apricusnights - Tumblr blog

[apricusnights]

Chapter Six: Schism.

Location: Cathedral Of The Sun, Delta Town.

Julius: "And what brings you here yet again Brother Shin? Another complaint about how I'm running the order I was elected to run?"

Shin: "Elected is a strange term. You were given your position thanks to the Ascension Protocol during the Checkmate invasion.."

Julius: "And I have retained my position through several votes held by the order. It seems I'm doing a better job than you care to admit. Perhaps had you not spent years endorsing the former first templar..who by this point seems to have never existed..well, we might be in a different situation right now."

Shin: "Enough!" Barely managing to control himself. Every impulse he had was to throw Julius through the cathedral wall. The only issue was, Julius hadn't done anything wrong...and he had the backing of the High Priestess.

"This is about a member of the order, Sister May. Your second in command as it were. I want to know why she spent so much time with the High Priestess recently."

Julius: "Ask her yourself. It was nothing I had anything to do with. Perhaps she simply wanted a bit of guidance. I admit I've been quite busy lately."

Shin: "She's loyal to you and you alone...I am hard pressed to believe you know absolutely nothing about this."

Julius: "She is loyal to me because I was one of the first to greet her when she stumbled in out of the cold. Though if I recall, you were the one who trained her when she entered the order. She holds just as much respect for you as she does for me. We were both there for her after what befell her family. Such a tragic event."

Shin: "I should have known better than to expect any sort of answers from you. Have a blessed day Brother Julius." Turning and exiting the office before he said something he'd regret.

Julius: "You as well Brother Shin."

Solomon: "Brother Shin, if I could have a word?" Motioning for Shin to enter his office just as Brother Jerome was leaving with a stack of books.

Shin entered the office and closed the door behind him.

Shin: "May I be of service Brother Solomon?"

Solomon: "Care for a cup of tea?" Pouring them each a cup before sitting down, the chair creaking a bit. "I really should get a new chair one of these days. This one feels as if it's going to fall apart any second. Unfortunately, it's not the only thing."

Shin: Sipping his tea before nodding his head. "I'm so used to seeing the cathedral full of people. Now we're barely getting half of what we used to unless it's a particularly special sermon or event."

Solomon: "The Emperors have revealed themselves to more of the world. I believe it's hard to see something so powerful, and so ancient and not wonder if it's holy. Sometimes faith is questioned when something you must believe in is up against something tangible."

Shin: "I'm afraid that isn't the only reason. The High Priestess has become.."

Solomon: "More erratic in her behavior. It's hard not to take notice of what's happening. She's becoming more militant if that's the correct word. I fear something terrible may happen soon, especially with the more recent events."

Shin: "I'm..afraid I don't know what you're referring to."

Solomon: "You recall the young woman who displayed a rather incredible awakened ability after the avalanche struck a small town in Smokey Gardens years ago correct?"

Shin: "Yes, I believe her name was Lazuli. We tried unsuccessfully to recruit her to the order."

Solomon: "The High Priestess continues to send representatives to try that very thing. Despite being told no on various occasions she refuses to let it go. I fear her patience is running thin, I also fear that she'll soon refuse to take no for an answer."

Shin: "Forcing someone to join the order has never been our way."

Solomon: "And perhaps you can convince her of this. I know you were considering accompanying Julius on this next expedition down to the lost cathedral but perhaps a greater opportunity is being presented to you."

"Allow Julius to undertake his journey without any complications. He will likely take his second in command with him. It leaves you with a chance to speak one on one with the High Priestess and attempt to set things right."

Shin: "Perhaps you're right. I have been meaning to speak with her about a few things. Seems there will be a perfect opportunity for this." Finishing his tea before standing up and heading to the door.

"Thank you for the tea Brother Solomon. Have a blessed day."

Solomon: "Any time. Have a blessed day Brother Shin...and good luck." Watching as the other man left his office.

Julius via a broadcast: "Greetings everyone. You are all presented with a chance to see something truly special. We have in fact discovered the long lost "underground cathedral". I will be personally leading the next expedition and would like to bring several of you along with me."

"It is a chance of a lifetime. A chance to be among the first to see something incredible. Consider the holy relics, the ancient tomes, the tapestries, and likely much more. You'll be able to step foot inside a holy site not visited since the final days of the empire."

"I have left a signup sheet in my office. There will be plenty of room so please do not rush. I hope to see the sheet filled up with names. Should you have any questions, please feel free to seek me out."

"May you all have a blessed day."

The broadcast sent to Church Personnel and Scholars ended.

[apricusnights]

Chapter Five: Beginning's End.

Location: "The Spire". The absolute center of Apricus City.

Chimera: "You realize I have to kill them all now. The brat figured out who I was and most of their little group saw my face. I hope the research data was worth it."

Masked Man: "It won't matter in the end. There is no video evidence of what you look like so the average person has nothing to go by. Besides, it isn't as if you can't change your appearance anytime you like. Or, is this perhaps about something else?"

Chimera: "Maybe I just don't like the bitch. She rubs me the wrong way."

Masked Man: Opening the box delivered to him by the white rabbit group. "Go after her if you want, she's irrelevant and therefor disposable."

Chimera: "I'm not going to make it that easy. I want her to suffer…but she can wait for now. Did you get what you needed?"

Masked Man: "This missing data from Olympus, including the notes on how my creation fared in it's one and only battle. More importantly though…our friends managed to dig up what I needed. I know where the next piece of the puzzle is."

Chimera: "What about all the data you had me gather at the club?"

Masked Man: "The Marigold clan is particularly interesting. Especially when it comes to awakened abilities..and powers that aren't exactly classified as such. All the research has a greater purpose."

Chimera: "Meaning this of course?" Motioning to a set of research notes dating back to the empire.

Masked Man: Reaching up and removing the mask before tossing it aside. "Precisely. In the end all that matters is Project Sunrise.."

Location: Guardian District.

Miranda: "Bundles of Lavender offered to pay or the damages done to the club. Guess they wanted to save face since Nava was involved. We still got stuck with the bill for the train damage though. Lowell wasn't pleased."

Jae: "What's worse is that we all came up empty handed. The rabbit masked weirdos got away with whatever was in the escape craft. I'm also gonna assume you still think we've got a traitor somewhere."

Miranda: "Keep that to yourself. Right now you and Oct are the only ones I've told about this. We can't let anyone suspect anything. I've got to come up with a way to flush them out but it'll have to wait. We need to focus on maintaining peace between the factions."

Jae: "You mentioned Oct, I haven't seen him around. Where did he head off to?"

Miranda: "Who knows. Hadrian fixed up his armor for him and he left, said he had work to do. Think that encounter he had in the helicopter might have spooked him a little."

Jae: "Yeah, and the fact he seemed to have his own agenda when it comes to the rabbits. Wonder if he knows who one of them is."

Miranda: "Never asked him too many questions. Figure that might be one of the reasons he keeps working with us. He does his thing, we do ours. I keep him on the payroll for when I find jobs nobody else can do."

Jae: "Fair enough. I need to get going. Amelia asked me if I wanted to go on a date."

Miranda: "Finally got the guts to ask huh? Good on her. Just..be careful Aryl."

Jae: "Course Ma'am." Giving a salute before leaving the office.

Location: Cherry Hills.

Ajax: "So you think you're gonna add any of them to your incredibly elite circle of friends?"

Nava: "I barely was able to speak to any of them. Just because we fought together doesn't mean I care to know them."

Ajax: "Good job at that by the way, you kicked some ass. A small amount of ass but ass nonetheless. But…I find if you fight alongside people and they don't stab you in the back..you might end up finding something in common with them. Battles are a good way to determine a lot of things."

Nava: "I'll make sure to invite them to my next tea party." Glancing over at her aShine and rolling her eyes.

Ajax: "Dickheads at the company again?"

Nava: "My parents are "thoroughly disappointed" by my actions. They've had to make a public apology on my behalf. The company wants me to read a statement."

Ajax: "They don't even give a shit about if you're ok or not. All that matters is their fuckin public image. These assholes are about to go travel the world on some "fashion show at sea" thing and I'm pretty sure that's all that matters."

Nava: "There was a time when I wish I could have argued against that but…it's increasingly obvious that you're right. You, Bonnie, and Sable are some of the only people who have ever cared about ME. Not my family name, not my work, not the company, just ME."

Ajax: "Eh fuck everyone else, you're better than them."

Nava: "I've heard rumors that the company is looking for ways to kick me out. I wonder if what just happened will give them more ammo."

Ajax: "Does it matter?"

Nava: "It used to. I don't know if it does anymore."

Ajax: "That's my girl! Just lift your top up, let your tits out, give a middle finger and send that picture to everyone. There's the fuckin statement they can have!"

Nava: "Absolutely not! Besides…I'd rather someone actually important..see something..like that.."

Ajax: "Wha.." Nava's top was suddenly thrown over his head. He frantically reached up to pull it away so nothing was obstructing his view of..

Ajax barely had a chance to react as Nava caught him off guard, pushing him back and making him fall backwards on to the sofa. Nava bit her lip as she made her way over to him…

Location: Aurora Vale.

"Redfish" sat by himself on a bench near one of the park's many small lakes. The images played in his mind over and over. All that time spent tracking her down only for her to slip away again. Now he was back at square one.

Perhaps it was even worse than before. Now he knew someone else was out there in armor like his own. No, whatever that was it was far more advanced than his armor or any he's ever seen. He knew he'd seen the symbols on the armor somewhere before but couldn't quite place where. He'd have to do some research again, not like that was hard. The Bureau had granted him access to nearly every file they had.

