple more days, I'll move on, I guess, and assume he comes along?)

IC:

"I...oh, I don't know," she sighed. She stared at her bandaged arm. "I'm fine, but...to think something as simple as that could finish me off...it's just insane!"

She hung her head. "...I give up..."

OOC: Sorry...I died. ^^; All that school work can really finish you off... *brings herself back to life* Right! Now, where were we?

IC:

"Hmph. It's not like I have anything better to do." Kage answered Farris's question automatically, mind on other things. This was...unexpected. He had always thought that at the end of the journey, he'd turn on them all, have a fair fight, then leave with the container in hand. But now that the cat girl was...well, dying, could he still bear to turn? To attack her, weakened as she was, and expect to feel nothing? He wasn't yet that cold-hearted.

Shaking his head slightly, he looked around. Damien and Ren were talking softly, and Kage let a bitter smile touch his lips. So they were going to be together, despite his warning. It's not like he expected any less. Who would listen to him? Scowling, he shoved his hands into his pockets and kicked a rock viciously across the ground. He hadn't come on this trip looking for friendship! Yet...Don't seek that which you can't have, he thought forcefully. You'll only be disappointed once more... Steeling himself, he waited for Farris to continue.

Damien's brow furrowed. "Give up? Give up what?" He shook his head. "Ren, this isn't going to finish you off! We're going to get you cured! We're going to help you!"

A slight smile touched his lips. "I owe you one for in the corridor back there...now I'm repaying you! I'm gonna make sure you get this cure no matter what happens! I ca..." he paused mind sentance, as though uncertain, then sighed and continued.

"I care about you Ren."

(OOC: Now I know how to resurrect dead people! All I have to do is talk about them!)

Ren hugged Damien suddenly! "Thanks, Damien!"

She blushed, and stepped back uncertainly. "..sorry. I just, uh..."

Farris glanced back. "We're here." Turning back to the two guards at the lift, he said, "you're with...?"

One of the guards nodded. "The doctor talked about it with us. We'll help you. Please follow us."

The two Trinity agents opened a side door, and stepped through it. Farris hesitated for a moment, uncertain. Then he followed them, the others following him closely. As they walked along, Farris asked, "So, uh, you're okay with this? I mean, I'm a 'govie' and all..."

One of the Trinity agents took point, moving out a distance ahead of the group. The other hung back, leading the group along. "You don't always get to be picky, when the deal's serious...you don't shoot me, I don't shoot you, natch?"

"Uh...yeah. 'Natch'."

A few minutes passed by in silence. This was a maze of subway tunnels, and Farris was getting lost. If he had to find his way out, he might not be able to!

The guard near them asked curiously, pointing to the bell collar on Ren's neck. "Is that...?"

Ren glanced at it, and rested a couple of fingers on it. "Yes, it is."

The agent smiled. "I like it. It looks good on you."

Ren's eyes lit up for a moment, and a smile shone on her face. "Thanks."

The forward Agent came back. "You're going to need to be quiet from here. This area has Genics, and we don't want a needless confrontation. We're almost there. Follow my lead."

He then led the way.

The forward agent pointed to a closed shutter door. "Behind there."

Damien had noticed Ren was weakening, but she was holding up okay as they moved on, so he didn't think too much of it until he glanced away from her and at the door.

Ren fell to her knees, gasping, her body trembling! Blood began to rapidly stain the bandaged arm! The forward agent made a signal to the other one, then turned and pulled open the door, shouting, "hey, we need a doctor over here, now!"

Damien, Farris, and the other agent gathered around Ren, concern on their faces, doing what they could to help! They kept her from falling completely over as she was fading to the brink of unconsciousness!

On one side of the room, Ren was laying on a med unit bed, a special plastic sheet system separating off her area from the rest of the room, keeping the environment inside clean. Farris and Damien sat on chairs just outside the barrier, watching with concern as several doctors and assistants worked, the steady beeping of several machines a dull background noise. Kage leaned against the wall of the far side of the room. The agent who had commented about Ren's bell collar was also hanging out nearby, keeping a watch from the door to the main hall.

