The Mana Wars

[Ashley_Winston]

Jessie sat up, drenched and gave Vex a look. "I don't think we can get your trench coat NOW." She stood up and grabbed her sword and climbed out of the fountain. "We were lucky this fountain was here... You guys ok?" She looked over at Vex and Lucius.  

[Maha1930]

Vex spit out the water that had encompassed his mouth and sat up. "But that's my favorite trench coat! Fine do what you wanna do! But I'm going and getting it!" He stepped out of the fountain shaking himself off like a dog. He turned to leave but there was an explosion only about a few hundred feet from them.

"What the?" From out f the explosion soldiers emerged. Heading straight towards them.

Vex gulped and turned, high-tailing it outta there. "RUN!"  

[Ashley_Winston]

Jessie turned and follow Vex towards the palace gates as more explosions went off and more soldiers charged after them. "Since when did soldiers come out of bombs?!" She yelled.

They reached the gates and they were locked closed. Jessie looked behind them as the guards neared them."Climb for your life!" Jessie climbed up the gates without hesitating.  

[Maha1930]

Vex vaulted up and over the gates but Lucius was still stuck on the other side. "You mangy mutt!" He thought to himself quickly and after a few seconds snapped his fingers together. "Duh!" He focused on his right glove, activating the insignia and springing the flame dormant inside back to life, then he punched at the air, causing the flame to become a projectile and smack right into the gates, springing them open so that Lucius could trample through.  

[Ashley_Winston]

Jessie applauded, impressed. "Let's go before they catch up even more." She said continuing to run. Jessie thinks of a way out. "Either we can hide somewhere here or we can go to the space dock and hide in the emperor's ship. Knowing him, sooner or later he is going to move onto another planet." Jessie suggested to Vex.  

[Maha1930]

"No, I just can't scratch the feeling that something big is going down, on this planet. I think it'll be best if we just lay low for awhile." Vex looked behind him but all he saw was Lucius tailing behind. "It seems the soldiers really weren't after us after all. Maybe they're just as pissed about the new government as we are." Vex and the gang hopped over the shrubbery surrounding the Palace gates and landed in close to the city center. It was mostly deserted except for a few passerby's. The Elevator down to Vex's place was just a few blocks down the road, and he hoped that they could make it there in one piece.  

[Ashley_Winston]

"Ok we'll stay." Jessie looked down below once again as she did when she was in the ship. "So what happened to make this place so horrible? Not up here, but down there?" She asked Vex pointing to a city no more under this higher class one.  

[Maha1930]

"Well," he said as they continued to make their way towards the elevator, "a lot of things went down. But the short story is, in 7072 after the Mana Wars happened, there was a lot of public displeasure with the Emperor's decisions. Since we had lost the war, the Emperor had decided that any person who was for his decisions and supported him wholly would stay above ground, and all that were opposed would get thrown below. Before, the city below wasn't even a proper city, it was just a place where you would see all the homeless and poverty stricken people wondering about. Now, it's home to a lot of people. 13 years, it's been...growing in size, but still, no one does anything to rise up and demand rights from the empire."

Lucius galloped to Vex's side nudging his hand and he patted his head whole-heartily. "And then after...well- no, it's nothing. But we and Lucius vowed to rise up against the empire, not for the fame and glory, but so our people can once again live among their brothers and sisters, and not have to face disease and hardship down below."  

[Ashley_Winston]

Jessie listens and nods. "Oh man, sorry. I didn't know you were from down there..." She shrugs apologetically. " 'And then after' what? You can tell me." She looks at Vex. "Unless something happened and it's too painful. Then you don't have to tell me."  

[Maha1930]

"Look Jessie, I just met you, so I'm not going to tell you my whole life story. But, seeing as how Lucius seems to have taken a liking to you, god knows why, I'll let you hear the prologue just not the whole novel. Parent's died after the war, boyfriend died. Blah, blah, blah. Happy now?"  

[Ashley_Winston]

"I wasn't trying to get a whole life story. Sorry about your parents and boyfriend.." Jessie kept walking and was silent. She didn't know what else to say.  

[Maha1930]

Vex chuckled. "Don't apologize, it wasn't your fault. Now, there shouldn't be any guards at the elevator with things going on at the palace." The group rounded a corner and could see the elevator's entrance as it came into view. No one. "Good, let's go." The three of them hurried to the elevator and Vex pressed the button marked "down." They boarder the elevator and started their descent down to the slums.  

[Ashley_Winston]

Jessie smiles. "Huh, with the invasion going on I would have expected to see guards and soldiers everywhere..." Jessie went on as the elevator descended.
She took in everything she saw as they neared the ground. "Did this place ever thrive and look beautiful?" She asked as they walked out of the elevator and to their right, with Vex leading the way.  

[Maha1930]

Vex shrugged as they continued walking to his house. "Eh, it never really looked what you call beautiful, it's just the way it is. Sorry it's not pleasing to your eyes but..this is what me and Lucius had to call Home."  

[Ashley_Winston]

"No, no! It's fine, really," she said waving only her hands in front of her chest showing it's fine," It's just..DIFFERENT from what I would imagine." She followed Vex and Lucius down a couple alleyways and onto another street.