Still, even thoughts of his new armored foe would vanish and be replaced by his obsession with finding his friend. Was she even that? They fought together, he felt as if she was some sort of kindred spirit, or maybe she reminded him of someone. It didn't matter, this was his mission. He'd never given up on a mission and he didn't intend to start now. Square one be damned, you get knocked down and you get your ass back up.

He stood up and turned to see someone had been watching him. Something he should have detected..how long had she been there? He recognized her. She fought in the tournament, she fought alongside him when the creature attacked Olympus..he remembered her name was..

Redfish: "Solstice?"

Solstice: "Summer, and we need to talk.."

Location: Upper Docks.

Jasper: "I'm still upset you didn't wait for me."

Mel: "Oh ok, what do I say? "Could everyone hold off on fighting for a second so my boyfriend can get here?" Yeah, that would have worked. Besides, what kept you?"

Jasper: "I'm fairly sure your brother tried to sabotage me.."

Mel: "That's your excuse for everything now."

Jasper: "And most of the time it's true!"

Mel: "Yeah yeah. Anyway we're heading back to the theater. Remember we have a brainstorming session this weekend for the new schedule!" Waving at Amias and Lye before she and Jasper left.

Van: "And I'm just saying she was pretty. I don't really remember much but I'm sure it was fun!"

Nerys: "Poison lipstick Van. She was going to kiss you to death!"

Van: "And I said it wouldn't be a bad way to go! I'd have been fine with it!"

Viridian: "There's the Van Marigold humor I know and love…"

Van: "Just tellin the truth…I would have.."

Lye: "You would have what? Been happier? We'd have been better off? Do you still think that way?"

Van: "I.."

Lye: "No, you're going to shut up and listen to me. Tagetes was right. I'm sick of holding on to this. You're my brother, I care about you. All of those terrible things you did? I don't care. I may never be able to truly forgive you for what you did but that doesn't mean I don't care about my brother!"

"It's time to let this go Van. All of it. We can't live out the rest of our lives like this and you can't go on thinking we'd be better off without you. We wouldn't. You have friends, you have family, and we love you. When you were drowning and Captain Larsen pulled your dumb ass out of the water…that was your wakeup call. You have a second chance, you need to stop trying to waste it."

"Tagetes told me that I am not who I used to be. I am not a reflection of my past self, and Van..neither are you…"

She'd actually give her brother a hug before wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Besides, Chimera wasn't that pretty. You've got someone much better looking who's been trying to get your attention for a long time.."

Van: "I…" Trying to regain his composure before wiping off his own watery eyes. "Wait..who..what?"

Amias: "You really are dense…" Turning him to look at Bonnie.

Bonnie: "Uhm..hi Van.."

Van: "Bonnie? You..?"

Lye: "Oh for Tagetes's sake. She gets heart eyes every time you're playing a match against her! You two really need to just go have dinner or something."

Bonnie: "Uhm..wanna go have dinner?"

Nerys: "Yes he does! I know a great place, I'll get you two in without reservations! You'll love it!"

Van: "I'd..love to."

Location: Somewhere in Smokey Gardens.

White Rabbit (Biker): "Told you we'd get ya a new mask, all fixed up! Ya look good sis!"

White Rabbit (Scythe): Nods and follows him into a large meeting room filled with people all wearing white rabbit masks.

White Rabbit (Queen): "Ah good, we've been waiting on you. Have a seat. Now, as all of you know our plans have been set in motion. We have members in nearly every nation now and we're only continuing to grow."

"With the recent crackdowns on anything deemed to be "criminal" activity..it's become much more difficult for several organizations to operate. We will be the solution. One that is many, many that are one. A global operation that won't be based in any one place."

"The world is on the brink of being irreparably fractured. With nations at each other's throats there will be no cooperation between law enforcement agencies. Everything we desire, we shall acquire!"

"And when the fracturing ends and the new world begins to form..we'll be the ones pulling the strings.."

Location: Apricus City.

Lydia Reliford: "Good evening Apricus City. Lydia Reliford here for Apricus News."

"A continuous series of anonymous donations have set up the Delta Town Restoration Project. The project aims to fix the many issues Delta Town has faced while maintaining affordable living."

"The project is being overseen by the city council with a small amount of objection coming from the High Priestess of the Consecration. She believes since it is her district she should be the one overseeing everything. Her objection however was overruled."

"Speaking of the Consecration, Brother Julius has announced the next wave of scholars, and church personnel who will be accompanying him to what is rumored to be a long lost cathedral deep underground. The church has yet to confirm or deny this rumor."

"Our weather forecast is looking good as temperatures begin to rise a bit. Summer is certainly right around the corner. Get ready to do some gardening as experts are saying next month will be perfect to start getting everything planted!"

"That will do it for tonight, have a wonderful evening everyone!"

[apricusnights]

Chapter Four: When It Rains It Pours.

Fisher: "Attention, this is Commander Fisher! We're in pursuit of a fleeing suspect, currently exiting Delta Town and heading Northwest. Suspect is driving what appears to be a modified Ciar Phantom motorcycle. I need any available units to setup checkpoints. Do not let the suspect through."

Jae: "Uh Ma'am?"

Miranda looked ahead in time to see the suspect ramp up over an offramp and land on top of the train tracks.

Fisher: "Shit, better hang on Aryl, this isn't going to be pretty.."

Accelerating as much as possible she managed to jump their vehicle up and on to the tracks as well.

Fisher: "Suspect is using the train tracks in an attempt to evade us, we are in pursuit. Suspect seems to be heading towards the Diamond District..."

The motorcyclist swerved aside to dodge on oncoming train..something their current vehicle wouldn't be able to do. Left with no choice she swerved into the small barrier in between tracks and managed to get the car up on it's two right wheels. The left wheels scraping along the side of the passing train.

Jae: "Pretty sure we're gonna get a bill for that..."

The car finally landed back on four wheels with a thud as the motorcyclist jumped off the tracks. Undeterred by a ridiculous concept such as gravity, Fisher followed. The car landed on the ground..quite a bit worse for wear but still in pursuit.

Jae: "There! They just went down that alley! To the right!"

Before Fisher had a chance to react she heard something land on top of their car. A second later, a scythe came slicing down, nearly splitting the car in half and causing Fisher and Aryl to dive out.

The wrecked pieces of the car slid to a stop as a woman wearing a white rabbit mask and wielding a scythe leapt down.

Fisher: "Still alive Aryl?"

Jae: "Yeah, though I don't know if I want to be..."

The motorcyclist stopped and got off of the bike, making their way forward and revealing themselves to be wearing a slightly different white rabbit mask.

White Rabbit (Biker): "Well THAT was an exhilarating little chase! Kudos for keeping up. Unfortunately, you're about out of time. Someone call the fat lady, she's on in five!"

White Rabbit (Scythe): Spins her weapon around and begins to approach Fisher and Aryl.

Meanwhile, inside the nearby nightclub:

Van: "I was having a nice time!" Kicking someone aside.

Lye: "WITH CHIMERA?! She was going to kill you with lipstick you moron!" Lye was currently fighting Chimera though she wished she had her shoes, the dagger thrown to her by Mel would have to do.

Van: "I can think of worse ways to go!" Van broke off a table leg and swung it as if it were a bat. "Guess it'll work!"

Nava: "Do dates with you always turn out like this?"

Ajax: Currently lifting two people over his head and throwing them. "Only the good ones baby!"

Bonnie: "The weapon check room!" Finally having managed to fight through the various brawls going on. She knocked out the last person in her way and kicked open the door...

Chimera took a swing at Lye with her poisoned daggers only to find herself blocked by Amias? The dagger seemed unable to penetrate the strange sort of energy armor that had surrounded his body. Before she had a chance to strike Amias backflipped and kicked Chimera away from Lye.

Lye: "You can do that?!"

Amias: "Apparently?!"

Viridian: "Where did you learn to fight.."

Amias: "Growing up with as many older sisters as I did...you learn things out of necessity."

Nerys: "I need you to throw me!"

Van: "What?!"

Nerys: "Like Hecaball! Throw me up there!" She pointed to Mel upstairs fighting against a masked man.

Virdian and Van braced themselves before grabbing Nerys and throwing her through the air. Nerys landed behind the masked man and immediately punched him, causing him to stumble and get knocked back by Mel.

Bonnie came running out of the weapon check room and tossed something to everyone. Nava ended up catching a staff of sorts.

Ajax: "Convenient, we were just working with that."

Nava: "I bonked myself in the head three times in a row.."

Ajax: "But you got it right the fourth time, you can do this Nava. I know you can."

Outside:

Fisher and Aryl were struggling against the rabbited masked scythe wielder. Though Fisher had managed to activate a secret emergency beacon and hoped her ally wasn't far away. Aryl had noticed the other rabbit masked individual run over to a fire escape, making their way to the top of a building.

Fisher: "Go after them, don't let them get away. Who knows what they took from the escape craft!"

Aryl nodded and began to pursue the suspect while Fisher attempted to fight the scythe wielder.

Inside:

Masked Man: "Ridiculous..I don't have time for this.." Pressing a button on his aShine before dropping several spheres on the ground that exploded and flash banged the room. Nerys and Mel were blinded momentarily as the masked man rushed further upstairs.

Just as Van took a swing at her Chimera blew a kiss at him and shot a grappling cable up to the rafters from a wrist mounted device. She was pulled up quickly and raced to join her partner.

Lye: "Oh no, not letting that bitch get away again! Upstairs!"