One of the assistants came over to Damien and Farris. "Hey, listen, this will take some time...maybe you should go find a place to rest?"

Farris glanced at Damien. "He'll be fine here, watching out for her. Where should I go?"

The assistant pointed out the agent near the door. Nodding to Damien, Farris headed over to her. The Trinity agent looked up as he approached. "Didn't catch your name," he said as he held out a hand.

An odd smile formed on her face, as she shook his hand. "Call me Coy."

"Farris."

She shook her head, and led him into the hall. "I just shook the hand of an enemy. What is this world coming to?"

Farris sighed, following. "I know what you mean. All this is crazy..."

Coy glanced up at the ceiling. "I hope she'll be okay..."

(OOC: Edit: Adding a bit more content, changed and added a couple things above)

Farris was escorted to the Trinity leader's office. Coy left him in the room, and Farris found himself facing the back of a large blue chair. "Farris 1/144...welcome."

Farris' hand tightened around the container. "Why did you want to talk to me?"

The strong, deep voice laughed for a moment. "My apologies. This is no laughing matter. Straight to the point, eh? Very well. Surely you knew to keep an eye out for Trinity, trying to steal that container of yours?"

"Yes, of course."

"That was why they set you up on such a steady schedule, making you carry basic and unimportant things. They gave you that container because we were supposed to be watching out for a heavily-armed transport."

"..."

"We're not stupid. Still, that security you've got is quite a problem...but, you don't even know what's in that box, do you?"

"...who are you?"

"I'm certain you'll recognize me."

The chair swiveled around. Farris gasped. "M-Mabeth 1/4! So...that's why the government never let the public know who the leader of Trinity was..."

Mabeth closed his eyes. "Yes, exactly right. We've all had to do things that we didn't want to, including yourself now."

"But why!? A person in such a position as yourself...you were a Regent!"

"This isn't about me, right now."

"Then, what's it about?"

"That container. Do you want to know what it holds?"

"I don't. I admit, I am curious, but...I know I would regret knowing."

"Then I won't tell you. It is very dangerous, though. If you'll let us remove it, we can dispose of it properly..."

"No. I will deliver it, and if any of your men try to stop me...I will fight every step of the way to High Sector!"

"If you knew what you were carrying...you wouldn't be so eager to bring it to the government. You could tell them that Trinity stole it and let you go alive as a warning."

"I...I could, but..."

"You should get some rest. When the doctors are done with the examination, I will speak with you about your options. You can think about this matter, as well."

*****

Kage wandered to the exit gate, bored of holding still. A Trinity Agent was there, leaning against a pillar near the door. "Can't let you outside, sorry." He took a second glance at Kage. "You might find something of interest down the hall, though."

(OOC: That's an opportunity for an event. I haven't decided what it is, so go ahead and make something up that would be appropriate for your character.

I'm thinking that for Damien, this is more of an introspective moment.

In either case, feel free to wander around, talk to people, rest, think, read a book, or do nothing. I'll move along with the story in a few days.)

(OOC: Ya, I was thinking of something a little introverted at the mo. Think it's ready now...hope it's ok^^)

He had never felt like this before...about anyone!

Damien sat staring at her face as she slept peacefully. Maybe...maybe that dream back in the corridor about her being an angel wasn't too far off the mark after all!

He stood up and stepped out from behind the curtain, running a hand through his tangled, messy hair. The others had gone...didn't they care about her???

He sighed slightly. one of the straingest things about this feeling was getting used to the fact that not everyone shared it...if they did he'd be forced to fight them, actually!

He moved over to a large chest of drawers and worktop at the other side of the room and began rummaging through the items inside. His survivalist upbringing had tought him to look for anything that may be of use whenever he got the chance and keep it just in case.

As he did so he started thinking about his parents. He could barely remember them...he had forced them out of his mind for the most part. He had heard that love was something parents had for their children, as well as close friends had for each other...might his parents have felt about him the same way he now felt about Ren...?

No of course they didn't...his parents hated him. But maybe they were supposed to...