Outside:

By the time Aryl had reached the roof he noticed a rather advanced looking helicopter seemingly decloak right above the building. He raced to tackle the rabbit masked suspect only to be knocked down by the scythe wielder who had used some sort of insane speed to reach the top of the building.

The masked man and chimera would soon make their way to the roof along with several of their followers. The scythe wielder rose up her blade intending to strike Jae but was suddenly knocked back as Miranda dropped down to help Jae up.

Miranda: "Good timing. Thanks for the lift."

Oct: Turning off his jetpack and landing on the ground. "Don't mention it. Been trying to find this one anyway.."

As if things weren't chaotic enough Van, Lye, and Nava finally made their way up followed by Ajax, Amias, Mel, Nerys, Viridian, and Bonnie.

The brawls seemed to pick back up right where they left off. Nava to her surprise managed to knock down several people with her staff, even blocking an attack meant for Lye. Van and Jae stood back to back as they took on whoever rushed at them.

Ajax: "Who the hell are you?"

Jae: "Jae Aryl. PWSB."

Ajax: "Little group fights pretty well together don't they?"

Bonnie: "Seems that way.."

Ajax: "Wait a second...Van, Nava, Lye, Jae? VNLJ..nah doesn't sound like anything."

Nerys: "VNLA! Vanilla!"

Ajax: "Sweet like Vanilla!"

Van: "I like this guy!"

Nava: "You and I are having a talk later!"

Ajax: "Worth it.."

Meanwhile the masked man and chimera made their way up to the waiting helicopter.

Van: "I feel like you're mocking me with that stupid mask!"

White Rabbit (Biker): "Not like yours are natural either dumbass. Surprised your clan even allowed you to have the ceremony!"

Van: "How did you.." Van was knocked back during his moment of confusion, almost stumbling off the side of the building but being grabbed by Ajax and pulled back.

White Rabbit (Biker): "Yo, time to jet baby!" Grabbing a rope and being pulled up to the helicopter.

The scythe wielder spun around rapidly, knocking down everyone around her except for Oct who somewhat reluctantly landed a punch to her mask, breaking part of it and revealing a silver eye.

A rocket was fired from the helicopter, forcing Oct back as the scythe wielder was pulled up by another rope.

In one last attempt Oct activated his jetpack, flying up and landing inside of the helicopter. Only to stand face to face with someone wearing similar but more advanced power armor. A rather odd looking helmet covering their head.

Before he could react he was grabbed by the throat and lifted up.

White Rabbit (Biker): "Ooops, sorry, we're at maximum weight capacity!"

The being in the power armor reached back with their other hand and slammed their fist into Oct's chest making some of his armor's systems start to go haywire. They'd let go and send Oct falling down to the roof of the building with a thud.

The helicopter seemed to cloak again and vanish from sight as everyone began to recover. PWSB sirens blaring in the distance.

[apricusnights]

Chapter Three: Distant Thunder.

Location: Lower Docks.

Miranda Fisher found herself exploring one of the Bureau's scrapyards. This one in particular had the remains of several escape crafts used to leave the Olympus. So far it had been a bust, nothing of note on the few crafts she'd examined. She only hoped that Aryl was having better luck.

Nearby Jae almost jumped out of his skin when he went to look through a pile of scrap only to disturb a rather angry raccoon which jumped out and ran in the opposite direction. What was he even looking for? The commander said to trust his intuition. He wasn't even sure what his intuition was attempting to tell him at this moment.

Still, he kept being drawn back to a certain area that he thought he'd gone over several times already. He turned when pieces of scrap tumbled down a large pile next to him but saw nothing..another raccoon most likely.

Fisher was close to calling it a day but stopped short of calling out for Aryl. Something just didn't feel right. She drew her firearms and turned when she heard something rummaging through a scrap pile. Something was wrong, it felt as if she was being watched..being hunted.

She slowly made her way across the scrapyard , making as little noise as possible and paying attention to her surroundings.

Jae bent down again an moved a few pieces of scrap out of the way, looking down at a piece of an escape craft that seemed like it had purposely been covered up. He struggled to open the small compartment but succeeded and looked inside. This had already been opened and jammed shut...something was missing..but what..

At that moment he glanced back and saw Fisher just as his aShine went off.

Jae: "Message coming in Ma'am.."

Fisher: "That...shouldn't be possible. We're in a dead zone."

Jae: "Arm yourself because no-one else here will save you?"

Jae looked at the message and tried to make sense of it just as a chimera seemed to decloak and pounce down at him from the top of a scrap pile.

Fisher: "Aryl!" Before she could react, another chimera burst out of the scrap and ran directly at her..

Location: Diamond District.

Ajax: "Ya know, I've been in enough bars to know when something doesn't feel right..and I'm startin to get that feeling."

Bonnie: "I know Drunk Nava is a hassle but she's not quite there yet and I'm sure the two of us can handle her."

Ajax: "Nah, just a feeling.."

Lye and Amias were on the dance floor, Amias admittedly loosening up a bit just by being with Lye..though he did get distracted by her dress..body..legs..Lye..he shook his head and tried to concentrate on dancing.

Amias: "Something the matter?"

Lye: "My brother..."

Amias: "Well yeah that's just a default answer."

Lye: "No..he's dancing with someone..something seems off."

Van had been dancing with the brown haired woman for several songs now and had seemingly lost track of time. All he did was smile at her and continue dancing..completely unaware that the device on her wrist disguised as a bracelet was gathering more and more data from him the longer they maintained contact.

Nerys: "Aww come on Viri, Van is out there having a good time. You sure you don't wanna dance?"

Viridian: "Van hasn't broken eye contact with that woman from the moment she pulled him into the crowd..."

Nerys: "Maybe he just likes her?"

Viridian: "Maybe, but that doesn't explain why someone behind that glass upstairs is watching them intently."

Nerys: "Wha..how do you know that.."

Viridian made a small motion to one of his eyes indicating a possible augmentation..or possibly an awakened ability. Who could tell with him.

Location: Lower Docks.

Miranda leapt over the charging beast, raining down a barrage of ammo on it and making it crash into another pile of metal. She barely had time to move aside as she witnessed Jae pull out some sort of sword and roll forward just as the chimera pounced. The blade slicing through it as he rolled to avoid the creature's acidic blood.

Fisher turned and switched her ammo type as the previous chimera turned and rushed her again. Her pistols connecting together to make one weapon as she waited. The chimera opened its mouth and she fired, her round blasting through the beast and leaving parts of it scattered on the ground.

Aryl: "Since when can they cloak.."

Fisher: "First time I've ever seen..do you hear that?"

Both turned to see someone on a motorcycle race up one of the scrap piles and land a jump out of the yard.

Fisher: "We can't lose them, they may have something!"

Aryl explained what he had found as both rushed back to the car, jumping in and slamming through the scrapyard gates. They drifted into the street and accelerated to catch up with the escaping motorist.

Location: Diamond District.

Mel sat at the bar and seemed just as on edge as Ajax. She was even idly spinning one of her daggers around out of view. Something was wrong. A fair amount of people were suddenly leaving, just getting up and walking out leaving unfinished drinks and uneaten food.

The device on the brown haired woman's wrist finished collecting Van's data as she moved them further into the crowd obscuring them from view.

Van still seemed completely entranced as the woman smiled, reapplying some lipstick before putting her arms around him.

Lye had just barely managed to catch a glimpse of the lipstick and whispered something to her partner. Amias braced himself and swung Lye around, letting her go at the right moment to send her spinning across the dance floor and letting her kick the woman away from Van just as she went to kiss him.

Van shook his head as if trying to wake up and the woman glared at Lye.

The woman jumped up, revealing a dagger she'd kept hidden in a small pouch..the dagger dripping with an unknown substance.

Van: "What the fuck is going on!"

Viridian: "I know that smell...the dagger is coated with venom.."

Nerys: "VAN! The dagger is poisoned!"

Lye realized this was awfully familiar to when she had been knocked out and kidnapped..that meant..

Lye: "Chimera.."

Several other club patrons turned their attention to Van and Lye. As a few of them in front did, Ajax stood up and kicked their table over, knocking out a few people before smirking.

Bonnie: "Nava, stay behind us..."

Viridian turned and picked up a knife from the table, throwing it with precision and shattering the window that the masked man had been standing behind.

Mel had been watching this happen and kicked a few patrons aside as she raced to the stairs, determined to reach the masked individual as brawls began to erupt all around the club.

DJ: "And here's a special request from table thirteen!"

[apricusnights]

Chapter Two: Hidden Agendas.

Location: Somewhere between Capitol Square and Evergreen Basin.

Three individuals stand outside of a somewhat bizarre looking yet empty building. One of them turns to the others and begins to speak.

"Some people think that the ordinary doesn't attract attention. See that's where everyone gets it wrong. Truth is, the more out of place something is, the more people will eventually opt to leave it alone."

"Take this building for example. It's in the absolute center of the city. Do you think people care? Of course they don't. Everyone knows it's in the center. Everyone has seen it. Many people have been inside of it. It's looks fascinating though doesn't it? A bit of a whimsical design meant to be a tourist trap."

"However, the more time passes, the less interesting it becomes. Eventually despite it's appearance and location..nobody cares."

"You can read all about the history of the building and find nothing that would make you give it a second thought. Unless of course, you know a bit of history that isn't exactly available to the public."

"If I told you a story, could you keep a secret?"

Location: Lower Docks.

Fisher: "We're entering a dead zone Aryl, switch off your aShine."

Jae: "Yes Ma'am. Permission to speak freely?"

Fisher: "Granted."

Jae: "What exactly are we here for Ma'am?"

Fisher: "One of the scrapyards here is where we moved some of the Olympus escape crafts to. I need to take a look at something that has been bothering me. You're here because I can trust you."

Jae: "What do you mean by that Ma'am?"

Fisher: "I was noticing something while exploring the Olympus. A lot of the tech Paradise was claiming to have invented seemed awfully familiar. I was rarely alone so I couldn't get a good look until the very end."

"I managed to access a few logs in what I can imagine was supposed to be an off limits area. Seemed like a sort of lab but I didn't have time to stick around and find out. Whoever was running the show had access to all communications happening on that ship."

"Everything anyone said was heard and possibly recorded. The only issue with this is that most of us were running secure channels. The Bureau changes things up so often and has so many levels of security it should have been impossible to listen in on us. Unless.."

Jae: "You think someone got them access?"

Fisher: "I was on the ship with Roland Marigold, and Kelly Maza. Roland and Maza have never been particularly skilled with technology. Still, I can't count them out. Amelia knows every signal, every backdoor, everything. Hadrian is a genius on every level."

Jae: "And you don't think I should be grouped in with everyone else?"

Fisher: "I trust you Aryl, I know better than to go against my intuition, my intuition says you're one of the only ones I can count on here."

Jae: "So there might be a traitor somewhere in the Bureau..."

Fisher: "All of the attacks came from people who seemed to be stationed in with specific groups. It isn't hard to think we have.."

Jae: "An impostor among us?"

Fisher: "You're spending too much time with Rowan...but yes. Alright here we are. Take a look around some of the escape crafts and tell me if you find anything out of place."

Jae: "How will I know what is out of place?"

Fisher: "Trust your intuition Aryl."

Location: Diamond District.

Due to some of Paradise Entertainment's clubs currently being remodeled people had been flocking to The Bacchanalia. At one time considered the most popular hidden club in the city. It was likely even more popular now and slightly less hidden. You still had to work to get in..or at least had to know the right people.

The music was blasting as a rather striking woman wearing little more than a bikini top, and a mini skirt stood behind the DJ station. Her clothing seemed to change colors, putting on a small light show as she took requests from some rowdy patrons.

Sitting at a table near one of the corners of the room were several members of the Apricus Navy, currently on leave. Among them were Viridian, Van, and Nerys. Apparently, Captain Larsen had been invited but turned it down.

Nerys strangely had been asked by the bartender why she was here since her shift wasn't until tomorrow. Viridian didn't seem to be very inclined to dance even with Nerys pestering both him and Van to let loose a little. She shrugged and made her way to the dance floor, taking to it rather easily due to her part time job as a dance coach.

Van: "I'm going to go get us our drinks."

Viridian: "Don't even think about trying to ditch us, I have a tracker planted somewhere on you."

Van: "Ha, good one."

Viridian: "I'm not joking. If you leave it'll upset Nerys, if she gets upset the Captain will find you and rearrange your bones."

Van: "So no sneaking out of the bathroom windows, got it. Be back with the drinks."

Somewhere in one of the private rooms a masked man and a masked woman stood looking out at the patrons from behind tinted windows.

Masked Man: "It's interesting isn't it? Looking out at these people and wondering which ones still have their masks on, which ones discarded their masks, and which have new ones."

"Everyone wears a mask you know. Even if they claim they don't. Some people here wear one every day to try and fit in, perhaps to hide their emotions, live their normal lives. They come here and discard the mask for a few hours so they can be themselves."

"On the other side are the people who are wearing their masks here. The ones trying desperately to have a good time with their friends. To pretend they are enjoying themselves when deep down this is the last place they want to be."

The masked woman pointed out at someone. The masked man nodded in response.

Masked Man: "That's the one. Have fun."

The woman took her mask off and handed it over before walking out of the room and blending into the crowd.

Meanwhile at a table on the other side of the room.

Bonnie: "How did you even get her here?"

Ajax: "We gambled, she lost."

Bonnie: "You're also wearing an unbuttoned shirt and a pair of criminally tight looking pants. I assume that helped."

Nava glared at Bonnie but her eyes betrayed her as she looked back at Ajax.

Nava reached over and took a sip of Ajax's drink before he had a chance to stop her.

Bonnie: "Welp, drunk Nava is approaching..."

Ajax: "If she keeps sipping my drink she'll be here before the next song ends.."

Over at the bar another small group was chatting.

Amias: "Where's Jasper?"

Mel: "Oh his way, don't worry."

Amias: "What about your brother?"

Mel: "Probably trying to sabotage Jasper so he doesn't show up."

Amias: "Seriously?"

Mel: "No, he's just busy is all.."

The music changed again as Lye made her way through the crowd on the dance floor. Her gold dress was scandalously short and seemed to sparkle when the light hit it just right. The rather impressive pair of heels she wore were no hindrance whatsoever as she danced.

Lye smirked as she made her way over to Amias, still moving to the music. She reached out for his hand..

Amias: "Uh I don't..I mean dancing...."

Mel: "Oh just pretend you're on stage. I've seen you dance plenty of times." Refusing to let the poor boy throw away his chance and softly shoving him to Lye who took his hand and pulled him away.

Lye and Amias passed by Van as he made his way to the bar. The siblings making eye contact briefly before going separate ways.

Van walked over and placed his order at the bar, leaning back against it and tapping his foot to the beat.

???: "Come here often?"

Van turned to see a woman with short brown hair and green eyes. She wore a little black dress with emphasis on "little". A pair of black thigh highs, and black heels served to show off her legs even more. She certainly did seem dressed for attention. Van though only had one response to the question.

Van: "Nah, can't get in the mood with this many people around." Terrible joke, you can do better than that...

???: "I've heard worse. Can you dance?"

Van: "Usually not willingly or sober."

???: "I'm sure we can fix at least one of those problems.." Reaching out and taking Van's hand, leading him back to the dance floor. Surprisingly he found himself unable to resist...

Back in the private room the masked man was watching events unfold.

He looked down as his aShine went off. He'd answer.

Masked Man: "Don't be jealous, it's only research. I won't ruin your fun. While I have you here, did you get what I asked for? Very good. I'll let you get back to company business. See you soon." Turning off the aShine and returning to observe the club patrons.

[apricusnights]

Chapter One: The World Is On Fire.

Miranda Fisher: "Run this by me again? I just got back and my brain is a little scrambled by having to fight a giant mutant octopus crab."

Hadrian Ves: "From the description given I don't think it would be classified as an octopus crab."

Fisher: "Not the point Ves, tell me what the hell is happening out there."

Ves: "Shortly before we started picking up the emergency beacons from all of the Olympus escape crafts we received word of attacks from all over the globe."

"Nivis, Calere, Kwailai, Réunion, Crepusculum, Völsung. We're assuming other nations as well that either haven't reported in or are choosing not to report anything to us. Major public figures have been attacked, some of them have been taken out."

"Most of the time the would be assassins are either taken out by local law enforcement or they do it themselves. So far we haven't heard of anyone being brought in alive, not even here."

Fisher: "Have we learned anything from the remains?"

Ves: "Unfortunately yes. Every single assailant has been identified as being from a different nation. No one is taking responsibility, not even the more well known crime families. We've got governments threatening other governments while they search for answers."

"So far there is nothing linking any of the assailants together. Even if there was it might be too late to convince some of the leaders that this was more than likely a setup."

Fisher: "What about what happened here? What have we got?"

Ves: "Well there have been a few suspects that managed to slip away. Some were successful, some weren't. If you can believe it, there was an attack on Andrasta Ciar. You have to have some balls to try something like that. Course she handled it but her attacker got away."

Fisher: "Oh creation. Tiberius is going to be furious. The last thing I need right now is Ciar Security tearing districts apart trying to find this idiot."

Roland Marigold: "You're a little late on that. I've managed to convince them to stand down for the time being but I don't know how long this is going to last. We need to get ahold of Larsen and have him temporarily close down the docks."

Fisher: "Get on that, and restrict the airspace as well. I can not risk every single one of these people managing to get away and leaving us with no answers."

Ves: "You'll be less than pleased to know that every other nation seems to have the same idea. I'm getting reports of borders being locked down. Seems like nobody is in any hurry to trust anyone else."

Fisher: "Contact the Detective Network. Tell Victoria this is a code red. I need every detective agency, and freelancer out there trying to locate the suspects or at the very lest get some answers."

Amelia Rowan: "Way ahead of you Ma'am. Victoria has sent word to the Liddells, the Mashiros, the Bounty Hunters, and every freelance detective she has in her contact list."

Fisher: "Marigold, get ahold of our imposing friend and bring him in on this. We need any assistance we can get."

Marigold: "Pretty sure the big guy is already on a case trying to locate a missing person but I'll see what I can do."

Fisher: "Get Cobalt and Maza out there. I need communication with the police force as well. Try and make sure none of the private groups like Ciar Security start shit."

"That goes double for the Templars and the Potentialist Inner Circle."

Rowan: "On it."

Fisher: "What a fuckin mess this is..."

Ves: "Don't worry, I've already formulated three different plans to deal with it."

Fisher: "Well get to work, you have my authorization to do access whatever you need."

Ves: "If I may ask, where are you headed?"

Fisher: "To get Aryl. We're going to go check out something that has been bothering me since I got back. Good luck Ves."

Ves: "You as well Ma'am."

[apricusnights]

Warning: Mun rambles.

I don't really know what to do now tbh. I finished the Olympus arc like I said I was going to. With little to no interactions but that's ok. Now I'm just stuck.

Everyone is sorta just gone. I'm not guilt tripping anyone, I've mentioned before I fully understand that people have lives, they are busy, they lose interest. It's ok, this is just normal. Sucks but it's normal.