He had never known love. Throughout his life he had never had anyone to love him, so he didn't understand the concept. There was also a small part of him that rebelled...that was embarassed about feeling love...wasn't it suposed to be sissified?

But whatever it was that he was feeling right now, it wouldn't be denied!

He found a pair of long, sharp scissors in the coupboards and spirited them away into his belt. He also found a rack of test tubes with various substances in them, but he didn't know what they were, so decided against taking them. He came to the open door, and for a moment was tempted to go exploring, but his feelings cried out to him to stay, in case she woke. It was a long time before he could make a decision, but his heart won over and he stepped back into the partitioned area, sitting down next to the bed again.

One thing was bothering him now though...he cared for her deeply...he loved her...but what if she didn't feel the same back...?

Kage wandered down the hallway, wondering what could be worth looking at. Sure, it was a anti-government group's base, but things can only be new and exciting to a certain extent. After seeing both Life and Death...things never had the same interest about them.

Giving the closed doors a quick glance, Kage quickly avoided the look of a Trinity agent passing by. You're jumpy, he told himself, leaning against the wall next to another doorway, And you know why. You think that someone will see right through you, read your mind like a book and find out the treachery you're planning against a weakened bodyguard's employer... But so was Trinity, weren't they? Weren't they just as intent on that container as he was?

On a sudden flash of desperation, Kage flung open the door, running in and slamming it behind him. Yes...It was deserted, a conference room of sorts, and he sank into a heavily padded chair with a soft sigh. Now he could think in peace. Now he could...converse with those who may be able to help his predicament. Closing his eyes, he felt for the vial at his waist...

(OOC: X.x so little time right now...I'll do more later, when I can.)

One spirit in particular seemed eager to speak with Kage, almost as if he had been waiting!

Kage knew he had recently died, yet his spirit had gone quite a distance to get here from High Sector!

"...I was a spy, investigating the Soulus project. The fools don't know what they've created...it must be destroyed! It is too powerful...far too powerful for this world. That container...must not fall into the wrong hands...Aiiieieeee!!!"

And the spirit was gone. It was almost an apparition, so transparent and weak...and at the moment it screamed, some sort of shade-like being grabbed him and ran off at blinding speed! They were gone now.

Whatever the 'message' meant, only Kage was aware of it. But, there were other spirits to talk to, and gathering information about his rivals would be invaluable...

The rest of the spirits seemed to only want to elaborate on the other's statements, which Kage gave into eventually.

"It shouldn't go to the government, not if it's that powerful..." Others agreed with her, nodding their transparent heads.

"The power it would bring them..."

"No government should have that power..." Kage sighed, resting his head in his hands.

"But does that give me the right to steal it from him and the government? Wouldn't that make me just as low as them, if not lower?" By not speaking in Necromatic, he invited them to offer their opinions, which they did gladly.

"Hmph. You never would have cared about that before." One spirit had talked to him a few times before, and had began to learn his character. "Travelling with those ones you speak of has weakened you, it has. Soon you'll be giving to charities..."

"That's going too far," Kage snapped in reply, silencing their voices. "None of you are any help. I'm going back." Cutting off the link, he emerged back in the realm of Life, wonderfully warm after the colourless void of the Underworld. He stood up and stretched, considering his options. Clearly more research on Farris's container was in order; perhaps Trinity could help in that regard. As for his turning...That would have to be decided later. It was too foggy to see now, to undefinate...Shaking away the lingering worries, Kage started for the door. Time to see how Cat Girl and Lover Boy were getting on, though they'd probably resent him all the more for it. Entering the hallway, he let the door shut with a sharp snap behind him.

Coy knelt down next to the chair Damien was sitting in. They exchanged glances. Damien chose not to say anything, recognizing her as one of the agents that brought them here. After a time, she said softly, "...she's beautiful, isn't she?"

"...yeah..."

"I-it's not fair..." She looked down at her feet, "not fair that the pretty ones always..." Coy looked up to Damien, a wet gleam in her eyes, "my mother died from this disease."

"...I'm sorry..."

Coy looked back down. "Thanks. I'm sorry for troubling you, I just...want her to be okay."