I had a lot of stuff I wanted to do but I dunno if I should bother writing anything out. I know full well it'll just be me here. Maybe this is just it for a while. I hate that fact because I really do enjoy writing this stuff but it gets a little meh after a while when I realize again..it's just me.

Guess I just gotta let it go until people come back, if anyone does. Project Sunrise is something I'm still going to try later in the year. I'll at least attempt to start it but if it looks to be a bust it won't continue. Not going through that again.

Anyway, it's been fun. If you enjoyed reading anything I wrote, thanks. I tried to make it as interesting as possible with the limited resources I had.

Hope you come back and check out Project Sunrise. There will be updates about it posted here and there.

I'll still be around so if you wanna chat feel free to DM me or hit me up on discord.

Thanks again.

Alice.

[apricusnights]

Olympus Tournament Story: Bonus Scene.

Location: A supposedly uninhabited jungle island in the Faititili Sea.

Some time after the Olympus incident a chunk of wreckage has washed ashore. Time passes before something skitters through the jungle. Something seems to be keeping an eye on the strange new addition to their island home...or perhaps it might be better to call it an island prison.

Due to the volatile nature of the weather, the treacherous sea itself, and the jagged rocks surrounding several of the islands, they remain uninhabited for a reason. Anything unfortunate enough to find itself stranded seemingly has no hope of escape.

At least..that would normally be the case. As night falls several small creatures make their way out of the jungle to investigate the wreckage. Some of the trees along the shoreline begin to shake as a larger creature makes its way out of the jungle.

The smaller creatures move aside for the large one to inspect the strange object. It traces one of it's claws along an unused escape pod still attached to the wreckage. The escape pod detaches, landing on the sand with a thud which causes the large creature to slam into it with one of it's makeshift blades. The impact makes the pod's emergency beacon blink on and off...

The End?

[apricusnights]

Olympus Tournament Story: The Sun Will Rise.

Continued from here.

Location: Solis Heights, Apricus City

In a hidden lab below the district. Talos sits and watches several monitors as Valerie and Pierce handle the ongoing situation.

Pierce: "I've gotten word from my brother. He and Kara are on an escape craft headed towards land."

Valerie: "Did they manage to secure the asset?"

Pierce: "The one from Fae? Yes, he's there with them."

Valerie: "Excellent, send a helicopter to their location when they make landfall."

Pierce: "Already on it. It's a bit of a shame Kara couldn't make the finals but I suppose it all works out in the end."

Talos: "Quiet, I've received word to move on to the next step. Go to your stations and activate all of the sleepers. Have our operatives strike at their targets of choice. Most of the world leaders haven't returned home yet and it's the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the chaos."

Pierce: "Of course."

Valerie: "One last thing, I had a team recover Mr. R's body. No real benefit but I doubt we wanted it ending up in the wrong hands..."

Talos: "Well done, now let the show begin.."

Location: Palace Of The Five Emperors

Cerise, Hugo, Johnny, and Skuld find themselves in the courtyard of the palace. A place Skuld has seen before and is none too happy to return to. Just as she's about to demand to be returned, each of the competitors find themselves teleported again, each to a different room somewhere in the palace.

Location: Main Deck, Olympus

The creature swung it's arms at anything that moved as the remaining competitors and council members fought against it. Some finding their traditional firearms ineffective against the creature's tough skin. Others opted for an up close approach but much to their chagrin every time an appendage was sliced off it would simply regrow moments later. Any damage dealt seemed to heal before the next round of attacks could even hit. To make matters worse, the ship was beginning to split further and was in danger of breaking into pieces.

Despite the fact everything was proving useless, not a single one of the fighters had any desire to give up. If they were going down, they planned on taking the monstrosity with them. Larsen began to use the waves to his advantage, controlling as many of them as he could to crash down on the creature and at least keep it off balance. Lowell had made his way back into the control room after he had an idea, likely a very poor idea but an idea.

Lowell had realized that the main generator to the Olympus has likely been damaged. If they could overload it further and trigger an explosion it might be enough to destroy the creature. An explosion with that kind of power should overwhelm the monster's regenerative capabilities. Or at least Lowell wanted to believe...it was their best shot.

Lowell, Fisher, Oct, and a small team had to make their way through the bowels of the ship which was rapidly filling with water. Meanwhile the rest of the team remained on the main deck to distract the monster. The idea was to do as much damage as possible right before the generator overloaded. When no one seemed to be paying attention, Ciar and Edana managed to collect a small sample of the creature. Ciar wasn't about to let a research opportunity slip away, even in this situation.

After barely managing to make it into the quickly flooding generator room, the team began to set up explosives. Something Oct was particularly knowledgeable about. Lowell and Fisher began to figure out how to overload the device. Eventually shutting down the power to the rest of the ship and beginning to cycle it through the generator over and over again.

Lionel Myte was quite helpful as he understood machinery of this sort AND how to sabotage it if need be. He did seem slightly upset about having to destroy something so impressive but did manage to pocket a few blueprints that Styles may want to look over later. As the generator began to pulse, the team made it's way to one of the escape crafts. The agreement was for them to launch after signaling the assault team.

Lowell signaled the team and closed the hatch, the craft launched away from the sinking ship and activated a beacon. Meanwhile the assault team struck against the creature with everything they had just as the ship finally broke into pieces. They continuously dealt damage faster than it could regenerate before Styles used his tech to rip giant pieces of metal from the ship and impaled the creature with them, leaving it trapped against the deck of the ship.

The team scrambled but made it into one of the remaining escape crafts. The craft barely had time to drop into the way and begin to cruise away as the generator pulsed and exploded, destroying most of the Olympus and hopefully vaporizing the creature as well. The escape craft's beacon activated and now all they had to do as wait for pickup..while Larsen and Styles argued about being stuck in a small space with each other..

Location: Apricus City

"Hello, this is Lydia Reliford from Apricus News. I've just returned to the city and boy am I happy to be on land again. For those of you still waiting to hear from friends or family, the Apricus Navy has located all of the escape crafts and is in the process of picking everyone up. Those rescued by helicopter are currently onboard Navy vessels as well and should return shortly."

"We are however receiving some rather unfortunate news from across the world. It seems several high profile individuals were attacked and some lost their lives. The leaders of several nations are blaming each other as the assailants seem to be from neighboring countries. The incident taking place on the Olympus is being regarded as sabotage with each nation wishing to conduct their own investigations."

"We have reports that several once friendly nations are implementing stricter border control and limiting trade and travel with other specific nations. The Apricus City Council will likely discuss this when they return. Especially after the apparent kidnap attempt of an Apricus citizen by individuals from Fae."

"We'll be bringing you continued coverage as more people are brought home safely. Have a good evening."

Location: Crepusculum

"Our mutual acquaintances are headed back to Apricus. Nearly everything went off without a hitch."

"I do regret the loss of our piece when it comes to Mr. R but his job was done. We may not have control of Paradise Entertainment any longer but the access he provided me to the city's records was more valuable."

"Not to mention our chief operative in Apricus has provided access to all of Cheshire Financial's systems. I'm sure they'll realize something is a miss eventually but for now everything is proceeding exactly as planned. Nobody suspects her at all."

"And the other heathen nations are already at each other's throats. Astounding how easy it is to break their faith in each other with a few well positioned apostles."

"Precisely. And now that the distrust is running rampant, everyone will want to improve their offensive, and defensive capabilities. So of course they'll come calling to the most technologically advanced nation in the world. And when they do, we'll happily cut them a deal...."

Epilogue:

Location: Palace Of The Five Emperors

"Cerise Gilios. As one of the winners of the tournament, a prize is yours. So tell me.."

"Skuld Kraka. As one of the winners of the tournament, a prize is yours. So tell me.."

"Hugo Knight. As one of the winners of the tournament, a prize is yours. So tell me.."

"Johnny C. Lakely. As one of the winners of the tournament, a prize is yours. So tell me.."

"WHAT DO YOU DESIRE?!"

The sun is about to rise on a new era!

[apricusnights]

Olympus Tournament Story: Uncertain Future.

Location: Research Facility, Olympus.

Ruby and Oct found themselves in a very strange battle with the Mikey Minos animatronic. Despite Ruby's speed and Oct's firepower, the machine was proving to be a capable foe. The Paradise Senior Partners has said they had used the minotaur to gather fight data which likely meant it adapted itself to deal with whomever it fought.

Ruby's attacks proved to be mostly ineffective but Oct was landing several strong hits. The machine hadn't had much time to read Oct as he wasn't in the tournament and only fought in part of one round. The two grappled and crashed through several walls sending people scattering. With Oct taking the minotaur's focus Ruby was able to chip away at it while it was mostly defenseless.

During a clash the minotaur and Oct broke through a wall on the side of the ship, both teetering on the edge but Oct pushed back and landed a strong blast to the minotaur's torso. It retaliated by knocking him to the ground and stepping on one of his arms. Ruby rushed to help but was caught in the animatronics' grasp. It began to squeeze but before any major damage could be dealt, the creature was struck from behind by Summer.

Ruby took advantage and managed to grab her weapon, slamming the blade into the minotaur's face which made it drop her and stagger towards the hole in the wall. The moment Oct was freed he let loose with his firepower, blasting the minotaur out of the opening and sending it falling into the sea.

By the time Oct had gotten back up he could only watch as Ruby ran to the elevator and used the key she had been given. Summer tried to follow but was pulled out of the room again by her previous opponent, Chimera. Oct decides it best to try and help Summer against her foe but at the same time Ruby's sister Yang had been following her sister's location via aShine tracker and was headed to the helipad that Ruby's elevator was taking her.

Location: Control Room, Olympus.

Lowell: "Attention, this is Flavian Lowell of Apricus. We are experiencing several issues. If you can hear this, the Olympus vessel requests assistance. We are unable to comply with the request to return to port. The controls seem to have been locked. We have sailed into a major storm, the vessel has sustained minor damage."

"Captain Hector Larsen has requested any available ships head to our location to help with evacuation. Captain Larsen is doing his best to keep the damage to the ship minimal. I will be ordering the evacuation shortly. Over."

Clearing his throat, Lowell switch the broadcast over to the ship's speakers. "Attention everyone. Flavian Lowell here. While this vessel is able to withstand a good deal of damage, for safety purposes I am issuing an evacuation notice. Several helicopters are on standby and will take off as soon as they are able."

"There are plenty of escape crafts available as well. Please navigate to the closest one. The crafts are programmed to take you safely to land. If all else fails, every one of your rooms is equipped with an escape pod which can be launched. An emergency beacon will be activated should you require use of this method."

"I urge you all to remain calm and everything will be fine. The Apricus City Council will oversee the evacuation. I have set this message to repeat every few minutes. Stay safe everyone."

Location: Deck Twenty, Olympus.

Kara: "You heard the man. It's time to take our leave." Opening up the hatch of one of the escape crafts."

Sunil: "What about Hugo? What about Cerise? We can't.."

Evander: "We can't stay here, your friends were gone in a flash of light. Who knows where they got teleported to if that even happened. Besides, Puck is still weak from nearly getting kidnapped by those Fae freaks."

Puck: "I hate that he's got a point."

Sunil: "I'm sending a message to Hugo and Cerise. I don't know if it'll reach them but Evander is right, we stay here and we might wind up at the bottom of the sea."

Night: "I can't.."

Sunil: "I know, it's your best friend and your girlfriend but you're not going to be any good to them dead."

Kara and Evander help Puck into the escape craft followed somewhat reluctantly by Sunil, and Night. After a few others board and the craft hits capacity the door shuts. The craft launches away from the ship, heading to land and activating an emergency beacon.

Location: Helipad Seven, Olympus.

The elevator Ruby was in finally reached the helipad. She stepped out and had to shield herself from the rain. This storm had appeared out of nowhere and hardly seemed to be a natural occurrence. Something was very wrong. She looked over to see the two Paradise Senior Partners waiting in a specialized helicopter. The one still wearing a broken mask opened the helicopter door and held his hand out.

Before Ruby could get there a commotion was heard as Summer, and Oct blasted their way through the decks and ended up next to Ruby. Chimera followed close behind and instantly began fighting with Summer again. to make matters worse Yang had managed to fight through the crowd and was rushing to Ruby.

Ruby barely had time to think before she was knocked out from behind by another Paradise Entertainment member..one of their newest. He lifted her up and carried her over, putting her in the helicopter.

As he began to climb in he heard someone yelling for him. Gouki had been chasing him through the entire ship and finally found him. As Gouki approached, Chimera broke away from Summer, leaping over and landing a kick that sent Gouki sliding back. Chimera and the masked man boarded the helicopter which instantly began to take off. Oct was unable to take a shot at it due to Ruby being on board but he did manage to launch a tracking device and stick it to the helicopter's underside.

Yang blinked, trying to understand was taking place just as a rumbling was heard and the ship began to shake even more. Without hesitation Summer ran to Yang, grabbing her by the arm and throwing her into one of the escape crafts just as the door was closing. Yang could only look out of the window as the craft dropped into the sea and sped off as it's beacon activated.

The masked Senior Partner looked out of the helicopter and noticed something rising out of the water near the Olympus.

Senior Partner: "It's a shame we can't stay and watch. I'd love to see how the project turned out. Ah well, places to go and people to see.."

The helicopter flew into the distance.

Location: Main Deck, Olympus.

Helicopters, and various escape crafts had all been successfully launched. The evacuation had been as smooth as one could hope. That was until the ship itself felt as if it would be torn apart. A strange looking creature had risen from the depths, the Senior Partner's project.

The creature seemed to have a mix of multiple arms as well as tentacles. It's body crashed through part of the ship before clawing it's way to the main deck. A somewhat skull like face roared at any who would oppose it as it's appendages ripped chunks of the ship apart.

Oct, Summer, and Gouki found themselves joined by members of the Apricus council and by other fighters who had stuck around. Each ready to confront the beast.

To be concluded...

[apricusnights]

Olympus Tournament: Round Five.

"Greetings everyone! Flavian Lowell here bringing you the action packed conclusion to the Olympus Tournament! The ten fighters with the most points have been selected. As we mentioned earlier though, a few of the fighters were unable to attend so we simply went down the list to the next highest ranked competitor."

"The rules are simple. Small arena size, all ten fighters battle it out until only two remain. Those two go on to fight in the finals! Before we jump into the action, here is a list of the final ten fighters."

Kara Skuld Kraka Hugo Knight Gouki Typhon Hideyoshi Phalanx Kei Kawakami Roland Marigold Johnny C. Lakely Cerise Gilios

"Things have already gotten off to a hot start as all ten fighters have rushed in with nothing held back. For those who were wondering, Skuld Kraka has been medically cleared to compete after her strange disappearance and reappearance."

"Typhon and Kei have resumed their ongoing battle which seems to have lasted the entire tournament in one way or another. Phalanx, Marigold, and Gouki are fighting it out. Gilios, Knight, and Lakely have broken off while Skuld faces off with Kara."

"I've gotten a report that we may have fights breaking out in different areas of the ship. I assure you this is nothing to worry about, the Olympus security teams will handle any issues currently happening. Back down to the action it looks like Marigold has temporarily teamed up with Kei and have managed to force Typhon out of the ring, unfortunately on his way out Typhon grabbed hold of Marigold which allowed Johnny and Phalanx to concentrate attacks and knock the big man out as well."

"Knight almost finds himself eliminated by Kara but gets saved by Gilios. Not sure why, perhaps she wants to fight him one on one in the finals. Kei and Lakely fighting now as Phalanx attempts to eliminate Kara."

"Skuld tries to help out fighting Kara but Kara manages to pull Skuld's shield away from her and knock her aside before slamming her shield against Phalanx's shield. She uses all her power to push forward and just barely manages to make Phalanx's foot slide out of bounds which technically eliminates him."

"Kara turns around and is met by a triple attack from Knight, Gilios, and Skuld. Skuld recovers her shield and presses the attack. She braces her self and allows Knight and Gilios to leap off her shield and deliver staggering blows to Kara. Kara teeters on the edge but is suddenly struck by Kei and forced out."

"Strangely Kara appears to leave in a hurry. Perhaps she doesn't like the rough waters we must have hit. The ship is rocking a little bit but it's likely just a passing storm. This vessel is built to withstand nearly anything and our audience doesn't seem to be bothered much."

"Gouki who seemed to have been in wait finally makes her move and strikes Knight and Gilios. She almost eliminates Knight but he fights back. Gilios attacks Gouki but Gouki defends and almost knocks her out as well. Gouki finds herself one on one against Kei and the two warriors clash as the ship begins to rock back and forth a bit more."

"Lakely makes his presence felt as he jumps into the fight between Gouki and Kei. In the middle of the clash Gouki seems to see something out of the corner of her eye which provides enough distraction for Kei, and Lakely to land several strong hits and force her out of the ring. Gouki however takes off running out of the arena the second she's eliminated..."

"Johnny turns immediately and attempts to force Kei out of bounds, he's backed up by Gilios as they push forward. Kraka looks to join in but gets tied up with Knight. Knight presses his own attack but Kraka uses her shield to flip Knight over and kicks him in mid-air sending him flying into Kei. Gilios and Lakely both land a haymaker to Kei right as Knight flies into him. Knight manages to drop to the ground and hold on but Kei is forced out of the arena."

"Seems Kei has noticed how unstable the ship seems to be at the moment and heads over to have a word with Captain Larsen. We're down to four as Kraka, Gilios, Knight, and Lakely square off."

"Well folks, not to alarm anyone but I'm being told that we're being asked to put things on hold. If everyone could please exist the arena in an orderly fashion and either head to one of the designated safe zones or back to their rooms..."

Just as the four remaining warriors go to exit the arena a familiar flash of light is seen. All four individuals are nowhere to be found..

To be continued..

[apricusnights]

Olympus Tournament Story: Fuel to the fire.

Sunil: "Has anyone seen Puck?"

Cerise: "Not recently. Last I heard he was going off to grab some food and probably flirt with everyone along the way."

Night: "Yeah sounds about right. Still, with those two weirdos from Fae causing him to panic a few times I do sort of wonder if something more is going on."

Hugo: "Weirdos making another weirdo panic isn't that strange. I can't give a shit right now, I gotta focus on the semis and the finals."

Night: "Assuming you get to the finals."

Hugo: "Least I bothered to fight, you're the only one here who wussed out."

Cerise: "Alright alright shut up the both of you. Sunil, Night, and I can go look for Puck."

Sunil: "No, Hugo is right about preparing for the semis and finals. You're in them as well. I'll go with Night, you two can keep training. Come on."

Night: "Where do we even start? This ship is huge.."

Night and Sunil split up to try and track down where Puck may have gone. Unfortunately as Night thought, the size of the ship made trying to find one person just about as easy as finding a needle in a haystack. To make matters worse, Puck wasn't answering his aShine.

The two decide to shift focus and attempt to locate the competitors from Fae. Something that does seem slightly easier but upon reaching where they should be, Sunil and Night discover the door open and no one inside. There are however small signs of a struggle which further intensifies the need to find their missing friend.