The doctors finished what they were doing, and most of them dispersed. A few of them looked pleased with themselves, but a couple of them were wiping their eyes. One of them stayed to monitor her condition and the machines, but otherwise they did nothing more.

Farris and Kage arrived at about the same time, entering the room. "What's the situation?" Farris asked one of the doctors as he left.

The doctor didn't make eye contact, and shook his head. Damien didn't see the gesture.

***

A few minutes later, Mabeth arrived to recieve the report of the doctor still there. They talked in low tones for a moment. Not speaking loudly because he might wake Ren, Damien asked, "what's going on?"

Mabeth stayed where he was, but the doctor moved over to the group. "We were able to create a vaccine, but..." He trailed off into silence.

Damien looked desparately into his face. "But what?"

Mabeth stepped forward now, resting a hand on the doctor's shoulder for a moment as he dismissed him. He then turned to Damien. "Even in this medical unit, the air isn't clean enough for the vaccine to heal her. The air in our entire world is polluted, and so the medicine won't be able to work here."

Farris held up a hand, stopping Damien from speaking. "But surely there's some place with clean air, some place we can go...?"

Mabeth closed his eyes for a moment. "...only if you believe in legends."

Damien, Farris, and Coy glanced at him, confusion in their eyes. Kage easily knew of this legend. He said simply, "The Sky."

The stories of 'The Sky' were told as bedtime stories to children, so it was generally common knowledge.

Mabeth's eyes opened, and he nodded. "Yes. No one alive has ever been there, to the legendary world above ours, where the 'sky' exists. It is only a myth, yet many people have spent their entire lives hunting for it." He half-turned, looking at Ren. "If you wish to save her...there is no other option."

(OOC: I'm really sorry, everyone, for my dissapearence. I was half way through updating RPs on Saturday when my internet imploded, and it's only just been fixed now! Sorry for the delay, but now I'm back and ready to rock )

IC:

That floored Damien! He had never believed in the legends...to rediculous. A massive expance of nothing above your head? It couldn't be true...there was never "nothing". There was always "something" everywhere! Besides, how would anyone survive the feeling of insecurity living with nothing but a void above you?

And yet, it was the only way...? Searching for "sky" was absurd...like someone searching for a world in a fairytale...it simply didn't exist...

...but if it was the only way to save Ren, surely they had to try!

He was beginning to sound like the explorer he had met a few years ago...he had been proclaiming about his search for sky. He had outlined what he intended to do when he found it, how he would prove it's existance...

...then he had dissapeared on his quest and never heard of again.

Needless to say everyone who he had spoken to thought he was completely insane, Damien included.

The boy was speechless for a moment, as his logic fought his feelings. What to do...what to say...?

"Hmph. I should have known this mad search would lead us to chasing legends." Kage leant against the wall, lowering his head and crossing his arms. "Or rather, what most consider legends..."

Like all children, Kage had been told the stories, of bright blue expanses of "sky" hanging over people's heads, of the warm sun that shone down and was brighter than any of their lights...But then he had grown up and had forgotten it all, delving deep into the art of Necromancy and forgetting his past life...

He was not nearly powerful enough to bring back the souls of those that had died so long ago and speak to them, to learn what was fancy and what was truth. But once...

Only a novice, unable to control his power, he had let out too much, pulling out too much of his own lifeforce than was healthy. A slight glimpse of a spirit had come back, a spirit whose memories were all but believable and whose faint words had spoken of a long-lost world...

But who knew if it was real? Kage had fallen into a feverish sleep after leaving Death, body trying to draw back in enough energy to recover, and his memories when he had woken had been hazy. Perhaps it was all just a delirious dream his mind had created, in order to make the venture seem worthwhile. His old teacher, Soul Broker, probably could've told him ,but it was the necromancer's policy to never tell his pupils anything about Death unti lthey discovered it themselves.

Sighing, Kage pulled himself back to the current situation. Legend and fact all had to blur now, everything the skeptical world had taught them had to be forgotten in order for them to succeed. But where to begin?

"Perhaps we should continue to High Sector as originally planned," he suggested, when no one said anything. "We may be able to find a way up from there." He never even questioned the fact that the "sky" was up. It seemed like simple common sense.

"Yes, we'll do that," Farris said, agreeing with Kage. To Mabeth, he asked, "is there any more information or help you can give us? A lead, or anything to get us in the right direction?"

No one noticed, but Ren's ears perked up. She was awake now, and just resting and listening before she got up.

Mabeth nodded. "Just as End Sector is below Low Sector, there is a sector above High Sector, known as Top Sector."

Farris rubbed a hand across his chin. "Where the Regents live? We're not going to be able to just walk in there."

"You're right, the front door is heavily guarded. But, there is a less-known and largely unprotected back way through PowerOne." Mabeth turned his eyes to Farris' suit pocket. "That key you have will get you in."

Farris pulled out the crystal, looking at it in disbelief. "How did you...nevermind. But we still have to get up there."

Mabeth gestured to Coy, who came to his side. "Agent Coy will lead you to Lifeline."

Ren sat up, stopping only to look at the medical wires still attached to her. "Lifeline? What's that?" She asked.

Farris visibly jumped, surprised. "Er, you're awake, Ren?" Shrugging, he answered her question. "Lifeline is a back route from Mid Sector to High Sector. It goes right through the Old Industrial District."

Stepping aside to let Damien by, Mabeth nodded. "Yes, and Lifeline is also the fastest route by foot. It is not common knowledge anymore, and usually untraveled because of the Genics. How did you learn of it, Farris?"

"I had the opportunity to speak with a few of the workers at my company who went there for some electrical work."

"Ah, I see." Shaking his head, Mabeth added, "well, time is precious. Now that Ren is awake, you'd best move on." Turning, he walked over to Ren, and carefully removed the remaining cables of the equipment from Ren. "You won't need these now. Coy is very familiar with Lifeline, and should be able to get you past a lot of the dangers without difficulty."

As they began to move, Coy commented, "if anyone needs supplies, now's the time to get them." Then she led the way down a back corridor, to a T-intersection. "Let's make sure of our gear before we go. Med kit?"

Farris gestured to a pocket on the side of the container. "Check."

"Weapons?"

"Check."

"Food and other supplies?"

"Check."

(OOC: Here, I'll leave an opportunity to react to any of what has happened. Feel free to take any part of the scene and RP with it. I didn't mean to skip past points, but I wanted to move it ahead. I'll wait a day or so, and then introduce Lifeline.)

(EDIT: Been a day or so.)

"I guess we're ready, then. Follow me, I have something to show you."

The group followed Coy down the right passage of the T, walking on a grating bridge over a water-filled passage. After a bend and a short distance further, they came out into a larger room. Coy stepped away from the group, to stand next to a large humanoid Genic. "Meet Cyclops!"

It was an impressive sight. It must have been more than eight feet tall, with mottled brown skin filled with obviously powerful muscles. Large hands and feet hung at the ends of unusually skinny limbs. Its head consisted largely of one giant eye, which glanced over them quickly. Long, floppy yet sturdy bunny ears twitched on top of its head.

Coy put her hand on Cyclops' powerful arm, pride in her voice as she said, "we rebuilt the worker genic into a rideable war model! The back serves as a good place to stand, the ears upgraded to be used as handles and supports!"

Farris was impressed, but tried not to show it. "And this affects us how? There's only one right here."

"That's true, and while we do have more, we don't have enough for all of us. I was just thinking, it would be good if Ren saved her strength, so if we bring Cyclops along, he could carry her."

Ren protested, "I-I'm fine, really..."

Damien looked at her for a moment, and the look in his eyes helped change her mind. Ren smiled for a moment. "That's awfully nice of you, Coy. But someone should be up there with me, to keep me from falling in case I pass out again. Damien's light, would it be okay if he did that?"

Coy nodded. "Sure! Cyclops has loads of endurance! If that's settled, let's get moving!"

Through another door they went. Passing by a few guards and through a security lock, they took a lift up about fifty meters, and entered Lifeline. This area was very different from the one they had just left. It seemed to be some sort of factory. Small bursts of steam issued forth from some parts. There seemed to be several paths they could take, and Coy led them without hesitation across a bridge that overlooked a larger area.