Night: "You think they kidnapped him?"

Sunil: "Pretty sure they've been trying to do that this whole time. He's from Fae, no idea why those two would go out of their way for him though."

Night: "Didn't you say he made some kind of deal with Hades? Maybe it has something to do with that."

Sunil: "He did but I can't remember what he told me about it. It's like the more time goes by the easier it is to forget any details regarding that."

Night: "Well that just means Hades is probably still alive somewhere, not really a comforting thought."

Sunil: "No but I don't think he's part of whatever this is. Check it out.."

Night: "No bags anywhere, closets are empty. You think they called for transportation?"

Sunil: "Probably. The Fae leaders were never here so the fighters couldn't have left like that. They'd have to have called someone.."

Night: "There are a billion helipads on this ship and a billion escape crafts. How do we find em before they leave?"

Evander: "Excuse my interruption but I overheard your predicament. I do believe I can be of assistance. Allow me to introduce myself, Evander Lykaios. Pleasure.

Night: "I know you, you're one of the fighters and you're on the Crepusculum Hecaball team. Why would you want to help?"

Sunil: "Doesn't matter. We probably don't have much time before those two losers from Fae leave with Puck."

Evander: "Precisely. Lucky for you I'm something of a problem solver." Bringing up his equipment which looked like a far more advanced aShine. "There is a small emergency ping hidden from most channels. It's currently located near one of the helipads in section fourteen. Air traffic indicates a helicopter on it's way. I assume this is where your missing friend is."

Sunil, Night, and Evander rush through the ship using Evander's convenient but somewhat strange knowledge of paths to take and elevators to use so they may avoid most people.

Evander: "Well would you look at that, competitors from Fae attempting to abduct an Apricus Citizen. This won't look particularly good for relations now will it?"

Sunil: "Let him go you freaks.."

Night: "Uh you realize we don't have weapons.."

Sunil: "Neither do they.."

Tarseed and Mariposa however seemed content enough to fight without weapons. Mariposa still had plenty of tricks up their sleeve and all they had to do was wait for transport and they create a diversion so they could escape with the currently unconscious Puck.

No one seemed to notice Evander pressing a button on his equipment which seemed to be recording the entire situation and even broadcasting it to certain people.

Evander himself was enough to deal with Tarseed as his combat experience and augmentations made him the superior fighter. Mariposa however was handing both Night and Sunil using several gadgets so as explosives and smoke grenades.

As the fights went on a helicopter had landed and the door slid open. Tarseed managed to use one of Mariposa's smoke bombs to slip away from Evander and attempt to load Puck into the helicopter.

Mariposa activated something resembling a an electric field which temporarily incapacitated Night, and Sunil. Mariposa and Tarseed made their way to the helicopter but were shocked when Evander's partner Kara appeared on the helipad.

Kara made her way over and smashed the electric device before punching through the helicopter and pulling the pilot out. In a panic Tarseed jumped to the controls and began to take off. All of the action must have shaken Puck awake as he struggled against his bounds.

Puck managed to kick Mariposa out of the helicopter though Mariposa hung on as the craft began to gain altitude. Puck stood looking out of the door but suddenly noticed several chains wrap around the helicopter's tail, preventing it from rising. Evander and Kara held on to the chains as Puck took a breath and jumped out.

Sunil managed to catch Puck though it wasn't a particularly graceful landing. Mariposa decided to cut their losses and managed to break the chains holding the helicopter down, allowing the two Fae competitors to escape.

Tournament personnel rushed to the helipad to check on everyone though by the time they arrived Kara and Evander had left. Puck, Sunil, and Night were all brought down for medical evaluations and to explain what had just happened.

Sunil: "Well, never expected Crepusculum to show up and help us out."

Puck hadn't said anything but he seemed to have a strange feeling about all of this.

Night: "Evander was right though. This isn't exactly going to look good when it comes to international relations.."

Sunil: "Why were they after you anyway?"

Puck: "Long story.."

Somewhere on another deck

Evander: "We got him back, don't worry about it."

???: "Good, make sure he gets back to Apricus in one piece. He's too important to lose."

Evander: "We'll handle it. Kara is in the semi-finals, and likely the finals. Everything is going the way you said it would."

???: "Not entirely. There was a mishap with Mr. R so that piece is off the board. Nevertheless, continue on as instructed."

Evander: "Of course."

Conversation ended.

[apricusnights]

A note from the author.

I know that most people aren't even really reading anything but I want to say thanks to the few that are.

I had the idea for this tournament story in my head and I had hopes that it would maybe entice people to interact again. As I've said before, I don't blame anyone for having things to take care of in their own lives, or simply deciding to move on.

We don't have much longer before the conclusion. I don't really know what happens afterwards. Project Sunrise is being worked on but isn't set to debut till later this year. I hope it'll do what this couldn't and possibly get more interaction.

I wanted this to turn out differently than it has but that wasn't meant to be. It's incredibly hard to write a story like this because I have to include other people's muses but not full on write as them because they aren't mine and I don't feel comfortable doing that.

That being said, I hope I've done ok with what I've put out there. Thank you for the use of your muses for the story, even if you're no longer around.

Thank you to whomever is still reading these and I promise you the conclusion will be worth your time.

I hope you all are doing well no matter what you're doing in your lives.

Much love.

[apricusnights]

Olympus Tournament Story: Child of Völsung. Part Two.

Continued from here.

"I should have paid more attention to Clarion. They are always scheming no matter what they try and tell you. Ah right, I suppose an introduction is in order. I am Emperor Vili, the same one you've most likely heard about in your history books. What you see before you is as you guessed, Völsung. Though a bit before your lifetime."

"Behold." Several battles seemed to be taking place around them though no one was aware of their presence. "The only true way to live. Believing in something with all your heart, with all your being, and understanding that you need to fight for it. It is through battle on may experience the fullness of life."

"But it must not be frivolous. It must mean something. This land was shaped by battle after battle. People fighting to make things better, sometimes for themselves, sometimes for everyone. Good and evil do not apply, nor do right and wrong. All that matters is who and what a single person believes in."

"Understand that peace does has it's place. All great rulers understand that peace is the reason you prepare for war. It's ignorant to believe you'll have everlasting peace without maintaining strength. You simply make yourself a target to those who wish to erase your way of life and replace it with theirs."

"The co-operation some in this nation seek isn't a bad thing. However ignoring that other nations will be learning about you and may be holding a knife behind their back will only lead to destruction. Do you understand?"

"Though she will someday lead, your sister is not the right person for what may be coming. You are.." A snap of his fingers seemed to make Skuld's shield and spear appear in her hands, fully repaired. "I've taken the liberty of blessing your weapons. This however won't be enough."

Reaching down and touching her forehead for only a moment. "The Emperors give gifts to those who they believe are worthy. Remember everything you've seen, remember everything that brat Clarion may have told you. But whatever you choose to do, whatever you believe in, believe in it with a fire in your heart. Believe in it strongly enough to do whatever is necessary."

"I can not return you to the exact time Clarion plucked you from. It may be hard for you to explain what took place, but those who matter will understand. As for the gift, you will understand how to use it when the time arrives."

"Farewell Child of Völsung. You have done well so far."

Skuld experienced a flash of bright light before finding herself back in her room on the Olympus with her very confused sister..

[apricusnights]

Olympus Tournament Story: Child of Völsung. Part One.

"I do apologize for the sudden teleportation but like I said, I wanted to have a little chat. Skuld right, of course you are. Pleasure to meet you. I know you were probably expecting Vili since he's more closely associated with your homeland...and I'm sure he'll be here shortly once he realizes what happened however for the moment it's just you and me."

"Do you like it? The palace I mean. It's quite a marvel, been around a long time. Much older than anything you've ever seen. Oh you don't really enjoy much small talk do you? Well fine, I'll get to the point. What exactly ARE you doing..just in general? The rightful ruler who will never be."

"No that position goes to your sister doesn't it? The one least deserving of it. Don't give me that look, you're about as threatening to me as a gnat. You're probably wondering if I'm trying to turn you against her. No, that's a waste of time. I'm simply pointing out a few facts after observing everything."

"Your homeland was built on it's own strength wasn't it? It's done perfectly well without interference. Perhaps you could call it self-isolation but it works doesn't it? Suddenly though it's in your nations best interest to open up? To tell everyone out there every little thing about the entire nation. That was quite the presentation from Apricus University. Your sister provided a lot of interesting facts..."

"And..what do you have in return? The little bit of information you've been able to gather while being enrolled in the university? Seems the world is learning more about your homeland and your homeland still remains rather clueless about most of the outside world. That's happened quite a few times before...and it never ends well."

"All it takes is the right nation, a technologically advanced one, or one with much more military might to decide that your homeland couldn't stand up to it..next thing you know the wolves are at your gates and your way of life is threatened."

"I'm simply trying to make my point that things aren't going the way they should for your people. Your sister might end up being ruler quicker than you think..oops spoilers. In any case what happens after that?"

"See if there is one thing I know about..people in general it's that they can't avoid conflict forever. One thing leads to another and all the peace agreements get thrown out the window. And now that everything about your homeland is on the table..someone might look to make a meal of it."

"See we never start anything, we just watch. It's what we've always done. After a while you just get a feeling when a big storm is brewing. You can let this go in one ear and out of the other if you choose. Or you can keep it in mind and make yourself ready. Cause from what I can see, things have been peaceful for a while. But..when the world starts to settle, the creator throws a stone at it, and believe me, he’s winding up.”

Without warning Skuld found herself teleported again, this time though it looked a lot like Völsung..only in the distant past.