Coy kept her eyes open, and saw below them a couple of humanoid beings silently run from one shadow to another, stalking something. Derricks, they were called. They had once been human workers in this factory section, but had somehow degenerated into smaller, hunched over beings. They wore gas masks and suits, and used screwdrivers and other tools as weapons, favoring ambushes and guerilla tactics over open combat. Coy knew that Derricks struggled to survive here, and had a lot of competition from the scavenger genics Stitch Spiders. Stitch Spiders, basically half the size of a human and very spider-like, though cunningly intelligent, also used stealth tactics, and were also well versed in group strategies, with highly sticky webbing they could launch at opponents to immobilize them. They especially liked attacking by dropping from the ceiling all around their prey.

Coy hoped that they could avoid all the Derricks and Stitches. It could easily be a big pain to fight them in these often confined quarters.

They walked for ten minutes or so, and reached the next lift without incident. This lift went up only twenty meters, and they exited it to find themselves in a similar factory area. This one, however, had thicker, more polluted air, with wider open spaces. Coy led them across a gantry. Farris noticed a control station for this room on the other side. "Good grief, look at all this stuff! Why isn't it used anymore?"

Coy cast him a sideways glance. Seeing an opportunity to save words, she pointed across the room to the lower level, on a dirt-covered floor. A foot-long cockroach dashed out from behind some machinery, and skittered across the floor. On its way, it passed by a large crate. As it did, the crate lifted up a little, and in a blindingly fast motion, purple tentacles shot out, snared the cockroach, and dragged it into the cover of the box! A light crunching was barely audible.

Farris shuddered. "I see."

As they pressed on, Coy explained, "as if genics going Rogue wasn't bad enough, strange things just started happening. Things became possessed, and some construction-type equipment went berserk, killing a lot of workers. No explanation, just bad things kept happening, causing chaos. In a short time, they pulled most workers out, sending only maintenance teams in. There were some long-term workers that lived in this area, but they went kinda...feral. Those ones are Derricks."

"I see...and this all happened quite some time ago. I wonder, though...we're such a large group, surely some of the inhabitants have noticed us by now. Why haven't we been attacked?"

Coy shrugged. "I'm paying attention, but maybe we're just lucky. Or maybe we're too big a group for them to try. Though I have seen Derricks go for groups that outnumber them 4-to-1 before, so I really can't say."

They crossed through a long hallway, and entered another large room. This one was errily quiet; no clanking machines or bursting steam in here. The lights seemed less luminous here, also. Farris looked at Coy to see if this was normal, and he saw her silently draw a gun and sword from her belt. This was not normal, and it obviously worried her. Farris drew his gun, and they followed her as she crept along, slower than before.

(OOC: lol has it been a day or so Way? I could have sworn it was only last night you posted XD I was trying to think of something for back then but I'll do something for now then lol)

IC:

High up on the back of "Cyclopse", Damien looked around uneasily too. After the noise of the machines back there, the silence of this room was positivley opressive!

He was sat on the Genic's shoulders, Ren sat beside him quietly. They hadn't spoken during the trip here...Damien had been trying to think of things to say, but he just couldn't get his mind to work! Cyclopse made it more difficult...he found the massive thing somewhat imposing, rather unnerving, and he was slightly worried that the curious creature may suddenly tip them off at any moment! He kept one hand ready to quickly grab one of the creature's ears should the event occur.

Now, though, he was destracted slightly. Slowly he climbed to his feet, drawing his sword with a quiet ssssshhhhrrring of metal and taking a deep breath. Ren made to stand up too, but he put a hand on her shoulder, gently pushing her back down. She looked up at him with raised eyebrows for a moment, but then smiled warmly, a smile that made his knees feel like jelly!

OOC: Well, maybe it was a little less than 24 hours, but I went according to the difference between the listed times in my post.

And you can still add stuff there. I dunno why, but that's something I like to allow. I guess, if you want, you could ezmessage me, and I could edit it in. That would make it flow better, anyway.

IC:

Ren cast a worried glance ahead. Her ears twitched, and she had the thought, "Oh, no...it's-"

Small lights lit up a small area of the path ahead, bringing a lone crouching figure into view. "I'm dissapointed in you," he looked up at the Cyclops, "Ren."

Shrike. His dark suit and gas mask were unmistakable. Coy glanced up at Ren. "Ren? What's going on?"

"I...I'm sorry."

The room's lights went back on. The group was surrounded on both levels (the dirt one below and the grating above) by armed people in dark clothing and various headgear, such as night vision goggles and gas masks! Shrike stood to his full height. "You're sorry to them? First you vanish, not taking the path we agreed on, and then you are going this way, and you are sorry to them!? If you had done what you were supposed to do, you would already be home because they would already be dead!"

Farris glanced up in amazement at Ren for a moment, but kept his eyes on Shrike. Why was he the only unarmed member of his crew? They all had swords or guns or staves, but he had nothing. Why? Farris was more concerned about that detail than anything else. "Besides," he thought grimly. "I've gotten used to the idea that everyone is out to betray me."

Damien had no idea what was going on, but at that last thing, his jaw dropped. Had Ren really been planning on...? No, of course not! She was the nicest one out of the bunch, so how could she...? His mind whirled.

Kage remained in a passive position. If he needed to, he could summon his dagger to his hand, but so far it didn't look to him like they were going to fight.

Coy glanced around, nervously watching the weapons of the others. "Outnumbered...20 of them...6 of us."

Cyclops blinked its huge eye.

Ren looked down, guilt plastered on her features. "I..." she glanced at Damien, then looked to Shrike. "Shrike, I'm not done here yet. Unexpected things happened, my timing got knocked off."

"Then take care of it. Right now."

Ren nodded, hand going up to the bell collar. Damien stared as Farris turned his gun on Ren. "Ren, this is a warning: you betray me, you won't live to talk about it."

Coy looked pleadingly up at Ren. She gestured with her hand, signing a cross over her heart. Ren nodded, ever so slightly, and grabbed the collar firmly! Pulling it off, she tossed it to Coy, shouting, "catch!"

Dropping her gun, Coy caught the collar and snapped it onto her neck quickly. Once it was on, she squeezed the bell with her hand. "Everyone, keep on going. I'll catch up later, if I can."

Shrike looked on in horror. "No...no!" Metal wings burst from his back, as long as he was tall. "Ren, I'll survive this, and make you pay for betraying me!"

Coy fell to one knee, as energy surrounded her! She let out a cry as her body began to enlarge, fur sprouting all over! In moments, she was twice her size, her features distinctly cat-like! With body rippling with muscle and power, she stood up, tail twitching in anger! She had transformed into a Weretiger!

Damien followed Ren's example, and grabbed an ear of the Cyclops. Ren shouted, "go!"

The Cyclops took off running, Farris and Kage right behind. As he went, Farris picked up Coy's gun. They left Coy there, surrounded by Shrike's forces. Shrike let them pass, flying out of the way of the charging Cyclops, eyes locked onto the Weretiger! The group entered the next lift and it began to go up, with the sounds of battle growing dim.

Silence descended upon the group. Farris looked up at Ren suspiciously, but said nothing. Ren's face flooded with guilt again. "...I...was supposed to lead you into an ambush, and finish you off with the Weretiger. I'm sorry." As an afterthought, she added, "Coy will be alright."

Farris nodded. Changing subjects only because he felt it was relevant, he said, "I know the rest of the way from here. I studied enough maps to know the path. We should be there in another hour."

Damien's mind was spinning! What...had...?

He looked down at Ren, who had slumped back down onto Cyclops' shoulders dejectedly. She wasn't looking at him...wether she knew he was looking at her or not, he didn't know.

All this time...

...she had known...

...and been prepared...

Suddenly he felt empty. He had cared for her, trusted her...loved her...against his best instincts!

Ever since he had been young he had learned how brutal the world was. Trust no-one, care for no-one. It was survival of the fittest, and he didn't even know what the concept of love was!