"Child of Völsung..I have chosen you.."

To be continued..

[apricusnights]

Olympus Tournament Story: Senior Partners.

The so-called Dark Angel had vanished after his seemingly random appearance during the battle royale. The truth however was that shortly after that he'd been contacted by Miranda Fisher and asked to locate the Paradise Entertainment "Senior Partners" before all of them had a chance to leave the ship.

Unfortunately it seemed several Paradise members had already taken their leave. There was however still a helicopter sitting on one of the helipads that looked very similar to the ones Paradise had been using. He'd been waiting it out to see who made their way to it but after some time had gone by he caught a glimpse of two masked individuals watching HIM.

Well, the need for secrecy seemed to go right out of the window so instead he headed in their direction, following them down a series of hallways. After using an elevator down into the lower decks of the ship he seemed to find himself in a makeshift laboratory. The two masked men standing on the other side of the room. The whole thing smelled of a trap..but in his mind that just meant they were trapped in the room with him.

Senior Partner #1: "To be honest, I was expecting someone else. I'm sure she'll be here shortly though." One of the eyes on his mask seemed to blink on and off. The mask itself had been damaged and was cracking down the middle.

Senior Partner #2: " Your obsession with the girl is troublesome."

Senior Partner #1: "It's all research my friend. Research is necessary for progress. Take our guest here for example. Dark Angel, Octavius, Redfish...whatever he wants to be called. A dead man walking, quite interesting."

"You don't remember me do you? I suppose I had a different mask back then. I'm not exactly a bishop on the chessboard anymore."

Flashbacks of Dark Angel and Roland Marigold fighting against a chimera abomination during the checkmate invasion flashed through Oct's head.

"I have to admit I'm still slightly annoyed you managed to destroy my work so easily. It did prove to be helpful in gathering data though, and the distraction was enough for me to get what I wanted from the city archives."

Senior Partner #2: "Be that as it may, is he really still necessary? Your project here is almost complete."

Senior Partner #1: "A bit more data never hurt.."

Just as Oct began to approach them a rumbling could be heard. A few seconds later the Mikey Minos animatronic crashed through the laboratory wall and slammed into Oct sending him sliding backwards.

Senior Partner #1: "I've been using our friend here to gather fight data. This entire tournament has been very educational. That being said, I believe he has a small score to settle with you."

As Oct began to wrestle against the animatronic the door was suddenly kicked open. Ruby had been following the man with the broken mask and was determined to get her answers. She rushed forward only to clash against the second masked man.

In what seemed like an instant the blade of her weapon sliced through part of his mask.

Senior Partner #2: "Brat.." reaching up and discarding the mask.

"She's seen my face, either bring her with us or dispose of her. Activate the project, I don't care if it's complete or not." Activating a barrier between himself and Ruby before taking his leave.

Senior Partner #1: "Well my dear it seems you have a choice. You're welcome to come with, I will provide all the answers you seek. If you don't...well I suppose I can start over again.."

"As for you Dark Angel, do try and not die to our minotaur friend. I'd much rather see what you can do against my new creation." Pressing a few buttons on one of the nearby consoles before throwing a switch. He'd step back into an elevator, throwing a key to it to Ruby before being taken out of the room.

Ruby and the Dark Angel found themselves against a very advanced animatronic minotaur and perhaps worse than that...whatever was on the way.

[apricusnights]

Olympus Tournament Story: Gifts

A strange sensation to say the least. In the same instant that the young woman was teleported away after winning the Leader's Choice Final Four..several people who had been watching had also found themselves in a strange new location.

Amongst these people were three members of the Marigold clan. Van, Lye, and Titus. All three found themselves in a courtyard looking out over the sea. Of course it didn't take long for Van and Lye to start arguing over who's fault it was or what kind of scheme Van was up to this time.

Titus however seemed more interested in WHERE they were, not how they got there. Something he seemed to have a gut feeling about even before a rather sweet sounding voice spoke to the three of them.

"I know this isn't exactly the best way I could have gone about this but with everything going on I felt I wouldn't have a better chance." The woman was rather tall, towering over the three Marigolds. Her long flowing white dress almost seemed to shimmer in the sunlight. An obvious defining trait were the rabbit ears atop her head. Whether they be augmentations or something more natural remained to be seen.

"My name is Tagetes, Emperor Tagetes I suppose." A name which made the three go silent..though Van's doubt was evident. Something that again caused Van and Lye to begin arguing before once again finding themselves teleported. This time further into the palace. The three Marigolds had been sent to different rooms. She seemed to appear in each room at the same time and began speaking to each individual.

Van's room:

"I know it's strange.." Walking around the room as Van looked at her. "I'm sure you've heard plenty of stories from your father about his time here. He fought against Morrigan. A rather close call if I remember right. His mother was here long ago, her fight was with Vili." Taking a seat at the table. "Would you like some tea?"

"I assure you the stories were all true, though I have no doubt your father embellished some details." Smiling as she leaned back. "You're wondering if I'm who you think I am. Yes and no. We've been around a long time, longer than anyone else. Your clan..our clan thinks of me as a goddess. Perhaps I am, perhaps that is just an easy way to describe us...even if the definitions of it get a little muddled."

Lye's room:

"And so the next question you have is "why me"? Considering none of you were even competing. You assumed the emperors were only watching those fighting and not those who may need us. Well, perhaps some of the others were more interested in who was the strongest fighter..we all have reasons for who we chose."

"You can't move on can you?" Brushing her hand through Lye's hair. "The past clouds your future. Everything has always been about what was, even when you try and think about what could be. What your own brother had done. No matter what anyone says to you, it's never that easy to just move on is it? Because it's hard for anyone else to really understand.."

Titus's room:

"When I brought you all here I wondered which of you might be the one who eventually undertakes that rite of passage that many in our clan have done before. Believe it or not, both of the twins have an extraordinary amount of potential, it could very well be one of them. However, it could also very likely be you.."

"I can see something in you, something that reminds me of one long ago. One who's story you likely haven't heard. One who failed time and time again but refused to give up. Every time they fell and were sent away..they eventually made their way back. An extremely cold exterior but perhaps the biggest heart. Here, allow me to show you their story.." Reaching out and touching Titus's forehead which shows him a vision from long ago.

Van's room:

"You feel as though you were a monster that was created by an even bigger monster." The steam from her team swirled around and created brief images of Hades. "He saw a rage in you, turned you into his weapon. It's interesting though. Look at the others, a lover as twisted as the devil, and the ones who looked at the devil and found a father figure."

"But he resorted to using you only as a weapon...because he knew he couldn't fully corrupt you. It's why he relied so much on her...because he assumed she could manipulate you by using your heart..the one thing he couldn't do. In the end though he was afraid of you. He was afraid because he knew one day you'd realize the truth. One day you would be strong enough to set yourself on a different path. When that day came he knew he'd never be able to get you back.."

"It is only by walking through fire that we may burn away the lies.."

Lye's room:

"You believed yourself shackled to your past. In truth the only thing that binds you is yourself. You have learned to accept what has happened, to accept that once something is done it can never be undone. However, the past will always be the past. It is a part of you but you are not a reflection of that which has happened. You are not a product of what was."

"You may never be able to forgive your brother for what took place. The world will never expect this of you. What you must do is forgive yourself and understand that everything you feel is natural. Do not keep your anger bottled up, it will bubble under the surface until it consumes you. Say what you feel and let it go."

"Scars are reminders. However they are not simply reminders of past events, they remind you of what you've been through, what you've overcome, they remind you that you are still here. That your destiny is waiting for you. A destiny that you alone will write."

"It is only by walking through the darkness that we may find the light."

Titus's room:

"So you see the truth now. A truth that many in our clan have not been privileged to see. However, destiny is not set in stone. Many believe when you are born your fate is laid out already. As if you're only going through chapters of a book and cannot control the outcome."

"This as you just witnessed, is false. Someone who by all accounts was never "meant" to do what they did was able to overcome all things. Was able to realize that fate is what we make of it. Nothing is written, it never has been. As long as you're willing to fight for what you believe in, for those you hold dear, you may be able to accomplish things that you doubted were possible."

"One day our clan will need someone to claim the mantle of Chieftain. This is not necessarily you, perhaps that isn't the destiny you wish to have. Or perhaps when the time comes you may find yourself drawn to it. This is your choice and your choice alone. Understand though that I do see great things ahead of you and the city you call home may need you sooner than you think."

"It is only by walking through the illusions that we may find the truth."

Van's room:

"You are stronger than you believe you are. Though the journey may be long, you are not alone. Your Captain believes in you with all his heart, your friends will always be by your side, perhaps in time those who you once considered friends will find their way back to you."

"Your destiny is in your hands. You and you alone are in control of it. Accept the past and be willing to take that next step forward. Just know that you are not taking those steps alone and never have been."

"I can not promise your relationship with your sister will ever be perfect. Things rarely are. But I urge you to listen to her if she comes to you. It may be a long road ahead for you two but I believe given time, perhaps the two of you can start to heal."

"This being said, you may find yourself side by side with her in the near future." She reaches out and takes Van's hand.

"My gifts are only given to those who truly deserve them.."

Lye's room:

She's also taken Lye's hand. "Like most gifts, mine may take a while to unwrap."

Titus's room:

Taking Titus's hand "And even when you unwrap the gift, it's going to be up to you to understand how it works."

To all three

"I'm proud of you all. Should you need to speak to me, all you need do is ask."

All three Marigolds hands begin to glow before them find themselves transported back to the exact spots on the ship there were but only a few seconds seem to have passed.