Now, he had learned...he had trusted, he had cared, he thought he had finally found someone who would not stab him in the back, who would not follow him simply to see him dead and his valuables in their pockets.

But there was nobody like that, was there.

He had let his childish emotions cloud his judgement. He had let a stupid crush interfere with his life and blind him to the truth! She had played coy, pretending that she liked him to draw him in, to increase her cover.

She had betrayed him. And worst of all...she had enjoyed it!

He turned and jumped off the shoulders of Cyclops, landing on the floor with a slight bump. Ren looked round at the noise. "Damien...are...are you ok?"

"Just streaching my legs." he replied evenly, his face emotionless.

Ren was hurting so bad inside, she felt like she was dying. There was no escape from the pain of guilt. "Why did I do it again? Why did I agree to the plan, when I knew what would happen?" She looked up, her eyes running over each of her three companions for a moment. Then, her eyes went back down. "If I had just followed the plan...this pain wouldn't be so bad, because they wouldn't still be alive! Now, I've betrayed everyone...including myself. And Coy...why would she drag herself in to help me? If Shrike hurts her, it'll be...my fault." She closed her eyes, to try to quell the few tears that came. "This is exactly why I left them."

Farris led them carefully along. "There's a lot that needs to be said, that can't be. Being a 'leader' isn't all that great...we'll sort this out when we get to our destination. I don't know what will happen, but we'll deal with it when we get there."

Silence dominated the group as they continued onward.

(OOC: I don't have anything else planned before we reach High Sector. If you want to have an encounter, dialogue, or anything, feel free. I debated for a while about running into some of the locals and fighting, but I decided to leave that up to you, which is why I described them earlier. If nobody has anything, I'll pick it up in three days or so.)

So he wasn't the only one who had planned it. Kage examined the cat girl's dejected expression out of the corner of his eye, musing silently. Her almost-betrayal had been...useful. Perhaps not in her best interests, but it had shown the necromancer what was waiting for him if he continued down his original path...

Of course, it wouldn't be nearly so bad for him. They already all hated him. What difference would a little more dislike and distrust make? A lot. Sighing irritably, Kage attempted to banish the unwanted thoughts, but failed miserably. He hadn't travelled with other people for extended periods of time for exactly this reason! Some part of him, the part that still knew how to laugh, could still long for friendship, he knew it would do this to him!

Flicking a gaze over at the cold-faced boy, a small sardonic smile touched his lips. So he finally realizes the true nature of this world... The iciness of Damien's features was almost...unnatural, too like his own mask for Kage's liking. He hesitated for a moment, then moved towards the boy, speaking softly behind him.

"She obviously didn't want it to end this way. You don't need to be so hard on her."

"What would you care?" Damien retorted bitterly, fortunately remembering to keep his voice low enough for Ren not to hear. "You were going on about how we shouldn't speak to each other and everything!"

"Yes I was, but there my survival was involved. This is different."

For a moment Damien felt like hitting the Necromancer, but he bit his lip and kept on walking. "No, she didn't want it to end this way." he agreed eventually. "It was supposed to end with our deaths!"

"If that was how she wanted it to end, why did she give the collar to Coy?" muttered Kage. "Why didn't she kill us? She could have."

Damien was silent for a minute as he considered a responce. What Kage was saying was true, but his mind didn't want to believe it. It couldn't figure out what it would mean if he was to accept it.

"But...but she betrayed us...me!" he retorted, shaking his head, a little confused...

"It's not as harsh a thing you make it seem." Kage shoved his hands into his pockets, lowering his gaze to the ground. "When she agreed to do it, she didn't even know you. It wouldn't have been a very big deal at the time. Then, with all the things that happened, the event most likely completely slipped her mind."

"You act as though you know the feeling," Damien replied, eyeing the necromancer suspiciously and making a cold smile cross his lips.

"Who doesn't? Think about it, boy. Haven't you ever done something unworthy to another? Living in Low Sector, I'll be quite doubtful if you deny it." Leaving the conversation hanging, Kage moved away, cold mask in place to hide the vortex of mixed emotions below. How long could he continue this masquerade of non-feeling ot the rest of the group? How much longer would it hold...